It’s been quite the year so far for psych-pop revivalists Dr. Dog with the release of their critically acclaimed, and quite possibly their best studio album to date – Shame,
2010 has been a year of big anniversaries: it’s been 15 years since Jerry Garcia graced the planet and ten years since Allen Woody’s ugly mug and gentle soul stood on a stage. Thankfully there are also some happy celebrations to be had, most importantly the birth of the greatest band that ever was, The Phil Lesh Quintet, featuring guitar giants Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring, walking Grateful Dead encyclopedia and fearless pianist Rob Barraco, master drummer John Molo and one of the great band leaders of the last decade (even aside from the Q), Phil Lesh; and it’s no mystery all three events are closely intertwined.
While Bob Weir spent the years directly after Jerry Garcia’s death on the road with Ratdog, doing his best to keep the spirit alive, Phil Lesh hosted only a small number of Phil and Friends gigs throughout the late 1990’s, and those stayed in the Bay Area, including those Norcal characters one might assume; there was good music, but the shows were very much a family affair, intimate and loose. Prairie Prince and Steve Kimock were regulars, as were members of the David Nelson Band, but the truly noteworthy three night stand that shifted the whole balance of the improv rock world was of course the legendary Phil and Phriends Warfield run featuring Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell.
This meeting of musical minds broke down any barriers, real or imagined, between the two camps that occupied opposite aesthetic ends of the field of live music masters. The old guard was forced to admit the prowess and power of the still underground (despite their massive following) gurus of glowstick wielding masses, and those very figureheads were finally free to admit the influence and their love of Grateful Dead music, something they had been avoiding for 15 years in order to the constant and sloppy moniker of the inheritors of the Grateful Dead’s ethos. “Everything I do to get the title, but when they use it on me, I’ll reject it,” Trey had so often sung, but now he sang Robert Hunter’s lyrics too.
READ ON for more of this week’s Stormy Mondays…
New York City’s Central Park was a busy place this past Friday night as Ween was set to perform at SummerStage while the Madonna-directed WE was being filmed right outside the venue. As you can imagine, a concert creates lots of noise which would be disruptive to filming. The film’s producers worked with the concert’s production team in an effort to keep the noise down in the afternoon hours, but when Ween needed to soundcheck even Madonna herself couldn’t keep the band from preparing for their show.
[via Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman’s Facebook]
We spoke with SummerStage production manager Danny Owen about the chain of events that led to Madge’s appearance at Ween’s soundcheck and it started in the early afternoon hours when the film and concert production teams realized the area had been double booked. WE’s production team approached venue staff when they started to test the PA and the SummerStage staffers agreed to keep the noise to a minimum until Ween soundchecked at 5PM. 5PM rolled around and the film’s producers asked for more time, but with doors set to open at 6:30, there wasn’t much wiggle room since the band needed to get comfortable with the sound at the outdoor venue.
Owen, whose main concern was making sure the band was given the time they needed, told the film’s producer that the band was indeed going to start soundchecking. At this point, the members of Ween were on stage and waiting around for word to start the check. Madonna must’ve gotten wind of the situation as at approximately 5:15PM she entered the concert field with her security entourage and asked Owen if she could speak to the band. Danny responded, “with all due respect, no you may not” leading Madonna to ask to speak to a manager at which point Ween’s manager, Greg Frey, entered the fray.
READ ON for more on Madonna and Ween as well as the setlist, audio and video from last Friday night’s Ween show at Central Park…
The Giving Tree Band @ Chicago – House of Blues – September 10
Progressive old-time, indie folk rockers The Giving Tree Band of Yorkville, IL rocked the souls of fans, friends and family at the House of Blues in Chicago on Friday, September 10. The consistently fabulous acoustic octet invited admirers to join them in celebration of the official release of their third studio album The Joke, The Threat & The Obvious.
For a local record release show turn out was most impressive; the bars were crowded and the main floor filled with dancers eager to get their twirl on. Less than a year ago the band could be spotted playing smaller clubs around Chicago including the Kinetic Playground and the Double Door. Stepping up to the ranks of a major venue, with a solid attendance, was quite impressive.
The Giving Tree Band played for about an hour and a half though it felt like 20 minutes. One by one the boys animatedly bounced around stage barefooted, warming the venue with every strum. They brought their latest release alive by melding eight instrumental and six vocal harmonies into one. Each string pluck and drum build resonated a perfect blend of Midwestern roots bound to a folksy twang. The Giving Tree Band charmed the audience with their positive energy, never ending thank yous and dulcet melodies. Together the boys sparked a flame in their fans for there was neither a still body nor frown during the duration of the set.
READ ON for more of Allison’s thoughts and photos of TGTB…
From our experience, there’s no lack of Phish enthusiasts who love poker including Card Player Magazine editor Jeff Shulman, the band’s drummer Jon Fishman and Tao of Poker author Paul
Next Tuesday will see the release of Le Noise, the latest studio album from legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young. Produced by Daniel Lanois, the eight-track effort is essentially a solo affair
Pavement, along with a contest winner on guitar, visit Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night. You can also catch Pavement tonight on The Colbert Report. Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel
On Wednesday September 15th, Truth and Salvage Co, a barnstorming new outfit with six musicians from disparate parts of the country, began their “Great Northwest Music Tour” at Lola’s Room in Portland, OR. The “Tour” is just part of a much larger west coast romp for these purveyors of a sweet and polished new Americana sound.
Buzz about a new CD out and upcoming Albuquerque tour date made me want to find out more about Phantoms, a Seattle based rock band. The unexpected but certainly welcome result of that curiosity is an exclusive Glide Magazine interview with lead singer Johnny. I want to give a special thanks to their agent, 4Perzi for supplying unfettered access to this upcoming band that has been described as, "fresh, interesting, thought-provoking rock!"
The inaugural Hopscotch Music Festival went off far better than most could have anticipated. Enthusiastic, well-mannered crowds managed to fill the downtown Raleigh, NC streets for three days with barely any issues, save a few very packed shows that left many fans milling about in the cool night air. There was an awful lot of music to experience and a lot of concrete to tread, but a few moments stand out. Here are seven good and three bad things I managed to experience over the weekend.
