Archive: 2006

As the drummer of The Police, Stewart Copeland was an integral part of their success. And fortunately he was able to cash in on that success at the time by purchasing a Super 8 video camera. The result is Everybody Stares: The Police Inside Out, an impressive, insightful and antic-tinged look at how a band goes from nowhere to somewhere big, while getting lost in the journey.

Any blogger — music or otherwise — worth his weight in inflated ego checks the site’s stats about as often as, say, inhaling oxygen. And every single day, I’ve noticed, Hidden Track gets multiple search engine referrals from people seeking information on The Roots’ universally acclaimed performance of Masters of War at the Bob Dylan […]

Nights like Wednesday evening at places like Tonic are what make seeing live music a truly worthwhile endeavor. I know, this post already reeks of condescending uber-headiness, but I can’t figure out how to frame it any other way. What those four guys did up on stage two nights ago reminded me of the dragon […]

The Friday after Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers, and today is no exception. If you’re part of the 99 percent of people that are off from work or school today, be thankful. No, I’m totally not bitter I’m working today. Bob Doran interviews Trey Anastasio for the North Coast Journal (I bet he didn’t […]

The crew here at Hidden Track hopes you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving. The eats and the family fun/drama maybe be all gobbled up, but there’s still time to enjoy these 10 shows around the country this holiday weekend… moe. — Chicago, IL: Al Schnier makes his trimphant return to playing guitar after a bad bout […]

A wise man once said, “When you think of garbage, think of Akeem.” I’d like to just tweak that lasting quotation slightly today. Thanksgiving, 30 years ago (almost today), The Band said farewell to the road forever with an epic celebration at the Winterland in San Francisco. So when you’re bored tonight, a little sleepy […]

Once a year, Grousing The Aisles comes out on the last work day of the week. And that day is today, which means it’s essentially a Friday right now.

Here’s my friendly advice to help you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday weekend: Start downloading these shows now, so that when you get back from your holiday host you’ll have plenty of music to wash out all the Christmas music that will begin to surround you. And with a last name like Bernstein, I’d rather hear a mix of classic rock, funky soul and jambanditry, like this week’s fresh slate of downloads:

Heart — 08/03/76 SBD (FLAC)

This is one of the tastiest-sounding of all soundboards from Heart, which in 1976 was just starting its climb to rock infamy. Not only does this recording feature original hits such as Magic Man and Crazy On You, but the Wilson sisters tear their way through three hotter-than-fuck Led Zeppelin tunes: Lez Zeppelin has nothing on the original female Zeppelin. Cameron Crowe is a lucky man — his wife Nancy Wilson drops guitar solos that offer some serious face meltage. Since this show is a must own, we also offer up the 320kbps MP3 files from sendspace. And, c’mon, check out those sweet mullets. Read on for more great downloads…

Has anyone else seen the new supermarket-themed commercial that shows our protagonist playing songs on a hip Samsung/Cingular Sync cellular telephone as he strolls confidently through the aisles? I’ve only seen it once — it’s the anti-Mellancamp — so I’ll accept a “no” answer here. If you haven’t seen this mersh, it’s a mindfuckingly quick-paced […]

It's hard to write about Eric Bachmann and his new solo effort To The Races without comparing it to his previous work with Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers. However, it is worth a shot, simply for the reason that while this is still the same Eric Bachmann, but it is very stripped down so that it is just Eric Bachmann.

It’s easy to enjoy Colorblind, but in the end, it will have you searching for a copy of his stellar debut Live at the Wetlands. That's the rub with Robert Randolph, as years ago, the more his sets grew repetitive and his jams predictable, the more we craved stronger, more varied songs. But does the quest for songs mean no more goofy, sloppy fun?

Buzz band Cold War Kids will spend almost every Wednesday and Friday in January performing in either New York or Los Angeles. The Orange County quartet will first play Open Bookstore in L.A. on Jan. 5, followed by Pianos in New York, alternating venues and cities through Jan. 26 at Spaceland in L.A.The group is […]

Anti- is pleased to announce the signing of diverse Brooklyn-based musical collective Antibalas. The acclaimed, socially and politically-minded group – with an active lineup of about a dozen musicians – recently wrapped work in Chicago with producer John McEntire of Tortoise on its March 2007 debut for the label. Pushing itself beyond the revolutionary Afrobeat […]

It’s Tuesday again, that day when my employer feels compelled to tie me up with some of my ties, Ty. I mean, buddy, I’ve got a terrifically shitty music blog to run for no compensation, I can’t be doing your work all fucking day… But alas, I must, and I will. So to keep you […]

Sean Lennon’s debut, 1998’s Into the Sun, had laid-back, jazzy undertones that afforded him positive reviews and a place in the contemporary music world apart from either of his iconic parents. Now at age 31, Sean Lennon has matured and it is purely evident on Friendly Fire.

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.

O.A.R.has announced a brief winter tour of the U.S. with British friends Gomez as support. The two bands will brave the wind and snow from January 18-27, starting at Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena. The trek will wrap at Madison Square Garden Arena in New York City, with singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson appearing as a special guest. […]

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!

The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will expand to a three-day event for the first time in 2007 when it overtakes the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. on April 27-29. The following weekend (May 5-6), Coachella promoters Goldenvoice will launch an as-yet-unnamed country music festival at the same venue, featuring George Strait, Kenny […]

Scott Metzger is a free agent again. And if the music world were as financially rewarding as professional sports, the 29-year-old guitarist would surely command a healthy contract above the market rate.

Metzger wisely de-Part-ed everyone’s favorite late-night technojamband in late July, ending the odd mismatch that saw him playing straight rock in a group that mostly fused together trance, boredom and epileptic seizures. Chalk it up to a learning experience or call it decent exposure, the end result is a reinvigorated songwriting guitarist with a narrower focus and a newfound determination.

I sat down with Metzger to see what lays in store for New York City’s rock scene and the rest of the country, and what follows is a Chris Farley-style “That’s awesome!” interview jumping from topic to topic and back to previous topics. But fans of Metzger, and those unfamiliar with him, will certainly come away impressed with his intellect, his honesty, and most of all, his love of having fun on stage.

My hard-hitting questions didn’t cause him to make the face above — it’s possible his underwear was as brown as his shirt in this Six Flags’ Great Adventure photo from the Nitro ride — but Metzger did open up about possible plans for a Bustle In Your Hedgerow tour, the long-awaited Danjaboots album, the status of RANA, a job offer from James Brown, his father’s methodone clinic, teaching kids to rock, and learning to play Metallica on a nylon-string acoustic guitar. Get on it…

It may be Monday, but we can take some solace in the fact that we have a short week in front of us. Remember, New Year’s is only five weeks off at this point, so start making those plans, concert or otherwise… Hall of Fames officially jump the shark after the Long Island Music Hall […]