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minimix: Friday FB singalong primer

2012-01-20T09:07:00.002-05:00

Hitting the Ball tonight? Psyched for PtM but slightly unfamiliar with their material? One of the reasons I love this band is that yes, they rage very hard, but almost every one of their songs has a great hook and so there's almost always a chorus or a coda or whole song worth of singalong opportunities. Here are 6 songs over their catalog that you will likely hear tonight. Bone up and you'll be ready to belt 'em out when the time comes:

http://open.spotify.com/user/neddyo/playlist/42avfpkyvHSU69knC05bKD

01 Got It All
02 People Say
03 AKA M80 The Wolf
04 1989
05 The Sun
06 Sleep Forever

2011:: Favorite Shows

2012-01-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

2011 was an insanely good year for me seeing live music. The quantity was a bit ridiculous, having clocked in at over 100 shows... not bad for an old man with two kids and an average hour trip into the city. But still, don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing, and the quality of the music I saw was what really made it a "best ever" year for me seeing music. Got to cross a bunch of live music experiences off my bucket list (e.g. Prince, Midnight Ramble with Levon Helm, Yo La Tengo Hanukkah show, Radiohead in a club...), saw a bunch of brand new (or brand new to me) music that really inspired and saw pretty much every band on my "favorite/gotta see" list at least once and in many cases multiple times. It was a very good year, I consider myself blessed.

The stats:
170 bands seen
102 shows
84 nights(or days) out
43 different venues

Here are my favorite shows of the year using some sort of inexplicable ranking system, although I had a blast at pretty much 90% of the shows I saw, literally.

Thanks to all those that helped make my year in live music possible:

Masada Marathon @ NYC Opera 3/30/2011: It's hard to explain really what Masada is, but if you wanted to find out, going to this show would have done the trick. Twelve different groups playing music from essentially the same songbook over the widest range of genres & styles imaginable. Nearly every ensemble was great and the result was a very special evening of music in a very special room.
LCD Soundsystem @ Madison Square Garden 4/2/2011: I saw a lot of "epic proprtions" kind of shows this year, but this was the epic-est of them all. I've heard of going out in style, but this was ridiculous and ridiculously fun. Midway through this night I tweeted "I love live music! I love live music! I love live music!" It was that kind of night. Luckily snagged a ticket during presale on my mobile while sitting in a doctor's office waiting room. It was that kind of year. So glad I was there. (funny how this was just a few days after show #1).
Phish @ Superball IX Watkins Glen 7/3/2011: There was a definite "go big" theme to my year and Phish's "go big" festival event is always a treat. Wasn't even planning on hitting this one until things fell into place and I had low-to-no expectations going in. Thankfully they delivered with a show that spanned their repertoire new and old, featured killer jams and seemed to go on and on and on, as my smile grew bigger and bigger and bigger. Can't believe how much I still love this band.
Portugal. The Man @ TLA Philly 10/23; Terminal 5 10/20; Westcott Theater 5/28; Studio @ Webster Hall 6/6 et al: I saw Portugal. The Man six (6) times this year and they pretty much blew me away each and every time. All the shows had their own distinct feel to them and each one was special to me. P.tM had a very special 2011 and I'm overjoyed I got to share it with them. Their live show is an intense, singular experience and I'm itching at the chance to put another show on my calendar in 2012... can't come soon enough. Terminal 5 review.
My Morning Jacket @ Madison Square Garden 12/14/2011: Speaking of epic, MMJ knows how to rise to the occasion and the show they put on at MSG a couple weeks ago is still ringing in the ears of my soul. Easily the best My Morning Jacket show I've seen in 8+ years of seeing them. My review is here.
Radiohead @ Roseland Ballroom 9/29/2011: Through some I'm-an-idiot circumstances, my wife and I missed a Radiohead MSG show on our anniversary last time they were in town. Again, through some amazing Ticketmaster luck, I was able to rectify my mistake and, babysitting secured, treat the two of us to a spectacular show. There really are few bands better.
The Bad Plus @ Village Vanguard 1/1/2011: It was the first day of the year, the first show of the year and 364 days later, few sets of music I saw were better. I've seen the Bad Plus more times than even I can believe, but this was one of their best. Shaking off the cobwebs of the NYE show the night before, they were in fine, free-flowing form. These three rarely disappoint & almost always inspire, but this night was a step above.
Gillian Welch/David Rawlings @ Beacon Theater 10/22/2011: A big stage, completely barren save for a man and wife, a couple microphones and a guitar each. From this simple set-up, some of the tastiest, most soul-enriching music you could ever imagine was spun. When it comes to Americana, the conversation for me begins and ends with these two and they outdid themselves on this night, two sets of magic spent with some of my favorite people in the world.
Anders Osborne @ Sullivan Hall 1/1/2011: Technically, this show happened in this year, a late night, face melting rage. Sometimes you're just in the mood to watch a guitar get abused by someone with complete mastery over his instrument and Anders was in an otherworldly zone the entire set.
Newport Folk Festival @ Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI 7/30 & 31/2011, : A year of live music just ain't complete without a good, old fashioned binge of music at a festival and you could do a lot worse than Newport. New discoveries, old favorites, Gillian Welch, great weather and an unbeatable vibe. Already pretty sure I'll be missing this in 2012 and already pretty bummed about it.
Broken Social Scene Terminal 5, 1/18/2011: If my 12 BSS show was my last, so be it, they were amazing once again.
Gary Clark Jr @ Mercury Lounge, 12/13/2011: Shows at Mercury Lounge are almost always a treat -- you always just get the feel of something real of rock and roll happening the way it was intended. And every once in a while there's a little magic and you get to see the music before it's the music. That was definitely the feeling in the Merc for this show as Gary Clark Jr announced his arrival with a blistering set of music that shook my musical world for certainly several years to come. My review.
Freak's Ball XI @ Brooklyn Bowl, 2/2/2011: C'mon, you knew this was gonna be on the list, right? Easily the most fun of my year every year. Personal faves El Ten Eleven, gobs of Scott F'in Metzger, a room full of friendly faces and, oh, what a beautiful buzz!
Levon Helm Band/Steven Bernstein's MTO @ Midnight Ramble, Woodstock, NY 12/10/2011: Sometimes you get to go to a show and it doesn't really matter how good the music is. This was one of those nights. A very special experience and a nice juicy line through another item on the bucket list... also the music was pretty good, especially that opening set. Made me feel lucky to see music in NYC even though it wasn't in the city.
White Denim @ Bowery Ballroom 6/25/2011: White Denim went from a band I really, really loved to a band on "the list." An amazing album to top their previous amazing album and a live show that was even better than the last time they blew me away. The White Denim train is leaving the station and believe me, it's gonna be as good a time as you can imagine, don't get caught without a seat. One of the best damn live bands out there. My review.

Honorable mention:

12/31/2011 Phish

3/19/2011 Anders Osborne

4/24/2011 Grails

8/19/2011 Burnham, Martin, Wood, Mr Rourke

10/29/2011 Medeski, Martin & Wood/Antibalas

6/24/2011 The Badwagon (The Bad Plus + Jason Moran Bandwagon)

12/6/2011 Scheinman/Frisell/Blade

9/19/2011 Tune-Yards

8/5/2011 Medeski, Martin & Wood et al

11/26/2011 The Musical Box

9/19/2011 The Bad Plus

4/11/2011 Toro Y Moi/Braids

2/7/2011 Prince

10/12/2011 Trey Anastasio

9/13/2011 Fruit Bats/Vetiver

12/30/2011 Phish

8/11/2011 Bustle In Your Hedgerow

9/25/2011 Steve Malkmus & the Jicks

11/8/2011 The Sea and Cake/Brokeback

11/19/2011 Tinariwen

4/9/2011 Bardo Pond

3/6/2011 Middle Brother/Deer Tick/Dawes

5/25/2011 Bright Light Social Hour/Black Taxi

12/11/2011 The War on Drugs

2/9/2011 Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea

4/6/2011 Widespread Panic (1; 114)

10/13/2011 Iron and Wine

8/5/2011 El Ten Eleven

8/16/2011 Mischief & Mayhem

10/1/2011 Black Taxi/Bright Light Social Hour

3/15/2011 Godspeed You! Black Emperor

2/26/2011 Galactic/Trombone Shorty/High & Mighty Brass Band

1/15/2011 The Punch Brothers

7/29/2011 Deer Tick/Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside

3/29/2011 The Dears

5/15/2011 Yellowbirds/Wolf!

7/15/2011 The Slip/Well-Dressed Groomsmen

7/14/2011 The Slip

11/23/2011 A.A. Bondy/Golden Leaves

1/24/2011 The Decemberists/Wye Oak

9/24/2011 Megafaun/Doug Paisley

11/13/2011 Manchester Orchestra/White Denim

10/18/2011 Wild Flag/Eleanor Friedberger

12/1/2011 J Roddy Walston & the Business

12/3/2011 George Porter & the Runnin' Pardners

11/2/2011 Feist/Happiness Project

12/3/2011 Charles Bradley & the Extraordinaires

12/21/2011 Yo La Tengo/Spent

12/13/2011 Wolf!/Jim Campilongo Trio

4/29/2011 Holy Ghost!

5/12/2011 John Vanderslice

2011:: Favorite Albums

2011-12-28T14:51:00.003-05:00

All told, I probably listened to about 400 albums in 2011. Tough to pick favorites, but here it goes nonetheless. Don't pretend these are the "best" just my favorites, subject to change as quickly as tomorrow. Plenty of great stuff that didn't make the cut.

As in the past, grouping them together...

The top ten (in alphabetical order):

Blitzen Trapper -- American Goldwing
After a bit of a dud (in my opinion) with "Destroyer of the Void," BT is back in fine "Furr" form with this release. As perfect a rock and roll album as I've heard this year.

Danger Mouse -- Rome

Growing up, the Good the Bad and the Ugly was one of my favorite movies, due, in no small part, to the soundtrack (which I also owned). Here producer extraordinaire and Daniele Luppi recreate and update the feel of those old Morricone soundtracks perfectly. With sweeping cinematic instrumental tracks and terrific vocal contributions from heavyweights Jack White and Norah Jones, Rome is a soundtrack to a movie we can only wish existed.

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

Either you find Colin Meloy & Co. to be a bunch of pretentious Portlanders or you can't get enough of them. Chalk me up for the latter column and their latest release proves to me why. They've been all over the place lately, but this finds the band firmly in the Americana business with superlative songwriting and crisp acoustic instrumentation.

Bill Frisell -- All We Are Saying...

Hands down my favorite jazz album of the year. Frisell is a constant, usually pumping out 2 or 3 amazing albums a year and contributing to a few others. This record is all John Lennon covers performed to perfection by an all-star cast of Frisell regulars: Jenny Scheinman, Greg Leisz, Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson. As with any great album of covers, some are true to form while others take the source material as a launching point for further exploration. The instrumentation -- Frisell's dreamy guitar, Scheinman's violin, Leisz's pedal steel -- feels like it's built specifically for my ears. If you take my advice to listen to just ONE track this year, their take on "Across the Universe" is the single best thing I've heard in 2011.

Fruit Bats -- Tripper

Something about this album just makes me happy. I'm usually not at a loss for adjectives and metaphors to describe the music I love, but the phrase I keep coming back to with this one is "good music." Just well-conceived and wonderfully crafted pop rock music. Highly recommended.

Portugal. The Man -- In the Mountain in the Cloud

What can I say, I'm obsessed with Portugal. The Man. With good reason, they've popped out a "best of year" album almost like clockwork and this year was no different. Impossibly matching radio-friendly hooks with dense, psychedelic production ready-made for jamming in the live show, PtM proved that they are, indeed, at the top of their game. As fresh as exciting on the 100th listen as the first... take it from me.

Smith Westerns -- Dye It Blonde
Sure, it's derivative as hell, but if you're gonna rip off a sound you a) should choose some damn good music to copy and b) do a damn good job pulling it off. Smith Westerns may sound like some bastard child of T Rex and Mott the Hoople, but don't it just sound so good? Rock and roll at its finest and the songs are just so great. Loved it from first listen and hasn't gotten stale yet.

Gillian Welch -- The Harrow and the Harvest

Dear Gillian, take as much time as you'd like between albums, if they're going to be this f'in good, I'll wait 20 years if I have to.... Welch & her soulmate David Rawlings have done it again. Timeless. Simple. Pure. Amazing. If I were a musician I would probably hate these two for making it look so damn easy. Either you love this album or you have no soul.

White Denim - D

Edging their way into my obsessive can't-get-enough nature this year was White Denim. I've devoured their past output, but with "D" they've taken a leap into don't-miss territory. Jambands as we knew and loved them may be dead, but as long as bands like White Denim exist, that itch will continue to be scratched. Somehow combining the technical dexterity of Yes with the soulful southern jam of the Allmans or WSP, White Denim may very well be the best thing going these days.

Yellowbirds -- The Color

Here's what I wrote for Hidden Track about the Yellowbirds album: "Their biggest fans would contest that the now-dormant Apollo Sunshine was a band ahead of its time, but AS guitarist Sam Cohen’s new project, Yellowbirds is decidedly *of* the here and now. Cohen doubles as a visual artist with a focus on collage, which is no surprise because every track on Yellowbirds’ debut album, The Color, is a meticulously crafted collage of sounds. Psychedelic reverberating guitar and echoing harmonized vocals swirl with organ and otherworldly autoharp to beef up the already strong set of material Cohen brought to the studio. The result is a keep-hitting-repeat experience where every listen brings about new discoveries and details. We’ve heard of a phoenix rising from the ashes, we just never knew that the bird was yellow."

Just one notch below (albums 11-25 in alphabetical order)

The Dears -- Degeneration Street

Deerhoof -- Deerhoof vs. Evil
Eulogies -- Tear the Fences Down
Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues
Eleanor Friedberger -- Last Summer
Grails -- Deep Politics
The Head and the Heart -- The Head and the Heart
Iron & Wine -- Kiss Each Other Clean

Buddy Miller -- The Majestic Silver Strings

Stephen Malkmus -- Mirror Traffic
My Morning Jacket -- Circuital

Real Estate -- Days
TuNe-YaRdS -- WHOKILL
Toro Y Moi -- Underneath the Pine
Woods -- Sun and Shade

Honorable Mention
Bardo Pond -- Bardo Pond
The Barr Brothers -- The Barr Brothers
Battles -- Gloss Drop
Beastie Boys -- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
A. A. Bondy -- Believers
Brett Dennen -- Loverboy
The Dodos -- No Color
Elbow -- Build a Rocket Boys!
Holy Ghost -- Holy Ghost!
Joan As Police Woman -- The Deep Field
Megafaun -- Megafaun
Middle Brother -- Middle Brother
Radiohead -- The King of Limbs
Gruff Rhys -- Hotel Shampoo
Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations -- Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations
Bob Schneider -- A Perfect Day

Andy Statman -- Old Brookly
Tea Leaf Green -- Radio Tragedy

Tedeschi Trucks Band -- Revelator
Thao & Mirah -- s/t
Chris Thile & Michael Daves -- Sleep With One Eye Open
Unknown Mortal Orchestra -- Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Vetiver -- The Errant Charm
John Zorn -- Nova Express

Finally, sometimes it doesn't take a full album to make a statement.

My 12 favorite EP's of the year

1. Broken Bells -- Meyrin Fields
  Carolina Chocolate Drops/Luminescent Orchestrii
  Gary Clark Jr -- The Bright Lights EP
  Collections of Colonies of Bees -- Giving
  The Decemberists -- Long Live the King
  Here We Go Magic -- The January EP
  Junip -- In Every Direction/Without You
  The Sea and Cake -- The Moonlight Butterfly
  Superhuman Happiness -- The Physical EP
  Typhoon -- A New Kind of House
  Kurt Vile -- So Outta Reach
  White Denim -- Take Place in Your Work Space

2011:: Favorite Artist of the Year

2011-12-28T10:47:00.002-05:00

(photo stolen from Scott Bernstein)

Once again, having a little fun with my year-end retrospective and picking a band or musician who had a big year with respect to my personal music-going and music listening.

Last year's pick was Jim James.
2009 = Portugal. The Man
2008 = Apollo Sunshine
2000's rundown

Having been lucky enough to see and hear so much music in 2011, there were plenty of good choices to pick from. If I was being true to myself, Portugal. The Man would be the pick (saw them 6 freakin' times and one of my favorite albums of the year), but they were my favorite in 2009, and c'mon, no repeats! Other worthy picks could easily have been White Denim (blew me away live twice, top 10 album of the year and a pretty sweet EP taboot) or even the Middle Brother/Dawes/Deer Tick/Delta Spirit family which had multiple great albums and shows throughout the year.

When it comes down to it, though, I decided to get a little historical, risk whatever indie cred I have and go with Medeski, Martin and Wood who celebrated their 20th year in existence with a superlative year of making music. Whether as a trio or in random other configurations, it seemed barely a month in 2011 went by without the opportunity to see some sort of project involving multiple members of MMW. Alas, I saw only a tiny fraction of them, but every time it was something special, whether it was an August resideNYC(TM) in the cool, intimate Whitney Museum space or a big MMW+Anitbalas Halloween blowout in Terminal 5.

Personally, I saw:

an awesome mini-set from Medeski, Martin & Dunn (Trevor Dunn) playing as part of the John Zorn Masada fest at the NYC Opera
MMW at the Whitney, one set with the master musicians of Jajouka and another with John Scofield
a second night at the Whitney with BMW + Mr Rourke (Charlie Burnham, Medeski and Wood).
that awesome Halloween show at Terminal 5. Review here.

All of these were amazingly groovy, mind+body music sets. I loved every note. But, again, this was just a small taste of what these guys did this year. NYC taper extraordinaire, Scott Bernstein (@scott_bernstein) captured so much of their output this year, it'd take you a month just to digest it all:

(a flavor in reverse chronological order, click on links for downloads)

12/11 John Medeski sitting in with Club D'Elf
12/2 Mago & Wicked Knee @ Helsinki Hudson
12/1 Mago & Wicked Knee @ Le Poisson Rouge
10/29 MMW + Antibalas @ Terminal 5
8/26 MMW w/ DJ Logic @ Whitney Museum
8/19 Martin/Wood/Burnham/Mr Rourke @ Whitney Museum
8/16 Wood Brothers @ City Winery
8/5 MMW + Scofield @ Whitney Museum
6/11 MMW @ Summerstage
5/11 Wicked Knee @ Sullivan Hall

The trio didn't release an album proper this year, but instead doled out a few (FREE!) 20th anniversary tracks at a time, which included every kind of music you might expect from MMW -- from DJ Olive remixes, to can't-get-no-funkier jams; from total sonic noise jams to (nearly)straight jazz... so that by the end of the year there essentially was a full album of music to enjoy. Not to mention a great new Wood Brothers album and a Medeski, Martin, Wood and Scofield live release.

There were a lot of great acts that kinda owned 2011, but through my eyes, having done it for so long, it's amazing and awe-inspiring how much Medeski, Martin & Wood owned their 20th year.

2011 Year End Mixes: #4 Sunburn Summer

2011-12-21T18:53:00.000-05:00

Happy end-of-year!

I'll be doing 4 mixes of tunes for some of my favorite music from 2011, each playlist will be a triple-strength minimix = 18 tracks, not necessarily the "best" music, but stuff I enjoyed this year and hopefully you will too. Some of these were on minimixes throughout the year, but most were not.

Split a year into 4 parts and you get four seasons, so that's how we'll do it. One a day thru Friday.

The first mix was Fall Folk
The second mix was Winter Women
The third mix was Psych Spring

Today's mix is Sunburn Summer

Enjoy!

Stream at:
Spotify
Rhapsody

Sunburn Summer:
01 At The Farm -- White Denim
02 End of the Night -- Smith Westerns
03 Lonely Boy -- The Black Keys
04 Bright Lights -- Gary Clark Jr.
05 Intimate Debris -- Eulogies
06 High Ideals -- Elbow
07 Tangie and Ray -- Fruit Bats
08 Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now) -- Portugal. The Man
09 Windows -- Broken Bells
10 Gmyl -- Superhuman Happiness
11 Fine Fine -- Josh Rouse
12 Monkeys Uptown -- Iron and Wine
13 Easy To Be Your Lover -- Tea Leaf Green
14 Booty City -- Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
15 Say My Name -- Holy Ghost
16 Stubborn Comfort -- Medeski, Martin and Wood
17 Tongue Tied -- Grouplove
18 Holdin on to Black Metal -- My Morning Jacket

2011 Favorite Albums mix (Spotify)
2011 CD Pick of the Week mix (Spotify)
2011 minimixes

2011 Year End Mixes: #3 Psych Spring

2011-12-21T18:45:00.000-05:00

Happy end-of-year!

I'll be doing 4 mixes of tunes for some of my favorite music from 2011, each playlist will be a triple-strength minimix = 18 tracks, not necessarily the "best" music, but stuff I enjoyed this year and hopefully you will too. Some of these were on minimixes throughout the year, but most were not.

Split a year into 4 parts and you get four seasons, so that's how we'll do it. One a day thru Friday.

The first mix was Fall Folk
The second mix was Winter Women

Today's mix is "Psych Spring"

Enjoy!

Stream at:
Spotify
Rhapsody

Psych Spring:
01 Real Slow -- Megafaun
02 Pushing Onlys -- Woods
03 Covers -- The Sea and Cake
04 The Rest of My Life -- Yellowbirds
05 Cowboys In The Void -- Quilt
06 Thought Ballune -- Unknown Mortal Orchestra
07 Ice Cream (Featuring Matias Aguayo) -- Battles
08 Tulip -- Here We Go Magic
09 City Reprise #12 -- The War On Drugs
10 Christopher Columbus -- Gruff Rhys
11 It's Real -- Real Estate
12 Society Is My Friend -- Kurt Vile
13 Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie -- Buddy Miller w/ Marc Ribot
14 Give Up the Ghost -- Radiohead
15 Without You -- Junip
16 It's Beyond Me -- Vetiver
17 Across the Universe -- Bill Frisell
18 Outro -- M83

2011 Favorite Albums mix (Spotify)
2011 CD Pick of the Week mix (Spotify)
2011 minimixes

2011 Year End Mixes: #2 Winter Women

2011-12-21T09:27:00.001-05:00

Happy end-of-year!

I'll be doing 4 mixes of tunes for some of my favorite music from 2011, each playlist will be a triple-strength minimix = 18 tracks, not necessarily the "best" music, but stuff I enjoyed this year and
hopefully you will too. Some of these were on minimixes throughout theyear, but most were not.

Split a year into 4 parts and you get four seasons, so that's how we'll do it. One a day for the next 3 days.

The first mix was Fall Folk

Today's mix is Winter Women

Enjoy!

Stream at:
Spotify
Rhapsody

Winter Women:
01 My Country -- tUnE-yArDs
02 Go Outside -- Cults
03 Skipping Stones -- Mia Doi Todd
04 The Bad In Each Other -- Feist
05 Scenes from Bensonhurst -- Eleanor Friedberger
06 Write Me a Letter -- Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside
07 Damn Love Song -- Amy LaVere
08 My Baby Don't Lie -- Nicole Atkins
09 Pleasuring The Divine -- Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter
10 Black -- Danger Mouse feat. Norah Jones
11 Lemonade -- Braids
12 The Magic -- Joan As Police Woman
13 Learning to Ride -- Caitlin Rose
14 Annabelle Lee -- Sarah Jarosz
15 Love is Won -- Lia Ices
16 Eleven -- Thao & Mirah
17 King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O -- Laura Veirs
18 Shelter -- Tedeschi Trucks Band

Links:
2011 minimixes
2011 favorite albums mix (Spotify)
2011 CD Pick of the Week mix (Spotify)

2011 Year End Mixes: #1 Fall Folk

2011-12-20T10:11:00.000-05:00

Happy end-of-year!

I'll be doing 4 mixes of tunes for some of my favorite music from 2011, each playlist will be a triple-strength minimix = 18 tracks, not necessarily the "best" music, but stuff I enjoyed this year and hopefully you will too. Some of these were on minimixes throughout the year, but most were not.

Split a year into 4 parts and you get four seasons, so that's how we'll do it. One a day for the next 4 days.

The first mix is Fall Folk.

Enjoy!

Stream at:
Spotify:
Rhapsody:

Links:
2011 minimixes
2011 favorite albums mix (Spotify)
2011 CD Pick of the Week mix (Spotify)

Fall Folk:
01 Battery Kinzie -- Fleet Foxes
02 Million Dollar Bill -- Middle Brother
03 Ashes & Fire -- Ryan Adams
04 On My Knees -- Seryn
05 Ookpik Waltz -- Chris Thile
06 Dust Bowl Children -- Alison Krauss
07 Old Mythologies -- The Barr Brothers
08 Drmz -- A. A. Bondy
09 Bottle In My Hand -- Hayes Carll
10 Undercover Dad -- Jonny Corndawg
11 Eitan And Zaidy -- Andy Statman
12 Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes -- Ollabelle
13 Saw You First -- Givers
14 Hospital -- The Roadside Graves
15 Ghosts -- The Head and the Heart
16 Robin Egg Blue -- Cass McCombs
17 Molly-O -- Steve Earle
18 Rise To Me -- The Decemberists

minimix: Archival2011

2011-12-16T12:29:00.002-05:00

Here are some tracks from new archival releases, newish, old and really old, for your rocking weekend. Year-end mixes forthcoming

Enjoy!

Spotify:
Rhapsody

01 Playing In The Band -- The Grateful Dead
02 Chest Fever -- Levon Helm
03 War / No More Trouble -- Bob Marley
04 Black-Eyed Katy -- Phish
05 Boban (Mere Yaara Dildara) -- Galactic
06 Spanish Castle Magic -- Jimi Hendrix

minimix: RandomFaves2011.4

2011-12-08T19:08:00.001-05:00

More music for your weekend.

Enjoy!

All the minimixes that ever were
Spotify
Rhapsody
RandomFaves2011.1
RandomFaves2011.2
RandomFaves2011.3

01 Tongue Tied -- Grouplove
02 Minah Bird -- My Sad Captains
03 Lost & Lewd -- Quilt
04 Te Amo -- Atlas Sound
05 Untitled -- Seryn
06 Bright Lights -- Gary Clark Jr.

minimix: RandomFaves2011.3

2011-12-02T11:49:00.001-05:00

Enjoy! Probably the next mixes will be year-end mega-mix style, but we'll see...

Spotify
Rhapsody
RandomFaves2011.1
RandomFaves2011.2

01 Shanghai Cigarettes -- Caitlin Rose
02 Row Jimmy -- The Decemberists
03 Back Alley Blues -- The Deep Dark Woods
04 Amplifiers -- Atlas Sound
05 No Real Reason -- White Denim
06 Just A Song -- Girls

minimix: Instrumental2011.2

2011-11-23T08:39:00.001-05:00

A few days early for your travel & holiday listening.

Enjoy!

Spotify:
Rhapsody:
Instrumental2011.1

01 Old Brooklyn -- Andy Statman
02 Weight Of Cancer -- Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter
03 Succubus -- Uri Caine
04 Black Wall Street -- Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
05 At The Farm -- White Denim
06 Less is Moi -- Stuart Duncan

minimix: Instrumental2011.1

2011-11-17T21:58:00.001-05:00

Sucker for instrumental music of all stripes.

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 The Gambling Priest -- Danger Mouse
02 Chimera -- Talkdemonic
03 Kinder Blumen -- Real Estate
04 Etude -- The New Gary Burton Quartet
05 Scotch and Milk -- Andrew Bird
06 Schiphol -- Russian Circles

Nedstalgia: 10 Years Ago

2011-11-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

A few days late, but just realized that 10 years ago this past Sunday I saw Michael Houser play for the last time. Not coincidentally, it was the last time that I got utterly blissed-out to Widespread Panic. For those reasons and more (like the show was in my hometown and I got to take my dad with me) this remains one of my favorite shows. It also marks the last time I wrote a terrifically long review of a Panic show (thank God I didn't have Twitter back then). Somehow I used to have time to write these things. I stand by it all, particularly the Ride Me High which is Michael Houser at his all-time finest. Here, unedited in all its glory is my review of the show.

You can listen to it here

Before last night, Widespread Panic has played Syracuse, NY one other
time in their 16 year existence - 10 July 1992 as part of the inaugural
HORDE tour. That happens to be the first time I saw Panic play and I was
almost immediately hooked. Nine and a half years later and almost a
hundred shows under my belt, the band decided to return to the town where
I was born and raised. Tuesday night or not - there was no way I was
missing this show.

The plan was to drive up Tuesday afternoon, chow some grub, catch what
was sure to be one of those mid-week sleepers and head back to NYC
directly thereafter. This was pretty much the same plan that backfired on
me in almost every way back in February (see:
http://jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=931) but I am not discouraged
that easily.

Let's get straight to the show:

Widespread Panic
Landmark Theater, Syracuse, NY, 6 November 2001
Set I: Little Lilly >> Walkin' > Henry Parsons Died, Do What You Like >
The Last Straw > Sleeping Man, Ride Me High >> C. Brown, Imitation
Leather Shoes
Set II: Travelin' Light, Old Neighborhood, Cynic, Porch Song, Party At Your
Mama's House >> Stop Breakin' Down Blues > Drums > Stop-Go, And It
Stoned Me, Conrad
E: Me And The Devil Blues > Mr. Soul
['Voodoo Chile' tease by Dave after 'Drums'; 'Three Little Birds' and 'Body
And Soul' raps by JB during 'Stop-Go']

Oh yeah, welcome to the 'Cuse boys. Great, dare I say raucous (for the
Northeast-outside-of-NYC, at least), crowd tucked into the Theater on a
crisp but snow-free evening in Central New York.

The show started with Little Lilly. My second in two shows, but still a song
that I dig on. One thing of note from right out of the gates was the supreme
quality of the sound in the room. Thankfully, this would continue all night
and besides a few random and inexplicable whines from the PA I have
nothing but kudos for the sound crew.

Lilly > Walking > Parsons is standard setlist fare, but there are two sides
to the Panic coin - playing on one and setlist on the other. And I can safely
say that the playing was dead-on near perfect. Schools seemed especially
energized from the get-go with plenty of added fills and frills to bounce the
music along. The band warmed up nicely and was tight as you could ask
for. Solid, if not inauspicious, start.

Right when the set needed that transition to silliness, it came just-as-
ordered in the form of the opening sway of Do What You Like. I was
especially psyched to hear this rare cover since I had my dad standing next
to me taking in his first Widespread experience and him playing his original
Blind Faith vinyl for me years ago is a clear cut mile post in my musical
education. Luckily for the both of us, this version of DWYL was as good as
I've heard. JB, who is prone to miss or foul up lyrics in this tune especially,
nailed them all with that serious soul that pops up in force every few shows.
This show was all about John Bell "feeling it," so to speak and this was the
first indication as to how deep into his belly his vocal chords would be
reaching Tuesday night. Do What You Like has a simple, repetitive nature
that builds subtly in intensity and the band was lock-step the whole way
through. As the music wound around the theme over and over Houser and
Jojo traded solos until finally the band grew out of the song's foundation.
Like that moment in E.T. when Elliot separates from the little space dude,
the band suddenly broke stride and entered a monstrous jam where each
member seemed to do what they liked. A driving morass of sound that was
both noise and music was the first departure from straightforward rock and
roll for the show and blistered my brain with its intensity. Schools took over
with scintillating fingering of his bass until the jam finally hit a familiar
theme.

Here Schools and Jojo gave a nod to each other as the opening notes to
Last Straw were heard. Each member of the band came back in as
Schools rang the dinner bell to summon back his family for supper. One by
one they fell into Last Straw in what had the potential to be one of the
better segues I've ever seen. My mind was about to flip over as I
contemplated how they were pulling it off so smoothly when it became
apparent that Todd wasn't on track for some reason. He ended up killing
the buzz by shuffling back to the droning DWYL beat and the band could
do nothing but comply with his wishes. JB artfully brought back the "do
what you like" chanting which smoothed out the creases in the cloth. They
brought it down to silence - a nanosecond or two when the crowd and band
was shushed by the enormity of the jam juxtaposed with the emptiness of
the moment and then Todd started up Last Straw. Very sweet - could have
been much, much sweeter.

Last Straw was decent but not excellent. Something about the last couple
of times I've heard this has left me feeling that they just don't have the
timing right in this song. JB howling the vocals in the bridge was spine-
tingling, the combination of the starched-crisp sound and his whiskey-
tinged emotion just had him spinning gold through his lips. After the bridge
as the band built into a quasi-jam, Todd again seemed a little out of step
and seemed to aggravate Schools a touch as he quickly cut the jam into
the intro to Sleeping Man. As far as the actual playing is concerned, Last
Straw and the going in and coming out thereof was the only moment that
left anything to be desired.

We now entered the dirty Southern funk portion of the night as Schools
took the reigns once more. Pounding his slapping thumb against his bass,
he lead the music and vocals of Sleeping Man with notable verve. Jojo was
smoking on the Stevie Wonder clavinet magic and Houser was continuing
with some of his usually shredding guitar. Ride Me High followed and was,
for me, a highlight of the set and show. Unlike the last show I caught in
Chicago, which had JB singing lead on every tune, everyone got a chance
to sing in Syracuse. Jojo's turn at the wheel was Ride Me High. This tune
can swing both ways, from downright irritable to chunky, scathing rock-o-
rama. I'll have to check the tapes, but this is one of the best versions of the
song I can recall hearing. Much of these kudos are the result of a several
minute stretch in the middle that belong to Michael Houser. Simply put, he
was contorting the air in the Landmark Theater to create some astounding
balloon animal sounds together. The solo he took was compressed
through what sounded like several effects pedals - including wah-wah,
volume and distortion - in a way that made his guitar sound like it was
being played through a megaphone, only in no way as annoying as that
sounds at first. If somehow static on the radio sounded like sweetly ear-
piercing, eyeball-poking rock and roll that was the sound he was getting.
Of course, the notes he was laying through such nastiness were peeling
the paint off the walls. Just plain sick.

This solo made way for a diverging jam that sunk into an attractive groove.
The band was a 6-man team once again and simmered something really
tasty over their burners. It seemed that half of them sank into the beginning
of C. Brown and the rest kept the groovy thing going, with Jojo on the
electric piano for a change. This kind of hit a cruise control point and JB
looked at Schools and touched his lips as if to say "I'm going to start
singing now, even though you haven't started the song the way you usually
do;" Dave nodded; JB sings C. Brown. Very good version of this one with
Jojo sticking to the electric piano to keep that groovy vibe going for almost
the length of the tune. Of course, Bell's vocals were sizzling hot and as the
band kept adding logs to the fire in his belly, they were only getting hotter
and smokier. Subtle-but-key lyric change up, especially for Syracuse in
early November: "You can sit in the LEAVES if it feels good." JB = the
man. A powerful bone-rattling Imitation closed off a damn solid first set.
So worth the trip!

Set II started with a bland Traveling Light, another repeat for me from
Chicago - at least they weren't going to close with it. Another repeat-at-
least-it's-not-a-closer, Porch Song, helped the second JJ Cale cover of the
night sandwich a couple of brand new ones. My take on a first listen of
both: Old Neighborhood - great tune, lots of potential. Has a funky, Talking
Heads circa Speaking In Tongues with Schools laying down some
markedly Tina-Weymouth-esque basslines. Very poppy and yet very
complicated in composition with lyrics that are very JB. THe middle
section has a few seemingly tough changes in it that the band pulled off
pretty well. Overall I expect really good things from this one and I envision
one day a section for JB to get silly with long ad libbed raps. In fact, some
of the lyrics already have that story-telling rapping quality that JB has taken
to the next level lately - who knows, they may already be improvised.
Cynic was Todd's chance to sing. Definitely a song I'm going to need to
hear a bunch more before I make a judgement, I didn't come close to hating
it, but it didn't really sink it's claws into my brain either. Moody, alt
country
feel from Todd's Barbara Cue set. Of note here, JB picked up the
"acoustic" for Cynic and would not put it down until drums. Porch was
short and rather uninspired overall - no jam which left the first half of the
set
feeling a bit flat here.

Party At Your Mama's House is where the band really started to pick up
where they left off at the end of the first set. Ouch, so tight it hurts. I
love
all the instrumentals and this is no exception. This one is so well-
composed it has the feeling like each instrument is a character in some
sort of Arthur Miller play. Each word and line is so carefully played out and
as the dialogue progresses the tension builds and builds, not through any
action on the stage, but rather the dialogue itself. Hmmm... makes me
wonder - monologue is one person talking to himself, dialogue is two people
conversing - what do you call it when 6 people are simultaneously
conversing? What do you call it when their voices are instruments and their
words are music? The answer is Widespread Panic. PAYMH was terrific
and well-played and the scripted dialogue finally unfolded into the messy
gibberish of a nice little jam. I will say it again - JB!! I've gone on a bit
about his vocals (and there's more to come) but his guitar playing was also
sensational. It was just one of those nights where pretty much everyone
was on top of their game and Schools and JB were leading the charge. JB
playing slide on the acoustic Washburn was killer. The jam meandered for
a short while and then the band worked its way into Stop Breaking Down.

I was getting a serious Kahunaville, Delaware vibe between setlist choices,
sound quality, superb playing and JB's singing and guitar playing. That
night Stop Breaking Down was the perfect vehicle to highlight all of these
and Tuesday in Syracuse was the same situation. I get goosebumps
thinking of JB's singing all night and get hot flashed remembering the way
he plucked that guitar, massaged it with the slide and then sent it into the
depths of blues hell by leaning on the wah-wah. Wild, nasty stuff. Great
version of the song that turned over into one of those greasy pre-drums
jams that can really make a show something else. Take all the yammering
about everything in the show so far and then try to imagine that the
perpendicular jam that connected Stop Breaking Down to drums was alone
enough to make the show "above average."

What more can be said about the jam - Widespread Panic, no holds
barred, freeform adventure into genre-less fathoms of music. Ultimate
Death Match Panic, Schools, Nance, Bell, Ortiz, Herman, Houser - fighting
as one to snatch your brain out through your ears. Every once in a while
they find the "zone" and they found it right here. JB continued to wrestle
his guitar with the slide and Schools played as fast and as slow as
humanly possible but somehow at the same time. Each note from
Houser's guitar was like an insect crawling around on the floor of the jam.
Fortunately, there were like a million of them and they were swarming all
around the room in some choreographed design. Be very afraid.

Drums highlights - my dad asking why people don't leave the show during
drums ;). Post drums Schools - more sickness to the point of fatal
goodness. How often we sum up the Schools portion of the salvation from
Drums moment with what songs Dave teased during his few minutes alone
with the drummers. Last night we had a new one, as far as I know, Voodoo
Child intro riff a few times over - Schools treats Modulus like Hendrix
treated Fender? I won't go that far... but that teasing wasn't until the end.
Every moment that lead up to that was a wildly technological foray into the
concept of "bass solo." Riffs sampled and inverted; bass lines flying
backwards through our ears; bass picks as supple as finger tips dancing
tippy-toe across each string.

It was one of those sets where every song seemed to fit into my particular
moment so perfectly and the coming haul back to New York was summed
up nicely by Stop Go - with an emphasis on the "Go." One of those songs
that every Panic fan must enjoy - just purely Panic, purely JB, purely
Schools, purely Jojo, etc ad nauseum. JB was back to purely electric
guitar and the rest of the band was back to pure electricity. Damn fine
solos all around, one a piece, that had this rating high with me already.
Now, I'd mentioned that JB was feeling it? If you had any doubt, here's
where it started getting good. The quasi-reggae breakdown section which
the end of StopGo has become burst out of the pounding jamming. Right
when you were expecting JB to finish up the last verse like a good boy, he
went devil on us - a quick drop into Marley's "Three Little Birds" assuring us
that everything was gonna be alright (just like the devil to say that) and then
a lengthy, several-verse (perhaps the whole thing?) take on "Body and
Soul" where he assured us that these were not for sale. All the while, the
band bopped along in its best bad-reggae band groove, mildly morphing to
meet the needs of JB's vocal explorations. The whole moment harkened,
once again, back to the Kahunaville Sleepy Monkey where JB lurched on a
tangent and then a tangent to that tangent and then a tangent to that
tangent which was actually where he began. Never should you doubt the
brilliance of John Bell - his body and soul were what made Tuesday night's
show so utterly enjoyable... thank God they are not for sale.

Apologies for being so damn verbose - much to say. Stop Go was followed
by another treat - And It Stone Me - which was solid through and through
and kept the pace of the set right on target. Conrad was a perfect closer
for this kind of a show, a tune that when the band is on top of it can really
fly and when they are off can kind of tie itself up. Last night's was another
solid, well-played version and like the Imitation that summed up the first
set, brought the house down with head-banging intensity.

The encore, I am now realizing, whether intentionally or not, replays that
"Body and Soul" message from Stop Go. Me and the Devil > Mr Soul.
Who else would you sell your soul to but the devil? Any attempt to give
you a second person account of JB during Me and the Devil would never do
justice to how he handled this song. The song, the show, when it comes
down to it, they were all Bell through and through. Each line he sang
during the encore was laden with soulful vocal inflection and just a shade of
ad libbed realism that just blew me away. Whispers, growls, monotonic
speech and even meows littered each verse in a version of this song that
took on a life of its own. You'd have to hear it to get what I heard last
night,
and even then, not being able to watch JB's bewitching mannerisms along
with his singing might lose the affect completely. Neil Young and Crazy
Horse was played during setbreak (I want to say Live Rust) so a rollicking
Mr Soul to close it all out was in due order. No complaints here - kick ass
all around. Made it home safely in acceptable time after sucking down this
7 on the Ned-O-Matic scale.

minimix: Folk2011.3

2011-11-10T09:32:00.000-05:00

A little Americana for your Veterans Day weekend. Enjoy!

Spotify:
Rhapsody
Folk2011.1
Folk2011.2

01 Ashes & Fire -- Ryan Adams
02 Fingers To The Bone -- Brown Bird
03 Chasin’ Skies -- Sierra Hull
04 Northern Island -- Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers
05 Wilderness -- Middle Brother
06 High Water Blues -- The Jayhawks

minimix: Groovy2011.2

2011-11-04T17:03:00.001-04:00

Everybody around the world gets funky in their own way.

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody
Groovy2011.1

01 Web of Deception -- Thievery Corporation
02 Sleepwalker -- Nostalgia 77
03 Kreuzberg -- Federico Aubele
04 Tenere Taqqim Tossam -- Tinariwen
05 Supercomputed -- Cornershop
06 F*ck You Guys -- Medeski, Martin and Wood

Nedstalgia: 15 Years Ago

2011-10-31T09:28:00.005-04:00

Longtime readers of the blog (hi honey!) know one of myproudest Phishchievements is having been at every Halloween “album cover” show.But it almost wasn’t so. A little more than 15 years ago, I was two months intograduate school, no ticket to the upcoming Atlanta Halloween show andlittle-to-no prospect of making it there. Frankly, it wasn’t something I waspursuing realistically as I had forgone trying to get tickets initially – I waspretty sure I was going to be bogged down in studying and too poor to make itdown there – and then when I started having regrets, it seemed impossible thatI’d be able to secure a ticket. A guy I had befriended over the summer at Red Rocks(who happened to live in Atlanta) emailed me one day and was like “so, youcoming down for the show?” After a little back-and-forth it turned out that hehad two tickets for me (he had decided to splurge and throw down x-hundred forsecond row seats, his original nosebleeds were ours – this was the kind of guyhe was, I won’t get into how we ended up meeting him the first place) and “getyour ass down here!” Being the age of discount airliners, we were able to getflights down for not too much and just like that we were scheduled for aprecision strike into Hot ‘lanta for Halloween… like it was meant to be.

Now, I’d never really done this before, fly hundreds ofmiles for a single show and then turn almost immediately around and fly backlike nothing had happened. But having been at the first two Halloween shows, Iknew it was going to be worth it, knew it was a show I didn’t want to miss.This was as sure a thing as there ever was going to be.

Unlike the previous Halloween shows where no one really knew what the album set was going to beuntil they finally started playing it, Phish handed out “Phishbills” on the wayin to the venue. So right through the door it was staring you in the face “Phishis playing Talking Heads’ ‘Remain in Light’ tonight.” This was like thesurprise that took away the surprise, but it was kind of bold masterstroke moveon the band’s part. I, like many people I know who went to the show, was prettymuch 100% unfamiliar with the album. Serious gap in my musical upbringing inretrospect, but what can I say? Maybe they were f’ing with everyone, but I didn’tthink so. That Phishbill itself was a work of art, with some serious musicalacademics mixed in with hilarious Phish-isms. It provided great reading beforethe show and between sets. Not being familiar with the album, I didn’t knowwhat to expect. I can’t say I was psyched,but reading about it and the band describe the album certainly had meintrigued. But, I didn’t fly down from New York for a small dose of intrigue… Iflew down for a huge dose of getting my face handed to me with a stupefied grinplastered on it. Hmmm…

Our seats were really awful, like literally row Z in the toptier just enough behind the stage where there was sure to be no sightlineswhatsoever. Thankfully, we settled down in a spot straight back which stillfelt far away, but at least we could see and hear everything. I had been “frontrow Trey” for both previous Halloween shows, not to mention all of thatprevious summer and the two MSG shows a week-and-a-half prior. Third tierstraight back felt like I was hanging with Lando Calrissien in Cloud City, butI couldn’t complain. The irony was that the guy who had upgraded to second row’sbuddy freaked out on mushrooms early in the 1^st set and they endedup leaving… leaving two perfectly good seats to some lucky carpetbagger. Ohwell!

So they start up with Sanity and of course, everyone islosing their minds from the start. The energy was pretty high, even up topwhere we were. The first set was a perfect balance of “special” and “tight” – agreat setlist, some surprised and just pure, concise jamming. It was a perfectembodiment of where the band was in 1996. Every single song was just, well,perfect. There were David Byrne references during the Forbin narration whichpretty much flattened any notion (or hope) that the Phishbill was a fake-out. Disease, YEM, Reba… pretty damn good first setby any measure.

Before the second set they uncovered a percussion set-up anda riser for the horns and the energy was somersaults-in-your-stomach. AlthoughI couldn’t put my finger on it, nor could I really even recognize it, somethingwas changing in the Phish world between that first and second set. It’s strangeto think back on it now. When the band finished that quite spectacular firstset they were one band, but when they returned, they were a different band.They returned and then it was “HA!” and they were into “Born Under Punches.” Itwas that “HA!” all of them together, listening back now gives me chills. It’slike we thought they were all just the kick ass trucks and cars and stuff, butthen before our very eyes they transformed into these insane robots. Deeplyfunky robots. The rhythms were Optimus Prime-stupendous and the whole band wasgrooving as a single unit. In a way, I’m glad I was at the back of the arena,able to take in the whole instead ofthe individual pieces, because that is the way this music was meant to be takenin. By the time “Crosseyed and Painless” got into its groove, I was enthralled.

Fishman singing non-ironically? Heady jams withoutgratuitous guitar solos? Who was this band? Oh, they were still Phish, therewas no doubt about that, and it took 6 months or so for the true transformationto complete, but there was a palpable shift during that set. I’d venture to sayit was one of the most “important” sets of music played by the band. Oh, maybethey stole the shock of “what are they gonna play” from us, but Phish hadsurprised us plenty that night. Both Halloween shows previous had featured atleast one weird pure-Fishman moment (Revolution #9 streaking, belting out LoveReign), but the classic bizarre moment of this night was Gordon singing from alounge chair at the front of the stage. Or was it the chainsaw and otherassorted noise-making tools during the outro from “The Overload” while someoneshouted “get to work!”? Take your pick.

The third set was almost a jolt back to reality, sweet jamtasticreality, although there were already hints of the deep funk that was startingto permeate the sound. The previous two Halloweens there had been thiscathartic feeling like a huge load had been taken from their backs as they hadfinally finished the album they had worked so hard to perform. This time,though, they had so thoroughly nailed it, that you got the impression that theyhad known for a long time they were going to nail it. The band was relaxedgoing in and even more relaxed coming out, like the 2^nd set was justa little something something thrown in for fun.

Of course, spirits were flyinghigh and a Brother > 2001 opener was a perfect was to start the next era ofPhish. Karl Perazzo came out and played the whole set which was just enough “extracheese” to elevate the set even more. Page dropping little “Crosseyed” teasesin here and there was cool. Dave Grippo marched across the stage again carryinghis saxophone during the Simple, but didn’t play on it, which disappointed meat the time for a missed opportunity (has that song ever been played with BOTHcymbals and saxophones?). Sitting backthere, big ass smile on my face, dancing my ass off, I can only imagine what I’dhave tweeted had that been something you could do in 1996. I guess thank God itwasn’t.

When considering the all-time great Phish shows, I alwaysdiscount the Halloween nights, because it’s kind of not fair to the other greatshows, there is no comparison in my mind, a different category. Seeing Phish onHalloween is my all-time favorite thing about my all-time favorite band. Let’sjust say that 10/31/96 is my favorite Halloween show, hands down. Well worththe what-the-hell-are-we-doing flight down to Atlanta. Were we even in town for24 hours? Who cares, it ain’t the quantity, but the quality.

minimix: Covers2011.3

2011-10-28T09:56:00.004-04:00

It's Halloween time, which means cover song time! Here are some more decent musical costumes from 2011.

Spotify
Rhapsody
Covers2011.1
Covers2011.2

01 Muppet Show Theme Song (The Muppets) -- OK Go
02 Everyday People (Sly and the Stone) -- Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra
03 You Know That I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse) -- Wanda Jackson
04 Take Five (Dave Brubeck) -- Bernie Worrell
05 Long Journey Home (traditional) -- Andy Statman
06 I Feel The Earth Move (Carole King) -- Lonnie Smith

minimix: Ladies2011.2

2011-10-21T08:35:00.002-04:00

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody
Ladies2011.1

01 The Magic Joan As Police Woman
02 The Bad In Each Other Feist
03 Passenger Lisa Hannigan
04 Damn Love Song Amy LaVere
05 Simple Things Tedeschi Trucks Band
06 Hushed By Devotion Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter

minimix: CMJ2011

2011-10-14T08:25:00.002-04:00

NYC is gearing up for CMJ next week, a ridiculous smorgasbord of music that would overwhelm even the most seasoned concertgoer. It's barely just a nibble, but here are a few bands playing in the festival you may not know that are worth a look if you have a chance.

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 In the Pines -- Widowspeak
02 Jello and Juggernauts -- Unknown Mortal Orchestra
03 Chimera -- Talkdemonic
04 All Wires Are Crossed -- Robbers On High Street
05 Give The Devil Back His Heart -- The Barr Brothers
06 Roosevelt Island -- Eleanor Friedberger
07 Shanty -- Bright Light Social Hour

minimix: RandomFaves2011.2

2011-10-07T08:14:00.003-04:00

For your weekend listening pleasure.

Enjoy!

Spotify:
Rhapsody:
RandomFaves2011.1

01 Movin' On -- Josh Rouse
02 You're Too Weird -- Fruit Bats
03 Christopher Columbus -- Gruff Rhys
04 Loud Enough to Know -- Peter Wolf Crier
05 Rte. 28/Believers -- A. A. Bondy
06 Real Slow -- Megafaun

minimix: Jazz2011.2 (Frisell)

2011-09-30T11:42:00.000-04:00

Somehow Bill Frisell has put out like a zillion records in the past 12 months. Dude is a workhorse. Some selections from his 2011 output lead or supporting role.

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody
Jazz2011.1

01 I'ts A Long Story (Part One) -- Bill Frisell
02 Across the Universe -- Bill Frisell
03 Sho Nuff Now -- Mocean Worker
04 Cattle Call -- Buddy Miller
05 Lagrimas Mexicanas -- Bill Frisell (not on Spotify)
06 I've Got A Crush On You -- Paul Motian
07 It's A Long Story (Part Two) -- Bill Frisell

minimix: Folk,Etc.2011.2

2011-09-23T08:52:00.004-04:00

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody
Folk,Etc.2011.1

01 Molly-O -- Steve Earle
02 Bugs -- O'Death
03 Of Many Colors -- Alela Diane
04 Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes -- Ollabelle
05 Undercover Dad -- Jonny Corndawg
06 Million Dollar Bill -- Dawes

minimix: Covers2011.2

2011-09-16T07:25:00.000-04:00

More great covers for ya!

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 Martha, My Dear -- Madeleine Peyroux
02 Just Like A Woman -- Charlotte Gainsbourg
03 Hit 'Em Up Style -- Carolina Chocolate Drops
04 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover -- G Love with The Avett Brothers
05 Rain and Snow -- Chris Thile & Michael Daves
06 Martha, My Dear -- Brad Mehldau

Click here for Covers2011.1

minimix: Groovy2011.1

2011-09-09T09:34:00.000-04:00

Put yo dancin' shoes on.

Enjoy!

Spotify:
Rhapsody

01 Make Some Noise -- Beastie Boys
02 You Can Run -- Seun Kuti
03 No One -- Federico Aubele
04 Booty City -- Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
05 Since Our Last Goodbye -- Charles Bradley
06 Hold On -- Holy Ghost!

minimix: Ladies2011.1

2011-09-02T08:25:00.000-04:00

Another great batch of new(ish) music -- strong enough for a man, but made by women -- for your long weekend. Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 Go Outside -- Cults
02 You Yes You -- tUnE-yArDs
03 Scenes from Bensonhurst -- Eleanor Friedberger
04 Write Me a Letter -- Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside
05 Likeable Man -- Thao & Mirah
06 Love is Won -- Lia Ices

minimix: RandomFaves2011.1

2011-08-26T08:33:00.000-04:00

Some tracks I've been enjoying for your weathery weekend listening pleasure:

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 Victory Dance -- My Morning Jacket
02 Dog Days -- Crystal Antlers
03 Smile -- Smith Westerns
04 Penelope Cruz -- Bob Schneider
05 Spite -- Vandaveer
06 Sleep Forever -- Portugal. The Man

minimix: Jazz2011.1

2011-08-19T10:50:00.000-04:00

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 Introduction (1) -- Paul Motian/Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan
02 The Odd Arpeggio -- Gyan Riley
03 Yahel -- Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits
04 Thumb -- Garage A Trois
05 Some Day We'll All Be Free -- Ben Allison
06 Feed The Birds (Tuppence A Bag) -- Kurt Rosenwinkel

minimix: Folk,Etc.2011.1

2011-08-12T10:14:00.000-04:00

Here's a little folksy Americana mix of new music.

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 Don't Need It William Elliott Whitmore
02 June Hymn The Decemberists
03 Dear Puppeteer Nathan Moore
04 Not Let You Go Jim Lauderdale
05 Water Bells Loch Lomond
06 Ghosts (Album) The Head and the Heart

CD Picks of the Week

2011-08-09T13:45:00.001-04:00

Here are all the #CDPOTW I've made on Twitter & the date of the recommendation, pretty much one a week since the start of the year. These are some great albums that maybe aren't on your radar (or weren't when I recommended them, at least).

I've added Spotify links so you can find and listen to them easily. I will try to continue to update the list every once in a while.

8/03/2011 Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter: "Marble Son" Spotify

7/27/2011 Roadside Graves: We Can Take Care of Ourselves Spotify

7/20/2011 Eleanor Friedberger: Last Summer Spotify

7/15/2011 Seun Kuti: From Africa With Fury: Rise Spotify

7/09/2011 Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Unknown Mortal Orchestra Spotify
6/24/2011 Woods: Sun and Shade Spotify

6/17/2011 Tea Leaf Green: Radio Tragedy Spotify

6/10/2011 Bob Schneider: A Perfect Day Spotify

6/03/2011 White Denim: D Spotify

5/27/2011 The Sea and Cake: Moonlight Butterfly EP Spotify

5/13/2011 Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues Spotify

5/06/2011 Galactic: The Other Side of Midnight (live) Spotify

4/29/2011 The Head and the Heart: The Head and the Heart Spotify

4/22/2011 Grails: Deep Politics (not on Spotify)

4/15/2011 John Zorn: Nova Express Spotify

4/08/2011 Junip: In Every Direction EP Spotify

4/01/2011 The Cave Singers: No Witch Spotify

3/25/2011 Toro Y Moi: Underneath the Pine Spotify

3/18/2011 Hayes Carrl: KMAG YOYO Spotify

3/11/2011 Bardo Pond: Bardo Pond Spotify

3/04/2011 Buddy Miller: Majestic Strings Spotify

2/25/2011 Yellowbirds: The Color Spotify

2/18/2011 Braids: Native Speaker Spotify

2/11/2011 Nicole Atkins: Mondo Amore Spotify

2/04/2011 El Ten Eleven: It's Still Like A Secret Spotify

1/28/2011 Smith Westerns: Dye It Blonde Spotify

1/21/2011 Kings Go Forth: The Outsiders Are Back Spotify

minimix: Covers2011.1

2011-08-05T08:13:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love a good cover? First mix of several with some nice (or at least interesting) covers released this year. More to come.

Enjoy!

Spotify link
Rhapsody link

01 Gaston (Gaston) -- The Bad Plus
02 I Want You Back (Jackson 5) -- The Civil Wars
03 The Tourist (Radiohead) -- Sarah Jarosz
04 Shout (Tears for Fears) -- Duncan Sheik
05 Freight Train (standard) -- Buddy Miller w/ Bill Frisell et al
06 Everyday (Buddy Holly) -- Fiona Apple

minimix: ...but does it jam 2001 (part 2)

2011-07-29T09:13:00.000-04:00

Part 2. New music in the not-jam/neo-prog/psych-rock non-genre.

Enjoy!

Spotify
Rhapsody

01 Another Sky -- Akron/Family
02 Anniversary Day -- Chris Forsyth
03 The Moonlight Butterfly -- The Sea and Cake
04 Cracker Wrist -- Bardo Pond
05 Tomboy -- Panda Bear
06 The Honest Ocean -- Yellowbirds

(Rhapsody only (not available on Spotify): 07 Future Primitive -- Grails)

the minimix returns! (...but does it jam? 2011)

2011-07-21T18:55:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm going to try and bring back the weekly minimix, but this time I'm just doing Spotify/Rhapsody playlist links, so it's easy for me and you and 100% legit.

Following up on some online conversation about what it means to be a "jamband" and the current psych/indie/neo-prog bands and whether we should be calling it "jam" again. This week's is the first look at some new music that may or may not fit into that category. I'll have another similar batch next week.

Enjoy!

Spotify link
Rhapsody link

01 It's Him! -- White Denim
02 Ice Cream -- Battles
03 Lemonade -- Braids
04 Tulip -- Here We Go Magic
05 White Out -- Woods
06 Thought Ballune -- Unknown Mortal Orchestra

(let me know if you have any issues with the links)

Addendum

2011-07-13T16:48:00.000-04:00

A few more thoughts on the nostalgia post that I should have/meant to include:

Just to be clear, I'm not down on anything the band is doing now in any way shape or form. In fact, I'm pretty thrilled with all of it. The post was more a response to the discussions & arguments swirling around on Twitter, etc. My point is: the band is great now, the band was great "then" (whenever that may be), it's OK to wish for it to be like the past, it's OK to make signs and long for long jams and bustouts and all, and it's equally OK to argue against signs and the longing, etc.... it's always been that way and it always will... it's (a BIG) part of what makes it great. Excuse the inelegant paraphrasing.
Another part of the impetus for the post was seeing the movie "Midnight in Paris" (spoiler alert) which centers around a guy visiting Paris longing for an era long gone, long before his time. And then he gets to essentially go back in time and it's as good as he'd hoped, but there's someone there that's nostalgic for an even earlier era and he's dumbfounded -- THIS is the best time to live in!! And so on and so forth. It struck me as very analogous. It's all about where you are now and when you came in and what looks like "new" to you and what looks like "nostalgia." My brother was talking about new songs played during a set at Watkins Glen and said something about "Ghost" and I was like, um, they've been playing that song for 15 years!
Point being: at my first show (in 1992) on the way out a guy was talking about "the days" when Phish played his dorm with an "alas! they've gotten so big!" tone. It's always been that way.
Poing being: I'm kinda nuts but it's always been that way.

The Ultimate Nostalgia Act

2011-07-13T09:39:00.000-04:00

So, since Phish has come back I've heard a lot of people adamantly say that they are NOT a nostalgia act. While I agree they are not a tribute band nor are they the Eagles, I mostly disagree, I think they are absolutely a nostalgia act. I also think that maybe they almost always have been. I also mostly think this is a great thing and the ultimate reason why we go so nuts for the band.

If you think about it, music in general is the ultimate memory vehicle. Songs evoke nostalgia like little else in this world. I don't think I need to give you examples on this. This is especially true for a band like Phish. Maybe for Phish like no other music. Listening to shows you went to, didn't go to, poring over setlists of the past, statistics, tracking bustouts, etc.... this is all a way of capturing each tidbit of music as a memory. Behind each asterisk on the setlist is a memory, a story. Everything that's happening in the now is considered not as its own individual piece of live music, but almost entirely in the context of what's come before it as seen through the lenses of our own experiences. This is nostalgia at its most crystalline. The crazy thing about Phish is that there are memories stacked upon memories. We compare versions of songs to other versions we heard only on recording, filtering our experiences through that first impression of an impression of something we are only experiencing secondhand. Regardless, except in rare instances, we cannot experience things as they are with Phish. We can only experience them through the memories of everything else we have experienced... and since we're all so f'ing nuts, that is hours and hours of listening and dissecting and writing and arguing and listening some more. Our experience is clouded by it all.

I remember in college how tapes would filter through our little Phish community. One guy with the DAT deck would get something particularly awesome and then it would distribute its way through the rest of us very quickly. In the end, we were all listening to the same thing at essentially the same time, creating new memories from the memories of the magnetic tape. Anyway, it became like one big shared knowledge base and totally affected how we listened to the music and saw the shows we saw. I remember when everyone got their hand on the Murat Theater show from 8/93, we must have listened to that Bathtub Gin a zillion times, it completely redefined what the song could do and blew us away every time we took another ride in the bathtub. We hadn't even been to the show and yet our entire outlook on the song had been completely rearranged from nice little set closer to a major jam vehicle. The next time most of us heard the song live was at 12/30/93 and a bunch of us were clustered around the front and when they started the opening riffs I remember everyone looking at each other like... here we go, just like at the Murat Theater! We were already nostalgic for something we hadn't even experienced ourselves. That version was decent, certainly the best I had heard up to that date live and in person, but didn't come close to that Indy version. We were, to be honest, a tad disappointed.

Disappointed! It didn't live up to the memory. The memory that wasn't even "ours" technically. You know exactly the feeling I'm talking about. It's nostalgia. Everything the band has ever done is part of the collective memory and infects and controls everything the band will ever do again. You cannot consider the present without the infection of nostalgia. This is not a bad thing. It's what makes Phish more than just a band, more like the most addictive thing you've ever experienced or done. It's constantly chasing the past as we forge on in time. The thing that makes it all so interesting/confounding/annoying is that we're all nostalgic for our own experiences. Some of us are yearning for 1999 and others 1989 and everything in between. People are clamoring for "more jams!!" or"more bustouts!!" or "longer jams!" or "go back to playing that the way you used to!" We are chasing memories that we'll never relive and it's a glorious thing. Most of what I've written in this blog is the result of such nostalgia, and it fuels the road trips and the stories and the countless other outlets for our craziness.

And it's ALWAYS been that way no matter how much you want to think otherwise. There's only a handful of truly in-the-moment experiences with Phish, the first time you heard the band or realized that songs could do certain things or the band had all-caps THAT in them. Every other time after that is nostalgia.

The other side of the coin of the great nostalgia trip that is Phish is the trip itself. The places they take us, the voyage in getting there, the anecdotes that become stories that become legends. Every song from every show happening in real time generating memories that bind us together in ways we've never dreamed.

Personally, I've gone far-flung with the band, but what's most fascinating to me is the crazy weirdo places in New York State that I've seen this band and how they've reflected this life of mine which has mostly been spent in New York State: Just a couple days ago was the 19th anniversary of the HORDE show at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. That was a nostalgic date on many levels. I've probably been to "the Fair" over twenty times in my life, it's a part of my past and present. That was also the first time I saw Widespread Panic which started a whole other musical "career" which was spent, in part, chasing that moment when I first heard and saw them, 100% new and fresh. That show was also an epic 24 hour day off from working at summer camp with a group of friends who I'm still very close with. We are constantly retelling jokes and anecdotes from those days and the amount of hilarity that ensued on that date is of epic proportions. This is what this band does to me in its nostalgic ways.

Vernon, Binghamton, Albany, Plattsburgh... if it was a dot on the weather map of my youth, chances are I've seen Phish play there... Glens Falls (where we visited my grandparents annually in my youth), Darien Lake (where my parents took me before they had big roller coasters and I wasn't big enough to ride 'em even if they were there), Syracuse Armory (the very room where my wife-to-be and I saw Phish play is where we had our rehearsal dinner several years later), and of course, Watkins Glen.

Last week I got to see Phish play in Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake. Just up the Route 14 on the lake was where I spent many summers as a camper and counselor. I'd spent many a day at Watkins Glen State Park, hiking the gorge, swimming in the massive pool there. Those summers were magical for me. Seeing Phish there with my wife, brother and sister was also pretty great. The fact that the first set was a nostalgic list of songs mostly from the early 90's was perfect. Each song was a trip down memory lane. Reba -- the first song I heard them play just a few miles away. Creature From Mars -- the Halloween t-shirt "costume" I've worn to every Halloween show. Mound -- the first Phish song I "hated," And on and on. It was all nostalgia and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Favorite Albums of the First Half 2011

2011-06-30T12:39:00.001-04:00

So, usually I wait until the end of the year to slip into listmaking mode, but this year has been kinda unprecedented for me in terms of music. The past year I've gotten a Squeezebox, gotten an Android device and, most importantly, started a Rhapsody subscription. The three of these things together have fundamentally changed the way I listen to music, entirely for the better in unprecedented ways. I can't recommend this mode of attack for any music lover enough. Quite literally, I've listened to (and formed opinions on) over 200 albums released in 2011 already and going strong. So why wait until December to tell you what's what? This being the halfway point between January 1st and December 31st, let's do it...

Here's a vague view of my favorite albums of the year thus far... and there have been some killer ones. I'm listing my top 10, then the next 15, then the rest of my top 50. All three groups are in alphabetical order as I'm still getting a feel for a lot of these. I can definitely say that I highly recommend all of 'em. If I'm missing something, let me know and I'll check it out (or will politely avoid letting you know that your favorite wasn't one of mine...).

Enjoy!

First, here are my favorite EP's so far, which contain some of the best music I've heard so far this year, particularly the Junip & Sea and Cake:

Broken Bells -- Meyrin Fields (EP)

Carolina Chocolate Drops/Luminescent Orchestrii (EP)

Here We Go Magic -- The January (EP)

Junip -- In Every Direction (EP)

The Sea and Cake -- The Moonlight Butterfly (EP)

Also, there are some awesome live/archival albums that merit a mention, including: Bob Marley's Stanley Theater show, everything Phish has remastered and released this year (I'm partial to the Greek shows and 10/30/10), Bob Dylan @ Brandeis, Galactic, and certainly Brad Mehldau's amazing Live in Marciac.

Now the full-length studio albums...

The top 10 (in alphabetical order):
Danger Mouse -- Rome
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues
The Head and the Heart -- The Head and the Heart
Iron & Wine -- Kiss Each Other Clean
Buddy Miller -- The Majestic Silver Strings
Smith Westerns -- Dye It Blonde
Gillian Welch -- The Harrow and the Harvest
White Denim - D
Yellowbirds -- The Color

The rest of the top 25 (in alphabetical order)
Bardo Pond -- Bardo Pond
Beastie Boys -- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Braids -- Native Speaker
The Dears -- Degeneration Street
Deerhoof -- Deerhoof vs. Evil
Brett Dennen -- Loverboy
Eulogies -- Tear the Fences Down
Grails -- Deep Politics
Holy Ghost -- Holy Ghost!
My Morning Jacket -- Circuital
Thao & Mirah -- s/t
Toro Y Moi -- Underneath the Pine
TuNe-YaRdS -- WHOKILL
TV On The Radio -- Nine Types of Light
Woods -- Sun and Shade

The rest of the top 50 (in alphabetical order)
Hayes Carll -- KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)
The Cave Singers -- No Witch
Death Cab For Cutie -- Codes and Keys
Alela Diane -- Alela Diane & the Wild Divide
The Dodos -- No Color
Elbow -- Build a Rocket Boys!
The Go! Team -- Rolling Blackouts
Sarah Jarosz -- Follow Me Down
Joan As Police Woman -- The Deep Field
Lia Ices -- Grown Unknown
Loch Lomond -- Little Me Will Start a Storm
Middle Brother -- Middle Brother
Mogwai -- Hardcore Will Never Die...
Nathan Moore -- Dear Puppeteer
Nostalgia 77 -- The Sleepwalking Society
Oh No Oh My -- People Problems
Gruff Rhys -- Hotel Shampoo
Bob Schneider -- A Perfect Day
Tapes ‘n Tapes -- Outside
Tea Leaf Green -- Radio Tragedy
Tedeschi Trucks Band -- Revelator
Tennis -- Cape Dory
Chris Thile & Michael Daves -- Sleep With One Eye Open
Vetiver -- The Errant Charm
John Zorn -- Nova Express

Nedstaglia: 20 Years Ago (in praise of the tastemakers)

2011-06-28T08:38:00.002-04:00

I don’t know the exact date, but sometime during the last week of June in 1991, 20 years ago today roughly, I had a life changing experience. Now I’ve had plenty of life changing experiences – you could argue every experience you have changes your life in one way or the other. But I can look back at this specific one and say for sure that it laid the path for a lot of where the next 20 years of my life would take me. It was the first time I heard the music of Phish.

I had returned to the summer camp I had gone to as a camper after a two year “hiatus” now as a staff member. Still a green 17 years of age, I arrived a day or two early and there were only a couple other people already there. A friend quickly introduced a pal of his from college MJ and we quickly started talking about the Grateful Dead. I was a huge Deadhead at the time – well as much as a senior-in-high-school from Syracuse with 2 live Dead shows under his belt could be. What I definitely was was a huge Dead tape collector so I showed MJ my 4 racks of cassettes to get his opinion and scrutiny. He picked at it like a snobby record collector at a garage sale, finding a nugget or two in there that helped my ego along. Then he said it: “Have you ever heard of Phish?” “No.” “You’d like ‘em.” Innocent, clean, subtle. Later that afternoon we were tossing a Frisbee around on the grass and he threw a cassette tape into my “box”(I can’t remember – was the tape just in his pocket? Was he walking around with it, just waiting to run into some impressionable young sap? Waiting to change someone’s life?) I wasn’t really paying attention to the first song, but then he said “this is Phish” and my ears perked up (I had already decided that I was a big MJ fan, 4 or 5 years my senior, 100+ Dead shows under his belt and a killer story for each; I knew cool when I saw it).

As the next song started, my expectations grew: for the first time in my life I was open to truly new music only because someone recommended it to me. The idea was entirely novel to me. I already envisioned loving the band, of knowing about them before anyone else did. So I listened: “Bag it, tag it, sell it to the butcher in the store. Bag it, tag it, sell it to the butcher in the store.” There was definitely something different about it: it was fun, interesting… silly, very silly. I did like it, but I wasn’t sure I loved it. The song moved on. The Frisbee went back and forth, back and forth, the sun was shining in that perfect start-of-the-summer kind of way and the music swirled into a dreamlike fugue. I was listening I guess, but not concentrating, the whole moment was idyllic: no one spoke, just a Frisbee being tossed around by a few guys feeling each other out, the anticipation of a whole summer in front of us. A fully content moment, I was entirely lost in my own thoughts. Then something broke me out of this dream state – “Bag it, tag it, sell it to the butcher in the store…” Holy shit! That was the same song? The same band? I had completely forgotten that I was listening to this band that I was supposed to like. What was the name of that band again? Where am I, what am I doing, who are you and what is this plastic disc in my hand? (you know, for kids?). My mind reeled backwards in time, the silly staccato lyrics, the twisting composition, the “jam” that was neither jazz nor rock nor anything I had ever heard before… certainly not the Grateful Dead. I’m pretty sure I ran back to my tent, grabbed a blank Maxell XLII, rewound the tape and just recorded myself a copy right then and there. By the end of the day I had Lawn Boy and Junta on cassette, live shows soon to follow. And even though my first Phish show was almost a year off due to the circumstances of being an internet-free kid in high school, the rest, as they say, is history.

But this isn’t really a story about Phish, per se, I’ve got plenty of those. This is a story about guys like MJ (whom I became quite friendly with), who taught me a lot about music and tapes (how to separate the kind from the shit) and how to drink far more booze than your body should be able to tolerate, whom I haven’t seen in quite a long time. Guys that walked around with a cassette in their pocket trying to turn people on to the music that turns them on. The tastemakers. (Fun to think about: I’m not sure how many people MJ turned onto Phish, but I know I paid it forward and I’m sure the folks I got hooked did their best to proliferate. How many tapes, tickets, miles, downloads, dollars, etc. trickled down from that first Reba?). Because there were two fires that got lit that sunny afternoon: the passion for the PH, yes, but one that burns just as hot in me is the joy of turning people onto music. New music. Shit you haven’t heard before. I’ve devoted a not-too-small portion of my life to it.

So praise to the tastemakers. I’ve been lucky to run into a few of ‘em along the way that have strongly influenced what I listen to today. I think most of what listen to today can be traced to a small number of people who’ve pushed me in the right direction at the right stage of my listening “career”:: my father, MJ above, EF in college, JM and AC in my post-Phish musical reawakening and constantly through the years my brother who has strongly yinned my yang and vice versa. I raise my glass and my headphones to you guys. Thank you!

So when I try to get you to check something out and verge on the obnoxious trying to convince you, I’m just trying to capture those all-important moments. There is little better praise than knowing I’ve turned someone on to something they end up falling in love with. Few things put a bigger smile on my face. I think of the guy who turned me onto Phish and turned me onto all the other music I listen to… I think of them every time I listen. I hope you’ll do the same. It’s the good stuff. Bag it and tag it.

2010:: Favorite Live Shows

2011-01-01T13:18:00.004-05:00

Felt like I didn't see as much music as I have in the past and yet still hit 85 shows. Nice work, me!

The raw data:
Number of shows: 85
Number of different bands seen: 100+
Number of bands seen for the first time: 53
Band seen most often: Phish (10)
Number of different venues: 38
Venue hit most often: Bowery Ballroom (13)
Number of cities hit: 10
Number of states hit: 4

1. Phish 10/30/2010 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City||8/6/2010 Greek Theater

In my youth it seems I always lucked into seeing all the "it" shows, but now it seems just the opposite, seeing great shows but not the transcendent ones. I saw 10 shows this year, ranging from decent to spectacular. These two Saturday night shows, though, blew me away like no other music did in 2010. The band will get their own post, but these two were in another league, finding the band locked into something special. They stand in for all the other PH shows I saw, it's just another category altogether, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the great music I saw in 2010.

2. 1/23/2010 Anders Osborne|Metzger/Kalb/Johnson/Hall|The Black Hollies @ Sullivan Hall

The Freaks Ball. 10th one, quite possibly the best, musically, at least. God willing, there will be an 11th. Anders Osborne revealed himself to be a force of nature this past year, so we were lucky to get him as he approached his prime. Damn lucky! Not to mention how awesome The Hollies and Metzger & Co. were. As always, the party of the year!

3. 10/22/2010 My Morning Jacket Terminal 5

The album "Z" in its entirety followed by an awe-inspiring encore. The 4th of a 5 night run that shook the west side of Manhattan. Blew me away from start to finish. I saw 4 of the 5 and loved them all, but this was the tops.

4. 1/13/2010 Krantz/Carlock/Lefebvre Rose Live, Brooklyn + 4/24/2010 Highline Ballroom

These guys could probably take a decade off, come back together and melt cerebral matter without trying. More likely they'll never play again as K3, but I'll always have the memories of special nights like these. Amazing they could play such a tiny spot without being overwhelmed. The greatest musical secret this city has ever known.

5. 5/8/2010 Broken Social Scene (Zeus opened) Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn + 9/18/2010 (The Sea and Cake opened) Summerstage

Kevin Drew once proclaimed from the stage that they could never play Madison Square Garden because they could never get their act together. Thank god for that, because while they're talented enough to do it, we're still lucky enough to see them in the warm confines of great rooms like MHOW. Of course, when they need to bring it to the big stage, Live BSS, not much better. Don't sleep on Zeus, either! Summerstage review here.

6. 7/14/2010 Mischief & Mayhem Village Vanguard

Jenny Scheinman leads a group featuring Nels Cline on guitar in the most vaunted jazz room in the city. Intriguing. The music was transcendent, a loose jammy feel by a superlatively talented band. "Jazz" in quotes, this was just amazing music flat out. I hope I get to see these guys again.

7. 1/9/2010 Claudia Quintet, Rudder, Todd Sickafoose, Scheinman/Moran, Global Noize, Benevento Trio, Bitches Brew at Le Poisson Rouge, Bitter End, Sullivan Hall

This early January evening was probably enough for 12-months worth of jazz in NYC. Bouncing around 3 different venues, almost everything was pure gold, from the revelations of Rudder and Claudia Quintet to the power of Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors and the beauty of Jenny Scheinman duet with Jason Moran. All for one ticket price!

8. 9/15/2010 The Bad Plus Bowery Ballroom

Regular readers know how I feel about the Bad Plus. This night they brought their supreme excellence to the best rock club in the city and conquered it like it was a tiny jazz club. My review here.

9. Apollo Sunshine 5/19/2010 Mercury Lounge + 3/25/2010 Southpaw, Brooklyn

Apollo Sunshine made their return to the stage in 2010 and I couldn't have been happier. For a while it seemed like maybe they'd stick around for a while, but as quickly as they reappeared, they were gone again. Thankfully, I was able to see them a couple of times, including this monster show in the Lower East Side. For some it's like riding a bike, I guess. Still one of my favorites, hope they're around in '11. Mercury Lounge review here.

10. 4/7/2010 Midlake Bowery Ballroom

Got to see a lot of the bands I really, truly love last year... some of them more than once. Midlake was in fine form with a fantastic new album and multiple NYC hits. Review here.

11. 8/2010 Newport Folk Festival Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI

Great music, great vibes, great festival. Jim James dominated a lineup that was top notch from start to finish.

12. 6/14/2010 RANA Half Moon Cruise Ship

Just play once a year Rana, that's all we ask. Just make sure that one show is as ripping as this one. 2003 form right there in 2010. The boat + Rana were made for each other. Make it happen again in 2011!

13. El Ten Eleven 9/18/2010 Mercury Lounge + 4/9/2010 Pianos

One of the great underrated bands shredding brain right now. One of those "how the F are they doing that?" kind of shows and yet they had packed rooms in the Lower East Side in boogie mode as well. Not many bands can burn both ends of that candle. Two guys worth checking out.

14. 2/16/2010 Trey Anastasio Terminal 5

Trey is back to fine form and it's trickling into his solo act as well. Review here.

15. 3/19/2010 Portugal. The Man Highline Ballroom

Of all my favorite live bands out there, I think I got to see almost all of them in 2010. P.tM is certainly on that list and they did not disappoint at the Highline in March. The kind of show that transports you to someplace else of the band's choosing. Thank the lord these guys are workhorses, so I think we can expect a new album and lots of touring once again in 2011. Don't miss 'em when they come your way, you won't regret it!

The rest of my 50+ favorite shows of 2010:

16. 7/14/2010 Heartless Bastards Music Hall of Williamsburg

17. 7/30/2010 Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, RI

18. 3/23/2010 The Clientele Bowery Ballroom

19. 10/18/2010 My Morning Jacket Terminal 5

20. 4/3/2010 Wilco Wellmont Theater

21. 9/23/2010 Pavement Summerstage

22. 2/5/2010 Galactic (Tea Leaf Green opened) Terminal 5

23. 10/13/2010 My Morning Jacket Ed Sullivan Theater

24. 6/8/2010 Les Claypool Brooklyn Bowl

25. 4/23/2010 Jason Collett/Zeus Mercury Lounge

26. 5/14/2010 Oneida/Silver Apples Abrons Arts Center

27. 7/16-17/2010 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Walsh Farm

28. 11/23/2010 Mike Gordon Westcott Theater

29. 7/3/2010 Portugal. The Man Water Taxi Beach

30. 9/23/2010 Anders Osborne w/ Stanton Moore Trio Brooklyn Bowl

31. 11/13/2010 The Books Zankel Hall

32. 3/14/2010 Carolina Chocolate Drops Bowery Ballroom

33. 3/31/2010 Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors Jazz Standard

34. 4/8/2010 The Bad Plus The Blue Note

35. 4/17/2010 Surprise Me Mr. Davis Mercury Lounge

36. 6/29/2010 Robert Randolph & the Family Band Bowery Ballroom

37. 9/29/2010 Midlake Webster Hall

38. 10/23/2010 My Morning Jacket Terminal 5

39. 11/20/2010 The New Mastersounds Brookyn Bowl

40. 5/15/2010 Dr. Dog Terminal 5

41. 1/17/2010 Some Cat from Japan Sullivan Hall

42. 12/28/2010 Surprise Me Mr Davis Brooklyn Bowl

43. 11/13/2010 Horse Feathers Bowery Ballroom

44. 8/21/2010 Ben Allison Nublu

45. 3/30/2010 Jenny Scheinman Barbes

46. 1/28/2010 Krantz/Carlock/Lefebvre 55 Bar

47. 10/6/2010 A.A. Bondy Bowery Ballroom

48. 5/6/2010 Local Natives Bowery Ballroom

49. 10/12/2010 Broken Bells Terminal 5

50. 11/22/2010 Aimee Mann Music Hall of Williamsburg

51. 7/10/2010 The Statesmen Brooklyn Bowl

52. 9/12/2010 Stockholm Syndrome Brooklyn Bowl

53. 10/7/2010 Miike Snow Terminal 5

54. 11/6/2010 Dawes Webster Hall

55. 12/28/2010 John Zorn improv The Stone

2010:: Favorite Albums of 2010

2010-12-31T09:25:00.003-05:00

Finally getting back on track here. These are my favorite albums from 2010. Not the best and certainly not your favorites. Didn't get to listen to everything and these opinions are all subject to change as early as later today. As usual, I'm putting these in alphabetical groups of 10, because that's the way I like to do it! If your favorite isn't on there, I probably just didn't listen to it, so feel free to drop a rec in the comments.

The Top Ten (alphabetical)

The Bad Plus -- Never Stop

Another year, another album, another spot on Neddy's top 10 list. Impossibly the compositions are getting stronger and stronger with too many highlight tracks to bother mentioning. This album is unique in its lack of any sign of the vintage TBP covers... and is all the better for it.

The Black Keys -- Brothers
Fueled by Danger Mouse's production, the Keys are in a serious groove right now. This album is rock and roll, 2010 in its essence. Somehow it sounds both like the raw guitar-drums-and-voice stripped down Black Keys and a more grandiose, detailed subtle pop masterpiece, that just happens to make your hair stand on end.

Broken Social Scene -- Forgiveness Rock Record
Finally a worthy successor to "You Forgot It In People" that shows a leap in maturity and breadth and yet retains that BSS thing that makes it so much different and awe-inspiring than just about every other music being made out there. Amazing to think that this is the same band that will give you a drunken, raucous, ragged live show night in and out. This one is still growing on me. Also seek out their EP "Lo-Fi for the Dividing Nights" which is a perfect bedtime companion to this one.

The Dreamers -- Ipos Masada Book 2

John Zorn's power ensemble. Frankly, any time Ribot, Dunn, Baron, Saft, & Wolleson are playing together, I want to be a part of it. This album has them playing Masada selections, but it's less about what they play than how they're doing it and once again they are possibly the most talented band in the universe pushing each other to be better. This music has no genre.

El Ten Eleven -- It's Still Like a Secret

If you haven't heard El Ten Eleven yet, this is the time to start. Layered, architectural electropop instrumental music made by two guys on bass and drums. This album captures the balance of move-your-mind/move-your-body well without having to stare at them on stage and say "how they do that??" Check 'em out, you won't regret it.

Jason Collett -- Rat A Tat Tat
This is probably the biggest "how'd this get on here?" of my top 10, but this is the album that probably spent the most time in my car CD player this year. It just didn't want to come out! Great songwriting from Collett backed by the band Zeus for a spongy sound that's perfect for lazy mornings, long commutes or impressing your friends with something they haven't heard yet.

Midlake -- The Courage of Others

The perfect follow-up to one of my favorites from a couple years ago (Van Occupanther), this back country baroque sounds fantastic, transporting you to another world. I don't know how to describe the Midlake sound, and it's probably something you have to "get" but there is a subtle richness in this album that's worth a little patience.

Janelle Monae -- Archandroid
Wow! Just... wow! Epic vision, perfectly executed. Looking over this list, many of these favorites seem to be not just cross-cutting styles and genre, but almost newly invented styles and genres in their own right. Monae is a musical entity unto herself -- yes, you will hear Sun Ra, Outkast, Kanye West, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix and who knows what else in there, but blown together in some supersonic quasar. Probably my album of the year if forced to pick.

Spoon - Transference

I don't know if I'm even a huge Spoon fan, but good lord they put out some sweet albums. Some bands just shit out great music and Spoon is one of them, if I was a rock musician, I'd be jealous as heck.

Vampire Weekend -- Contra

I feel like I don't want to put this here for some reason, but the early year hype surrounding these guys and their sophomore effort is warranted, this is a fantastic record. I didn't think these guys would amount to more than a flash in a pan, but there is growth in sound and songs here that tells me they might be around for a while. Pick a track, listen to it and most likely you'll have it stuck in your head all day. Not many albums can do that, but Vampire Weekend can.

11-20 (alphabetical)

Clem Snide -- The Meat of Life
Cornershop -- Lucy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast
Dawes -- North Hills
Local Natives -- Gorilla Manor
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band -- Where the Messengers Meet
Of Montreal -- False Priest
Portugal. The Man -- American Ghetto
Wolf Parade -- Expo86
John Zorn (Burger/Dunn/Emmanuel/Perowsky/Ribot/Wolleson) -- The Godess
Kanye West -- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

21-30 (alphabetical)

Broken Bells -- s/t

Dr Rubberfunk -- Hot Stone
Cochemea Gastelum -- The Electric Sound of Johnny Arrow
Horse Feathers -- Thistled Spring
Jenny & Johnny -- I'm Having Fun Now
Preservation Hall Jazz Band -- An Album to Benefit...
Ratatat -- LP4
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros -- s/t
The Roots -- How I Got Over
Zeus -- Say Us

31-40 (alphabetical)

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals III/IV
Clothesline Revival -- They Came From Somewhere
Dr. Dog -- Shame, Shame
LCD Soundsystem -- This Is Happening
Anders Osborne -- American Patchwork
Phantogram -- Eyelid Movies
Sufjan Stevens -- The Age of Adz
Laura Veirs -- July Flame

The Tallest Man on Earth -- The Wild Hunt

41-50 (alphabetical)

Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs
The Books -- The Way Out
Ben Goldberg Quartet -- Baal Masada Book 2
Javelin -- No Mas
Konono No1 -- Assume Crash Position
The National -- High Violet
Nels Cline Singers -- Initiate
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals -- s/t
Ra Ra Riot -- The Orchard
She & Him -- Vol. 2
John Zorn (Blumenkranz/Burger/Cohen/Perowsky/Wolleson) -- In Search of the Miraculous

51-60 (alphabetical)

Band of Horses -- Infinite Arms
David Byrne -- Here Lies Love
Caribou -- Swim
Delta Spirit -- History From Below
Justin Townes Earle -- Harlem River Blues

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings -- I Learned the Hard Way
Onra -- Long Distance
John Vanderslice -- Green Grow the Rushes
John Zorn -- Filmworks XXIV
Various -- Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows

61-70 (alphabetical)

!!! -- Strange Weather, Isn't It?

Blitzen Trapper -- Destroyer of the Void

The Clientele -- Minotaur
The Gaslight Anthem -- American Slang
The Hold Steady -- Heaven is Whenever
Menomena -- Mines
Mop Mop -- Ritual Of the Savage
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
Stars -- The Five Ghosts
Various -- Dear New Orleans

70-75 (alphabetical)

Roky Erickson with Okkervil River -- True Love Cast Out All Evil

Blonde Redhead -- Penny Sparkle
Crystal Castles -- II
Girl Talk -- All Day
Jamie Lidell -- Compass

If you're still reading down here, some fantastic EP's worth seeking out:

Broken Social Scene -- Lo-Fi For the Dividing Nights

White Denim -- last day of summer

Junip -- Rope and Summit

Various -- Twistable, Turnable Man

2010:: Reviews recap

2010-12-22T11:36:00.001-05:00

By means of wrapping up the year, here are the reviews I wrote for the Bowery Presents House List. Although I don't find the time to review all the shows I go to on this blog any more, I'm happy for the outlet to write a review every once in a while and to see some music I wouldn't see otherwise. So...

2010:: Favorite Artist of the Year

2010-12-21T08:16:00.005-05:00

(photo stolen from Dino Perrucci)

I’ve enjoyed the last few years picking my “band” or “artist” of the year. 2008 was the year of Apollo Sunshine while last year Portugal. The Man took the honor of digging deepest into my soul. Here was last year's bands of the decade retrospective.

As with last year, this year’s pick could easily have been the Big PH, but that would be boring, and, time permitting, I plan on doing a separate year-end post on those guys. Even crossing them off the list, there are a few great choices in there, bands that impressed me on CD and blew me away live.

When it comes down to it, though, I think I have to go with Jim James. James, of course, is the front man of My Morning Jacket, which didn’t even have an album out this year. Still, during a weeklong stretch in late October, James and his band were the story in NYC and my life, when I got to see them at the Ed Sullivan Theater (my first time in that theater) in a special Letterman online show and then 4 (out of 5) nights at Terminal 5, absolutely destroying each of their studio albums and then heaping amazing cover after amazing cover into encores like forkfuls of pie after a Thanksgiving feast. It was as impressive a week of music as I’ve seen a band put on. Not just “A game” but a different game altogether. My old review-writing self would have expounded on the treat it was to see a band climb through its own history, and then re-envision their past with the knowledge and talent of today. “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger...” Have you ever seen a band do that before? It was awe inspiring. It was also, loud, rocking fist-pumping fun.

It’s a rare thing to *want* to schlep to Terminal 5 multiple nights in a row, to need to get there at all costs. This year has been a lot of “maybe I won’t go out tonight” kind of nights for me, it would have been easy to fold ‘em for one of those T5 shows, but I didn’t consider it for a minute. I would have hit all 5 if I hadn’t forced The Big Squeeze to go to at least one (the night they played “It Still Moves,” which may have been the best of ‘em all). The night they played “Z” was one of the best shows I saw all year, not only because of the main album set but because they killed a cover of one of my all-time favorite songs, A Quick One While He’s Away by the Who. Wow! Still gives me the sweats thinking about it.

Still, one week in October doesn’t make an “artist of the year” for me and there’s a reason why I say Jim James and not My Morning Jacket. The reason was the Newport Folk Festival this summer. This was my 3rd time hitting the historic festival, and, of course, I’ve been to dozens of other music festivals from New Orleans Jazzfest to Bonnaroo to Austin City Limits to festivals that don’t even exist anymore. I have never, not ever, seen a festival dominated like Newport Folk was dominated by Jim James this past August. The guy was just everywhere, as a headliner, as a guest, as a stealth ensemble artist. Quite frankly, if you were an old-timer who didn’t know James or his music, I feel like you may have missed one of the all time great front-to-back festival appearances happening right under your nose. And to dominate not any old festival but the Newport F’in Folk Festival is impressive. James played an incredible solo set (as Yim Yames) which wasn’t really a solo set, then he magically transformed a set billed as Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore into an intimate, under-the-radar Appalachian Waltz show in the small tent and also had an awesome extended guest sit-in with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, transforming them into his back-up band by sheer talent and will. Here are some videos from the festival:

Gideon from the Yim Yames set:

St. James Infirmary from the Pres. Hall set:

As you can see, not only was he Michael Jordaning the crap out of that weekend, he was looking like one cool customer while doing so. So for that week in October and that weekend in August, Jim James was my personal artist of the year.

Some more links:

Watch the LettermanOnline appearance here

Listen to the Yim Yames set courtesy of NPR

Listen to the Preservation Hall set courtesy of NPR

Listen to the Appalachian Waltz set courtesy of NPR

2010 Rundown

2010-12-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

OK, so the end of the year is nigh... gonna try and fit in some of my usual year end bologna in this space for you. Hopefully a post a day more or less through the end of 2010. Enjoy!

Nedstalgia: 15 Years Ago

2010-12-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

During my Phishgoing glory days in the mid-90’s, I had this feeling that I wasn’t just going to amazing show after amazing show, I felt like I was part of the reason why the show was amazing. It was a chicken-or-the-egg kind of thing. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, in fact that’s part of the appeal of the band, right? The shows were not just concerts, but two-way communications between audience and band that no other band seemed to tap into quite like Phish did. Still, beyond that, there was something personal about it, spending so much time in close proximity to the stage as detailed here in Nedstalgia time and time again, it was almost as if you were inside the cloud where the weather was being made. Never was this feeling stronger than during the month of December in 1995, 15 years ago.

Now, there are many great runs and weeks and months in Phish history (and I think you’ll find, many of them are at the tail end or second leg of tours), but 12/95 may very well be the champion of Phish in month/year debates. There are plenty of reasons why this was the case, I’m sure, we could argue that for weeks if we wanted to, but what made it doubly impressive was that Phish was in the midst of “the leap” from playing theaters and college gyms to being a full-fledged arena band. That month Phish established the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany as one of their many “homes.” That was one of the Grateful Dead’s “homes” over the years. That’s kind of huge if you think about it. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the fall of 1995 was Phish’s first tour after Jerry Garcia’s death. For better or worse and still to this day, from that tour on, Phish was in more ways than one, the Grateful Dead.

So that’s the backdrop, and into that setting, we find the 21-year-old me, once again lucky by birth and college choice, to be the right age in the right spot with the accommodating class schedule and car-owning coterie of friends and family to drive me to many of these shows, 6 in total without affecting my GPA too badly. I won’t go into gory detail on all of those shows, but suffice it to say, there was a new energy in the band. Not brand new, but a refurbished, evolved sound, a little darker and heavier sound that predated the cow-funk era by about a year or so, but still was the seed in which the greatness of fall 1997 was planted. This was a band who opened the 2nd set of 12/4/95 in UMASS with a deep, groovy Timber that still sticks out in my mind for its ability to turn a gym of 20-somethings into something of a anarchic rave party. That same set featured a mid-set Antelope and closed fiercely with a YEM, Sample, Frankenstein. The band was working the Billy Breathes material, but reinventing it a nightly basis. Although the album featured a lot of solid, concise songwriting, it also had several vehicles for exploratory work that would tend more towards evil than good, in those days at least. Add to that mix the bounce of The Who’s bombastic mix from the 10/31 show and the band was a fiery foursome to say the least.

The early month highlight, has to be the Tweezer from 12/2/95 in New Haven, CT. Like nearly all the shows I saw that month, I was in the front row for this one. I was a front row center master already, but I believe during the fall of 1995 I was a Jedi, willing myself to the spot I wanted to (nay, needed to) be without hassle or worry to me or those around me. I knew in my heart that I belonged in that spot and time and time again found myself there dancing my ass off in utter bliss, jumping my young, indestructible body straight into the air as if it were just me they were playing for. And didn’t it always feel that way? Don’t mind the self-absorption, I don’t think this feeling is any different than anyone else’s, but these are my memories and let’s face it, I was young and in love.

So, that’s where I was standing in New Haven that night. The rest of the show was actually rather mediocre. That was my first show of the leg and while the 3 midwest shows I saw were great, there was no sign of the transcendence of 12/95 yet. In fact, the first set was downright mundane despite an always-pleasing Reba. It wasn’t until the Tweezer got going in the middle of the 2nd set that there was anything to suggest that we were at the forefront of several weeks of musical insanity. I could go into a Charlie-Dirksen-style second-by-second analysis of the 15 minutes that are the 12/2/95 Tweezer and it would be worth my while to do so. But that wouldn’t do it justice and even listening to it doesn’t quite capture the way it felt in the room that night (does it ever?). That shouldn’t stop you from going and grabbing the SBD version: http://www.mediafire.com/?zmk3jt2inod and blasting it right now. It starts off innocently enough, like any Tweezer would. Then about halfway through when you feel like you know where it’s going, something kind of clicks. That clicking noise might just be the moment when 12/95 went from the final stretch of the Phish fall tour to becoming all-caps “12/95”. What’s funny about this jam is that until hearing it on the archives show at Festival 8 last year, I don’t think I ever heard it again after the live version. It was one of those few moments of Phish clarity that lived only in my memory. I remember talking about it with a friend at school who always called it “The Boweezer” for the way the jam took the best parts of David Bowie and Tweezer and mashed them together like meat and melted cheese. He had a tape of it and always meant to make me a copy, but we never got around to it, more shows, more tapes, whatnot. It’s great to listen to it now, how it’s Mike that kind of pushes the change, how it’s his bass playing that’s the magical elixir that changes this from a Dr Jeckyll Tweezer to a full-throated, murderous Mr Hyde Tweezer. And Trey takes it and runs with it like the human methamphetamine. How fast and how hard could my 21 year old body dance back then? This Tweezer would be the test. Four guys each taking the threats and dares from the other three, can you play faster, can you get any more intense? Oh yeah, well beat this!! From the 7.5 minute mark to the end is one perfect musical arc, like a rainbow that leads not to a pot of gold but a small spot in a hockey arena where I had one hand on the rail, one hand in the air and 2 legs below me moving at incomprehensible angles. Maybe I heard it after then, maybe not, but when it came on the radio back in Palm Springs last October, it silenced all splashing in the pool, all conversation, it sent everyone within earshot into a hypnotic haze. When it finished and the host proclaimed it to be *the* Tweezer from 12/2/95, I was not surprised. Not in the least. 15 years and many excellent Tweezers later, it still stands out as one of the best.

By the time the Saturday show in Albany came around, it was clear there was something in the water Phish was drinking. You’d be a fool, ticket in hand, to skip the show at the Knick – seemed like everyone I had ever sat in a dorm room with listening to Harry Hood was going to that show. It would take something biblical to get me to skip that show. And then, as it always seems to do when Phish-in-December is involved, the biblical happened. Was it a blizzard or a Nor’easter or just a plain old snowstorm? Whatever it was, only a complete moron would get in a car and drive the 170 miles from Boston to Albany for a freakin’ Phish concert! I mean, 5 shows ain’t enough, you’ve got to risk your life to see a precious 6th? (note: if I ever say anything like this to my kids, show them this). Of course, we were going. Several carfuls made the voyage. Mine was driven by a friend of mine who decided (this is college idiocy at its finest) that he wanted, no he NEEDED to get beer and drink a 6-pack on the way and yet insisted that he drive. This is one of the many instances in my life where I look back and wonder how I’ve made it this far alive, happy and in one piece. Yes, you could barely see 50 feet in front of you, where the road ended and the shoulder began was a matter of opinion and even the plows were sitting it out for a bit on I-90. And yet, we barreled on through, one bottle of beer at a time, the passengers’ knuckles whiter than the Republican convention, until we, thank the lord in heaven, made it to Albany.
As it was halfway to my hometown, there were friendly faces everywhere I looked and both my brother and sister were in attendance. Met up with my bro and we made our way to the spot where it so happened that old neighbors/schoolmates/acquaintances legitimately had seats right there in front of Trey (in one of those classic, “wait, you like Phish?” moments). Another summer camp buddy joined us and we had a nice little friendly posse up there.

Now, I’ve mentioned this feeling of being not just an observer but maybe a little bit of a participant in the show. A lot of times this was just the energy, the dancing, a look here, a nod etc. But increasingly, it became a bit of a game for us to try and get the band to play a song. This started for me, I think, in 2/93 on another snowy night in Poughkeepsie when we chanted for Harry Hood until we got them to play it as a little unplanned bonus. Later it was AC/DC Bag and in 12/93 it was Slave. In 1994, my brother and I were determined to cross Funky Bitch off our need-to-see list and made it our mission to scream for it whether at a show together or separately. That’s a story for my brother (Liffstalgia anyone?), but needless to say, we eventually succeeded, even if I wasn’t there to enjoy it when the struggle was acknowledged. When 12/95 rolled around, our goal was Tube. It was a touch obscure at the time, or at least it felt that way but it was one of those tough-to-catch tunes for us and a pretty killer song that should have, we felt, been a stronger member of the repertoire. Our camp buddy felt the same way, or at least we were successful at recruiting him and he went above and beyond by taking a toothpaste tube and writing “TUBE” on it in big letters. Yes, we were freaks of the nth degree, but having a blast and seeing some sick shit along the way. The guys we knew in the seats had a sign that said “Free Bird” on it, which was one of the first times I’d seen someone bring a sign into a show… it was all scream-it-out-the-lungs back then for us dunderheads.

So the show starts and before the set starts we’re screaming for Tube and when they’re discussing what song to play they’re screaming for Tube. I mean, they’ve got to hear us, right? And eventually they’re going to play it for us, right? The first set was solid with some more of that quintessential 12/95 darkness coupled with a lot of quieter moments that the era also had. We upped our lungwork for the start of the second set, screaming for Tube, but I think at one point we crossed the line. Trey gave us a fairly obvious “STFU” look that chilled me a bit, saying “alright, alright, I hear you!” You can even hear his admonishing on the tapes. I remember thinking then and there that I would not ever scream for a song again. It was a pretty fun game for a while, but Trey’s look made me realize I’d crossed the border to obnoxiousness. I was happy to go home with the victories I’d already had in my belt. There was more than just the chase of the song to enjoy.

Probably lucky that I put the notion of Tube out of my mind for that set, because it was a smoker! One of the best of the month. Scott B from Hidden Track/YEMBlog does a great job dissecting the action in his own nostalgic post here: http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/best-jam-ever/, so I won’t get too protracted. But, needless to say, this set had all the ingredients of Phish greatness. There really isn’t a letdown. The Timber took off where the UMASS version ended, plunging us one step closer to the funk era. In fact, I would argue that “the funk” began in earnest during the 12/9/95 second set and just you *try* to disagree with me! Plunging-the-depths jams are fantastic, but great Phish sets also include some of that “we’re wild and crazy guys!” antic and in Albany, Trey obliged, pulling out a little gizmo that had Beavis and Butthead samples coming out of it -- which in 1995 was probably a pretty unique gadget. “Uhhh this sucks!” “Asswipe!” There are a few awesome things about this little gag. First is how dated it is in retrospect. Phish of the 90’s was transcendent of time, but also very *of* the time it was in. Like I said, we can listen to the tapes and enjoy them, but remembering that the Dead had just met their untimely demise with Garcia’s passing is important. Hearing a Spin Doctors tease is ironic and makes you smile, but back then, they occupied a more subtle part of the Phish universe. But Beavis and Butthead may take the cake. Obviously, it was a rather popular TV show, but it was also the one TV show where you could actually see the one and only Phish music video (for Down With Disease… can you believe *that’s* the song that got a video??) where they characteristically panned the music, the band and the (admittedly horrible) video. So when it says “This sucks!” there’s some good shit buried in there. But mostly, it was hilarious and weird and classic “we’re kinda feeling it tonight” Phish stuff. Plop in the middle of Wilson and you’ve got something there.

Which is all well and good, but ask anyone and the only reason to get the tapes of 12/9/95 (wait, did I just say “tapes?” ) is the You Enjoy Myself. If 12/2/95 is the Tweezer of the month, tour, era (arguably it isn’t but who cares), then 12/9/95 is the YEM of the month, tour, era. Scotty B breaks it down pretty well, but this is quintessential had-to-be-there Phish. The way Trey went at his guitar during that Shaft section essentially predicted the move towards the funk. It was the first time I’d heard the band really delve into something that overtly funky like that. Sure the band could groove, but this was something different. It was a vamp, a tease, whatever, but I remember we would bring it up all the time afterwards; it was something different that warranted a second listen. The funk dripped down to near silence. I’d seen the band get so quiet they were barely touching their instruments but like so many things during the transcendent moments, they took it a bit further and actually stopped playing altogether. But the key was they kept moving like they *were* playing, like they were some weirdo “air band” like we used to do at summer camp. Except somehow there was still music coming from the stage. You couldn’t hear it, but you could feel it. I know others felt it too because people kept dancing, the beat and the melody still inside them. It was really cool. I think Trey lifted his guitar and did the classic Hendrix behind-the-back thing and Fishman got so excited pretending to hit his drums that he actually did hit his drums a couple times. And then, as if it were planned, they eased back into it, like they had ducked their heads underwater and found themselves in some underground river or something. It was a thing to behold.

There is an underappreciated aspect to the silent jam, which is where it occurs during the set. Back then, when 90% of Phish fans got their hands on this classic 12/95 gem, they got it on a 90 minute cassette, almost certainly a Maxell XLII. This YEM was long, almost 35 minutes of Phish at its finest, but could have been a bear to fit onto a tape like that sitting as it did in the middle of the set. But silent jam to the rescue! it came right where a tape flip was appropriate and so the band naturally faded out Side A and faded into Side B without any jarring (cut) on your label. You want to talk about a band in tune with its audience… THAT is a band in tune with its audience. But rest assured, this wasn’t a half hour of farting around on Beavis and Butthead samples or Shaft lyrics or silent jamming… this was 30+ minutes of a band dialed in like few bands could ever dream of. Phish was in the midst of an ascent and during You Enjoy Myself on 12/9/95 in Albany, they took a gigantic step towards that peak.

Great sets also need to sustain to the end and this one had no problem on that front, with an always-welcome Slave to the Traffic Light that made way for a blistering Trey’s-gotta-get-his-rocks-out Crossroards. Good times in Albany, NY. Always good times in Albany, NY, right??

Post show, the snow had stopped and the streets were well on their way to being cleared. I hooked up with my brother who was driving back to Boston with me, but the plan was to crash at a hotel with my buddies for the night. In yet another sign-o-the-times we could not, for the life of us, figure out where the hotel was, sans cell phone or GPS we drove around and around and around and eventually gave up. The cell phone would have also been very helpful for hooking up with my sister who was supposed to have a ride back to Syracuse… but that ride never made it to the show due to the weather and so she was stranded. We still get crap about leaving her to freeze in Albany (our gallant, Tube-wielding buddy actually saved the day on that one, so much for big brothers). Yes, still get crap to this day, but back then, the crap would have to wait until we reached a landline. Finally we just said fuck it, we ride! And off we drove to Boston through the night. I remember being so tired that as we pulled up to the I-90 toll booth I made a complete stop and fell fast asleep. Needless to say, little brother completed the trip.

12/10 was an off day. 12/11/95 was one of those all time great Phish days. Now we had a car with me, my brother, my future wife, the Big Squeeze, Oopy and his girlfriend at the time. The show that day was in Portland, Maine. The last time we had seen Phish in Portland was also a snowy, bitter cold day in December and happened to be, still to this day, one of my favorite Phish shows ever. Nothing was going to stop us from making that trip. But FIRST! Lunch!! There was sandwich stop near our school… I know, I know, everyone had a sandwich stop near their school. But Hungry Herb’s in Malden was like the Phish of sandwiches, transcendent in ways I continue to dream about (alas, it is no longer!!). You could get full just reading the menu (maybe someday I’ll just do a post on Herb’s), but I almost always got the Barbecue-Bacon-Bleu chicken tips sub. My stomach just made a weird noise as I wrote that, holy kashruth, that was a helluva sandwich. Big as heck, too. We made the incredibly forethoughtful decision to eat half of our sandwiches and take the rest with us for later. You don’t give a shit about this (if you’re still reading at all), but it’s important to my memory of the day.

The Cumberland County Civic Center is kind of like the ideal Phish venue in its size, location, and general admissionness. The only thing we knew was not only were we going to be in the front row, but we were going to be at the front of the line to get in. Now, the temperature in Boston was probably 30something but by the time we got up north to Maine it was likely in the single digits. It was a crisp, sunny winter day that made your noise sticky with ice on the inside every time you inhaled. It was cold!!! Oopy bought a ridiculously large furry hat like you might wear in Siberia and we settled down at the door to the Civic Center… and waited, waited and waited. You know you’re there early when it takes hours, plural, for the next crazy muthfukker to show up. But at that point in our lives, being in the front row was more important than most of our toes and probably a couple fingers, so we did it. When you wait for that long in somewhat insane conditions, you have a certain way of *willing* a show to be great. It had happened in the past. Hell, it had happened two days earlier with that drive to Albany. We knew we were doing the right thing, never a we’re-the-biggest-douches-in-the-history-of-Phish doubt in our mind.

Finally, after the line had swelled to a less meager size and the anxiety and anticipation an adrenaline mixed with the cold until we had some sort of unnatural high, long after the sun, which had provided a false feeling of warmth, had set, after most of the feeling in our extremities was a thing of the past, after many, many hours, the doors finally opened and we were let inside. There are so many myriad emotions associated with a Phish show, from the moment it is announced, getting a ticket in your hand, through the show itself and then years later on recordings and conversations and ridiculous pages-long exercises such as this one. One of my favorite feelings was that sensation of being the first person into the venue, walking (no running! sez the Mr. Security Man) quickly to the rail, which is standing there, bare naked, waiting to be embraced, the tension of “the wait” broken as you take “the spot” and sit down, only to have “the next wait” upon you. Settled securely in our spot, the tension switches from where we’ll be standing, to what we’ll be seeing. It is a subtle shift in anxiety, but a fun part of the process. Of course, there was chit chat about what they’d play, remembering the 1993 show which we’d seen from much the same spot, etc. The possibilities were endless, but one thing I knew was NOT going to happen was that I wasn’t, no way in hell, going to shout *anything* at the stage, let alone a song title. I’d get my Tube when I was ready, not a moment sooner. At this point, the other certainty was that we were going to get an epic show. There was little doubt about that. You don’t wait in the cold like that for anything short of Phish history... at least *I* didn’t and because I truly believed I could will greatness from the band, I knew it would be so on 12/11/1995.

Finally, the band takes the stage. Trey takes a quick look into the audience and I catch his eye as I hop up and down in excitement. Was he still pissed? Did I really think this way back then? Yes, I did and probably still do. Weirdo.

My Friend, My Friend opener. The tone has been set. Phish loves Maine, did you know that? They love lots of places and the whole state of Maine is somewhere up on that list, I can say with confidence, even though I’ve only see three shows up there... two of them happen to be two of my favorite shows of all time, although that list is probably too long to consider. Anyway, MFMF, WTF? My Friend My Friend > Ha Ha Ha which had been one of our favorites since hearing it in Lowell that past spring. Twisted, glorious energy quickly heated up the room, the outside wait long forgotten, the inside wait a thing of the past, we were digging it in the moment. The band was bundling all the greatness of the previous two weeks and resurrecting it before our very eyes. Great shows start like this, the very greatest shows started like this, we were well on our way. Bang, bang, bang! The crowd, jackets strewn on the floor below us or over the rail in front of us, was a singular, sweaty mass. We were the ball of yarn and the four musicians on stage the cat pawing away at us, like we were their toy. In 1995 Stash was just getting warmed up as a part of the repertoire and this one was solid A. Even the Caspian was a treat with Trey explaining that Elvis played his last show in the room and it was for his son, “the prince.” Excellent banter from Mr. Anastastio with the added twist of glorifying the venue, which is always a good sign. It’s weird to think that certain rooms can bring out the best in a band like that, can rise about the cookie-cutter arena-fare to make an impression. What the hell was it about the CCCC that made it special to the band, that brought us 12/30/93 and 12/11/95? I don’t know and I don’t care.

Reba followed. As almost all Rebas are, it was special. Now here’s where things took a twist to the Phishy weird. Trey announces they’re working on a new album that’s going to be 15 different versions of Dog Log which they usually play during soundcheck. Actually he says that he thought of something funny during the Reba jam which is ridiculous and amazing on so many levels, I don’t even want to go into it. Anyway, he goes on: all sorts of different ways of playing the song and tonight they needed our help with the crowd reaction. So they play the song and we’re supposed to “BOO!” really loudly in the middle of the song... “this sucks!” we were supposed to yell (which kinda hearkens back to the Beavis thing from before). It was fun and unexpected and Phish at its best. Cause when they’re having fun, you’re definitely having fun and they were most certainly having a blast up there. Plus, got to cross “Dog Log” off the list, can’t complain about that. Llama was next which was characterized by Trey’s work on the additional percussion kit he had on stage. This was one of those weird wrinkles in Phish history: Trey had this mini percussion kit on stage which he would sometimes knock away at, abandoning his Languedoc to leave the jamming to Page and Mike. Sometimes it resulted in some cool moments, other times it lead to some mind-numbing monotony. But moments like that Llama were pretty cool. Next up another Dog Log, this time we do a piercing scream. See, it’s always that *next* step that makes things super-special. Play Dog Log once with some bizarro banter and it can add spice to the soup, but play it twice, perpetuate your ridiculous ruse and you’ve taken us into uncharted areas of Phishopolis. By pulling the Dog Log stunt further into the set like that, the band was exploring their own absurdity to great effect. All this and they were just getting started, we were only halfway through the first set.

Now Trey thanks everyone for helping make the album (what’s the release date on that again?) and says that to repay us they’re going to play a song that people request all the time that they “never play.” -- looks askance at Neddy and crew perhaps? And then, when you least expect it, expect it, blammo, my first Tube! Barely 3 minutes and devoid of any jamming or accoutrements whatsoever, but who cares, right, it’s the 90’s baby! Guess he wasn’t that pissed after all and he gave me a nice little nod afterwards at which I returned a slight bow of the head and a “thank you very much!” Thanks again for that, Trey!

At this point we were positively giddy. Picture perfect playing from all involved, silly larks indulged upon, Reba, Ha Ha Ha, bustouts and, not to be outdone, my long-sought-after Tube! That’s a lot of tick marks in the notebook, enough to last a couple of shows and yet, still, we had much more. Starting first with McGrupp, a beloved tune by me that always seemed to crop up in great sets. Certain songs have a way of doing that, like an official embossed seal on the document “I hearby declare this set to be schmokin!” During the 90’s, McGrupp was one of those. As if to make sure we realized that that had been one killer first set, they closed it twice, first with Julius and then again with Cavern.

Whew! Lights come up and we sit down to deliberate, to consider, was that as good as I thought it was? Maybe you listen to the tapes and it seems like a goofball little set, that Tube isn’t such a rarity, Dog Log, who cares? But to be there on the floor of the ole Cumberland County Civic Center we were beside ourselves. Of course, before long my goofed up self can’t sit still and I stood up to look around. The set-up at the Civic Center was a little weird, there was no curtain or anything behind the stage, and there were no people sitting behind the stage, so you could kind of see backstage a little bit. Not where the band was hanging out, but certainly crew members doing this or that and whatever milling going on. So I’m looking through to this area behind the stage and I see a long-haired dude that looked kind of familiar. Could that be the guy from the Allman Brothers? Warren Haynes? What the hell would he be doing up here in Maine? This was before Warren was the ubiquitous, the hard-working, capital-M “MAN” that he is now. He was just the guitar player in the Allmans to me, although I had seen a killer Warren Hayne in Boston a year or so prior, but I could have sworn that was him. Or maybe just someone that looked like him that schelps the boxes around or drives the bus? Tracking...

Now if McGrupp was one of those waxen seals of Phish set superiority, The Curtain was/is the granddaddy of them all, for me, the song that seemed to pop up whenever the boundaries of greatness were trespassed. It continues to this day in its superior “With” form. In retrospect, there was no way the second set of 12/11/95 *didn’t* open with The Curtain. Followed by Bowie and we are officially hitchhiking to Gamehendge we are so far gone. The set from there was just one solid hit after another. Perhaps no version of any tune from the show rivals the YEM from Albany or the Tweezer from New Haven, but through relentless awesomeness, the show itself reached proportions epic. But we did get a glimpse at the epic as the set wound down through a sweet Harry Hood and a nod to The King in Suspicious Minds. Before the end of the set, Trey invites none other than (you saw this coming, right?) Warren Haynes on stage -- right again, sir! Special guests at a Phish show were and are indeed a special occurrence in their rarity, but not always special in the music that results. I’ve seen plenty of sets go completely south the moment the guests came out. Not to worry here as Warren elevated the set-closing Funky Bitch to places it shouldn’t be allowed to go. Rip-roaring guitar dueling of the kind Warren was born to crush. Anastasio vs. Haynes to finish an already Mothra of a Phish show. What could be better? I’ll tell you what could be better -- to do it all over again in the encore with Warren joining in on While My Guitar which impossibly surpassed the Funky Bitch and probably remains the definitive version of this song played by anyone anywhere. (maybe?)

It was like a Neddy greatest hits with Reba, The Curtain, McGrupp and then the semi-ironic appearance of not just Tube, but 2 other in the songs-I-loved-enough-to-shout-for genre in Harry & Funky Bitch. It’s like the moment I let go, they started indulging all my setlist desires. Even looking into the future, since these days, I’d be happy if they played Reba and The Curtain every night which were two of the standouts from a night full of ‘em.

We exited the arena and made it back to the car which felt like the inside of a refrigerator. Good thing, too, because the second half of our sandwiches were waiting for us like the return of Warren for the encore slaughter. The day had been fun, the show an ecstatic front row undertaking, but perhaps eating those frosty cold BBQ-bacon-bleu subs tied the whole thing up for us. Holy shit, nothing has ever tasted so good after a Phish show!! Never, ever! We still talk about this show as the one where we had the Herb’s subs waiting for us.

This write-up is impossibly long, but hell, it was December 1995, it deserves such blathering, doesn’t it? What gets shortchanged was 12/12/95 -- how the hell I made it home from Maine and then went back to Providence the next day is beyond me. Who drove me to that show? I do not know. According to phish.net, Portland was on a Monday and Providence on a Tuesday... how the hell did that happen? How did I graduate in 4 years? The Prov. show was punctuated mostly in my mind by the terrifically long version of Down With Disease. The “made-for-MTV” tune was actually a lot different during its first couple of years in the repertoire, serving more as a high-energy set closer a la Chalkdust or later Character Zero. According to my recollection, this was the first time I heard the band really use it as a springboard for something more improvisational, and boy did they stretch this one out and out and out. I don’t remember it fondly, but I will admit, I don’t remember *everything*. Anyway, Providence, in my memory, pales in comparison to the previous weeks full of shows, but maybe it was just as good if not better and I just need to go back and take a listen. I mean, it was part of 12/95, how bad can it be?

Thanks for reading! You’re nuts for making it this far, but not as nuts as I am.

Nedstalgia: 15 Years Ago

2010-10-28T11:17:00.001-04:00

OK, I know this blog has long met its demise, but it’s the only place I have to spew and with another Halloween trip coming, I’m having trouble concentrating on work and I’m feeling… Nedstalgic.

Here's my Halloweens recap written after last year's show

15 years ago I was in the fall of my senior year of college and there was no way in hell I was going to let a thousand miles keep me from seeing Phish on Halloween. Not after what had gone down the previous year. In fact, with my usual show-going dexterity, I managed to work in not just Halloween but the two previous shows as well. My little sister was a senior in high school at the time and she decided to come along as well for a little old school road trip.

I won’t go into painful detail about the shows and the trip, but as always there were plenty of little notables to mention along the way. Perhaps my favorite anecdote about Halloween 1995 happened well before I even packed up to leave. This was one of the first times I had mail ordered for a Phish show, I don’t know that it was a normal or necessary thing at the time for most shows. I remember going to the computer center at school to print out the mail order form, one of my earliest memories of (useful) world wide web usage. Anyway, I remember waiting and waiting for that ticket to come in the mail and it didn’t come and I was getting worried. Then one day I get back from class and there’s a message on my answering machine from Shelley, the lady whose voice you heard when you called the hotline. “Hey Aaron, this is Shelly from Phish. There was some issue with your ticket delivery and it got bounced back to us. Give me a call and give me the address so we can get it out to you.” Man, I loved this band. Had a nice chat with her and a few days later had the ticket in hand.

First stop was Detroit for the show in Auburn Hills. The night before we arrived in Ann Arbor and spent the night in the dorms with a friend. Before driving to Auburn Hills, I took my friend’s unwanted football ticket and went into the stadium to experience the game for about 10 plays. I didn’t have that major Division-I football experience so that was pretty cool. The show itself was pretty blah, certainly down near the bottom of my list. As always, it had its moments (my first Timber, for example), but mostly mehtastic. But no matter, the true highlight was the post show doings where my sister, a couple friends and I ventured back into downtown Detroit for another show – my first time seeing Medeski, Martin and Wood. I’d been listening to them pretty voraciously since the spring (even before they got the Trey seal of approval) and was incredibly psyched for the show. I have little recollection how we found the venue or anything in those proto-internet, pre-GPS, cell phone days, but find it we did. It was called Zoot’s Coffee House and was essentially a house in a rather decrepit part of town (is there any other kind?). Basically, it was a concert in a living room… we walked in to a packed house and I squeezed my way past a couple of folks and turned around only to be standing with both my hands on top of Medeski’s organ. That tight and that small. The show was absolutely phenomenal, like their album “Friday Afternoon in the Universe” stuffed into a cannon and blasted all over the room in glorious pyrotechnics.

The next night was just me and my sister in Louisville. We checked into the hotel and as it was Sunday there was absolutely nothing to do in town. Since it was a GA show, I figured we could just wait in line so we walked down the venue and who should be walking along the street as well… none other than Mr. Trey Anastasio. I’ve never had much desire to chat up the band so just gave him a nod, but others not so much… one guy yelled “play Silent in the Morning!!!” which annoyed me because it was obnoxious, but also because why yell for *that* song? Didn’t make sense… of course, they’d end up playing it that night which annoyed me even more.

We were basically second on line and got “the spot” for the show. And what a show it was – a truly great and underappreciated show from the era. Certainly one of those don’t skip show-before-the-show’s (that I usually skip or miss). Everything was played really solid and the band was in a loose, playful mood. Basically, the whole second set was a highlight with a crazy Makisupa>Bowie opener. The Bowie remains one of my favorites, it just started off slow and quiet and slowly and consistently built on a single arc until exploding in the climax. The It’s Ice was a bizarre set of segues, going into Kung in the middle portion and back into It’s Ice which had an extended outro which meandered into Shaggy Dog. There are not many Phish songs I haven’t seen and missing from that short list is Shaggy Dog which is totally strange. Not many people can say they’ve seen that one, but I don’t think too many people care.

Night off to get to Chicago and then the big night. Of course, the lot and venue were buzzing with that special energy. This was still only the second time they did the Halloween thing and the last time they did it without letting people know what album they were going to play as they walked in (The PhishBills started in 1996). What they did hand out as we walked in were gold-foiled chocolate coins embossed with the Phish logo and a radio station’s info. I took my chocolate and put it into my pocked where it lasted the entire night and the trip back home… I still have that chocolate in its original gold foil, a little deformed, but still good to go. One of two souvenirs I’d take home from that show.

Our seats were in the back of the arena, but we were in there early, so I went to go to the bathroom and then, sensing my moment, walked pretty much straight past all the security milling about and staked out a spot on the rail in front of Trey’s microphone. There were a couple other guys there that obviously weren’t supposed to be there, but still plenty of room for all, even after the folks who had those seats arrived. Another Halloween, another night front and center. I couldn’t have been happier!

I’ve previously written about my campaign to get Thriller played that night so won’t get into that. Of all the Halloween shows, this one had the creepiest, Halloween energy from the start. The Icculus that opened it with Trey absolutely losing his mind about the book not being strong enough to beat back the dark energy of the night. And how right he was. Everything had that extra edge to it. Guyute had been shelved for a little bit and came back stronger than ever that night. The first set closed with a bizarro Harpua that featured a taunting Beat It tease and a long narration from Mike that was essentially an unrequested brain dump from the freak.

Of course, strong version of Guyute and extended weirdness in a first set Harpua are all well and good, but we were all there for the second set. There were microphones put out for a horn section which raised the ante even more. I can see why they announce the album now for people coming into the shows, but those moments waiting for the band to come out in the Rosemont Horizon have to be some of the most stomach churning “what’s gonna happen!?!?!” times in my Phish career. Finally, after much, much too long, they came back. The sound of an ocean surf and blips of music came over the PA. It was somewhat familiar to me, but not 100%. Finally they broke into it – “I Am The Sea” this is The Who, I remember thinking excitedly… Quadrophenia. The guy next to me kept insisting it was Tommy, but I just smiled, nodded and tuned into Trey and Company.

As the recordings will attest, the band nailed it. Well rehearsed, so much tighter than the White Album had been, the horns, the vocals all right within the range of whoever was singing. It was a perfect rendition from top to bottom. I really loved the 5:15 best from that night, the way the horns blended in and it just kind of jammed out for a long time. They hadn’t really done anything like that the year previous. I’ve always wished they would have played it again, but it wouldn’t resonate as much without the horns. What else is there to say? Just an impressive, impressive set of music right down to Fishman belting out Reign O’er Me and never sounding quite as good ever again.

What do you do after a set like that? Well, first you take a break and as the band left the stage, Miles Davis’ “Tribute to Jack Johnson” came over the PA. They’d played it before between sets, but never before did it seem so perfect to me, like all this stress from the band and the audience from the start of the night had finally released into this easy, mind-mess music. The band was gone for exactly the length of that album, not a minute longer.

That was all the time it took for them to transform from The Who back into Phish, but a different Phish, one another step along in the journey. As if Miles Davis were still playing they launched right into one of the longest, most ambitious and exploratory You Enjoy Myself’s I’ve ever seen or heard. We’re talking 40 minutes of jam that somehow bridged Pete Townsend and Miles Davis and yet was all Phish all the time. Of course, it meandered at times, plenty of it was glorious, but that was hardly the point. It was like the band had been the tense ball of nerves, walking on eggshells to make the Quadrophenia set happen, and once the set was done…once they totally slayed the album, they just felt the need to just be Phish. For as long as it took. That YEM was their version of just sitting on the couch and vegging out in front of the TV. Thankfully we all got to hang out and watch and dance and wonder what else they could do.

The YEM kicked off a magical set of music. Afterwards, they veered in another direction playing a rare-at-the-time Jesus Left Chicago which featured Dave Grippo on saxophone for one of the best guest appearances at a Phish show I’ve seen. Everything about that song choice and execution was spot on, to the geographical appropriateness to the crowd-charging sax solo. They could have ended the set there and it would have been everything you could have asked for. They tacked on a Day in the Life and then another monster horn-fueled Suzy G to end the night. Nothing beats a Suzy with horns, it’s gotta be one of the Phish commandments – if horns are on stage, Suzy Greenberg MUST be played.

For the encore, the crew set up an acoustic set and a small drum kit with “The Who” logo written on it. Coolio, more special stuff. The band came out and played a postmodern acoustic/bluegrass version of My Generation. The show needed no extra bells and whistles but it got them anyway. We essentially got every kind of Phish you could ever want in a show: tight constructed compositions, crazy long jams, narration, new covers… everything. But we didn’t the nutty, silly side in full until that encore which brought it out in full. After a couple of verses, Page (on upright) and Mike (on banjo) kept playing in hilarious, monotonous stoic fashion while Trey and Fishman smashed the guitar and drum kit a la the Who. They acted like cartoon characters, setting up an old style plunger and proceeded to “explode” the drum kit with a puff of smoke and a loud bang… and that’s how the show ended. One of the better shows I’ve seen.

Before I left the front of the stage in utter, exhausted awe, I was able to grab a small shard of Trey’s smashed acoustic guitar, which I still have today in my small, humble pile of collectibles along with my not-quite-smushed chocolate coin and a ping pong ball that got thrown out of a flying hot dog on one miserable, rainy New Years Eve.

As always, thanks for reading.

Reviews

2010-04-27T16:03:00.005-04:00

Index of House List reviews I've written so far this year:

Review: Jason Collett

2010-04-27T16:01:00.002-04:00

Slacked and didn't get this in on time to make it onto The House List Monday, so posting here...

I arrived at the Mercury Lounge Friday night expecting to catch about
half the opening act, Zeus, before checking out Jason Collett, who, I
thought, would be backed by Zeus as well. Instead, I was immediately
immersed in the full-on show already in progress. Perhaps they
explained the rules before I got there, but I quickly caught on that
the show would not be following typical opener first/headliner last
convention. Rather, the night was more of a glorious mash-up of both
Collett and Zeus (and even unbilled Bahamas) – with people from each
band sitting in with each act opening for the other opening for the
other as they layered the show song by song in well-diagrammed
fashion. Throughout there was plenty of shuffling, with instruments
being passed around like recreational drugs, each player having a
different effect on the guitars, bass, lead vocal and keyboards. In
this way, the collective resembled their musical cousins and fellow
countrymen, Broken Social Scene, but, really, only in this way.

At the beginning, the music echoed those other Canadian rockers, The
Band and even Neil Young, as Collett/Zeus mixed acoustic and electric
guitars nicely. On their own, Zeus, at first, strongly evoked Dr. Dog
with bouncy songs, harmonized vocals and killer, pillow-fight bass
playing. Later they showed some nice compositional depth with a
raging near-prog “Cornerstones.” Midway through, Bahamas (aka Afie
Jurvanen), who had been popping in and out of numbers from the corner
of the stage, lead the ensemble with some BSS-like 4-guitar tunes
before falling back to “special guest” for the rest of the night.
From there, Collett hit his stride with some powerfully penned songs
from his new “Rat A Tat Tat,” including hot takes on “Lake Superior”
and “Love is a Dirty Word.” Appropriately, both acts got to take it
to the next level with killer covers in the encore; Zeus blowing the
room away with a great version of the mid-era Genesis hit “That’s All”
and then Collett leading everyone in a pace-changing groovy go at the
Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’.”

Nedstalgia: 15 Years Ago

2010-04-08T15:23:00.003-04:00

Don’t Panic, Nedstalgia ain’t totally dead yet. Will try to do, on average, one a month. Can’t let this week pass by without thinking back to 15 years ago and my first real Widespread Panic jaunt...

[warning: as always, this is unedited, semi-stream-of-memory... proceed with caution]

For me, WSP has actually been several different bands along the way. There’s the early primordial band in Athens, the band after Jojo joined, and of course, the multiple incarnations after Mikey’s passing. In many ways, the real deal Widespread Panic that most fans fell in love with was born in the spring of 1995. Before then, the band was a bit up and down, no more up and down than they were in 1994. Frankly, by the end of that year, their shows were a bit predictable and boring: songs were repeated on consecutive nights, the quality of the playing was inconsistent and some tunes were languishing on the dreaded “shelf” without reason. I left a fall show at the Avalon in Boston thoroughly discouraged with the truncated show that ended with an all-too-familiar Can’t Get High/Ain’t Life Grand encore, only to be pushed out so the club could turn over into a dance club (god, I hated that).

The great thing about Widespread was that they knew this was the case. The even better thing is that they were determined to do something about it. Word trickled out as they prepared for a humongous spring tour in 1995 that they had printed out a list of every single song they had ever played and went through it, rehearsing songs they had forgotten about, reformulating ones that had become stale. Turns out they were going to laminate copies of the master list and color code songs as they were played, formulating ready-to-play, one-of-a-kind setlists that would ensure that there was always a fresh mix of tunes each night. Maybe things were going to be different this time… and different they were.

If you ever wanted evidence that setlist writing was good for a band, compare the Widespread Panic of fall 1994 with the Widespread Panic of the spring of 1995. It’s no comparison. As setlists started popping up from the Midwest with bustouts and breakouts and new songs and old songs in new spots, and each show having a clear, coherent arc, and completely different shows every night for nights on end, the excitement was palpable. As far as I was concerned, all that giddiness is was the internet was invented for and I was gobbling it up. Lucky for me, the tour was gaining steam and heading my way…

I may be wrong, but I believe I have only seen one concert after which I walked home and slept in my own bed. That was 3/29/95, Widespread Panic at Somerville Theater. If I had been ready to give up these guys 5 months earlier, after that show I was ready to drop out of school and follow them to places like Spartanburg and Reno. Stream the show here, it’s worth a few hours of your day!

Too many highlights to list, to be honest: the band was in top form from the get-go. Writing setlists did have some interesting wrinkles, a couple of which were present that night: note the Sleeping Man/Sleeping Monkey combo or the 3 songs in a row starting with the letter “P” – results, certainly, of a band going through a master list alphabetically and just picking out tunes. Whatever; it worked. I had seen the band only a handful of times being up in the northeast, but this was easily the best of them by far. Like an alien band had descended from Planet Georgia and replaced those old dudes that used to tour as Widespread Panic. Oh, and, Astronomy Domine>Chilly Water to end the first set was nasty, nasty, nasty.

Luckily, as the setlists were dropping into my inbox every week, I was wise and planned ahead. One night of Panic close to home would NOT do the trick, as balls-to-the-wall as this show was, I would need more, more, more. And thus, 15 years ago, I went on my first true Panic road trip… to NYC, of course: two nights at Irving Plaza.

Now, here’s a cool little anecdote… at some point during the Spreadnet discussion about how sick these shows were as songs are getting busted out left and right, someone pipes up saying “they should bring back Pusherman… in New York.” Of course, even back then, it would take more than that to break the signal-to-noise level of an internet discussion group. A couple days later, someone comes back from a show in Maine or something and says they were there for soundcheck and the band was working on… Pusherman. But they were having trouble remembering it, so the dude went back to his house and got his CD so they could listen to it. Fast forward to the band’s return to Gotham and in a monstrous second set of the first night at Irving Plaza, a set peppered with plenty of P songs came a surprising-but-not-surprising return of Pusherman (with a small gap of 414 shows since the last one played, thank you Everyday Companion!). Actually, it went Pusherman/Impossible/Diner/Papa’s, but who’s keeping score?

The moral of the story is that this was a new Widespread Panic unlike any Widespread Panic that ever was or ever will be. This was a band more in tune with its fans than any other I’ve ever known and who expected nothing but the best from themselves every single night. It was a band that got better and better every single tour, starting with that tour in spring of 1995 and ending, tragically, when Michael Houser passed on.

Irving Plaza was a fantastic time. I had a great mix of friends with me, old and new, the room was probably half to two-thirds full, the volume could probably not (legally) be turned up any louder than it was, the band seemed crowded at the front of the stage, ever-eager to break the barrier between musician and audience. There haven’t been many Panic shows played in NYC that were better than these two. It all came to a head with the second set of the second night which was a non-stop rage machine. It was the first time I had ever heard Tie Your Shoes before, live or on tape and I was thoroughly blown away by the funked out blitzkrieg of a jam that festered within.

It’s crazy that a band I thought I kind of knew, had been listening to for almost three years, owned all the albums, etc could be such a mystery to me. These shows were a rare opportunity to rediscover something I already knew and to fall back in love with something I thought I already was kind of smitten with. Not only were there covers I didn’t know they played, songs I didn’t even know existed and jams I didn’t know they were capable of, there was also a new energy and attitude that elevated the whole experience.

The spring Panic 1995 came down to the crushing set-closing segment of that second set. The band launched from a raunchy Radio Child into Chilly Water. Now, I’d seen Chilly Waters before and I knew that this was the moment when dials got turned to 11, Dave Schools’ hair started moving with a mind of its own and the rest of the band became possessed with its warped view of what a rock band should be. But something unexpected happened as the jam reached its apex. It fizzled. Not in a bad way, it just melted into a noise and from that noise came Jack. Wow, I was surprised, I didn’t think they’d end with that, and yet it was about that time when things should be wrapping up. The Jack was awesome, a break we didn’t know we needed but as the song wound down the pace picked up. Michael Houser latched onto a stretch of guitar playing that snagged the rest of the band in its web and things just built and built and built and built… I turned to BT next to me and kind of mouthed “what the fudge?” because talking would have been impossible at that point. It was sick Panic jam personified, Michael Houser in an "I'm playing 3 guitar solos simultaneously and your brain can't handle it!" nutshell and then it clicked… were they going back into Chilly Water? Cause it kind of sounded like they were going back into Chilly Water. I had never, in my wildest dreams, considered such a thing to be a possibility and yet, it sure as cuss sounded like they were doing that and frankly, it sounded perfect. As perfect as any two songs glued together could possibly sound. And then BLAMMO! It was back into Chilly Water, every hair on my body stood on end and I realized that everything had changed. In the ensuing years, it was a sandwich that would pop up quite frequently, but I am pretty sure that was the first time they did it and I’m even surer it was the best.

The postscript to the trip to New York was that as fulfilling as it was, it wasn’t enough. How could it ever be enough? My buddy was hitting University of Rhode Island (he lived nearby) on a Sunday night and he had no way of ensuring that I could make it home after the show but hey, there’s a spot for you if you want and this really cheap ticket and… how could I refuse? It was the first spur-of-the-moment, gotta-get-more-Panic decision I’ve ever made, but the first of many, I can assure you.

Can’t go into too much detail (glad you’re still with me down here), but that show might have been as good or better than the other 3… I remember it fondly, but haven’t heard a lick of it since that night. I do remember that the show was essentially in a lecture hall, there was very little dancing going on or energy in the room whatsoever and a lot people left after the opener who was some “name” northeast jamband that I can’t recall at the moment. And yet, as if playing just to me, the band raged with another custom-built-for-you setlist and that characteristic "we're playing like it's the last time we'll ever play together" verve. The encore was a blistering Me and the Devil>No Sugar Tonight combo and I was able to find a ride back to Somerville in the pouring rain so it was well worth it.

The postscript to the postscript was meeting Dave Schools for the first time almost a month later after a show in Portsmouth and him looking at me and saying (this was almost a month later, mind you) “Hey, you were the only one dancing at that URI show.” Sort of sums it all up, don’t it?

I have copies of Irving Plaza shows I could make available if someone wanted. Leave a comment or send me a note so I know it would be worth my while to upload.

Until next time...

Shows of the Week

2010-03-14T11:03:00.000-04:00

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Allman Brothers Band @ United Palace Theater
Hockey @ Bowery Ballroom
Jim Campilongo/Adam Levy @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Donny McCaslin @ 55 Bar (late)
*Erik Friedlander @ The Stone (early)
Adam Rudolph's Go Organic Orchestra @ Roulette
Jason Crosby @ The Living Room

Tuesday:
Glenn Beck! @ Nokia Theater
Allman Brothers Band @ United Palace Theater
*Previously on Lost @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)
Motian/Moran/Osby @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Ches Smith Group, Dunn/Goldberger/Eisenstadt @ Zebulon (Brooklyn)
Erik Deutsch @ Korzo (Brooklyn) (late)

Wednesday:
Forro in the Dark @ Nublu
Scissor Sisters @ Bowery Ballroom
*Motian/Moran/Osby @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Alicia Keys @ Madison Square Garden
Roy Haynes @ Blue Note (early/late)
Jim Black: Pachora @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)

Thursday:
Keller Williams @ Brooklyn Bowl
Allman Brothers Band @ United Palace Theater
Joanna Newsom @ Town Hall
Roy Haynes @ Blue Note (early/late)
Adam Rogers Band @ Iridium (early/late)
*The Wood Brothers @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck)
Mary Halvorson Quintet @ Roulette
Patty Larkin/Erin McKeown @ City Winery
Motian/Moran/Osby @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Scissor Sisters @ Bowery Ballroom
Doveman @ The Kitchen
Jason Crosby Trio et al @ Banjo Jim's
Matt Munisteri @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)

Friday:
Indecision (Bulletproof Lincolns open) @ Mercury Lounge
Air @ Terminal 5
*Portugal. The Man @ Highline Ballroom
Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band, The Black Hollies @ Brooklyn Bowl
Doveman @ The Kitchen
Roy Haynes @ Blue Note (early/late)
Motian/Moran/Osby @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Oneida @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)
The Wood Brothers @ Bowery Ballroom
Joseph Arthur/Kevin Devine @ City Winery
Allman Brothers Band @ United Palace Theater
Joanna Newsom @ Town Hall
Adam Rogers Band @ Iridium (early/late)
Alicia Keys @ Prudential Center (Newark)
Fig: Nels Cline/Yuka Honda @ The Stone (late)
Brewed By Noon @ Tea Lounge (Brooklyn)
Adam Levy et a @ Rockwood Music Hall (early)
America @ Bergen PAC (Englewood, NJ)

Saturday:
*The Disco Biscuits @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Allman Brothers Band @ United Palace Theater
Adam Rogers Band @ Iridium (early/late)
Michael Wolff @ Knickerbocker
Psylab et al @ Don Hill's
Roy Haynes @ Blue Note (early/late)
Rhett Miller @ City Winery
Motian/Moran/Osby @ Village Vanguard (early/late)

Sunday:
The Disco Biscuits @ Brooklyn Bowl
Motian/Moran/Osby @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Roy Haynes @ Blue Note (early/late)
Bel Biv Devoe @ BB King's
Ace Frehley @ Nokia Theater
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
*Adam Rogers Band @ Iridium (early/late)
Sun Ra Arkestra @ Sullivan Hall

Click here for upcoming shows

Wayback: Panic in Delaware 2001

2010-02-28T23:52:00.002-05:00

Widespread Panic has released the epic Delaware show from summer 2001 and it got me thinking about that great night. Thanks to the "wayback machine" I was able to go get my old review written immediately after the face. Hard to believe I wrote this much and this hyperbolically about one Panic show, but that's the way I used to roll, baby! Enjoy this look back at Neddy 2001 style:

Before I get into the adventure that was the Delaware show, a short review of Thursday's Beacon closer. I thought overall that show was very tired. The band seemed tired, the crowd seemed tired, the playing was weak and uninteresting. Up until the end of Drums, I would have to categorize the show as being one of my least favorites since 1994 probably. Song selection aside, there was little to no jamming of any interest. The lone highlight of the first set was a 20 second stretch in Holden where it seemed like not only was the band ready to click, but that they were nanoseconds away from a smooth transition into Sharon. Neither the song choice nor the momentum held any water though and the Titanic of a ship from Wednesday continued its descent into the cold waters of blah.

The evening could be summed up by the Thought Sausage - a great song, one of my favorites of the new crop. The song was played adequately and then was drawn out at the end in what you might call a "jam." This conglomeration of noise went no where for several minutes in a painful excursion of improvisation. It was amazing that it was the same band as Wednesday night as each member seemed to be in different universes. When they tried to tidy it up by bringing back the Thoussage themes, it was even more evident that they had no clue where they were going.

Drums was, dare I say, a highlight of the show - the guest percussionist taught a few lessons to Sunny on how to play the congas. I think Sunny is great, but his drums routine is so tired it's being compressed into pill form and being sold in the lots as valium. Post drums was a bit of a relief if only because there was a change of pace. Rodriguez from Groove Collective came out during the jam with Schools giving it a decided jazzy edge. I wouldn't say that he was a monster on the saxophone, but he held his own and at least gave the mirage of good music to the audience that was floating in the wreckage of Thursday's show. Maggot Brain is probably the lone true highlight for me - one of the best I've heard. Mikey was scorching through his solo and the saxophonist dialed in his own blaring solo to put this one over the top. Low Rider was fun, but like the rest show just flat out sounded "off" to me. The encore was a nice validation for the still-hepped crowd and assured me that the band had as much fun as I did, despite the mediocrity of the run. Give Thursday night's capper a 3.5 on the Ned-O-Matic, saved by the post drums change of pace.

Floating in the ocean, dangling on the appreciable pieces of Thursday's carcass, I could only hope that land would be found fast. Who knew that such a tropical isle would be found in the middle of Wilmington, Delaware? If ever there was a Panic show to get "stranded" at, this would be the one. For all I know, it may be my last Widespread show for a long, long while and with all the big talk of "sleeper" of the summer, I just prayed that new life would be found in the island paradise of Kahunaville.

Kahunaville Summer Stage, Wilmington, DE 22 July 2001

Set I: Glory > C. Brown, Give, Diner > Rebirtha, Blackout Blues, E on a G > Dirty Business > All Time Low

Set II: Swamp > 1 x 1, Sleepy Monkey > War > Kinky Reggae > Sleepy Monkey > Stop Breaking Down, Party At Your Mama's House > Red Hot Mama > Drums > Last Straw > All Along The Watchtower > Traveling Light

E: Old Joe, North

[First 'All Along the Watchtower' (full - sung by Dave); 'War' and 'Kinky Reggae' (both Bob Marley) were at least one full verse and the full chorus of each song sung by JB]

WOW! I didn't want to fall victim to the bold predictions made right up until the lights went down, but this show lived up to all expectations and more.

The show started sort of innocently with a nice Glory > C. Brown, Give. Each song was short and sweet, but the energy was there from the get go and the band seemed to be in really high spirits. Dave seemed especially lively fielding extended bass fills at every chance he could get. It was nice to move to a nice outdoor venue, especially one that is general admission, after being "cooped up" on that luxury liner of the Beacon Theater. The sound was impeccably good - I don't recall hearing each band member so cleanly since Atlantic City last summer. The comparisons between those two shows would not end with the crystalline sound.

This show was really about JB from the beginning. His guitar playing matched the treatment it was getting from the PA - phenomenal. His voice was just as clear and just as sweet. By the end of Give it was clear that the audience was tuned and the band was rearing to go. With pirate ships floating by on the water beside the venue and a man-made volcano poised in the front, the scene was set for our deserted island Panic show.

Luckily, we were stranded in a jungle dense with exotic species like a first set Diner that brought the energy up a notch. Sucking out the juices from the lush fruit of Diner, the band was dripping with fortified licks. Perhaps not as tight as they had been on Wednesday night, the band more than made up for it with rising intensity and spiralling freefalls through Diner. JB sang with voice and guitar - the requisite rapping at the end may have been similar to all those before it in wording, but it was his conviction and melodic tinging to the ad hoc vocals that made the fruit that much sweeter.

The band cascaded like a hidden waterfall into a rocky transition into Rebirtha. One thing that I have missed over this summer and even further back is the true segue. Lately it seems the band has forgotten this "lost art" of a graceful sashay from one song into the next - too often they either move too abruptly, causing a collective whiplash in the audience, or they peter out altogether, needing a moment of pause before hitting the next song. Sunday night, for better and worse, the band rediscovered the segue like hidden relics in an ancient temple. The paradise of Kahunaville was full of surprises.

The segue into Rebirtha was rough and tumble through the rapids, but was a precursor for things to come. As a result, though, Rebirtha left a bit to be desired. The band seemed rattled for the entirety and the song never hit that blow-to-the-gut oomph of Tuesday night's in New York. It was still a building step in the set and neither the band nor the crowd seemed too deterred - even when the band hit Blackout out of the ensuing silence. I was in high spirits and was sure the show's arc would lead to more rare vegetation, so I did my best to appreciate the finer points of the Blackout Blues. JB's slide work is what kept me smiling - it seemed that the band was aware of their strengths that night: JB's vocals and guitar, fun-loving audience ready to party with boat drinks and leis, sloppy summer Sunday jams that made up for a lack in the ultimate in high energy with subtle twists and whispered genius.

As my brother commented, Blackout was almost like a first set "Drums," and I tend to agree with him. The set was neatly segmented by this song with the post-"Drums" section being a triumverate of goodies. The band had lead the willing audience to a hidden treasure of succulent rarities. The jungle was ripe with the rarely tasted treats of E on a G > Dirty Business.

E on a G was a perfect choice for the mood of the show. A mellow, brilliant composition played for the first time on the tour. Despite its lack of playing time, the song was played to near-perfection with all 6 band members contributing a little bit to the product. Perhaps the band's most esoteric of vehicles, the song meandered wonderfully through its overlapping themes until slinking down into one of the band's most straightforward rock and roll covers. The move from E on a G into Dirty Business was nothing short of gorgeous, as the band not only moved from one song into another without effort, but from one end of their vast musical spectrum to another. Linking together two super-rare songs, each of which hadn't been played all summer, was the band's gift to us. Dirty Business was a perfect choice as the band got the audience swaying back and forth with JB's continued vocal/guitar prowess. Finally the song shifted and picked up steam into perhaps the best transition of the night into All Time Low. The final three songs of the set were a masterpiece of Widespread Panic setlist construction and execution. The audience fell for the bait and lost their "cool" during ATL. Arms waving in the summer air, sweat flinging to and fro, the shipwreck was behind us. Land ho!

Matching the somewhat excruciating wait for the show to wait, the band indulged in a long set break. Jimi Hendrix's "Blues" played almost in its entirety during the pause in the action and only kept my wheels greased in preparation for the exploration the second set would lead to.

We had arrived safely at our island paradise. We had left our sanity for a three hour tour and were ready to explore our new habitat. What surprises would await?

The first set was nice, but it was nothing compared to the utter mindfuck of the second set. Opened with Swamp! The band was our guide through the muck of this Talking Heads cover. Another rarity to throw in our packs along our journey, JB was on fire leading the crowd in his "HI HI HI!" chanting. I knew we were safe as the band belted the "I've come to take you home!" lines to the delight of the audience. A fun romping tune that perfectly set the stage for another smart segue into 1 x 1. The band ripped through this one with Mikey spiralling his notes around and around. I can't reiterate enough how good everything sounded and Houser's licks seemed to welcome the clarity with ringing intensity. It makes such a difference to hear each note begin and end so cleanly.

Once again, the audience was primed and on the hunt for some native wildlife... would a monkey do? An extended break between songs was the last rest we'd have until leaving our tropical paradise. Sunny bonked his blocks and before you knew it we were "swinging on back to the jungle" with Sleepy Monkey. One of my favorite tunes and another perfect choice for the Sunday show. Overall the show really reminded me of the Sunday night Phil and Friends show from Asbury Park. That night there was this understated brilliance that replaced all-out rock and roll bombshells with a more mellow intensity. Although there were moments in Delaware that had me dancing my ass off as the jams reached full tilt, the overall mood was more graceful and somber. Sometimes more impressive than the edgy, dark ear blisterings we usually get from Panic, the highlights of this show were E on a G > Dirty Business, Sleepy Monkey, the yet-to-come Party At Your Mama's House, etc.

Sleepy Monkey bumped the island music into Kahunaville with the band bopping over thematic riffs wonderfully. JB made it through each verse and the band lobbed reggae-ish funk into the crowd. As the band worked an instrumental section out, JB dropped straight into some extended Bob Marley passages. It was brilliant the way he just hit the ground running with lyrics from Marley's "War." Working his way through the first few verses of the song, the band only slightly diverged from the choppy backup from Monkey. Having been introduced to the natives of our surroundings, JB continued, hitting the "I went downtown..." portion of "Kinky Reggae." The crowd went nuts with jungle boogie as JB lead the band through his extended Bob Marley tribute. Finally pausing his vocals, the band took off and braided themselves around reggae themes before deftly returning to Sleepy Monkey. JB was as good as I've seen him as he wrapped up the tune, wishing farewell to the Monkey as he swung on his way.

The band was in the groove - a 6 man machine that plowed over the uncertain terrain of the show. Beyond JB, each man was channeled into each other with the beautiful precision indigenous to Widespread Panic. Like a choir their voices were strengthened by each other; each member sang his part and in the combined harmony, the music was made.

Hitting their stride, Schools plopped down the driving bass line to Stop Breaking Down. Again, a perfect choice - JB was on FIRE! Like a poor man's Luther Dickinson, Bell was massaging his guitar with fingers and slide evoking images of early Delta bluesman. His vocals matched his licks and the band followed eagerly. Organ, bass, guitar and drums - the band was a giddy mess of notes paying perfect tribute to the blues in classic Widespread Panic style. Reggae > Blues with thundering accuracy - there was nothing abrupt about these dizzying transitions. The band was all over the place, yet right on target every step of the way.

In my eyes, the first "climax" of the show was Party At Your Mama's House. Sure, the song contains some of the more slowly forming sections played the entire night - it was not a climax of energy, but one of setlist and performance. The quality of the playing was at its peak during this thang. It was at the point in the set where probably anything they played would have benefitted from the utter ecstasy shared between band and audience. The song was a raft trip through the rapids. The band rose and fell with the whitewaters, navigating the composition with great agility. With moaning slides and deliberate rhythm, the speed and intensity grew with each paddle stroke until the audience was drenched in the splashing waters of Widespread Panic.

Unfazed by the instrumental's dizzying path, the band showed complete mastery of each twist and turn. Finally the end of the river was reached, but they were determined to extend the moment. In near-epic fashion, the band unfolded the composition one piece at a time. Each member seemed to jump out of the raft, one after another, and plunged themselves deep into the warm waters of the jam. The result was a wet, graceful piece that slowly shed the themes of PAYMH. It was one of those "you've got to hear it" moments that you run into every so often. One of the highlights of the show for me.

The open-endedness of the jam that resulted had me thinking that Drums was afoot, but instead JB would get one more chance to go at it and party at Red Hot Mama's house. This Red Hot Mama was an Amazon woman who would eat you for breakfast. I don't always think this song hits all the cylinders, but Sunday night, the band was on fire and just steamrolled through yet another cover song. The bonfires were lit, the drinks were chilled and the party was ready to erupt. The band had been that volcano that graced the entrance to Kahunaville all night, rumbling with potential until finally spewing their molten rock and roll from the stage. It was red hot and just what the witch doctor ordered.

JB had the band in full gear and then left them early - sitting side stage to revel in his concoction. The band continued to peel off until it was just Houser and Schools. Their interplay was something to marvel at. Only the keenest of ears can hear the back and forth during the heavy mess of a Panic jam, but during this stripped down version, it was a treat to watch. Bare essentials Widespread, as Mikey and Dave went back and forth and inside out. Houser finally faded and Schools stroked one riff over and over via live playing and sampled playback. It sounded so much like a song of some sort - if it was, I need to know what it was, and if it wasn't, they should take that riff and make a song out of it. I was thinking then what would later come true post-Drums... that we were well on our way to the ruins of Bustout City - the Lost City.

Drums made way for bass-lead weirdness where once again I was sure they were playing a song. This time I was right as they dropped another sampling of the exotic flora and fauna they had gifted us Sunday night - Last Straw. I was really glad to see this one, but I must admit that this was about as off as the band had been all night. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, but it also makes you forget how to play things. It doesn't help that Mikey's amp wasn't working properly for the first steps of his solo. The band was a bit thrown and couldn't buckle down. Too bad.

But as the fog lifted, the band sunk into a new groove. The transition was a bit awkward as the band gave each other a "are we ready to do this" kind of look and then launched into All Along the Watchtower. I swear to you now that I was thinking we were going to get this before drums but I was still surprised that they broke this out. Schools on lead vocals and Nance, Hermann and Houser ripping rock and roll at its finest. The band was tight around this Dylan via Hendrix classic which became the true energy climax of the night. Each verse was outdone by ripping organ and guitar solos. There was no timidity with this one - the Lost City was found and the gates were open. The audience was going bonkers singing along at the top of their lungs and shaking their bodies in joyful boogie. As he had been all night on his backup vocals, Dave was a rock star - screaming and elaborating the lyrics as only he could: vocal chords straining, hair flipping in the wind and bass lines thumping wildly. Needless to say - the NAILED it!

Traveling Light has never sounded so good and so fresh to me. The rocking just didn't stop and it was "Old Faithful" to the rescue swooping through the air to scoop up us wayward travelers. Our adventure through the uncharted oasis of Delaware had come to an end - the discoveries would last only as happy memories. The encore was more standard fare - JB got his moment in the spotlight with Old Joe and then the band got one more chance to explode and send us on our way back north with North. Coming after a meaty, Grade A set like that the encore was sweet dessert. This wasn't a show that needed to be put over the top, we just needed one last dollop of whipped Panic on top of the mixed fruit salad we had just devoured.

The journey gets a 7.5 on the Ned-O-Matic scale, but I don't think I could have much more fun than that on a Sunday night. My advice to you is if Widespread Panic is due to play in the tri-state Philadelphia-extended area (Philly, Delaware, Southern Jersey) - don't miss it! It's the Bermuda Triangle of sleeper Panic shows and believe me, it's just the place you want to get lost in. Come back soon, boys, I'll miss ya! F

Shows of the Week

2010-02-28T13:16:00.000-05:00

Forget about that lousy Smarch weather...

[Remember: * = Ned's picks, # = new additions; if you or someone you know would like this listing in their inbox every week, go to groups.yahoo.com/groups/nyc_sotw, click "join list" and follow directions]

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
The Music of the Who @ City Winery
*Mark Feldman @ The Stone
Bjorkestra @ Blue Note (early/late)
Fima Ephron @ 55 Bar (late)
Sunny Ozell et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
Stanley Jordan w/ the Les Paul Trio @ Iridium (early/late)
Jason Crosby, Jim Campilongo @ Living Room
Shout Out Louds @ MHOW (Brooklyn)

Tuesday:
*Rogue Wave @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Jenny Scheinman/Greg Cohen @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Soulive (w/ V. Reid) @ Brooklyn Bowl
Previously on Lost @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)
Bobby Previte @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)
The Music of the Who @ Carnegie Hall
Ben Allison @ 45 Bleecker St. Theater
Cage the Elephant @ Bowery Ballroom
Jay-Z @ Madison Square Garden
Leon Russell @ BB King's

Wednesday:
*Akron/Family @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Rogue Wave @ Bowery Ballroom
Soulive @ Brooklyn Bowl

Thursday:
Scrapomatic @ Living Room
Soulive (w/ S. Kininger et al) @ Brooklyn Bowl
Delfeayo Marsalis @ Iridium (early/late)
Cage the Elephant @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
*Man Man @ NYU Kimmel Center
Animal Collective @ Guggenheim Museum
Jamie Cullum @ Town Hall

Friday:
Heloise & Savoir Faire @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Soulive @ Brooklyn Bowl
Hurray for the Riff Raff @ Pete's Candy Store
Delfeayo Marsalis @ Iridium (early/late)
Judy Collins @ Town Hall
*Ben Sollee/Daniel Martin Moore @ Joe's Pub (early)
John Ellis (CD release) @ Jazz Gallery (early/late)
Chuck Prophet @ Southpaw (Brooklyn) (early)
Muse (Silversun Pickups open) @ Madison Square Garden
Justin Townes Earl @ Bowery Ballroom
Joseph Arthur/The White Buffalo @ City Winery
Chris Barron @ National Underground

Saturday:
Jay-Z @ Izod Center (E. Rutherford, NJ)
Pandhora @ Sullivan Hall
Delfeayo Marsalis @ Iridium (early/late)
*Soulive @ Brooklyn Bowl
Michael Wolff @ Knickerbocker
Sondre Lerche @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
Marcus Randolph and the In Crowd @ National Underground
Robbers on High Street et al @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Ben Sollee/Daniel Martin Moore @ Joe's Pub (late)
Brooklyn Qawwali Party @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Titus Andronicus @ Bowery Ballroom
John Ellis (CD release) @ Jazz Gallery (early/late)
RJD2 @ MHOW (Brooklyn)

Sunday:
JET @ Starland Ballroom (Sayreville, NJ)
Leon Russell @ BB King's
*Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Delfeayo Marsalis @ Iridium (early/late)
RJD2, Break Science @ Highline Ballroom
The McLovins @ Brooklyn Bowl

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

2010-02-21T10:42:00.001-05:00

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Greg Cohen @ The Stone
*Kamikaze Ground Crew @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Jason Crosby, Jim Campilongo @ Living Room
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End

Tuesday:
*Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Furthur @ Radio City Music Hall
Jenny Scheinman/Matt Munisteri @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Joe Lovano Us Five @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Licorice @ Sullivan Hall (late night)
Dafnis Prieto Proverb Trio @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)
Christian McBride (w/ N. Payton) @ Dizzy's Coca-Cola
Previously on Lost @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)
Sonia's Party et al @ Union Pool (Brooklyn)

Wednesday:
*Furthur @ Radio City Music Hall
Joe Lovano Us Five @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris @ Madison Square Garden
Jefferson Hamer et al @ Banjo Jim's
Christian McBride (w/ N. Payton) @ Dizzy's Coca-Cola
Uninhabitable Mansions et al @ Bell House (Brooklyn)

Thursday:
John Mayer (Michael Franti/Spearhead opens) @ Madison Square Garden
*Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears (Black Hollies et al open) @ Bowery Ballroom
Umphrey's McGee (E. Krasno & Chapter 2 opens) @ Nokia Theater
Joe Lovano Us Five @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Christian McBride (w/ N. Payton) @ Dizzy's Coca-Cola
Brothers Past @ Brooklyn Bowl
Chris Barron @ Bitter End
Lionel Loueke Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Rickie Lee Jones @ The Concert Hall
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
George Clinton & P-Funk @ Starland Ballroom (Sayreville, NJ)
Julian Velard @ Rockwood Music Hall (late)
The Dirtbombs @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)

Friday:
North Mississippi All Stars @ Highline Ballroom
Sonny Landreth @ Boulton Center (Bayshore, LI)
Christian McBride (w/ N. Payton) @ Dizzy's Coca-Cola
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Lionel Loueke Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
*Levon Helm @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Afroskull, Otis @ Sullivan Hall
Tibet House Benefit @ Carnegie Hall
Joe Lovano Us Five @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
John Mayer (Michael Franti/Spearhead opens) @ Madison Square Garden
Doom & Mos Def @ Nokia Theater
Joseph Arthur/Jason Isbell @ City Winery
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom

Saturday:
*Railroad Earth @ Mexicali Live (Teaneck, NJ)
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Jerry Lee Lewis @ BB King's (early)
Michael Wolff @ Knickerbocker
Christian McBride (w/ N. Payton) @ Dizzy's Coca-Cola
Joe Lovano Us Five @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
The Sadies @ Mercury Lounge
Future Rock @ Bowery Ballroom
Wollesonic @ Roulette (1pm)
Lionel Loueke Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Nouvellas et al @ Cake Shop
Chris Barron @ National Underground
Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout @ Banjo Jim's (late)
English Beat/Fishbone @ Fillmore
Brother Joscephus @ Brooklyn Bowl

Sunday:
*Seth Winters (w/ Scott Metzger) @ The Bitter End
Joe Lovano Us Five @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Lionel Loueke Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Christian McBride (w/ N. Payton) @ Dizzy's Coca-Cola
Robyn Hitchcock @ City Winery
Railroad Earth @ Mexicali Live (Teaneck, NJ)
Wild Beasts @ MHOW (Brooklyn)

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

2010-02-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

Let the good times roll!

Click here for upcoming shows

President's Day:
Jim Campilongo Electric Trio @ Living Room
Laura Veirs @ Mercury Lounge
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End
*Tegan and Sara @ MHOW (Brooklyn)

Mardi Gras:
Leo Nocentelli/George Porter @ BB King's
Robert Glasper Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*Trey Anastasio @ Terminal 5
Lay Low @ Living Room
Bill Malchow @ Rodeo Bar
McCoy Tyner Trio @ Blue Note (early/late)
Previously On Lost @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)
Yes @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair)
Wavves @ Brooklyn Bowl

Wednesday:
*Daniel Lanois @ Bowery Ballroom
McCoy Tyner Trio @ Blue Note (early/late)
Masada marathon @ Abrons Arts Center
Robert Glasper Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Four Tet @ Le Poisson Rouge

Thursday:
Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck @ Madison Square Garden
Nellie McKay @ The Allen Room
Robert Glasper Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*Masada marathon @ Abrons Arts Center
Mumford & Sons (Freelance Whales open) @ Bowery Ballroom
Fredrik, A Big Yes and a Small no @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Adam Klipple @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)

Friday:
Dirty Projectors @ The Allen Room
Robert Glasper Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Lee Fields/Menehan St. Band @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Mellomatics @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
*Jonah Smith @ 55 Bar (late)
Stephanie McKay @ Galapagos (Brooklyn)
Chris Barron @ National Underground
Pimps of Joytime @ Brooklyn Bowl
Secret Machines @ Glasslands Gallery (Brooklyn)
Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck @ Madison Square Garden
Trombone Shorty @ Highline Ballroom
Dawes, Jason Boesel @ Bowery Ballroom
Ben Allison @ New School
Richie Havens @ Zankel Hall
Editors @ Terminal 5
Joseph Arthur/Chris Garbeau @ City Winery

Saturday:
*Eric Lindell @ Sullivan Hall
Robert Glasper Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
U Melt @ Bowery Ballroom
Sister Anne @ Mercury Lounge
Andy Statman @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)

Sunday:
The Clientele, Vetiver @ Maxwells (Hoboken)
Mates of State @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Stephane Wrembel @ barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Robert Glasper Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*FREE Phenomenal Handclap Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
George Clinton & The P-Funk All-Stars @ BB King's

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

2010-02-07T16:55:00.001-05:00

Live music in NYC is for lovers...

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Citizen Cope @ Brooklyn Bowl
Elliott Sharp @ The Stone
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End
*Yeasayer @ Bowery Ballroom
Jim Campilongo Trio (CD release) @ Living Room
Allison Moorer @ Joe's Pub

Tuesday:
FREE Previously on Lost @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)
Yeasayer @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
*The London Souls, Hymns @ Mercury Lounge (late)
John Mayall @ BB King's (early/late)
Adam Deitch Trio @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)

Wednesday:
Joe Deninzon Stratospheerius @ Fat Baby
*Josh Roseman Trio @ The Stone (early)
Citizen Cope @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Yes @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Adam Levy et al @ Banjo Jim's

Thursday:
John Butler Trio @ Bowery Ballroom (early)
Sam Bardfeld's Up Jumped the Devil @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
*FREE Dave Douglas Quintet @ LaGuardia PAC (Queens)
Jason Crosby et al @ Banjo Jim's
Delta Spirit @ Pianos
Royal Bangs @ Brooklyn Bowl
Uninhabitable Mansions et al @ Cake Shop
Citizen Cope @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Phantogram @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
La Roux @ Webster Hall

Friday:
Ollabelle @ City Winery
Assembly of Dust @ Brooklyn Bowl
Delta Spirit @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Escreet/Binney/Krantz/Sorey @ 55 Bar (late)
*Jonah Smith et al @ Pianos (benefit)
Jonathan Richman @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Justice @ Terminal 5
John Mayall @ Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown)
Citizen Cope @ Bowery Ballroom
The Watson Twins, Hanne Hukkelberg @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Phantogram @ Mercury Lounge (early)
Jonah Smith et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
Chris Barron @ National Underground
Florence Henderson @ Joe's Pub (early)

Saturday:
*Big Sam's Funky Nation, Bonerama, Tab Benoit @ Le Poisson Rouge
Yes @ Town Hall
Jonathan Richman @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Citizen Cope @ Bowery Ballroom
Neville Brothers/Dr John @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Kings of Convenience @ Webster Hall
Hanne Hukkelberg @ Mercury Lounge (early)
Florence Henderson @ Joe's Pub (early)

Valentine Sunday:
Jackie Greene @ Brooklyn Bowl
Trey Anastasio @ Count Basie Theater (Red Bank, NJ)
Federico Aubele @ Joe's Pub (late)
Yes @ Town Hall
*John Zorn improv @ The Stone (early/late)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Jim Campilongo/Adam Levy @ 55 Bar (early)
Jonathan Richman @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Rain Machine et al @ Glasslands Gallery (Brooklyn)
Al Green @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

2010-01-31T11:05:00.001-05:00

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Butch Morris @ The Stone
Jason Crosby, Jim Campilongo @ Living Room
*Amayo's Fu-Arkist-Ra, Naomi Shelton et al @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)

Tuesday:
Assembly of Dust @ Brooklyn Bowl
*Previously on Lost @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog @ Le Poisson Rouge
Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits @ Joe's Pub (early)
Jim Campilongo/Adam Levy @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
The London Souls @ Mercury Lounge
Afinidad @ Jazz Standard (early/late)

Wednesday:
*Hopewell et al @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
Afinidad @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Francois Moutin @ 55 Bar (late)
Adam Levy et al @ Banjo Jim's
Ladysmith Black Mambazo @ Highline Ballroom

Thursday:
*Steven Bernstein's MTO @ 55 Bar (late)
Delta Spirit @ Pianos
Ladysmith Black Mambazo @ BB King's
Josh Rouse @ Le Poisson Rouge

Friday:
*Galactic (Tea Leaf Green opens) @ Terminal 5
Josh Rouse @ Le Poisson Rouge
Delta Spirit @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits @ Mexicali Live (Teaneck, NJ)
Sasha Dobson et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
Licorice et al @ Sullivan Hall (late)

Saturday:
*AA Bondy @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Buckwheat Zydeco @ BB King's (early/late)
Hot Chip @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Dr John @ Bergen PAC (Englewood, NJ)

(Super Bowl) Sunday:
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
*Donny McCaslin @ 55 Bar (late)

Click here for upcoming shows

Freak Week!

2010-01-19T10:47:00.005-05:00

Hey all it's Freak Week, do the FreakStick!

Freaks Ball X is this Saturday -- I hope to see you all there -- but plenty of time to party leading up to the main event.

First, the skinny...

Freaks Ball X
January 23, 2010
Sullivan Hall - NYC, USA
Doors at 8:30
Music at 9:00

Featuring:
Anders Osborne from NOLA (2 sets)
The Black Hollies from NYC/NJ
Scott Metzger/Ron Johnson/Eric Kalb

First of all: if you plan on going, get your tickets there's a damn good chance it'll be sold out come Saturday.
There's a raffle going on in conjunction with FBX that you can take part in whether you're going or not. Proceeds split between Oxfam Haiti relief and City Harvest. Check out the details here.
If you're itching to get out and party early, there's a birthday party for the NYC-Freaks list at Brooklyn Bowl. Info @ Facebook here. Should be a damn good time.
Robert Randolph plays Brooklyn Bowl tomorrow for Haiti relief as well on what happens to be the 10th anniversary of the start of the Freaks list and the 9th anniversary of Robert's playing the 1st Freaks Ball. Weird the way the world works. Get info/tix here.
Freaks Ball getting some press: Time Out NY, Village Voice.
I got interviewed at our beloved Hidden Track. Check it out!
Trying to get psyched for the weekend? Here are some tunes to tide you over. Download the Anders show from Sullivan Hall a couple months back. Smoking stuff!
Check out the Black Hollies: Ardent Sessions, WFUV studio session, and download a show from a year and a half ago (pre-newest album).

Shows of the Freak

2010-01-17T10:32:00.000-05:00

You ready?? You can sleep on Sunday...

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
*Adam Levy, Jason Crosby, Jim Campilongo @ Living Room
Vampire Weekend @ Webster Hall
Cyro Baptista @ The Stone
Beth Orton @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Dinosaur Jr. @ Brooklyn Bowl
Johnny Winter @ BB King's
Van Davis @ 55 Bar (early)
Final Fantasy @ Bowery Ballroom

Tuesday:
The Swell Season (w/ Josh Ritter) @ Radio City Music Hall
*Vampire Weekend @ Bowery Ballroom
Groove Collective, Bernie Worrell, Lonnie Smith, DJ Logic @ Le Poisson
Rouge (benefit)
Charlotte Gainsbourg @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Charlie Hunter @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)
Dave Mason @ BB King's

Wednesday:
*Robert Randolph & Friends @ Brooklyn Bowl (benefit)
Lady Gaga @ Radio City Music Hall
Adam Levy, Jessica Lurie et al @ Banjo Jim's
Patti Smith, Swell Season, Josh Ritter @ City Winery (benefit)
Freelance Whales @ Mercury Lounge
Charlotte Gainsbourg @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Das Racist, Sonia's Party et al @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)

Thursday:
**G-Town, BuzzUniverse + da Freaks @ Brooklyn Bowl
Bon Iver/Steve Kimock @ Merkin Concert Hall
Carolina Chocolate Drops @ Bowery Ballroom
Vetiver @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Fly @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Vernon Reid/Corey Glover, David Johansen et al @ City Winery (benefit)
The Pimps of Joytime @ Crash Mansion
Andy Statman @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Lady Gaga @ Radio City Music Hall

Friday:
Jorma Kaukonen @ Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown)
*moe. @ Roseland Ballroom
Stephane Wrembel et al @ Joe's Pub (early/late)
Fly @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Afroskull @ Parkside Lounge
My Brightest Diamond @ Bowery Ballroom
Bob Mould w. J. Auer @ City Winery

Saturday:
***FBX: Anders Osborne, The Black Hollies, Scott Metzger/Eric Kalb/Ron Johnson @ Sullivan Hall

Sunday:
Ben Sollee/Carrie Rodriguez @ Maxwells (Hoboken)
Rosanne Cash, Madeleine Peyroux @ City Winery (benefit)
Lady Gaga @ Radio City Music Hall
Stephane Wrembel et al @ Barbes (Brooklyn)
Fly @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
*John Zorn improv night @ The Stone (early/late)
White Rabbits @ Bowery Ballroom

Click here for upcoming shows

Review: Winter Jazz Fest

2010-01-11T19:56:00.002-05:00

Quickie review of an awesome Saturday night of music. Winter Jazz Fest was a two-day festival spanning 4 or 5 clubs in a 2-3 block radius in the Village. They did a supremely good job booking the festival, plucking tons of amazing musicians, mostly local to play. There were a bunch of my old favorites and some that I've been meaning to see but just hadn't gotten around to see yet. And the frickin' thing sold out! Amazing. I just went Saturday, here's my rundown in chronological order:

Jenny Scheinman/Jason Moran @ Le Poisson Rouge
Did you know that I love Jenny Scheinman? You didn't? Well, I do. There are many reasons for such feeling and many levels to that love. She's one of the few musicians who can play a weekly gig and have every week be completely different. I mean completely -- she can play Django-jazz one week, do a folksy country vocal duet the next, lead a big band with heavy hitters like Bill Frisell or Jason Moran the next and do free-form improv with a bunch of great local dudes. And it's all great. Some is better than others depending on your tastes and mood, but it's a tremendous combination of breadth and quality. I can think of only one or two other musicians who come close. Anyway, that's a long way of saying that each time you see Jenny, it's just one part of a continuum -- it'll stand alone just fine, but in the context of everything takes on heightened excellence. Saturday was no different. Just a duo, Jenny lead the way with mostly her material, playing beautiful, mournful violin while Jason Moran played the flourishing muse behind her, filling in the gaps, pushing just a bit, but mostly just embellishing wonderfully. My only minor complaint was that it was more of a sit-down kind of set and it was a packed SRO affair.

Claudia Quintet @ Bitter End
It wouldn't be a good festival if you didn't feel like you were missing something with each choice you made, but I'm confident I made the right one by heading over to the smaller and cozier Bitter End for the next three bands there. First was the Claudia Quintet, a group I knew of but didn't really know at all. What a revelation! Accordion, sax/clarinet, vibraphone, bass, piano and drums the mix was catchy, eclectic and a lot of fun. You might count those instruments and get to 6 like I did. They had one guy (Gary Versace) sitting in, but not knowing in advance, you'd have had a really, really hard time guessing who the "guest" was. The playing was seamless. If you don't love the vibes, you have no soul and the CQ was deep with the vibraphonics, mixing a groovy jazz with hypnotic undertones. A great find and Trevor Dunn -- the best bass player you've never seen -- on the stand-up keeping it all in line. Loved it!

Rudder @ Bitter End
Rudder is one of those bands I knew I loved even before I heard a single note. Featuring the all-world rhythm section of Keith Carlock on drums and Tim Lefebvre on bass, I knew there was no way this wasn't going to blow me away, but I just didn't know yet. Well, wonder no longer, Saturday night's highlight set was watching these guys blaze new universe from the galaxies of funk, jazz and rock. Carlock and Lefebvre are the backbone to Wayne Krantz's K3 -- and they showed some new levels of playing while maintaining all the deep, brain-crushing "what the fuck just happened?" hits that Krantz fans have become dangerously addicted to in the last 10 years. Loved 'em!

Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors @ Bitter End
Dunn > Lefebvre > Sickafoose is a serious triple play of seriously underrated bass playing. I'd put those 3 up against any 3 you got. Sickafoose had one sick band put together including Jenny Scheinman (who has a Madonna-arena-show level of wardrobe changes in her), Steve Cardenas, Rudy Royston, John Ellis and more. In all, there were two guitars, a violin, drums, sax, trombone and of course the bass. Todd lead a band the way all bands should be lead, give the player some excellent material and hang back and let them go with it. Each piece was superlative and each featured some jaw-dropping moments folded into some truly awesome songs. The highlight had to be a solo that Jenny took (biased, I know) with the rest of the band strutting and swaying behind her violin. She built it, slowly but with purpose, easing through multiple themes before exploding in a fit of raging bow work. It was really as good as I've seen her and the band matched her measure for measure. The set also featured perhaps the best trombone solo I've seen in maybe forever. Great shit, don't sleep on Sickafoose in any form, he's brilliant. Loved it!

Bitches Brew Revisited @ Le Poisson Rouge
Now fully lubricated and into Sunday, my 36th birthday, it was time to take it back to LPR for something a little different. The set was essentially a partial recreation/inspired-by/revisitation of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, which recently celebrated its 40th birthday itself. The band was pretty all-star all around, with Marco Benevento on the not-too-hot/not-too-cold Rhodes, DJ Logic on the tables, James Blood Ulmer on guitar, Cindy Blackman on tres funky drums, Graham Hayes playing the role of the man in front and many more. If you dig the album (you do, don't you?), you would have dug this. A nice balance of true-to-the-album and true-to-the-spirit-of-the-album.

Marco Benevento Trio @ Le Poisson Rouge
The room had kinda emptied to about half full or less by the time the Bitches Brew thing was done. Next up was the Marco trio which is nothing less than ubiquitous these days. Unfortunately, no Andrew Barr which had been the thing most worth seeing the trio to me. Frankly, the love I've had for this group has ebbed to a "really, I'm over it" kind of vibe. Was there something wrong with the Duo that no one told me about? Seems like that was a waste of an endless stream of possibilities (and you don't get many of those in a lifetime). There, I've said it. Loved it... but not any more.

Global Noize @ Sullivan Hall
I'm sure you can be a fully functioning jazz festival without early morning options, but it always helps. Now running more on whiskey and good-people-vibes than musical appreciation, made it over to Sullivan Hall for da jamz. This was kind of like a Bride-of-Frankenstein version of the old Project Logic and would have fit in quite nicely at the old Wetlands. Casey Benjamin on sax, funky-as-fuck Ron Johnson on bass, DJ Logic and a bunch of people I couldn't see because everything was kinda hazy through my whiskey goggles. Love the city where music goes til 3... at least.

Looking forward to this next year cause that was an smashing success. $25 for all that? 2010's starting off on the right foot!

Shows of the Week

2010-01-10T17:59:00.000-05:00

Great week of music, don't let the cold keep you in cause you'll be missing out.

[Remember: * = Ned's picks, # = new additions; if you or someone you
know want a copy of this listing in your inbox, go to
groups.yahoo.com/group/nyc_sotw, click "join group" and follow
directions]

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Naomi Shelton & Gospel Queens @ Joe's Pub (late)
Uri Caine @ The Stone
*Jason Crosby, Jim Campilongo, et al @ Living Room
Barbes showcase @ Mercury Lounge
Joy Askew et al @ Rockwood Music Hall

Tuesday:
Little Feat @ The Concert Hall
Sickafoose/Deutsch/Perowsky @ Korzo (Brooklyn) (early)
*Jenny Scheinman @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Charlie Hunter (CD release party) @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)
Doveman, Puss N Boots et al @ Mercury Lounge
FREE Sonia's Party & Everyone's Invited Band @ Union Pool (Brooklyn)
The Respect Sexter, Ethan Iverson solo @ Le Poisson Rouge

Wednesday:
War @ City Winery
*Krantz/Carlock/Lefebvre @ Rose Live (Brooklyn)
Susan Alcorn @ The Stone (late)
The Drums @ Bowery Ballroom
Adam Levy et al @ Banjo Jim's
Movits! @ Mercury Lounge

Thursday:
*David Bromberg/Marc Ribot @ Merkin Concert Hall
Brad Mehldau (solo) @ Highline Ballroom
Drug Rug @ Brooklyn Bowl
War @ City Winery
John Abercrombie (w/ G. Osby) @ Iridium (early/late)
Jerry Joseph @ The Shrine
Reid Genauer @ Joe's Pub (early)
Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Savoir Adore et al @ Mercury Lounge (late)
Crooked Still @ Mexicali Live (Teaneck, NJ)

Friday:
The Musical Box @ Nokia Theater
The Budos Band @ Maxwells (Hoboken)
*Alex McMurray, Bill Malchow et al @ Sullivan Hall
John Hartford Tribute @ Jalopy Theater (Brooklyn)
John Abercrombie (w/ G. Osby) @ Iridium (early/late)
Gang Gang Dance @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Southeast Engine @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Jamie McLean @ National Underground (late)
Steep Canyon Rangers @ Joe's Pub (early)
David Hidalgo/Louie Perez @ Allen Room
Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven @ Highline Ballroom
The Low Anthem (w/ Dave Douglas) @ Abrons Arts Center
Black Taxi et al @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
Gary Lucas Gods & Monsters @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)

Saturday:
The Budos Band (Nouvellas open) @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
Dinosaur Jr. @ Bowery Ballroom
John Abercrombie (w/ G. Osby) @ Iridium (early/late)
*Hymns @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)
Serena Jean @ National Underground
Ryan Montbleau Band @ Mexicali Live (Teaneck, NJ)
The Musical Box @ Nokia Theater
Some Cat From Japan @ Sullivan Hall (late night)
Dweezil Zappa @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)

Sunday:
*Vampire Weekend @ United Palace Theater
John Abercrombie (w/ G. Osby) @ Iridium (early/late)
Dinosaur Jr @ MHOW (Brooklyn)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Rudresh Mahanthappa's Sporty Brown Trio @ The Stone (late)
Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom
Beth Orton, Sam Amidon @ City Winery

Click here for upcoming shows

Review: The Bad Plus on NYE (an appreciation)

2010-01-06T17:14:00.002-05:00

It seems fitting after spending the last few weeks thinking about my favorite music of the decade that I would close out the 2000’s with The Bad Plus. Looking back, it seems obvious that The Bad Plus – Dave King on drums, Ethan Iverson on piano, and Reid Anderson on bass and general compositional superherodom – were my personal band of the decade. So, no surprise that we decided to ring in the New Year at the Village Vanguard for what – do I could correctly – would be my 20th Bad Plus show in the last 7 years.

It was cool to see a New Year’s show at a place like the Vanguard. Tickets were kind of pricey and obviously sitting crammed in a 50+ year old jazz club isn’t everyone’s idea of a NYE party. The net result was that there was no one there willy-nilly: if you were there, you wanted to be there.

Set I:
Have You Met Miss Jones (Rodgers/Hart)
Knows the Difference (Anderson)
Anthem of the Earnest (King)
Birthday Gift (Iverson)
Beryl Loves to Dance (Anderson)
Metal (Ligeti)
Giant (Anderson)
2 pm (King)
Laying A Strip For the Higher-Self State Line (King)
Silence is the Question (Anderson)

Did I say the Bad Plus were my musicians of the year? Maybe we can whittle that down even further to just Reid Anderson. When it comes to writing a song, Reid is simply Zeus slumming it down on Earth with the mortals. The first set on NYE serves as my proof. His four songs anchored a brilliant set, each one standing on its own as masterpiece and yet, taken together, serve as some highlight reel of songwriting. He works superlatively within traditional conventions on one song (Beryl), twists them on their axis on another (Knows The Difference), and then rips them apart to reveal the stunningly beautiful world inside (Giant and Silence). Such a beauty nearly drove me to tears one multiple occasions during the set. Of course, with TBP it takes (at least) three to make this magic work and they were all on point from the start. We were sitting a little bit towards King and so I felt a bit more from the drums than the bass and piano. This was OK because Dave, whose exuberance can occasionally go a bit too far, was the energetic focal point all evening long. If anyone is going to turn a jazz show into a New Year’s party, Dave King’s your man. Iverson’s “Birthday Gift” was introduced as a song both a la and dedicated to Thelonious Monk, describing him as a strong-buy-underlying influence to the Bad Plus sound. Man, did he really nail the Monk mannerisms perfectly and yet make it something genuinely Iversonian at the same time. Both sets were very light on the well-loved cover songs that have allowed the band to transcend the jazz clubs and crowd and reach a greater audience. The one cover they did play in the first set, Miss Jones, was barely so, but still highlighted their usual method of ripping a song to shreds and rebuilding it in a purely Bad Plus style. Miss Jones was treated to a wicked tempo whirlpool: at first too fast, then too slow, then just right and on and on. Wonderfully disorienting and a perfect start.

Between sets, there was some food served as advertised. Kind of bizarre to see people eating chicken wings and rice and beans in the Vanguard, a room that prides itself on not serving food on the other 364 days a year. We were plenty full from dinner.

We were informed that the 2nd set would be broadcast live on NPR (you can still stream it here).

Set II:
You Are (Anderson)
And Here We Test Your Powers of Observation (Anderson)
Bill Hickman at Home (Iverson)
Who’s He? (Iverson)
People Like You (Anderson)
Song X (Coleman)
Metal (Ligeti)
My Friend Metatron (King)
Dirty Blonde (Anderson)
Laying A Strip For the Higher Self State Line (King) >
New Year’s Countdown>
Auld Lang Syne>
Physical Cities (Anderson)
Big Eater (Anderson)
The Radio Tower Has A Beating Heart* (King)
E: Flim (Aphex Twin)
* debut

The late set was an absolute monster. Even with a couple of repeats (we were warned), the band did a great job all night of spreading the set around from all the albums and, of course, featuring new material. I can tell you right now, the best song on the next album will be “People Like You” which has the same intense soul-strip-searching quality that Giant and Silence Is the Question have and yet may be more beautiful and accessible all the same. People all around the room were shaking their heads in disbelief after that one, like me, I’m sure, contemplating not just the song and the playing, but the meaning of music itself. Yes, it’s all that.

As with any New Year’s show, the climax comes at midnight and The Bad Plus did not disappoint. Repeating Dave King’s Laying A Strip jaunt as background music – Ethan said it was a good choice because it was happy music that had a good beat to propel us into the new year – a countdown was lead, leading into a straight read of the NYE classic Auld Lang Syne. Still at their most postmodern and metamusical, the trio wasted no time flipping the slow traditional number into their most rocking, genre-defying piece, Physical Cities. As 2010 got its legs under it, I sat in amazement, wondering how one man could write all this music, all over the map, and yet all coherent and powerful and all of it amazing. Not to mention how three guys can draw from such disparate influences and tastes and generate a singular sound out of it. When I listen to the Bad Plus I hear wonderful music, but also I am made aware of what it is about music that makes me love it so much. There are few musicians who have been that to me and that is why The Bad Plus was the most important and my favorite of the last decade.

I thought for sure they were going to end after that, but their standard set closer/encore Big Eater (yet a completely different flavor of awesome from Anderson). As I often did throughout the night I looked all around the room to survey the smiles and the looks of intense joy on the faces of the people in the room. No one was thinking about getting the most of their drink minimums or being cramped in that room or the cold rain outside or even the crappy economy. And then I saw something I’d never seen before – a couple people standing near the back, actually dancing at the Village Vanguard. Awesome! But that wasn’t all, the band didn’t leave the stage after Big Eater, but instead Ethan introduced another song which he said Dave had taught them all that day. So, we were treated to a debut as well. Another great song in the making. They returned to thunderous applause to encore with Flim, perhaps my favorite Bad Plus cover, electronic de-electronified and fully Bad-Plus-ified. Glory! Ethan expertly wound the tune down into a little Auld Lang Syne jingle which was a perfect end to a wonderful New Years Eve.