A new batch of dates for Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble, held at the legendary drummer’s home/studio in Woodstock, NY, has been announced and we’re happy to see moe. score an
Back in October, HT’s Ryan Dembinsky chatted with Bill Nershi and the SCI frontman let it slip that the band was looking into the possibility of throwing its own festival
Priorities change, families have needs and jobs burn energy, so when you can still call your live music diet healthy – that definition’s up to you, friend-o – you’re privileged. As you get older, live music performance becomes no less indispensible. It’s just that you just gotta pick your spots better, right? Or try to, at least?
Here are 15 shows that, for me, stood out from the past twelve months.
1. Another One For Woody, Roseland (NYC), Nov. 22
Benefit shows with pre-determined guests and anticipated, formulated “wow” moments have a way of disappointing. But the best ones – and Another One for Woody was among the two or three best I’ve ever seen – meet expectations and then transcend them through a winning combination of warmth, surprise, thoroughness and dazzling performance.
AOFW had all of that, and then some. You had predictable emotional pushbuttons (Savannah Woody singing on Soulshine) and expected collaborations (I Shall Be Released? Yep. Simple Man? Of course.) But you also had heartfelt stories, had-to-be-there grace notes, blistering jams and a crowd that was totally into it and kept the energy up for nearly six hours. The North Mississippi Allstars duo and Mule were fun, but whoever lit a fire under the Allmans is to be commended; the band was at its strongest since the fabled 2009 Beacon run, blazing through its set and keeping it that way straight through a Whipping Post for the ages. Somewhere, Woody was smilin’.
READ ON for more of Chad’s Fine 15 – Best Shows of 2010…
Jeff Tweedy @ Boulder Theater, January 8
For Jeff Tweedy, the success of a solo performance depends on his audience. He wants to create a moment: during quiet songs he wants silence and during upbeat songs, he’s happy if you sing along. Meanwhile, on stage alongside him are six acoustic guitars and five speakers pointing directly at him. You may think one of two things: 1.) Jeff Tweedy is an asshole, or 2.) Jeff Tweedy loves music, knows music, and cares so much about how he sounds that he wants every note, ever moment, to be perfect. These would be the logical guesses, and it’s nearly impossible to tell which of them, if either, is the right answer.
In honor of the Boulder Theater’s 75th Anniversary, Tweedy played to two sold-out crowds, mostly seated, of college students and young professionals, many in flannel shirts and jeans but a few in dreadlocks and flowing skirts. On the second of these nights some of the most memorable moments came between songs as he joked sarcastically, criticizing the audience from the previous night – “they were horrible people.” For much of the night, at his request, each song was followed by a chorus of boo’s from his adoring fans, who loved him perhaps more, even after he publicly denied them autographs, “Are you the one who wanted me to sign the book for you last night? I won’t sign it for you tonight, either.”
READ ON for more on Jeff Tweedy’s recent Boulder show…
One of the acts that most impressed me on Jam Cruise 9 was Chicago-based rockgrass unit Cornmeal. This group mixes the best elements of bluegrass with a hearty dose of
With the runaway success of the film Once, it’s really no surprise that it would eventually be adapted for the Great White Way. The stage version of the 2006 flick,
White Apple Tree, self proclaimed as “the lovechild of determination and boredom,” is the brainchild of founder Ryan Marshall Lawhon. Originally destined for the NBA, Lawhon quickly switched gears when he was asked to play bass for his local youth group.
The Greenhornes fourth album is cleverly and aptly titled as they return to the retro-garage-psychedelic-pop proceedings that they perfected at the beginning of the millennium. The jangle and aggression have been turned down to focus hardcore on keyboards, simple song structures and trippy blends of sound; all of which are evident on the eastern tempo change mayhem of “Cave Drawings” and the classic soul ringing “Better Off Without It”.
Trey Anastasio announced today a two-week tour opening Friday, February 18th at the newly re-opened State Theater in Portland, ME and closing 15 days later on Saturday, March 5th at
For the first time in nearly a year, there are not any scheduled God Street Wine performances on the calendar. Alas, Lo and Aaron continue to book gigs as an acoustic duo. Next up for the GSW guitarists is an opening set at Brooklyn Bowl on January 19th supporting former God Street Wine multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby and Friends. Also on the agenda for Faber and Maxwell is a show with American Babies, Crosby and James Maddock on January 29th at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ. Tickets are currently available for both shows.
[Photo by Michael Weiss (Nice Shirt, Tomo!)]
If you missed my reviews of God Street Wine’s guest-laden performances on Jam Cruise 9, be sure to check out A Letter to 16-Year-Old ScottyB about the Pool Deck show and Day Four, Pt. 1, which includes my thoughts on the theater set. Plenty of videos have emerged on YouTube from each of the sets and we can look forward to watching the pro-shot footage filmed by the iClips crew in the future.
Here’s some of the best clips we’ve come across…
God Street Wine w/ Anders Osborne – Goodnight Gretchen
READ ON for more GSW videos from Jam Cruise 9…
