The oppressive heat has smothered the East Coast turning New York City sidewalks into frying pans. So on Tuesday night some singer songwriters and minimally-dressed fans tried to cool off in the dark Bowery Ballroom. It worked. The relaxed tones and minimalist presentation broke the heat and soothed the ears.
It’s a perfect time to celebrate 15 years of Bottle Rockets songs, which is exactly what they did at St. Louis’ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, the first of 15 anniversary shows they will be playing this year.
Covering their entire catalog from “10:15 Saturday Night” off 1979’s Three Imaginary Boys, to the new single “The Only One” from their forthcoming album, The Cure visited all eras of their 29 year career.
Of the four original surviving members of the Grateful Dead, drummer Bill Kreutzmann has kept the lowest profile since the untimely death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. But now this long-standing resident of Hawaii has elevated that profile considerably this year with his work in the trio format with bassist Oteil Burbridge (Aquarium Rescue Unit, ABB) and guitarist/vocalist Scott Murawski (Max Creek).
It is hard to get this review started without shouting from the written rooftop that The Raconteurs just may be the most exciting live rock and roll act playing today…so I will just come out and admit it – they are.
Some traditions lose their magic after a few years, but thankfully the Pangaea Project benefit shows continue to bring the community together on so many levels, and continue to provide some of the most magical musical moments Portland sees each spring.
Playing to a sold out room that remained attentive and fun from the opening “Via Chicago” to the closing “The Late Greats,” Tweedy and his band mates were firing shots and killing moving targets all night long.
The Black Keys (Dan Auerbach,Patrick Carney) brought their no-frills blues rock straight from Akron, Ohio to the big city last night, packing a gorgeous venue on the west side with six string blasts and kick drum bombs.
This one’s for her, whatever the hell her name was,” Steve Earle said with a laugh, before he broke into “Now She’s Gone,” off 1996’s I Feel Alright. It was that kind of night for Earle—a chance to look back, but not dwell on any kind of regret.
On tunes like “Other Side” and “Water Vein,” featuring vocals from keyboardist Phil Ferlino, the bright, mostly major-key improvisation explored interesting territory without falling off the rails.
