2010

Strange Brew: Stone Brewing Co.

Jeffrey Greenblatt August 18, 2010 No Comments

Welcome to back to Strange Brew our monthly column dedicated to – as you probably have already guessed – beer. Each month, we’ll take a close look at a new or notable brew, or just one we think you should be drinking.

When it comes to big bold aggressive beers there are a few breweries that immediately come to mind, but maybe none that have been doing for as long and as well the Stone Brewing Company. Should you expect anything less from a brewery that uses a menacing gargoyle as their logo and has a beer called Arrogant Bastard?

Found in 1996, the Southern California brewery has built their reputation on around their overtly hoppy offerings, that are not only big in flavor, but size as well – with most of their brews available almost exclusively in 22-ounce bottles. Stone’s produces a diverse selection of year-round beers – highlighted by their flagship Pale Ale and IPA – as well as special limited releases that are perfect for aging, or drinking right away.

This month the fine folks at Stone have sent three of their more unique beers our way for tasting – Old Guardian Barley Wine, Russian Imperial Stout and new collaborative effort with Dogfish Head and Victory called Saison de BUFF.

READ ON for more of this month’s Strange Brew…

Review: Phish @ Alpine Valley, Night Two

Scott Bernstein August 18, 2010 4 Comments

Phish @ Alpine Valley, August 15

Coming off a scorcher on Saturday night it was tough to predict exactly what Phish had in store for the second night of a two-show run at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI. While Saturday’s two-set affair was more of an “anything goes” type of show, Sunday’s gig was more a classic, quintessential Phish show that relied heavily on the band’s best material.

There’s two ways to look at a Tweezer opener – a. it’s a waste since there’s usually little improv in an opener or b. what a statement to start off the show. I’ll go with B. on this occasion as the boys actually did jam it out a bit. Sure, they didn’t explore very much but the Tweezer opener was the first notice that Phish was on top of their game on this night, especially guitarist Trey Anastasio who hit a flurry of peaks with his frenetic riffing. AC/DC Bag kept the collective energy up and gave Red another chance to shine.

With only three plays over the past 11 years On Your Way Down was quite a treat during the first set. This Allen Toussaint tune may have been made popular by Little Feat, but Phish certainly does the tune justice with keyboardist Page McConnell’s powerful vocals and a shredfest by Anastasio at the end. The rest of set one was song based and the quartet nailed nearly everything they touched on this night. David Bowie closed the set with a bang as the Junta tune featured tension and release fireworks leading up to an extended peak.

READ ON for more on Phish @ Alpine Valley…

Intermezzo: Let’s Hangout Some More

Scott Bernstein August 18, 2010 No Comments

The organizers of the Hangout Beach Music and Arts Festival, which took place this past May in Gulf Shores, AL, thought the event was enough of a success that they

Video: Gemma Hayes – Oliver

Ryan Dembinsky August 18, 2010 No Comments

Back in 2008, around the time the lovable Gemma Hayes released The Hollow of Morning, I remember taking a stroll over to the Mercury Lounge on a weeknight by myself

Gov’t Mule: Mulennium

Doug Collette August 18, 2010 No Comments

Mulennium is the first archival project ever released by Gov’t Mule, accurately timed for debut in the general time-frame of the loss of bassist Allen Woody a decade ago. Recorded at the cusp of the millennium on New Year’s Eve 1999-2000, this triple-disc package sounds (splendid) and looks like a blueprint for the band’s music throughout what is now a redoubtable sixteen year stint on the road and in the recording studio.

The Specials – 30th Anniversary Tour

Bob Lange August 18, 2010 No Comments

Thirty years from the release of their 1979 self-titled debut, the Specials are still excited to play and exciting to watch. They’re all in their 50s (some of them in their late 50s) and yet nothing about them (or their three decade old songs) seems old. They’re so tight that it’s hard to imagine that this unit was apart nearly ten times as long as they were together. The crowd, young and old alike, responds appropriately with sing-alongs and non-stop dancing, just as it likely was back in 1979. The sound and video quality is flawless and far exceeds the expectations set by most live films. The highly professional production does all that can possibly be done to capture the essence of this live performance.

Iron Maiden: The Final Frontier

Bob Lange August 18, 2010 No Comments

After waning over the last couple of albums during Bruce Dickinson’s first stint, two ill-conceived releases with Blaze Bayley and a lackluster return for Dickinson on Brave New World, Iron Maiden stormed back to life with their last two albums and an outstanding tour documentary. Perhaps no other band in their third decade could raise such high hopes for a release, particularly after a four year layoff from the studio.

Phish @ Jones Beach, Night One: Setlist

Scott Bernstein August 17, 2010 No Comments

Phish Summer Tour 2010 reached its last stop last night for the first of two shows at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY. Phish made six appearances at the waterfront venue

Wyllys: Representative of the Midwest Tour

Scott Bernstein August 17, 2010 No Comments

DJ and Hidden Track staff member Wade “Wyllys” Wilby has just announced most of the dates for his upcoming Representative of the Midwest Tour. Wade will perform seven times in

Review: Phish @ Alpine Valley, Night One

Scott Bernstein August 17, 2010 3 Comments

Phish @ Alpine Valley, August 14

Phish’s stop at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI this past Saturday and Sunday was setup for success with its placement near the end of the group’s summer tour. The quartet, like most bands, typically gets better with each passing show, so it’s no surprise that the band turned in two sizzling performances at the familiar shed that’s a regular summer stop for them.

[All photos by John Schulze]

Unlike Deer Creek it didn’t take much time for Phish to achieve consistency at Alpine. Coming out with Tube was a strong statement and the band nailed it, though once again the tune came to a close after an all-too-short jam. A tight Oh Kee Pah followed and went into another raging version of Suzy Greenberg in which keyboardist Page McConnell laid down some nasty licks on the Moog. Bassist Mike Gordon – the MVP of the run, the tour and 3.0 for that matter – slapped the living shit out of his bass drawing all sorts of smiles from guitarist Trey Anastasio and cheers from the crowd. The applause was still going as Mike stepped to the mic to sing Funky Bitch.

Not only did this show start with fun and well-placed song selections, the band was tight and wasn’t rushing through tunes. This patience paid dividends in a gorgeous Reba that like most of the rest of the Alpine shows was light on the “whale calls.” Mike and Trey locked in a number of inventive patterns of notes while McConnell layered electric piano underneath and drummer Jon Fishman kept things moving. For the 99.9% of the crowd who weren’t at Charlotte in July, our first Fuck Your Face came next and once folks realized what they were hearing they flipped. Despite only performing Fuck Your Face once since about 1987, the boys delivered a tight and nasty version that featured metal licks from Trey with a crunchy tone reminiscent of his early sound. READ ON for more on Phish @ Alpine Valley…

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