Show Reviews

Zoe Keating: The Independent SF San Francisco, CA 1/19/11

It’s certainly not everyday that an avant-garde cellist sells out a show in a popular rock club, and adorned with only a cello, series of foot pedals and laptop completely wins over the entire crowd.   That is unless you’re Zoe Keating

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Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub: Alladin Theater, Portland, OR 2/3

Playing to a packed 600 seat Aladdin Theater, Daniel Lanois and his band lured the crowd into their cozy lair with a mix of material from Black Dub’s wonderful self titled debut and Lanois’ previous solo work.  It is obvious Lanois chooses only to surround himself with the highest quality musicians,

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Devon Allman

It may have been a cold night on the streets of New Orleans but inside the legendary Howlin’ Wolf, it was hot with the sounds of the soulful rocking of Devon Allman’s Honeytribe. Traveling approximately twenty-two hours just to rock Louisiana, you couldn’t tell that these guys were actually on the verge of exhaustion. Playing with an uninhibited fire, this is what rock & roll is all about. If this band didn’t cause a jolt of energy in your bones, you weren’t listening.

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JJ Grey and Mofro: The Music Farm, Charleston, SC 1/21/11

During the past decade or so, JJ Grey and Mofro have ventured to Charleston 2-3 times each year. By now, fans know what to expect: sweaty, down-home, funky rock and roll, punctuated by the in-the-pocket meter of drummer Anthony Cole, a wall of horns and the formidable pipes of band leader JJ—and the band’s packed show at the Music Farm provided more of the same.

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Free Energy: Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR 1/26/11

If you walked out from inside a cave and straight to the Free Energy show at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge last Wednesday night you sure as hell wouldn’t know the economy is in the shitter, unemployment is skyrocketing and our country is hanging on by the last vestiges of the fading American Dream.

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Alejandro Escovedo: Cat

As long-time fans know, Escovedo, however, is not a one-trick pony.  Like kindred spirit, Neil Young, he can tone down the bombastic tempest and enrapture the audience with his brilliant songwriting and storytelling.  Back catalog classics like “Five Hearts Breaking” and “Rosalie” slowed the pace and brought a reverent hush over the crowd.  And as the name would suggest, “The Sensitive Boys” can follow suit, adding subtle accompaniment and elegant grace that match the introspection of Escovedo’s words and images.  The arrangements at this show stood on their own and came to life just as they do when Escovedo tours with his “Orchestra” and plays a more intimate setlist.

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The Budos Band: The Independent, San Francisco, CA 1/15/11

For a nine-piece, groove-based band with no vocals, the Budos Band can sure pack a house. The anticipation for this Daptoe Records-flavored ensemble was certainly at a fever pitch, as the sold-out crowd at the Independent could attest to on Friday night.  There is no question these guys have built a reputation as a no-holds-barred, funk-blast of a band, and this sweaty night was no exception.  With a gritty Staten Island-flavored street swagger, Budos dug deep into their catalog of minor-key grooves and exercised their craft of selfless ensemble playing.

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Ana

Hadestown is unlike any other musical you might have seen in the past ten years. It’s not based on the songbook of some famous artist. It’s not an adaptation of yet another well-known Disney movie. Hadestown is in a class of its own, and as such it’s often difficult to describe. Sure, it’s about Orpheus’ descent into the underground to rescue Eurydice from Hades’ grasp, but what makes the show so successful is its employment of ambiguity throughout the whole ordeal.

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