Hidden Track

Was Nirvana really one of the most influential bands in rock history, or was it the most influential bullet in Kurt Cobain’s skull that posthumously bumped his trio to permanent legend status with no possiblity of a legacy downgrade?

I mean, Nirvana hit it and quit it well before the ascension of the Internets. If Kurt and Dave Grohl and That Other Guy Whose Name Escapes You existed during the irrational exuberance of the late 1990s, you just know that any album produced after 1997 would have drawn out all the cheeky, smartass sassmouths to absolutely thrash and pwn the album and the band, some constructing epic posts on PollyOnLithium.net like “If he thinks his mediocre playing’s worth a shit on this disc, he should just shoot himself in the head right now.”

A strong argument for the greatness of Nirvana hit store shelves this past Tuesday, a digitally remastered DVD release of 1994’s Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! And thanks to the good folks that make possible our Everybody Wins When I Plug Something And In Return They Offer Me Free Shit To Give Away contests, we’re giving away a free copy of this re-issue to one lucky, flannel-wearing fan.

This one’s pretty easy: Nirvana is probably right at the top of many “My Favorite Trio” lists, whether truly deserved or not. So I’d like to know which band you consider to be your favorite musical trio, be it dead or still playing, fictional or real, from bands like Nirvana to jingle specialists like Snap, Crackle & Pop.

All you gots-ta do is tell us which trio you love most and briefly explain why they’re the best ever at what they do or did. The wittier, the better. The contest ends this Sunday night, November 19th, so make yourself heard some time before then, and read on for the movie trailer and list of songs featured on this fantastic DVD…

Like most music fans, we love to indulge our inner geek. HT reporter Kristian Telschow takes you to the frontlines for a better look at how to feed that beast…

It’s a quarter before midnight on an early November Monday as I pull into the 24-hour Wal-Mart in Amherst, New Hampshire. I’m strolling through the aisles toward the electronics department, and I begin to notice a scary sight: the late night Wal-Mart shoppers are out in full force.

I spy a horde of stoned college kids chuckling at some corny T-shirts, a couple who looked like zombies doing some late-night grocery shopping and a strange Indian fellow staring at a can of Pam cooking spray for a solid five minutes. It was a wild scene in the House That Sam Built.

So why, you might ask, am I hanging at the local Wal-Mart shortly before midnight on a Monday amongst the Wal-Mart dregs, instead of on my couch watching the Seahawks beat up on the Raiders? Because Guitar Hero II goes on sale at midnight, and the Veruca Salt inside me says I have to own it now.

For the uninitiated, the original Guitar Hero’s the critically acclaimed PlayStation 2 game — nay, experience — where players can jam out a variety of tunes spanning classic rock anthems to modern-day metal thrashers. As it turns out, with an updated songbook and more fan-friendly features, Guitar Hero II’s a great improvement on what was already the genuine article, and it’s everything I wanted it to be and more. It’ll challenge everyone from the jaded GH vets to the custie n00bz that are just discovering the game now. Allow me to explain…

Attention people of Sunrise, Florida: Schools is now in session. Well, not yet — but the six-time winner of Entertainment Weekly‘s Most Likely To Be Horatio Sanz’s Biological Brother award will be rockin’ Sunrise come March. Love ’em or hate ’em, Widespread Panic will be your Langerado headliner this year. We’re pleased to announce that […]

One of the more eclectic collection of musicians since the early days of Lollapalooza gathered last night inside Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall to pay tribute to a living legend: the lucious Bobby Dylan.

Friend of HT Jeremy Welsh was on hand to report from the frontlines, and he’s done a great job of cobbling together a setlist from this once-in-a-lifetime event. And, yes, that’s actually Sandra “World’s Craziest Lesbian” Bernhard who played Like A Rolling Stone last night — now that’s a one-timer!

We at the Hidden Track home office rejoiced when we saw that Phil Lesh fulfilled his contractual and emotional obligation and played the gig. We can only hope his appearance means he’s well on the path to recovery.

Hopefully a recording surfaces soon, and when it does you can be sure we’ll post it here. I can’t even imagine how some of these songs sound. So without any more set-up, here’s a couple of words from Jeremy before we head into the specifics:

“Pretty amazing show last night at Avery Fisher Hall. The highlight of the night was most definitely The Roots’ cover of Masters of War (the first few verses were sung to the melody of the Star Spangled Banner). That was followed by Isis > Lovesick > Isis by Ryan Adams. Almost every other performance was top notch, except for Cat Power’s flake-out (House of the Rising Sun? wtf?) and the anti-climactic Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, despite the effort that Patti put in.”

Here’s an official review from the good people at Billboard. But read on for the setlist, more eyewitness commentary, a Ryan Adams video and a first-hand account of the event from The Roots’ ?uestlove…

I’d like to personally raise my middle finger to those of you that have off for Veteran’s Day. Ace and I are slaving away at work, waiting for five o’clock like the dude in Loverboy’s “Everybody’s Working For The Weekend.” Anyway, let’s dig into the Leftovers mom threw in the fridge for us… Jambands.com features […]

Umphrey’s McGee, known for its innovation in spreading the music and the gospel, has a new one for you. If you’re a taper and you circulate the show, they’ll let you in for free. You think I’m fucking with you? I am not fucking with you. UM today issued its new taping and photography policy, […]

Once again, Hidden Track can be your personal prognosticator: Warren Haynes today officially announced the details of his 18th Annual Christmas Jam, as we hinted at earlier this week. Better act quick — tickets go on sale this Saturday. Word to the wise, if you have any interest in attending this event, book a room […]

Sometimes a band needs to shake things up before it can make it to the top. Today, I take a look at the significant changes in personnel that actually have benefited the bands. I don’t usually explain my choices, but this week I’m saying, “Why not?” You’ve all been good to me, it’s the least I […]

It’s been exactly eight years since the last time I ate the fungus, the magic mushrooms. Now, I know this space’s supposedly a music blog and not a debauched forum for drug-induced narration and hippie Bacchanalia, but if there’s anything I’ve learned along the way, it’s that the two often go hand-in-hand.

The popular rock band Phish swung through Chicago (aka the Windy Apple or the City of Broad Hips) during Parents’ Weekend of my sophomore year in college. I missed the first night of the three-night stand in order to dine in style with the folks, but they departed Sunday morning and I enjoyed that night’s show thoroughly. I couldn’t wait for the Monday concert, and my over-anxiousness hurt me.

That last UIC show did not disappoint. From start to finish, Phish put on a stellar performance — one of the more underrated concerts I caught from the band. It was an all-good affair, except of course for the 45 minutes when I just completely freaked the fuck out, peaking hard in a fully enclosed arena with no air and no music to distract me, as the band was taking a break in between sets…

Most Internet banter places Trey Anastasio’s appearance somewhere between Eric Clapton and Chuck Norris. But we ran a cadre of musical portraits through the new Hidden Track Facial Recognito 3000, and as it turns out, Bob Weir looks more like the redheaded ass-kicker/name-taker than Big Red. Trey? It seems that he’s more a cross between Jane Fonda, Ellen DeGeneres and Dolph Lundgren. Seriously.

Myheritage.com is a new social networking sites for families. The site is largely negligible, except for a cool feature that let’s you upload a picture of someone so it can find celebrity lookalikes. We gave the service a spin using some of our favorite musicians, and the results may surprise you…

You’ve gotta love a piece of software that says Bob Weir looks like both a crazed murderer and the kid that fucked a pastry in American Pie. Let’s see some more…