Tour Dates: TNV To Cover VU
Looks like the art of the cover song may not just be a jamband thing anymore. Come this Valentine’s Day, lo-fi indie rockers Times New Viking will honor the Velvet Underground with a special tribute show to the influential band. The show will serve as the closing party for the Wexner Center For The Arts’ […]
Interview: Jimmy of The Subdudes
New Orleans’ rockers and masters of harmony The Subdudes recently did something they’ve never done since getting together way back in 1987 – put out a live concert video. If almost to make up for lost time, the sweet sounding quintet have put out an inspired double DVD documentary and concert film displaying two completely different sides of the band’s music.
Filmed over the course of three days in Annapolis Maryland, The Subdudes Live at Ram’s Head and Unplugged at Pleasant Plains two-DVD set contains 15 song selections from two nights of concerts at The Ram’s Head on the first disc. The second disc features 70 minutes of interviews, an unplugged set and original studio footage shot while creating and recording the Street Symphony album with legendary producer George Massenberg in Nashville Tennessee. We recently spoke with ‘dudes’ bassist Jimmy Messa about the band’s first DVD…
Scott Bernstein: When did the band finally decide to put out a DVD?
Jimmy Messa: Well, we met this guy, Bob Hughes, who attended a few of our shows, and he was amazed that we didn’t have a DVD out yet, and he wanted to help us produce one. He has a business partner, Jerry Jones, who lives in the Baltimore area, and by coincidence Jerry runs a film company (Biographica)…so, while we were playing in the Baltimore area (Annapolis, actually), we did those 2 shows at the Ram’s Head Tavern, and Jerry and a crew came down to record us.
SB: The Ram’s Head DVD puts you right in the middle of the action. Was it odd playing a show with cameras set up filming your every move?
JM: No, not all that odd. There are people with cameras at practically every show, you get used to it and just ignore them…
READ ON for more of Scott’s interview with Jimmy Messa…
Blips: Three Under The Radar Bands
In our never-ending quest to dig up some great bands that cost less than a corned beef sandwich at Katz’s Deli, we bring you another round of Blips. Blips highlights some great bands that are largely still in their larvae stage, but will soon morph into their beautiful butterfly. In this edition, we have some really cool new music, so take a sec, poke around their various websites, and see what you think of these three under the radar musical groups…
The Answer
I could easily start this out by saying Ireland’s The Answer is a “mid level band struggling with their own limitations in the harsh face of stardom” considering they sound remarkably like Stillwater – the fictional band from Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. The Answer are the living embodiment of a modern Classic Rock band, with lead singer Cormac Neeson looking like he just stepped straight of central casting for the part with his long hair and Robert Plant meets Geddy Lee-inspired vocals. The band’s arena-ready hard rock sound derives heavy influences from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and any other number of like-minded bands from that era.
I recently caught The Answer playing an abbreviated in-store set where they rocked the place like it was MSG with blistering guitar solos and Neeson’s charismatic stage swagger. The band recently released their first stateside EP, Never Too Late, and currently have the high profile task of holding down the opening slot for AC/DC on their world tour that stretches into summer of 2009, but will also return stateside for headlining tour of their own.
READ ON for our profiles of Joe Pug and Viva…
Hors d’Oeuvres: Video Game Overload
Now that Guitar Hero and Rock Band have become big hits, video game companies are expanding their rock-game offerings. Electronic Arts has just announced the release of rock-adventure Brutal Legend. Brutal Legend “stars” Jack Black in the role of roadie Eddie Riggs, who sets on an epic quest to build an army of rockers with […]
Christmas w/ Brushfire: G. Love
Jack Johnson and an assortment of musicians on his Brushfire Records roster pitched in to create a debut holiday album called This Warm December.
G. Love was more than happy to contribute to the Brushfire holiday album with his one of a kind, infectious, blues-injected style. Since dropping his hit debut albums in the mid-nineties, G Love has built an army of loyal fans by consistently coming through with fresh material and over a dozen full-length albums. A road warrior constantly on tour, recording, and collaborating with his Brushfire colleagues- G Love truly is one of the hardest working cats in the biz. Below, G sounds off about why he is all about the Christmas season.
Jack Spilberg: What do you want for Christmas?
G Love: I want a new kitchen knife and a knife sharpener, some real fine wine, and a printer so I don’t have to keep going to Kinkos! I also just want to be with my fam and my girl. Barack Obama for president is the best gift of all.
JS: What’s better, naughty or nice?
GL: Naughty with a lil’ bit of nice
JS: Which do you prefer, real or fake Christmas trees?
GL: I was raised with real trees but now that I’m feeling more environmentally responsible I suppose I will go with a fake tree!
JS: Who in the Brushfire family most reminds you of Santa?
GL: That would be me. I like to give presents and I especially love to sing carols for whomever I can get to listen. I have a cool Christmas song on the new Brushfire holiday record called Christmas Baby, but stay tuned for the G. Love Christmas record coming next year!
READ ON for more of Jack’s interview with G. Love…
World View: Beijing Is Shakedown Street
We recently came across a brilliant blog post from an American Jam Fan current living in Beijing comparing that city to the lot scene at a Dead / Phish concert. We asked Sasha of Movin’ On Up, to the (Far) East Side if we could share it with our readers and he kindly obliged…
“1 For $3, 2 For $5”
Riding the 656 bus from WuDaoKou across the city to Wang Jing, cramped in what is easily the most uncomfortable seat on the bus (seriously, epic fail here – the row of seats in front of mine had excessive leg room, while I had zero – T.I.C.), I gazed out the window at the sun, attempting to peek through the haze of pollution that dominates the Beijing sky, shining down on a gargantuan statue of Mao. There are a lot of statues of Mao in China. I mean, A LOT of fucking statues. He is everywhere. I’m actually pretty sure that Mao invented the statue. He invented everything. Al Gore did not invent the internet; he simply stumbled upon some old notes of the Chairman’s that he never had time to attend to.
Today is a rare day for me in Beijing. Today, I wish I was somewhere else. Of course, there are the occasional longings for home (notably the family, friends, food, beers, and bands that I associate with home), but since the moment I arrived here back in August, I have not had a severe longing to be elsewhere on this lovely planet Earth. However, today, there happens to be something special going on in another location – Jamaica, mon. Today, a couple of bands, along with 800 crazy people who enjoy their music, are kicking off the sequel to the best music festival ever (I’m sure Woodstock was cool and all, but I will take Caribbean Holidaze any day). Sadly, due to my proximity to the location of said festival, my lack of vacation days, and my lack of student loans to pay for the trip (again), I am sitting this one out.
READ ON for a comparison of life in Communist China and a Phish festival…
Grousing The Aisles: Live McLovins
McLovins – 12/13/2008 DAUD [FLAC, STREAM, MP3] If you’ve browsed the message boards at Phantasy Tour for any period of time, you’ve probably noticed that the kidz on that board don’t agree on anything. That is until someone posted a video of a band of youngsters called McLovins tearing up Phish’s complex epic, You Enjoy […]
Televised Tune: On The Tube This Week
Linda Ronstadt and Jimmy Buffett appear in FM, a movie made in 1978 giving a behind-the-scenes look at a radio station. Alex Karras, Webster’s father, stars in the film but Martin Mull steals the show as a spaced-out DJ. Monday [all times Eastern]: MAD TV: Earth, Wind and Fire [Comedy Central 3:30PM] Tonight Show w/ […]
Stormy Mondays: Neil Young Preview
This week’s Stormy Monday is a pair of long tracks from Hall of Famer Neil Young. Back in 2003 Neil and Crazy Horse were on tour playing only Greendale in its entirety, but there were two gigs that bucked the trend – one of which was the headlining set at Bonnaroo. The opener was a […]
Setlists: Warren Haynes Christmas Jam
Our jaws dropped to the floor after looking at the killer setlists from this weekend’s 20th Annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC. From the Good Times, Bad Times featuring Ben Harper’s Relentless7 and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones to the Allman Brothers Band’s Dreams with Karl Denson to the When Something Is Wrong With My Baby sung by Warren and Joan Osborne, this year’s installment looks absolutely insane.
[Photo by Paul Balicky – Asheville Citizen Times]
READ ON to find out what went down from Thursday to Saturday…