February 17, 2010

Our pal Michael Weiss recently uploaded an important piece of God Street Wine history, The Bedroom Sessions, to the Internet Archive. Shortly after signing with Geffen, GSW recorded nearly every song in their repertoire for their new label as Geffen wanted to hear as much of the group’s material as possible before they went in to record an actual album.

Bedroom Sessions #1 features Molly, Bring Back The News, Epiphany and 13 other God Street classics. Bedroom Sessions #2 contains a number of rarities along with fan-favorites Imogene, Into The Sea and Ballroom. The cherry on top is a collection of tunes labeled Ossining Demos and Rehearsals from 1995.

[Photo Courtesy of Michael Weiss]

Lo Faber shared his thoughts on these recordings on the Archive…

First off, this is in no way a “review,” since I obviously have no right to review my own work, but I thought I might add a few thoughts and recollections about the recording of this particular collection, which I am delighted to see up here on archive.org.

The terse description says this material was “recorded in Lo’s Bedroom at the band house in Ossining, NY.” This is true as far as it goes; but it conveys perhaps a misleading impression of intimacy, since my “bedroom” in the Ossining house was a gigantic, brick-floored, cathedral-ceilinged modern addition to a very old house, considerably bigger than the tracking rooms in many major NYC recording studios. How did this monstrosity get to be my bedroom? Well, let’s just say when the rooms were divvied up in the GSW house, I opted for square footage over privacy. Yes, I had space, but I also had a door that was inches from the kitchen fridge, a balcony overlooking my sleeping space that anyone could wander out onto, and huge curtainless picture windows facing out on the lawn. Not to mention those bricks were mighty cold on the feet on winter mornings.

READ ON for more of Lo’s thoughts on The Bedroom Sessions…

Ween is not for everyone. It seems that a lot of people can’t get past the silliness, raunchiness, and perceived-offensiveness to grasp the deranged beauty that is Ween. For those of us privy to the Brownness however, the band holds a special place that could not be filled by anything else. There is a delicate balance that is always at play when it comes to Ween. They can make you laugh, want to cry, question everything you know about life and then laugh again – often within the same song.

Often lost in a sea of ridiculousness and loud noises, it was impossible not to notice just how wonderful the songs themselves are seeing them stripped down by Gener with only his own acoustic strumming accompanying. It was also hard to ignore how fantastic a singer Gener is. The man has an incredible range and a full palate of tones that are freakishly similar to the effects-drenched vocals on Ween studio records.

The magnificence and absurdity housed in the Ween catalogue was impeccably on display last weekend as Gener brought his solo tour to Chicago’s new, fantastic Lincoln Hall for a sold out show. From the opening notes of Now I’m Freaking Out through the rousing ending of Buenos Tardes Amigos, Mr. Freeman was all smiles and treated the attentive audience to nearly an hour and a half of Ween classics and rarities.

Setlist:

Now I’m Freaking Out, Tried and True, Stallion Pt. 3, Golden Eel, Flutes of the Chi, Spiritwalker, Don’t Get 2 Close 2 My Fantasy, Ooh va lah, She’s Your Baby, I Don’t Want to Leave You on the Farm, You Were the Fool, The Argus, Boy’s Club, The Grobe, What Deaner was Talking About, The Mollusk, Mutilated Lips, Tender Situation, Oh My Dear (I must be falling in love), Baby Bitch, Oh Yoko, Buenos Tardes Amigos

READ ON for a gallery of Joel’s Gene Ween photos…

As Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB move on from the Northeast leg of their tour onto the Midwest and South, they have left a trail of happy faces in their path. The “anything can happen at anytime” M.O. that Phish lives and dies with is nowhere to be found on TAB Tour, alleviating all the pressure that comes with Phish shows for Trey Anastasio. Big Red and his bandmates are clearly having fun and the happiness is contagious.

[All photos by Adam Kaufman]

What’s most impressive is how well this band has gelled over the first seven shows of the tour. Flubs are few and far-between and the interplay between the musicians ranges from impressive to stellar. TAB newbie Natalie Cressman has filled her father’s shoes with the aplomb of a veteran with Anastasio getting a huge kick out of his first second-generation band member. While the setlists from the shows may look similar, each of the past three shows that I’ve caught (Wallingford, Red Bank and NYC) couldn’t have been more different from each other.

Wallingford was the most button-downed show of the three with Trey and his ensemble focusing on the songs for a large audience that included Cressman’s 93-year-old grandmother. Red Bank was a high-energy affair that featured a slew of jams that kept on peaking. Last night’s show at Terminal 5 was a marathon feast for the senses that included an acoustic interlude at the end of a nearly two-hour first set.

READ ON for more of Scotty’s thoughts on Classic TAB…

We were a little wary on posting another UM article today, but the UM Bowl just sounds way too cool to ignore. Today, the band announced that they will hold

There was positivism in the chilly air for Umphrey’s McGee’s latest show in Charlotte. With the end of their tour in sight, the band stopped at the familiar Neighborhood Theatre, a venue that was facing closure until two weeks ago. Rather than risk losing one of the city’s most adventurous musical hotspots, the community responded and the unusual 900-capacity venue has been saved for now. The sold-out show carried an aura of celebration, and it just happened to be a special night for the band as well, with present and future family members in attendance. The result was a show that dwarfed their last Charlotte appearance in every possible manner.

[All photos by Esther Rodgers]

There is no better opener for an Umphrey’s show than Get in the Van – not even the Star Wars Imperial March that played as the band took the stage. Get in the Van’s menacing twists and turns set the tone for a show heavy on Brendan Bayliss’ guitar and vocals, and not just because Jake Cinninger had some technical issues during an important twin-guitar section of the song.

In the first set, one song after another featured Bayliss’ endearing croon – the emotional August in spot two, the legendary live burner Plunger after that, and the set-closing combo of Morning Song and 1348. Cinninger, normally a more frenetic guitar personality, helped add a unique, mellow feel to the set, especially during the dramatic Morning Song, in which he wrung heaving, swollen notes from his rig with articulate passion.

READ ON for more of Bryan’s take on UM in Charlotte…

As promised, Glide has posted Chad B.’s interview with Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks. Chad talked with Butch about changing NYC venues, Moogis and just how close Dickey Betts