Posts by Shane Handler

Neil Young has just about done everything in his 50  career:   country, new-wave, CSNY, Crazy Horse, Pearl Jam, rockabilly, proto-grunge, acoustic folk, rock operas, films, and the list goes on.  But it took until 2010 for Young to do something entirely different – record an album without any backing musicians.

Yonder Mountain String Band is renowned for their premier annual Northwest String Summit in North Plains, Oregon. The Colorado string quartet now has their name attached to a new festival.  The former Mulberry Mountain  Harvest Music Festival in Ozark, Arkansas has now been coined Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Music Festival, taking place October 14-16, 2010 on Muberry Mountain. 

In the music world it so common to hear the phrase: “you got to listen to the CD a number of times before it sinks in.”  Sure, kind of like hearing “practice makes perfect. “ We can keep doing it over and over, but to what extent? David Gray’s recent double album Foundling is like that, 18 songs that are sink or swim.Shane

Although he’s still figuring it out what it means to be a New Englander, Ryan Montbleau can at least know he’s resilient.  After ten years of steadily touring the Northeast, Monbleau  has finally reached a pinnacle, calling 2010 a year that “I’ll remember for a long time.”  The singer-songwriter/guitarist has just released his fourth studio album – the eclectic and plentiful Heavy on the Vine, produced by Martin Sexton.

Just when you thought the ticket buying process was a no win monopoly, up and comers Ticketfly is working on the fans' side to revolutionize the ticket buying process for both live music fans and promoters /venue owners alike.

Later this month, one of the best new pop-jam bands in the East will join forces with one of the West's finest.  Tea Leaf Green returns the favor of some other pioneer jam acts that invited them on stage by inviting Long Island's fledgling Tauk out on the road for a swing up the PCH.  

Dead Confederate’s sophomore album Sugar, recorded by John Agnello (Hold Steady, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.), was shaped by touring with legends such as Dinosaur Jr. and Meat Puppets and gave Dead Confederate an increased appreciation for the early underground bands of the 80s and 90s that laid the foundation on which their sound is built. Writing songs in their studio on full instrumentation, Dead Confederate’s songs are shorter and more concise this second time around,  dropping some of the ragged glory repetition of their heralded 2008 debut Wrecking Ball.

Supporting their most recent effort Power Patriot that came out in late 2009 on the stellar Royal Potato Family label, Garage A Trois made no reservations about being playing the part of entertainers. With two one hour sets, the quartet put whimsicality and energy first, while placing compositional perfection somewhere down the priority line, but it didn’t matter – this is a live band and these four guys toss any preconceived jazz notions by way of prog and rock leanings.

Closing this summer where they basically began last summer, Tuesday night’s fans were offered the perfect benchmark to see how far Phish has really come in their first year back.  The Jones Beach ‘09 run showed great promise, featured a few debuts that are now set staples, and gave a glimmer of hope that the band was taking this third time around with a revived focus and commitment.  One year later, all of that has apparently changed.  People working the lot for a ticket were shutout, concise ‘09 debuts are being stretched and explored, and from the opening notes of “Fluffhead,” they delivered a top-to-bottom blowout that offered a heated first set and a second set that dipped into Type II territory.

With all that Danger Mouse has tackled of late, he’s giving T-Bone Burnett a run for his co-production, co-mastermind skills.   And unlike prior recent collaborations like Gnarls Barkley and Broken Bells, Dark Night of the Soul features Danger Mouse at his most haunting.    Perhaps it’s an ironic show of foreboding that DM’s collaborator on this project – Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse committed suicide last March. 

Like most documentaries, Beyond the Lighted Stage curates the course of Rush’s career through their album releases,  revisiting how 2112 saved them from going back to their day jobs, while Permanent Waves got them on mainstream radio, and how the keyboard era of Grace Under Pressure through Presto alienated many fans but championed them as a band of progress and change.   Although Rush doesn’t need an y new super fans, the power of Beyond the Lighted Stage will undoubtedly bring some new ones along for the ride.

You’ve got me down on the floor,” coos Grace Potter on  “Paris (Ooh La La),” the sultry opening track on her self-titled third album with the Nocturnals.  And just as she’s revealed more leg and less Hammond B-3 with each album, Potter has also courageously taken those bold steps to mingle her sexuality with her soulful pipes.

A year ago the name Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros would have attracted a big “huh?” Today, they are selling out club sized venues quite easily, and are destined to the breakout band of the summer festival season.  Although the band is relatively young in history, (their first show as a full band was played 7/18/07), they are experienced, as the ensemble is led by Alex Ebert, former vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot.  Along with a crew of seasoned musicians – that is not unlike what the Polyphonic Spree were doing years back (without the white robes), Edwards Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros appear to be motivated by something bigger than themselves.

Mixing up laid back southern charm (“Clinic Cynic”)  jazzy instrumentals (“St. Louis”), compositions from old friends (Jerry Joseph’s “North”) and plenty of dynamic song-writing, there’s no arguing the oxymoron that Widespead Panic is the best studio band in the jam scene.

With the album out this week, a summer tour mapped out, and some big dates performing with the Rhythm Devils fast approaching, Keller is busier than ever.  Luckily we stole a little bit of his time – it’s only fair.

It’s ironic that both The New Pornographers and Broken Social Scene released their new albums on the same day:  two Canadian collectives with both old and young members now fighting the unavoidable “super-group” tag.  However Together, the fifth album from The New Pornographers, sticks to their now well versed formula:  AC Newman and his compadres playing the sunny and dark along  with very special guests Neko Case and Destroyer's Dan Bejar. Together melds the pop flawlessness of 2005’s Twin Cinema with the eccentric flair of 2007’s Challengers into one cool carton of high-powered indie rock (if we can still consider Matador indie). 

Although Jones’ music catalog leans towards the soft-rock side, she’s a Loretta Lynn in disguise, with a deep love and respect for country music, which she showed off on a cover Johnny Cash's "Cry Cry Cry," before closing the set with her country-jazz ballad "Lonestar.” That would soon be followed by unplugged version of the bluegrass composition "Creepin’ In,” which was originally recorded with Dolly Parton.  Guys and girls might have been at the show for different reasons, but there’s no mistaking that the jazzy voice of Norah Jones is undoubtedly a guilty pleasure, and for that reason, her live shows fill a void, whether you care to admit it or not.

You wonder what comparisons The Hold Steady are more sick of now – the Bruce Springsteen ones or the "best bar band in America" ones.  With their fifth album Heaven is Forever, both tags have lost as much weight as guitarist Tad Kubler’s pant size   Sure, The Hold Steady are a great band and even a better “bar” one, but that label is  now tired, as Heaven is Whenever holds more depth than the “Chip Ahoys” and “Constructive Summers" of album's past.

Yeasayer’s set was short – just over an hour and combined songs from 2007’s debut release –All Hour Cymbals  to most of Odd Blood.  Both albums are diverse in sound and appeal, but newer compositions “Madder Red” and “O.N.E.” were quite nasty, most notably the later which got the small room shaking.  Yeasayer has been sweating it out harder than former tour mates MGMT, and aren’t hailed as genius as Animal Collective but as evidenced by their no bullshit live shows and determination to reinvent pop and experimentalism,  Yeasayer's going to be around awhile.

The former Beatle, costly divorce and all, doesn’t need the touring money  but at 67, he still thrives on performing, breaking  a shimmy dance in between songs and whipping out Austin Powers charm though out the night.  Undeniably Arizona holds some value for McCartney, with Tucson being name dropped in “Get Back” and the city being the home of a family  ranch owned by first wife Linda, the very same place where she passed away in 1998.   Although no reference was made to Linda, there were separate references made to John, George and Ringo, giving his audience a little invite into some stories of rock and roll lore.