If the phenomenon of “The Next Big Thing” remained in our age of Internet ephemera, Dawes would be the most likely candidate.
Peter Case takes nothing for granted, no doubt why he keeps so busy with touring (solo and in collaboration with assorted like-minded musicians), his songwriters workshops, recurring reunions with The Plimsouls and since his recuperation period, the researching of his archives; the first fruits of which are The Case Files collection just out in May. He qualifies as a renaissance man.
While this initial edition of Peter Case’s archival efforts contains its share of the sharp contemporary folk (“Steel Strings #1”) and blues (“(Give Me) One More Mile”) that dominate his live shows these days, the greater portion of The Case Files demonstrates the genuine rock and roll swagger that Case first displayed with The Plimsouls (and still does when they reunite).
Astutely produced by David Lemieux and Blair Jackson, the only material duplicated within the three disc set is the venerable “Truckin’”, which should placate those music lovers who rue the availability of bonus discs with such packages
Dawes were mighty impressive opening up for Brett Dennen at Higher Ground, so much so that the headliner must’ve been more than a little intimidated at the prospect of following them on stage.
One of the most anticipated albums of 2011 thus far, My Morning Jacket’s Circuital is one of those ever-so-rare instances where inspiration meets expectation.
In Doug Collette’s conversation with Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux. Lemieux’s enthusiasm is so highly infectious for his work in general and in specific about his current project Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings, that it only takes one statement or interrogatory for him to head off on another charged explication of the process behind that project, the general checklist for an archive title or the thought behind the genesis of complete Dead runs in the wake of Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings.
If you’ve ever seen and heard Warren Haynes perform Otis Redding and Delbert McClinton covers, you know he has more than a passing interest in both soul and rhythm and blues. But the passion in this man’s singing on “Save Me,” the final cut on Man in Motion, borders on desperation: arguably the most confessional vocal he’s ever done, this single performance alone is enough to redeem the inconsistencies that otherwise afflict the exercise in style that constitute his second solo album.
All props to Chamberlin as an engaging young band, but they may not have done justice to themselves or their music in the small room at Higher Ground, due in part to the sound in the house and an odd choice of material.
Virtually as impenetrable as it is alluring on first listen, Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues ultimately becomes one of those albums that reveals something new about the music and the band that made it on each successive hearing.
