Archive: 2008

Serving as this here rag’s editor and director of day-to-day operations couldn’t possibly be a better hobby-gone-wild. For the past 17 months it’s truly been a pleasure to serve as a part of your regular team of Internet sherpas, but man is this shit time-consuming — you people are fucking relentless. So as my real […]

For Back Door Slam, it all started with C-sharp.

Seventh grader and budding guitar prodigy Davy Knowles approached Adam Jones in their Isle of Man schoolyard and asked whether the young bassist could play in that key. Jones snickered and replied, “Of course,” and the rest will one day be history. Drummer Ross Doyle eventually joined his mates behind the kit, and now nearly a decade later, their Back Door Slam blues trio is touring thousands of miles from home to support their brilliant debut album, Roll Away.

BDS’ Davy Knowles at ACL 2007 — photo by Danfun

And even though “Back Door Slam from the Isle of Man” sounds more akin to the name of an XXX movie in San Francisco’s Castro District, they’re nonetheless building a solid name for themselves. The blues stars-to-be seem to constantly be on the road, headlining club gig after club gig and opening for more established [nostalgia] acts like REO Speedwagon, Styx and George Thorogood, earning their stripes the old-fashioned way by organically building an audience, rather than growing exponentially with hollow blog endorsements.

The precocious trio — think early Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble or Rory Gallagher — wrapped up another tour of the States last week, but they’ll be back here soon. They’re loving their growing slice of Americana so much that they’ll return for their fourth tour of the States later this month, a run that begins in Anaheim in late February and ends at the Beale Street Music Festival in early May.

I sat down with the three members of Back Door Slam before their recent show at New York’s Mercury Lounge, and since I try not to contribute to the delinquency of minors (only one of them is 21 years old, the other two are 20), we shared Cokes and Sprites as they shared tour stories and their impressions of the road to stardom. Read on after the jump for much more on the best young band of blues musicians on the road today…

You gotta love an edition of the Friday Mix Tape that begins with unreleased ’70s pornofunk and ends with Mason Jennings. If that doesn’t scream eclecticism, I suggest cleaning the shit from out yo’ ears. But that’s not all: The meat in this sandwich brings us plenty of goodies — Radiohead’s cover of The Smiths from the November webcast, some […]

Dean Ween continues to provide outrageously brown content on his NING blog. Just yesterday Deaner shared some amazing shots from his photo collection. Where else can you see photos of Deaner with 1980 U.S. Hockey Coach Herb Brooks, or a head shot from the girl on the Chocolate & Cheese cover? Keep up the good […]

Last week Hot Buttered Rum made another appearance in the cold and snowy northern Arizona town of Flagstaff. The show at the Orpheum Theater however, was anything but cold.

At the Zombieville VIII party at the Knitting Factory, a variety of styles and acts were on display, but the talented up and coming musicians owned the spotlight.  Hymns, were a delicious throwback to 70’s country-rock and blues. 

 Folk/pop singer-songwriter Glen Philips leaves the comforts of home and blasts off into space on new E.P. and U.S. tour to reveal The Secrets of the New Explorers beginning February 7 in Colorado. The E.P. is available online at http://www.glenphillips.com and e-tailers iTunes, Rhapsody and exclusively at shows. While space travel may seem too far […]

Amy Winehouse will reportedly perform by satellite at Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony, it was announced today (February 7). The singer’s publicist issued a statement earlier today saying that the US Embassy had denied Winehouse a visa to enter the US for the Los Angeles event on Sunday (February 10), although they did not cite the […]

When I received an e-mail from Ace last July asking me if I had any interest in a private Crowded House concert, I quickly jumped on the opportunity.

As a young whippersnapper I would often throw their debut album and Temple of Low Men in the ol’ cassette player. I really enjoyed their music but had never seen them live (of course, they took a hiatus from 1996-2007 making it difficult to see them play). So I went to that concert in July and was blown away by their performance. Neil Finn’s tight compositions, interesting lyrics and catchy hooks kept me enthralled all night.

Six months later, the concert, which was recorded for the Artist Den television series, will finally air on Ovation tonight at 8:00 PM. Now everyone will have a chance to experience what I witnessed that night. In order to celebrate we’re offering a quick list of 10 incredible tunes that we hope made the cut. Read on after the jump to enjoy these videos, as an appetizer for tonight’s main course…

We’re proud to announce that Rupert of The Ghosts of Wayne Fontes has joined Hidden Track as a full-time contributor. Let’s celebrate this glorious occasion by debuting one of his new columns…

Today marks the birthday of a new brainchild here at Hidden Track. This is the inaugural edition of Bust Outs, a recurring segment dedicated to the finest surprises thrown down by our favorite bands. The idea is to highlight some of the special moments that blow your mind in the live setting, be it a setlist rarity, a stellar cover selection or a back-from-retirement resurgence.

Phish – 2/28/2003 – Destiny Unbound

Obviously, the inaugural episode would be utterly remiss, and not nearly cliché enough for us, if it didn’t include the ‘03 Destiny Unbound bust out. The lucky Long Islanders at the Uniondale show were treated to one of the most sought-after bust outs in all of Phish history. Hearing Destiny became huge. It was THE song that had to come out of retirement. It became bigger than any old favorite, bigger than a giant black boner, bigger than even bringing back Halley’s or Boogie On. Destiny was everyone’s dream bust out. Well, they just did it one night in 2003…randomly. It was monumental, if not a little anti-climactic. Nevertheless, they busted it out and played it well, which is always the worry with a big bust out. What’s the point of packing the heat if you don’t know how to use it?

Read on for several more prized bust outs from the road…

Was there ever a more polarizing figure in the history of Phish special guests than The Dude of Life? The man born into the world Steve Pollak, a childhood friend of Trey Anastasio from Taft Boarding School, wrote the lyrics to some of Phish’s most popular songs including Suzy Greenberg and Fluffhead. While some loved […]

Everyone who attended Marco Benevento’s January residency at Sullivan Hall came back raving about most of the five shows he played. And according to Neddy last Thursday’s closing gig was the best of the bunch. You can judge for yourself by checking out NYCTaper’s recording of that show. Please keep on spoiling us, NYCTaper — […]

Few Widespread Panic fans are likely to pick their last two studio albums (Ball or Earth to America) are their favorite release, and even fewer Spreadheads would probably suggest their tenth studio album, Free Somehow, as a top pick (those nods are usually reserved for Everyday or 'Til the Medicine Takes). Give or take a few songs, Free Somehow is a surprisingly bold departure from anything the Georgia rockers have previously recorded.

The Breeders have announced the dates of an extensive North American tour this spring. Kim Deal‘s band will hit the road in support of their forthcoming album ‘Mountain Battles’ following their April 25 performance at California’s Coachella Festival. The band will play dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and Portland before heading east for […]

The Whigs are pleased to announce a February headlining tour in support of their 2008 ATO release Mission Control.    The band will be  joining up with Drive-By Truckers in late March for a tour of northeastern cities.   Tour Dates are below Tour Dates February 5th        Horseshoe                Toronto, ONFebruary 6th        Crofoot                  Pontiac, MIFebruary 7th        Madhatter                Cincinnati, […]

Billy Joel will be the last artist to play at New York’s Shea Stadium with a July 16 concert billed as "The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy." The show comes in the midst of the New York Mets’ final season at Shea; the team moves into its new home at Citi […]

Tracks from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Neil Young, Bright Eyes, Serj Tankian and Tom Morello will be found on the two-disc collection "Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran." The set is due March 18 via Sire, with a vinyl edition arriving April 15. The documentary of the same name premiered last […]

Jackie Greene has lined up roadwork behind his forthcoming new album, as well as a few dates with Skinny Singers, his three-man side project, made up of Greene, Mother Hips frontman Tim Bluhm and drummer Mike Curry) It was announced yesterday that Greene will appear with Phil Lesh at this year’s June 12-15 Bonnaroo festival […]

Last Wednesday night The North Mississippi Allstars played like they had nothing to prove but a whole lot to say. In fact, this non-stop two-hour set suggested the trio is entering the prime of their collective career right now in the wake of their January studio release of Hernando.

Most of the Grousing The Aisles columns I’ve written for this rag have had unifying themes that tie together the featured shows. This week I’m struggling to figure out what these bands have in common, besides the ability to drive their audiences crazy. So I’m copping out and calling this a Variety Pack edition of GTA. Don’t let that stop you from downloading any of these amazing recordings of Los Lobos, The Clash, moe., Ryan Adams, Uncle Tupelo and more…

Los Lobos 1/24/2008 DAUD [FLAC, MP3]

Photo by Adam Kaufman

East L.A. rockers Los Lobos surprised the crowd at the recent Voices of Latin Rock benefit show in San Francisco by performing an unannounced closing set. As if that weren’t enough, they also invited some legendary rock stars to the stage. George Clinton and Sly Stone joined the band for rough but ready versions of Thank You Fallentime Be Mice Elf Agin and I Want To Take You Higher. On the other hand, we’re sure the crowd wasn’t surprised when Stone quickly left the stage after banging out a few chords and singing a few lines. You can’t have it all.

Los Lobos, who has just embarked on a two-month tour, started their set with a batch of their greatest hits. For Mas Y Mas, the band invited Jackie Greene, Mic Gillette and Karl Perazzo to sit-in on what turned out to be a blistering version of the aggressively percussive tune. The highlight of the night came towards the end of the show when Mario Valenzuela, Richie Valens’ brother, came out for an energetic La Bamba > Good Lovin’ > La Bamba sequence. Over 30 years after releasing their first record, Los Lobos is still killin’ it on a nightly basis. Read on…