July 2011

Review: Umphrey’s McGee – Red Rocks and Blue II / Boulder Theater

Hidden Track Staff July 6, 2011 3 Comments

Umphrey’s McGee @ Red Rocks (July 3) and Boulder Theater (July 4)

Words: Emily Alderman
Photos: Matthew Speck

While Many bands are blessed with the opportunity to perform at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, very few can fill the vast space with sound and compete with the natural beauty around them. On Sunday night, Umphrey’s McGee easily accomplished this challenge with Jefferson Waful manning the light rig as they returned to the gorgeous venue for the second year of Red Rocks and Blue.

[All photos by Matthew Speck]

Opening the first set with a melodic Jazz Odyssey that filled the amphitheater with sounds that tingled auditory senses and lights that sent chills up your spine, the thousands of fans in attendance got a taste of what they were in for. Umphrey’s started off set one with some classic “jammy” tunes, playing songs such as Bridgeless and Professor Wormbog early in the show, but as the evening progressed they showcased some of their new prog-heavy originals – Puppet Strings, No Comment and Deeper. Even though these newer songs definitely have a different feel to them they still continue to showcase the outstanding musical abilities of the members of Umphrey’s McGee, from the soulful belting vocals of Brendan Bayliss to the rock-god shredding of Jake Cinninger, each member had an opportunity to flaunt their talent in mini solo jams sprinkled throughout the set.

Just as everyone began to become restless from what seemed to be a never-ending set break, Umphrey’s returned for set two with one of their newest songs, Nipple Trix. A composition featuring a slow build up, Nipple Trix almost seemed to be a cue from the band to stand up and stretch out those rock fists to get ready for what they had prepared for us…and oh boy did they have a treat for our rock fists. With special guests Curtis Fowlkes and Jennifer Hill from Easy Star All-Stars on horns, Umphrey’s kept the second set moving with their cover of the Peter Gabriel classic Sledgehammer. As the horns echoed throughout the amphitheatre, the crowd shouted the well-known lyrics and pumped their rock fists.

READ ON for more on Umphrey’s Colorado run…

Video: Company of Thieves – Death of Communication

Ryan Dembinsky July 6, 2011 No Comments

The Chicago-based Company of Thieves keeps their momentum barrel rolling with a new video for Death of Communication, a song that pinpoints both the breakdown of face-to-face communication and the

What Did We Learn: Talking to Girls About Duran Duran

Ryan Dembinsky July 6, 2011 12 Comments

In his latest book, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran, a coming-of-age teen memoir set to the music of Duran Duran, Human League, A Flock of Seagulls, Madonna, Lita Ford, other 80s staples, Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield takes readers through his formative years as a loyal devotee to all things New Wave.

In his acknowledgments, Sheffield mentions in passing, “Cheers to those who who remember it differently – as Paul Westerberg would say, your guess is more or less as bad as mine.” Well, herein lies the reason I had so much fun reading this book – which took all of about three days on vacation last week – I remember these things entirely differently. This is not to say I disagree with the viewpoints, but rather I was too young in the 1980s to really debate the merits or cool or lame, punk or new wave, poseur or not.

In fact, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever even talked in any depth with someone who was really into ’80s music, seeing shows, and actually thinking critically about the genres. It’s relatively simple to stumble upon barstool conversations with hardcore fans of ’70s classic rock with epic sagas of seeing Zeppelin at the Garden, Genesis with Peter Gabriel, the original Wall tour, or infinity Dead shows, but what happened to all the die-hard ’80s music fans? I guess they probably all deny it. Well, Rob Sheffield is one of the few, the proud, the remaining and Talking to Girls about Duran Duran provides an often hilarious look at the ’80s from the perspective of a serious, active fan’s perspective with no shortage of self-deprecating humor.

READ ON for more on Rob Sheffield’s book…

The Globes: Future Self

Chris Calarco July 6, 2011 No Comments

The Globes are from Spokane, WA, not usually thought of as a hotbed for fruitful musical collaboration. Young, having graduated from high school in 2007, band members dedicated themselves to pursuing a musical vision that first expanded into a seven piece orchestral and cinematic unit before contacting to the current quartet. Future Self is their first release and retains a certain murky drama that is both musically complex and emotionally accessible.

M83 Returns For North American Fall Tour

July 6, 2011 No Comments

M83 announces a North American Fall Tour starting in October. Fans can be the first to purchase tickets on the official website – ilovem83.com – starting July 6th, with a

Chromeo Launching Night Falls U.S. Tour

July 6, 2011 No Comments

Chromeo, is announcing a string of 34 new Fall tour dates, aptly titled the ‘Night Falls’ tour, in addition to their many upcoming festival appearances throughout the globe this year.

Peter Case – Musicologist & Renaissance Man

Doug Collette July 6, 2011 No Comments

Peter Case takes nothing for granted, no doubt why he keeps so busy with touring (solo and in collaboration with assorted like-minded musicians), his songwriters workshops, recurring reunions with The Plimsouls and since his recuperation period, the researching of his archives; the first fruits of which are The Case Files collection just out in May. He qualifies as a renaissance man.

Jolie Holland: Pint of Blood

Peter Zimmerman July 6, 2011 No Comments

Frustrating, then, is Holland’s newest work, Pint of Blood. So much of the raw building blocks are present for this to be a superb record. Holland’s voice is in fine form, gliding between thoughts and words, melisma intact, bending and caressing notes to forge them into wholly new beings and shapes. But these songs feel emptier and more hollow than Holland’s previous work.

Glasvegas

Jerry Nunn July 6, 2011 No Comments

The Scottish indie band from Glasgow were formed by cousins James and Rab Allan in 2003. The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas which was released in September 2008, reaching No. 2 in the UK Album Charts and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2009. Rab sat down before their gig at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago to discuss the new album Euphoric///Heartbreak\.

Widespread Panic: Fall Tour Dates – Halloween in Chicago / NYE in Charlotte

Scott Bernstein July 5, 2011 No Comments

With a dreaded “indefinite hiatus” looming around the corner, jam titans Widespread Panic will continue celebrating their 25th anniversary with a lengthy fall tour that hits the Northeast, Midwest and the

View posts by year

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter