Archive: 2011

Guitarist Larry Carlton’s mesmerizing work on Steely Dan’s The Royal Scam is one of the defining characteristics of the LP,  so those attending the Dan’s September 23rd performance are in for a treat as Carlton will sit in as the band performs the classic album. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpSpYoX4x-U[/youtube] The show on the 23rd was originally billed as “21st Century Dan” and […]

Rest assured, this video is here because of the music, not because a member of the band was on a show everyone loves. It’s true, the folk collective Cowboy and Indian is one part celebrity, as Jesse Plemons is best known for his role as Landry on Friday Night Lights, but if Troubled Tracks is […]

Furthur performing at the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia PA 7.23.11.

Another night, another new venue for Phish as the HT faves headed to the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena for the first of two performances in the mountain town. These shows are being webcast on LivePhish.com leading to fans to speculate as to whether the broadcast would have an impact on the band’s performance. Would they play a “greatest hits” show or would they jam? We got a little of each tonight, but certainly more improvisation than the last shows which were webcast – Alpharetta – as the quartet threw down an exceptional 17-minute Light in the second set.

[Unofficial Lake Tahoe Poster by Steve Conroy]

After an uplifting opening segment of Party Time, Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > AC/DC Bag and Mellow Mood kicked off the set, guitarist Trey Anastasio struggled to find his footing in the composed sections of Rift, Punch You In The Eye and Horn. The first Meat of 2011 was an example of how Phish dug deeper into their catalog in the opening stanza as compared to the first three shows of the leg. David Bowie featured the first exploration of the night and was highlighted by a beautiful but short major-key jam. A blazing 46 Days that didn’t stray too far out of the box closed the set.

The second slot in the second set seems to indicate “jam” in the 3.0 formula. This slot has hosted many of the wildest explorations of the era and that was the case again tonight when Light came out of a wild and wooly Gotta Jibboo. Light was used as a springboard to a lengthy trip to the unknown often in 2009 and 2010, but in 2011 its role was for quick and dirty jams. That started to change back in Watkins Glen and Light returned to its former glory tonight. This jam wasn’t a Trey shredfest – all four members made important contributions to keep the psychedelia flowing for over 10 minutes. Page McConnell made ample use of the synthesizers in his arsenal while Anastasio added effect-laden layers to mesh with the rhythm section. At times the jam hinted at Timber Ho and Undermind but the “ripcord” was never pulled. READ ON for the rest of the recap, the setlist, The Skinny, photos, tweets and much more on Phish in Tahoe…

Whether it’s fate, the cosmos or just some huge enigma nobody can quite answer, there are some groups that are beloved, legendary icons in their homeland yet for some reason don’t quite make similar inroads internationally. In Canada you could probably say The Tragically Hip fit that bill and in South Africa, perhaps The Parlotones.

The drive from Austin to Woodstock is over 1,800 miles, but musically, they are much closer together. The Gourds traversed that distance to record their new album ‘Old Mad Joy’ (September 13 / Vanguard Records) at Levon Helm Studios with producer Larry Campbell, marking their major label debut, their first album with an outside producer, […]

Independent music labels were hit hard after rioters in London set fire to a 215,000-square-foot warehouse owned by the Sony Corporation on Monday night, destroying vast amounts of compact discs, vinyl albums and other stock, Reuters and the BBC reported. The fire at the warehouse in the London neighborhood of Enfield started about 11:30 p.m., […]

he line for Friday Nights free show in Greenpoint, Brooklyn stretched far into the steamy night as rain fell in buckets before things got started.  It was a drenching evening in all aspects as the hardcore and punk rock washed over the crowd mixing with the sweltering venue, developing a cauldron of sound and some unfortunate smells.  Ahh puke, sweat and spilled beers…METAL!

Tom Morello is set to release the solo album, World Wide Rebel Songs, on August 30th via New West Records. The 12-track set is the anticipated follow up to the 2008 The Nightwatchman album The Fabled City and was produced by Morello. "It Begins Tonight" is impacting rock/alternative radio now.      World Wide Rebel Songs Track […]

We keep our eyes peeled for new tour dates announcements each week and compile them on Tuesdays for this handy column… As live music junkies we get really excited when our favorite bands reveal a new batch of tour dates, but when two of them decide to team up to hit the road together, it […]

Wow! A recent auction allowing investors to participate in a future funding round may push the valuation of DropBox to $10 Billion. Yes, with a “B”. Billion. That is phenomenal. Not too many companies can boast a market cap anywhere near that. For a tiny company with scant few employees, you’d have to assume that they are doing something right. You’d assume right. DropBox makes it extraordinarily easy to sync documents and files between computers. But what else can it do besides syncing simple items like memos, spreadsheets & pictures from one computer to the next? In this weeks Technology Tuesday we’ll look at some creative ways to use DropBox.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know about DropBox. A small cross-platform program that allows you to sync files easily across any computer as well as mobile devices like Android & iPhone. The “secret sauce” of DropBox is that there is nothing to learn. Syncing is just as easy as dropping files into a folder like you are accustomed to already. Automagically, your files instantly appear on any of your connected devices. No pain. No hassle. On the off chance you have not yet tried DropBox, feel free to sign-up with this referral link (mine, thanks!) Free accounts get 2GB of storage & syncing that can be increased all the way to 8GB with referrals.

he point of this article is not an overall review of DropBox, comparisons with other syncing applications or a discussion about recent security lapses, rather it is to share some pretty cool ways that I use DropBox. While these principles may work perfectly fine on other syncing applications like Wuala, SugarSync, or Allway, I can only speak to DropBox and my two years of use. READ ON for more about ways to use DropBox…

Words and Photos: Gerry Hardy

In the week before the Newport Folk Festival kicked off, the headlines in the music magazines read “Newport Folk Sells Out.”

Oh here we go, the moribund traditionalists are on again about the lineup not being “pure” enough for folk, adulterated this year by interlopers such as rockers Gogol Bordello and Elvis Costello ( both listed as acoustic), Wanda Jackson’s rockabilly, the Decemberists and Delta Spirit.

A closer read revealed that the headlines in fact referred to this year being the first time in its 52-year history that the Festival had sold out, 10,000 tickets for each of the two days. And this was two weeks in advance in a year that saw weak ticket sales nationally for concert events.

All this was due in no small way to Festival producer Jay Sweet and his team’s keen ear, strong musical sense and dedication to making the festival an event that looked both forward and backward. Sweet handpicked 36 acts in a mix that included old timers Ramblin’ Jack Elliot (79) and Earl Scruggs (93) alongside first timers The Civil Wars, Tegan and Sara and Sallieford. Pete Seeger (92) continued his unbroken streak of Festival appearances, sitting in for brief appearances with many of the younger acts.

READ ON for more on the Newport Folk Festival 2011…

Two of my worlds collided last night when Phish unveiled a cover of Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover last night at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA. Surprisingly, drummer Jon Fishman handled the vocals and while he struggled at times singing and playing Steve Gadd’s famous drum line at the same time, […]

Back in 2009 our staff put together a list of 10 Venues Phish Should Play (that they’ve never played at before) and number one on our list was the historic Hollywood Bowl. Tonight, Phish finally made their Hollywood Bowl debut as the second leg of Summer Tour 2011 continues.

For Phish’s first show at the Bowl they leaned on heavy-rotation staples throughout the night. The exception came in the middle of a fierce Weekapaug Groove during the second set, when drummer Jon Fishman made his way towards center stage where a mini-kit was set up. Fish led the band through a debut cover of Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover in which he simulated Steve Gadd’s signature drum part while singing the tune. The jam of the night came out of Piper and explored a number of different spaces quickly before melting into Mike’s Song.

READ ON for the setlist and The Skinny from Hollywood…

here is a constant dynamism at work on Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens. The band will circle back inside a drum break and build up yet again, deconstructing a jam just to hit you harder when the kick drum dive bombs into your chest. As a whole, this body of songs shines with impeccable, dynamic and grounded production, all accomplished at a full-throttle pace. If you’ve ever felt a Biscuit peak hit and responded by thrusting your fist victoriously in the air, this album is for you.

A common thread that can be drawn from any JBT show is the universal connection between the John Butler Trio as a group of musicians and the audience who equally share a passion for the music that is present.  What John Butler brings to every performance is a sacred offering that is unique to the crowd and the energy of that special moment, and Live At Red Rocks is a direct snapshot of that point in time.                  

Gregg Allman has cancelled all of his tour dates through September 14th. Allman –who received a successful liver transplant in 2010 – also yanked some dates on his European tour two months ago due to an upper respiratory condition. "His doctor hoped that with rest, he’d get better, but unfortunately the issue has persisted," his […]

Portugal. The Man unfortunately got their van, trailer and gear stolen while at Lollapalooza this weekend. This is literally the band’s livelihood so if anyone has any information or if you see anything, please contacts them or the police immediately. Be on the lookout for a Red Ford Van with a black trailer with Alaska […]

Looks like come this October, we will be enjoying some new fuzzed out power-pop tunes from Florida’s Surfer Blood. Tarot Classics will be Blood’s follow-up to 2010’s Astro Coast and will hold four new tunes. There will also be bonus remixes from Speculator, School of Seven Bells, Allen Blickle (of Baroness) and Totally Sincere. The […]

The Flaming Lips is the latest band to have their stage collapse on them. The band was slotted to play Tulsa’s Brady Block Party on Sunday when hard rain and fierce winds began, forcing the crew to cut off electricity. Tarps meant to protect equipment began flying off and in a short time, the large […]