Hidden Track

You gotta love an edition of the Friday Mix Tape that begins with unreleased ’70s pornofunk and ends with Mason Jennings. If that doesn’t scream eclecticism, I suggest cleaning the shit from out yo’ ears. But that’s not all: The meat in this sandwich brings us plenty of goodies — Radiohead’s cover of The Smiths from the November webcast, some […]

Dean Ween continues to provide outrageously brown content on his NING blog. Just yesterday Deaner shared some amazing shots from his photo collection. Where else can you see photos of Deaner with 1980 U.S. Hockey Coach Herb Brooks, or a head shot from the girl on the Chocolate & Cheese cover? Keep up the good […]

When I received an e-mail from Ace last July asking me if I had any interest in a private Crowded House concert, I quickly jumped on the opportunity.

As a young whippersnapper I would often throw their debut album and Temple of Low Men in the ol’ cassette player. I really enjoyed their music but had never seen them live (of course, they took a hiatus from 1996-2007 making it difficult to see them play). So I went to that concert in July and was blown away by their performance. Neil Finn’s tight compositions, interesting lyrics and catchy hooks kept me enthralled all night.

Six months later, the concert, which was recorded for the Artist Den television series, will finally air on Ovation tonight at 8:00 PM. Now everyone will have a chance to experience what I witnessed that night. In order to celebrate we’re offering a quick list of 10 incredible tunes that we hope made the cut. Read on after the jump to enjoy these videos, as an appetizer for tonight’s main course…

We’re proud to announce that Rupert of The Ghosts of Wayne Fontes has joined Hidden Track as a full-time contributor. Let’s celebrate this glorious occasion by debuting one of his new columns…

Today marks the birthday of a new brainchild here at Hidden Track. This is the inaugural edition of Bust Outs, a recurring segment dedicated to the finest surprises thrown down by our favorite bands. The idea is to highlight some of the special moments that blow your mind in the live setting, be it a setlist rarity, a stellar cover selection or a back-from-retirement resurgence.

Phish – 2/28/2003 – Destiny Unbound

Obviously, the inaugural episode would be utterly remiss, and not nearly cliché enough for us, if it didn’t include the ‘03 Destiny Unbound bust out. The lucky Long Islanders at the Uniondale show were treated to one of the most sought-after bust outs in all of Phish history. Hearing Destiny became huge. It was THE song that had to come out of retirement. It became bigger than any old favorite, bigger than a giant black boner, bigger than even bringing back Halley’s or Boogie On. Destiny was everyone’s dream bust out. Well, they just did it one night in 2003…randomly. It was monumental, if not a little anti-climactic. Nevertheless, they busted it out and played it well, which is always the worry with a big bust out. What’s the point of packing the heat if you don’t know how to use it?

Read on for several more prized bust outs from the road…

Was there ever a more polarizing figure in the history of Phish special guests than The Dude of Life? The man born into the world Steve Pollak, a childhood friend of Trey Anastasio from Taft Boarding School, wrote the lyrics to some of Phish’s most popular songs including Suzy Greenberg and Fluffhead. While some loved […]

Everyone who attended Marco Benevento’s January residency at Sullivan Hall came back raving about most of the five shows he played. And according to Neddy last Thursday’s closing gig was the best of the bunch. You can judge for yourself by checking out NYCTaper’s recording of that show. Please keep on spoiling us, NYCTaper — […]

Most of the Grousing The Aisles columns I’ve written for this rag have had unifying themes that tie together the featured shows. This week I’m struggling to figure out what these bands have in common, besides the ability to drive their audiences crazy. So I’m copping out and calling this a Variety Pack edition of GTA. Don’t let that stop you from downloading any of these amazing recordings of Los Lobos, The Clash, moe., Ryan Adams, Uncle Tupelo and more…

Los Lobos 1/24/2008 DAUD [FLAC, MP3]

Photo by Adam Kaufman

East L.A. rockers Los Lobos surprised the crowd at the recent Voices of Latin Rock benefit show in San Francisco by performing an unannounced closing set. As if that weren’t enough, they also invited some legendary rock stars to the stage. George Clinton and Sly Stone joined the band for rough but ready versions of Thank You Fallentime Be Mice Elf Agin and I Want To Take You Higher. On the other hand, we’re sure the crowd wasn’t surprised when Stone quickly left the stage after banging out a few chords and singing a few lines. You can’t have it all.

Los Lobos, who has just embarked on a two-month tour, started their set with a batch of their greatest hits. For Mas Y Mas, the band invited Jackie Greene, Mic Gillette and Karl Perazzo to sit-in on what turned out to be a blistering version of the aggressively percussive tune. The highlight of the night came towards the end of the show when Mario Valenzuela, Richie Valens’ brother, came out for an energetic La Bamba > Good Lovin’ > La Bamba sequence. Over 30 years after releasing their first record, Los Lobos is still killin’ it on a nightly basis. Read on…

I’m not gonna sit here and tell you The Special is the second coming of Bitches Brew, but I have no qualms declaring it the best new jazz album in years. The left coast-based Mitch Marcus Quintet produced a seven-song odyssey that defies genres and busts through labels; the end result is a spectacular album […]

We’re just waking up after a long night of watching the results from Super Tuesday roll in. Barack Obama may have split delegates with Hillary Clinton, but he clearly has the support of the anti-establishment rock star crowd. Bright Eyes, M. Ward and members of the Grateful Dead all played benefit concerts for Obama, while […]

Six years after sprouting as some hippie jam fest, Bonnaroo has blossomed into the best festival this country has to offer. Despite the barrage of new festivals threatening their market share, AC Entertainment and Superfly Productions continue to put together the best lineups.

Where else can you see such a diverse lineup of the best artists from music’s past, present and future. This year we have Levon Helm, Phil Lesh and Robert Plant representing Team Fiesty Vet; The Raconteurs, Kanye West and My Morning Jacket as the current purveyors of the good stuff; while The Felice Brothers, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, !!! and Back Door Slam offer a taste of where we’re going.

(NME and the Associated Press both reported Led Zeppelin will headline the event, but the Bonnaroo site doesn’t have them on the bill. Yikes, sweet work there, fellas. That “d” is a “z” — Lez Zeppelin will be in Tennessee.)

The one thing that sticks out from looking at this year’s lineup is just how many acts they’ve booked. Where else can you see so many of the top touring acts in the country at one location? The 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival takes place in Manchester, Tennessee on June 12 – 15. Tickets go on sale soon, and if you’re expecting to go, we’d buy ’em early this year.

Enough of the prelims, read on after the jump for the full lineup…