2008

Checking In On The Philathon

I’ll spare you full reviews seeing how often I’ve sung the praises of this lineup, but with now two Phil & Friends Nokia shows under the ol’ belt for the run and a third on deck tonight, here are five off-the-cuff observations:

[Photo by Rob Chapman via Phillesh.net]

1. There’s a nice little debate kicking around the Phil faithful at the moment asking whether this year’s Nokia residency is better than last year’s. Most folks are hedging, but some glass-half-empty comments I’ve heard favor last year’s, saying that now that this incarnation of Phil & Friends is comfortable, it’s lost the surprise factor and settled into predictability.

Based on this year’s setlists, that seems a little absurd to begin with, but to me, that’s an apples-to-toothpaste comparison anyway. Last year’s Nokia run was essentially a test kitchen for this lineup to see just how chemistry it had and how much excitement it could muster, and on its last weekend, most observers agree, they clicked and became a band. This year’s model is the same personnel, give or take a guest, but a band utterly sure of itself after a long summer of touring and now confident in its ability to “get there”—aware of all its strengths, working on its weaknesses—with everyone willing to add a bit more of his (or her!) personality to the mix.

Most noticeably, Steve Molitz isn’t as reticent about slipping in the nutty keyboard effects this year—he’s been blasting off all over the place, and doing it tastefully, as in Tuesday night’s fierce Feel Like a Stranger second set opener. Teresa Williams, too, now qualifies as a full-fledged band member, and it’s been great to see her in places both logical (boy, did she nail that beautiful, beautiful Peggy-O on Sunday) and surprising (she and Jackie brought marvelous harmonies to Music Never Stopped on Sunday and Cassidy on Tuesday—both set two enders, both Bobby songs the Phil lineup doesn’t often play, and both terrific.)

READ ON for four more observations from Chad…

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UT: Indie Is – Having a Crappy Job

Let’s check in with the irreverent mind behind Uncensored Interview’s blog, The Shark, for another installment of Uncensored Thursdays…

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Hey there downtrodden victim of the current financial crisis, don’t look so dour! Lots of people all across America have suddenly lost their jobs just like you and have found themselves wondering “What the fuck am I gonna do to support myself and/or my vicious $400 a day coke habit?”

The first thought that crosses your mind is to apply at the local Starbucks (the one on your corner, not the one across the street from the one on your corner) and become a part-time barista. Hey, they have health care and decent pay. READ ON for more from The Shark…

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Jerry Garcia Biopic In The Works

Veteran producers Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa and Eric Eisner are going truckin’. The trio have signed on to produce a biopic about Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia that will aim

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Insound Pumps Up Indie Vinyl Offerings

When online retailer Insound began offering instant MP3 downloads of albums being ordered on vinyl, only a handful of indie labels were on board for the promotion. But by year’s

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The Faces Gearing Up For Reunion?

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After a few years of close calls it appears that we are mere days away from a reunion of legendary rockers The Faces. Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagan, Kenney

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Dark Star Orchestra Celebrates The Eleven

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