Hipsters, hippies, hip hoppers and heads all coming together, a scene reminiscent of Sundays in Dolores Park, a colorful concoction of what this town is all about rallying for a Saturday to remember.
Supporting their latest live album MOODOO, George Porter, Russell Batiste, and Brian Stoltz, along with Page McConnell in tow, rolled into Higher Ground to finish their brief but inspiring four night marathon tour. The Vermont stop on this tour was very appropriate as the live album they were supporting was recorded last November at Burlington's Club Metronome where McConnell made an impromptu surprise sit-in worthy of an official release.
A Backyard Tire Fire show is just that – rocking, loud, and fun. They’re currently on tour supporting their newest album, The Places We Lived, and the new tunes couldn’t hold up any better in a live setting.
The two and a half hour show rocked tight during “Gideon,” jammed mysteriously throughout “Dondante” and playfully expressed the funky flavor the band is currently experimenting with during “Highly Suspicious.” My Morning Jacket might very well be the new Radiohead or Wilco – either way, they got a good thing going, lucky for all of us involved.
Since the release of the great Amen Corner in June, Railroad Earth has been touring consistently, and the fall schedule proves no less ambitious. Though their 9/6 show at Irving Plaza—despite the lame marquee and barely renovated interior, I’ll never call it “The Fillmore”—didn’t jump out of the gate, the strong second set was a potent reminder of the band’s wholly satisfying live sound.
Before Matthew Ryan and his band, MRVSS, took the stage at Blueberry Hill, he and his bassist, Brian Bequette, were joking with me and my wife, explaining how the headliner, Tift Merritt, was a “firecracker.” Ryan and his band seemed happy to be on the road with the energetic singer-songwriter, eager to share their music with a respectful room of people.
In 1958, Fender moved to court more serious guitar players when they unveiled their Jazzmaster guitar to the world. Namely the company wanted to appeal to jazz musicians with their new release, hoping to get it into the hands 50s greats like Herb Ellis and Tal Farlow.
It still moves all right. There were no video projections of My Morning Jacket’s performance at Boston’s Bank of America Pavilion, but that’s understandable. The camera operators would’ve been driven crazy trying to keep up with the irrepressible Jim James as he careened around the stage.
A true test of a band’s flexibility relates to their ability to adapt to their environments by playing the crowd’s taste in a given city, and using the time of day and location of the venue to get the biggest response from the audience. Sound Tribe Sector 9, who tend to thrive in a late night dance party setting, had the challenge of adapting their style to meet the sunshine soaked outdoor vibe of Portland Oregon’s Edgefield.
Long before any mention was made of Hot Tuna’s first (live) album, the atmosphere at Higher Ground September 2nd was very reminiscent of that eponymous work released in 1970. Quiet but focused musicianship among three empathetic highly skilled instrumentalists generated an intimate mood the likes of which is rare at any venue.
