It’s supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, so make like Janie in the backyard and do the outside dance. But, first, make sure to set your respective DVRs to record
Soul music legends including Issac Hayes, Booker T and the MGs and Mavis Staples are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stax record label tonight in Memphis. We’re not sure
I’ve seen many cover bands in my day, and most have left me extremely cold. There’s just something that’s always annoyed me about bands that don’t have any original material. Lately I’ve started to change my tune, as a few innovative acts have done a nice job re-interpreting the classics. Sometimes you just want to go out, have a few beers and enjoy the music you have grown up with. Hey, artists die, but it doesn’t have to mean their songs should die with them. So for this week’s B List we take a look at eight cover bands that don’t actually suck…
Bustle is a Led Zeppelin cover band featuring Dave Dreiwitz, Joe Russo, Marco Benevento and Scott Metzger. What started out as a one-off gig has turned into an actual band that’s played shows in every U.S. time zone this year. Each member of the band is an absolutely incredible musicians who can handle Zeppelin with collective aplomb. Bustle shows cover a wide range of LZ material, sometimes played straightforward and occasionally with different arrangements. Wisely, the band refrains from singing the songs, with Scott and Marco playing the melodies on their instruments. The band rocks Cleveland tonight before heading to Asbury Park for this weekend’s School of Rock Festival, where Ace will drool for hours.
Read on after the jump for seven more cover bands that don’t suck…
As you can probably tell, we love live music here at Hidden Track. But sometimes just seeing the music isn’t enough; we feel a nagging need to download the audio and video of shows we’ve either seen or wish that we saw as soon as we can.
Our favorite moments as music fans come when we stumble across recordings we didn’t think existed, or of shows we attended but had completely forgotten about. Just this week I had several “Holy Fuck!” moments when I came across three shows I never thought I’d see or hear. I’ll tell you all about them, and Paul McCartney’s “secret” show at the Highline, as we go Grousing The Aisles…
Steely Dan w/ Michael McDonald 08/12/2006 PROSHOT (DVD):
Nearly every shed in America these days has those screens that show video of the concert to people with bad views. Most of the footage from these screens either doesn’t get recorded or gets stashed in the archives of the venue or the performer. Once in a while, though, video from one of these concerts leaks onto the ‘net. The latest of these leaks comes from last summer’s Steely Dan tour, which featured special guest and longtime HT idol Michael McDonald.
The Dan was feelin’ it this night, rolling through magnificent performances of hits such as Hey 19, Green Earrings, and Josie. Mikey Mac adds his husky vocals to the last seven songs of the set, including the kickass My Old School closer. The Steely Dan Orchestra backing band is made up of extremely talented musicians. Keith Carlock is a revelation on the drums — at times there is so much going on that you wonder whether there are two drummers behind the kit. Backup vocalists Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery and Cindy Mizelle both look and sing beautifully.
The quality of this footage is unbelievably good, allowing a nice look at the ladies as they sing their hearts out during Dirty Work. The crispy soundboard feed that supplies the audio is also top notch, and worth the download by itself. I can honestly say that in my four years of collecting live concert DVDs, this puppy may take the cake as the best in my collection. It’s that good.
Read on for some more great downloads of Bustle, Macca and the Other Elvis…
Mr. Girl Talk Goes to Washington: Gregg Gillis sat down for a lunch meeting with Congressman Mike Doyle to discuss the copyright issues that have made it difficult for Girl Talk to sell
Richard Lloyd announced in mid-May that this past Saturday’s Television show at Central Park’s SummerStage would be his last with the group. Tragedy struck Lloyd a few weeks later, though, when the guitarist entered an intensive care unit with a severe case of pneumonia. The SummerStage show went on without Lloyd, and our friend DaveO and others around the world wide netweb are raving about Television’s performance. We can only hope Richard Lloyd gets well soon and is able to join his band mates for a true going-away party.
Believe it or not, Bonnaroo wasn’t the only thing goin’ on this weekend:
And as usual on Monday mornings, read on after the jump for the latest setlists from the weekend, including but not limited to the Black Crowes, Rush, the Flaming Lips, Ween, Widepread Panic, The Police and many more…
If you need a break from watching the Bonnaroo webcast or tonight’s Wilco simulcast, check out these killer programs on the boob tube this weekend: Monterey 40 on VH-1 Classic’s
Sure Bonnaroo just started, but Superfly is already looking ahead, announcing the third-annual Vegoose Festival will return to Vegas. Vegoose will take place at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, October 27th
Summer tour season has started with a bang: Huge acts such as Smashing Pumpkins, The Police and Genesis are headlining the summer with reunion shows, but many smaller acts are also kickin’ ass this month. This week’s special Thursday edition of Grousing The Aisles takes a look at four concerts that have taken place within the past two weeks that you definitely need to hear…
The White Stripes 06/02/2007 SBD Rock Im Park Festival (FLAC, MP3):
For the past few weeks I’ve been hearing about how The White Stripes’ new album Icky Thump is a masterpiece. I finally got around to listening to the album last night, and it was so good I played it three times in a row. After that I decided to download a recent show from the Rock im Park festival that our good buddy mikessong uploaded. All of the Icky Thump tunes sound awesome live, and it is always a treat to hear other White Stripes classics like My Doorbell and Seven Nation Army. Of particular note is the triple encore of Blue Orchid, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, and the aforementioned Seven Nation Army.
The quality of this recording isn’t the best I’ve ever heard, but it is certainly listenable. I kinda like hearing the audience, and you can hear fireworks going off towards the end of the band’s set. If you are looking for a laugh, listen for the off-key audience warbler singing along with Seven Nation Army. I’m really excited to see my first White Stripes show next month when they play MSG. For now I’ll just play Icky Thump and this bootleg over and over again.
Read on for three more gems, including Keller Williams and the WMDs, Pearl Jam and a clip from Genesis’ tour opener in Helsinki…
Lollapalooza kicks off on Friday, August 4th at Grant Park in Chicago, and the schedule for this year’s festival has just been released. Pearl Jam, My Morning Jacket and Patti
