Archive: 2009

Jim James Readies George Harrison Covers E.P. [Billboard]

Longtime HT friend Andrew Bruss attended the Life Is Good Festival last weekend and has filed his first HT review. Welcome aboard, Andrew…

With the help of artists like Brett Dennen and the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Life Is Good Festival was once again a success in more ways than one. Nice weather, playful activities, a stage for performers, and a guest appearance by Red Sox third basemen Mike Lowell set the mood for a wide range of demographics to cut loose for a good cause. Life Is Good, a Boston-based clothing company, has raised money for their Life Is Good Kids Foundation, a non-profit that aims to improve the lives of children who have been victimized by violence, poverty, and illness.

Helping kids should make anybody feel good, and with the atmosphere the organization created on the Boston Common, it never felt better. It was made clear left and right that donations were greatly appreciated, but a limbo contest, art installations, face painting and sporting activities were available to everyone free of charge.

While tots scampered around the Common, Brett Dennen put on a killer set highlighted by tunes off his new album including Heaven, San Francisco, and set-highlight, Make You Crazy. Although the red-headed singer/songwriter doesn’t seem to understand all of the John Mayer comparisons, he has his similarities, although his peace, love, and groovitude philosophy brought to mind Michael Franti & Spearhead more than anyone else.

READ ON for more from Andrew on the Life Is Good Festival…

The Black Crowes covering The Band at the Hampton Beach Casino… Black Crowes – Rockin’ Chair

Foamfoot – Live @ The Troubador [zip file]

When I think of a supergroup, I usually think that term is usually used ironically. It’s usually a band that consists of members from other bands that have come together to make sub-par (and usually less than sub-par) music compared to the music that was made by their former outfits. Exceptions to this rule are bands like Led Zeppelin and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. While I wouldn’t necessarily consider Foamfoot a “super group” so to say, the result of these guys getting together for a night of music was unpretentious, fun and just flat out bad to the friggin’ bone.

On a January night in 1994, Foamfoot took the stage of the Troubadour in Los Angeles as what has to be one of the greatest cover bands ever formed! The band consisted of Chris Robinson on vocals (The Black Crowes), Jimmy Ashurst on bass (Izzy Stradlin & The JuJu Hounds), Marc Ford on guitar (The Black Crowes), Gary Louris on guitar (The Jayhawks), Eric Bobo on percussion (Cypress Hill/Beastie Boys) and Andy Sturmer on drums (Jellyfish).

READ ON for more on Foamfoot…

Whether or not you’re put off by the opening “Wilco (the song)” and its “Wilco will love you, baby!” chorus, at least the alt-rockers from Chicago are being honest—this album is undeniably a full band effort.

On October 6, The Clientele will release their 5th album, Bonfires on the Heath on CD, LP and digital download. The Clientele formed a long time ago in the backwoods of suburban Hampshire, playing together as kids at school, rehearsing in a thatched cottage remote from any kind of music scene, but hypnotized by the […]

Glide's AJ Crandall takes us aboard on a detailed four day adventure at Bonnaroo 2009.

Paul McCartney has just confirmed yet more shows in the US this Summer.  Macca and his band will now play Fenway Park, the home of Boston Red Sox, on Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th of August. The PM.com pre-sale starts today at 10am EST (3pm (BST) and closes on Saturday 27th June at […]

While the Beastie Boys are hard at work prepping for a summer filled with festival appearances, they have announced the details of their new album. Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 will drop on September 15th and contains 17 tracks. Among the tracks will be Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win featuring Santigold, Too […]

The Champaign County coroner has announced that former Wilco multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett died from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl according to a report by the Associated Press. Bennett passed away on May 24th at his home in Urbana, IL. Still no word on the status of the lawsuit Bennett filed against Wilco’s Jeff […]

Blues Image – Ride Captain Ride

In 1989 Long Island hip hop act De La Soul burst onto the scene with their now landmark debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising – which featured Prince Paul’s heavy sample production with positive social lyrics at a time when gangster-rap was beginning to make its stamp on hip hop. Now,  20 years later, […]

Unfortunate for those that despise hearing anything to do with Dave Matthews Band and his musical duffle of summer-time fun, but a new DMB album seems to always hit around #1 on the charts – such as the case here with this latest effort – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.

Hombre Lobo songs shake with a weird sort of tension. “Lilac Breeze,” with its unyielding craziness, should eventually become an anthem for a future Quinten Tarantino film, while “The Longing” finds Everett searching for “her smile, her touch, her smell, her laugh, her tears, her sorrow, her faults, her doubts.” And that’s the thing about Everett—he’s tasted every flavor, tried every approach until he’s howling with delight. There’s not much here to dislike.

Ween may be lying low recently, but that hasn’t stopped one-half of the faux brother duo from picking up his acoustic guitar and hitting the road.  As the voice of the group, Gene Ween (real name Aaron Freeman) played two sold out shows at San Francisco’s popular The Independent to a crowd of eager fans.  Gene put on a very intimate show that found him altering many fan favorites to suit the acoustic mood of the night.  However, the changes found enthusiasm with the fans and Gene was all smiles the entire night.

Pioneering Seattle rock band Sunny Day Real Estate will return to the road with its four original members this fall and will reissue its first two Sub Pop albums on Sept. 15. These will be the band’s first shows of any kind since November 2000, and the first with its classic lineup since 1998.Dates begin […]

The Beastie Boys have confirmed that their eighth studio album, " Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," will be released Sept. 15 by Capitol. The set will include 17 tracks, including "Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win" featuring Santigold and "Too Many Rappers" featuring Nas, which the artists performed together at the Bonnaroo festival […]

Authorities say former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett died of an overdose of the pain killer, and that they’re investigating his death as an accident.Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup says tests show the 45-year-old musician died from fentanyl. The drug is found in patches commonly prescribed to treat chronic pain.Bennett died May 24 after being found […]

Dinosaur Jr. ave announced a tour of North America in support of their new album ‘Farm’, released today (June 23). ‘Farm’ is the follow-up 2007’s ‘Beyond’, featuring the reunited lineup of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph. Before the upcoming tour, the band will play two shows in August in Wellfleet, MA and at New […]

The Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys and TV On The Radio are among the bands that are scheduled to play "aftershows" during the week of Lollapalooza 2009. The Chicago festival runs August 7-9 at Grant Park and will include several gigs in smaller venues outside of the park throughout the week of the event. Beastie Boys will […]