Later this week some 80,000 music fans will descend into Manchester, TN to see scores of bands, comedians, DJs and more at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which will be
We keep our eyes peeled for new tour dates announcements each week and compile them on Tuesdays for this handy column… Back in 2005, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were
Back in 1969, during the Allman Brothers Band’s first year of existence, New England area promoter Don Law was so impressed with the group’s sets opening for the Velvet Underground
Activist and scene fixture Wavy Gravy will celebrate his 75th birthday in style come May, when he hosts a bi-coastal series of concerts. On May 14, Bob Weir and Mickey
Over the last few years Gregg Allman has battled a string of health problems, which have forced the legendary B3 player off the road for stretches at a time. With
When addressing the musical heritage of New Orleans, one cannot go without mentioning “Mac” Rebennack, famously known as Dr. John. Since hitting it big in the late 60's and 70's with his combination of traditional blues, jazz, zydeco, psychedelia, funk, and rock and roll, the legendary performer has remained an integral figure in the New Orleans music scene.
“When you look at a city, it’s like reading the hopes, aspirations and pride of everyone who built it.” Hugh Newell Jacobsen
Of course what Mr. Jacobsen forgets is that a city is an impolite and imperfect marriage of those aspirations. Who does the city belong to and who owns its cultural heritage, episode three of HBO’s Treme asks. Davis McAlary assumes it belongs to him and the musicians of Treme. That no military police can tell him how to act in front of his house and that his rich white neighbors can’t possibly understand the specific history of the neighborhood and even invokes Trombone Shorty’s name in the discussion.*
*Funny moment: Early in the episode Davis, whom is white, unemployed, a part-time musician and a longtime music snob – i.e. a HIPSTER – is railing against gentrification when it’s an older gay couple, whom he’s (wrongly) assumed have no ties to the area. Later on he’s inspired to sing proudly about the group of strippers that have moved into the neighborhood and even uses the line, “You can call it gentrification, but I call it good!”
The musicians on the other hand, have their own ideas about their place in New Orleans. Delmond Lambreaux suggests that while New Orleans loves its music, it doesn’t have nearly as much love for its musicians and almost begs Trombone Shorty to leave the city for greener pastures in New York or Europe. Even the famous Dr. John, during rehearsals for a benefit at Lincoln Center worries that he’ll be criticized for not presenting the Mardi Gras Indian songs with enough “respect”.
READ ON for more on episode three of HBO’s Treme…
As part of the Guggenheim Museum’s 50th anniversary, Animal Collective have collaborated with artist Danny Perez on a site-specific performance piece that will transform the museum’s rotunda into a “kinetic, psychedelic
Originally, the purpose for The Midnight Rambles at Levon Helm’s Woodstock home-recording studio – otherwise referred to as The Barn – was to serve as a way for the legendary drummer of The Band to recoup money from his mounting medical bills after battling and overcoming throat cancer. Helm’s iconic and unmistakable voice was down to barely a raspy whisper after radiation treatments which forced him into resting his vocal chords.
While he had to rely on his capable band to provide the vocals, Helm was able to return to his signature perch behind his drum kit for what must have provided a cathartic release till he was ultimately able to sing again. Over the years the legend of the Rambles have grown, with everyone from Elvis Costello to Dr. John to Donald Fagen to former bandmate Garth Hudson showing up and sitting in with Levon.
When an invite was extended to head upstate to take in a night at The Barn, as a monster fan of The Band I was salivating at the opportunity to see Levon in such an intimate and undeniably unique setting. Since I couldn’t make it out to Indio for Festival 8, a Halloween Midnight Ramble was the next logical choice. Pulling into the sleepy town of Woodstock in the late afternoon on an overcast and rainy late fall day, we were greeted to a full-on Halloween parade by the locals in the streets of the small downtown area that helped to set the tone and atmosphere for the rest of the evening.
READ ON for more of Jeff’s All Hallow’s Eve experience…
A gorgeous time capsule with a hard beat.
