Archive: 2009

The Phish YouTube channel has been blowing up over the past 24 hours with the upload of a number of clips from the upcoming March 3rd release of The Clifford Ball DVD set. Let’s take a look at a few of ’em: httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiOrlQ5sZ38 Flatbed Truck Jam httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhCrbjD_qWM Fluffhead They’ve also uploaded clips of Punch You […]

Supported by openers Bob, Future and Scotty Don’t – Badfish’s alter ego- the premiere Sublime cover band took the stage to a relatively crowded 9:30 club in Washington D.C. last Thursday night.

As cover bands go, life can be tough. These tribute bands will forever face the stigma of perfection, which is inherently impossible to overcome. That said, the four computer science majors from Rhode Island can draw a crowd for good reason – they are the best at what they do.

Opening with Smoke Two Joints it was immediately clear how Badfish nearly packed D.C.’s premiere music club. Lead singer, Pat Downes, has an impressively comparable voice to Sublime’s lead singer and figurehead, Bradley Nowell. The uncanny similarity is the backbone of Badfish and is arguably the closest point of perfection within the band’s effort to recreate the Sublime experience. READ ON for the rest of Kevin Smallwood’s Badfish review…

With March 6 rapidly approaching, the news of some more post-Phish shows happening around Hampton, VA has been released. The fine folks at Glitterglu Productions will be hosting two nights of live-tronica heavy after-shows at the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium, located about three miles from the Hampton Coliseum. Night one features a headlining set […]

Unlike most Grammy Awards ceremonies, there are actually a few great bands performing at this year’s event on February 8. Paul McCartney and Radiohead join Jay-Z, T.I. and Kanye West as the entertainment at the Staples Center. McCartney will be backed by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters on drums. Here’s a quick look at […]

What would cause a teenage boy to speak those words? On Sunday April 5, 2009, you can find out for yourself by visiting Wooten Woods. Victor Wooten and his wife have recently purchased nearly 150 acres on the beautiful Duck River near Nashville, TN. This will be the new home for the Bass/Nature Camp—a camp they’ve been […]

Paul McCartney, Radiohead, Justin Timberlake and the quadruple threat of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West have been added to the performance lineup for the 51st annual Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 8 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. McCartney will be backed by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums, while Radiohead will […]

M83 have announced a co-headlining performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in Los Angeles in March. nhe musicians are set to perform at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 7. This will be M83‘s debut performance with an orchestra, and at the Disney Hall. The concert will pair M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez […]

Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band have announced a limited number of shows, scheduled to kick off April 9 in his home town of Omaha, NE. The dates are: Omaha, NE Slowdown (April 9) Denver, CO The Ogden Theater (10) Aspen, CO Belly Up (11) El Paso, TX Barnett Harley Davidson (12) Albuquerque, NM […]

Dan Deacon has announced a massive US Spring tour in support of his new album, Bromst (out March 24 on Carpark).  He has a one-off solo show in NYC this week on Jan. 30 and then on April 3 he’ll launch the official Bromst tour in Philly.  This tour will feature a full live ensemble […]

Followingacoustic appearances in Kalamazoo (1/29), Ann Arbor, MI (1/30) and Champaign, IL (1/31), Jeff Tweedy will me heading to the Northeast for solo shows at Burlington, VT’s Higher Ground (3/26), Northampton, MA’s Calvin Theatre and Beacon, NY’s Beacon High Auditorium (3/28). The Beacon gig will benefit the environmental organization Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

The Walkman: a black, square portable music player, a relic to a bygone age of music. The Walkmen: intangible, genre splicing rockers, behaving somewhat like relics. Fashionably speaking, most of the band dresses in 50’s lounge attire, favoring pinstripes and tanned vests. Their instruments are of a similar aged quality, looking like something one might find at a museum. The exception is bandleader Hamilton Leithasuer. If the rest of the band is a nod to the bygone era of the New York music scene, Hamilton is an emblem of its current manifestation: black, form fitting jacket; mousy, unkempt hair; a Fender Stratocaster, hung like a quiver, and played when, and if, he feels like it.

Saturday night I went and saw Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power at the Middle East upstairs in Cambridge. I’ve got a friend who I now call “Indie Dan” that is constantly throwing new bands my direction. After the fourth time he bugged me about going to this show I gave a listen to the 2008 release Dark Developments from this combo and decided to go. Good thing I bought my ticket in advance because these Athens, Georgia indie dudes sold it out day-of-show. In fact the hand-written piece of paper read, “TONIGHT’S SHOW IS SOLD OUT FOR REAL”.

Chesnutt, from his wheelchair which he is bound to after a car accident, had an abrasive but playful interaction with the crowd all night as he explained the meanings behind some of his songs and humorously turned down song requests. Especially comical was his explanation that a song titled Teddy Bear was in his words “About fucking…”. No, it wasn’t about fucking a teddy bear. Three songs into his set, Chesnutt confirmed what I had thought was going on: That they were playing Dark Developments in its entirety. Chesnutt’s low and somewhat raspy voice sounded as good live as it does in the studio.

Here’s some video from a show last year at the Santa Fe Brewing Company:

READ ON for more of DaveO’s review of Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power…

It isn’t often that Wilco fans based in the Northeast get to see singer/guitarist Jeff Tweedy solo shows without having to fly somewhere, so there’s been all sorts of excitement over the announcement that he’ll head here for three shows in March. The run kicks off on March 26 at Burlington’s Higher Ground and continues […]

With the festival season right around the corner, the rumor mill is turning. Earlier today, Gigwise reported that concert promoter Golden Voice is currently courting David Bowie for the headline spot at this year’s Coachella Festival. Following in the footsteps of Roger Waters’ Dark Side Of The Moon set from last year, the article claims […]

[youtube]QdGGqScwe4w[/youtube] Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses

It’s been a long time since the last single track edition of Stormy Mondays, and this one is a treat: an hour long jam hosted by Albert Collins and featuring Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jeff Healey. It’s full tilt guitar pyrotechnics here, so take a seat and settle in. As always, enjoy! CLICK HERE TO […]

Sunday is the end of the weekend no matter how you cut it. You work nine to five for five days running and between the commute and the assholes at work, by Friday you have had a butt full. So, Friday night you either get the party started, exposing the pent up angst from the work week to your personal party mantra, or you retreat to your home, relaxing in preparation for some time to yourself. The next 48 hours belong to you, not the job.

The weekend is made for chores, sports, family, socializing etc. Some weekends are busy enough you actually look forward to getting back to work so you can slow the pace. On those weekends, Sunday night is the cooling down period. An early dinner, check out 60 Minutes (“Rooney, trim those damn eyebrows”) and decompress. Center yourself and prepare for the next five days of nose to the grindstone. That is unless the “Here Comes The Law” tour has hit your town on Sunday night. If that’s the case, you may as well leave your boss a voicemail saying you won’t be able to make it Monday morning and then go to the show. There’s a better than 50% chance you won’t be crashing early enough to get to work anyway.

The Here Comes The Law tour features three energetic artists from Law Records: Georgia’s Passafire, the Supervillains from Orlando and the Big Island’s Pepper. To categorize these three bands, folks use words like reggae, ska, punk, and funk. Descriptive pigeon holes. These bands all rocked. READ ON for more of AJ’s Here Comes The Law tour review…

VH1 Classic will air a look at The Band’s 1969 self-titled album, sometimes known as the “Brown Album” on Thursday at 4PM. The album came amid high expectations following 1968’s Music From Big Pink but staples Up On Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, along with the lesser-know The Great Divide, […]

Donna Jean Godchaux and Jeff Mattson are pleased to announce that “Donna Jean and the Tricksters” has morphed into the Donna Jean Godchaux band with Jeff Mattson. Along with Godchaux (lead vocals) and Mattson (lead guitar, vocals), the band will also feature David MacKay – bass, vocal; Clint Bailey – keyboards, vocals; and Joe Chirco […]

Peter, Bjorn and John have announced dates of a spring tour, kicking off April 21 in Minneapolis, MN. The outing will support the release of their upcoming record ‘The Living Thing’ which is released in the US on March 31. Chairlift will open on all dates, which wrap up May 2 in Washington D.C. The […]