Fronted by a guy who played a instrument that was more widely known by country music fans, Robert Randolph & The Family Band burst onto the jam scene in the
Among the bands that comprise the “beard-rock” movement of the last few years is Megafaun, who mix Americana with psych-folk. The Durham, NC-based act will release a new – not
In advance of a July 22 gig at Radio City Music Hall, Widespread Panic will make their first-ever visit to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight on NBC. Tuesday finds
I woke up this morning wondering if what I’d experienced over the last two weeks was real or just a dream like the eighth season of Dallas. Just as quickly as the God Street Wine reunion came, it’s over – for now – as the NYC-based quintet finished the four show run with a scorcher at Irving Plaza this past Saturday evening. These four shows were the rare case of reality living up to the lofty expectations thrust upon this reunion after nine long years of silence from the GSW camp.
[All pictures by Mike Wren]
Friday’s lack of jams was remedied by an improv-filled first set featuring lengthy versions of Driving West, Hellfire and Imogene which showed off the band’s impressive non-verbal communication that comes from playing hundreds of shows together during the ’90s. While last weekend’s minor-key Hellfire jam was on the dark and dirty side, the Irving version went the other direction: a major-key round of improv filled with light and beautiful melodies – a butter jam if you will. Both guitarists got equal time to shine during this most memorable jam of the run. The tight rhythm section of Dan Pifer (bass) and Tom “Tomo” Osander (drums) propelled their band mates to glory in the Hellfire jam like offensive linemen clearing the way for the star running backs.
Irving Plaza, NYC
July 17, 2010Set One: Nightingale, Driving West, Better than You, Hellfire, The Ballroom -> 6:15, Feather, Straight Line, Imogene
Set Two: Good Dream, Snake Eyes, Princess Henrietta, Strange as it Seems, Tina’s Town -> Cheap Utah Blues -> Deep Drag, Diana, Borderline
Encore1: Ticket to Ride, Sweet Little Angel
Encore2: Other Shore -> Into The Sea
Seven sets into the action God Street Wine were still dusting off old songs they hadn’t played yet. Lots of lines hit home in the reggae-tinged Ballroom including “the dancing on the floor has begun,” “so many years have gone by since I looked into your eyes” and “I feel so old” – all of which received huge applause from the attentive crowd. Two of the first-time in ’10 tunes on this night were Feather and Diana off the quintet’s self-titled 1997 release. Feather, an anthemic rocker, was equal parts Tom Petty and Black Crowes and stood out on a night filled with stand outs. Diana also had that rootsy sound typical of songs on the self-titled LP and shined thanks to gorgeous harmonies, Jon Bevo’s electric piano work and Maxwell’s slide work.
- GSW Reunion: #1, #2, #3
- Audio: Scott Brown’s Recording
- Video: Borderline
When listening to some of GSW’s later material like Diana and Feather and comparing it to the early material such as the prog workout Deep Drag, it was crazy to hear how much the group’s sound had changed in just about seven years. You can only imagine how many different phases of evolution the band’s music would’ve gone through had the original lineup been able to stick together through the ’00s. Yet, this weekend wasn’t about focusing on what might’ve been and was more about enjoying what was.
READ ON for more on God Street Wine at Irving Plaza…
Words and Images: Benji Feldheim
Pitchfork Music Festival 2010 Day Two
On the second day of Chicago’s own celebration of fringe music, the Pitchfork Music Festival, we found proof that a steady continuity of energetic music is far more important than adding performers that are, you know…different.
Day two’s more oppressive heat than the day before held throughout. And while that only exacerbated a few performers’ middling attempts to hold the audience’s attention, other groups released real energy that carried the crowd until the night.
Walking in during Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was a welcome as hell contrast to the dead silence I met the day before. Raucous, grinding and noisy rock coming from two guitars and a drum kit rolled through the north end of Union Park, as JSBX added heat to the day. Spencer’s Elvis-twinged yells and pensive spoken word crushed into furious distorted chords and bends from the guitars, with pounding drums keeping a heavy heartbeat to the fray.
Take the taste for raw and experimental production of New York’s downtown musicians, and root it in dirty Memphis garage rockabilly and you get the explosion. JSBX is a reminder that music experiments can still just kick ass, especially when the set closed with a huge vamp, colored by Theremin yelps.
- Pitchfork Festival: Day One
READ ON for more on the second day of the Pitchfork Fest…
Along with The Wetlands, the 712 Club, the Nightingale Bar and the Fore-N-Aft, New York City’s Irving Plaza holds a special place in God Street Wine lore as one of the “home” venues for the band. Unlike the Gramercy, IP was the site of many special GSW shows during the group’s hey day.
[All photos by Joe Madonna]
Let’s compare the group’s four reunion shows to a typical high school reunion. If last weekend’s concerts at Gramercy were the more formal part of the reunion at a hotel ballroom, last night’s GSW show at Irving felt like the after party in the basement we all used to hang out at back in the day.
Set 1: Epilog, Wendy, Big Papa, Lighthouse, Crazy Head -> Goodnight Gretchen -> Hammer and Spike -> Stupid Hat, Bring Back the News
Set 2: Stranger, Mile By Mile, Epiphany, I Still Like You -> Water -> Feel The Pressure -> Morning Cigarettes -> Waiting for the Tide, Get on the Train (with Love Light Tease)
Encore: Any Major Dude, Brick House
Encore2: Thirsty
Opening with Epilog – a tune drummer Tom Osander picked as his favorite God Street Wine original in our interview with him – the quintet seemed more comfortable on stage and were a bit looser than at the Gramercy shows. That’s not to say that musically they didn’t nail it again, because they did, the members of the band just seemed less intent on not messing something up and more intent on enjoying the experience.
- GSW Reunion: Night One, Night Two
- Audio: Scott Brown’s Audience Recording
- Video: Crazy Head, Epilog, Morning Cig
Over the course of two lengthy sets God Street Wine mixed originals that weren’t performed last week with some of their best material that had already been played at the Gramercy. I liken the repeats to getting to spend some bonus time with a long lost friend after finally reconnecting last weekend. The band’s comfort level came through in the repeats and songs like Gretchen, Epiphany and Waiting For The Tide were even better the second time around.
READ ON for more on God Street Wine @ IP…
Words and Images: Benji Feldheim
Pitchfork Music Festival 2010
Day One:
Leave it to a Swedish pop singer to save the first day of the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival from a numbing heat haze.
Wait, really? Yes. Her name is Robyn, and she can sing and dance globe-wide circles around most other dance-beat laden pop singers. Take some tips here Gaga.
With a scorching sun beating down on about 18,000 folks out of the estimated 54,000 expected to attend Pitchfork this weekend, Robyn put on a powerhouse set of electro dance, high register harmonies and a fiendish sexual energy that woke the crowd up.
“Is it always this hot Chicago?” Robyn said between songs.
With a live band tweaking synth knobs and playing both electric and no-plug drums, Robyn showed the difference between a pop singer who actually writes and enjoys her own music, as opposed to those on a record label leash. Straight ahead beats that suddenly shifted into faster paces, backed by a rolling array of clean synth bleeps and bloops and topped by Robyn’s crystal clear singing and energy made the set a gem.
READ ON for more from Benji on Day One of the P4K Festival…
HT’s Benji Feldheim will be representing us at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this weekend. While we wait for Benji to file his report from the meeting of the hipster
With the continuing onslaught of hot weather I’m going to keep this intro brief, cause frankly I’m just tired of sweating and I’m trying just enjoy some frigid AC before
Live Nation held a meeting for the company’s investors at Irving Plaza in which the company tried to allay shareholder’s concerns about the sad state of the live music biz
