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Words: Alex Borsody

Images: Rob Chapman

Bustle In Your Hedgerow continues to win fans with their sporadic gigging since coming together in 2003. Formed off the solid core of Joe Russo and Marco Benevento, they brought in friends Dave Dreiwitz on bass and Scott Metzger on guitar to form an epic Led Zeppelin cover band. The catch is that they play the songs in a completely new way, incorporating organ funk and jazz to create unique renditions of familiar rock standards. I got a chance to check them out at Brooklyn Bowl, a venue that sits in the heart of Williamsburg, across the street from a famous street art installation.

[All photos by Rob Chapman]

The show was 21 and up, as are many of the shows at the venue featuring jazz or funk influences and the place was still full of people. Over The Hills And Far Away was one of the highlights of the first set and featured an intro with Russo on vocals. These were the only vocals of the night and segued into Benevento’s melodic organ playing followed by one of the longest jams of the first set.

The set break saw hipster liaison Marco Benevento introducing the band, saying “if there was a magazine called Jersey’s Finest we would all be on the cover every month,” referring to the band’s Garden State origins.

Ramble On has perhaps one of the most memorable and melodic bass lines of all time. It is difficult to keep the melody and rhythm in sync and it took Dave Dreiwitz a little while to find the groove to the song. To his credit trying to keep up with John Paul Jones is not easy. The song climaxed with a solo from Benevento. You Shook Me was very bluesy and saw the guitar replacing Jimmy Page’s vocals. The five minute drum solo on Moby Dick, had Russo doing his best John Bonham.

READ ON for more from Alex on Bustle In Your Hedgerow…

Within about ten minutes of boarding the MSC Poesia, I knew I’d be in for the experience of a lifetime. I’m on Jam Cruise 8 with about three thousand like-minded music fans who couldn’t be happier to be where they are. Outside of my favorite five bands, my music tastes are fairly eclectic and ADD. Jam Cruise gives you the opportunity to bounce around to any of the six stages in comfort allowing you to take in a little of each band easily.

[All photos by Dave Vann]

The day started around noon when the Poesia opened its gates. Embarkation couldn’t have been easier and I was having a frozen drink on the Pool Deck by 1. The look on fellow Jam Cruise Virgins’ faces was priceless as they took their first stroll around this humongous boat. We had plenty of time to settle in; the music didn’t start until 7PM. I took this opportunity to grab some grub. I had heard the food was awful, but that just isn’t the case.

Around 6:45, JC Cruise Director Julie McCoy took to the stage for a celebratory toast. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. kicked things off playing their first notes as the ship left the dock. There were people getting down on every crevice of the Pool Deck, yet there was plenty of space and if you wanted to watch from the rail you could. Trombone Shorty has a much harder sound than I had imagined performing a solid mix of funk and hard rock. TS took control of the crowd early on and having a band with a animated front man open the festivities was a terrific call.

READ ON for more from Scotty about Jam Cruise 8…

Wilco had those of us on the east coast worried we wouldn’t get any love this year when they announced some random midwest dates, a full-blown tour of Canada and

We’ll kick off the new year at Stormy Mondays with a quick listen to a few bands you should watch in the coming months. First is Surprise Me, Mr. Davis

Elvis Costello does an outstanding job with his weekly Sundance show Spectacle. But this week, the tables will turn on the host when actress Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds, The West Wing)

“Let’s get the show on the road”

Last night in Miami, we reached the conclusion of an important year in the history of Phish. The quartet worked up their skills and dug deep through their repertoire all year long. Quite often the band was successful at satiating their notoriously hard-to-please fanbase while aiming to stay clear of the dreaded “nostalgia act” tag. For the fourth show of four at the American Airlines Arena, Phish didn’t disappoint offering the typical NYE fare of a few hearty jams, plenty of classics, a few bust outs and the “gimmick” which this year revolved around a little known female drummer named Sarah.

Unlike on the 30th, the quartet kicked things off with a fairly standard opening sequence of AC/DC Bag, 46 Days and Water In The Sky before stretching it out a bit for Bathtub Gin. There was so much energy floating around the venue – which was way more crowded for New Year’s than any other night – that the band would receive big cheers any time they dropped a familiar lyric or an impressive musical phrase. I’d love to say the boys were extremely tight last night, but there were plenty of clams and missed transitions, although that’s somewhat to be expected on New Year’s Eve.

The first set continued with more high-energy standard fare such as The Moma Dance and Guyute before the band pulled out a few more lost gems. First up was Swept Away > Steep which hadn’t been played since July 1, 2000 followed by Demand which hadn’t been played since November 14, 1996. Both songs got huge reactions and we’re played pretty well. Steep didn’t feature “the scream” of 1996 versions and the Demand was sans Split Open and Melt jam. It became clear the band had purposely looked for the most obscure songs in their catalog to bust out at these shows and it was extremely appreciated.

READ ON for more from Scotty on Phish New Year’s Eve ’09-’10…