Ryan Dembinsky

Since it looks like we’re finally in the clear after Ma Nature pinned Old Man Winter for a three count, it’s time to extend a warm welcome to the spring. We all have our sunny day favorites, like the Allman Brothers, Paul Simon, and of course the Tuff Gong, but nothing quite encapsulates the feeling of spring fever and festival season like some good old fashioned bluegrass music.

So, for this week’s Bust Outs, we have assembled a list of some cheerful, rollicking bust outs from some of Telluride’s finest offspring:

The Tony Furtado Band – 9/8/2001 – Stagger Lee

The key to being a fan of the pickin’ is to find the songs you love and then craft some good bluegrass daydreams while you listen. This remarkably original version of Stagger Lee is perfect for a ramble down the endless stretch of Highway 80 through Nebraska in your 18-wheeler. Get on your CB radio, call up your road buddy “Youngblood” for a smoky report (i.e., police check) and cruise off into the sun. The outlines of those long-awaited Rocky Mountains will arrive in no time.

READ ON for five more bluegrass bust outs…

Since the beginning of time, classic productions for both television and cinema provided some monumental music performances. While we often go on and on about the bands and the music, we sometimes forget to pay homage to the venues where the magic happens. Well here’s our chance.

Today, we’re taking an inside look at the Ten Greatest Fictional Music Venues Ever. The competition is fierce, but we think we got a pretty accurate list. So without further ado, let’s take a walk down memory lane:

10. Pikestreet – My So-Called Life

While the thought of spending an evening with Jordan Catalano’s band, The Frozen Embryos, as they butcher the Ramones’ I Wanna Be Sedated makes most people need a Rolaids, they do get some decent acts at Pikestreet, such as Buffalo Tom. Really, the best part about Pikestreet is you can hang out with Rayanne and rap about her beloved Cosmic Charlie closer at Palo Alto in 1971 or the Stagger Lee the Dead played in episode five, which she nearly missed when Angela scalped their tickets just for a chance to talk to Jordan Catalano. Luckily, “Rusty ran into this guy he knew from Vietnam who was in a wheelchair and had an extra ticket. He had a sexy upper bod, too.” And Rayanne let Angela have it for not miracling anyone.

Read on for nine more fabulous fictitious music venues…

It was a mere matter of time before the Beatles had to show up for a Bust Outs segment. Well, that day has finally come. Today, we are running through some stellar Beatles’ cover Bust Outs in video format. That’s right, you get a reprieve from from all that new wave, high-tech shit like Imeem and MediaFire. Today, it’s just good old fashion YouTubes of some incredible Beatles covers. Enjoy!

Yesterday – Ray Charles

Listening to Ray Charles take on Lennon/McCartney’s Yesterday, you can almost tell he is coming off the tail end of a China White bender involving a bevy of impure tour ladies. In other words, you can feel the man’s guilt. This performance takes place as part of a journey to Tel Aviv amidst visits to some of the holiest lands (Ray Charles: Soul of the Holy Land August 1973), where I’ve gotta believe he is in search of some redemption. Call me crazy, but during this heart string tugging rendition there’s some real weight on those shoulders.

Ray’s Yesterday actually follows a medley of Beatles covers, whereby he also has his way with other classics like The Long and Winding Road, Let the Good Times Roll and I Can’t Stop Loving You. Be sure to check ’em out.

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Read on for Beatles’ covers by Sting, the Dead, Gov’t Mule and more…

Look, there’s no denying that ever since this lifetime achievement award announcement came out, I have been biting my tongue to prevent blathering on about the hopes that the Phish will get up and play together yet again in a few short weeks. Sure it’s pointless to get our hopes up, but it’s not THAT far fetched is it? Well, who really cares? I’m pretty damn excited to see what happens.

So, in the interest of getting fired up for the big Phish reunion, I’m recreating the first edition of the Rump Roaster – an old tragically dorky series of tapes I used to make (named in honor of the great Darryl Dawkins dunk) – with my favorite versions of Phish standards. There are no tricks today, but rather just some well-circulated masterpieces we all know and love. If you aren’t already intimately familiar with every song on here, this is your lucky day. Let’s get to work:

You Enjoy Myself: 12/31/93 Worcester MA

I know a certain innkeeper around here who might just string me up for putting this YEM before his beloved Albany 95 opus. Well, they are both great ones, but this is my personal #1 YEM. Besides, comparing those two jams is like comparing Barry Sanders to Jim Brown. Barry Sanders (Albany) was a pleasant guy who floated and bounced around, waiting for holes to open up before patiently shifting directions on his way to the house. Jim Brown (Centrum) was mean as hell and would just put his head down, run over anything in his way and head straight for pay dirt. They were both great, but it’s not really an apples to apples comparison. [Editor’s Note: Pfft!]

Read about and hear five more ridiculously good Phish tunes after the jump…

Today marks the debut of yet another new HT once-in-a-while feature, Blips. Blips is our version of an emerging artists column where we’ll highlight some of the new (not Vampire Weekend) bands that have just started showing up on our radar that might just spark your auditory nerve.

We’re not seeking to turn on the hype machine, but rather just to pick out some bands that still only cost you five or ten samloleans for a solid night of fun. If you’re anything like me and know the URL for the IRS’s “Where’s My Refund?” site by memory, these might just come in handy.

Turbine

I caught Turbine at the Knitting Factory a couple weeks ago as part of a typical four band evening. I don’t even remember who we were there to see, but I do remember these guys. Upon hearing their name for the first time, they will probably catch you off guard as the name Turbine makes me immediately think trance-fusion, livetronica or whatever that shit is called these days, but it’s really a burning bluegrass-tinged guitar, an integral, festive harmonica, and versatile drums and bass. Upon seeing one live show, plowing through a few shows on the archive, and spinning through their MySpace page, you can quickly sense that this band is a group of creative songwriters with a love for a whole slew of genres.

There’s no mistaking that this band will evolve, because in just a short 3 years or so, they already have. They terrain covers bluegrass, country blues, straight-ahead rock, and yes, there is some Untz as well.

Read on for more Turbine, as well as three other new bands you need to hear…

There is a new sheriff in town. As of now, Battlefield Earth is but a deputy alongside Gigli and Little Nicky. The new worst film in the history of the world is Across the Universe. Call me a sensationalist; I don’t care, this movie sucks – A Tour De Manure.

Like any self-respecting music fan, I creamed in my pants when I heard about the release of a new coming-of-age story in the late 60s set entirely to the music of the Beatles. I mean, what could go wrong. This sounds like a recipe for a masterpiece. Let’s fire up the bong and head to the theater right? WRONG.

In all my haste and excitement, I overlooked one very important detail. The movie is not set to the music of the Beatles, but rather the movie is entirely comprised of the actors and actresses performing the music of the Beatles. In other words, it’s a musical. Read on for more of Rupert’s rant about Across The Universe…

Monday night at the Bowery Ballroom saw two of the more publicized up and coming youngsters in music split a bill in Johnathan Rice and Matt Costa. Both Costa and Rice are associated with the indie music scene, but neither really fit the categorization in either a musical sense or a commercial sense. Both of these artists, while drastically different musically are capable of some serious mass appeal and are touring in front of a wave of major label support, Costa with Universal and Rice with Warner Brothers. The night was an easy sellout and then some and both Rice and Costa clearly had a solid number of fans in attendance.

I remember the first time I saw Matt Costa perform, thinking to myself, “If I had a record label, this might be the first musician I would try to sign.” Perhaps more apropos today would be, “If I were one of these private equity, Wall Street guys interested in running a record label, I would start loading up on high yield debt to prepare for a Matt Costa hostile takeover.”

Regardless, the Matt Costa story is pretty straightforward. It’s pretty much come time for Costa to decide how big he wants to become. Costa and his band are airtight and it is clear that his fan base of Costasheads is growing quickly. For good reason, Costa doesn’t have a bad song in the repertoire and can weave in and out of more solemn ballads and rocking crowd pleasers with ease. Read on for more…

Despite what their moniker might lead you to believe, Canada’s No Kids new release, Come Into My House provides another slightly dopey, yet strangely lovable album of sing-a-long tunes. While the No Kids have their own unique sound, they conjure up a concoction that calls to mind a mixture of one part Napoleon Dynamite background music, one part Kimya Dawson, and one part 1987 Casio. In what seems to be an emerging trend that kicked into high gear with the success of the Juno soundtrack, No Kids continue on the path of quirky, catchy, youthful compositions.

I know what you are probably thinking, “Great, another fucking hipster Juno knockoff.” But that’s not the case here at all. This is more the case of some well-versed Canadian music school students stretching their legs, and making a solid album that is only a half hipster. The other half is a sort of self-deprecating, simplistic, goofiness that makes you realize that while this album is catchy, and at times kinda dumb, they are aware of it and cater to it. The result might not be the best album you will hear in 2008, but it’s a damn fun one that is worthy of a spin and will most certainly grow on you.

The best tune on the album is probably Bluster in the Air. A descriptive title indeed, this clunky song provides a good theme for a stroll on a windy day. The Beaches Are Closed rocks a little harder with a more charging beat and staccato chord progression that could probably be best classified as sex music for your white ass. Another favorite, Four Freshman Locked Out as the Sun Goes Down, feels like a fifties throwback to a Hawaiian vacation. And finally, I Love the Weekend provides a nice backdrop if you are interested in teaching a salsa course at the local retirement castle. Read on for a download from No Kids’ new album…

We’re back for round two of Bust Outs. In the inaugural edition, we got a number of requests for some Grateful Dead bust outs. Well, we’re working our way up to that, but first, we’ll meet you half way. Today, we’re highlighting some monumental Grateful Dead Covers. We’ve got a nice potpourri here – some sinister, some tranquil and some just flat out fun. Without further ado, follow me…

Coffee Bean Brown – 11/21/2002 – It Must Have Been the Roses

This gem of a cover is brought to us via Coffee Bean Brown, the good acoustic twin of Tea Leaf Green. Get it – Tea Leaf Green, Coffee Bean Brown? Dummy. This was actually the first ever show of the band’s Coffee Bean Brown experiment, and their take on It Must Have Been the Roses is just gorgeous. Trevor’s keys and tranquil vocals do a lot of justice to this tune. Tea Leaf Green doesn’t play as Coffee Bean Brown too often, but these early sessions provide some great insight to what this band is capable of acoustically.

Read on for five more outstanding Dead covers…

We’re taking a page out of Tabitha Soren’s book for the theme of today’s Pullin’ Tubes. We figure she’s been out of work for some time now, so she can help us highlight some Buzz Bin worthy clips making the rounds. Plus, we always thought she was much cuter than Serena Altschul and Adam Curry. These are a few of the coolest tunes and their respective videos making the rounds off some recent album releases. Sadly, you won’t see them on MTV these days.

Our fearless leader Ace may have stepped down from the podium, but rest assured we haven’t forgotten where we came from. Check out this sick promo video for Marco Benevento’s Invisible Baby, set to the music of Bus Ride. If Reed Mathis’ head banging doesn’t get you pumped up, we simply can’t help you. Read on for videos by Marco Benevento, moe. and Matt Costa…