As we previously reported neo-soul singer John Legend and hip-hop act The Roots have teamed up to release Wake Up! – which hit stores last Tuesday and is a throw
Not long after its ferocious East Coast debut in the fall of 2000, the Haynes, Herring, Barraco and Molo line-up of Phil and Friends returned to the road for a series of West Coast dates, including a pair in Denver, a pair in Portland and a set of four in San Francisco in 2001. And immediately the band was even better than before. They took all the raw power and excitement of those initial shows and harnessed it in the way only a collective of truly masterful musicians could, cultivating it to produce longer, far more textured and subtle music that truly traveled to new and wondrous places.
The increased length was crucial, allowing the ensemble to explore in a profoundly open-ended manner, to follow flights of fancy or darker urges or both plus any number of other moods. Many of the opening jams and segues, not to mention internal jams in tunes like Bird Song, featured two, three, even four distinct themes, creating a shifting psychedelic tide that made every night even more unique, profoundly individual, than just a varied set list.
The Jam > Bird Song that opens only the second date of 2001 clocks in at 30 minutes (although to be fair, Derek Trucks was in the mix that night, and he’s always quick to push the envelope). But that kind of number quickly became common place; the expansiveness was simply the way the band did business. In Portland there’s a 45 minute Jam > Scarlet Begonias > Uncle John’s Band and a 20 plus minute Passenger, not to mention an hour and ten minute Dark Star > Eyes > Dark Star > Low Spark the next night.
- Stormy Mondays: Phil Lesh Quintet, Year 1
READ ON for more from Dan on Year Two of the PLQ…
With Jam Cruise 9 set to depart from Ft. Lauderdale on January 4th filled to the brim with amazing artists and the band fans who love them, it’s time for another edition of Jam Cruise Files. Back in January, one-man band Zach Deputy made quite an impression on Jam Cruise 8 attendees – not only during his own sets, but also from his multiple sit-ins and ample time spent on stage in the Jam Room. In fact, Zach won the well deserved honor of the “Up All Night” trophy at the awards ceremony on the last day of the trip.
There wasn’t much doubt Deputy would be invited back for Jam Cruise 9 and that’s exactly what happened. We spoke to Zach for today’s installment of Jam Cruise Files…
Hidden Track: What were some of your favorite moments from last year’s voyage?
Zach Deputy: Playing in the jam room until 7 or 8 in the morning on the second night, and playing in the basketball tournament wearing a skirt.
HT: Honestly, how much sleep did you get during last year’s trip?
ZD: I don’t really know. I basically just took naps. But I was up probably until 10 every morning. I slept through Jamaica. I guess you could say I like the music better than I like Jamaica.
HT: Are there any artists on this year’s cruise that you are especially looking forward to interacting with?
ZD: Hold on, let me look at the line up real quick (lol). Wow. There’s so many people I can’t wait to hang out with and see again. Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Ivan Neville, Adam Deitch, all the guys from The New Mastersounds and Lettuce and Maceo Parker. You know, all the funk and soul cats.
- Jam Cruise Files 2010: Stanton Moore, Joel Cummins, Julie McCoy
READ ON for more of Jam Cruise Files: Zach Deputy…
Last year, The Flaming Lips released their most ambitious and overtly psychedelic album since their early years with Embryonic
READ ON to check out the slightly NSFW video after the jump…
Gorillaz will kick off their eagerly anticipated Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour on Sunday in Montreal. The band will hit North America in October, Europe in November, Australia &
Heavy on the Vine's appeal isn't nearly as broad as the palette of musical styles featured on the album. By the same token, there are a lot of reasons to like it. Fans of soulful white-boy pop looking for more songs to sing in the car will likely swoon, while those with edgier tastes will want to look elsewhere. The band's wide-open approach means that the album is equally wide-open to interpretation, and reactions will largely depend on the mindset of the listener.
After months of rumors, it’s finally official: Max Weinberg won’t be going with Conan O’Brien to Conan’s new show on TBS. Guitarist Jimmy Vivino will be leading the house musicians,
The release of 100 Miles from Memphis was preceded by more buzz than is typical of a Sheryl Crow album, mostly because of the news that it would be a soul album. Though many people were excited, most were skeptical. Whenever talented artists step outside their comfort level to take on a new type of music, the results can be profound (Cat Power’s The Greatest) or disastrous (Chris Cornell’s Scream). Luckily, Crow’s latest effort is an example of the former.
It has been 20 years since the Vaselines have been in the studio to record a new album. Their new recording titled Sex with an X on Sub Pop Records, is worth the wait. The Vaselines may have gone by without many people knowing much about the Scottish duo in the late ‘80’s if Nirvana hadn’t covered their songs that include: “Son Of A Gun”, Molly’s Lips,” and “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam.”
The last time I was due up for Friday Mix Tape I put together a list of rock tunes written in 5. Well, let’s add two more beats to the
