2010

HT Interview: The Ramblers

Ryan Dembinsky June 22, 2010 No Comments

It’s hard to believe that 18 months have past since we last touched base with one of our first Blips acts here at Hidden Track, The Ramblers. Not surprisingly, it’s been a busy year and half and an whole lot has changed since then for the Brooklyn-based Americana band.

[Photo by TR Smith]

The group underwent a large-scale reshuffling of members, yet with “trudge on” approval of all parties involved, the Ramblers kept at it: growing by leaps and bounds; expanding their reach; and most recently, releasing a knock out second album, Getting There. Fans of The Band should definitely give this album a spin as it’s the real deal. Hidden Track recently caught up with the Ramblers’ guitarist/lead vocalist Jeremiah Birnbaum and keyboardist/vocalist Scott Stein to chat about the new record and the band’s progress.

Hidden Track: To start off on a light note, if you could characterize The Ramblers as a cast of movie characters, who would you guys be?

Jeremiah Birnbaum: Back to the Future meets The Warriors. Now what exactly Doc and Marty could have done with The Warriors is beyond me, but they had a time machine. Anything could have happened there. Plus, our drummer looks good in a vest.

Scott Stein: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I have an inkling as to who would be Master Splinter, but I don’t want to put it in print in case someone feels it unflattering to be compared to an oversized rat. That could cause a rift in the band, and I’m pretty sure that’s why Oasis broke up.

READ ON for more of our chat with Jeremiah & Scott of The Ramblers…

Wax – Next Great White Rapper

Nathan Rodriguez June 22, 2010 No Comments

He’s cultivating legions of fans through word of mouth and a reservoir of replay-worthy YouTube clips. Glide goes overtime with unsigned phenomenon Wax, whose third album dropped in May.In Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, Jim Collins discusses what he terms the Flywheel Effect to explain traits of successful businesses. In essence, it’s a blend of common sense and karma where equity from solid decisions accumulates over time – a classic case of the whole exceeding the sum of its parts. At a certain point the momentum becomes a self-sustaining cycle and success is cemented. It seems like Wax is nearing that sweet spot where escalating word of mouth yields enough traction to get a foothold in the music industry. After his six-piece band dissolved a few years back, the Dunkirk, Maryland, native sat in his Nissan Sentra, flipped on a video camera and jumpstarted his solo career.

Japandroids – Touring With The Walkmen

June 22, 2010 No Comments

Japandroids have added even more tour dates to its already busy summer – fall tour schedule. Beginning June 25 and for the remainder of the summer, the band will crisscross

Televised Tune: On the Tube This Week

Luke Sacks June 21, 2010 No Comments

Living legend Herbie Hancock will make two late night appearances this week as he visits The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday (CBS 11:35PM) and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Review and Photos: Phish @ SPAC

Hidden Track Staff June 21, 2010 5 Comments

Words: John Coleman
Images: Rob Chapman

Phish @ SPAC, June 19

After leaving Tweezer ‘reprise-less’ in Hershey last Sunday, Phish reconciled by serving up a double dose of Tweezer Reprise in Hartford on Friday night; appeasing those who feel it only necessary that Tweezer come full circle with a Tweezer Reprise later in the set.

That brings us to Saturday night’s show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. A muggy affair at the amphitheater set in the tall pines and old oaks of the Spa State Park in scenic Saratoga Springs, NY.

[All Photos by Rob Chapman]

It was said to be a sell out, but tickets were an easy find in the lot. In any case, the powers that be at SPAC really packed ’em in. The Times Union (Albany) reported 25,000, which is a sell-out, but it felt like more. The lawn was busting at the seams and it looked as though there were two heads per seat in the pavilion. Being on the lawn (standing at 5′ 8″) it was tough to turn around without getting a face full of back sweat. But despite the stickiness, the crowd wasn’t pushy and everyone was amicable.

Set I

Feel free to throw on your ’79 Bill Walton Clippers jersey, because it was a throwback first set. The Tweeprise opener was followed by Chalkdust Torture, Funky Bitch and a Runaway Jim, which saw Trey lay the groundwork for for what would be some nice exploratory jams throughout the night.

READ ON for more of John’s thoughts and Rob’s photos…

Stormy Mondays: Here Comes Furthur

Dan Alford June 21, 2010 2 Comments

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Phish opened summer tour a few weeks back, but it’s time to move on to something new: Furthur opens its summer tour this week, and to celebrate

Writer’s Workshop: Aaron Kayce

Ryan Dembinsky June 21, 2010 8 Comments

After a successful and storied tenure (ten-year) establishing the editorial department at one of our most respected peers, JamBase, the site’s longtime, esteemed Editor-in-Chief, Aaron Kayce (aka Kayceman), recently announced his decision to step down from that position.

As everyone here at Hidden Track can attest, we’re saddened to see him leave JamBase, but meanwhile impressed by how long he managed such a stressful role. From coordinating the gigantic team of contributors and responding to hundreds of emails daily to scheduling a massive amount of content and somehow finding time to write, the task seems nothing short of monumental. Hence, we’re excited both for Kayceman to embark on the next phase of his writing career as well as to keep tabs on what’s next for JamBase.

Hidden Track: To the extent you feel comfortable talking about it; what led to your decision to part ways with JamBase after ten years?

Aaron Kayce: For starters, as you mentioned, I had been at JamBase for almost ten years. I built the editorial department from the ground up and I more or less had done all that I could there. Things change a great deal over the course of a decade and as my life and dreams evolved it became clear that I needed a new set of challenges. It was the right time for me to enter the next stage of my career.

HT: What did a day in the life as Editor-in-Chief of JamBase typically entail from start to finish?

AK: A lot of emailing and content creation. I had a very small editorial team, myself and the wonderful Dennis Cook, but we pumped out a ton of content. A lot went into making that happen and it wasn’t the same every day. But there were certainly some consistencies.

My day generally began by publishing fresh news on the site and scouring the web to be sure I wasn’t missing any breaking stories that would be pertinent to JamBase users. Then I’d be in touch with Dennis to be sure the schedule (show reviews, features etc) I set was still on track for the day. Sooner or later I’d have to start dealing with emails, of which I’d get between 100-200 a day from publicists, bands, writers, and photographers about various things.

READ ON for more of our Writer’s Workshop with Kayceman…

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