Archive: 2006

Interactive, improvisational experience, The Everyone Orchestra is taking it to the East bay for a night of raging music, good vibes, and bad sweaters, Sunday, December 17 at Ashkenaz.  This edition of the rotating cast of all star musicians includes EO founder/conductor Matt Butler, plus Dan Lebowitz of ALO, Trevor Garrod of Tea Leaf Green, […]

It’s been nearly 30 years since the Grateful Dead performed a New Year’s Eve concert at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. To commemorate the event, Rhino will on Jan. 23 release "Live at the Cow Palace," a triple-disc set featuring the Dead’s complete 22-song performance. Beyond Dead favorites like "Morning Dew," "Bertha" and "Sugar Magnolia" (the […]

The Eagles Of Death Metal did not fly for very long as a Guns N’ Roses support act — one show, to be precise. The group began what was to be a 15-date run with GNR on Friday (Nov. 24) in Cleveland. EODM was booed by the crowd, and GNR leader Axl Rose didn’t make […]

There's been a windfall of Pixies DVDs in the past year or two, but Acoustic: Live In Newport takes the cake for odd and wonderful resonance. What's even more fascinating than this concert document of the Pixies at the 2005 Newport Folk Festival is the behind-the-scenes material, where we quickly see that the the reconstituted band not so much eases into the idea of an acoustic set as it gets ready to shoehorn itself in.

We decided to ask one of our favorite artists to combine the two and present a list of the best holiday songs to get us in a bit more festive mood. We were certainly surprised to see the email come in from everyone’s favorite Kazakhstanian reporter, but it was so full of choice selections, we had to share it. Sure, it’s another debatable list to argue about on some message board, but maybe, just maybe a few of these joyous tracks will bring a little holiday spirit to your hearts.

Rapid Fire Review Week continues with Hidden Track senior hipster correspondent Luke Sacks’ account of Wilco‘s 11/24/06 show…

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy recently decked a fan that happened to be dumb enough to jump on stage, getting a little too close for comfort. That solitary action must have released years of hostility, because on Friday night at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater, Tweedy and his Wilco bretheren soaked up every ounce of fun in the room.

Wilco’s sound these days is a bit like Bob Dylan and Radiohead thrown in a blender and pureed. The lyrics — still as poignant and moving as ever — are now cocooned in building electronics and whirling riffs that flow from the all-shapes-and-sizes guitars of Nels Cline. Where Tweedy’s raspy voice and “angry-musician” personality once dominated, Cline’s assault on his instrument and frenetic body language have moved closer to center stage for an increasing share the spotlight. Pulsating and gyrating with each chord, Cline shakes and twitches and produces a spectrum of sound that spirals every which way before coming to a screeching halt in time to let Tweedy’s voice be heard loud and clear.

Tweedy began the show with two slower songs: the new “Shake it Off” and the similar-sounding “Hell Is Chrome” from A Ghost is Born. Unlike most bands that like to start things off rocking and/or rolling, Tweedy is known for beginning shows with slower, more brooding selections that give the show a more intimate feel. It wasn’t until the third tune, “Handshake Drugs,” that the energy between the crowd and band synched up with each other…

Can you believe we’re actually talking about shows in the Year of Our Lord Two-Thousand Seven? This year has just flown the fuck by, right?

Umphrey’s McGee this morning announced the beginning of their 2007 touring plans. Read on after the jump for the full list of dates…Bring your helmets, kids!

Rhino Records is finally starting to recoup some of the mucho dinero they laid out as part of a ten-year licensing deal with the Grateful Dead. Get your Christmas gift cards ready, folks — on January 23rd, Rhino will release Grateful Dead: Live At The Cow Palace as part of a three-disc set.

Luckily for the fans, Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux is still on board. Read on to hear what he has to say about the 12/31/76 show and this release…

Tuesday begets YouTubes, and lots of ’em. Here’s 45 minutes worth of cool shit to shepherd your boredom while the cowboy earns his wages… Let’s start things off with a video my buddy John sent me of Slash and Jeff Beck dueling on stage at a Guns N’ Roses soundcheck in Paris from 1992. Interestingly […]

The festival organizers of Langerado have announced the exciting addition of five great bands to the event taking place in South Florida during March.  The latest additions include: My Morning Jacket, The New Pornographers, Cat Power and the Dirty Blues Band, Cut Chemist and The Hold Steady. Only 15,000 tickets are available for the 2007 […]

Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock each filed divorce papers Monday seeking to end their marriage of less than four months. Anderson’s representative would not comment on the reason or any particulars of the divorce. Anderson and Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, each cited "irreconcilable differences" in their divorce filings in Los Angeles County […]

Recorded on August 9, 2003, Neko Case’s appearance on Austin City Limits is obviously a bit late to hit the stores. It only features one song (“Maybe Sparrow) off her latest album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, instead concentrating on covers and material from Case’s older albums, all of which are performed with the usual cast of characters that she has taken on the road the past few years.

ortland, Oregon’s The Decemberists recently shocked their devoted fan base when they bolted from long time indie label, Kill Rock Stars, for the mainstream industry giant known as Capitol Records. The Crane Wife signifies a big middle finger to the rules of what is and what should be an indie major.

Los Angeles band Ozomatli always brings an artful touch to its mix of funk,rock, hip-hop, traditional Latin forms, Asian instrumentation and more.  Butthe group¹s latest disc, ‘Don¹t Mess With the Dragon’ (due March 27 onConcord Records), was born out of a unique scenario -­ the art came beforethe music. With multiple laurels under their belts ­ […]

If the goal of a band on any given night in any given city is to both put on a kickass show for its veteran fans and leave the first-time newbs with an impression that the music’s worth delving into further, then RAQ‘s got our permission to hang a “Mission Accomplished” banner following Friday’s extravanganza.

Vermont’s second most famous quartet played a bona fide house party at Brooklyn’s Club Exit this weekend. The evening’s promoters (Slanted View Productions) swept out the typical Eastern European clientele and transformed the venue into a double entendre-laced “On The L” party, a psychedlic playland deep inside the heart of the eerily quiet Polish neighborhood of Greenpoint.

We walked in just before 9 pm, and it instantly became clear this was not going to be a typical rock show. From the hundreds of bulging pupils (is everyone here that runaway bride chick from Atlanta?) to the enormous Borat-speaking bouncers to the obnoxiously loud house music blasting through PA system, we sure weren’t at The Wetlands anymore. Shit, the silly hot bartenders alone made the show better than any jamband concert in recent memory…

Thanksgiving’s over, and I’m pretty excited for a full week of work. Okay, not really, so let’s all pretend its not Monday. Check out these links to keep you busy: King Crimson has started to sell shows from their archives — thanks to Clownshoes for pointing out this great show from 1982, which is FREE! Original Black Sabbath […]

For those of youse crying like emo kids that there’ll be “too many jambands” at the 5th Annual Langerado Music Festival, get your ironic T-shirts and cocked mesh hats packed and ready for Florida in March. The festival organizers have announced the exciting addition of five great bands, rounding out a lineup that already looked […]

Much as ESPN enjoys unnecessarily naming weekends of college football and full weeks of late-season college basketball to give them that tinge of added importance, Hidden Track’s about to enter Rapid Fire Review Week. Thanksgiving provided the live music community an adult dose of top-notch concerts all around the country, and over the next few […]

Indie pop is amazing: it is an endless stream of music, all roughly built around the same instruments and musical structure, yet one can still find music that sounds refreshingly new, interesting, and listenable.

Thanks to the blogosphere, certain bands have suddenly been hot Monday and cold by Friday; just ask The Arctic Monkeys, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Tapes 'n Tapes. The new kids on the blog, Cold War Kids are out to prove that “longevity” has a place in the hot today, cold tomorrow world of indie bloggers. Judging by their stellar debut Robbers & Cowards, you might find yourself on the bandwagon, even if you find their praise "unjustly deemed."