At a performance at Congress Theatre in Chicago on New Year’s Day, influential Rock & Roll legend Chuck Berry collapsed on stage. According to an official statement on Berry’s website,
In our never ending quest to keep you up to date on the latest and greatest festival news comes the announcement of the initial lineup for Warren Haynes’ Mountain Jam.
Over the summer, we revealed the details surrounding Norah Jones’ fourth studio album The Fall. For her latest record, Jones has traded the piano for electric guitar – an instrument
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.C. Newman & Will Sheff – Lost Coastlines
We’ve already extolled the virtues of former BtN act and NPR’s favorite “smart-rock” band Okkervil River numerous times here on HT. Will Sheff & Co. put on my very favorite
The demise of former ultra-hyped blog buzz band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah may have been a bit exaggerated by the same sources that had previously hailed them. The Brooklyn-based
Earlier this week the HT Staff picked their favorite albums of ’08, when we gathered Around The Barbecue. To continue on our year-end house cleaning, we’ve got another list. Back in early July I dropped my Top 6 Of The First 6 list, and since we’re not ones for traditional Top Ten around these parts I figured I’d revisit that format to round out the year’s releases.
The second half of the year saw releases from a number of my favorite artists, many of which made it on this list. So let’s get to my favorite six albums that were released in the last six months of 2008…
6. Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound
This album was a late discovery for me – despite its July release. I literally picked it up several weeks back after hearing it mentioned on NPR during All Songs Considered’s Year In Music show and haven’t been able to stop listening to it since. Blind Pilot have taken the White Stripes/Black Keys minimalist band model of guitarist and drummer and unplugged it – though live they play with a nine-piece band. The Portland, OR duo’s debut is chocked full of strummy, lush indie-folk that would provide the perfect Sunday morning soundtrack and has helped to cement the Pacific Northwest’s stronghold on producing some of the best albums of the year.
READ ON for Some Dude’s top five releases of the second half of ’08…
When most first heard of Okkervil River through their breakthrough 2005 release Black Sheep Boy, they nodded, but it was soon to be tossed aside The National's Alligator and forgotten by 2007. However, Okkervil front-man Will Sheff wants to be remembered long-term when he ambitiously created his band’s fourth full-length – The Stage Names.
