Bob Dylan in the 80’s: Volume One
[rating=8.00] If Bob Dylan in the 80’s: Volume One proves anything, it’s that even in his most fallow periods, the Bard of Minnesota has been capable of brilliant songs (if not always brilliant recordings–that’s a different thing). The revelations are few and far between here, but readily apparent: Hannah Cohen suffuses “Covenant Woman” with a […]
North Mississippi Allstars- Foeger Ballroom Jay, VT 3/6/14
It’s a safe bet no sounds so dirty as the unholy blues of The North Mississippi Allstars had ever echoed around the antiseptic expanse of the Foeger Ballroom before Thursday March 6th. And even if not all those sounds were unholy–Luther Dickinson led the group toward transcendence at a couple moments during their near three […]
The Wood Brothers – Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 3/1/14
The oldest sibling of The Wood Brothers, Oliver, was in an unusually voluble mood throughout the band’s appearance at Higher Ground March 1, 2014, but toward the home stretch of their single set, he mentioned the Woods’ eight or nine year history coming to Higher Ground, he was indirectly referring to the fact they had […]
I Was There When…Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin Elevated Saratoga in 1973
These two innovative guitar legends only joined forces for one live tour. Their appearance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in 1973 no doubt met and exceeded the enormous expectations.
Luther Dickinson – Rock and Roll Blues
[rating=7.00] The music on Luther’ Dickinson’s Rock and Roll Blues is every bit as earthy and organic as its cover art would suggest- a guitar planted in an expanse of verdant countryside. Teeming with the spontaneity of the moment, the album is a series of pithy vignettes extracted from every phase of this not-so-young man’s […]
Gary Clark Jr. – Higher Ground, S. Burlington, VT 2/28/14
If Gary Clark Jr.’s sold out appearance at Higher Ground is any sign of his popularity, the buzz around the Austin bluesman is about to turn into rolling thunder. Clark had the Vermont venue’s ballroom audience in the palm of his hand as soon as he walked onto the darkened stage. A fist-pumping audience greeted […]
Paul Rodgers- Going Soul/R&B on The Royal Sessions (Interview)
Paul Rodgers’ voice may be more familiar than his name because, by and large, his success has come within the confines of collaborations with notable names of their own. Consider the groups under which Rodgers has built his career: Free, whose “All Right Now” help define rock radio the Seventies; Bad Company gave the lie […]
The Beatles U.S. Albums
It is perhaps only inevitable marketing to see the Beatles US Albums out in line with the fiftieth anniversary of the Fab Four’s first visit to America. Unlike the previous release of The Beatles Capitol Albums, 2004 and 2006 sets now out-of-print, this collection has the additional selling points of the inclusion of the Hey […]
Johnny Winter, Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 2/1/14
Seven years ago, almost to the day, Texas-born bluesman Johnny Winter appeared in this Vermont venue, largely looking and playing like a shadow of his former self. It was only on the very last song of the evening, his signature rendition of Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” that the albino man came alive to the extent […]
Dr. Dog – Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 1/28/14
Dr. Dog ended their early 2014 performance at Higher Ground the same way they kicked it off: pumping away as a unified sextet, seeming hell-bent on a mission. There’s no doubt the comfort level they developed with their repeated visits to Vermont inspired them to invite to the stage Queen City music-scene fixture, and Grace […]