2008

On Saturday night in Milwaukee, hasidic lightning Matisyahu kicked off an extensive tour of the U.S. in support of his latest release, Shattered. This EP offers a preview of what

Way back in March, we reported that Dr. Pepper had gotten so fed up with the antics of Axl Rose and his perpetually delayed pet project (aka the new Guns

Last night a fictional character Phish fans may be familiar with made an appearance on MTV’s Man and Wife. Take a look… [Screen Grab via Festicles] Guess the horrible disease

It’s hard to explain the effect Frank’s music has had on me.

At its simplest, it amuses the hell out of me. At its most complex, it forces me to think about my own life’s endless possibilities and whether or not I’m living up to my full potential. Something happens once all that is Frank clicks for you – it fully colors how you view the world around you and your place within it. Once the infamous “it” reveals itself, there is no going back and you will probably find you are, at the very least, a marginally better person for it.

The biggest lesson that I have learned from Frank is to not be afraid to try anything, no matter how absurd, ridiculous or insane it might seem. Frank teaches that anything is possible and acceptable, as long as your execution is flawless and you carry yourself in a professional manner. He didn’t encourage free reign to act like an asshole, but rather the sovereignty to explore the potential of your own mind. Have I taken this sage advice to heart? Absolutely. Do I act on this lesson? Probably not as much as I should. Self-confidence is not always easy to come by and self-doubt is a natural part of the creation process. Frank teaches us that if you believe in the end result strongly enough, you can and will do what is necessary to get there.

I find it important to look at Dweezil’s Zappa Plays Zappa project through a similar lens. Is ZPZ a cover band? Sure, but simply in its basic definition. Yes, they play only Frank’s music, which they did not write, but what they offer the world is so much more. Gail, Dweezil (and, of course vaultmaster / drummer Joe Travers) have presented an opportunity for bringing the life, lessons and most importantly the music of Frank Zappa into the contemporary landscape. I, for one, am incredibly grateful they have done so.

READ ON for more on Zappa Plays Zappa in Chicago…

From 1997 – 2000 and in 2002 jam veterans Widespread Panic delivered blistering cover-laden Halloween shows in the city of New Orleans. The group finally returns for another Halloween show

While at the moment there isn’t an official rock and roll All-Star team, the lineup that’s been put together for HeadCount’s Get Out and Vote Party on Election Eve, Monday,

While it can be tricky at times to gauge a crowd’s reaction to a band they are likely seeing for the first time, the litmus test is always the post-show merchandise table –that and loud screaming of course. This past weekend, the Selkirk, Scotland by way of Glasgow band, Frightened Rabbit, dropped by the Music Hall of Williamsburg as part of the U.S. leg of a three-month world tour, which culminates in a supporting role for Death Cab for Cutie spanning the whole of Europe throughout the month of November.

[Photo by Dave Gourley]

Well, Frightened Rabbit scored pretty high on the merch test, because after the show, the front room was packed wall-to-wall with wide-eyed pleased patrons grabbing up wares and already yearning for the band’s second headlining show in the Big Apple in January at the Bowery Ballroom.

The band continues to attract to fans and impress old ones on the heels of their April 2008 studio release and the subsequent October 2008 acoustic live release of The Midnight Organ Fight (the live acoustic version of Fight is titled Liver! Lung! Fr!) – a record with an appeal that never stops growing. Three of the four members of the Frightened Rabbit crew, founder, guitarist, and lead singer Scott Hutchinson, drummer and younger sibling Grant Hutchinson, and keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist Andy Monaghan were kind enough to chat with us before their show Saturday night over a Red Stripe.

Ryan Dembinsky: So, let’s start with the live album, Liver! Lung! Fr!. What made you decide to record an all acoustic version of Midnight Organ Fight in its entirety; given that the live shows are typically pretty high energy?

Scott Hutchinson: Well, part of it was the label’s idea, but we wanted to do something that even people who had come to the shows before hadn’t necessarily heard and make it a one off thing; strip the songs back and make it a big night in Glasgow. One of the main reasons we did it is we wanted to put out something for people to remember in Glasgow. Once you tour for so long, you get sick of playing the songs in that same context, so it was nice to refresh them again in our minds and strip the songs back.

READ ON for more of Rupert’s interview with Frightened Rabbit…

If commercial success was based on talent and innovation the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey would be one of the biggest bands in the country. These guys take their unique version