2009

The Band – Complete Last Waltz [FLAC, MP3]

Most folks don’t realize that the Capitol release of the Last Waltz isn’t an accurate representation of what went down at The Band’s last concert on November 25, 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom. Robbie Robertson took the tapes of the concert into the studio where most of the vocals and some of the music were overdubbed. Not only that, a number of tunes from the show – including a Richard Manuel-sung cover of Georgia On My Mind – were left on the cutting room floor.

Luckily, the master tapes have circulated completely unadulterated. What we’ve got for you today is the complete, dub-free, raw soundboard of the entire Thanksgiving evening show from 1976 at Winterland, running about 241 minutes. Robbie Robertson can save his version, this recording makes you feel as if you are at the show. We especially dig the urgent vocals on King Harvest and the powerful original take of Rag Mama Rag.

READ ON for a full list of the 17 tracks omitted from the official Capitol release, as found on The Trader’s Den website…

Tickets for most of Phish’s summer tour go onsale this morning and hopefully you’ve taken a few moments to familarize yourself with Live Nation’s ticketing system. Head to livenation.com at

After days of false alarms, the lineup for April 17-19’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has finally been released. READ ON after the jump for the full press release including all the details on this year’s event…

Grammy recipients and longtime HT favorites The Swell Season make their Austin City Limits debut this weekend in an episode that also features Englishman Nick Lowe. Lowe’s best known for

Last Friday, Brooklyn fans welcomed Tea Leaf Green for their first-ever performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Of course many of the faithful had been with the band from the last two nights at Mexicali Blues. They were grinning from ear to ear as they spoke of shows that brought the magic back, Reed Mathis singing, Josh Clark playing harmonica and the reintroduction of favorite songs that had fallen by the wayside during the band’s new transition. Filling the venue with their faces painted and bouncing balloons from the upper decks, it felt more like a re-birth than a rock show.

[All words by Carla Danca, photos by Jeremy Gordon]

The band has always had the strong musical personalities of Trevor Garrod and Josh Clark moving it forward, but it’s been Reed Mathis that has been the fan focus of late. Many understood that it would take time to integrate his magical gifts and diverse abilities to push the band to new heights, however this didn’t eliminate some of the frustration fans felt. During this run, it was apparent that the Reed they had been waiting for had arrived.

Looking more comfortable on stage (in his dapper hat) his body language showed off the new dynamic. Instead of standing on the side following, Reed was seizing the moment and showing off his immense skills. Leading the band into funky jams, taking Josh Clark’s challenges and throwing them back – with a smile – and joining in on harmonies with Trevor, the band has a rich new blend that sounds energetic and exciting again.

READ ON for more of Carla’s words and Jeremy’s photos from TLG…