2007

When Marc Brownstein dictated the history of Darrell Rasner’s career to me, I knew he was an extremely knowledgeable baseball fan.

The Disco Biscuits’ bass player grew up in New York City cheering on his beloved Bronx Bombers. Our Hidden Track Baseball Preview continues, as Brownie was kind enough to share some thoughts on the upcoming Yankees’ season, as well as his love for the popular rock band Phish.

Scott Bernstein: What do you think of the moves that our beloved Yankees made in this past offseason?

Marc Brownstein: Great moves. [GM Brian Cashman] had to get rid of Sheffield and Johnson, and now it’s time to get rid of A-Rod. I love A-Rod, but his head is fucked up. He is the most talented player on the team, but if he can’t deal with media circus, it’s better for him and us if he leaves.

SB: What are your thoughts on the Yankee pitching staff as we enter the season?

MB: I love having Pettitte back — you just know he is going to perform. I also love the young pitchers like Rasner, [Jeff] Karstens, and [Brian] Bruney…especially Bruney. How can you not like Bruney?

SB: Is it hard to follow the team from the road?

MB: Everytime the Yankees won the World Series I was on tour, which was tough for me. I watch pretty much every game either on MLB.TV or on television. If we are within 300 miles of New York City, I tune in to 770 and listen to the game on the radio.

Read on for more of this classic Bernstein vs. Brownstein baseball face-off…

Last night marked the first time in my nearly 28 years of earthly cognizance that I elected to attend a concert over a big-time sporting event. And given Florida’s early lead and subsequent coasting in the NCAA Final over Ohio State, and given my glorified side-stage perspective of a hot-as-fuck band from the right side of the second row, I’m confident I made the fine choice to head up to the Beacon.

I had the opposite experience as Scotty two weeks back, when my partner in this online endeavor caught a fairly shitty opening night of the 73-show Beacon run. We labeled it a “Spring Training” affair, and if last night was any indication of how they’ve been playing since the early shows, the Allman Brothers Band is now in top mid-season form. They filled that place with a dynamic, powerful sound.

The Allmans have been the first dominant band of the post-Curt Flood era of free agency. Gregg may not have the same chops as he used to, but his skills as a general manager are unparalleled: I make that remark to myself every time I see this band, and it’s important to note. Between Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge and Marc Quinones, Gregg has recruited like Western U’s Pete Bell and put together a lineup of constants that leaves me with the same question after every show: When people talk about the best bands in America, how the hell do the Allmans get left off the list? Read on for much more from the show…

Wade Ellis Wilby has seen it all in his 27 years. He’s experienced many different sides of the music biz, from writing songs for Rane to heading up production at Higher Ground to his latest gig working on My Chemical Romance’s lighting rig. This past weekend Wade served as Production Manager for the 1st annual USTORM benefit. Today, Wade makes his Hidden Track debut, sharing his experience with us below, with the help of photos and videos shot by Jennifer Hartswick…

Sometimes you find yourself in a moment so sincere you have take a second to try and discredit its existence. Can this really be happening? A moment so resilient that it makes you remember why you chose the path you did. These moments, despite what the fans may think, truly come few and far between for the musicians and all of us behind the scene. You may find this hard to believe, but it is very hard work making the “magic” happen night in and night out.

The result: bands and their fanbases becoming jaded and fairly indifferent to the routine of it all. Sure your fans still love you and come out every night, but that spark of joy that we all start out with is hard to revisit. The moment that I found myself and many of the musicians in on Saturday night at the Park West made us feel a sense of community again, the very same sense of community that made us want to be a part of music to begin with. It was a feeling that I hadn’t had in a while. Read on for Wade’s incredible account of the USTORM Benefit…

Our friend Neddy earlier today pimped out a typically wordy and awesome review of Widespread Panic’s April Fool’s show at the Palace Theater in Albany. And since we’re showing off some words about that 4/1 concert, we might as well go all out and present some pictures from the night before in Cleveland.

Our friend Christian James took in the 3/31 show at the Playhouse Square Center State Theatre in Cleveland. And, as they say, Cleveland rocks.

Read on for 15 more of Chris’ amazing shots from Saturday’s WSP show…

Today is finally opening day for most of the teams in baseball, and the first pitches have been thrown. The Hidden Track Baseball Preview rolls on, and today we discuss the Boston Red Sox with the leader of the Ryan Montbleau Band.

We reached Ryan in the studio, where he is recording a new album with his five-piece band. Montbleau, a native of Peabody, Massachusetts, was initiated into Red Sox Nation upon birth. In this interview, Ryan shares his thoughts about two things that are close to his heart: his beloved Sawx and his music.

Scott Bernstein: How closely are you able to follow the Red Sox when you are on the road?

Ryan Montbleau: Not as close as I would like. I can’t follow them as closely as I used to. I think that’s one of the good things about baseball. It’s such a long season and there are so many games that I can kind of catch up every couple of days or whenever I can and still keep a general sense of what’s going on.

SB: Do you go to games often when you are home?

RM: Yeah, whenever I can, but not as much now. I grew up pretty spoiled on games. My dad had season tickets to Fenway from the time I was 9 until the time I was 24. I used to go to tons and tons of games. I’d go to games by myself and have an extra seat because I couldn’t even give away tickets. I went to a lot of games back then, but now I’m lucky if I go to a couple of games a year.

SB: Does your father still have the tickets?

RM: No…my father gave them up right before the 2003 season [collective groan]. The ticket prices were skyrocketing every year, and it just got to the point where he couldn’t afford it. He went to Florida, and I couldn’t afford to take over the tickets.

Read on for the rest of Ryan’s take on the 2007 Red Sawx and much more…

The USTORM Foundation threw itself a 1st Birthday Party at the Park West in Chicago this weekend, and just by reading the setlist that follows, we’ve never been more jealous

Three schoolteachers from Manhattan’s Urban Assembly Media high school were busted for smoking pot outside the Beacon Theater before the Allman Brothers show on Friday night. The trio lucked out