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Big
Sky Regional Report
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Edited by David
Shulman
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Hi all and greetings from St. Louis,
What an amazing late spring/summer in line for us jamband fans!!! Not
only
can we look forward to the Jammys, but some very fine tours will be
hitting
the road. See String Cheese soon if you haven't had a chance to
recently.
Their summer tour is one of the most exciting I have seen on paper (venue
wise that is). Not to mention some exciting Phish dates, an extensive
Phil &
Friends tour, and a highly anticipated Further Fest. Of course
Widespread is
hitting the streets...more accurately they are already out there. No
excuses
not to see your fair share of shows this summer, especially in the Big
Sky
region where we seem to have a healthy supply.
Little soap box here folks concerning all the recent Phish/SCI postings I
have been reading on various news groups. First of all, everyone chill
out a
bit. Why some always feel a need to compare bands to each other from a
"who
is better" standpoint is beyond me. Music is personal......and while
each of
us may have a band we happen to like more than another, I simply don't
see
the value in a public comparison that attempts to "rank" two very
talented
bands. This is not a sport where 2 teams play each other to a final
outcome
that can easily be measured, and produces a clear winner. Enjoy the
bands
for what they do for you. Enjoy the bands for their unique
individuality.
That being said I also value freedom of speech....so really the bottom
line
is do and say what you please......but thanks for listening anyway. :)
I would also like to thank all of you that have participated in The Mimi
Fishman Foundation charity auctions. Make sure to check out the June
15th
issue of jambands.com for another exciting charity auction.
Have a great month,
David
James Mullins, volunteer/programmer: KDHX FM88.1 St. Louis Community
radio
Every Monday Devon Allman Cicero's
Wed. May 17th Madahoochi / One Way Charlie / Torque Cicero's
http://www.kcbluesjazz.org
April 5th brought us the good-time sounds of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Up and coming local band KGB provided some nice jams and Phishy covers in the
opening slot. Two nights later, Gov't Mule rocked the Cabooze and were
joined
briefly by local guitar wunderkind Jonny Lang. Saturday, 4/8/00 had a
fantastic
variety of live music: The Afro-Cuban All Stars at Orchestra Hall, Dick
Dale
at
the Cabooze, and Son Seals at Brubaker's in St. Paul, but jam fans set their
sights on downtown Minneapolis where The Quest bar presented the Derek Trucks
Band and John Scofield. Their performances were incredible, but short. BIG
THUMBS DOWN to The Quest for not providing advance notice that they were
imposing a 10pm curfew in order to host their Saturday Night R&B Dance Party.
My ears are still ringing from last night's (5/4) Los Lobos show. Tickets
were sold out a month in advance for this highly-anticipated gig. Highlights
included nice versions of Manny's Bones, Volver Volver, the Allman's standard
Don't Keep Me Wonderin', and an improvised surf guitar jam dedicated to Dick
Dale. They blew everyone away with a triple encore of Cinnamon Girl, Spanish
Castle Magic, and Mas Y Mas.
May brings us a veritable barrage of great shows. An acoustic performance
by Medeski, Martin and Wood on 5/12 starts the weekend, followed by Ween on
5/13, and Kevin Kinney 5/14. Paul Barrere and Billy Payne bring Little
Feat
back
to the Medina Ballroom on May 18th. May 20-21 will see the Heart & Soul
benefit
concert take place outdoors in downtown Minneapolis. This years lineup
features
Gov't Mule, Anders Osborne, Double Trouble, Indigenous, many local bands,
and a
headlining performance by Susan Tedeschi who will be joined by special guest
Derek Trucks. Following that set, everyone will head to the Cabooze for the
Twin Cities debut of the Mickey Hart Band.
Memorial weekend presents a choice of two outdoor camping and music events.
The 3rd annual Big Wu Family Reunion will take place in Black River
Falls, WI.
Plenty of local and national jambands will provide the soundtrack.
Information
is available at www.thebigwu.com The other fest is the Gathering of the
Oaks,
located at Harmony Park in southern Minnesota. The park is many
concert-goers
selection for the best venue in the state. The site is an idyllic old-growth
oak stand surrounded on three sides by Lake Geneva. Anders Osborne and Jazz
Mandolin Project will play both Friday and Saturday along with local
favorites
Big Tasty. Harmony Park will also host Blueground Undergrass in June, and
Widespread Panic in July. More info can be found at www.harmonypark.com
Early June does not provide as many national touring acts, but that gives
us a chance to check out the local scene and rest up for the big names coming
later this summer. See you at the shows!
Scott Thornburg/Mntaper@email.com
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