Longtime readers of Hidden Track might recall that my favorite Phish song is Harry Hood and my favorite version of that tune was performed on October 20, 1994 at the
The most ambitious archival release of all-time just got a bit more ambitious as the previously announced 60-disc Europe ’72 box set from the Grateful Dead will now contain a fitting 72 discs. Here’s the story…
While we try our hardest for accuracy, we were a bit off in our original count of the CDs included in the Europe ’72 boxed set. Now that we’re rolling full-steam ahead on the mixing and mastering of the boxed set, we’ve decided to not break up any segued jam sequences that took place on the tour to squeeze the longer shows onto 3 CDs per show, nor will we be re-sequencing any shows to make them fit onto 3 CDs. What this means is that several shows will need to be bumped up to 4 CDs per show, resulting in the boxed set now containing 72 CDs, an increase from the 60+ discs we originally told you. No, that number is not a gimmick, it just happened that 72 is where the final tally landed, much to our surprise. Sure hope you don’t mind…
[via Dead.net e-mail]
Europe ’72 running 72 discs thanks to sequencing will go down as one of the crazier coincidences of all-time. Want to hear a sample of a remastered track from the upcoming release? Simply click-through to sign up for a free download of a previously unreleased 11-minute version of Playing In The Band from an April 14, 1972 show in Copenhagen, Denmark…
Kung Fu is a relatively new band, forming in November 2009 out of New Haven, Conn., and pulling together some of the scene’s most talented musicians: Todd Stoops (RAQ) on keys; Tim Palmieri (The Breakfast) on guitar; Rob Somerville (Deep Banana Blackout) on sax; Adrian Tramontano (The Breakfast) on drums and David Livolsi (Jazz is Dead) on bass.
The music is funky yet rocking, jazzy yet soulful. And momentum is building. Kung Fu has sold out shows throughout New England and this year will play at festivals including Mountain Jam, The Big Up and Rock & Roll Resort.
Hidden Track had the chance to chat with Livolsi about how the band’s sound is evolving and where the band is heading. Kung Fu will play a post-Furthur/ABB show March 11 at Sullivan Hall with Brooklyn-based Wounded Buffalo Theory opening.
The following are excerpts:
Hidden Track: Kung Fu is a little more than a year old, but the band’s already landing some nice festivals and selling out shows. What do you think has contributed to the early success?
David Livolsi: Well, you can’t ignore the fact that several of our members have been in popular bands. That does help. But I think the main thing is just the chemistry between all the members in this band. I mean, for some reason, there’s an energy that just works. And I think it just translates.
READ ON for more of Diana’s chat with Dave Livolsi…
Over the years, the producers of Bonnaroo have worked with a number of different providers to broadcast sets from Manchester. This year, video portal Vevo will provide live and on-demand
Medeski, Martin & Wood @ Boulder Theater, March 4
Although it seems like it’s happening more and more, it certainly isn’t every day that a band turns 20. Maybe it’s that we’re getting old, or maybe our music taste is falling behind. Or, maybe (hopefully) the music we listen to has such longevity because the musicians themselves enjoy playing together so much that they couldn’t possibly leave it behind.
[All photos by Matthew Speck]
For Medeski, Martin & Wood at least, it is most definitely the latter, and it’s no fluke they’re still around. Since 1991, MMW has been putting out disc after solid disc of exciting music that has ranged from the avant-garde of Tonic and The Dropper to the experimental electricity of Combustication, collaborations with musical legends like John Scofield and Marshall Allen, and even a kids’ album. And, they continue to maintain their relevancy even today: their track Hey He Hi Ho was chosen for the upcoming release JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology, due out March 29. So, in honor of this 20th anniversary, the trio has taken to the road for a ten-date tour through the month of March.
After spending some time in the Rocky Mountains with shows in Beaver Creek and Aspen, MMW came out for a show just outside those mountains in Boulder, the hometown of bassist Chris Wood. The story is this: the band is taking requests ahead of time, and devising their opening sets based on what the fans want to hear. The second set of each night will honor an old MMW tradition: the shack party, entirely improvised. Even more than usual, there was an added sense of excitement to the pre-show jitters.
READ ON for more on MMW @ the Boulder Theater…
Back in January, we reported that Atlantic City officials were in negotiations to bring a hippie jam fest to deserted Bader Field and today we finally have an announcement of
It’s about time San Francisco disco party duo Sugar & Gold put together a proper video for their addictive hit from last year’s Get Wet! album. The group – which loans
This week, featured columnist Brian Bavosa shares an inside view of the super-intimate taping of My Morning Jacket’s VH1 Storytellers…
On Thursday, February 24th, I was lucky enough to have won a contest that gained me a pair of tickets for the first taping of VH1’s 2011 Storytellers season. The band was none other than My Morning Jacket. The entry required more than just basic info, but actual written responses and potential questions from the fans, which made the entire experience of being one of 30 winners out of thousands and thousands – as the staff told me while waiting on line – extremely memorable. But what I will never forget about this night is the magical and zany world of Jim James (a.k.a. Yim Yames), his space-cadet, yet loveable personality and storytelling, and especially hearing many of band’s biggest songs in a truly intimate, 110 person setting.
[Photo via Blog.VH1.com]
Taking place at the NEP/Metropolis Studios on 106th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan, it was a unique setting for this surreal event. Yes, it was somewhat nerve-racking having to wait on line for hours before entry, but after I settled into my front row seats, directly in front of guitarist Carl Broemel, I realized how I was about to see a band that has easily sold out Radio City and played MSG on New Year’s Eve in a space that seemed fit for a small party. After numerous instructions and camera finagling by VH1, the band entered to thunderous applause around 8PM and played non-stop through the taping for exactly the next two hours. The setlist was vintage MMJ, and even included some nods to their upcoming release, Circuital.
The sense of nervousness amongst band and crowd was further witnessed when James first started telling a story about how he was struck by divine inspiration over a carton of eggs in the early morning and how the sunlight reflected off of them. He seemed to get lost in his childlike, philosophical brain before finally deciding to step away from the mic and play the next track. There were comical moments, especially when James told of the band’s early years and the Brown/Cream colored van that they toured in, and how his Grandmother told him that bars are “dark and lonely places,” a line he eventually used in the song Golden.
READ ON for more from Brian on MMJ Storytellers…
Dave Matthews Band will stage four regional destination festivals this summer under the Dave Matthews Band Caravan banner, the first of which is set for June 24-26 at Bader Field,
