FREE REVIEW PRIZE: (Analog or CD-R)

Well, since it seems this Y2K crap came and went without the impending doom many feared, I figured why not make my offer Y2K compliant, spread some good music, or at the very least make it FREE. I will think of it as a sacrificial offer to the millennium gods or quite possibly as a way to get more reviews. Either way, I'm happy. New, updated info below:

Just a reminder, I will pick one review each month with the winner receiving a FREE show from my dat (analog tapes) or from my CD-R list. A show will likely be limited to 3 cds or tapes, and since I enjoy spinning analogs from my dats about as much as I enjoy hangovers, this will for all intent in purposes be a CD offer, though I may be willing to spin analogs from my cds. I won't necessarily pick the most well written review; in fact, the winner will be somewhat random! Reviewers, please check this section to see if you have won. This month's winner is jon-david schlough Congrats! and get in touch with me for details of the offer.

Looking forward to more great reviews in the coming months.

~ NEWS FROM NOWHERE ~

15th Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, February 18 - 20, 2000 at the Dedham Holiday Inn, Dedham, MA

Three big days of music, workshops, and round the clock picking. A great way to shrug off the winter blues and celebrate the long weekend. Main stage, workshops and round the clock picking. Special hotel rates, and rooms available in our "picking wing."

National and Regional bands, including:

JD Crowe and the New South - with legendary banjo picker JD Crowe backed by his best band in decades Rhonda Vincent and the Rage - Rhonda's new Rounder album will be in the top ten on the Americana chart by the festival Auldridge, Bennett and Gaudreau - with legendary dobro picker Mike Auldridge, formerly with Seldom Scene and Chesapeake

Plus other national and regional bands

A great way to spend a winter, holiday weekend, and pay tribute to the legacy of the late Joe Val.

For more information, including performance schedules, ticket information and directions, check out: http://www.bbu.org or email.

Produced by the Boston Bluegrass Union

FREE SHOW?

Does the idea of possibly writing a review or flyering for free admission interest you? Help the scene, the bands and help yourself in the process- read on.

Info courtesy of Aaron (of Grizzly Magic Entertainment):

Wednesday is Jam Band Insanity at the Living Room in Providence RI. The nation's best jam, jazz, groove, funk bands you're gonna find anywhere. if you haven't been yet you missed fat mama and ulu get on stage together and give new meaning to the word jazz. you missed smokin grass come down off the stage for a post set unplugged jam. you also missed amazing sets from the big wu, the recipe, dexter grove, native, jive talkin robots, rane, alula, uncle sammy, another planet, miracle orchestra, arthur dent foundation, jack straw....and the music never stops...

2/9 Willis in Motion w/ Zyrah's Orange
2/16 Pork n Beans w. The Jazz Bastards
2/23 Psychedelic Breakfast w. Grenga Ma

Grizzly Magic Entertainment is looking for people to flier around Rhode Island and also to write reviews of the shows for jambands.com, both for free admission. email grizzajj@aol.com for more details or go to http://grizzlymagic.virtualave.net

~ISO/LOOKING FOR: (Attention aspiring musicians)

Guitar, Piano and Drum trio looking for Bass player. Preferably but not exclusively with lead or backup vocals, must be a solid, groove oriented player, playing in the pocket with ability to improvise, solo and jam! We are primarily a cover, bar band with some originals. Our style is rooted in The Jerry Garcia Band tradition, but we play everything from Paul Simon, Miles Davis, Motown and Pat Metheny, to reggae, latin, funk, acid jazz, & blues. We play with members of The Fringe, Heavy Metal Horns, The Band and Max Creek and are booked well into this year, We play what we like as long as it gets people dancing and groovin'. You must have solid day job or trust fund, or other method of survival (legal or otherwise), with excellent equipment and reliable transportation; we play and rehearse 4/5 nights a month. Our goal is to make at least $100 a night and have a great time doing it... If interested please call Tony Betancourt @ (617) 868-9561 OR ping me at tbetancourt@meditech.com or Tim Walsh at timlanna@ne.mediaone.net.

Brad Slate, electric / MIDI violinist of ALLSET, would like to announce that he is available for work. Preferably with an established band but all offers will be considered. He requests PROFESSIONALS ONLY PLEASE. Any and all styles welcome from the swirling liquid-trance of outer space, the earthy tones of fast and fiery bluegrass to the microtonal scales and odd meters of the Middle East or anything in between. He is additionally available to produce or engineer your studio projects or create arrangements and orchestrations for any instruments or styles. He is currently working on his third solo album under the "Merkaba Field" pseudonym. He can be reached at merkaba@mer-ka-ba.com or by voice at 781.324.2534.

WORTH MENTIONING

Gordon Stone Band - 1/21/00 -Salem, MA

It had been a while since I managed to catch Mr. Stone and his little band. In fact, last time I saw them I think there were four members, but they appear to have gone back to a trio for the time being. This night's line-up was Gordon Stone on banjo and pedal steel, Russ Lawton on drums and vocals, and Rudy Dauth on bass. This night was quite enjoyable, not only for the music, but also because this was live music reduced to its simplest form. What am I talking about? Well, I often wonder that myself, but in this instance I am referring to the venue, a little traveling, a little drinking, intimacy and playing music for the enjoyment of creating it - basically a night out with fine music as a bonus.

The venue, Giles in Salem, MA, reminds me a lot of a basement. At least the downstairs does. Not in the way the Middle East does, because that IS a basement, but more like a really, really nice basement with a full bar J They had some tables setup that reminded me of the your local VFW, Elks Club, or Moose Hall - high back, pleather style, rotating chairs to boot and no real stage to speak of. Gordon and crew were set-up in the corner on floor level. Very intimate and it was nice to sit and see a show for a change- much easier not to spill your beer that way! The atmosphere was half the charm. The other half, the music of course. I've only seen Gordon and his band (in whatever incarnation) a handful of times, but I've always been impressed. I just wish they would do better in Boston, turnout wise, so they can come back more often. I probably recognized about half the tunes. Even if I was capable of writing down the setlist, I wouldn't have. This night was too informal for that and if they band didn't write one down, then why should I? I particularly liked the songs that Gordon played pedal steel on. He would use it to make eerie, echo effects going into psychedelic places that could not be reached with the banjo. I should also mention that they are now singing a few songs a night. Nothing earth shattering but a nice little break from straight up instrumentals. Those songs were sung by Russ which is funny in itself because you don't see many drummers on vocals these days. I did manage to get those titles from Gordon after the show: "Light at the End of the Tunnel", "Too Quick to Judge", and "I Don't Know". It was after the show too, that I got a nice little reminder of why we, fans and bands alike, are willing to travel for music. When conversing with Gordon about the relatively low turnout, and the atmosphere of this bar (for lack of a better term) and suggesting that they deserve better - Gordon put it best. "We had fun." I couldn't sum it up any better myself.

-Tony

Editor's Note: The Gordon Stone Band returns to the Boston area on Feb. 26th at Cooks' (?) In Dedham MA. Be sure to check out http://www.gordonstone.com for more info. He tells me they are adding lots of new stuff such as video, downloads, etc. A couple of more notes, for those of you residing in the Phish bowl - Gordon's name may sound familiar because he played on the album "Rift", and at the Great Went as well. Russ Lawton most recently played with Trey on his solo tour last year. These guys belong in the same group as bands like JMP, in other words, bands that are equally worth seeing even when they aren't associating with those Pheesh characters ;)

SHOW REVIEWS

GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

I pretty much accept anything as far as reviews go, as long as they pertain to jambands. Really, this is a very broad category, and I give a lot of leeway on this too. Of course, I reserve the right to not use anything or to edit them as I see fit. You will get full credit for reviews and I generally take a hands-off approach to editing, meaning I don't want to change the feel of your review, after all, YOU were there, not me. Some important things to keep in mind. Deadline! Our deadline is the 5th of the month. This may change in the future, but for now, that is it. You can still send me your review if you miss the deadline; I "may" be able to get it in, if not; it will be used in the next issue. Please run "Spell-Check" before submitting your reviews. Also, if you are referring to song titles, please put them in "quotations". When e-mailing them in, it's best to just put them in the body of the e-mail or mail them as .txt. If you send something else there may be a chance that I won't be able to open it because of software incompatibilities. The best way to get a feel for what the reviews are like is by reading past ones. Remember you don't have to be a journalist or professional writer, you just had to be at the show. If you have any specific questions, you can always scroll on up to the top of this page and just send me an e-mail. I promise to be gentle. I guess that's it for now. Looking forward to getting some new reviews and reviewers in the coming months.

-Tony

p.s. I've added reviewer's e-mail addresses, so feel free to contact them if you like their reviews or even if you don't..feedback is always welcome.

REVIEW: Project Logic
1/26/00 - The Living Room - Providence, RI

By Thad

Walking in I was really surprised to see how many had gathered at the Living Room for this Wednesday night jam session. These nights have certainly started to get going, and it is only a matter of time before the word gets out. PHAT MUSIC WED. NIGHTS AT THE LIVING ROOM. Anyone familiar with the Combustication Album featuring DJ Logic was going to be in for a treat tonight. The Miracle Orchestra opened and was playing as I entered the scene. This was my first time seeing them and I was impressed by yet another tight jam band. I noticed how well the guitarist played and how enthusiasticly he improvised phat jams. The crowd no doubt reacted to this enthusiasm. DJ Logic came out and set up his table and began to play with the Miracle Orchestra. The one thing you can expect on Wed. nights at the Living Room is plenty of INTERMINGLING OF MUSICIANS. Whoever is playing is always happy to be there and happy to take advantage of each other's playing abilities. The warm-up jam was great. Logic's band came out and the second session started. Everyone was in high spirits and glad to be enjoying great music on a Wednesday night. The band consisted of a keyboardist, a bassist, a drummer, a sax player who also played this cool looking instrument called an e-wee or something like that - he told me after the show that it was a small MIDI machine that produced various sounds. The band also consisted of the many cool sounds of DJ Logic. DJ Logic was no doubt calling the shots. Every time he put on a new record, a new jam would start. It was amazing to see how calm and collected DJ Logic seemed while pumping out high energy scratching and mixing with his band. He was producing some really cool sounds off of his board, and of course, scratching that was making everyone shake their ass. The guitarist and sax player came out and took part in some jams. The two saxophonists got into some nice call and response jamming midway through one of the jams. The crowd roared in appreciation of their efforts. Everyone was having a blast, time was flying by, and before we knew it, Project Logic was all done. It was a very fun night and I was glad to have seen such great live music in the middle of the week. If you are reading this and have not been down to the Living Room on a Wed. night THEN COME. If you have been going then TELL MORE PEOPLE. We need to keep these events happening and we need people to take part in the action. This is a great thing that is happening to Providence and we need to keep it going.

REVIEW: The Slip
1/26/00 - Iron Horse Music Hall - Northampton MA

By Jim Crichton

Iron Horse setlist:

Set 1 So Dope Nellie Jean Hey Worrier Johnny's Song Tune in 7 (sitar-guitar) Moral Decay

Set 2 Unnamed instrumental Torque Don't Foil the Moil Crosstown Traffic Crack in the Sundial Clementine Dogs on Bikes> Joe Higley> Dogs Antiquity Little Lulu

They opened with "So Dope", a tip off to how good this one would be. It was very tight despite being on the shelf for a while and being the opener, definitely got the crowd moving. "Nellie" showed up in her usual spot, and left me starry eyed ;) "Hey Worrier" next, short and sweet. Johnny's Song had the place jumping, followed by a song they're still calling tune in 7 at this point, it's also been played at the Wetlands (11/6) and Providence (12/10), all 3x w/sitar-guitar. "Moral Decay" closed out the first set, leaving us all with a bluesy-good feeling. Set 2 opened with an instrumental I don't think they've named yet, I've heard it a few times. It was followed by another one they dusted off, "Torque", so nice that this one is coming back, it schwings ;) Kras was wandering around before the second set started, so we knew something sweet was going to happen. He popped onstage to reprise the "Don't Foil" they did back in November, although this one was much shorter. They made up for it by moving on into Crosstown Traffic for a good bit of time ;) Eric left after they tore that one up and they slowed things way down with "Crack in the Sundial", a gorgeous tune that Brad really works some emotion into. This, like "Hey Worrier", is excerpted from their Oaxaca trip, the lyrics are truly poignant. "Clementine" is just getting awesome, no Marco here (he sat in on this one at the Middle East Sat.), great to hear nonetheless. "Dogs" came out a bit early, and then Brad decided to appease the folks who had been low key yipping for "Joe Higley" all night ;) We got a short version before Dogs barked its way back in, and then they went whole hog and delivered some back door roast beef per David Work's old school request (the song is now named "Antiquity" :) It's a beautiful slow instrumental that often shows up after a fast song to let folks cool down a bit. They thought they were done but they had room for one more, so they sneaked in a new one, "Little Lulu". A nice walking bass line and lots of neat drum work by Andrew, Brad playing very Django-like. I do like new tunes :) Kras gave them crash space overnight, musicians are some of the kindest artists there are.

Cheers, Jim

REVIEW: The Slip
1/27/00 - The Higher Ground - Winooski VT

By Jim Crichton

Editor's note: This Slip review was taken from their internet discussion list, so please excuse the non-review form of it- regardless the gist of this show is not lost. Also if any aspiring slip fans would like to join up just send an e-mail to listserv@netspace.org in the body of the e-mail, put "subscribe theslip" Remove the "".

Setlist for the Winooski show
Wolof
Highlands
Yellow Medicine
Nellie Jean
So Dope
You Might Say
Rhythm-a-ning
Autobody Experience>
Moral Decay
Oh Susanna tuning tease>
Rhythm&Gold
*Spice Groove>
Dogs on Bikes w/ Human Nature (Michael Jackson) tease

Coming hard on the heels of an Iron Horse extravaganza, which I'll post as soon as I sort things out, along with the ME show on Sat...The Blue Rags made it up from NC after getting stuck in MD the night before, and they added to the energy already rippling thru a fairly full room (300 or so). This show is a monster, perhaps the best I've ever seen. If I stepped on your toes, I'm sorry, graceful does not describe me, especially after touring the Magic Hat brewery earlier in the day :) Kudos to Matt, Scooter, Fred, etc., for giving me plenty of room...The Wolof was sweet, my favorite opener for sure. Highlands had a shorter reggae intro than usual, but the transition was as good as ever. Yellow Med had a huge Marc section, okay it always does, but this was bigger :) Andrew's drums segued strongly back into the main section and Brad added a second yell to the second yell :) Nellie Jean was beautiful, all 3 of them just nailing it. So Dope showed up for the second night running after a long absence prior to that, it opened in Noho, so they were warm for it this time :) Can't wait for the new disc to hear the version they mixed in the studio..... "You Might Say" was the first true vocal song of the night and Brad was in fine form, lots of falsetto to reach for in here. Rhythm-a-ning was juicy and segued hugely into Autobody, which is not a describable event for me :) Get the discs from someone and listen for yourself :) Eventually we got a segue into Moral Decay, and this was stellar musically; there were a couple of changes in the lyrics as Brad was being a bit spontaneous :) They tuned up for a minute or so after, a nice Oh Susanna tease leading into Rhythm and Gold, I think the first since the Ho-down, yummy.... They thought they were out of time at this point, but once they found out they had 1/2 an hr or so they decided to play 45 minutes ;) Spice Groove was insanely good, with a sweet jam coming out of it that I should be able to name but can't right now... the Dogs that followed had no Joe Higley in the middle of it (like the night before) but was awesome nonetheless :) They've said they never tire of playing this song and I for one never tire of hearing it :)

REVIEW: The Slip w/The Blue Rags
1/28/00 - The Middle East - Cambridge MA

by jon-david schlough

setlist for 1/28 (provided by Jim Crichton)

Set 1
Rags-Slip jam>
free jam
Johnny's Song
Cumulus
Rhythm-a-ning
Moral Decay

Set 2
unnamed tune
Joe Higley (w/Rags)
Clementine (w/Marco Benevento, Jazz Farmers, etc)
Thru the Iron Gate>
Antiquity
Dogs on Bikes

I arrived at the Middle East around nine thirty on this cold January night. Coincidentally, this was my first time at the Middle East. I was visiting my girlfriend in Newton, as I live in Minnesota. It was the same day I flew in, and she greeted me excitedly at the airport with news of the show. She frequents the Middle East on Wed nights to hear Armenian music (she's 1/4 Armenian), and assured me the basement shows were intimate and sounded great...even if there wouldn't be a belly dancer like there is on Weds. At any rate, me, her and a good friend from Vermont rolled into the show with high expectations - we were not disappointed.

We found the Blue Rags, who are from N Carolina I learned later, absolutely tearing up the stage. Their piano player was ruthless and seemed to lead their sound- not only with his impressive instrumental skills, but with flavorful vocals as well; the rest of them were just as good. Their sound seemed a nice mix of bluegrass and ragtime, with some fat voice jams that landed them a loaf of bread from the kitchen "so their bassist would eat that night"- he looked hungry, and played a damn fine upright bass as well. Then, for me, the highlight of the show took place. The Slip slipped onto the stage ( I literally didn't see them sneak up there) and began jamming along....slowly the Blue Rags members left the stage, one by one they disappeared, and the sound changed to pure Slip. It was the best transition between bands I've ever witnessed. This seamless move set the tone for the rest of the night. If you've never seen the Slip, make an effort to do so. I had seen them once before in Minnesota at the Cabooze in Minneapolis - a band I manage called kGb was lucky enough to open their night. I had missed their only other trip to MN at the Terminal, but friends hadn't and they raved about them- especially jazz-minded kids. This show blew that one away though. I think it was because the Slip seemed so comfortable, and a dedication to Brad's father made the night even more special for them as well as the rest of us. They seemed so at home on a small stage in this dank basement and their playing exceeded all of my expectations.

After the show, we hopped outside for a relaxing smoke and then next door to this late night pizza joint...really yummy fried sausage subs. I needn't include a song by song interpretation of the show, as I think it would be somewhat superfluous given the talent of these guys. Whatever I write would not be accurate anyway, as none of us could decide what songs we liked best and there were only three of us. Let me close with this: if the Slip gets to your general area...make the trip, I personally guarantee you will not regret it. Their Berklee training did them right, and you will find yourself saying to yourself, "Self, I simply cannot understand how this sound is coming from a three-piece band...even the pauses are meaningful." I've heard it said that these three were a band before they ever played a note together...truer words were never spoken.

REVIEW: Deep Banana Blackout
2.01.00 - O'Connell House, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA

by jon-david schlough

(setlist close, but incomplete)
brandy>house party>brick haus>bump&sway, ev'ry body>pass it down>good foot>get up> bass extravaganza>jacksons b'gock>da-black-girl> b-fast, ass-ention, rockers

First off, this is a great venue. O'Connell House is on the upper campus of BC and is actually occupied by a few lucky students who have room costs defrayed by BC for putting on shows in this house. The stage is not big, in fact the whole place is a dance floor with a huge beautiful staircase at the back that one can stand on and watch the show without being hassled by security. Come to think of it, I didn't see any sign of security anywhere- there was no need, everyone was chill. To say I was excited to hear Deep Banana Blackout is a colossal understatement. I've never seen them play anywhere in the Midwest (where I reside) and have missed them a few times due to conflicts on the East Coast, where they frequent the New England area. But being an avid reader of jambands.com, I've sure heard a lot about them. Maybe that was why I was a tad let down at first. I expected so much I'm not sure any band could've risen to my expectations. But after I adjusted to the actual show, these guys (and gal) were very enjoyable. FUNKY as all getout they are indeed! Their horn section, especially the trombonist, was tight on hits and took solid solos. They played some fat funk standards, quality originals, and a damn fine rendition of "Boogie On Reggae Woman", a song I'm onto more since phish's big HCA release. DBB's energy level was something other bands dream of. Seriously...they had the whole place dancing like mad and kept it going virtually all night long. This was due in large part to their vocalist who had a great stage presence, huge curly hair, and nearly limitless vocal stamina. She's been doing this for awhile and it shows. Even so, by the end of the night her voice had gotten to me a bit, but that almost always happens to me when a band has a featured vocalist. The guitar player sang pretty well, but his guitar playing was probably the highlight of the show for me. He took a few solos that had everyone going nuts, and me on my heels saying things like, "wow", "damn", and "holy shit he's good".

REVIEW: Pat McGee Band
2/8/00 - Pearl Street Nightclub - Northampton MA

By Dave Siegel

On Tuesday Night, the Pat McGee Band made a stop at the jam-packed Pearl Street Nightclub in Northampton. Over the past four years, the Pat McGee Band (PMB) has made a name for themselves on the national "jam band" scene, playing an almost unheard of 200 concerts a year. Tuesday night, more than 400 hundred people were shown how they have reached such acclaim.

The night began with Australian born guitarist Howie Day performing his original guitar works mixed with his quirky sense of humor. Day showed loads of potential, jamming away while showing a very surprising stage presence. Next up was Washington D.C. based Cecilia. Cecilia blended together an engaging mix of brilliant guitar work with the sweet melodious vocals of its four singers, each switching off to give everyone a piece of the spotlight.

Shortly after, the Pat McGee Band came to the stage to a roaring ovation from the mostly college-age crowd. The sweet strumming and melodies of "Who Stole Her From Heaven" instantly grabbed the crowd's attention and alluded to what a great show was to come. Pat then took the microphone and explained how they had just concluded the recording of their new album, "Shine" which is to be released on April 11th. He went on to say that the show would move through a mix of old songs as well as a few new ones.

The first single from "Shine" will be the song "Runaway", which was played next. This song exemplifies the strong energy the band possesses and how they feed from the audience's enthusiasm. After a few new exciting songs, PMB jumped back into their vast repertoire and unloaded with crowd favorite "Flooding Both of Us", with its soaring guitar and sweeping keyboards and its sweet three part harmonies. This song can't help but make you bob your head. A few more new songs ensued including the banjo-guided "Drivin", "Lost" with its hypnotizing guitar riffs, "Minute" and then "Shine", a song written in tribute to one of Pat's good friends, with whom he had an untimely parting. After this slow grooving arrangement, the band led in with crowd favorite "Rebecca". This song showcases Pat's superb songwriting skills paired with his sweet lead guitar. The band kept the crowd mesmerized with its adored hit "Passion", with its catchy chorus and rhythmic beat. Two slower songs proceeded to slow down the pace of the show including "Fine" and then a rare glimpse of percussionist Chardy Mcewan, busting out on rhythm guitar on "Hero". The crowd's energy was then drawn upon again with favorites "Can't Miss What You Never Had" and "Straight Curve" to end the set.

To begin the encore, Pat strolled onto the stage single-handedly and rolled out a beautiful rendition of "Haven't Seen For a While", being joined onstage by Jonathan Williams (keyboards) and Al Walsh (acoustic guitar) for the soaring choruses. Pat and Al then departed, handing Jon the stage. Jon sat down at his keys and asked what the audience wanted to hear. The unanimous request and fulfillment ensued; with an electrifying cover of Billy Joel's super hit song "Piano Man". The soft soul of Jon's voice was at times overpowered by the chanting of the crowd, but the two combined for a rare union between audience and performer. The entire band rejoined Jon onstage for a thrilling version of "Pride" featuring the thumping bass soloing of John Small. This song was highlighted when Pat McGee asked for an audience member's small, hand-held microphone and went on to sing a full chorus with it in hand. Finally a power medley of the Who's classic "Pinball Wizard" paired with a rendition of Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Love the One You're With". Throughout the medley, the overwhelmed audience leaped in unison to the explosive beat and famous guitar riffs. The Pat McGee Band's electrifying blend of spectacular originals mixed with numerous exciting cover songs will make them a driving force in the music industry for years to come. Their new recording "Shine" will serve as a breakthrough for the band, catapulting them into stardom and putting them on the pedestal next to such great southern bands as the Dave Matthews Band and Widespread Panic. Catch them when they promise to return to the area in the weeks after the new album is released.

NEW ENGLAND SHOW CALENDAR

Editor's Note: As some of you may noticed this section has been down for a while, my apologies, I hope to get some time to fix the problem we are having. In fact, it might be up in time for this issue, but just in case it isn't: the calendar (possibly not as complete) is being mirrored at: http://www.tufts.edu/~mchoh/neshows.html

If you would like to add a show that you don't see on the calendar listing above please e-mail Armand at armand.turcotte@bigfoot.com

Please be aware that Armand puts this out on a monthly basis (the first of the month) so he needs sufficient time to update it.