2010

Los Lobos @ Bowery Ballroom, August 4

Los Lobos have humility, chops and professionalism to spare, and on a good night, these things propel them, and on a less-than-good night, maintain them. They’re hard to criticize because they just don’t falter: they play that broad, experienced mix of canciones, cumbias and folk songs with rock, blues, country and a whole host of other things, and do it with equal helpings of grace, raunch and bravado.

Sure, album-wise, they’ve been in something of a holding pattern since at least Good Morning Aztlan, and their shows don’t always have the sustained spark of yesteryear. And long-held Los Lobos quibbles – maybe they could mix it up a little more? why again did they bring Louie Perez out behind the drumkit in the mid 1990s to add another guitar voice and utility player? – are what they are at this point. But you’re grateful to have ‘em; rare is the Lobos show that fails to convince you of that.

They were in a peppy and giving mood at Bowery – a small room for them – which kicked off with a passionate Emily opener and dove into range of deep-catalog cuts (how about that filthy Georgia Slop!) sprinkled among the usual rockers (Don’t Worry Baby), cumbias (Chuco’s Cumbia, the heaving Maricela), genre-shifting charmers (still love that accordion on their typically fizzy take on Flaco Jimenez’s Ay Te Dejo En San Antonio) and just plain beautiful Los Lobos staples (the ancient folk tune Volver, Volver – which always seems to hit just as the crowd is slipping from buzzed to drunk and ready to sing).

READ ON for more from Chad on Los Lobos @ the Bowery…

This week’s theme is a little looser than most Friday Mix Tapes, as it’s a collection of fun party time music from all over the map, as opposed to a

Recently through the power of reconnection with old co-workers, classmates and friends that Facebook offers us, I reconnected with someone I worked with at a restaurant I opened in Washington D.C. a long time ago. I was surprised to find out he is now a master pizzaiolo (pizza maker). He is also a member of the United States Pizza Team – an organization which I never knew existed. I opened and owned part of a high end pizzeria overseas 10 years ago that was modeled after Trenton Tomato Pies so I was curious about the U.S. Pizza Team and what my friend Steve Lieber was up to.

I asked Steve to give me a little background about the United States Pizza Team. Here is what he shared with me:

The US Pizza Team is a group of pizza makers and dough acrobats whose goal is to promote the pizza industry. Our acrobatic leader is Juan Hermosillo from the hugely popular VISA commercial.

READ ON for more on pizzaiolo Steve Lieber…

The leader of the webcast pack, iClips, has just announced the third leg of the company’s “Couch Tour.” The action kicks off today at 2PM CDT from Lollapalooza and continues

This weekend’s episode of Live from the Artists Den on PBS features southern rockers the Black Crowes at an intimate performance filmed at the Lyric in Oxford, MS last September.

Words: Jon McLennand
Images: Joel Berk

Wilco @ Coveleski Stadium, July 30

Approaching ten years since Wilco entered the studio to record Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the band that took the stage at South Bend’s Coveleski Stadium on July 30 is the actualized sonic vision of Jeff Tweedy. Initially developed with the brilliant but troubled Jay Bennett, later perfected with producer Jim O’Rourke, the layered, atmospheric sound often contained studio arrangements that exceeded the band’s live instrumentation. Not until 2004 did the right personnel (and personalities) align, and they have since cruised along as a well-oiled machine, ascending to a point where there is little left unsaid and little left to prove.

Thirteen months since the release of Wilco (The Album), the band is making their final rounds before returning to the studio to write and record the follow-up, likely to be released on their own newly formed record label. Nowadays, they can do things how they want, and they’ll be doing exactly that at their own curated Solid Sound Festival next weekend.

Wilco is arguably The Best American Rock Band Of The Last Decade, but to me they embody something deeper. They are amongst those true friends, the fiercely loyal friends; the friends who listen with patient ears, understanding with disarming sincerity; the friends who help you navigate the dark hallways of life with a candle in one hand and your clutching hands in the other. What ever time may pass, what ever radio silence may come, they are never out of touch, never out of mind, never far from the heart, they remain as the whispering conscience nudging you on track before you backslide. It felt like one of those old friends walking through the pub doors after a prolonged absence as they took the stage last Friday.

READ ON for more from Joel and Jon on Wilco…

Earlier today Wade tried to temper expectations for the opening show of the second leg of Phish Summer Tour which kicks off tonight in Berkeley. Well, I’m going in the other direction as this week’s B List looks at the ten best tour openers the quartet has delivered over the course of their career.

10. July 2, 1996 @ Wolf Mountain – Park City, UT

Set 1: Somewhere Over the Rainbow[1], Ya Mar, Down with Disease, Guelah Papyrus, Poor Heart, Foam, Theme From the Bottom, Golgi Apparatus, Tweezer, Hello My Baby, Possum

Set 2: Runaway Jim, Simple, Taste, Free > Fluffhead, Prince Caspian, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Run Like an Antelope[2]

Encore: Punch You In the Eye

[1] Performed solo by Page on theremin.
[2] Star Wars song tease.

Notes: This show marked the debut of Page’s theremin. Somewhere Over the Rainbow was performed solo by Page on the theremin in response to the huge rainbow that appeared over the venue just before the show started. Antelope included a tease from a Star Wars song.

[All Setlists via Phish.net]

A few days back on the 14th anniversary of the Summer Tour 1996 opener Andy Gadiel tweeted in regards to the show, “sweet 2nd set Free > Flufhead. Most underrated show ever? Prep of 4 nights @ RR to follow.” I decided to give this show a listen and I’ve got to agree with Mr. Gadiel that this is a severely underrated Phish concert. The band shook off the rust early and jammed frequently on this night.

READ ON for Scotty’s Top Nine Phish Tour Openers…

They say you are what you eat and if that’s true I don’t know what that would make me at some festivals! When you are out at a festival there is a lot competing for your time – from your favorite bands and friends you haven’t seen all winter, so most of us don’t want to spend the weekend over a hot grill. But that doesn’t mean you have to rely on pre-packaged granola bars or trips to the food vendors. Here are some easy eating tips to keep yourself full of more than just Cheez Doodles, soda and beer, as well as some tips for those who are looking for a gourmet experience.

Setting up a Camp Kitchen/ Packing the Cooler:

1) Stock large plastic bins with all of your kitchen essentials – you can take them out of the car and leave them out without getting worrying about them getting wet or messy. Don’t forget a frying pan, tongs, spatula, cutting board, knife , dish soap, sponge and towels. The container can also double as a sink to do your dishes!

2) If you have one of the newer camping grills that only have a small cover for use when storing – buy a pack of disposable foil pans – not only can you use it as a lid to keep the heat in (so food cooks faster) but you can also use it as a pan.

3) To keep food fresh, use a separate cooler just for food – it will get opened less often which helps keep it stay colder. Also use frozen water bottles (or juice containers) in your food cooler, they stay solid longer than cubed ice and won’t leak all over the food.

READ ON for the rest of our third Festival Survival Guide…