Following a series of extensive cross-country tours that have put them in front of big crowds at major festivals like Bonnaroo, Langerado and Wakarusa, Steel Train has been making "serious tracks.”
We’ll be live-blogging the Oscars tonight, so I thought I’d get the week-in-review post up a bit early today. Okay, we’re not live-blogging the Academy Awards. But we are offering
Gene Ween’s continuing his (han)solo routine, announcing two new tour dates for some lucky fans in the New York and Philadelphia areas.
On March 22nd and 23rd, Gene will hit Johnny Brenda’s in Philly > Gramercy Theater in the Large Apple, and if he’s anything like me, he’ll make a brief and desperate a stop in Atlantic City between the two gigs. No surprise, Chris Harford and the Band of Changes will open both dates for Gene.
One quick note germane to this post: This will be part of the first batch of live music shows at the newly refurbished Gramercy on the east side of Manhattan. The former Indian-run, Bollywood-themed cinemaplex-cum-off-Broadway theater is now operated and booked by Live Nation. More venues, I like it.
It ain’t Bobbi Fleckman, but the May 26-27th Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge has announced its own hostess with the mostess: Sarah Silverman. I’m not sure what she’s gonna do
Our associate Mr. Trowbridge just pointed us to these three YouTube videos of Zappa and the Mothers of Invention from the German television program Beat Club. So as we coast into the
Is Pitchfork parting with their trusted brand of elitist indie snobbery, or does someone over there genuinely dig an album that many of us wretched jamband fans have been plugging for some time? Either way, imagine
We’re welcoming a new weekly contributor into the fold today: Dan Alford’s been an audio guru on Jambands.com since the last millennium, but now he brings his craft to our little pretzel keg.
We’ve finally made it to Friday: Happy Weekend my friends. The following links are here to keep you busy when the last thing you want to do is work: Good
From tranquil introspection of “Lifetime Ranger,” to the soaring crescendos of “Merit,” Law digs deep into emotion, and draws out a cycling soundscape of highs and lows; those peeks and valleys that are an inherent part of life.
In two weeks Ace and I will be down in Sunrise, Florida for the 5th Annual Langerado Festival. Ace last attended the festie in 2005, while I had the time of my life at last year’s. As someone who doesn’t get to many festivals, I think the best part of going is the enjoyment I get from checking out artists I haven’t seen before. So for this week’s edition of The B List, Ace and I will look at the five bands each we’re excited to see for the first time at Langerado:
1. Girl Talk: I wasn’t a big fan of the whole mash-up trend that seemed to hit its peak a few years ago, but then I heard Girl Talk’s Night Ripper. Night Ripper is the opposite of every other mash-up I’ve heard that were all ill-conceived and poorly executed. Greg Gillis, the producer who doubles as the one-man gang that is Girl Talk, expertly mashes together killer riffs and vocal samples from tracks’ artists that are familiar to even the most mainstream of music fans.
Gillis uses samples fast and furiously on Night Ripper. My favorite part of the album is the beginning of the track Peak Out, where he throws in samples from 2 Live Crew’s We Want Some Pussy, Pavement’s Cut Your Hair, and Wings’ Silly Love Songs in the span of about 20 seconds. Imagine hearing those three songs on the same radio station, let alone on the same track?
When the Langerado schedule was announced last week there was only one conflict that created a problem for me. Girl Talk’s set is right smack in the middle of Widespread Panic’s headlining set on Sunday. Luckily Langerado is small enough that I can catch the first few songs of Panic before heading over for the brief five-minute walk to the Swamp Tent where Girl Talk is performing. Hopefully I will miss drums and can get back to see the end of WSP’s set. –SB
Read on for nine more great bands we’re excited to see for the first time…
