Between the viral video-friendly bits, Jonathan Cohen’s ingenious musical guest bookings, bringing The Roots on as the house band and Fallon’s relaxed interview style; NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Words: Carla Danca
Images: Jeremy Gordon
As many friends were finalizing their plans for the Phish run this week, I headed over to Terminal 5 in NYC on Friday night to see the lovely Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. While Phish has become the polarizing force in the jamband scene this year, either as re-energizing the crazed fanbase or overwhelming a few bands at the bottom – and everyone’s wallet in between – GPN has moved in a different direction altogether.
While you see GPN at many of the summer festivals (including playing at Bonnaroo with Phish headlining) it would be hard to say that they are still part of the “jam” music scene any longer. Grace Potter has made the successful crossover from the festival/ hippie scene into main stream music and TV (with songs used on One Tree Hill and Grey’s Anatomy) and more importantly she did it without losing any of the talent that originally propelled her.
After an opening acts from Sean Bones and Brett Dennen, the stage went dark for a dramatic entrance by first the Nocturnals and then spotlight appearing, Grace came out last beating on her tambourine in a sexy green sequined dress. Staples like Mastermind and Apologies from This is Somewhere started the night off setting the tune for a high energy set by GPN. READ ON for more from Jeremy and Carla…
And that sound you hear isn’t a bowl of mashed potatoes splattered against the wall, or a brandy bottle breaking in the back alley, or even a dessert cart wheeled off the balcony. No, that’s the sound of the Great Beast Itself. Yep—the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey.
Don’t get your forks, spoons, and knives out, or your sporks, for that matter. This bird ain’t exactly edible. Hell, I’m not even sure if your loved ones should even see it, which explains why I had to clear the room when it was on full display. Yes, this week’s Hidden Flick is a real turkey of the cinematic breed, and I apologize in advance for its placement in the hallowed halls of our little film collection, but sometimes a clunker makes everything else that much better. Either that, or Cabin Boy
Um, no. Turkey is as Turkey does, and this film contains nary a redeemable scene. However, that sort of critical thinking hasn’t stopped us before, right? As long as one can see the true spirit of filmmaking at work, scenes can sort of jump out in their own way, and produce a lasting memory. Well, let’s not get carried away. We are talking about Cabin Boy, and it does feature Letterman alumni Chris Elliott in his lone “star vehicle.”
READ ON for more on this week’s Hidden Flick…
Back on October 30, Widespread Panic covered three songs by The Band in a row for their encore at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, TX. The band has posted
As we mentioned on Friday, the members of Furthur played a warm-up gig at the tiny 19 Broadway nightclub in Fairfax, CA. The ensemble tackled an array of Dead classics,
It had been about a year and a half since I first caught former Blips act White Denim opening for the one-time blog buzz band Tapes N Tapes at Irving
Widespread Panic, who just completed a fantastic three-show run in Milwaukee, will play a rare acoustic performance at Goodnite Gracie in Royal Oak, MI tomorrow at 4PM as part of
Words: John Coleman
Images: Tammy Wetzel (from the Rochester UM show)
Northern Lights, in Clifton Park, is an awkward little rock club located in a roadside plaza, squeezed between a Dollar General store and some kind of church. I have to admit, it’s kind of hard to get excited for a show that’s next to a church on a cold Tuesday night. But I had just seen an historic Umphrey’s show at Higher Ground in Burlington four nights before, complete with a Mike Gordon sit-in, and was ready for more Umph. And they delivered.
[All photos by Tammy Wetzel]
I knew things would get loud, it’s always loud at Northern Lights, almost obnoxiously so. The way the bar is laid out, with a horseshoe bar in the center and stage crammed into one small corner, the crowd is packed like sardines into the irregularly shaped room. But it seems like some of Umphrey’s most creative playing is produced in close quarters clubs, where ease of communication takes their improv to another level.
The band eased into the first set with 2×2, but things quickly warmed up with the intro to Robot World. It’s not often a concert is physical, but you could feel Ryan Stasik’s bass and Jake Cinninger’s crunchy metal chops. The set cooled off a bit after a haunting #5. Safety in Numbers was well-represented with versions of Anchor Drops and Passing. Bright Lights fell short, but set one ended in a blaze, with Glory.
READ ON for more from Umphrey’s in Clifton Park…
The Pixies will visit The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday to perform the song Debaser from their 1989 classic Doolittle. The group also will perform a second song
Last month we got our first taste of Vampire Weekend’s sophomore effort, Contra, via a free download of the album’s opening track, Horchata. VW gives us another taste of the
