Hidden Track

Congrats, folks, you’ve made it through the first full work week in what seems like months. And if you’re lucky like me you have off on Monday for Martin Luther King’s birthday: I love that guy. To keep you occupied, here are Friday’s Leftovers: Turn Up The Good delivers us an mp3 of Pearl Jam’s version of Love Reign […]

The fine folks over at Austinist have done some world-class spelunking through the hellish depths of the cyberweb, and they’ve compiled an initial list of bands supposedly playing this year’s SXSW festival in March. I’d lie and say it looks like a “totally tubular and bodacious lineup,” but you’d see right through that charade. I only recognize about six […]

This week’s edition of The B List takes a look at the 10 best songs that feature double-lead guitar harmonies. Rock artists in the ’60s perfected the use of vocal harmonies, but as the ’70s began, bands started to use their instruments to provide distinct harmonies. The Allman Brothers Band was the first to use the double-lead technique in songs such as Hotlanta, Les Brers, and In Memory of Elizabeth Reed. Other bands quickly followed the Allmans’ trailblazing, and soon artists from many different genres employed the double lead. So check out the list, and make sure to watch the accompanying YouTube video for each entry.

10. Bodhisattva — Steely Dan: When I came up with the idea for this list, my partner Ace Cowboy was thrilled Bodhisattva made the cut. In fact he called the Dan’s masterpiece “one of the most underrated songs in music history.” The guitar interplay on the album is terrific, and any tune with lyrics like “Can you show me, The shine of your Japan, The sparkle of your china” is okay by us.

[Video: In 2002 Toto began playing Bodhisattva with terrific success — check out this video from a recent show]

9. Miss Tinkle’s Overture — Umphrey’s McGee: In September 2004, my friend decided to throw on the studio version of Miss Tinkle’s Overture from Anchor Drops. I hadn’t heard the album — or anything the band had done since 2001 for that matter — and my ears immediately perked up. I’m a huge fan of the double-lead, and it was terrific to see a new band create such incredible harmonies.

[Video: Langerado late-night show from Ft. Lauderdale’s Revolution]

8. Rebubula — moe.: Written by bass player Rob Derhak in 1994, Rebubula has since become the most popular piece in the band’s repertoire. It’s no wonder the song is popular with its quirky lyrics and incredible double-lead guitar harmonies. One of the most important features of a double-lead guitar riff is a great bassline to play underneath, and Derhak’s slap line really accentuates what guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier play throughout the song. For years the song was a staple of the band’s set, playing it nearly every night. More recently the band has shown some restraint, hitting it every third show or so. I must admit, I wouldn’t mind hearing Rebubula at every show.

[Video: Footage from moe.’s set at Vegoose]

Read on for the rest of Scotty’s double-lead favorites from Television, Iron Maiden, the Allmans, Skynyrd as The B List continues…

We’ve discussed at length ’round this here rag just how many bands are considering reunion plans in 2007. Speculation continues to surround The Police about a potential reformation this summer, Van Halen may get the old band back together for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and all eyes are focused on Stephen Malkmus for the […]

No! This festival on the site of the 1980 Winter Olympics ain’t exactly cheap (starting at $81 for the full monty), so I take it nobody’s gonna be kicking down a ducat gratis. Buy your own ticket, Michaels, no miracles for you this time. Snoe.down ’07, the all ages, weekend winter music festival hosted by indie-jam rockers moe., returns to […]

Welcome to yet another weekly edition of Grousing The Aisles. This week we have some great audio and video from established legends with five letters in their last names like Frank Zappa, Warren Zevon and Bob Seger, as well as up-and-coming acts Brock Butler and Rose Hill Drive. Check it out:

Rose Hill Drive 12/30/06 DAUD (FLAC)

Rose Hill Drive continues to make fans of some of the biggest names in rock, like Roger Daltrey of The Who. On December 30th, the boys started their concert with a tribute to Jimi Hendrix by playing Band of Gypsys in its entirety at the Boulder Theater. RHD tears through such classic tracks as Who Knows, Machine Gun, and Power to Love with brute force. Daniel Sproul does a fine job of channeling Jimi, who is not exactly an easy musician to cover.

Covers weren’t the only showstoppers of the night for Rose Hill Drive, as they also played driving versions of Cool Cody and The Guru, amongst other original songs. The interplay between the Sproul brothers and drummer Nathan Barnes is incredibly tight, leaving the impression these boys have played together for decades. I expect big things from these guys in 2007, as do we all.

For no other reason than rockin’ out to some Stones on this fine morning… [youtube]ZxWPHNjGaHs[/youtube] If you’re curious, this one’s from the famed Montreaux rehearsals in 1972.

It looks like The Police isn’t the only band discussing reunion plans in 2007.  Van Halen has been selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and you know what that usually means. The induction ceremony takes place in New York City on March 12th, giving the band three months to figure out which […]

And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. About 20 minutes later He invented YouTube and sat in It for anywhere between 6,000 and 1,000 years. The raw footage from An Acoustic Evening with David […]

The King of the Smooth Jam will make his television debut in March with a guest appearance on the popular hospital drama House. Incoherent rambler Dave Matthews takes on the role of Patrick, a savant and virtuoso pianist who suffered a severe neurological impairment as the result of an accident 10 years prior. Patrick’s illness […]

If you’re familiar with The Lefsetz Letter, you’re aware of the fact that this guy knows his shit, and he’s knows your shit. He’s the Roto Rooter of the music world, sifting through everybody’s shit and cleaning all the pipes. I’m a little late on this, but Lefsetz issued his 2007 Predictions last week, basically […]

Any of you Widespread Panic fans ever wondered what John Bell would sound like if he were a chick? That’d be pretty weird, but I bet someone has. Wonder no more, freaks, your answer has arrived. Jesse Sykes has been around for a few years now, even making New York Times critic Jon Pareles’ list […]

I’ve written about Tea Leaf Green coming to New York and flat-out flooring me so many times that I can’t even find a fresh angle with which to present the blistering 12/28 show at Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, New Jersey.

I guess I can talk about how I brought my snobby musician friend who previously had only unflattering adjectives to describe them, only to hear him whisper “I’m totally sold” a few songs into the proceedings. I can talk about the sweet, sweet venue and how it played the perfect host on a sold-out night. I can talk about the impossibly frenetic Wet Spot > Death Cake > Wet Spot that closed the first set, or the beautiful nod to the New York crowd in the wholly original Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues cover, or the utter evilness and sheer nastiness emanating from Josh Clark’s guitar in Bouncin’ Betty.

Mostly, though, I left the Mexicali show elated that TLG had successfully restored my faith in the band after two fairly mediocre shows in October (Irving Plaza and The Vic). I had written after the CBGB show in April that “TLG gets hyperbolically better every time I see them. Tighter. Looser. More Confident. They’ve got the swagger now. They don’t take a night off. They don’t take a note off.”

But whereas I had begun to re-evaluate the above stream of thought after those two shows in October, I walked out of Mexicali Blues that night as committed to their present and their potential as I’ve ever been. This show proved exactly why this band is one of my favorite touring acts in the country today.

With my faith now restored, I can now in good conscience present this sick photo gallery from the show, courtesy of our crafty friend Ted Wong…

After a couple of short weeks, we’re back to the grind with a full week of action. Don’t think of it as more work, think of it as more Hidden Track. To start you off on the right foot, here’s a handful of links to keep you occupied: Cold Turkey’s Benji Eisen and Mike Greenhaus offer us […]

The posts have been coming fast and furious, like Tony Romo’s tears. So here’s a recap of what you may or may not have missed ’round these here parts this week: The reviews from New Year’s Eve were rolling in all week: We continued the Trey Anastasio overload with a recap of his Atlantic City […]

The good people over at Weir Freaking have uncovered a set of pictures and video footage of Thursday night’s Nancy Pelosi Presents show in Washington: [youtube]-TALMvGTAGk[/youtube] Ain’t it just wonderful to see the liberals back in power, using their compassionate guilt to take a homeless man off the streets, dress him up in a suit […]

Sometimes in life everything comes together and you find yourself at the place you most want to be. This past weekend, I was That Guy.

That was me, experiencing the gamut of emotions at the Aragon Ballroom, where Umphrey’s McGee played three shows leading up to New Year’s Eve. I’ve fallen head over heels for UM over the past two years, and I’m thankfully still at the point where I enjoy each successive show more and more. When the band announced they were playing three year-end shows in its hometown, I just couldn’t resist and gathered 15 of my closest friends to join me for a trip to the Midwest.

Each night the band left nothing in the tank as they explored their huge repertoire, even adding a few covers to the mix. When you tear through your own songs for two hours it must be nice to play two or three amazing new covers each night. Who doesn’t like seeing their favorite band switch it up and play something new, like say, Dick In A Box?

The pairing of The Fuzz > Dear Lord that opened the second show was the musical highlight of the three shows that were chock full of musicial highlights. The rock groove found in The Fuzz was a major contrast to the beautiful tones on Dear Lord, a rarity that was one of the first songs the band ever wrote. For me the beauty of Umphrey’s is the diversity of their catalog — one minute the band would be grooving out to a reggae number when all of the sudden a heavy rocker would develop. The other non-musical highlight was the light show. Both the lasers (last seen on Pink Floyd’s Divsion Bell Tour) and the light show were top notch and really added to my enjoyment of the festivities.

Now that I’ve used every positive adjective in the blogging handbook in gushing over Umphrey’s, let’s check out some snapshots. Adam Kaufman shot the middle show on December 30th, and the pictures came out so good I thought I’d let the images do the talking and present a gallery of his incredible photos…

After a couple of three-day weekends we’re back to the old-fashioned two-day version. Whatevs, Fridays are awesome. It’s been a busy week at Hidden Track Headquarters, yet believe it or not we still have plenty to tell you about. Forget about your job and relax with some linkage: Guitar Magazine presents a list of the top […]

The New Year’s reviews and Trey overload continue: Our friend Ashley Griffin left for Atlantic City with a Trey Anastasio ticket, a set of loaded dice and a giant sack of cash. She returned with this review and a shiny new Cadillac.

New Year’s Eve has always provided Phish fans a window of time bathed in the light of hippie mysticism. Dysfunctional holiday family fun traditionally left one longing for a stronger drink than a mug of eggnog, and a holiday run of shows was the festive cocktail of choice for improvisational junkies. Hmm, maybe “junkies” was a poor choice of words there given recent events.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com

Anticipation of the tidal wave of cheers as the lights dimmed at MSG made suffering through painful conversations with distant relatives over turkey almost enjoyable. A New Year’s run was more than a string of shows. It was a celebration of the potential of the new year, both musically and communally.

Sadly those days are over now, but Trey still offered the promise of a new beginning this year with a string of holiday shows, culminating in a two-night run in the crown jewel of the Jersey shore. Atlantic City may be a cubic zirconium when compared to the debaucherous glitz of the Vega, but it sparkles nonetheless, shining brighter than ever on this evening as the newest incarnation of Trey’s horn-driven solo outfit tore through three sets to bring in the new year…

I had the genuine pleasure this past holiday weekend of attending Umphrey’s McGee’s three-night run at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. One of the cooler aspects of these shows was that UM handpicked three great bands to open each night of the run. The North Mississippi Allstars opened the show on the 29th, followed by Los Lobos on the 30th and Taj Mahal on New Year’s Eve. It was incredible to get a taste of all of those bands before Umphrey’s owned my face.

Of the three opening acts, the band I most enjoyed was East L.A.’s Los Lobos, a Mexican-American rock band that has been going strong for more 30 years.

I was mostly familiar with Los Lobos’ music, but I had never gotten a chance to experience them live. You can surely color me impressed now…