Posts by Hidden Track Staff

The String Cheese Incident will head to Red Rocks on August 12th to play its last show for the foreseeable future, ending a 14-year career of inconsistency, tepid jamming, sunshine and rainbows. We’d like to bid a fond farewell to the band with this list of the Top 10 Things We’ll Miss About String Cheese Incident, though we have a hunch they’ll be back in a year when Zilla draws shit crowds and Keller Williams finally agrees to front the band. ‘Til then, we’ll surely miss the following…

10. Looking forward to Hepatitis A outbreaks and Group Hoots

9. Hearing a concert referred to as an “Incident” without even a hint of irony

8. Tinyguitar player Michael Kang’s keen fashion sense:

Read on for the remaining seven things we’ll miss most about SCI…

Willy Wonka, be damned, the artist opened his PollockPrints Studio to the public recently, and our poster-geek friend Phil could find himself nowhere else in the world than that Chicago abode.

Dispatch has earned the distinction of being the only unsigned act to headline Madison Square Garden. And they not only headlined the world’s most famous arena this weekend, they sold out three nights at MSG. Since we know nothing about them except The General, we asked our friend Matty Mac to do the honors.

Whenever anyone asks me “Who’s your favorite band?,” I always say “I don’t have a favorite per se, as my tastes are constantly changing with the wind.” But I realized this past weekend that my response is total bullshit.

I definitely have a favorite band, and they go by the name of Dispatch. If you have never heard of them before, well, I am not surprised. Born of out the dorms of Middlebury College in Vermont, Brad Corrigan, Pete Heimbold and Chad Urmston show a versatility and musical ability like no other band I have seen or experienced. Though the band has “officially” broken up, to this day they have a loyal following that could rival Phish, if only comprised of a younger demographic.

My roots in this band go back a long way. During the first few weeks of my freshman year of college, my roommate had a tape of a band called “One Fell Swoop” that he insisted on me listening to. During this time, I had only really listened to hip hop and thought that this “hippie, tree-hugging shit” was exactly that: shit. But after my first listen all the way through (the album happened to be “Silent Steeples”), I was a changed man. I listened to that tape so much that it pretty much melted in the tape deck. I was in love. Like, “let’s get married” love, but in a completely heterosexual way.

Read on for more of Matty Mac’s full review of Dispatch at MSG…

It’s Uncle Neddy’s mix tape time, so let’s all gather ’round the campfire and listen to what our main man has in store for us this week… Another completely, 100 percent random crop of six tunes as picked for you by iTunes, without further comment. I offer a questionable prize to he or she who […]

It’s Uncle Neddy’s mix tape time, so let’s all gather ’round the campfire and listen to what our main man has in store for us this week… Ain’t New York City just the center of the live music universe? Don’t roll your eyes at me. We’ve got another stellar weekend of music in the big […]

The Rage Reunion rolls on: The third-annual Vegoose Festival has announced Rage Against The Machine will co-headline this year’s Halloween weekend in Vegas. The festival’s promoters, Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment, have declined to officially name any other acts on the bill until July. Interestingly, Rage will also co-headline the Voodoo Music Experience in New […]

It’s Uncle Neddy’s mix tape time, so let’s all gather ’round the campfire and listen to what the man has in store for us this week… Ah, that sweet gap between the Solstice and the Fourth, perfect for some good ol’ fashioned roots music. Today’s concentration: the banjo. At first I didn’t think I’d be […]

Our main man Danfun‘s been a busy boy lately…let’s check in with our favorite photographer after last night’s big-time, small-venue White Stripes show.

The lyrics to the White Stripes song Little Room never felt as meaningful as they did last night. The Irving Fillmore Plaza packed in what seemed like an MSG-sized crowd to see the White Stripes’ first local concert since 2005.

The band opened with When I Hear My Name and didn’t stop rocking for two straight hours, rocking out well past midnight. Although Jack did have a little technical trouble during Dead Leaves, that didn’t slow the duo down. At this point, I’m not sure anything can slow these guys down. Read on after the jump for more photos and thoughts from the show…

In addition to our intrepid reporter’s real-time efforts to keep you vicariously updated from afar, we’ve combed over the ol’ YouTube Device to provide youse with some actual video from the 2007 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. There’s a growing mound of moving images and sound to devour, and a whole slew of shit follows after the jump. But first, there’s this item of business…

We’ve also stumbled upon a treasure trove of uploaded webcast captures, so if seven minutes of video doesn’t do it for you — and it rarely does — feel free to rifle through these links here to download the sets you’d like to see. Many thanks to PT’s Schwagg for putting this together: Wilco, Flaming Lips, The White Stripes, Widespread Panic, The Hold Steady, Brazilian Girls, Gillian Welch, The Roots, Wolfmother, Mago (w/ John Medeski & Billy Martin), Kings of Leon, Xavier Rudd, John Butler Trio, String Cheese Incident, RatDog (Part I, Part II), and Old Crow Medicine Show. Read on below for YouTubes…

Reports from the Dust Bowl that is Bonnaroo came fast and furious this weekend from our team down on site, and we posted as much as we could without actually, you know, being there.

It’s Uncle Neddy‘s mix tape time, so let’s all gather ’round the campfire and listen to what this dedicated daddy of two has for us this week… It’s Father’s Day on Sunday, and like any good father, I’m half-assing it this week. In honor of all the dads out there, or the dads-to-be, or the people […]

Our main man Danfun‘s been all over the place. Today he supplied us with photos of last night’s less-than-stellar Booker T & the MGs with Sharon Jones show, a night removed from his experience at Akron/Family at the Bowery Ballroom. His brief review and pictures from Tuesday’s show follows below…

Over the past few years, Akron/Family has stood out as one of the few bands I’ve tried to outwardly push on everyone I meet. People often ask me in return to describe their sound, and I generally have a very hard time doing so. Most of my description compares them to some sort of mythical rock beast that would shoot red-hot rock ’n roll from its mouth instead of fire. I usually get funny looks.

But Tuesday’s show opened my eyes to what it really is that these guys do so well: everything. A typical show features all kinds of singalongs, wild noise freakouts, tight energetic jams, a stage full of fans playing all types instruments, a four-piece horn section, additional drummers, a crew of back up singers and four musicians with serious chops. It’s tough to tame this mythical rock beast.

Read on for more of Dan’s review and photos from the Bowery show…

We’re switching up two of our regular departments this week to better accomodate last-minute readers heading off to Bonnaroo. So Grousing The Aisles will be seen tomorrow, and today we present this special Wednesday edition of The B List, as we continue with our nonstop coverage of this weekend’s festival.

Our coverage kicked off yesterday with HT Bonnaroo Reporter and Shakedown Mayor TJ’s thoughts on the biggest conflicts of the festival. We follow that up today by listing 10 bands that fly under the radar — you may not have these bands circled on your printed calendar just yet, but we think you should:

American Babies (Saturday 12 pm, Sonic Stage)

I caught this semi-supergroup‘s warm-up gig at the Knitting Factory on Monday night, and it’s clear these guys are ready to make the leap. Brothers Past guitarist Tom Hamilton has put together a ridiculous backing troika — brother Jim on bass, Scott Metzger on guitar and Sir Joe Russo on drums — for his incredible songbook. American Babies features killer musicianship, fantastic vocal harmonies, great lyrics and tight chemistry — now, as my friend Mike says, all they need is fans. I’m pretty sure these guys are the only band playing in this time slot, so you’ve got no excuses not to head to the Sonic Stage and get blown away by a band you didn’t know was there. You’ll be singing Invite Your Friends for weeks. –AC

Apollo Sunshine (Thursday 10:15 pm, Other Tent; Friday 1:30 pm, Sonic)

You’ll excuse us for pimping one of our favorite bands yet again, but Apollo Sunshine will be “flying under the radar” until they start playing theaters and arenas. The band’s music mixes terrific songwriting with incredible harmonies, and most importantly, the ridiculous chops of each member of the band. An Apollo Sunshine set hits upon many different emotions and genres, leaving spectators drained of energy by the end of the show. This summer marks a hiatus of sorts for the boys; they plan to head into the studio soon after Bonnaroo. If you are looking for a unique musical experience, look no further than Apollo Sunshine. Listen to this Bach from 4/22/07 and hear for yourself. –SB

Read on for eight more must-see, under-the-radar bands playing Bonnaroo…

Keller Williams and Michael Franti will descend upon the same location this weekend, which can only mean one thing: There’s a festival goin’ down.

The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival kicks off four days of festival mayhem on Thursday, and we’d like to begin our coverage with a look at some of the bigger conflicts on the schedule. Tough decisions are inevitable at any festival, especially one like Bonnaroo that has music playing constantly on or in its 76 stages, tents, outhouses, vestibules, phone booths and kiosks. And considering this year’s lineup is riddled with insane talent, the conflicts seem to pop up every hour.

Do you check out ?uestlove’s afro-pick or Lily Allen’s rack? Bob Weir’s short shorts or Wolfmother’s hype? Hula hoops at SCI or heady crystals at STS9? To help you make these calls, we’ve asked longtime Ace associate, TJ, who’s headed down to Tennessee tomorrow night for a glimpse of the madness, to weigh in with what he believes to be the 11 most difficult time-slot decisions of the festival.

TJ will be covering this festival for us all weekend with live reports from the field, so make sure to check back every 10 to 12 minutes for the next few days…

Thursday
Rodrigo y Gabriela vs. Tea Leaf Green
TJ says: Despite the incredible job RyG could do on Graham Nash’s Immigration Man, I see them getting their visas stamped but falling to the Green regardless.

Friday
Tortoise vs. The Richard Thompson Band
TJ says: Both eclectic, both underrated. The time slot dictates this one –- at 2 am I go Tortoise; but, this 2 pm slot is Richard Thompson all the way.

Kings of Leon vs. Gillian Welch
TJ says: I dig the Kings, but trendy hipster bands are a dime a dozen at Bonnaroo this year. There’s only one Gillian Welch and one David Rawlings on the lineup.

The Roots vs. The Black Keys
TJ says: I’d like to say I was representin’ OH and pick the boys from Akron , but Ohio doesn’t really claim Akron anyway. The Roots will allow you to get yo funk on like few bands at the festival this year, which is nice. Hell, this slot’s so packed I may call an audible at the line and pull a split-squad session with Lily Allen and Manu Chao.

SCI vs. STS9
TJ says: Thank God for SuperJam. Seriously.

Read on for TJ’s biggest conflicts (and winners) on Saturday and Sunday…

It’s Uncle Neddy‘s mix tape time, so let’s all gather ’round and listen up…  Let’s finish the week with a nice random batch of live music from this year, with a little emphasis on the ladies. St. Vincent is my new crush, so it was great to find out her last set at Mercury Lounge (reviewed […]

The speed with which tapers have been uploading shows online is mind-boggling. Last night’s Phil & Friends set from Mountain Jam ended less than 10 hours ago, and already it’s available from etree for your downloading pleasure (thanks to taper extraordinaire Rob Clarke). For all your other Mountain Jam news, check out our weekend post and head on over to the official Mountain Jam Blog.

Now let’s check out some other hot links from around the world wide web:

• U-turn for Wilco: Volkswagen taps Sky Blue Sky for its new ad campaign
• Sticking with Tweedy, Cline & Co., watch the video for You Are My Face
• The White Stripes push back some September dates to October
• Burning Oak’s got the Summer Camp downloads
• Four hands + one guitar = 90210
• As is custom, we remind you to take a peek into this week’s Grateful Dead Taper’s Section for some rarities and gems
• Who’s the fuckface that stole Gordon Stone’s banjo?
• Perry Farrell blames reality television for the demise of Jane’s Addiction
• Sadly, the body of Ra Ra Riot’s missing drummer has been found

And as usual on Monday mornings, whether dastardly rain-soaked or otherwise, read on after the jump for a selection of setlists from the weekend — this week, predictably, is Mountain Jam heavy, but we’ve also got some sets from Bright Eyes, Page McConnell, The Police, Van Morrison and many more…

A report in Monday’s New York Post cited Liv Tyler as the source of a rumor that her father Steven will be leaving Aerosmith due to the way the band’s been treating him. Possible options? Tyler can always start a new band with Jimi, Janis, Keith Moon and…oh, wait, he’s not dead yet? Shit, sorry. Regardless, it’s the […]

Jack Bruce, who based on aging looks alone may actually be Robert the Bruce‘s grandfather, broke the news this week that Cream will definitely be playing at least one show later this year. Billboard.com reported that Bruce confirmed that he had just agreed to take to the stage again with his old mates Ginger Baker […]

Our caretaker mix tape manager Neddy is back on the case this week…and while he makes his way upstate with his family unit, we’ll post this missive from his outbox: “Memorial Day = Summer = Movies. First installment of some sweet cinematic serenade. Hit me with your favorite soundtrack bites? Enjoy the music, enjoy the weekend!” […]

My work colleague and HT commenter, HP Anything, has asked me five times when we’re gonna cover the Silversun Pickups. Luckily for us, our man Danfun caught ’em at Webster Hall the other night, and he filed this report…

I discovered the Silversun Pickups by accident a few years ago. I went down to Pianos to see the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and SSPU just happened to be opening for them that night. Obviously at the time I was completely unfamiliar with any of their songs, but I was blown away by their performance.

SSPU frontman Brian Aubert’s energy and stage presence were amazing that night. But it may have been their ’90s grunge-meets-modern indie rock sound that really hooked me. My being a huge fan of ’90s grunge rock, I loved how the Silversun Pickups sound derives directly from this sadly bygone era.

Last night’s Webster Hall show marked my fifth time seeing SSPU, and this was the biggest show of theirs that I had seen. At first I was a little surprised to find it sold out in advance, but with all the buzz around this band lately, I guess it’s actually to be expected. The room packed and anxious and ready to see the band in its newfound bigness, SSPU treated the capacity crowd to a great show.

Read on for more great photos of the Silversun Pickups at Webster Hall…