April 3, 2008

Jam band fan bases are never happy when their favorite band decides to do a big summer tour with another jam band. We know all the typical complaints: waste of a tour stop in your town, the other band sucks, the ticket prices are too high. Umphrey’s McGee and STS9 are trying to pacify their fans by playing a number of after-parties on their co-headlining Summer Tour that they announced this afternoon. So just relax and enjoy this one-time tour.

Photo by Matt Ziegler

Let’s talk about the co-billed shows first. Each band will play an extended set and plan to switch up headlining duties depending on the city they are playing. For instance STS9 will perform second at both shows in Atlanta, while Umph’s plays last in Chicago. In addition to the co-bills both bands will play a few after parties as well. Tickets are currently available for the whole tour at STS9 Ticketing.

Read on for a full list of dates…

Earlier we mentioned that Music Snobbery slang some shit at the Fillmore New York @ Irving Plaza for presenting a nostalgia-filled lineup to the masses. While we’re sure the announcement

If you are compiling a list of the top five greatest classic rock albums of all time, chances are you’d end up with these five albums in some order: The Who’s Quadrophenia, Led Zeppelin IV, The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street, Pink Floyd’s DSOTM and the Beatles’ Revolver. If those aren’t your top five choices, they have to at least be in your top 10. If they aren’t, find a time machine and warp yourself back to when Scott Muni was still the voice of WNEW.

All of the albums mentioned above are superbly crafted works of art that represent the cream of the crop of the classic rock genre. But just a small notch below that thick cream at the top of the list, idles the second tier of classic rock studio album respect – a group that deserves more than just an occasional spin on some Sirius station that boasts Boston, Kansas and Bon Jovi among its “classic rock” artists.

Without taking anything away from the top dogs, and leaving live albums out of the mix, here are five classic rock albums that don’t get the credit they deserve:

1. Rush: Moving Pictures

Most people have a “love it or hate it” relationship with Rush largely because of Geddy Lee’s high-pitched voice. But this album is pure rock and roll. The album opens with the thick drumming of Tom Sawyer, probably Rush’s best known song. The most underrated song about a car ever follows and provides a nice lead-in to the instrumental assault, and Neil Peart concert explosion, known as YYZ (named after the airport code in Toronto). Limelight, with Alex Lifeson’s springy guitar lick, and the dark and down Witch Hunt are also great classic rock songs.

Read on for four more underrated classic rock albums…

It was a little over a year ago that music mega corp Live Nation decided to do some re-branding of their venues around the country by slapping the Fillmore tag

Look, there’s no denying that ever since this lifetime achievement award announcement came out, I have been biting my tongue to prevent blathering on about the hopes that the Phish will get up and play together yet again in a few short weeks. Sure it’s pointless to get our hopes up, but it’s not THAT far fetched is it? Well, who really cares? I’m pretty damn excited to see what happens.

So, in the interest of getting fired up for the big Phish reunion, I’m recreating the first edition of the Rump Roaster – an old tragically dorky series of tapes I used to make (named in honor of the great Darryl Dawkins dunk) – with my favorite versions of Phish standards. There are no tricks today, but rather just some well-circulated masterpieces we all know and love. If you aren’t already intimately familiar with every song on here, this is your lucky day. Let’s get to work:

You Enjoy Myself: 12/31/93 Worcester MA

I know a certain innkeeper around here who might just string me up for putting this YEM before his beloved Albany 95 opus. Well, they are both great ones, but this is my personal #1 YEM. Besides, comparing those two jams is like comparing Barry Sanders to Jim Brown. Barry Sanders (Albany) was a pleasant guy who floated and bounced around, waiting for holes to open up before patiently shifting directions on his way to the house. Jim Brown (Centrum) was mean as hell and would just put his head down, run over anything in his way and head straight for pay dirt. They were both great, but it’s not really an apples to apples comparison. [Editor’s Note: Pfft!]

Read about and hear five more ridiculously good Phish tunes after the jump…

If you’ve been waiting for a crisp recording of the Black Crowes recent One Night Only tour to surface today is your lucky day. The Crowes have teamed up with