Archive: 2010

Dispatch, the band who drew more than 110,000 people to their most recent hometown appearance at Boston’s Hatch Shell and was the first independent band ever to sell out New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a feat they repeated for three consecutive nights, today announced their first summer tour in nearly a decade.   Highlights on […]

After a high-energy performance filled with classic compositions and a permagroove-laden Tweezer, Phish returns to Madison Square Garden for the second of three shows at the venue.

[Photo by Andy Hill]

I’ll be tweeting live from MSG for @YEMblog. READ ON for tonight’s setlist…

I’m starting to get the feeling I sound like a broken record, but I’ve got another album for the “In Case You Missed It” pile for 2010 – Good Things, the sophomore release from Aloe Blacc. Filled with retro soul and R&B, Blacc channels the likes of Bill Withers, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, on […]

Power-pop legends Cheap Trick are this weekend’s featured guests on Austin City Limits. Look for a mix of classic material including Dream Police and Surrender with a few songs of their latest album, The Latest. Friday, December 31 [All times EST] Pink Floyd – Which One’s Pink? [VH1C 3PM] Jay-Z on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM] […]

Fresh off a two-night stand in Worcester, Phish pulls in to Madison Square Garden in NYC for the quartet’s 17th – 19th performances at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” tonight, tomorrow and on New Year’s Day.

[Limited Edition Subway Tokens via Phish Facebook]

Follow @YEMblog for live commentary from the show thanks to Josh Korin. If you don’t have tickets, you can stream the show live thanks to Phish’s official Pay-Per-View. READ ON for tonight’s setlist…

As we continue to do some more end of the year house cleaning around HT’s home office to get it all tidied up for 2011, I figured it was about time to continue with a tradition around these parts by taking a look at my favorite six albums of the last half of the year with the Top 6 Of The Last 6…

6) Junip – Fields

Prior to his success as a solo artist, José González fronted the indie-rock band Junip in the late ’90s in his native country of Sweden. The short-lived group released a lone 4-song EP, before going their separate ways, mostly in part because of their label’s interest in González’s own material. The singer-songwriter regrouped with his off-again, on-again band mates deciding to record their long in the works full-length debut. The album features González’s familiar Nick Drake drenched in reverb vocals backed by a hypnotic mix of psychedelic folk-rock that draws its influences from jazz, electronica and Indian ragga-style rhythms.

READ ON for the rest of my Top 6 Of The Last Six…

STS9 isn’t a band known for playing covers, so you can imagine fans excitement at The Fillmore in Denver when the group opened up its New Year’s Run with an electronica-tinged version of Shakedown Street by the Grateful Dead. Murph and the boys also reprised Shakedown as part of the encore. Here’s a clip of […]

Today and tomorrow will be slow days on Hidden Track as the staff gears up for various New Year’s Eve shows around the country. We did want to hip you to some of last night’s action. At Sullivan Hall here in NYC, Hendrix tribute act Some Cat From Japan tore it up along with special guest Eric Krasno. Robert Chapman was on hand and snapped a few shots of the action. Here’s one and we’ll have a full gallery after the jump…

[All photos by Rob Chapman]

Umphrey’s McGee kicked off a three-night, hometown New Year’s Run at the Riv in Chicago and debuted a cover of Steely Dan’s Peg in the second set. Check out last night’s setlist…

Set One: Bridgeless > Conduit (jo), Utopian > Search 4, Push The Pig > Hollywood Nights

Set Two: Much Obliged > Bridgeless, Bad Poker, Tribute > Made 2 Measure > 2nd Self, Peg*, Triple Wide > Ocean Billy

Encore: Hurt Bird Bath

* – First Time Played [Steely Dan]

[via @SoundCaresser]

READ ON for the Disco Biscuits setlist and more pics…

Hopefully folks are finally starting to roll in to the Big Apple after the Planes, Trains, and Automobiles horror stories, as we know it hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. Blizzard 2010 has taken its toll on anyone heading out for the holiday run, as the travels have almost begun to rival those of Coventry. In fact, one of our friends coming from Boulder actually got stuck in Louisville and had to rent a Dodge Ram to drive through the middle of the night, while another had to cancel their entire trip coming from Florida as their were no flights until the 4th of January. It’s been grueling to say the least.

Well, we’re wishing the best for everyone, and hopefully it’ll all be worth it in the end. And inasmuch as New York City probably seems like a colossal pain in the ass at this point to anyone visiting for the week, there’s still plenty of reason for it to feel like a vacation. In fact, New York City is a blast in the winter assuming you’re willing to brave the elements and a few crowds. The holiday spirit is still in the air, and there’s no shortage of great activities to keep you busy.

With that in mind, we thought we’d take a stab at pointing out a few ideas that might be of interest to fill the days prior to showtime. We’ll spare you the obvious, as I’m sure everybody knows the basics: there’s the tree, ice skating, the museums, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the Stock Exchange, Central Park and all the usual suspects.

Eat in Korea Town: Everyone knows about Chinatown, but just a short skip away from MSG is the delicious, and much less intrusive younger brother, Korea Town. K-Town technically runs from 31st and 36th Streets between Fifth and Sixth, but definitely just head to 32nd Street between 5th and Broadway, as that stretch has tons of great restaurants in a concentrated area. Each restaurant tends to have a specialty, but in my experience it’s hard to go wrong. The best bet for a cold winter day if you can handle some spice is Seoul Garden at 34 West 32nd St. Note that the restaurant is located on the 2nd floor, so it’s a tad hard to find. They specialize in a dish called Soon Du Bu, which is a delicious spicy stew made from natural tofu, but also comes with the option of beef or seafood. You also crack a raw egg into the stew and it’s so hot, it cooks right into the broth. It’s one of the world’s great winter dishes. They also have good Korean Barbecue for the less adventurous eaters.

READ ON for more places to visit in NYC…

A tumultuous 2010 for the Disco Biscuits will end on a sad note as drummer Allen Aucoin will not be able to perform with his band mates after all at the December 30 and 31st shows at the Tower Theater. Aucoin’s doctors weren’t able to clear him to travel and perform after the drummer suffered a severe asthma attack. Biodiesel’s Johnny Rabb and former Biscuits drummer Sam Altman will sub for Allen at the pair of shows.

READ ON for the complete statement from the band…

Disco Biscuits @ Terminal 5, December 27

Words: Carla Danca
Photos: Jeremy Gordon

In a year filled with adventures, the Disco Biscuits began their New Year’s Run this past Monday just after one of the largest blizzards in NYC history. Even with a move to Terminal 5 from the Nokia (now Best Buy) Theatre in Times Square, the real surprise of the night came in an email from the band that announced that due to a severe asthma attack, Allen Aucoin would be hospitalized and special guests would be needed to fill in behind the drum kit.

Monday night saw Mike Greenfield of Lotus fill Allen’s shoes. Greenfield had previously played with the band and luckily was available on short notice. As the house lights dimmed, Pink Floyd’s The Show Must Go On filled the room and the band took to the stage for the dedicated fans that had made the trek into the snowbank-filled city.

The first set had a few teases and prolonged jams with the second half finally finding a more cohesive groove. The segues out of Cyclone into Story of the World was the highlight of the first set. The second set started off a bit more jazzy as the quartet gained steam from the long set break. The suprise of the second set was the really great reception of the crowd to the newer Bombs, which has met a bit of fan resistance since Planet Anthem was released in March. But the song of the night was definitely Astronaut. From the transition into it from Bombs to when they brought it back around after some seriously tribal jaming, Astronaut was a holiday treat to those who figured out a way to make it in for the show. The Biscuits ended the night with a solid Caterpillar encore that was entertaining and kept the crowd moving.

READ ON for more on the Biscuits @ Terminal 5…

This week, in the midst of Phish’s NYE Run, featured columnist Brian Bavosa looks at the Phishtory of Madison Square Garden in NYC…

The Mecca. As long as the epicenter of the universe, New York City, has been bustling, there has seemingly been “The Garden.”  Originally established in 1879 at 26th and Madison (MSG I), the original venue hosted events much like its predecessors, including boxing and track cycling – very popular during that period. The second incarnation of The Garden (MSG II) was built and held such events as the Democratic National Convention.  However, MSG II did not become profitable until around 1920, when the esteemed promoter, Tex Rickard took the reigns and focused on prizefights, bike races as well as the circus – which still take place in the current MSG today.

This led to MSG III on 8th Avenue between 49th St. and 50th St., which was dubbed ‘The House That Tex Built,” after Rickard, who continued to promote like no other. Unfortunately, after World War II and throughout the Fifties, economic and social situations caused a decline in certain events, eventually leading to the building of the current Garden (MSG IV) in 1968, which is the one that stands today atop Penn Station between 7th and 8th Avenues, smack dab in the heart of NYC.

As much as the current MSG is home to Patrick Ewing, Mark Messier’s Stanley Cup Miracle in ’94, Ali/Frazier’s legendary prizefight in ’71 and Larry Johnson’s 4-point play, it has also become quite the home for Phish, since first playing there in 1994.  (Much like this venue was for The Grateful Dead). I figured that on today’s off-day of their five-night, New Year’s Run, including their first-ever show on New Year’s Day, that this would be a great opportunity to not only glance at MSG’s history as a whole, but specifically focus on the Phishtory The Garden has witnessed throughout the years.

1994

The band’s first-ever venture was a 12.30 show in ’94.  It saw a pretty straightforward, rocking first set, with a blown-open second frame that boasted a half-hour Tweezer and acoustic Blue and Lonesome.  A solid show stuck between the madness of 12.29 and the flying Hot Dog of 12.31 in Boston, this show simply taught the band what it was like to grace the stage at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

READ ON for more on Phish @ Madison Square Garden…

We’ll have a report and photos from Monday night’s Disco Biscuits show at Terminal 5 soon, but we wanted to share a clip of the band rehearsing for tonight’s T5 performance with former drummer Sam Altman… Disco Biscuits – Magellan Tickets are still available for this evening’s show at the venue.

Last night, CBS aired the Kennedy Center Honors concert, taped on December 5th, which featured a slew of legendary performers from rock history paying tribute to Paul McCartney. Those feting Macca included No Doubt, Mavis Staples and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Head over to Consequence of Sound to watch some of these wonderful performances. As […]

Longtime Cartoon Network collaborator and great nephew of John Coltrane, Flying Lotus, packed a quite wallop in his latest video. Coming in at just one minute and forty seconds, this video for Zodiac Sh*t manages at once to be both tranquil and horrifying, providing quite a unique visual experience to say the least. You really […]

From Good Homes performing at the Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ on December 18th, 2010.

December 28th is traditionally the start of Phish’s New Year’s Run, but with an extra show this year, tonight was the second concert of the five-show jaunt as the quartet returned to the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. [Photo from 12/27 by Andy Hill] Last night’s show had it moments and the same could be […]

Photographer Andy Hill was in the pit shooting Phish for us last night and returned the following shots of the NYE Run tour opener…

[All photos by Andy Hill]

• Phish Worcester Night One: Setlist and Recap
• Worcester Videos: MKDevo 12/28 Playlist

READ ON for a full gallery of Andy’s shots from the DCU Center…

[Originally Published: August 3, 2010]

To my surprise, it was pointed out to me after our previous Cover Wars when we took a look at Any Major Dude Will Tell You, it was our first time ever selecting a Steely Dan song. Well, let’s make up for some lost time shall we? This week we’ll have a listen to four performances of Green Earrings, first track of Side Two of the 1976 record The Royal Scam.

The Contestants:

Animal Liberation Orchestra: Leading off this week we’ve got ALO who have been covering this tune since 2002 but it appears to have fallen out of rotation, at least judging by the results on the Live Music Archive which shows it last being played on Jamcruise in 2007. Source: 1-3-2007

READ ON for the scoop on the rest of this week’s contestants…

I finally got around to seeing the Single Video Theory documentary about Pearl Jam’s severely underrated Yield album this weekend. Director Mark Pellington gives us a great inside look into what makes the Seattle-based band tick as you can see from this excerpt featuring Wish List… Pearl Jam – Wish List