For Mike Gordon, having just finished an exhaustive two month swing of projects that included a 13-date Phish tour, another musical costume for Halloween, the release of a new album, and a 17-date tour behind it, it comes as no surprise that the opening track on his latest album is titled Can’t Stand Still.
For Mike Gordon, having just finished an exhaustive two month swing of projects that included a 13-date Phish tour, the donning of another musical costume for Halloween as Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus, the release of the new Mike Gordon Band album, Moss, and a 17-date tour behind it (that at one point included ten shows in just 11 days), it comes as no surprise that the opening track on his latest album is titled Can’t Stand Still.
[Photo by Brad Worsham]
Gordon has always been known for his tireless output — be it his bass playing with Phish, his collaborations, his solo career, writing, filmmaking or any number of other outlets — but at this point, the creative synapses are firing on overdrive.
Unlike many musicians who take the approach of churning out a record and touring behind it before taking an extended break, Mike takes a more calculated path. He aims to strike natural balances between his work with the two main bands (Phish and MGB), his professional time and his down time, his bass playing and other instrumental endeavors, and even his music and other creative outlets. It’s all a balancing act. And in the words of Albert Einstein, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
On Being a Bandleader
Given that Mike Gordon’s solo career exists in its relative infancy, as does his role as a bandleader, this era brings about many exciting changes and challenges. For example, he’s had to learn how to put together setlists; increase his sensitivity to people’s reactions to songs; internalize what’s going on in the room; and “let the music become what it wants to become.”
“It’s about discovering what is already there, and figuring out certain balances,” Mike explains. “For example, I really like playing music that people can dance to. So, if the people are dancing, do we try to keep them dancing? Or do we give them something more contemplative, or a slow song, to change moods? And if people seem to be sweaty and revved up and want to dance, is it OK to be counter-intuitive and say, ‘Maybe it’s time to change it up and explore something that’s more soul and less about body?’ You only learn to make these decisions by trial and error.”
READ ON for more of Ryan’s feature on Mike Gordon…
It’s been a little while since we’ve heard any Creepfunk around here, so this week let’s check out the newest cover tune in the Steez repertoire, Annie Lennox’s hit, Walking
Roger Waters – The Wall @ MSG, November 6
All in All, You Were All Just Bricks in My Wall
We all build walls. Everybody has their bricks. The question is, just how high do we let them go? And what is the difference between having a robust set of personal defenses and being alienated, alone, and generally mad?
The bricks that built Roger Waters’ wall are things that many people can relate to: a father he lost to war and never ultimately knew, an overprotective mother who didn’t let him grow, abusive educators and a lover who seized on his vulnerabilities. But for Waters, the last straw, or rather the final set of bricks, was being adored by people he did not respect.
It was this final trigger that caused him to create his magnum opus, released in 1979, Pink Floyd’s The Wall. And 31 years on, it is safe to say that this piece of music stands shoulder to shoulder to the beloved operas of Venice and the sophisticated chamber music of Vienna.
So Ya, Thought Ya, Might Like to Go To the Show
A late-career revival of an album/tour of such epic proportions reeks of cashing in, and given the sheer number of shows, and particularly the endless add-ons to the tour, even the most dedicated Roger Waters fans had their reservations. READ ON for more on Roger Waters’ The Wall…
In the weeks leading up to the launch of the new Scorcese-directed hit show, Boardwalk Empire, HBO invited the Leroy Justice boys to write and record a song for consideration as the
Something tells me it’s been a while since anyone around here has watched a Beavis & Butthead clip, so today we’ve got a classic – Blues Traveler’s Runaround. Surprisingly, Butthead
Last week, we hit on a few of the highest profile Halloween shows, most notably Phish and their Little Feat musical costume, but this week we wanted to tie in some of our other faves from around the scene and highlight some of their musical excursions outside the norm. Across the live music landscape, Halloween has essentially become synonymous with cover tunes, so we thought we’d dump out our collective pillow case filled with musical treats and have ourselves a taste.
Lotus – Iron Man, Roseland Theater, Portland, OR, 10/30/2010
Quickly becoming one of the most festive young bands to go big for Halloween, Lotus kept up the Halloween spirit for two nights this year as they worked in a whole slew of video game tunes on Halloween night, but also treated fans to a Headbanger’s Ball on the 30th as they celebrated the 40th anniversary of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid album. Get a load of this monster rendition of the ultimate Sabbath song, Iron Man.
READ ON for more goodies from Halloween shows…
Undoubtedly, one of the quickest ways for a band to break these days is to land a spot on a heavy rotation television commercial. And while it can be bizarre
Michael Franti & Spearhead w/ Bobby Long @ Terminal 5, October 28
Say what you will about Terminal 5 and all of its quirks and issues, but there does come that rare time that the multi-level industrial venue affords fans an extraordinary experience that you can’t get anywhere else. This past Thursday night, with the unique pairing of Bobby Long and Michael Franti & Spearhead, anyone who spent their Franti set up on an upper level looking down on the stage saw what I saw: a bird’s eye view of Michael Franti’s gigantic bare feet.
[All photos by Rob Chapman]
At 6’6”, Michael always looms like a giant over the crowd from the stage, and even more so when he takes a seat on the stool for an acoustic ballad, but holy shit, those feet from above look like naval bases out to sea.
A fitting allegory perhaps, as with the release of his latest hit factory studio release, the Sound of Sunshine, Franti & Spearhead officially make the jump to larger than life. If All Rebel Rockers broke the seal to mainstream success, the Sound of Sunshine turned on the spigot. Many longtime fans take this as a negative, and cite the newer material of hope over strife as a sellout or even a losing of religion, but for fans who just want to go out, dance, and listen to some good festive music, Franti’s live still show offers plenty to enjoy. READ ON for more about last Thursday’s show…
By now, anyone who follows sports on the interwebs probably already caught a glimpse of this excellent Randy Moss tribute by DJ Steve Porter, the mastermind DJ behind the Allen
