The New Deal remains the sophisticate's choice in livetronica almost in spite of the genre's popularity spike. As much as some newer, greener crews oversaturate the markets in hopes of rising above the pack, the Canadian trio has scaled back its operation since returning from a touring hiatus in 2004.
Fireside Live is loads of fun, as if Joey DeFrancesco or Jimmy Scott traded in the more academic jazz aesthetic (but retained same chops and improvisational proclivities) to front a boozy gospel-rock outfit Ginty’s taken to calling “outlaw gospel.”
John Vanderslice has notched a hot streak of gems, including 2005’s Pixel Revolt. And then there is his techie jones: a tireless and self-professed production geek, as much enamored of a well-kept studio as he is of guitar strums and performance.
Filmmaker Lawrence Shapiro has shot Jam Cruise, Jazzfest, Hydra, Los Lobos, Bonnaroo and Phish’s IT and Coventry. His latest efforts were capturing the essence of Amsterdam’s Jam In The Dam.
Black Wire posted a statement online that it doesn’t need a drummer
As far the Mule Year's Eve run went, this opening night was the meat-and-potatoes end of it: unglamorous and not entirely surprising in setlist, guest list and general delivery.
David Dodd’s initial work with the annotation of Grateful Dead lyrics first involved name checking certain references in “Ramble On Rose” and posting his findings on the Web. Ten years later, his remarkable scholarship has led to an absolutely essential book of the same name, “The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics.”
It’s been a year since Galactic parted ways with Theryl “The Houseman” deClouet and it seems the effusive fivesome is still trying to figure out how to handle vocals and lyrics.
Garcia Plays Dylan doesn’t have the completeness factor of this year’s other marvelous Jerry Garcia estate releases–but it adds another dimension and a different sort of thoroughness those releases can’t, by nature, explore: the connection between two storied musicians as exemplified by one’s tackling of the other’s material in a variety of contexts.
For his first-ever solo band DVD, Betts is in brilliant, loveably raffish form, commanding the latest incarnation of his group, Great Southern, with the panache of a skilled bandleader and heavy-wattage country rock star.
