Archive: 2009

So, maybe some people just assume that, with an iffy track record, Nick  Thorburn must be your classic front man head case.  But the truth is, he’s just a nice guy – almost a kid, really, at 27 years old – who often feels the victim of “shy/asshole confusion,” a concept originated by Seinfeld co-creator, Larry David.  This is something he talks about at length in most interviews.

Bob Dylan shifts and changes his live performances so much it has become an adventure to dissect his tunes from tour to tour.  A constant tinkerer, his arraignments are fluid and give him space as an artist to express himself with those he chooses to place onstage.  The current outing finds him playing with four familiar players that he has toured with over the last few years and one from his not-too-distant past.  Charlie Sexton returned to the lineup on lead guitar and added a chicken fried layer of playing that has jolted Dylan into some powerful sonic structures this time around the world.

The first time I saw the film Once, starring the duo that comprises The Swell Season, I went alone on a random, rainy Thursday afternoon. Given that my boyfriend of six years and I were officially participating in the cliché is the “temporary break,” it is safe to say that my movie selection was not the smartest choice I’d ever made.

As I mentioned about Wednesday’s show, Phish concerts come in all different shapes and sizes, and that’s what makes them so appealing. What made last night’s show so great were all the curveballs thrown at various points in the show. Whether it was dusting off Jimmy Dale Gilmore’s My Mind’s Got a Mind of Its Own, busting TV on the Radio’s Golden Age to the delight of the indie segment of the fanbase or debuting the reggae-tinged original Tomorrow’s Song; the quartet kept fans guessing all night long.

As soon as guitarist Trey Anastasio barreled through the solo in AC/DC Bag it was clear he was firing on all cylinders and extremely excited to be on stage. Maze gave Anastasio a chance to channel all of his pent up energy for good as he delivered one rapid-fire run of notes after another. The first bust out of the evening came after a long discussion by Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon which ended with the band settling in on the first My Mind’s Got A Mind Of Its Own since 2004. The other bust out of the set was Two Versions of Me off of Undermind, which hadn’t been played since November 28, 2003. The line “no more Phish in the sea” was met smiles instead of groans as the state of the band couldn’t be better…for now.

There’s no doubt the first set was good, but the second set was where the magic happened. The fan-favorite My Friend, My Friend was met with cheers and hugs. The ensemble impressively nailed the tune. Out of the chaotic conclusion of My Friend came a song that had most scratching their heads at first. Then, many in the crowd started putting it together that Phish was covering TV on the Radio’s Golden Age. The band made the tune their own adding a light, happy jam at the end that had everybody pumping their fists.

READ ON for more from Scotty on Albany Night One…

For his latest effort, Future Sons & Daughters, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, AM, found inspiration while mining the crates of his extensive 1960s record collection – ranging from obscure Brazilian music to Italian soundtracks. Armed with a studio of instruments (guitars, ukuleles, glockenspiel and synths), AM and producer Charles Newman (Magnetic Fields), recruited a host of […]

EMI/Credential Recordings is excited to announce that Patty Griffin is set to release Downtown Church, a gospel-inspired set on January 26, 2010. It is Griffin’s seventh album and was produced by Buddy Miller. Downtown Church was cut live in The Downtown Presbyterian Church on 5th Ave. N. in Nashville over the first week of January […]

After a spectacular two-night stand in Philadelphia, Phish returns to The Knick tonight for the first time since December 1, 2003. Phish first played the Knickerbocker Arena – currently named the Times Union Center – on December 9, 1995 and has returned to the venue a total of nine times leading up to tonight’s show. I’ll be offering my thoughts on the both Albany shows @YEMblog starting immediately. Other options for experiencing the concerts from home include Phishtwit and Hoodstream.

READ ON for the setlist once the show starts [via Phish.net]

In the three years since U-Melt released their last album, The I’s Mind, the New Yorkers have debuted – and road-tested – a batch of inventive compositions that are just screaming for the studio treatment. We’ll get our chance to see how ten of these songs turned out when Harmonized Records releases U-Melt’s third studio […]

You got to hand it to KISS. They have been living the rock and roll life to an almost cartoonish degree for 35 years. They are in the middle of a tour that encompasses most of North America as well as most of the fourth quarter of 2009. They recently released their umpty-dozenth cd, Sonic Boom.

The marketing typhoon that sells KISS, the product, has been out in force, selling everything from the $1,200 Live 35 box set, featuring every minute of every concert on the current tour, to $1,000 meet and greet premium packages to KISS g-strings, panties and key chains. Is everything in between included, you ask? Damn Skippy, partner.

I have to admit that when tickets first went on sale, I had dismissed the idea of seeing KISS 2.0; Gene Simmons on bass and Paul Stanley on guitar are the only original members with sporadic members Eric Singer on drums and Tommy Thayer on lead guitar. I last saw KISS when I was in college and, as was the custom of the time, had become quite inebriated by the time the curtain went up. READ ON for more from AJ on catching KISS…

Just in case you haven’t heard, the Mimi Fishman Foundation has launched another charity auction. The auction includes a whole lot of Phish posters (mainly signed posters from late summer tour and a few Pollocks), as well as several New Years Eve packages with YMSB & UM & much more! The auction continues the Foundation’s […]