Somehow, whenever Edie Carey and Holly Figueroa get together for a show at Seattle’s Tractor Tavern, the weather seems incapable of cooperating. Such was the case for Monday’s show, during which Seattle got a wicked (to borrow from Carey’s Bostonian vocabulary) snow and ice storm, leaving the roads unto impassable.
When Primus played, they were tight, if not as powerful or spacious as in past outings, but with the ambivalence or possible anger being displayed from one of the quirkiest front men in the business, I think it is safe too say that it was an off night for the group who ironically usually just Sucks!
Vegoose 2006 won't be remembered in the annuls of music history, or even for Halloween's sake, but it will be remembered for being a crazy weekend, one to mark on your calendar for 07. It's a hell of an excuse to hit Vegas every year, if it was anywhere else, chances are you'd make those early shows.
The Answer are all about classic rock‘n’roll anthems. Led Zeppelin, AC/DC & Thin Lizzy are all glaring apparent influences in their music. With the sudden influx of copyist artists around these days, it would be easy just to dismiss the band as another here today gone tomorrow fad, like our British friends The Darkness.
CMJ (NYC’s annual music fest) came in like a lion, roared like a lion and left like – yup, you got it – a lion. The whirlwind of fantastic jams set the foundation for the Wednesday night show at Bowery Ballroom. Chock Full O’ Bands that are in various stages of their journey on a streetcar named fame, there was a bevy of talent packing the house for seven hours of music. While tag wearing hipsters skedaddled about the city, your faithful narrator got a spot on the ballroom floor and has a review of each of these acts presented here, because all are worthy of praise and your attention:
Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood, kicked off their night of funked out jazz at Northampton's Calvin Theater, it was obvious to everyone in the house that gimmicks and stage antics weren’t on the agenda. Instead, quality musicianship was the quartet’s goal, and world-class technique was what they came to deliver.
Steel Train’s set at Cambridge Mass’ TT the Bears Place on the Friday of Halloween weekend was not only the conclusion of their recent trek across the States, but their last performance with drummer Matthias Gruber. The atmosphere around the venue was laid back as fans and performers alike watched the last few innings of Game 7 of the World Series while the opening act, House of Fools, did their thing.
Seeing as the venue was right across the street from the place where Paul Revere got the memo before taking his famous ride, the sextet’s front-man, Colin Meloy, even made a point to comment on the fact that their pre-civil war surroundings were probably built by “enslaved Nubian units.”
During his 20-song set at Foellinger Auditorium on the campus of the University of Illinois, Jeff Tweedy appeared happy and willing to go along with the hooting and hollering of obscure requests of college kids enjoying their Halloween weekend. In other words, he’s come a long way from the panicked and uptight figure that had to seek medical help in the past.
Charlie Hunter and his latest Trio brought the rock star flavor back to jazz in Richmond the other night. Despite a particularly vicious bout with tendonitis, Hunter displayed no signs of discomfort. It wasn’t until after completing the two sets of music that Hunter applied ice to his invisible wound, enjoying Black Sabbath’s "Sweet Leaf" over the speakers.
