Columns

A YouTube user by the name of shwlalez uploaded a number of videos from the recent Saturday night Phish show at Alpine Valley and they are the best quality clips

It’s early Sunday afternoon and already steamy and sticky in Manchester, Tennessee. We head purposefully to Which Stage to get close to see Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue. We got a late start, which sucked, because there was no way to get as close as we wanted. I was a bit shocked. After all, it was Sunday, half past noon. Most of Bonnaroo hadn’t stopped the Saturday party but four or five hours ago (thank you MGMT and moe.) In between me and the front row were several thousand fellow Bonnaroonians, excited to celebrate Sunday morning services with Mike Farris.

Farris and his band ran through a high energy, emotional run of songs that had the audience shouting hallelujahs and amens while shading their eyes from the still rising Tennessee sun. Mike Farris, beneath a smart hat and shades, sang and played with the passion of a believer. Sure, it was religious, which, as a twelve year veteran of the internal struggle between good and evil that is Catholic School I have come to regard with great suspicion. But this music moved me. This music took hold, got inside my head. No, I didn’t drop to the ground, speak in tongues or develop stigmata. I didn’t find God, get reborn or suddenly find religion. I was simply moved by the soul and passion in the performance. Dynamically, the band pushed the limits from blues to rock, soul and gospel and back again. And all the while, there’s Farris, all sweat and swagger, belting out both old and new with fire and power, holding the early Sunday crowd in the palm of his hand.

Seeing the energy and movement expended onstage, it was hard to believe that, just forty minutes ago, I had been engaged in a quiet conversation at a picnic table near Radio Bonnaroo with this same person. He, his wife and dog, and I traded stories about our respective Bonnaroo experiences so far. Reserved, holding the bearing of simple Southern grace, Mike was articulate, open and charming as we chatted. There was no hint of the bundle of energy and passion that I saw on stage.

AJ Crandall: So you are from here in Tennessee?

Mike Farris: I’m actually really close. My home town is about ten or fifteen minutes from here. My mom lives less than a mile, as the crow flies, from where we are sitting. I might be the only true local that’s ever played here.

AJ : So, who have you seen so far this weekend that you’ve been impressed by?

Mike Farris: David Byrne. Oh, and the Steel Drivers, I saw them yesterday and they were just amazing. They’ve got one of the best singers, in the world, in that guy, Chris Stapleton. We’ve got our little boy with us, so we took him to see, you know, a lot of the classics. Like Mr. David Byrne, Mr. Elvis Costello. We took him over to see Bruce (Springsteen) last night. I thought Bruce did a really great job, connecting with the people.

READ ON for more of AJ’s chat with Mike Farris…

Third Ball (Phish) – 06/06/1996 MP3s [zip file] Phish took the first part of 1996 off to start recording their follow up to 1994’s Hoist entitled Billy Breathes. Phish pretty

Words: Carla Danca
Images: Jeremy Gordon

It’s summer time and most bands are hitting up outdoor sheds and festivals, but the Disco Biscuits have always done things a little different. Just a few weeks before the start of Camp Bisco VIII, the boys did a quick “dirty beach” run, up the coast of Delaware and into Atlantic City for a 2 night run at the House of Blues.While Bisco kidz always seem to be the butt of jokes in the scene, AC didn’t even flinch at the invasion of the raging flat brims.

Brothers Past kicked off both nights at the HOB, at least for those of us who were able to pull away from the casino floor. As someone who has really enjoyed BP before, I was a little disappointed with the room sound’s effect on the experience; the sound mix was really heavy on the bass and a bit muddy near the front of the stage.

The HOB has a large floor downstairs that is almost entirely covered by a seated area. Fortunately, night 2 is already posted on the LMA and the recording sounds great! It is a lot clearer than it sounded at the show, and you can actually hear the vocals. My highlights were the cover of Radiohead’s National Anthem and their own Simple Gift of Man to close the set. I think that these guys have so much potential, as they are definitely breaking out of the jam band and livetronic mold.

READ ON for more of Carla’s words and Jeremy’s photos…

Wilco’s seventh disc, Wilco (The Album), hits stores today nearly six weeks after it was leaked, which led the band to stream it on their website. With each passing release