Posts by Hidden Track Staff

I learned it from snorting you! Turns out, Keith Richards’ longtime manager claims the skeletal rocker was totally kidding when he said “I snorted my father. He was cremated and I couldn’t resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow.” Joke or not, the whole incident begs the question: Which dead person would you most like to […]

The USTORM Foundation threw itself a 1st Birthday Party at the Park West in Chicago this weekend, and just by reading the setlist that follows, we’ve never been more jealous of a lucky group of concertgoers. Da-yum. The non-profit organization that raises money for music and art education better raise some money for a new […]

One of us hit the first night of the Allmans’ 94-show Beacon run and one of us practiced, practiced, practiced up to Carnegie Hall for Gilberto Gil’s show last night. We’re tired monkeys today, so pour these links into your morning coffee: Billboard.com features some great videos from SXSW New tourdates from Alison Krauss and the Drive […]

Everyone’s down on Trey Anastasio. Well, maybe not everyone, but you can’t throw a cup without finding someone with a decidely negative opinion of the man without whom this little rag would not exist. Did he bring this on himself? Perhaps. Two Shine openers in the span of two days down at Langerado? Poor form.

But the Bad Lieutenant is still our favorite improvisational guitarist, and in this week’s installment of The B List, our dear friend David Onigman fills in valiantly for Scotty to remind us of the good times of yore…and the good times that can be.

“I heard Trey was going to sit in” is an oft-popular phrase in small to mid-level nightclubs around the country, especially if the scheduled performers have some sort of existing relationship with the man, even be it a small one.

For the purposes of this list, I have chosen not to include any guest appearances where Trey was already scheduled to appear in the room that night — so you won’t see Trey with his opening act (Tea Leaf Green, Particle) or Trey sitting in with a headliner when Phish was the opening act (Santana). Instead, I am choosing to focus on the moment that occurs when the rumors come to fruition, when Trey walks out on stage and fulfills the dreams of the musicians and fans.

Read on for Dave’s complete list of the ten best sit-ins involving Ernie A…

Anyone else have that Asti Spumante Nando Wine “Taste the good times” commercial from the ’80s in their head? Just me? Ah, fuck it: Links! Some top-notch Langerado photos from Scott Galbraith Papa Glide Magazine unleashes Version 3.1 Don’t fuck with Levon, ‘cuz he’ll sue your ass A review of NYC’s newest venue: the Gramercy Theater Chicago is letting The […]

We’re continuing to recruit new talent to HT in an effort to provide you with more web junk to help you procrastinate at work. Today we offer our first post from Danfun, the photogenius behind the Who’s Driving The Bus? blog.

A sword sallower, a burlesque escape artist and three generations of rock and roll converged on the Webster Hall stage last night for fantastic evening of music.

Damon Albarn‘s amazing new supergroup, The Good, The Bad and The Queen, played its first North American show last night. A far cry from his old groups, this band features Clash bass player Paul Simonon, former Verve guitarist Simon Tong, and afrobeat pioneer and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen.

Read on below for more photos from The GB&Q’s continental debut…

Internet radio continues to get screwed. So we’ve asked frequent HT commenter and all-around good guy makeithappen77 from Some More From The Road to break down just how badly these Internet radio stations are getting the shaft…

After learning about the decision of the Copyright Royalty Board to increase the royalty rates for music broadcast on Internet radio, I felt prompted to make a few impassioned arguments against it. But as I did more research, I learned that my initial under-informed reaction was more correct than I dared hope.

As with most far-reaching legal decisions, well, I guess I can sum it up by saying there’s a lot of information on the topic. I’ve got certain information, all right? Certain things have come to light. And, given the nature of all this new shit, you know, it’s not just, it might not be just such a simple…uh, you know?…I’ve got information man! New shit has come to light!

Leave it to me to distill all the legalese and get you to the point. The decision handed down by the Copyright Royalty Board significantly raises the per-play rate schedule for each song broadcast on an Internet radio station retroactive to January 2006. And that’s going to pose significant problems for many Internet radio stations, as well as plenty of non-mainstream artists. Read on for more of makeithappen’s in-depth analysis on why this is a bad shake…

Earlier today I quickly posted some videos from last night’s 20th Anniversary of the Old Knit gala event. My running mate Neddy now gives it the full treatment.

What’s that saying about how we all get the face we deserve by the age of 50?

Well, apparently, for music clubs you get the anniversary show you deserve at the age of 20. Last night the Knitting Factory — referred to lovingly as the “Old Knit” — celebrated a couple of decades, less as a jazz club and more as the genesis of the entire downtown aesthetic. Of course, in a production decision that made as little sense as holding an AA meeting at a brewery, this monstrosity of a benefit show was held smack dab in the middle of Times Square, at Town Hall, as far as you can imagine from the Tribeca/Lower East Side roots of the club and the music.

When I think of the music that grew out of that Old Knit scene I think of a messy, experimental goop, occasionally brilliant, occasionally moving, occasionally intolerable. Whether they intended it or not, that’s exactly what they delivered on Thursday night. Read on for more of Neddy’s play-by-play review…

There doesn’t seem much to report from Trey’s day in court in Whitehall, New York today. But the former 70 Volt Parade lead singer did plead not guilty to the multiple charges against him stemming from his December 15th arrest.

Anastasio, facing three felony charges of illegally possessing prescription painkillers and driving while impaired and misdemeanor counts of possessing heroin and an anti-anxiety medication that had been prescribed to someone else, was released on bail and scheduled to return to Washington County Court on March 27.

So, the saga continues, and previous reports that Trey would cop a plea today turned out to be wholly inaccurate.

Appearing before Judge Kelly McKeighan and a crowd of media, Anastasio agreed to a pre-plea investigation that will help the court get to know him better “and help you resolve your case,” according to the judge.

Since the anniversary’s tomorrow, I highly recommend that the judge check out 2/28/03 to get to know the real Trey better.

Anastasio’s attorney, Steve Coffey, acknowledged after the hearing that his client has a drug problem and is seeking treatment. Coffey said Anastasio attended a 28-day treatment program in January and is attempting to overcome his addiction.

“He has a problem, he knows it and is working with it,” Coffey said.

Coffey also said Anastasio instructed him not to fight the charges.

“He told me ‘I’m here to face the consequences and work it out with the court and go on with my life,’” Coffey said.

Friend of HT, The Otrane, brings up a good point: Trey’s done everything he can since the arrest. First he thanks his arresting officer, then he completes a 28-day rehab, now this lawyer quote about facing the consequences. By the time this is over they’re going to be thanking him for getting arrested in Whitehall.

Anastasio’s plea leaves the door open for a deal to be worked out with the court. Hopefully that deal will be worked out soon for Big Red so he can get back to melting our faces, and perhaps put his drug problems behind him.

• Previously on Hidden Track: Now Trey’s a Real Rock Star; The Day After; and Trey at the Y: An Audience of His Peers
• The latest TV news report from WNYT (free show?)
• Read on below for a full timeline from the December arrest to today’s plea

We’re welcoming a new weekly contributor into the fold today: Dan Alford’s been an audio guru on Jambands.com since the last millennium, but now he brings his craft to our little pretzel keg. Make him feel at home and download the goods. “Herbie’s electric songbook? A treasure trove of crazy grooves. The first track here features a long and […]

From the extensive Over Before It Started files, it now appears the upcoming Van Halen 2.0 tour will not proceed as planned. Hey, at least this one lasted longer than the last reunion. At this point, we’d sooner pay to see these bat-shit crazies fight to the near-death on Pay-Per-View than play an actual show. […]

Usually when we mention teenagers on this site there’s an immediate follow-up mention of either Pete Townshend or Gary Glitter. But this post is about precocious teenagers, not the kind that are physically exploited for kicks.

Head Yes-man Jon Anderson fronted Paul Green’s School of Rock All Stars last night at BB King’s for a unique take on the catalog of his 70s progressive rock outfit, and Hidden Track Podcaster General Mike Newman was smart enough to shuttle himself over to Times Square for the evening’s action.

Read on after the jump for more of Newman’s photos and a couple of YouTube videos of Anderson’s fantastic collaboration with the PGSRAS. And if the videos are any indication, we all definitely missed the boat on this one…

Our friend Neddy headed down to Judson Memorial Church last night for a taste of New York’s most hyped week-long event in years. Here’s his report…

I never dreamed that I would climb
Over the moon in ecstasy
But nevertheless, it’s there that I’m
Shortly about to be
‘Cause I’ve got a golden ticket

Willy Wonka was a PR genius, no doubt. I mean, that golden ticket thing made grown men go ape-shit for candy bars. It was the hype machine at its finest and yet, the fact of the matter is, the chocolate was actually pretty damn good. These are the thoughts I had as what seems like the entire city of New York (as well as any portion of the music blogosphere worth a damn) has gone somewhat ape-shit themselves over The Arcade Fire and their super-special week of shows at the certainly-too-small Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village.

The hype was to the point where it was literally impossible for the band to live up to it, but when C-Dawg asked me to be the Grandpa Joe to his lucky Charlie Bucket for Thursday night’s performance, I had no choice but to drag my asleep-at-the-wheel ass out of bed, grab my cane and head into the Large Apple.

Read on for the rest of Neddy’s Arcade Fire @ Judson review, which contains more Willy Wonka imagery and a handful of YouTubes and great photos. Oh, and if you read on ’til the end, we’ve got the 2/13/07 AF download for you.

Get the Soulshine Receiver™ out the attic. We’re goin’ camping.

Clear the first week of June on your hippie calendars (or do wooks go by the lunar?): Warren Haynes announced the lineup for the third annual Mountain Jam Music Festival this evening on WDST radio. Warren’s festival, which takes place at Hunter Mountain in New York, has even added a third day of music.

Call us jamband fluffers, but to us the lineup looks solid to quite solid. According to the press release, the following bands will perform:

Gov’t Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, New Orleans Social Club featuring Henry Butler, Ivan Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr and Raymond Webber, Ozomatli, North Mississippi, Tea Leaf Green, New Monsoon, and Backyard Tire Fire. Late night performances as well as additional artists will be announced soon.

This is clearly one festival that’s not kowtowing to the burgeoning hipster crowd, offering a straight-up barrage of jambands. Noodle on.

• A photo gallery from the 2006 Mountain Jam
• 2007 Mountain Jam press release (follows after the jump, too)

We confirmed the Bonnaroo 2007 lineup last night, Roger Waters is coming back to the USA, and all is right with the world halfway through the week. Let’s look around the cyberweb and check in on some of the shit that’s out there: Blogcritics.com presents a list of rock’s greatest bass riffs If you don’t have tickets to see […]

Our stellar photojournalist friend Nathan Ingraham craves the indie jam rock. So we sent him down to Boston’s Orpheum Theatre this past Friday, and he came back with these moe. better gems…

The venerable Boston Metro couldn’t make it two paragraphs without mentioning Phish in its preview of Friday’s moe. concert. So instead of fighting the urge to follow the paper’s questionable lead, I’ll get the comparison out of the way up front. As the Metro noted, moe. has not grown exponentially since the demise of the popular rock band Phish two and a half years ago. But I’d be willing to bet most fans at the Orpheum wouldn’t have it any other way.

The band as well seems content with its place in the musical hierarchy: moe. is big enough to throw large-scale events like the upcoming Snoe.down and yet intimate enough to still allow for band/fan interaction (such as the full band merchandise signing post-show) and 2005’s acoustic Coda shows in New York.

But let’s just talk about the music. Most in the crowd that night had a feeling they were in for a special show when the band opened with the raging jam-vehicle Recreational Chemistry. The song was just about to take off when who should wander onto the stage but bassist Rob Derhak’s son, Zach, wielding some sort of key-tar and screaming into a mic guitarist Al Schnier had provided. Sure it was adorable, but it also slammed the breaks on the jam, and the band sloppily segued into Blue Jeans Pizza. But things picked up there, and the song featured guitarist Chuck Garvey’s most ripping solo of the night. He didn’t get lots of other opportunities to really shine though — this evening was definitely an “Al” night.

Read on for 11 more amazing photos and the rest of Nate’s review…

It’s the middle of another long week and there’s more news to be digested. And don’t forget the glorious stuff we posted yesterday: Levon comes drawling back to NYC and Ozzfest may be free of charge. Onto today… There’s a soon-to-be-confirmed rumor that The Police plays Fenway Park on 7/28-29; we’re hearing Madison Square Garden will be the first weekend in […]

Men, suck in your gut and comb your sideburns: The lovely SuperDee is here. Our favorite female rock writer brought NOLA’s Rotary Downs to town last weekend, and she wants you to set your radio dial so you can hear them this weekend.

The city is built
To music, therefore never built at all,
And therefore built forever.
~Alfred Lord Tennyson

Can a rock ‘n roll band save a sunken city? Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath seized many souls from the beloved city of New Orleans. Its denizens have been spread all over the country, if they survived the storm.

Those who stayed behind or returned home after mandatory evacuation were faced with the daunting task of rebuilding a city below sea level. They not only have to construct physical homes and infrastructure, but they have to rejuvenate the unique spirit of this place that so many hold close to their hearts.

We all know how powerful music can be in its ability to affect social change and expedite healing. The history of New Orleans is so deeply rooted in its music that it only makes sense the rebuilding would start with the artists. Habitat for Humanity acknowledges this with its Musicians’ Village project to build houses for displaced musicians: Bring the music back, bring New Orleans back.

But it’s not only the sound of brass and blues that are bubbling back up in this aftermath. An unlikely sound from the Crescent City is emerging to do its part to revitalize the city’s music scene — indie rock. Rotary Downs is a band that is rising to this challenge. Read on about the band that just turned New York heads…

Our good friend Neddy likes good music, and he wants you good folks to like good music as well. So listen to him when he preachifies about The Bad Plus.

Sometimes it’s a match made in heaven. Destiny, if you will — the people, the places, the times: Tiger Woods at Augusta, the Grateful Dead at Winterland, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the Continental Congress, and The Bad Plus at the Village Vanguard. Yeah, you heard me.

I’ve seen the Bad Plus over a dozen times at various rooms and outdoor shows over the past three years, and it’s always been a treat. But nothing beats the magic of those three guys at the vaunted Village Vanguard: It is magic, nothing less. This week they’re celebrating their fifth week at the club, and the first set of the first night was the place I had to be…

Read on for more of Neddy’s review, especially if you’ve never heard ’em. In other words, get into new shit, you stubborn dipshits.

For this week’s B List, we’re honored to introduce our friend Stuart Hartstone. Stuart has worked many festivals with “oo” at the end of the title for Superfly Productions, and most recently he has helped promote concerts and manage artists under the Hartstone Productions banner (along side his brother Jarrett).

“I’ve never been a fan of Top 10 lists when it comes to music — to me, the premise is kind of silly. I’ve always believed that art was in the eye of the beholder, so who’s to say one person’s art is better than someone else’s? But I also generally tend to disagree with most Top 10 lists. I don’t know who writes these things, but with the exception of The B List’s recent Top 10 Side Projects, I often come away feeling like the author has his head firmly affixed up his ass.

Well, that didn’t stop me from taking this opportunity to put together a Top 10 list of my own. I was listening to the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers the other day, and Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’ came on. I’ve always loved that song, especially the intro. For lack of a better word, it’s just so badass. So it got me thinking: What other songs have similar badass intros like that one? You know, an intro that is just so good it makes you want to pump your fist in the air and yell ‘Yeah!’

So while I know some of you probably won’t agree with me on all of this — I’m still not 100% convinced I do — here without further ado is my Top 10 Badass Guitar Riff Song Intros. While you might not agree with all my choices, I think you will find that for the most part, the intros to these songs are pretty fuckin’ badass!”

Read on below for Stuart Hartstone’s guest edition of The B List…