Posts by Ace Cowboy

We couldn’t be bigger fans of the Talking Heads’ driving force. We could try, but we would not be successful. More Songs About Buildings and Food, Talking Heads ’77, Remain in Light, Speaking in Tongues…this guy was responsible for more albums I worship than just about anyone else in my personal musical history. So on this […]

Mothers are pretty cool. Some are cooler than others, and some are downright awful. But the majority of our mothers are supportive and caring and essentially took their own lives the second we popped out the collective uterus. So with Mother’s Day tomorrow morning, remember to either pick up and deliver that overpriced dozen or […]

It’s an early summer Friday, and chances are you’re either headed out the door now or doing so shortly. I’m stuck at this goddamn desk, and I don’t like it. Before you run out, though, make sure to check out the latest in our “The Kidzz Are Alright” series. Last week we featured some fine, […]

Almost everyone missed a superb story in Wednesday’s edition of the Detroit Free Press, a tale of corruption in law enforcement and the inherent evils of police power. But I don’t care to tackle that difficult subject. Flipping the Caesarian script, I come to praise Office Edward Sanchez, not to bury him. The 28-year-old Detroit cop […]

I wanted to check out one of Beirut‘s three shows this week at the Bowery Ballroom, but alas, I bricked it like the keg guy coming early to the Pickford residents. By all accounts the shows were a complete victory for all, the fans and the band, and a special encore unfolded at the Sunday, May 6th show: […]

The Austin City Limits lineup is official, and it’s fucking nasty. Seriously, just nasty. In fact, I’ve never been so impressed by an initial artist announcement. Then again, I’m not easily impressed. Ooooh, a blue car! Promoters, take note: This is what an eclectic all-star lineup should look like. I can’t even list ’em all, […]

We’ve already shown you the pictures, but now we’ve got some videos from YazzFest rolling into our Hidden Track Headquarters. Well…not really, we’re just digging through YouTube like the rest of you poor schmucks. But check out this poorly lit but insanely well-played clip of Galactic’s Stanton Moore, Greyboy’s Robert Walter and free agent Will Bernard ripping through […]

Whether you worship it or think it’s overrated hippie nonsense, chances are you’ve got some story related to the Grateful Dead’s 5/8/77 show at Cornell University, most likely about your First Bootleg Tape Ever. We’re all well aware you’re heady enough to know the nights before and after were just as good if not better, but let’s take a moment for the 8th […]

That’s right, folks, the sun hath set on the weekly installments of Pullin’ ‘Tubes. Instead of the usual six videos every seven days, beginning tomorrow, PT will become a daily feature on Hidden Track. We’re goin’ daily, bitches. Bonus cantos. With the White Stripes re-emerging into the purview of the live music fan after a […]

Washington Square Park doesn’t have much in the way of grass. And as Dave Chappelle pointed out to the country in his Half Baked vehicle, not even the weed for sale there resembles grass by any measure. But Greenwich Village’s 10-acre concrete park is my home away from home, and what it lacks in rich greenery it more than makes up for with no-nonsense freak shows and incredible musical interludes. Plus, it’s a great place to lay down and shake off that hangover.

Between the Wang near-perfect game, the Kentucky Derby and the Mayweather/De La Hoya fight, Saturday made for a great day of sports.

But Sunday provided me a fantastic musical backdrop for lazily loafing around the park and watching performances by so many different, talented musicians. The always-enjoyable BuzzUniverse headlined my day of great music in the park (no Chris Barron sitting in for Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong this time), but the amateur acts also entertained me to no end while I finished reading a great book. Read on to stroll through the park with me and check out what all went down…

The Derby, The Fight of the Century, The Near Perfect Game from Wanger in the Bronx…with a Sports Saturday like that, it’s hard to think about live music. But I wonder what’s goin’ on with our friends down at Jazz Fest — well, we can all check in with them via the AT&T Blueroom webcast. […]

Let’s start the weekend off right — here’s a video so recently uploaded to YouTube that it’s gotten only 109 views. This needs some well-deserved pub. The revolutionary Billy Preston dabbled in some keyboard work with the Rolling Stones back in the huge afro days, and someone managed to capture incredible footage of the Fifth Beatle and the Stones […]

As you may remember from last week’s edition, our resident mixologist Dan Alford is taking his downloadable act to Mondays. This line change left a gaping void in the authorship of this department, so I’ve decided to step in and plug the hole as best I can. And for my first trick, I’m breaking out the Cauldron […]

Shit. We’re 10 months away, and already next year’s March is filling up fast. We’ve got the annual pilgrimage to Langerado, a fantasy baseball draft in a city to be named later, and now…uh oh, we may have to make a quick jaunt to Amsterdam. Jam in the ‘Dam organizers want you to get in on the act early, […]

If someone were to mention the phrase “tramps at the mall,” my mind would almost immediately conjure up images of That Group of skanky high-school chicks with hoop earrings, makeup-caked faces and gobs of chewing gum that may or may not give faulty handjobs in the bathroom by the food court. But tramps at the mall has taken on a new meaning. You never […]

Vegas is played out. Montreal has become passé. Atlantic City is for Gotti Kidz and Camaro drivers. Sadly, the list of killer bachelor party destinations is dwindling dangerously. So when my buddy decided his perfect spot was Austin City Limits, I had to invite myself, regardless of whether the invitation was forthcoming. And now that […]

Remember the night back in October when Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy took a swing at some jerkoff fan that hopped on stage? [youtube]5wmAvy7C2co[/youtube] Well, the Yankee Hotel Facepunch heard ’round the world ain’t the only swing Wilco’s taking. Now they’re bringing the fight to scalpers: BrooklynVegan today reported Wilco will play a show at the […]

Tom Hamilton’s putting his energies into the wrong band. Brothers Past is good at what they do, and I’m sure it’s more lucrative. But I can’t say that BP’s music has ever ensnared me quite like his American Babies side project did at the Knitting Factory last night. Given a proper upbringing, the Babies can grow into Monsters.

Hamilton’s slimmed-down version of American Babies — a powerful quartet featuring brother Jim Hamilton on bass, Sir Joe Russo on drums and Scott Metzger on guitar — expertly showcases his incredible songbook. I don’t mean to trip on over-enthusiasm here, but this show for me catapulted Hamilton onto the list of great young songwriters. His originals strike the perfect lyrical and musical balance between wide commercial appeal and misunderstood critical acclaim.

Capitalistic endeavors will likely lead him to pursue success for his more well-known band, but watching this semi-supergroup made me wish he’d put the Brothers in the Past and concentrate on bringing up the Babies.

• Read on for the rest of the review and more photos of the show
• And click here to check out American Babies on MySpace

Before we dive into an obvious theme below, let’s kick off the proceedings with a rippin’ version of Medeski Martin & Wood’s Think from the Umbria Jazz Festival in 2001. Of all my favorite tunes from the trio’s arsenal, the underrated Think most definitely tops the list, and this live rendition is guaranteed hit the spot: [youtube]-3iyMC5nhfw[/youtube] I gotta say, Eddie […]

Well-preserved archival live music’s not very tough to find, if you’re looking in the right spots (and you’re not a wall-eyed doof). And when I’m bored at work, or when I wish to tune out the bland chick next to me, I hit the SugarMegs bookmark and row gently down the audio streams. The problem is, it’s almost […]