Catching up... reviews

Hey all. Gonna soon be getting into some year-end/decade-end recapping.

For now, I'd like to give you some links to all the reviews I've done for Bowery Presents House List in the past 8 months or so.

Enjoy:

• 11/21 Surprise Me Mr Davis/Land of Talk @ Mercury Lounge
  
• 11/12 White Denim/Brazos @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• 11/9 Wolfmother @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
  
• 11/4 Thao With the Get Down Stay Down @ Bowery Ballroom
• 10/21 Bustle In Your Hedgerow @ Brooklyn Bowl
• 10/19 Avett Brothers @ Terminal 5
• 10/14 Clem Snide @ Mercury Lounge
• 10/9 Thee Oh Sees @ Mercury Lounge
• 10/5 The Besnard Lakes @ Mercury Lounge
• 9/25 Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band @ Mercury Lounge
• 9/15 Fruit Bats @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• 9/9 Mike Gordon @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• 9/7 The Black Hollies @ Mercury Lounge
• 8/14 NOMO @ Mercury Lounge
• 8/10 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes @ Mercury Lounge
• 8/6 Portugal. The Man @ Mercury Lounge
• 7/22 Previously on Lost, Malajube @ Mercury Lounge
• 7/16 Emergency Party @ Mercury Lounge
• 7/11 Jason Lytle @ Bowery Ballroom
• 6/29 Two White Horses @ Merc > The Slip @ Bowery Ballroom
• 6/23 Patterson Hood & The Screwtopians @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• 6/19 Andrew Bird @ Radio City Music Hall
• 6/16 Forro in the Dark @ Bowery Ballroom
• 5/21 St. Vincent @ Webster Hall
• 5/18 The Shins @ Wellmont Theater
  
• 5/12 The Thermals @ Bowery Ballroom
• 4/29 El Ten Eleven @ Mercury Lounge
• 4/29 Assembly of Dust @ Mercury Lounge
• 4/17 The Felice Brothers @ Webster Hall
• 4/15 Of Montreal @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• 4/10 The Wooden Birds @ Mercury Lounge
• 4/4 Josh Ritter @ Wellmont Theater
• 4/1 The New Deal @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• 3/28 Les Claypool et al @ Terminal 5
• 3/25 Elvis Perkins in Dearland @ Bowery Ballroom
• 3/19 Puss N Boots @ Mercury Lounge
• 3/18 Clem Snide @ Bowery Ballroom

Phish Halloween(s) Round-up

OK, so this past weekend has proven to be harder to shake off than most. I could never do it justice with a review and besides, anyone that cares has already seen, heard and read everything there is to read about it. So, I'll spare you the gory details. Let's just say that 10/31/09 was one of the best Phish shows I've seen, but really, that goes without saying. When I think of my favorite Phish shows, I need to place the Halloweens in a different category. Phish on Halloween is really one of my favorite things about Phish period. Without those shows, the magic would be a little less for me. If I had to list my top things about the band, the Halloween shows would be the first on that list.

I consider myself very fortunate to have been at all 5 Halloween "album" shows, which hopefully gives me some unique perspective on the shenanigans that seem to take place on 10/31 (haven't yet met anyone who's been at all 5 -- were you?). Time will tell (I haven't listened to any Indio yet), but my gut reaction was that it's a close call, but that the Remain in Light set maybe gets the edge in terms of my all-time fave, but it's definitely 1-2 between Talking Heads and the Stones and then the rest of them. Of course, the music is one thing, but taken together, nothing will beat the weekend I had.

You know my love for lists and favorites, so here we go:

Favorite Halloween Album Set:

1. Remain In Light
   
2. Exile on Main St.
3. Quadrophenia
4. Loaded
5. The White Album

Favorite Halloween Show:

1. 2009
   
2. 1996
3. 1995
4. 1994
5. 1998

Top Ten Halloween Album Set Moments:

1. Loving Cup -- the crowd, the band, the horns, my lord! one of my all time favorite Phish moment. things clicked in a major way that will never be captured on tape, nor described by me in words.
   
2. Cry, Baby, Cry -- how good this was makes me cry just to think about.
   
3. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' -- this was so tailor made for Phish and they nailed it -- why isn't this a regular part of the repertoire?
   
4. 5:15 -- the horns and Trey just shredding together
   
5. Crosseyed and Painless -- every Halloween set has had the "it" tune that rose above all the others. This was the "it" tune for the best of the bunch.
   
6. Ventilator Blues > I Just Want to See His Face > Let It Loose -- just pure musical liquid; a totally different vibe from any of the Halloweens and probably the best use of guests for any of them as well.
   
7. Born Under Punches -- I did not know this album, but when they opened with this I knew it was going to be a different kind of Phish show. There are moments in Phish history and the opening tune to this set was one of them.
8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps -- the next show after 'ween '94 was in Bangor, before it started the guy next to me wouldn't shut up about them playing this again that night. He was right for a reason.
   
9. Drowned -- sometimes the albums influence the band and sometimes the band influences the albums; this one sounded like a Phish tune from note one and still does every time they play it.
   
10. Revolution #9 -- the weirdest and most wild thing I've ever seen on Phish stage. Fishman naked -- let's just be thankful this was before the digital camera era was upon us.

Nedstalgia: 15 Years Ago (Ph-Anticipation)

Bear with me... even more rambling stream of memory than usual...

OK, with the anticipation for Phish’s return to the Halloween stage at the proverbial fever pitch, I’m drawn back 15 years to probably the craziest show anticipation I’ve witnessed in my years of seeing Phish… well, maybe up until the moments the lights went down in Hampton this past March. Of course, perhaps nothing beats what’s been going on since that flash animation map appeared on phish.com what seems like ages ago. We may very well be watching the greatest manipulation of a massive population’s emotional state by small number of powerful individuals outside of North Korea. The slow burn release of information via official and unofficial, online and offline means has been nothing short of remarkable. I joked to someone recently that the “refresh” button was invented for Phish. It’s been crazy.

15 years ago, the information came (to me at least) via telephone. No, people, the phone was not rotary, and I do believe it was cordless, but it was the old Alex Graham Bell for me. Calls into the Phish headquarters were regularly scheduled and 99 times out of 100 it was the same repeat message from last time… until finally that 100th call (by now knowing from the immediate first note of Shelly’s voice whether it was the same old message) it’s new dates! It was some time in the middle of the summer of 1994, I remember it clearly: October 31st, Phish returns to the Halloween stage, stay tuned to the end of the message for more details. And then I listened to said details. Then I called back again to make sure I got it right. Then once again to get the ticket info. Then once more just to make sure. Once more. Once more. wait, they’re gonna do WHAT!?!?! WHERE!?!?! WHEN!?!!? What is common knowledge now, came as a shock to the system: the band announced they were donning a “musical costume,” playing 3 sets with the first one starting at 10 pm. TEN?? Ooooeeee! The information entered my system like a a drug: an immediate hit dazing my senses and then the slow seep as I realized all the ramifications. When I was growing up, my grandparents lived in Glens Falls and we made many a many drive from Syracuse to there. The words “Glens Falls” had certain connotations to me: trips to “Storytown” amusement park in Lake George, homemade brisket and bowls of chocolate pudding and all that other good stuff that comes with visiting your grandparents when you’re a little kid. When I hung up the phone for the umpteenth time, those memories were now runners-up to the new memories. Not even to the memories I knew would come from the memorable evening, but just to the anticipation of making those memories. It was the middle of the summer and I was mentally flipping the calendar over in my mind. Anxiety set in. Back then, there wasn’t any “here are the dates, mail order is underway” attachment to a tour announcement. No, there was the initial phone message – the moment where you felt like you were in on a secret, no matter how long – then there was the newsletter (still just the Phish newsletter in July of 94), then there was the on-sale, a month or two later, THEN you started waiting for the show day. All this and I was already, within moments of hearing the words “general admission” leave the receiver, worrying about getting up front. How could I make it go faster? Problem was you couldn’t. It was hurry up and wait in the worst possible way.

School had started back up before tickets went on sale; I remember clearly the pacing in my apartment in Somerville, dialing, dialing again, hoping, hoping. I’m getting incredibly anxious just remembering about it right now. Getting tickets didn’t seem to be an issue; I remember the stress of wanting to have GA tix in my hands. Finally, got through – tickets confirmed, in my name, reserved, in the seats. Quick call from The Big Squeeze: she got ‘em, on the floor. Plus we now had extras in hand. Excellent. So far, so good.

Now it was just waiting. It feels like nearly every college friend I had went to that show. Of course, all of the obsessive, geeked-out die-hards that I spent my days with discussing the finer points of the 4/18/92 soundboard quality and whatnot were on board, but there was enough interest and enough of a party to draw out some of the merely “fans” and merely curious. It would be my house-mate’s first Phish show. He spent many hours lovingly crafting a pretty sweet Jimi Hendrix costume with a homemade jigsawed Fender strat taboot. I planned on a makeshift Big Black Furry Creature from Mars costume, with face paint and some old-school deedly-boppers and a t-shirt I had made at the mall that said “Why Am I Running?” on it. It was an awful costume, but it was better than nothing.

Of course, there was plenty of discussion about what they’d play. Unlike the next year when I sent in countless postcards (recalled here), I played no active part in the process, just speculated. It seemed to everyone that the choice was clearly between “Physical Graffiti” or “The White Album,” but frankly we didn’t really know and there wasn’t enough of that internet-trickle of information to me that I felt I had an inkling of what was going to go down. In fact, at that moment, the band was advertising that “at some point during the night” they would play the album set, maybe it would be scattered throughout the night, maybe it would be the last set, maybe the first, maybe they wouldn’t even play a whole album, but just pieces. Frankly, it was completely up in the air – no precedent whatsoever. Only one person seemed confident – they are definitely playing “The White Album” he said, a week or two before the show. I didn’t question his sources. I could only wait.

Finally, it was October 31, 1994. With all the memories jumbled in my head, I cannot recall how I got to the show. All I know is that I got there early. There were plenty of cars leaving from my neck of the woods, I’m almost certain I figured out which was leaving first and hopped in that one. I had a big box of Butterfinger candy bars to hand out in the parking lot cause what's Halloween without some freakin' candy, right?, a ticket in my hand (not to mention one for a friend) and a fidget that just wouldn’t quit. The weather was miserable, absolutely awful: cold and rainy, alternating between a steady pour and a fine, cold mist. Upon arrival in Glens Falls, there were already fingers in the air. It was an arena, but a small one. The energy in those milling about was unlike any I had witnessed in dozens of Phish shows up to that point. There was a feeling that this was the Phish show, this was the one. People who had tickets were giddy and gassed, just hoping their adrenaline would hold out until 10pm and beyond. Those that didn’t just had to get in. One way or another they were getting in through that door. Then it got dark… the hour grows closer.

Unfortunately, this was the pre-cellular days when you couldn’t just text a meet-up time with your chums and nobody ever got lost or left behind. I had my buddy’s ticket. My buddy was nowhere to be seen. The doors were opening soon, and I was already gonna have to do some wrangling to get myself on the rail. Finally, I had to make the choice, I ditched my remaining Butterfingers and unloaded my ticket to a guy I knew and knew had to be in there as badly as I did. I still remember his face, dripping sadness and then… the proverbial frown-upside-down moment. I saw that dude many years later at a Duo/Gordon show… I remembered giving him my extra, he did not. Oh well…

Then the doors were opened and we were inside. Not just inside but on the rail. Maybe not dead center, but a touch to the left of Trey. It was the spot nonetheless. It was me, and my brother (with more Fluffhead cotton balls stuck to his head than is recommended) and The Big Squeeze and a bunch of others. It couldn’t have been better. Now… more waiting. Waiting and waiting and waiting. I remember the look on my buddy’s face when someone criticized his awesome costume saying “Hendrix is not a Phish song” – ah, pity the poor fools. That was an awesome Jimi costume, don’t let no one tell you different. Probably about 9:45 or so something happened. Something just clicked in the crowd and all of the sudden everyone went crazy. What happened, I found out later, was that a bunch of people found a way to break in through the roof of the venue – people were pouring into the arena and the people inside started pouring onto the floor. It was like a cascade of Phish-ravenous flesh pouring down. There was at least one guy hanging from a banner in the rafters before falling into the seats. People were going nuts, absolutely NUTS! Like I said, the only thing even close to that was the moments before Fluffhead in Hampton. I learned at a show later that week that the fans had done tens of thousands of dollars of damage to the roof and that, so they said, rock shows would no longer be allowed at the Glens Falls Civic Center. I have no idea if that was upheld or not.

I don’t remember exactly when the band stared that night. It wasn’t 10, I assure you of that… probably closer to 11. Crazy. Thankfully I was young and dumb and full of energy. When the lights finally did go down, it was an explosion of noise from the crowd. Trey wearing a weirdo Fluffhead(?) mask as the band launched into Frankenstein. My lord, that was amazing! What crazy energy. Best ever?

I won’t go into the usual blow-by-blow of the whole show musically. Hopefully you’ve heard it before. Needless to say it was pretty amazing from the get-go. Folks may argue that it was the best Reba ever, and I wouldn’t argue back. The Harpua with the Vibration of Death set the tone for the rest of the night, with the wicked War Pigs vamp. While everyone’s sitting around and wondering what album they’re going to play, the band is going off playing an utterly electric set of classic Phish. Finally, set break and the anticipation builds. Either it was the longest set break I’ve ever sat through or it just felt that way. There may be no words to describe the buzz that built in that room during those minutes, those agonizing minutes. And at that point, it’s almost the worst part of the whole ordeal, isn’t it? All those months – literally months – of build up, all about to come crashing down in a single moment.: could the orgasm possibly match the foreplay? (will it this time?).

I will never forget that introduction… first some noise: what is that? Pink Floyd? I wasn’t ready for that, for whatever reason. Then the voice of Ed Sullivan introducing the Beatles and the mindfuck is almost over… the crowd in the Ed Sullivan Theater starts screaming and then the crowd in the Glens Falls Civic Center starts screaming and it’s loud. I mean really loud. And then, there they were, on stage, playing the Beatles, all two LP’s of the White Album, well pretty much all of it. In most ways it was glorious and after it started it was almost like they were predestined to play it, although the further we get from the night, the less convinced I am of that sentiment. So much of it totally kicked ass, the “Cry Baby Cry” may be one of my favorite things the band has done ever. Other times, they felt over-rehearsed, too rushed or not into it enough. It's just a lot of music there. About halfway through, the crowd seemed to split in two: one part (maybe it was half?) completely lost themselves to the music, threw all they had into it and lapped up everything the band served them; the second part lost some interest, large chunks of the audience sitting down where they stood, certainly enjoying it, but not feeling the party they had hoped for. I, for one, loved every minute of it. Knew the album front and back and was continually astounded at how well they were pulling it off. There weren’t as many “Phish” moments as you might have guessed going in, mostly a straight reading, but there were enough in there to keep it fun and interesting. I loved the Brad Sands birthday cake with Brad wearing a Fishman dress. I loved the chance Trey got during While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I loved it when Mike got to sing or Fish sang out “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road.” I loved it all.

Then as the album wound down and we had that glory of all glory readings of “Cry Baby Cry” it occurred to me – not until they actually got to the moment – my goodness, they’ve got Revolution 9 to play. WTF is that going to be like? It was a pure Phish moment, weird looping samples over the PA, vacuum, chanting, etc. I’ll never forget the first time I heard that “song” when I was a kid, playing with a friend and hearing this noise coming from the stereo and I giving my father a 7-year-old’s version of “um, dad, what the hell are you listening to?!?” look. So, having known Number 9 for 10+ years should have prepared me for Phish’s version, right? Well, not exactly. There are moments when it is awesome to be in the front row of a Phish show – these moments total every single possible moment except one. Unfortunately, I was up front for that one: when Jon Fishman lifted his dress (“we become naked”) and started prancing around the stage with nothing – absolutely nothing – on his body. On the rail took on a whole new meeting as DeWitt’s own pranced and danced in his birthday suit. Oh, how I will never forget. Afterward, people thought he wasn’t really naked, but I cleared that up for them real quick.

And then it was over. The crowd stood stunned. By the music, the absolutely amazing feat the band had just pulled off almost flawlessly and by what the drummer of said band just pulled off, literally. Brad Sands returned to the stage to assure everyone they were coming back for one more set. If I had a watch on, certainly I looked down at it then. One more set?? It was Monday morning!!

By the time the 3rd set began, it was well after 1am. But that didn’t slow these guys down. Now, the crowd was holding on for dear life -- it's one thing to make it through a tour de force set in exhaustion, quite another to make it through a set break -- but the boys didn’t have to drive after the show and not too far to go to their home base pillows at that and so they brought it hard for Set number 3. David Bowie opener, a killer Slave, Sleeping Monkey. I will never forget that moment, it was probably about 2:30 in the morning, when they started Run Like An Antelope. A good portion of the audience had left, many more were sitting down or fading fast, barely moving, their costumes disheveled, their minds swept clean of sanity, and yet the band hadn’t a care about any of that – they just started up their highest energy, fastest tempo, balls-to-the-walls song… that song that’s about running… like an antelope… out of control... at almost 3 in the morning. I mustered up as much energy as I could to get my dance on but not before screaming at the stage as loud as I could: “Are you fucking crazy!?!?!”

And yet, they still weren’t done. A funked-up costume contest and a too-long Squirming Coil (quite possibly the worst song to send you on the road at 3am??) finished the night. Absotively outta sight! Somehow I worked it out with my parents that I'd wrangle the car from my brother (how did he get home after that show?) and made my girlfriend drive back to Boston (you can see why she married me, right?). I don’t think I’ve ever been that tired after a concert before, just left it all there in Glens Falls. I convinced myself that I could do the show without missing a class and sure enough, I made it there in time. Why I insisted on going is beyond me. A couple months later I went back to study for an exam and saw some sick-ass doodles on the side of the notebook from that day -- one sticks out, a coarse stick-figure with a guitar with "TREY!" written in block letters under it. Hey, at least I was awake!

4 years later, I (re-)met a guy at a show out west and were discussing that show and discovered we were standing next to each other – “you were the guy who yelled ‘Are you fucking crazy!?’ when they started up Antelope!!” Yes, they were crazy: totally out of their minds. And we were nuts for following them like we did and for obsessing for 100+ days about a frickin’ concert. But here we are, 15 years later and still doing the same. Look for me there; I’ll be the one wearing the 15-year-old, only-worn-4-times, t-shirt that says “Why Am I Running?” on it. Just like I always do.

Nedstalgia: 15 Years Ago (Phish)

So, 15 years ago this week, Phish started up their 1994 fall tour which would sandwich around the historic 10/31/1994 they're-playing-the-freakin'-White-Album! show. Truly one of the crazier concerts I've been to, from the months of build up to the actual execution. And now that the anticipation is building with frantic refreshes of the Phish Halloween roulette and wild speculation for the 15th anniversary Halloween show, circled in bright red sharpie on my proverbial calendar, I thought it might be time to start looking back on this long-dormant blog (also noting the fact that no one would read this unless I wrote about Phish, anyway).

I'll get to the goods later on in the month (or not), but for now let's dial it back to the first week of October and the lesson that even as the band was approaching its peak, there was plenty of mediocrity to be had in mediocre places gotten to by unmemorable road trips and encounters.

The first show of the tour was on the campus of Lehigh in Bethlehem, PA. Does that sound like the kind of place you want to start a massive two-legged fall tour? Well, that's where we found ourselves on a brisk fall evening. 15 years later and the music that was this middling show have pretty much washed into a memory or two. I got in early hoping to hop down onto the GA floor even though I didn't have the requisite bracelet to be down there. Things were loose enough early on when I got there so I waltzed up front (certainly ditching the not-yet-Mrs. and my ride in the process, although that part is even hazier) and started chatting it up with a fellow geekoid. Turns out minutes before I got down there, Tom Marshall was milling about, talking about this great new song they'd be debuting. The guy had written down the name of the song as best he could, "Guite" I believe is what he had scrawled -- "about a pig" he said. I thought maybe he was pulling my leg, but whatevs.

The show started up and the floor was a strange mix of drunken anarchy and gestapo security trying to clear out those that didn't belong (i.e. me and my ilk). I stayed down up front long as I could, slightly overwhelmed by the frantic crowd and the muddy sound. Oy, that sound! Has to be down there on the list of all time worst sounding Phish shows I've been to. Like I said, the music was pretty middle-of-the-road, certainly a typical 1st show of the tour, getting ready for the road kind of night.

Certainly the only thing memorable was when they did, indeed, pull out a new tune late in the first set. Daggone it, Tom Marshall was correct. Unfortunately, it wasn't clear that the band was ready to pull this one out of the oven yet. The thing was rough, the band all searching each other out with each measure. The awful sound in the room did nothing to improve matters. In all honesty, at the time I had no idea whether the song was any good or not. I do remember it totally sucked all the energy out of the room... for a good 12 minutes, the Lehigh partiers and the Phish geeks got a tranquilizer dart of brand new, untested prog rock. Listening back, it doesn't quite sound as bad as I remember it -- I think the utter newness of a song of this type threw me (and everyone) for a loop. I think my general feeling after Trey said "you're the first people to ever hear that song" (can never beat that!) was "can't wait to hear that one again."

The second first-show-of-the-tour bustout came in the encore (I really have no memories good or bad of anything else). The band came back out front in "acoustic" mode and in a move that almost exactly mirrored the first time they played "Freebird" in the summer of 1993. Instead of an a capella version of a southern rock radio classic, they instead did a down-home bluegrass version of New England classic: Boston's Foreplay/Long Time. It was one of those "what is this, I know this" moments, as bit by bit the crowd became hip to what they were doing. Absotively brilliant in concept, if not execution.

I spent the night on a ratty couch in my buddy's high school buddy's apartment and woke up to an even rattier, bizarre pug-like pooch licking my face.

The next day was a new day and instead of doing the wise thing and heading back Boston-way on a Saturday, we continued away from home base down to Virginia... Fairfax, VA to be precise. The crowd for this show was a really weird mix. Turns out the Grateful Dead had been in Philly on the 7th and were playing the 9-11th in Landover, MD. The night Phish was playing in Fairfax -- the 8th -- was the Dead's off day and a healthy number of Deadheads decided to check out what these Phish fellas were all about. I believe this is the first major crossover between the fan bases (but of course, I could be wrong).

The show was no GA, but I managed my way up front with a whole slew of other people and for a while before the show, it appeared we'd have no problem hanging out there. But then the lights went down, the band came on stage, Chalkdust started and the security guard came through checking tickets. I pushed myself into a possibly empty seat in the front row and hoped I looked like I belonged there when the guard passed. To my relief, it worked -- in fact, the guard cleared everyone out except for me -- how long would that last? As Chalkdust finished and Horn started, the guy next to me leans over and tells me that his friend couldn't make the show, that no one is sitting in that seat and that it's mine, no problem. What luck! Basically, I had the seat directly front row center, not a soul in front of me (and a place to sit @ setbreak). Back then, I was apparently flowing in Phish front row karma...

Like I said, the crowd was weird, and the energy dampened the otherwise solid show. Things already seemed much crisper than the previous night -- better sound, a more cohesive, jammy spirit from the band. But the room was bigger than it was in Lehigh and although it was filled, the setting felt a bit sterile. Still, the show was good -- average, but good. When they got to Guyute, I was feeling "do over!" in my mind and I was right... it took but one more try, but they nailed it and hooked me -- I got it. Seeing the debut of a tune is great, seeing the first two or three times can be a real treat for the fanboy.

I will never forget the conversation I had at setbreak. The guy who lent me his seat for the night started chatting about the Halloween show. Seemed like he only had half a picture of what they were doing, like a game of telephone, talking about playing one side of an album and a bunch of other nonsense. Finally he says he'll let me in on a little secret -- he knows for a fact (you see he knows a guy that knows a guy) that they're going to be playing the first side of The Grateful Dead's Europe '72 on Halloween that month. I still get a chuckle out of remembering the look in his eye when he was blathering on. Classic.

The second set was a blazer. Maybe a little more sizzling on paper than it was in reality -- everything was clean, well-played and high-energy, but nothing really launched to the next level. It had its moments, of course -- it was a Phish show in the 90's, fer crissakes. Of course, the most bizarre thing was during Mike's Song. Those were the days of thick clouds of smoke billowing from the stage and trampolines during Mike's Song which always lent the jamming a crazed, heavy metal, loud-as-fuck feeling. Then there were nights when things got even crazier and louder (for better or worse). This was one of those nights. As the smoke is still swirling around the stage and Mike's wound done, a bunch of figures start moving onto the stage, a whole slew of what started to become clear were little girls, maybe 10-12 years old, dressed in some sort of uniform. Then the band quiets to a stop and these girls start screaming these cheers, really loudly. Is there anything less musical than 15-20 10-year-old girls screaming at the top of their lungs? Maybe, but wow! There it was: perfectly pointless and bizarre, but perfectly Phish all the same. Then they were gone and the band went into Simple -- my first time hearing that one, check-mark. I heard later that the band was awoken by these girls screaming at their hotel -- in town for some soccer game/tournament -- and they were impressed by the volume and invited them to come to the show. Strange but true.

Back then I was a Harry Hood chaser in the worst way. A good show became a great show if they played Hood and even a middle-of-the-road offering would score in the win column if I got that wish. Needless to say, I was tickled when they started the song. My memory of the moment is clear as it seemed at this moment that everyone in the crowd seemed to completely deflate -- there would be no Dark Star this evening. I had been tentative about moving from my seat all the way to the front of the stage fearing the security would wrangle me out of there, but at that moment, the show almost over, I had little to lose and so I moved up a few steps and put my hands on the rail. At that moment, everyone else was behind me and for 12 minutes, it felt like just me, the band and Harry Hood. It was moments like those that made ill-construed weekend jaunts to places like Bethlehem, PA and Fairfax, VA worth every stinky dog lick in the face. The next day it was back to Boston and two weeks of waiting until we got back into the car and headed to another one of those what-the-hell-are-we-doing-in-Glens-Falls kind of places. But that'll be another too-long blog post.

Thanks for reading...

Shows of the Week

L'shana Tova!

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
The Decemberists @ The Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Moby @ Fillmore

Fanfarlo @ Bowery Ballroom
FREE DJ Logic @ Brooklyn Bowl
Butch Morris Orchestra @ Nublu
Anais Mitchell, Jefferson Hamer @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
*Jim Campilongo et al @ Living Room
Mark Whitfield w/ Les Paul Trio @ Iridium (early/late)
The Roots @ Highline Ballroom (late night)

Tuesday:
Snow Patrol @ Beacon Theater
*Charlie Burnham @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)

Paquito D'Rivera (w/ E. Castaneda) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Bill Hart Qtet (w/ E. Iverson, M. Turner, B. Street) @ Village
Vanguard (early/late)
John Zorn/Bill Laswell et al @ Santos Party House
Pitom, Gutbucket et al @ Zebulon (Brooklyn)
Fanfarlo @ Bell House (Brooklyn)

Wednesday:
*Bobby Lee Rodgers @ Sullivan Hall
Snow Patrol @ Beacon Theater

Paquito D'Rivera (w/ E. Castaneda) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Tony Scherr et al @ Living Room
Bill Hart Qtet (w/ E. Iverson, M. Turner, B. Street) @ Village
Vanguard (early/late)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Radio City Music Hall

Ches Smith @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)

Gent Treadly (w/ S. Molitz) @ Ace of Clubs
Moby @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Pronto @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)

Thursday;
U2 @ Giants Stadium (E. Rutherford, NJ)

Bill Hart Qtet (w/ E. Iverson, M. Turner, B. Street) @ Village
Vanguard (early/late)
*Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Japandroids @ Mercury Lounge (late)
Paquito D'Rivera (w/ E. Castaneda) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Porcupine Tree @ Terminal 5
Marianne Faithful @ Town Hall
Wavves et al @ Santos Party House

Friday:
*Phoenix (Passion Pit opens) @ Summerstage

Paquito D'Rivera (w/ E. Castaneda) @ Blue Note (early/late)

Marco Benevento Trio @ 92Y
Yo La Tengo @ Roseland Ballroom

Bill Hart Qtet (w/ E. Iverson, M. Turner, B. Street) @ Village
Vanguard (early/late)
Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout @ 55 Bar (late)

U2 @ Giants Stadium (E. Rutherford, NJ)

The Moonlighters @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Joseph Arthur/Rene Lopez @ City Winery
FREE Pimps of Joytime @ Brooklyn Bowl
Livingston Leo et al @ Ace of Clubs
The Slackers @ Bowery Ballroom
Chris Barron @ Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown, NY)
White Lies @ Webster Hall

Saturday:

Phoenix (Passion Pit opens) @ Summerstage

Bruce Hornsby (Wood Brothers open) @ Town Hall
Brothers Past @ Bowery Ballroom

The Sweet Devines, Marva Whitney @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
Bill Hart Qtet (w/ E. Iverson, M. Turner, B. Street) @ Village
Vanguard (early/late)
Paquito D'Rivera (w/ E. Castaneda) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Dub Is a Weapon @ Zebulon (Brooklyn)
Jamie McLean @ National Underground (late)
*Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
McLovins et al @ Sullivan Hall

Mt. St Helens Vietnam Band @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)

Buckethead @ Governor's Island
Ornette Coleman @ Rose Theater
These Arms are Snakcs, DD/MM/YY @ Mercury Lounge
Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout @ Banjo Jim's (late)
Black Taxi (CD release) et al @ Gramercy Theater
Dub Trio @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)

Sunday:
Project/Object et al @ Sullivan Hall (benefit)
Paquito D'Rivera (w/ E. Castaneda) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Japandroids @ Mercury Lounge
Stephane Wrembel @ barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Great Lake Swimmers (Wooden Birds open) @ Bowery Ballroom
Jean-Michel Pilc Trio @ 55 Bar (late)
*Bill Hart Qtet (w/ E. Iverson, M. Turner, B. Street) @ Village
Vanguard (early/late)
Sunny Day Real Estate @ Terminal 5
Sylvie Courvoisier Trio @ Roulette

Click here for upcoming shows

Nedstalgia: Phish should have taken my advice

With the surprise and tragic passing of Michael Jackson yesterday, I was reminiscing back to the late summer and early fall of 1995. I was starting my senior year in college, but more importantly had tickets in my hand for the Phish Halloween show in Chicago. The previous year, the band had throttled the notion of what was possible at a rock concert by playing a marathon post-midnight second set consisting of the entire Beatles White Album in the middle of an epic til-3am barn burner. In theory, the band had chosen the album based on "votes" from the fans and were opening up the same channel for the 1995 show.

That was it. I was determined. After getting my tickets I made up my mind to stage a one-man campaign to get Phish to play Michael Jackson's Thriller on Halloween in Chicago. It was too perfect a choice, almost too obvious, but they had to do it. I had a stack of a couple hundred pre-paid blank postcards (the kind you give your kids for summer camp) lying on my desk and every single day I filled out and mailed about 3 or 4 of these to Phish headquarters with some variation on the message: "Play Thriller on Halloween." Back then I was still a bit of an internet newb, and had a total aversion to the existence and modus operandi of rec.music.phish, but felt so strongly and single-minded about my Thriller-on-Halloween mission that I started posting there with simple and succint variations on the same theme. I would troll about hoping that it would pick up some steam, but annoyingly, it appeared I was going it alone.

How frustrating! I had visions of a midnight playing of the title track with Fishman coming out from behind his kit to deliver the Vincent Price monologue. Could anything have been more perfect?? I certainly didn't believe so. It's certain that my schoolwork suffered as I grew slightly more monomaniacal about the whole thing.

Then the fall tour began and setlists and reviews and tapes started trickling down to Somerville, MA. And lo! What's this? Reports of repeated "Beat It" teases sprinkled throughout the midwest. Maybe my screaming and kicking was not falling on deaf ears. Maybe I was singlehandedly willing the band to conform to my desires. Or maybe the band was just fucking with me over the internet... how violating! As late October approached, I was hopeful and worried.

Then I was on the road. Shows in Michigan (not worth the schlep) and Louisville (sick and underrated! and MJ teasing!) were the warmups for the arrival in Chicago. My tickets were in the upper level in the back, but when the lights went down, I was (you ain't surprised is ya?) there on the rail, 15 feet from Trey and geeked up as ever. The first set was stellar and wound down to a brilliant Guyute>Antelope end. But wait... there's more! Harpua!! Surprises, surprises. When Trey got to the narration and talks about Jimmy's favorite album with a glint in his eye (OMG, he's looking at me!), a moment, he knows, I know... I held my breath -- they're going to play THRILLER!! -- and then the opening riff of "Beat It" is filling the arena and I nearly crapped myself. And then, before the adrenaline could hit the system and my blurry vision had cleared, the tease revealed itself to be just that and Harpua wrapped up as it would have otherwise.

When the band returned after setbreak, I was all too aware that the moment was over, but can't say I was too disappointed when Quadrophenia started up and pretty much raged. Twas quite a Phish show!! I always figured that the band knew best and that The Who was the correct choice after all, because, hey... they nailed it! But now looking back and anticipating the certain Michael Jackson tributes and covers we're certain to hear from bands of all shapes and sizes, I'm convinced that they made a mistake. Phish should have taken my advice. They should have played Thriller on Halloween.

Shows of the Week

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
*Mogwai @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End
Zakir Hussain @ Carnegie Hall
Bowerbirds @ Mercury Lounge
Band of Brotherz, Licorice @ Gramercy Theater

Tuesday:
*Fleck/Hussain/Meyer @ Zankel Hall
Mogwai @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Jason Crosby Band @ Ace of Clubs
Chris Potter's Underground @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Band of Brotherz @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck, NJ)
Chris Barron @ The National Underground
Josh Roseman & The Water Surgeons @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Salt & Samovar, Howard Fishman et al @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
Mark O'Connor et al @ Merkin Concert Hall

Wednesday:
Assembly of Dust @ Mercury Lounge (early)
Peter, Bjorn & John @ Webster Hall
El Ten Eleven @ Mercury Lounge (late)
Into the Presence @ Pianos
The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
Band of Brotherz @ Maxwell's (Hoboken) (late)
Jim Campilongo/Steve Cardenas @ Rockwood Music Hall (early)
*Chris Potter's Underground @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Mogwai @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Zakir Hussain @ Carnegie Hall
Manchester Orchestra @ Bowery Ballroom

Thursday:
*Wayne Krantz (w/ Socolow/Almond) @ 55 Bar (late)
Hopewell et al @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Moonalice @ Sullivan Hall
Chris Potter's Underground @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Bell Orchestre @ Le Poisson Rouge
Will Hoge @ The Bell House (Brooklyn)
David Bromberg @ Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown, NY)
Peter, Bjorn & John @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Jefferson Hamer @ Banjo Jim's (late)
Bat for Lashes @ Bowery Ballroom

Friday:
*El Ten Eleven @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Bulletproof Lincolns @ Fontana's
Garaj Mahal @ Blue Note (late night)
Howard Fishman @ Nublu
King Khan & the Shrines @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Chris Potter's Underground @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Shahzad Ismaily @ The Stone (late)
Third World Love @ Le Poisson Rouge
India.Arie @ Grand Ballroom
Perry Farrell, Iggy Pop, Tom Morello et al @ Nokia Theater (benefit)
Opeth @ Starland Ballroom (Sayreville, NJ)
The Dears et al @ The Bell House (Brooklyn)
King Wilkie @ Living Room (midnight)
Noah & The Whale @ Bowery Ballroom

Saturday:
The Heavy Pets, Consider The Source, Antigone Rising @ Sullivan Hall
*Black Taxi, A BIG YES and a small no @ Mercury Lounge
Bat for Lashes @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Chris Potter's Underground @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
The Kills @ Webster Hall
Trevor Dunn's Madlove, Thurston Moore et al @ Union Pool (Brooklyn)
King Khan & The Shrines @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)

Sunday:
Jake Shimabukuro @ Joe's Pub (early/late)
Chris Potter's Underground @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
*Feist, The National, Sharon Jones et al @ Radio City Music Hall (benefit)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Pete Seeger 90th Birthday @ Madison Square Garden
Vetiver @ Bowery Ballroom
King Khan & The Shrines @ Santos Party House

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday (dude!):
*Tinted Windows et al @ Mercury Lounge
Lily Allen @ Roseland Ballroom
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End
Les Paul @ Iridum (early/late)
The Bronx @ Bowery Ballroom

Tuesday:
Ratatat @ Terminal 5
The Jefferson Grisman Project @ BB King's
Jason Crosby Band @ Ace of Clubs
*Tim Lefebvre w/ W. Krantz, Z Danzinger et al @ Bitter End
The Downtown Quartet @ Village Vanguard
Larune @ Living Room (early)
Starfucker @ Mercury Lounge
The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
Tim Fite et al @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)

Wednesday:
Into the Presence @ Pianos
*Sarah Watkins @ Mercury Lougne
The Downtown Quartet @ Village Vanguard
Starfucker et al @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Alexi Murdoch @ Bowery Ballroom
Ratatat @ Terminal 5

Thursday:
Lou Reed @ Gramercy Theater
The Downtown Quartet @ Village Vanguard
Paul Weller @ Beacon Theater
Five Peace Band @ Rose Theater
Don Byron @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
*The Mighty Hannibal/The Sweet Devines @ Joe's Pub (early)
Ani Difranco @ Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown)
Luciana Souza w/ C. Baptista @ Allen Room
The Foundry Field Recordings et al @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Band of Brotherz @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck, NJ)
Michael Blake's HellBent @ 55 Bar (late)

Friday:
The Dead @ Nassau Colesium (Uniondale, LI)
Tinariwen @ Le Poisson Rouge
The Downtown Quartet @ Village Vanguard
Tragedy @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
*Five Peace Band @ Rose Theater
Don Byron @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Lou Reed @ Gramercy Theater
La Dolce Vita @ Mercury Lounge
Jazz Mandolin Project @ Skirball Center
Paul Weller @ Nokia Theater
Jamie McLean @ National Underground
Luciana Souza w/ C. Baptista @ Allen Room
Kevin Devine @ Bowery Ballroom
Fischerspooner @ The Performing Garage

Saturday:
*The Dead @ Madison Square Garden
Jason Crosby @ Living Room (late)
Jaik Miller Band, BuzzUniverse @ Bitter End (late night)
The Downtown Quartet @ Village Vanguard
The Dirty Pearls @ Bowery Ballroom
Serena Jean @ National Underground (late)
Handsome Family, Marissa Nadler @ Highline Ballroom
Luciana Souza w/ C. Baptista @ Allen Room
GFE @ Sullivan Hall
Fischerspooner @ The Performing Garage
Don Byron @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Zorn Improv Night @ The Stone (benefit)
Five Peace Band @ Rose Theater
Xylos @ Mercury Lounge
Serena Jean @ Banjo Jim's (midnight)

Sunday:
Don Byron @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
*The Downtown Quartet @ Village Vanguard

Click here for upcoming shows

minimix: Songs About Murder

Death and taxes, death and taxes... sometimes more forcefully than you'd like. Hopefully you dealt with the latter on Wednesday, songs about the former for Friday. Barely the tip of the iceberg... which good ones am I missing?

Enjoy!

Download the mix

01 Hey Joe -- Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience
02 Little Sadie -- Acoustic All Stars: 23 January 1988 Alexandria, VA
03 Bang Bang -- St. Vincent: 6 July 2007 Denton TX
04 Folsom Prison Blues -- Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison
05 Maxwell's Silver Hammer -- The Beatles: Abbey Road
06 Hopscotch Willie -- Stephen Malkmus: 22 March 2008 Indianapolis

Shows of the Week

Pay your taxes... see some music.

Enjoy!

Monday:
*Neko Case (Crooked Fingers open) @ Nokia Theater
Kevn Kinney @ National Undergroudn
Glenn Patscha (CD release) @ Living Room
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End

Tuesday:
Dave Matthews Band @ Madison Square Garden
Flight of the Conchords @ Radio City Music Hall
*The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
DeJohnette/Perez/Patitucci @ Blue Note (early/late)
Crooked Fingers @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
The Blue Note 7 @ Birdland (early/late)
Chris Barron @ National Underground
Neko Case (Joan as Policewoman opens) @ Nokia Theater
Paul Motian Octet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)

Wednesday:
Dave Matthews Band @ Izod Center (E. Rutherford, NJ)
*Of Montreal @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Paul Motian Octet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Nada Surf @ The Bell House (Brooklyn)
Colin Hay @ The Canal Room
Into the Presence @ Pianos
Courvoisier/Feldman Duo @ The Stone (early)
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band @ Allen Room
Indigo Girls @ Highline Ballroom
DeJohnette/Perez/Patitucci @ Blue Note (early/late)
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
The Blue Note 7 @ Birdland (early/late)

Thursday:
*Soulive @ Gramercy Theater
DeJohnette/Perez/Patitucci @ Blue Note (early/late)
Of Montreal @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Wooden Birds @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
The Blue Note 7 @ Birdland (early/late)
Colin Hay @ The Canal Room
Your 33 Black Angels et al @ Cake Shop
Paul Motian Octet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Twice Told Tales @ The Stone (early/late)

Friday:
*The Felice Brothers @ Webster Hall
Dead Milkmen @ Warsaw (Brooklyn)
Russo/Barr/Deutsch/Goldberger/

Stevenson @ Sullivan Hall
Paul Motian Octet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
The Blue Note 7 @ Birdland (early/late)
Of Montreal @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
DeJohnette/Perez/Patitucci @ Blue Note (early/late)
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ Highline Ballroom
Butch Morris @ Issue Project Room (Brooklyn)
Wolff @ Pianos (late night)
Bill Malchow @ National Underground (late)
The Wooden Birds @ Union Hall (brooklyn)

Saturday:
Steve Kimock's Crazy Engine @ BB King's
Cyril Neville @ Sullivan Hall
*Beatbox Gutiar @ Tea Lounge (Brooklyn)
Paul Motian Octet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
The Blue Note 7 @ Birdland (early/late)
DeJohnette/Perez/Patitucci @ Blue Note (early/late)
Bernie Williams @ Nokia Theater
Lucinda Black Bear, Winterpills et al @ Bell House (Brooklyn)

Sunday:
Paul Motian Octet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
DeJohnette/Perez/Patitucci @ Blue Note (early/late)
*The Blue Note 7 @ Birdland (early/late)

While You Were Sleeping...

I can't pretend to be a blogger anymore with the rate of activity here at OTW asymptotically approaching nil, but that doesn't mean I've disappeared. In addition to the still-running Shows of the Week and mostly regular Minimixes, here are some other links and blurbage to keep you up to date with all things Ned:

• First off: concert reviews. I'm still going to see music and writing reviews. Right now I've been enlisted to contribute to The House List which is an in-house Bowery Presents blog. These guys put on pretty much every halfway decent show in the tri-state area, so it's a damn good gig which I'm super happy to have. I've already turned in quite a few reviews, so check 'em out and keep up with me... I've been limited in my verbiage, which is probably a good thing for you, the loyal reader. Check out reviews of Josh Ritter, The New Deal, Les Claypool et al, Clem Snide, Puss 'N Boots, and Elvis Perkins Dearland.
• Besides that blog, the best way to keep up with me in all forms is through Twitter and Google Reader.
• More online reviewage, this time in Nedstalgia form: Remembering Clifford Ball over at Hidden Track.
• I went to Japan back in January. Meant to write something up about that, but alas... check out my photos here if you're interested.
• Been eating burgers at a torrid pace since last I posted around here. Burgerlist updated.
• Minimixes may or may not be posted here. If you are interested in getting the info in your inbox weekly, please let me know and I'll add you to a low-key mailer.
• Ethan Iverson interviewing David King on Phil Collins. Best thing you'll read today.
• Couple other shows I've seen in the last couple weeks. Allmans + Jimmy Herring and JB @ Beacon = awesome. I posted the Les Brers on Friday in the mix and it is sickness. Wow, that was good.
• Lastly, Phish Hampton... I was lucky enough to have good people being all good people on me and made it down for Friday and Saturday. Way down. See if you can find your fearless freak in this photo. I believe those shows were the most documented concerts of our lifetimes, so I'll spare the review. A couple comments. Music aside, the smiles on the faces of the band were enough to make me happy about Phish again. Or more so, at least. I haven't even listened to it again, but the 2nd set on Saturday night was sublime -- perhaps in the conversation for best ever. The Ghost. Yes. Those shows made me feel very old and very young at the same time. My mind and soul felt like it was 1993 again (and the music had that old school air about it), but my body couldn't have taken a third night, although it was there for the taking. Looking forward to a show or two this summer.
  
• By the way, I need Jones Beach tickets!
  

Shows of the Week

So very holy... enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Mates of State/Black Kids @ Webster Hall
*Rudder (CD release) @ The Slipper Room
The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)

Tuesday:
*Jenny Scheinman (w/ N. Cline, S. Cardenas) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Tamarindo @ The Stone (early/late)

Wednesday:
*Todd Sickafoose, Eric Deutsch @ Zebulon (Brooklyn)
Jenny Scheinman (w/ N. Cline, S. Cardenas) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Cappelli/Coleman Duo @ The Stone (early)
Sasha Dobson et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
Trevor Dunn's Proofreaders @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Bob Mould @ Joe's Pub (early)

Thursday:
*North Mississippi All Stars @ Highline Ballroom
Jenny Scheinman (w/ N. Cline, S. Cardenas) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Telepath @ Sullivan Hall
Jeff Beck @ Fillmore
Rachael Yamagata/Dan Wilson @ City Winery
Fly @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Bob Mould @ Joe's Pub (late)
Superdrag @ Bowery Ballroom
Donny McCaslin @ 55 Bar (late)

Friday:
Umphrey's McGee @ Nokia Theater
U Melt, North Indiana All Stars @ BB King's (late night)
Lotus @ Bowery Ballroom
Jenny Scheinman (w/ N. Cline, S. Cardenas) @ Blue Note (early/late)
The McLovins, Strange Design @ Sullivan Hall
*The Wooden Birds @ Mercury Lounge (early)
Ben Sollee et al @ Le Poisson Rouge
Sex Mob et al @ Glasslands Gallery (Brooklyn) (early)
Fly @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Kris Kristofferson @ The Concert Hall
Jeff Beck @ Fillmore
Rachael Yamagata/Dan Wilson @ City Winery
Superdrag @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Reflections @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck)

Saturday:
*Jorma Kaukonen @ City Winery
Fred Wesley & The New JB's @ Sullivan Hall
Jenny Scheinman (w/ N. Cline, S. Cardenas) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Robyn Hitchcock @ Fillmore
Lotus @ Bowery Ballroom
Nouvellas et al @ Glasslands Gallery (Brooklyn) (late)
H-Alpha, New Mellow Edwards et al @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Umphrey's McGee @ Nokia Theater
Fly @ Jazz Standard (early/late)

Easter Sunday:
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
*Fly @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Jenny Scheinman (w/ N. Cline, S. Cardenas) @ Blue Note (early/late)
Brother Joscephus @ Highline Ballroom (1:30 pm)
Kyp Malone et al @ Glasslands Gallery (Brooklyn)

Click here for upcoming shows

minimix: Comes Alive.Winter09

Sorry been remiss in my mix making. Will try to make up for it.

Here are some hot tracks from a sampling of shows I've been lucky
enough to catch in the last couple months. Thanks as always to the
tapers.

Enjoy!

Download the mix

01 The Stallion Part IV -- Gene Ween Band: Music Hall of Williamsburg, 7 February 2009
02 Black River Killer -- Blitzen Trapper: Bowery Ballroom, 27 February 2009
03 Rowboat -- Medeski Martin & Wood (w/ Cyro Baptista): City Winery, 19 February 2009
04 Les Brers In A Minor -- The Allman Brothers Band (w/ Jimmy Herring): Beacon Theatre, 23 March 2009
05 My Brambles -- Alela Diane: Bowery Ballroom, 27 February 2009
06 D's Diner -- Les Claypool (w/ Saul Williams): Terminal 5, 28 March 2009

Shows of the Week

Whoa! April already?

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Jonah Smith @ Blue Note (early/late)
Hold Steady @ Fillmore
*The Dead (acoustic) @ Angel Orensanz (5pm)
Nomo (CD release) @ Joe's Pub
dd/mm/yyyy et al @ Mercury Lounge
The Dead @ Grammercy Theater (early)
Kevn Kinney @ The National Underground
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End
The Dead @ Roseland Ballroom (late)
Glasvegas @ Webster Hall

Tuesday:
Gomez @ Bowery Ballroom
2 Foot Yard @ Le Poisson Rouge
NoNet Trio @ The Stone (late)
Chris Barron @ National Underground
Blind Pilot @ Mercury Lounge
Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Blue Note (early/late)
Robbie Fulks @ Barbes (brooklyn) (early)
Wolff et al @ Pianos
Ray LaMontagne @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
*Eyal Maoz' Edom @ The Stone (early)

Wednesday:
*The New Deal @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Blue Note (early/late)
Zach Deputy @ Ace of Clubs
Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Terminal 5
Trevor Dunn's Proofreaders @ The Stone (early)
Pilc/Krantz/Tordini/Hoenig @ 55 Bar (late)
The Roots @ Highline Ballroom

Thursday:
Ray LaMontagne @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Blue Note (early/late)
Balkan Beatbox @ Webster Hall
*Bill Evans Soulgrass @ Iridium (early/late)
Glenn Tilbrook @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck, NJ)
Francis Moutin Quartet @ 55 Bar (late)
Unbroken @ The Stone (early/late)
Falu w/ B. Worrell @ Joe's Pub (late)

Friday:
Cold War Kids @ Terminal 5
Gomez @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
The New Deal @ Bowery Ballroom
Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout @ 55 Bar (late)
Bryan Adams @ Beacon Theater
Vinicius Cantuaria @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
*Bob Schneider @ City Winery
Pandhora @ National Underground
Glenn Tilbrook @ Highline Ballroom
Bill Evans Soulgrass @ Iridium (early/late)
Rick Springfield @ Nokia Theater
The Presets @ Webster Hall
Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Blue Note (early/late)
Pnuma Trio @ Mercury Lounge

Saturday:
*Jimmy Vivino farewell show @ Bowery Ballroom
Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow et al @ Radio City Music Hall (benefit)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Blue Note (early/late)
Toubab Krewe, Josh Dion @ Sullivan Hall
The Damnwells @ Mercury Lounge
Vinicius Cantuaria @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Bryan Adams @ Beacon Theater
Ra Ra Riot @ Webster Hall
Bill Evans Soulgrass @ Iridium (early/late)
Josh Ritter @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Bishop Allen @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)

Sunday:
George Porter/John Scofield/Jon Cleary @ BB King's
*Mates of State/Black Kids @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Blue Note (early/late)
Vinicius Cantuaria @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Josh Ritter @ Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown, NY)
Bishop Allen et al @ Bowery Ballroom
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Black Kids/Mates of State @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Bill Evans Soulgrass @ Iridium (early/late)

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

March... it's the madness.

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End
*The Roots @ Highline Ballroom (late night)
Kevn Kinney et al @ National Underground

Tuesday:
*Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
Robbie Fulks @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Bloc Party @ Terminal 5
Chris Barron @ National Underground
Gary Versace @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Camera Obscura, Laura Cantrell @ Bell House (Brooklyn)

Wednesday:
*Elvis Perkins in Dearland @ Bowery Ballroom
Derek Trucks Band (The Bad Plus opens) @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Morrissey @ Webster Hall
Victor Wooten @ BB King's
Jamie McLean et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
Leona Naess et al @ Pianos
Mary Halvorson/Jessica Pavone (CD release) @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Bloc Party @ Terminal 5
Jason Crosby et al @ Living Room
Pronto @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)

Thursday:
*Will Bernard w/ Hess, Medeski, Moore @ Highline Ballroom
Ben Folds @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
PJ Harvey @ Fillmore
Larry Coryell @ Iridium (early/late)
Eric Krasno & Chapter 2 @ Sullivan Hall (late night)
Abalone Dots & Doug Wamble @ Le Poisson Rouge
Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
James Cotton @ BB King's
Kevin Mahogany's KC Revue @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Indigo Girls @ Living Room 9early)
Morrissey @ Carnegie Hall
Friendly Fires/White Lies @ Bowery Ballroom

Friday:
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk @ Highline Ballroom (late night)
Mountain Goats/John Vanderslice @ The Concert Hall
*BuzzUniverse, Bulletproof Lincolns, Jaik Miller Band @ Piano's
Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
Eric Friedlander's Broken Arm Trio @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Friendly Fires/White Lies @ Bowery Ballroom
Kevin Mahogany's KC Revue @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Demolition String Band @ Rodeo Bar
Honeytribe @ BB King's (late night)
Larry Coryell @ Iridium (early/late)
Ryan Montbleau @ Joe's Pub (early)
Burnt Sugar @ Blue Note (late night)
Heartless Bastards @ Webster Hall
Amayo's Fu-Arkestra @ Joe's Pub (late night)

Saturday:
Perpetual Groove @ Bowery Ballroom
*Les Claypool, O Death et al @ Terminal 5
Keller Williams @ Nokia Theater
Serena Jean Band @ National Underground (early)
Kevin Mahogany's KC Revue @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Larry Coryell @ Iridium (early/late)
Erin McKeown @ Maxwell's (Hoboken) (early)
Akron/Family @ Union Pool (Brooklyn)
Cecil Taylor @ Merkin Concert Hall
Tony Rice @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck, NJ)
Jamie McLean Band @ National Underground (late)
Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
Eli Reed, Jenny Dee @ Maxwell's (Hoboken) (late)
Dub Is A Weapon @ Zebulon (Brooklyn)
Glasvegas @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
EOTO @ Sullivan Hall (late night)
Salt & Samovar @ Joe's Pub (late night)

Sunday:
*Akron/Family @ Union Pool (Brooklyn)
Kevin Mahogany's KC Revue @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Bela Fleck @ Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown, NY)
AC Newman, The Broken West @ The Bell House (Brooklyn)
Demolition String Band @ Rodeo Bar
Stephane Wrembel @ barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Larry Coryell @ Iridium (early/late)
Nomo @ Union hall (Brooklyn)

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

Back. Please help me fill in the gaps.

Enjoy!

[Remember if you or someone you know wants this list in their inbox every week, go to groups.yahoo.com/group/nyc_sotw and click on "join this group"]

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Motley Crue @ Madison Square Garden
Bob Jones/Jon Sholle Duo @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
*Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)
Oz Noy Trio @ Bitter End
Kevn Kinney et al @ National Underground

Tuesday:
Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
*Stanley Clarke @ Blue Note (early/late)
Twi the Humble Feather, She Keeps Bees etc @ Living Room
Robbie Fulks @ Barbes (brooklyn) (early)
Chris Barron & The Time Bandits @ National Underground

Wednesday:
*Clem Snide @ Bowery Ballroom
Old School Freight Train @ Mercury Lounge (early)
Stanley Clarke @ Blue Note (early/late)
Leona Naess et al @ Pianos
The Stationary Set @ Mercury Lounge (late)
Go There! (feat O. Burbridge), Yosi Piamenta @ Sullivan Hall
Puss N Boots et al @ Rockwood Music Hall

Thursday:
Fleetwood Mac @ Madison Square Garden
Maceo Parker @ SOB's
Matt Munisteri @ barbes (brooklyn) (late)
Clay Ross Matuto Band @ 55 Bar (late)
Butch Walker @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
Ozomatli @ Fillmore
*Pronto, Puss N Boots @ Mercury Lounge (early)
Van Davis & Lifted @ le Poisson Rouge
Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
The Roots @ Highline Ballroom

Friday:
Ozomatli @ Fillmore
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk @ Highline Ballroom (late night)
*The Budos Band @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
Dafnis Prieto Si O Si Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Tab Benoit, Alex McMurray w/ Bill Malchow et al Sullivan Hall
Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
Chris Potter @ 55 Bar (late)
Wu Fei w/ Billy Martin @ Roulette
Crooked Still @ Bell House (Brooklyn)

Saturday:
Next Tribe @ Tea Lounge
*Allman Brothers Band @ Beacon Theater
Morrissey @ Bowery Ballroom
Dafnis Prieto Si O Si Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Blues & Lasers @ Sullivan Hall (late night)

Sunday:
Rashanim @ Zebulon (Brooklyn)
Dafnis Prieto Si O Si Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
*Doug Wamble @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Steep Canyon Rangers @ The Tank
Hypercolor @ The Stone (early/late)

Click here for upcoming shows

Review: K3

Sullivan Hall 25 February 2009

It was about 7 seconds after the first notes were played out of the instruments of Wayne Krantz, Tim Lefebvre and Keith Carlock that I knew. They were on. Oh, they're always good, they're always great, but sometimes things get elevated to that special place. When they do you can only laugh. I call it the "Krantz giggle" -- a completely involuntary utterance from deep in your soul, conceived by a brain that has no idea how to process music that is this good. I had the giggle within 10 seconds of music being played. I knew then and there this was going to be one of those nights.

I will not see any music better than what I saw last night. Fact. Whether they had rehearsed or whether they were just feeding off old vibrations in the Village air wafting down from Christopher St., I don't know,. but it's been a while since I've seen three musicians locked in at such a high level for such a sustained amount of time. I made the comparison to "Lost" yesterday in preview and last night the music was pure smoke monster, mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, probing the audience's brain and then grabbing them by the leg and dragging them back to its lair.

Keith Carlock may very well be the best drummer on the planet. But usually I'd say he might be the 3rd best musician on stage when he's up there with Krantz & Lefebvre. Last night, there was no doubt who was the leader. Carlock *was* the music last night, everything flowed through him. It was all driven by tempo and energy and he was the driving force. Just. Completely. Insane. Drumming at its finest.

The band took the stage almost at 10pm on the nose -- huzzah for punctuality -- with a pretty much full house packing Sullivan Hall from front to back. I was a bit surprised at the crowd that came out for some K3 on a school night, but apparently there is some pent up demand. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised at all. Personally, I wouldn't have missed it for nuthin' and I'm pretty sure most of the other folks in there felt the same way. Songs didn't really matter as usual for a Krantz gig, although some of those old, familiar riffs were comforting lampposts along the way, triggering memories of sitting at 55 Bar and sipping whiskey in complete awe. And awesome it was. Every tune, jam and vamp appeared and then multiplied on top of itself. Wayne's notes seemed to form into little Wayne's that each played their own notes and so on ad infinitium. It was like that scene in Fantasia where the Sorcerer's Apprentice brings the mop to life and then keeps breaking it into pieces and each piece becomes it's own mop until there were millions of 'em taking over. The music was kind of like that, except all three of them were chopping each others output and instead of chaos we got sheer, mind-bending beauty. Ain't nothing better.

There were a couple of "new" songs and even a few where they were reading off sheet music. My comment was that sheet music at a K3 show was like the plot in a porno, but it appeared they really were going right off what was written down. Wait, someone wrote that? Still, every song launched into wild improvisation, perfectly played, never wanky, never noodling, never drifting, always driving, always concise, always right. Even when mistakes seemed to be made, they were instantaneously turned into silver linings. Jams that seemed to be on the verge of meandering or fizzling, were flipped into subtler mood pieces, with Carlock always doing the heavy lifting of saving near-disasters and making them blissful epiphanies. I loved it when Wayne said " I wrote this song for Jeff Beck. He's recording a new album and I wrote a song for him for the album. He didn't want it." and then proceeded to rip though an absolutely monster composition/jam that would make men greater than Jeff Beck weep in "I'm not worthy" genuflections. I also loved it when the girlfriend of a guy standing next to me said "this doesn't really sound like jazz." I couldn't tell if she was complaining, complimenting or just observing. But she was right and she was smiling.

And he goes on and on... the show went a solid two sets, no encore and I stayed until the bitter end, even though 5 extra minutes of music meant 40 extra minutes of waiting for the train and an hour's less sleep. It was worth it. I'd do it again tonight.

These guys should play the Bowery Ballroom, just because. I'd like to see how that would work out. Regardless, they should play again. Sooner this time than the last.

Fin

PS It seems like the golden age of the can't-miss guaranteed weekly resideNYC mind blower has passed us by. If I was 8 years younger and living a subway ride away from every club in the city, where would I go every week for my freak out fix? Krantz was it; then the Duo; is there nothing else or am I just too old and out of touch to know?

Shows of the Week

Nice week. Very nice. Pick your poison.

{Pick of the week: K3 @ Sullivan Hall (Wednesday)}

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)
Kevn Kinney @ National Underground
Adam Rudolph @ Roulette
*Ari Hoenig Group @ Small's (late/midnight)

Mardi Gras:
Bill Malchow et al @ Sullivan Hall
Chris Barron @ The National Underground
McCoy Tyner @ Blue Note (early/late)
Jason Crosby @ Living Room (late)
*Sugartone Brass Band @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Edmar Castaneda @ Zinc bar (early/late)
Edward Simon Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Tom Jones @ Terminal 5

Wednesday:
Thievery Corporation @ Terminal 5
*K3 @ Sullivan Hall
Ben Kweller (Watson Twins open) @ Town Hall
McCoy Tyner @ Blue Note (early/late)
Scott Holcomb @ Fat Baby
Tapes 'n Tapes @ Bowery Ballroom
Fountains of Wayne acoustic @ Joe's Pub (late)
Gods & Monsters @ Public Assembly (Brooklyn)
Gary Peacock @ Birdland (early/late)
Edmar Castaneda @ Zinc bar (early/late)
Edward Simon Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Tokyo Police Club @ Webster Hall

Thursday:
Thievery Corporation @ Terminal 5
Edward Simon Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Gene Ween Band (RSX opens) @ Highline Ballroom
*The Budos Band @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Bell Orchestre @ BAM Opera House (Brooklyn)
Lionel Loueke Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Blue Note (early/late)
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit @ Bowery Ballroom
Noah Chernin @ Piano's (early)
Drug Rug, Salt & Samovar @ Mercury Lounge
Toad the Wet Sprocket @ Webster Hall
George Clinton & P-Funk All Stars @ BB King's
Gary Peacock @ Birdland (early/late)
Tapes N Tapes @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Circle of Buzzards et al @ Glasslands Gallery (Brooklyn)
Fountains of Wayne acoustic @ Joe's Pub (late)

Friday:
*David Byrne @ Radio City Music Hall
Jason Moran Bandwagon plays Monk @ Town Hall
Blitzen Trapper @ Bowery Ballroom
Van Morrison @ WaMu Theater at MSG
Edward Simon Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Blue Note (early/late)
Lionel Loueke Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
The Moonlighters @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Phonograph et al @ Union Pool (Brooklyn)
Uninhabitable Mansions @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Chris Potter @ 55 Bar (late)
Hymns, Kieran McGee et al @ Piano's
Gary Peacock @ Birdland (early/late)

Saturday:
*Blitzen Trapper @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Clutch, Rev Peyton, Bakerton Group @ Crazy Donkey (Farmingdale, LI)
Serena Jean @ National Underground (early)
David Byrne @ Radio City Music Hall
Yohimbe Brothers @ Blue Note (late night)
Krasno/Russo/Hess/Deutsch @ Sullivan Hall
Van Morrison @ WaMu Theater at MSG
Edward Simon Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Robert Glasper Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Robert Earl Keen (Cross Canadian Ragweed opens) @ Terminal 5
Smokey's Roundup @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Phosphorescent @ Bell House (Brooklyn)
Jamie Mclean @ National Underground (late)
They Might Be Giants @ (le) Poisson Rouge
Gary Peacock @ Birdland (early/late)
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Blue Note (early/late)
Buckwheat Zydeco @ BB King's (early/late)

Sunday:
Robert Glasper Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Edward Simon Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*Stebmo Trio (Sickafoose, Wolleson, Moore) @ 55 bar (late)
Spanish Harlem Orchestra @ Blue Note (early/late)
Allen Toussaint @ Joe's Pub (noon)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

Enjoy!

President's Day:
The Duke Spirit @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)
*Kevn Kinney et al @ National Underground
Lee Scratch Perry @ Highline Ballroom

Tuesday:
*The Bad Plus w/ Wendy Lewis (CD release) @ Bowery Ballroom
Fujiya & Miyagi @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Medeski, Martin & Wood (acoustic) @ 92Y Tribeca
Ben Harper & The Relentless 7 @ Highline Ballroom
Jenny Scheinman w/ S. Cardenas, G. Cohen @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Tony Scherr et al @ Living Room
Chris Barron @ National Underground
Van Davis et al @ Bitter End
Andrwe D'Angelo's Living Health Big Band @ Tea Lounge (Brooklyn)
Zlatne Uste Brass Band @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)

Wednesday:
Medeski, Martin & Wood @ (le) Poisson Rouge
Ralph Stanley @ BB King's
Adam Levy, Mamie Minch et al @ Banjo Jim's
Andrew D'Angelo Trio w/ J. Black, T. Dunn @ Tea Lounge (Brooklyn)
*Randy Weston's African Rhythms Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
White Rabbits @ Mercury Lounge
MK Groove Orchestra et al @ Public Assembly (Brooklyn)

Thursday:
Antony & The Johnsons @ Town Hall
M Ward @ Apollo Theater
*Medeski, Martin & Wood @ City Winery
Leonard Cohen @ Beacon Theater
White Rabbits @ Mercury Lounge
Randy Weston's African Rhythms Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Sam Bardfeld's Up Jumped the Devil @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Charlie Hunter @ Sullivan Hall
Boomish @ 55 Bar (late)
LL Cool J @ Nokia Theater
Matt Munisteri @ barbes (Brooklyn) (late)

Friday:
Neville Bros/Dr. John (NOKAS opens) @ Terminal 5
Antony & The Johnsons @ Town Hall
Demolition String Band @ Rodeo Bar
Randy Weston's African Rhythms Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT)
*A Big YES and a small no @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Air Supply @ Nokia Theater
Tim Fite et al @ The Bell House (Brooklyn)

Saturday:
Leo Nocentelli/Trombone Shorty @ BB King's
*Anders Osbrone, Eric Lindell, Big Sam et al @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
New Orleans Klezmer All Stars, Brother Joscephus et al @ Sullivan Hall
Randy Weston's African Rhythms Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Neville Bros/Dr. John @ HOB (Atlantic City)
Brooklyn Qawwali Party @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Joey Baron @ Roulette
Noah & The Whale @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Moonighters @ Googie's Lounge
Buddy Guy/BB King @ Beacon Theater
Forro In The Dark @ SOB's
The Delta Spirit @ Bowery Ballroom

Sunday:
*Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Matisyahu and Friends @ The Bell House (Brooklyn)
Randy Weston's African Rhythms Quartet @ Jazz Standard (early/late)
Ollabelle et al @ Banjo Jim's

Shows of the Week

Hooray for lovers!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
*Willie Nelson w/ W. Marsalis @ Lincoln Center
Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt @ Bergen PAC (Englewood, NJ)
Madeleine Peyroux @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)

Tuesday:
Motian/Potter/Moran @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*Jenny Scheinman @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Jason Crosby Band @ Ace of Clubs
Sonya Kitchell et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
Fake Male Voice et al @ Glasslands Gallery (Brooklyn)
Willie Nelson w/ W. Marsalis @ Lincoln Center
Lily Allen @ Bowery Ballroom

Wednesday:
Willie Nelson @ Count Basie Theater (Red Bank, NJ)
*Emergency Party et al @ Glasslands Gallery
Abigail Washburn w/ B. Sollee et al @ Joe's Pub (early/late)
Adam Levy et al @ Banjo Jim's
Motian/Potter/Moran @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Robbers on High St et al @ Union Pool (Brooklyn)
Brett Dennen @ Webster Hall
Brad Mehldau et al @ Carnegie Hall

Thursday:
Lambchop @ Bowery Ballroom
Motian/Potter/Moran @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*La Buya @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Tracy Bonham, Smokey's Roundup @ The Bell House (Brooklyn)
Golem @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Adam Rogers Trio @ 55 Bar (late)

Friday the 13th:
moe. @ Terminal 5
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings @ Nokia Theater
Martin Sexton @ Town Hall
Motian/Potter/Moran @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ BAM (Brooklyn)
Jerry Joseph, Leni Stern et al @ Living Room
Reflections (Buddy Cage et al) @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck, NJ)
Joy Askew @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Black Hollies, French Kicks et al @ Maxwells (Hoboken)
*Joe Russo Quartet @ Sullivan Hall (late night)
Paul Simon @ Beacon Theater
Cornmeal @ Blender Theater
Kelly Jo & The Preverts et al @ The National Underground
No Neck Blues Band @ Issue Project Room (Brooklyn)
Anita Baker @ Radio City Music Hall

Date Night!
*Paul Simon @ Beacon Theater
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings @ Nokia Theater
Motian/Potter/Moran @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
moe. @ Terminal 5
Anita Baker @ Radio City Music Hall
Howard Fishman @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Martin Sexton (The Wood Brothers open) @ Town Hall
Legendary Shack Shakers, O'Death et al @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
John Zorn Improv Night @ The Stone (early/late) (benefit)
Jennifer O'Connor et al @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)
Michetti @ Sullivan Hall (late night)

Sunday:
Allen Toussaint @ Joe's Pub (noon)
*Motian/Potter/Moran @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Adam Levy & The Mint Imperials @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
The Duke Spirit @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
Steep Canyon Rangers @ Joe's Pub (early)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

I'm back. Help me catch up... what am I missing?

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
*Robben Ford/Jorma Kaukonen @ BB King's
Frightened Rabbit (acoustic) @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)

Tuesday:
Tibet House Benefit (P. Glass, Vampire Weekend, The National et al) @
Carnegie Hall
*Jason Crosby Band @ Ace of Clubs
Demolition String Band @ Rodeo Bar
Sonya Kitchell et al @ Rockwood Music Hall

Wednesday:
Heartless Bastards @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
*Doveman (plays Footloose) @ Joe's Pub (late)
David Bromberg Band @ BB King's
John Scofield @ Zankel Hall
Illinois @ Fontana's
Marah (Leroy Justice opens) @ Mercury Lounge
Adam Levy et al @ Banjo Jim's

Thursday:
Del McCoury Band @ Allen Room
*Twi - The Humble Feather @ The Stone (late)
Jorma Kaukonen/Robben Ford @ Bergen PAC (Englewood, NJ)
Big Head Todd & The Monsters @ Fillmore
Steve Cardenas @ 55 Bar (late)
Marah @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)

Friday:
The Black Keys (Heartless Bastards open) @ Terminal 5
Beirut (Kaki King opens) @ BAM (Brooklyn)
Cat Power @ Apollo Theater
The Moonlighters @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Jonah Smith @ 55 Bar (early)
*Bar Kokhba/Masada Sextet @ Abrons Arts Center
Theresa Andersson @ Joe's Pub (late)

Saturday:
Levon Helm @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
**John Zorn's the Dreamers @ Abrons Arts Center
Gene Ween Band @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
The Black Keys (Heartless Bastards open) @ Terminal 5
Gary Louris/Mark Olson @ Zankel Hall
Cat Power @ Apollo Theater
Donna The Buffalo @ Bowery Ballroom

Sunday:
*The Black Keys @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Ollabelle et al @ Banjo Jim's
Maricopa @ Piano's

Click here for upcoming shows

Shows of the Week

Sorry about skipping out on y'all last week. Trying to catch up.
Lots of shows added to upcoming, but let me know what I'm missing.

Enjoy!

Click here for upcoming shows

Monday:
*Previte/Gamble/Blanchard @ Bar4
Kevn Kinney et al @ National Underground
Strange Cargo @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)

Tuesday:
Steve Winwood @ Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ)
Animal Collective @ Grand Ballroom
Uri Caine Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*Joshua Redman Double Trio @ Highline Ballroom
Ari Hoenig solo @ 55 Bar (early)

Wednesday:
Tea Leaf Green @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck, NJ)
Uri Caine Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*Forro In the Dark @ Nublu
Animal Collective @ Bowery Ballroom
Adam Levy et al @ Banjo Jim's
James Hurt @ The Stone (early)
Joshua Redman Double Trio @ Highline Ballroom
Erin McKeown @ Southpaw (Brooklyn)

Thursday:
Drive-By Truckers @ Starland Ballroom (Sayreville, NJ)
Van Davis @ 55 Bar
Uri Caine Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Tea Leaf Green @ Mexicali Blues (Teaneck, NJ)
Punch Brothers @ Living Room (late)
Matt & Kim (CD release) @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Reed Foehl et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
*A Big YES and a small no @ Union Hall (Brooklyn)
Regina Spektor et al @ Bowery Ballroom (benefit)
Mike Doughty/Tony Scherr Trio @ City Winery
Erik Deutsch Band et al @ Banjo Jim's
Alexa Ray Joel et al @ Mercury Lounge

Friday:
Vic Chestnutt @ Bowery Ballroom
Steve Earle @ Tarrytown Music Hall
Stir Fried @ PoRt 41
Uri Caine Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
*Tea Leaf Green @ Music Hall (Brooklyn)
Nouvellas et al @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
Alice Smith @ Highline Ballroom
The Moonlighters @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Mos Def @ Blue Note (early/late)
Dar Williams @ Webster Hall

Saturday:
*Devotchka @ Webster Hall
Mos Def @ Blue Note (early/late)
Uri Caine Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Cliffside Push @ Bowery Poetry Club
Bill Sims Jr (w/ A. Hess, A. Levy et al) @ 55 Bar (late)
Serena Jean & The Whiskey Trippers et al @ Banjo Jim's
The Blue Method @ Blue Note (late night)
Love Trio @ Nublu

Sunday:
Mos Def @ Blue Note (early/late)
The Killers @ Madison Square Garden
Ollabelle et al @ Banjo Jim's
*Uri Caine Trio @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)

Click here for upcoming shows

FBIX Update

Counting the days til Saturday night here at OTW. I do hope you'll come and bring the kool kats with you. If you missed it, here is the pertinent info. In addition, I'll urge you to come early:

• Doors open at 8pm and we'll be spinning the new Derek Trucks album (releasing 1/13) to get the party warmed up.
  
• In addition, there will be 3 Sixpoint beers (Sweet Action, Brownstone, Apollo Wheat) to be specific) on tap for $4 each from 8-10, so get to that bar early and often.
  
• Finally, we can confirm that Danjaboots -- i.e. Scott Metzger & Joe Russo -- will be giving us a rare appearance to open the show at 8:45... you won't want to miss their countried-up set of tunes about drinkin', fightin' and f#$%in'.

That's all in addition to the full slate of music, freaks and fun... here's that info again:

The details:

Freaks Ball IX
January 10, 2009
Southpaw
Brooklyn, USA

featuring:

• The New Mastersounds
• Danjaboots (Metzger and Russo singing about drinkin', fightin' and f#$@in')
  
• The Rodney Speed Experience (feat. Scott Boom Boom Metzger, Sir Joe Russo, Eddie Eyeball of 2 Skinnee Js, Phil Costello of Tragedy, Backyard Bill, Szuf Daddy of Tragedy, Ginger of the Wildhearts)
• and a special, rock your socks off late night set from RANA.

tickets $25 get 'em now, no guarantee they'll be available at the door

Some more links:

• Download the funktastic NMS shows from Sullivan Hall last month (courtesy of the ubiquitous Scott Bernstein and his magical microphones): night 1 and night 2
• My review of Rana's triumphant return
• Listen or download that Rana show (courtesy of Radio Johnson)
• Get a taste of the Rodney Speed Experience from their Mercury Lounge show earlier this fall.

Shows of the Week

Resolved...

[remember: * = Ned's picks, # = new additions; this listing can make its way to your inbox every week by going to groups.yahoo.com/group/nyc_sotw and clicking "join group" or check out
on the web weekly @ weeklyned.blogspot.com]

enjoy!

Monday:
Les Paul @ Iridium (early/late)
Matisyahu, Aaron Dugan et al @ Rockwood Music Hall
*Christian McBride/Chick Corea Duet @ Dizzy's Coca Cola
Kevn Kinney @ National Underground

Tuesday:
Steve Cardenas Trio @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (early)
*Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Glasvegas @ Bowery Ballroom
Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Okkervil River @ Bell House (brooklyn)

Wednesday:
*Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Adam Levy et al @ Banjo Jim's
Pete Seeger, Tom Chapin et al @ Merkin Concert Hall

Thursday:
Femi Kuti @ Webster Hall
Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Steve Earle/Allison Moorer @ City Winery
Prisoners of 2nd Avenue @ Cutting Room
Winterpills et al @ Living Room
Angel OV Death @ The Stone (early)
Erik Deutsch Band et al @ Banjo Jim's
Toubab Krewe @ SOB's
*Edmar Castaneda Trio @ Jazz Standard (early/late)

Friday:
*Afroskull @ Parkside Lounge
Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
Big Sam's Funky Nation, Kirk Joseph et al @ Sullivan Hall
Jenny Scheinman et al @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Forro In the Dark @ Joe's Pub (midnight)
Donny McCaslin @ 55 Bar (late)
The Black Italians @ Cutting Room
Jaik Miller Band @ Bitter End
John Brown's Body @ (Le) Poisson Rouge)
Hot 8 Brass Band @ Public Assembly (Brooklyn)
Camper Van Beethoven @ Bowery Ballroom
Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom

Saturday:
**Freaks Ball IX: The New Mastersounds, Rana, RSX @ Southpaw

Sunday:
Frisell/Carter/Motian @ Blue Note (early/late)
*Big Sam's Funky Nation et al @ Sullivan Hall
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder @ BB King's
Berne/Taborn @ The Stone
DJ Logic, Bernie Worrell, Jay Rodrigeuz et al @ SOB's
Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys @ City Winery
Stefon Harris & Blackout @ Dizzy's Coca Cola (early/late)
Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet @ Village Vanguard (early/late)
Hymns et al @ Mercury Lounge
Bjorkestra @ Cutting Room
Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes (Brooklyn) (late)
Boz Scaggs @ City Winery
Bettye LaVette & John Hammond @ Blender Theater
Ollabelle et al @ Banjo Jim's