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.
rom the get-go, it is worth noting that Vienna Teng is a great musician. She writes lyrically compelling songs that provide the perfect platform for the duet of her piano and lovely voice. However, in a recent show at Seattle’s Triple Door, performing as part of a quartet (Teng was accompanied by three solid musicians on violin, cello, and percussion), her talent was truly on display.
How startling it is to watch and listen to The Felice Brothers? Imagine if you will five characters that seem to have walked straight out of tunes from Bob Dylan and The Band’s Basement Tapes. Their connection with the rustic mythos suggests they heard that music as infants or perhaps even Music From Big Pink, from within the womb?
What does one get when crossing the innocent, vintage look and feel of Holly Golightly (of Breakfast at Tiffany’s fame) with the unique solo style of Joanna Newsome, both complemented by an intelligent acknowledgement of both local and national politics? Nellie McKay.
Salty blues, free flow’n hip hop & roots. You call it the way you hear it, because G. Love and Special Sauce doesn’t fit into a typical music genre. But after 13 years of playing music one thing’s for certain… the Philly band always keeps it served up like a cold beverage.
Created following the dissolution of Phish in 2004, Strange Design sets a purpose similar to that of Grateful Dead re-creationists Dark Star Orchestra. The members—guitarist Matthew Chase, bassist Ben Markowitz, drummer Adam Chase and keyboardist Aaron Levy—don’t just play Phish tunes; they inhabit them. Also like DSO, they play entire shows exactly as they were played originally, fine-tuning each detail to ensure faithful reproduction.
Outside Lands boasted what was quite possibly the most impressive lineup for a summer music fest this year. Lyrics Born faced some heavy competition for attendee attention as he was scheduled right up against The Black Keys and Beck. Those within earshot though were irresistibly drawn in by his charismatic rhyme style and infectious groovesthat the Lyrics Born band has become well known for.
