Conan O’Brien and Jack White are teaming up tomorrow at Third Man Records in Nashville. What exactly they’re pairing up to do is a mystery, but the Team Coco Blog assures
Zappa Plays Zappa – Paramount Theater, Denver, CO – 6/7/10
Frank Zappa once said, “It isn’t necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia.” He may not be wrong, but his prophecy didn’t come true Monday night in Denver as his son, Dweezil, played host to a theater of weirdos-turned-businessmen doing their best to remember the good old days; back then the idea of nostalgia hadn’t crossed and probably didn’t exist in their minds. Monday night the world did not end, and nobody was doing paperwork. Well, at least not in the Paramount.
[Photos by Brendan Flanagan]
The surprisingly normal Dweezil Zappa stood among a throng of ridiculously talented musicians as they dedicated a warm Colorado evening (and, seemingly, a good amount of their current lives) to recreating the music of Frank Zappa. It’s a daunting task, with the estimate of Zappa albums somewhere between 60 and 80 and a countless number of live performances to choose from, but each night the octet digs their heels into the linoleum and does a damn-near-perfect job of it.
As a dancer, Ben Thomas is no Rockette. But luckily that’s not his job. As a vocalist recreating the quizzical complexion of the elder Zappa’s singing, he is spot on with a talent for holding center stage. He’s also not a bad trumpet player, when the time is right. Alongside him is multi-instrumentalist Scheila Gonzalez, whose talent on keyboard, saxophone and flute is only over-shadowed by her diva-esque vocal range. While these two and Dweezil take the spotlight for the majority of the show, they could do nothing without the others. Pete Griffin on bass, guitarist Jamie Kime, drummer Joe Travers, keyboard and vocal extraordinaire Chris Norton and percussionist Billy Hulting were main reasons for multiple standing ovations throughout the night. READ ON for more of Jon’s take on Zappa Plays Zappa…
This week’s videos feature bands you should check out at Bonnaroo… With the scores of great late-night sets this year it might be easy to overlook the fact that that
Something about Mumford & Sons raises an air of curiosity. It’s not just the obvious question regarding the roots of the staunchly American brand of music with its firm roots in bluegrass & folk – despite emanating from four English lads – but there’s also the question of how they got so big, so fast? At face value, folks tend to credit their success to being a U.K. version of the Avett Brothers or sounding like a bluegrass Dave Matthews, but the more you dig in; it becomes evident that there is an intangible element in their friendship that serves as the tie that binds. There exists this natural chemistry that makes this band instantly likable, brothers from another mother.
By now, we’ve talked a lot about Mumford & Sons music around these parts, so in chatting with double bassist and vocalist, Ted Dwane, we focused this particular conversation around the dynamics of the bandmates’ relationships and their emphasis, first and foremost, on friendship.
“We met in a very strange way, through friends and other people’s music. In West London, there are a lot of singer/songwriters and we used to play all the time. Back then, Marcus was usually the bass player and I was usually the drummer. Eventually, we just wanted to play music that we wrote, so that led us to become friends before we were thrown into everything,” Ted explains. “The one thing we never let ourselves forget is that before anything else, we’re friends really. I’m so thankful we get along as well as we do. They are my best friends; we’re all each others’ best friends.”
READ ON for more of Ryan’s chat with Mumford & Sons…
Their names are Brooklyn, Nick, Austin, Connor and Will. Collectively they are known as Picture Me Broken. Hailing from the bay area, and with one hot EP already under their belts and a following other young bands could only wish for, they are about to be known as the next big thing in "hardpopternative-core.". With a new record deal with Megaforce Records, a new album called Wide Awake coming out in July, and some of the best sounding vocals you’ve heard in a very long time, PMB are ready for the big time.
The '59 Sound, Gaslight Anthem's 2008 release, got a lot of comparisons to Springsteen. That was fair enough as there is no doubt that the band's sound was influenced by the godfather of their home state's rock and roll scene. However, what seemed to get lost in those comparisons, was that weren't simply Springsteen imitators even as his mark on them was clearly heard.
My Morning Jacket have announced details of a 5-night New York residency. Playing at the city’s Terminal 5 venue, the group will perform a different album in full each night,
Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest, and DJ Premier have been added to the already impressive 2010 lineup for the annual Rock the Bells rap festival in. After speculation, Lauryn Hill
Furthur has announed even more summer shows that extend to the west coast. The tour begins in Eugene, Oregon at the Cuthbert Ampitheater September 15th for 2 nights and then
Before STS9 announced the first Axe The Cables show last December the last thing you’d expect from that band was an acoustic performance.
We’re talking about a group that has continually integrated more electronic aspects into its music with each passing year of the last decade. Yet, that first Axe The Cables show was so good and well-received by the fanbase that STS9 re-mixed and re-mastered material from that night to create the Axe The Cables album which comes out on June 29 via 1320 Records.
There’s also HD video footage of the first Axe The Cables show that STS9 is working with iClips to release. The jamtronica act also has two upcoming Axe The Cables shows on the docket – August 11th at the Gramercy Theatre in NYC and August 22nd at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. READ ON for a full list of STS9 Summer Tour dates…
