August 12, 2008

Earlier today British tabloid The Sun reported that Lenny Kravitz had recently auditioned for Velvet Revolver lead singer job previously vacated by Stone Temple Pilot’s Scott Weiland. But there doesn’t

Following in the footsteps of the Grateful doppelgangers, Dark Star Orchestra, Strange Design is taking a similar approach to the Phish. This South Carolina foursome recreates classic Phish shows in their entirety at each concert.

While I have yet to see Strange Design in action, what looks particularly appealing about their approach to the Phish is that they really seem to emphasize the surprise factor, the energy, and the general idea that seeing Phish is bigger than just the music. They are not simply focusing on the setlists and songs, but the whole shebang from the segues and bust outs to Fishman tunes and vacuum solos. Hell, the guy even wears the moo moo on drums. If the Divided Sky on their My Space page is any indication, these guys are gonna be a big hit with the fans.

The following comes from a chat with Aaron Levy (keys) and Adam Chase (drums):

Hidden Track: How often do you recreate actual jam segments? Are there any particular versions you would point to that you really worked hard to recreate?

AARON: We try our best to recreate as much as the show as possible. Phish’s music as well as their jams is very complex, so to recreate every note of a show would be a stretch. However, we listen extensively to the shows we recreate and take notes on song lengths, order of solos, teases, any highlighted/unique aspects of that shows particular vibe and jams, etc. Phish had very distinctive styles/eras and we want to give people the taste of a ’91 show versus a ’97 show. As far as particular recreations to point out, when it comes to a well known recording/show, we will do our best to play it as it was played originally.

ADAM: I’ll add that we take notes of key changes within jams, style changes, time signature changes, effects and really as many specific details as possible. On many occasions, Mike has spoken about the spiritual aspect of playing music and being in the moment and Fishman has spoken about putting enough hours and hard work into practice that when you get on stage you don’t have to think about it. So, I’d say our approach is to spend enough time in the practice room that when we get on stage we can be in the moment and know that the amount we studied the show will come through without having to force the direction of the jam just to do what they did. With that being said, we covered 12-6-97 at the Georgia Theatre per a request on our message board and knowing that it was somebody’s all time favorite show and that they were in the audience gave us the extra motivation to be as accurate as possible.

READ ON for more with Adam and Aaron of The Strange Design…

Normally, Phish has no problem winning an edition of Cover Wars regardless of their performance of the song in question. But the hardcore fans of Bonerama (can I call you people Boneheads?) made their virtual voices heard and their band has walked away victorious from last week’s Frankenstein Cover Wars.

This week’s selection was inspired by flipping through my RSS feed of shows added to bt.etree.org on Monday. I saw two sources of the Gov’t Mule’s show from 8-8-2008 get posted and I thought – hey, Spanish Moon could be a great Cover Wars to throw together. Written by Lowell George, Spanish Moon was first released on Little Feat’s fourth studio album Feats Don’t Fail Me Now. It would appear again four years later on the band’s first live recording Waiting For Columbus. Both recordings feature the Tower Of Power Horn Section.

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READ ON after the jump to see your options and cast your vote…

Last week my 9 to 5er (actually its a 10 to 6er) had me away for a company “off site.” While for most of you out there that might mean

In between the two Godfathers, and before the great Apocalypse, stood a Conversation. And even before two cars raced each other on an open road, and later, a light saber blazed to life and slashed across the room, there was something called THX-1138. Indeed, in the early 1970s, two filmmakers—Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas—used one San Francisco film company—American Zoetrope—and one very gifted editor—Walter Murch—to craft a new method to tweak the audio waves fantastic. Murch revolutionized the way sound could be edited and showcased almost like a living character in Lucas’s first groundbreaking film THX-1138, but it would be the film that he worked on in between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II where he would exploit that technique to an even greater effect, this week’s Hidden Flick, The Conversation.

The film stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who records conversations for various corporate and governmental agencies. Essentially, Hackman’s character wire-taps, bugs, and tapes by any technical means necessary. The conversation of the film’s title takes place at the beginning of the story as a couple walks in San Francisco’s Union Square while being recorded from three microphones—one held in a bag carried by a wandering off-duty cop, the others by two soloists in opposing buildings, directing their recording equipment at the couple in the square with long devices which appear, at first, to be rifles as if the two are trained snipers scoping out their hapless prey. READ ON for more on this week’s Hidden Flick…