As we mentioned last week, we’re really excited to expand our coverage west of the Mississippi. On that end we’ve added Portland-based journalist A.J. Crandall to the Hidden Track Staff. Please join us in welcoming A.J. to the team.
On a half moon lit Friday night in Troutdale, The Black Crowes laid claim to being one of the best rock and roll bands in America. My words, not theirs. Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson have been making music together for most of their lives. The band, throughout its many personnel changes, has been making music since the mid ’80s. How many other American bands can reference an over 20 year history? Oh sure, they disbanded (pretty literal reference word in these circumstances, don’t you think?) from ’02 till ’05. They regrouped (literal reference, part II) and toured relentlessly. The brothers Robinson wrote ten of the eleven songs on War Paint in that time. They added Luther Dickinson of The North Mississippi All Stars to the lineup. They buried their much storied differences in the name of group dynamics and generally have their poop all in one pile.
The crowd was primed for the Crowes on this Friday night. Flags, hand painted signs, actual war paint on faces, they were going all out. A fellow next to me, Chris, recently had his Black Crowes tattoo touched up and planned to show it off proudly to the band from the front row. I counted eighteen different Crowe T-shirts from various tours over the years. My own included, a 2005 Bonnaroo tie dye.
READ ON for more of A.J.’s Black Crowes @ McMenamin’s Edgefield review…
Last Friday night in Phildelphia, My Morning Jacket came, saw and conquered the enthusiastic crowd at the Festival Pier. The boys mixed songs from Evil Urges with classics from throughout
The 2008 festival season isn’t quite in the books yet, but you can start planning your ’09 thanks to the folks at Goldenvoice. The California-based promoters behind Coachella have confirmed
I’m happy to report we have a first-time winner (actually it was his first entry too) to last week’s edition when we looked at nine covers of Wind Cries Mary. The winning artist: Martin Sexton.
Moving on to this week, we’re doing an artist’s version of Cover Wars where we take a look at multiple songs by the same artist, and this week we’re tackling the Doobie’s. Happened to be a fantastic coincidence that Wade just today alerted me that the folks that created Yacht Rock will be posting up in New York this Sunday. If you’re not familiar with Yacht Rock, here is episode #1:
As always, be sure to register/login to IMEEM before starting the playlist below to ensure that you are streaming full-length tracks.
READ ON after the jump to vote for which doobiest cover be grooviest…
As you may remember from our three-part B List series, we’re disturbingly enamored with stage setlists. Just today, our new friends at Rolling Stone posted a kickass photo of Beck
On labor day weekend Jeremy Gordon and Carla Danca headed to the ninth annual moe.down and filed this report on the festival…
Is there a way to better sum up a beautiful weekend in upstate NY than Abigail Washburn’s proclamation to those gathered on the slope Saturday evening? “What a wonderful festival, where a band throws a party, invites all their friends, family, favorite musicians and the best fans to share the weekend.” Even after a summer of soaring gas prices and packed with festivals, the moe.rons didn’t hesitate to make the trek up to moe.down 9 at Snow Ridge Mountain in Turin, NY. The annual thank you party drew a wide assortment of sounds that brought fans young and old out to the main stage and beer tent set among the chair lifts and rolling slopes of the Tug Hill region of the Adirondacks that makes up moe.’s backyard.
One difference between moe.down and most other festival this summer was apparent at the side stage; this was truly a show for the fans by the fans. In the beer tent, hand-picked new generation acts were given multiple sets to allow them to truly show off more than just a quick taste of their skills. U-Melt started the festival off on Friday evening with three sets including a tribute to Michael Jackson on his 50th birthday that included Billie Jean, Wanna be Starting Something and ended with the entire tent entranced into their own version of the Thriller video.
READ ON for more thoughts and photos from moe.down 9…
There is a scene in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan where an American journalist asks a commanding officer, played by Tom Hanks, why he and his men are attempting to save the title character. Hanks as Captain Miller replies, “Anyone wanna answer that?” Ryan’s family had lost three of four sons in World War II, and the American government decided that a fourth and final death would not happen, so Hanks led a crack platoon into the heart of the war to extract the lone living Ryan son, played by Matt Damon. The film is based on a true story about eight brothers who died in the American Civil War.
I am reminded of films of the events that took place in the air on September 11, 2001, and on the ground as people waited for their loved ones to return home. Alas, unlike Ryan, this would not always occur as husbands, wives, children, relatives, friends, and co-workers were lost forever due to multiple terrorist acts of stone cold murder.
This week’s Hidden Flick is actually two films about World War II that happened from the perspective of those left at home while the horrors of battle raged on—women and children. However, the horrors of war are an equal opportunity employer; all creeds, religions, sexes, and age groups are involved. These films show what happens to the individual in society, and how life—a precious and unique gift—is torn apart, squandered, and thrown away when conflict cannot be solved by peaceful means.
READ ON for this week’s Hidden Flick double feature…
Nine Inch Nails performing at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA on August 29th, 2008.
Recovery continues Wainwright's growth as a performer. For those familiar with Wainwright's work it's an album that illustrates his best work is still ahead of him and for those unfamiliar with him, it will introduce them to a singer/songwriter possessing an unapologetic wit and a knack for good melodies.
What does one get when crossing the innocent, vintage look and feel of Holly Golightly (of Breakfast at Tiffany’s fame) with the unique solo style of Joanna Newsome, both complemented by an intelligent acknowledgement of both local and national politics? Nellie McKay.
