Archive: 2008

Buddy Miles, who co-founded and played drums in Band Of Gypsys with Jimi Hendrix, passed away yesterday (Feb. 26) in Austin, Texas, at the age of 60. A cause of death has yet to be announced. Miles was born Sept. 5, 1947, in Omaha, Neb., and was introduced to music at a young age by […]

Yesterday we kicked off a new feature called Tour Diary with the first of four entries from the Umphrey’s McGee crew about their recently completed West Coast tour. Here’s UM Lighting Crew Chief Wade Wilby with a behind-the-scenes look at the Portland and Ventura shows, and their day off in Sacramento:

02/09/08 Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
Dub Trio opened
Set I: Nothing Too Fancy> Roulette, Much Obliged> Eat> 2×2> Eat, Syncopated Strangers> Jimmy Stewart> Syncopated Strangers
Set II: Plunger, Kula, August> End of the Road> August, Wappy Sprayberry> Resolution> Nothing Too Fancy
Encore: London Calling¹, Wizard Burial Ground

1 First Time Played (The Clash)

All photos by Matt Ziegler

Portland is starting to become one of those cities in Umph lore that brings out the best in the band. Could be Brendan’s brother Pat’s overwhelmingly positive attitude (he lives in Portland), could be the Northwest air, who knows? One thing is for sure; the boys came and brought it once again, this time at The Roseland Theater. Nothing 2 Fancy got things fired up right from the get go, and from Much Obliged till the end of the first set things didn’t let up. The same can be said for set 2, with Kula igniting the packed and sweaty dance hall. Jake nailed the vocals on the night’s new cover of London Calling by The Clash. After the show we hung tough with the Portland Family, and were excited to travel to Sacramento for a day off. Read on for more from Portland, Ventura and a well-earned trip to The Beat…

Widespread Panic’s John Bell recently spoke with Glide’s Shane Handler about a variety of topics near and dear to the guitarist’s heart. Check out Tickling The Truth With JB to find out what the Cleveland native thought about the Super Bowl, his favorite part of recording studio albums and much much more… Photo by Ian […]

With 92% of the precincts reporting, Hidden Track can now project that Umphrey’s McGee will carry the first volume of Cover Wars with 64% of the vote. String Cheese Incident and Trey Anastasio finished officially tied each with 18% of the vote. Now let’s move on to the next battle.

This week features six artists competing for the best cover of Stevie Wonder’s Boogie On Reggae Woman. This song comes to us off the 1974 record Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Here’s a look at the contenders:

Addison Groove Project: As you may recall, this now retired (but is any band ever really retired?) funk-fusion outfit from Boston has previously been mentioned on Hidden Track, by me, and about this song. AGP got a mention in my Top Ten Big Red sit-ins.

Legion Of Mary: LoM was Jerry Garcia’s side-band from 1974 to 1975 and featured Garcia, Merl Saunders (Keyboards, Vocals), John Kahn (bass), Martin Fierro (Saxophone, Flute) and Ron Tutt (Drums). This track comes to you from a ’74 show in Berkeley, Merl takes vocal duties, but Garcia’s guitar work starting around the 6 minute mark is definitely worth hearing. Read on for more Boogie On…

As many of you prepare to head down to “Hippie Spring Break,” we thought we would check in again with Ethan Schwartz – one of Langerado’s founders and promoters – about the move from Sunrise to Big Cypress, late-night sets, and two bands that his mom has actually heard of plus so much more…

Some Dude: Sunrise had been home to the festival for the past three years, why did you guys decide to make the move to Big Cypress? Was the switch in sites in hopes of being able to secure it for the long term, like Superfly has done with Manchester?

Ethan Schwartz: We were limited to 15,000 attendees at Markham Park, and last year we reached that. We’d been in discussions with the Seminole Tribe for a few years, and last year they came out, loved what they saw, and invited us to our new home. We’ve got a lot of room to grow at the new site, but at our own pace.

SD: What will the new site offer that you weren’t able to in the past?

ES: It’s actually a lot easier for the attendees this year. Besides offering on-site camping for everyone, the late night shows will take place on site this year, so that will keep people from having to drive 30 minutes to downtown Ft. Lauderdale to see a late night show. Plus, there’s no chance the late night shows will sell out, so no one misses anything. It’s actually cheaper to attend Langerado this year, camp and do the late nights than it has been in the past. Read on for more of Some Dude’s interview with Ethan Schwartz about Langerado…

Despite what their moniker might lead you to believe, Canada’s No Kids new release, Come Into My House provides another slightly dopey, yet strangely lovable album of sing-a-long tunes. While the No Kids have their own unique sound, they conjure up a concoction that calls to mind a mixture of one part Napoleon Dynamite background music, one part Kimya Dawson, and one part 1987 Casio. In what seems to be an emerging trend that kicked into high gear with the success of the Juno soundtrack, No Kids continue on the path of quirky, catchy, youthful compositions.

I know what you are probably thinking, “Great, another fucking hipster Juno knockoff.” But that’s not the case here at all. This is more the case of some well-versed Canadian music school students stretching their legs, and making a solid album that is only a half hipster. The other half is a sort of self-deprecating, simplistic, goofiness that makes you realize that while this album is catchy, and at times kinda dumb, they are aware of it and cater to it. The result might not be the best album you will hear in 2008, but it’s a damn fun one that is worthy of a spin and will most certainly grow on you.

The best tune on the album is probably Bluster in the Air. A descriptive title indeed, this clunky song provides a good theme for a stroll on a windy day. The Beaches Are Closed rocks a little harder with a more charging beat and staccato chord progression that could probably be best classified as sex music for your white ass. Another favorite, Four Freshman Locked Out as the Sun Goes Down, feels like a fifties throwback to a Hawaiian vacation. And finally, I Love the Weekend provides a nice backdrop if you are interested in teaching a salsa course at the local retirement castle. Read on for a download from No Kids’ new album…

The reviews are starting to come in from the Blind Faith reunion concert at Madison Square Garden, and it looks like Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood aren’t mailing it in. For those who dig spoilers check out USA Today’s notes from the gig. Clapton and Winwood return to the stage tonight to continue the fun. […]

—In the wake of Robert Randolph having to cancel his set at the 2008 Langerado Festival, his friends and fellow sacred steel musicians The Lee Boys will fill his Saturday late-night closing slot on the Swamp Stage on Sunday, March 9th from 12:30-2:30 A.M.  Their performance will follow headliners R.E.M., who will grace the Everglades […]

Still in selected theatre runs, Todd Haynes' unorthodox biopic of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There, is a highly imaginative piece of work, perhaps too imaginative for its own good. A viewer somewhat knowledgeable with Dylan’s history, real or imagined, may be able to impose a sense of logic to the film, but someone only superficially familiar with the Bard’s life may see only a series of often surreal images with little or no continuity.

Wilco has always been Chicago’s home team. As the musical equivalent to the Cubs, we’ve watched them grow and survive some hard times, while composing some of their finest material in between. For the Riviera shows, they augmented a horn section, went through several different guitars, traversed through vast alt-country, blues, experimental, krautrock and rock/pop genres and rhapsodized the crowd by saving their best for last.

We’ve got quite a treat for you this week, as we kick off yet another new feature called Tour Diary. Our first Tour Diary comes from Umphrey’s McGee Lighting Crew Chief Wade Wilby about the band’s recently completed West Coast tour:

From the depths of the suburbs comes this blog from the UM road crew. The words come from Wade, but the experience comes from them all. The band would like to thank everyone who supported them on this tour, and all of their friends and family who stopped in to share the experience.

All photos by Matt Ziegler

02/07/08 Richards on Richards, Vancouver, BC
Set I: Soul Food I> Anchor Drops> Believe the Lie, Dump City, Nemo
Set II: Der Bluten Kat> Search 4> Der Bluten Kat> Alex’s House> I Ran, The Fuzz> Der Bluten Kat
Encore: Seek and Destroy¹> Higgins

1 – Last Played 10/28/2005 (266 Shows)

O’Hare is infamous for cowering under mother nature’s pressure. February 6, the date of our departure for Winter Tour, would be no exception. Five weeks of nervous energy and anticipation played itself out in laps, as I watched the snow hammer down on Chicago all day wondering if the flight to Vancouver would ever get out on time, if at all. Our flight was one of a handful that escaped the airport, and we were off to paradise. Read on for more from Vancouver and Seattle…

According to Chronicles: Vol. 1, Bob Dylan was originally to be the recipient of the Woody Guthrie lyrics that eventually became the basis for the Billy Bragg and Wilco collaboration Mermaid Avenue, Volumes 1 & 2. As the story goes when a 20-something Zimmy headed out to Guthrie’s home (on Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island) […]

You won’t find any obligatory Oscar recap here today, that’s just not our thang. Fortunately for everyone though the Academy made the right choice in the Best Original Song category, awarding it to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for Falling Slowly. Glen and Marketa play shows together billed as The Swell Season. If any of […]

These February days are long, cold and a little stormy, so this week’s mix is meant to lighten the mood and brighten some spirits. Essentially culled from my last month or so of regular listening, this winter sampler opens with a sick version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Garaj Mahal from back in […]

Hidden Track started as a New York City-centric blog, but we’ve always aspired to bring you content from around the country. Today we’re excited to announce that we’re expanding our reach towards Middle America.

Please welcome the newest member of our team, Joel Berk, who will head up our coverage of the Midwest. You’ll be hearing about a wide range of music from our new Chicago Bureau Chief, but he’s gonna start by recapping Wilco’s Riviera run:

Alt Country rebels…folk rock heroes…pop darlings…sonic explorers…

All of those clichés were probably used to (correctly) describe Wilco at various points of its career, but during the band’s Riviera Residency in Chicago last week, one thing became clear: Wilco is a rock band.

Photos by Joel Berk

Over the course of five sold out evenings, Jeff Tweedy and company worked with precision through every song to appear on an official Wilco release and sprinkled in a smattering of other rarities. A daunting task as each record has a different sound and lineup. But the band rose to the challenge with an ease that can only come from being at the top of one’s game.

The current sextet is unbelievably focused and locked in as a unit. They dusted off gems like A.M.’s Dash 7 and Being There’s Hotel Arizona, making them sound as fresh and vibrant as ever. The comfort with which the current incarnation handled the older/out-of-rotation tunes was shocking at times, most notably on Monday’s Summerteeth gem, My Darling. Urging the band into unfamiliar territory, Tweedy reassured “we can do this” before introducing the song as “a lullaby” to close the second set. Read on for more including downloads from the Wilco run…

For five days in August Medeski, Martin and Wood are offering their musician fans a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience called Camp MMW. Eighty campers will gather at the Full Moon Resort in the Catskill Mountains for five days of intensive workshops and seminars, as well as musical exploration with the band. If it’s anything like my […]

Speaking with Glide a week before the release of Widespread Panic’s tenth studio album – Free Somehow – John Bell had a chance to "tickle the truth" about a number of relevant items before getting on the road to let the new songs “grow.”

It was a "Country" made for Oscar. No Country for Old Men," the Coen brothers’ brutal tale of a man pursued by death and the law across the empty moonscapes of West Texas, won best picture at the 80th Academy Awards on Sunday. The Coens also won best director and best adapted screenplay, and Javier […]

With his highly anticipated gigs with ex-bandmate Eric Clapton looming this week in New York, Steve Winwood has signed a new deal with Columbia Records. His label debut, "Nine Lives," will arrive April 29. Clapton, who played briefly with Winwood in Blind Faith in the late 1960s, contributes guitar on first single "Dirty City," which […]

R.E.M., the Cure, Flaming Lips, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse and M.I.A. lead the bill for the 2008 Sasquatch! Music Festival, to be held May 24-26 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Wash. The Flaming Lips will present their "U.F.O. show," featuring a replica flying saucer amid their usual array of stage garnishes. In […]