News
Edited by Staff
5/9/08
The Neville Brothers at Home
Our Jazz Fest related news now culminates with a slightly belated look at
one of the bands synonymous with the New Orleans sound. On Sunday the Neville
Brothers made their grand return to the Big East post-Katrina, closing
out two weekends of music on New Orleans' fabled fairgrounds. As one
could imagine, the event was a family affair, enticing sit ins by the
Mardi Gras Indians in full, Ivan Neville and George Porter Jr., who
also got into the collaboration game when he invited Page McConnell to
play keyboards with PBS at the Fairgrounds that weekend. Carlos
Santana, who played a set early in the day with the current
incarnation of the Santana band, also joined the Nevilles for a
version of "My Blood" partway through the performance. The evening set
concluded with the grand finale of "Big Chief" that featured Troy
"Trombone Shorty" Andrews, who helped officially welcome the family
home
"The Real Morning Party" at Jazz Fest
We'll close out the week with a final look back at the late night festivities spurred on by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. On Sunday, Hyena Records hosted a party with an epic five-act line-up
at the Blue Nile to close out JazzFest. The night started with Mike
Dillon's Go-Go Jungle, which had just come off of a lengthy set at Les
Bon Temps the night before where they played until 7:30 in the
morning. Skerik's Maelstrom Trio (with Brian Coogan and Simon Lott)
followed, but they didn't actually play a full song until fifteen
minutes into the set. Instead, Skerik created a series of otherworldly
muted tones and percussive sounds with the fingering levers on his
sax. Next on the bill was the Marco Benevento Trio (with Reed Mathis
and Matt Chamberlain) which opened with a cover of My Morning Jacket's
"Golden." Later in the set, "The Real Morning Party" found Benevento
playing keyboards from on top of a grand piano and then on his back
striking Chamberlain's cymbals with his feet/ Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
spiced up their set with Reed Mathis on pedal steel and the addition
of Peter Tomshany on guitar as they improvised with tight arrangements
and a psychedelic prog-rock sound. JFJO performed their entire new
album Little Tae Rides Again. The final act, John Ellis &
Double-Wide (John Ellis on tenor sax, Matt Perrine on tuba, Brian
Coogan on B-3, and Jason Marsalis on drums), rounded out the evening
with some traditional New Orleans funk that had the whole club out on
the dance floor. The entire night was laden with improvisations and
fresh sonic experiments that left the audience anticipating next
year's festival in the Big Easy. Report by Amy Jacques
The Dirty Dozen Will Tour with Modest Mouse
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band will hit the road with Modest Mouse this
June. The New Orleans ensemble first collaborated with Modest Mouse on
the group's crossover album, Good News For People Who Love Bad
News. The New Orleans icons will support and likely collaborate
with Modest Mouse for a handful of shows, beginning with a June 23
appearance at Miami, FL's Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason
Theatre. The Dozen will remain the road with Modest Mouse for the rest
of their headlining tour, which is scheduled to conclude at Rothbury,
MI's Rothbury Festival on July 4. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band will
appear at Tipitina's French Quarter this Friday, while Modest Mouse
will begin a tour with R.E.M. and The National at Burnaby, BC's Deer
Lake Park on May 23. For more on Modest Mouse's tour with R.E.M. and
The National, please read our recent site interview.
My Morning Jacket To Share Evil Urges On SNL
My Morning Jacket has confirmed a slew of new tourdates in support of
its forthcoming studio album Evil Urges. The quintet will kick
off its summer outing at Bonnaroo, before hosting a high-profile CD
release event at New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 20. After
spending the early part of the summer touring Europe, MMJ will kick
off an extended U.S. tour with a hometown show at Louisville, KY's
Louisville Waterfront Park on August 16. From there the group will
continue on to make stops in Kansas City, MO (8/18), Council Bluffs,
IA (8/19), Morrison, CO (8/21), Dallas (8/23), Austin, TX (8/24),
Atlanta (8/27), Miami (8/29), Lake Buena Vista, FL (8/30), Myrtle
Beach, SC (8/31), Charlottesville, VA (9/2), Washington, DC (9/3),
Philadelphia, PA (9/5), Boston (9/6), Berkeley, CA (9/19), Los Angeles
(9/21), Tempe, AZ (9/23), Las Vegas (9/24), San Diego, CA (9/25),
Portland, OR (9/27) ,Seattle (9/28), Minneapolis, MN (10/2),
Milwaukee, WI (10/3), Detroit, MI (10/4) and Chicago (10/9-10). With
the exception of the group's Morrison, CO appearance, which will
feature special guests The Black Keys, these shows are being billed as
"evening with" events, celebrating the group's entire catalogue. MMJ
will appear on SNL this weekend.
Archival Panic, Sunny Statement
Widespread Panic has announced its first official archival release. The band will offer up a multi-track recording of its performance at Southern Illinois University Arena in Carbondale, IL on December 1, 2000. This show features the group's classic line-up, including the late Michael Houser on guitar. Carbondale 2000 will be released on June 10.
Meanwhile, yesterday the band also offered up a statement regarding percussionist Sunny Ortiz. In the news section of its website the group announced, "Sunny is alive and well. He's kicking back with the wife and kids, enjoying a little R'n'R and is looking forward to many wonderful years with Widespread Panic." While this "news" would seem to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, it also serves to quell rumors that Ortiz may be departing the group in the near future. Widespread Panic will next perform at Bonnaroo on June 15.
Mike Gordon and Bill Kreutzmann Trio Added To Vibes
The Gathering of the Vibes has expanded its roster of performers with some familiar names. Mike Gordon, fresh off his appearance at the Jammys (where Vibes founder Ken Hays presented the Grahamy Jammy) will bring his latest touring band to the festival. In addition, Bill Kreutzmann's new trio, featuring Scott Murawski and Oteil Burbridge will make an appearance. While the daily schedules have not yet been announced, it is entire possible that Gordon will sit in with the Grateful Dead drummer's group, which evolved out a performance earlier this year in Costa Rica by Gordon, Murawski and Kreutzmann. The Gathering of the Vibes will return to Bridgeport, CT’s Seaside Park from July 31-August 3 with a line-up that already includes: Phil Lesh and Friends, The Black Crowes, Sam Bush Band, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi's Soul Stew Revival, The Neville Brothers, Porter Batiste Stoltz, Assembly of Dust, Dark Star Orchestra, Deep Banana Blackout, Donna Jean & The Tricksters, Jackie Greene Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Strangefolk, Ryan Montbleau Band and Zappa Plays Zappa.
5/8/08
The Jammys: A Retrospective
Last night’s festivities marked the final installment of the Jammy Awards. The award ceremony’s spirit will continue on in another form, but until then we’d like to pay tribute to both the last seven Jammys and this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Phish. Randy Ray compiled the following at last night’s event.
Warren Haynes – Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band
Favorite Jammy moment?
I have a bunch of Jammy moments, but my favorite is probably playing with Steve Winwood because I was such a fan growing up and I think he’s so amazing. We have since become friends, but playing with him the first time was really incredible. Bringing the Black Crowes back together was a very special time. Getting the Allman Brothers with Trey and John Scofield was really cool. I have a lot of great Jammy memories.
Favorite Phish memory?
My first sit-in with Phish was probably my favorite. I thought we clicked with little or no rehearsal—things went really well. I played a lot with them through the years, a lot of different songs, doing Zeppelin stuff that we did and “Funky Bitch.” I have a connection with Son Seals, as well, because Son recorded one of my songs so I’ve known him through that relationship, so there’s this triangular relationship between Phish, myself, and Son Seals. All the times that I set in were all memorable, but I think that first experience in Portland, Maine is probably the one that stands out the most.
Josh Clark – Tea Leaf Green
Favorite Jammy moment?
My favorite Jammy moment would have to be when we won one but I had no idea. Somehow moe. knew, and I was having a drink backstage, and they said, “Hey, dude—shouldn’t you be on stage getting your award, right now?” Everybody else tried to keep it a secret, but they blew it. I didn’t think we were going to win so, obviously, I was having drinks.
Favorite Phish memory?
Greek Theatre. ’95. L.A. Whole show—top to bottom—rockin’. First show so it holds a nice, special place in my heart.
Matisyahu
Favorite Jammy moment?
My favorite Jammy moment was the opportunity I just had to speak and to play the music. It was great.
Favorite Phish memory?
My favorite Phish memory is hard to choose, but one of their songs on the live record, A Live One, “Harry Hood,” always had a lot of meaning and was very inspirational for me, so my favorite moment was listening to that record in my bedroom when I was 16.
Marc Brownstein – Disco Biscuits
Favorite Jammy moment?
Roseland in 2002 and we were playing with DJ Logic, Stanley Jordan and John Popper. We were playing in E minor, and one thing I like to do sometimes, when we’re in E minor, is to start dropping G’s on the bass underneath it, and totally trip out everybody on
top of it—majorize the whole progression. Sometimes when you do it with guys who aren’t familiar with jamband music, or the idea that you can do that in the middle of an improv, you trip them out, too. I remember when I did it, Stanley Jordon looked up for a second, looked at me, and then looked at his guitar, looked at me and smiled. I thought, “Man—Stanley Jordan just smiled at my G! My G string!”
Favorite Phish memory?
So many things that were amazing. My favorite Phish memory was the day I decided to go on tour with Phish at HORDE in Orange County. Widespread played, Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, the Samples—so many bands played. It was just musicmusicmusic all day long. Phish wasn’t on HORDE but they were headlining five of them, and I had seen them live before, but never in direct comparison with a bunch of other bands. They came out on stage, the sun had just set after a full day’s music had passed, kicked into “2001,” and I really honestly feel that in the period of three minutes, they stomped out the rest of the entire improvisational music scene. They came out with their gigantic foot and just planted it down on top of everybody forever. Widespread managed to crawl out from under that foot on that day and grow into a beast, but it was just so much better than everything else.
Jake Cinninger – Umphrey’s McGee
Favorite Jammy moment?
Walking into SIR studios the first year we were invited [2005], and into this tiny little studio that could only fit a three-piece, and it was all of us, and Huey Lewis walked through the door, Mavis Staples walks in, and then, Sinead O’Connor. It was really bizarre because we were watching these three stars collide and get to know each other just as we were getting to know them. It was cool, though. Everyone was fresh faces to each other and vaguely knew each other, but it was cool to see this bonding of “You know one of my friends through this—”it showed how small the world was. Huey Lewis knew Sinead’s friend through some random other, and Mavis had met some of Huey’s band, so there was a common ground. It was nice to know that our band brought all of those three together. I think that was very beneficial. It was a very light-hearted event.
Favorite Phish memory?
My buddy and drummer, Steve Krojniewski, who is in Ali Baba’s Tahini, said, “Hey, man, let’s go see Phish. I love these guys.” I had not seen them and this was in ’97, so I was very much a late bloomer. I had always heard about how bad ass they were and they were coming around so we wanted to hit the Deer Creek shows, so the famed ’97 Deer Creek shows were my first shows. We were in the center of the pavilion, about 30 rows back, and just taking in how big the thing was. I had no idea how large and powerful Phish was at the time. I did not realize it until I was right in the middle of it all. I stopped and looked at what was happening and I also couldn’t believe how much sound was coming out of the stage. It was just beautiful—all the way down from the lights to the music to the sound, it was the perfect entity of improv rock ‘n’ roll to that point. Also, thank God for Phish because they brought progressive rock back to the forefront, and
forced it in front of people, forced them to get into some sort of progressiveness—things that were Big Ideas, stretched out over long amounts of time, which sums it up to me.
Grace Potter – Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Favorite Jammy moment?
It has yet to come because there are so many things happening. [Joe Russo walks up and suggests that any moment with him is her favorite and Potter agrees.] I will try to improve on [those Russo/Jammy moments].
Favorite Phish memory?
At the Great Went, I was giving paints away to people—the Phish Art booth is what it was called—and painting on a ‘whatever you wanted’ kind of thing. I painted a man’s member. That’s one of my favorite moments. He wasn’t that cute or anything. It was just kind of epic. I didn’t tell him at the time that I was only 14. It was good, though.
Joe Russo –American Babies, Benevento-Russo Duo, Bustle in Your Hedgerow
Favorite Jammy moment?
My favorite Jammy moment that I can actually remember right now is, I believe it was the first year, when the Lake Trout guys played with a couple of guys from the Ramones. That was bad ass. Lake Trout always had a killing vibe and weren’t quite in this world. It was cool rock ‘n’ roll—not funky, per se—but more like “we’re doing our different shit,” and it broke the mold. I thought that was really rad.
Favorite Phish memory?
New Year’s ’95 at MSG. That was pretty amazing. I was definitely way into Phish from ’90 to ’95, and that was the pinnacle moment for my Phish-watching career, so it is an honor to be appreciating those gentlemen this evening.
Trevor Garrod – Tea Leaf Green
Favorite Jammy moment?
At the last Jammys, I was getting a bit rambunctious so I took a big bite out of our award. I had these teeth marks on it, and my manager looked at me, horrified, and said, “Give that to me!” He didn’t trust me with it, so now, there are teeth marks on our Jammy.
Favorite Phish memory?
The first time I saw them they were opening up for Santana and it was like, “Who the hell are these guys? What are they doing on the trampoline? They’re pretty good.” Some people in front of me, turn around and said, “These guys are pretty good.” I was with my dad and he said, “Yeah, the lyrics suck.” And it was all encapsulated right there.
Trey Anastasio Makes Post-Jammy Concert Plans
Following his return to the stage at last night’s Jammy Awards, Trey Anastasio has confirmed another public appearance. The former Phish guitarist will deliver a rare solo acoustic performance at Rhode Island’s Newport Folk Festival, which is scheduled to take place from August 1-3 in Fort Adams State Park. As of press time, the gig is Anastasio’s only confirmed performance. In addition, folk-icon Richie Havens will make his grand return to the festival after seventeen years. Other confirmed acts include: Jimmy Buffett, The Black Crowes, Levon Helm, The Avett Brothers, Cat Power, Jim James, Son Volt, Jakob Dylan, Stephen & Damian Marley and Gillian Welch.
Phish: An Appreciation
The following appreciation appeared in the program for last night’s Jammy Awards
Though they leave behind an impressive body of over a thousand carefully-annotated performances, a dozen studio albums and a web of carefully preserved digital shrines, it is still impossible to separate Phish's music from its cultural impact.
In many ways, they are both the first post-modern rock band and the internet age's first great success story; the first group to rub the avant-garde against mainstream, MTV culture with festival-size success while still reducing the meaning of life to the carefree, 1990s sentiment of "whatever you do, take care of your shoes." In an era of hard-rock testosterone and New Wave excess, the members of Phish emerged as the perennial everymen: four ordinary people known by their first names for their uncanny musical ability, personifying four tangible elements of post-Aquarius, suburban society.
While not the first rock band to embrace improvisational music, Phish turned the jam scene on its head with an original cocktail of rock, pop, jazz, bluegrass, reggae, funk and orchestral sounds that owed as much to Talking Heads and Frank Zappa as it did to Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. In only 21 years, Phish challenged arena rock's rules, claimed cow-funk as their own and re-fused Brian Eno ambience with the indie-rock underground. Their studio work is equally varied: From the breezy statements of Junta and the dreamy concepts of Rift to the mature, rustic emotions of Billy Breathes and the instrumental experimentations of The Siket Disc, Phish played by their own rules, setting the template for the modern festival, harnessing the power of the internet long before the blog and somehow turning a flying hotdog into an everlasting
cultural statement. Only a collegiate cycle since their curtain call, Phish's legacy is still being set...and we still have no regrets.
Mike Greenhaus, from somewhere south of Coventry
Late Night with Galactic
After appearing at the 7th Jammy Awards, Galactic headlined the official Jammys post-party at New York’s B.B. King’s Blues Club. The Jammys post-party is known for its special guests and this year’s festivities proved to be no exception. 8-year old Japanese guitar prodigy Yuto Miyazawa, who worked the crowd into frenzy when he presented the New Groove Award at the Jammys, was escorted onstage with Galactic by Zenbu Media president Steve Bernstein, and proceeded to lead the quintet through a cover of Ozzy Osborne’s “Crazy Train.” Miyazawa played a v neck guitar the size of his pint-size body to thunderous applause well past his bedtime. The young guitarist also made a stealth appearance earlier this week at an open mic. night held at New York’s Rodeo Bar. As expected, Galactic also invited several old friends onstage throughout its late night set, including Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na and Cheme Gastelum.
Trey, Mike, Page and Fish Appear Together at the Jammys
The four members of Phish stood onstage together for the first time since Coventry last night to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Jammy Awards. The surprise reunion followed an emotional speech from longtime Phish photographer (and Relix contributor) Danny Clinch, who stressed the importance of family both on and off the stage throughout the Phish community. Clinch also entertained fans with a quick slideshow, focusing on backstage shots of Phish’s rehearsals with special guests Kid Rock and Jay-Z, the latter of whom happened to be simultaneously performing upstairs in Madison Square Garden’s arena.
All four members of Phish addressed the audience from the stage, beginning with Mike Gordon, who said that he was actually sick in bed until shortly before arriving at the venue. Both Page McConnell and Jon Fishman also delivered quick acceptance speeches, before handing over the microphone to Trey Anastasio, who thanked a number of key members in the Phish organization by name and described his former bandmates as “his oldest friends.” He also talked at length about the strength and importance of the Phish community, before bowing alongside his bandmates and quietly exiting the stage. Anastasio’s appearance marked his first public showing outside upstate New York since entering a drug rehabilitation program in the spring of 2007.
Phish’s emotional speech arrived near the end of an action packed Jammy Awards, which featured the unique collaborations the ceremony has become known for over the years. Co-hosts Warren Haynes and Grace Potter, who have spent the past few weeks on the road together, opened the evening with a band that consisted of Stax keyboardist Booker T. Jones, bassist Will Lee (Fab Faux, Late Show With David Letterman) and drummer Joe Russo, who recently spent time on the road with Potter along with his Duo partner Marco Benevento. The supergroup ran through a number of classic rock covers, including Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s "Find the Cost of Freedom" (a song Jones is no doubt familiar with after touring as part of CSNY), Fleetwood Mac’s "Gold Dust Woman" (a staple on Potter’s tour with Gov’t Mule) and Al Green’s anthem, "Take Me to the River." Former New Groove of the Month Rose Hill Drive took the stage next with special guest Matisyahu and his bandmates Aaron Dugan and Rob Marscher (formerly of 2001 Jammy nominees Addison Groove Project).
The strange bedfellows ran through a cover of The Flaming Lips’ “In the Morning of the Magicians,” before Mountain guitarist Leslie West took the stage with Rose Hill Drive for the evening’s loudest offerings. The hard-rock guitarist jammed with Rose Hill Drive and Potter on a version of "I'm Going Down" that included "Close Encounters,” before offering his signature song, "Mississippi Queen.” West also joked that Potter was far more attractive than the members of his testosterone-filled band. Soon after, Matisyahu returned to the stage to talk about finding Phish as a high school student growing up in suburban New York and ultimately meeting and performing with Anastasio at Bonnaroo 2005, before the reggae-star jetted across town to perform at Radio City Music Hall as part of a celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary.
Next up, festival favorite Keller Williams took the stage to perform a solo version of his Jammy nominated song “Cadillac.” He was quickly joined onstage by comedian/actor Chevy Chase, who unbenownst to most played drums with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker in one of their bands that preceded Steely Dan.. On this occasion Chase opted to play piano alongside Williams on a rearranged version of "(You Made Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and a medley of "Sweet Home Alabama" and “Take the Money and Run” that earned some of the evening’s loudest cheers. The pair apparently bonded backstage and when Williams later took top honors in the Song on the Year category , he sent Chase onstage in his place for a humorous speech that included the line “I want to thank Clive Davis just because I feel like I should.”
As the show went on Tea Leaf Green made its Jammys debut with guest bassist Steve Adams (ALO) and fiddler Allie Kral (New Groove winner Cornmeal) for a rendition of their 2006 Jammy winning number, "Taught to be Proud." Big Head Todd’s Todd Park Mohr and Squeeze’s Glen Tilbrook also sat in with the expanded group on their songs "Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)"and "Tempted," respectively, the latter of which featured some choice guitar work by Haynes himself.
McConnell, who was the only member of Phish confirmed to play the Jammys in the weeks leading up to the event, appeared early on to accept Phish’s award in Download of the Year category for the charity track the “Headphones Jam.” He also led a all-star jazz combo that included drummer Roy Haynes, saxophonist James Carter, trumpeter and former Anastasio collaborator Nicholas Payton and bassist Christian McBride through two of his three recorded Phish originals: "Magilla" and "Cars Trucks Buses.” The performance followed an appearance by Jon Fishman, who presented the Mimi Fishman Memorial Award on behalf of his late mother with David Shulman to the non-profit Rock the Earth.
While Jay-Z rattled the roof upstairs, Galactic balanced its jazz/funk past with its hip-hop present, inviting out a slew of guests, including Booker T. Jones, Sharon Jones, Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na and MC Doug E. Fresh for songs like "Hip Hug-Her, "Born Under A Bad Sign" and "Think Back, " among others.
The evening’s surprise guests really started coming out in force when Beatles tribute act the Fab Faux took the stage with stealth performer Joan Osborne for a rendition of "Come Together." The Fab Faux then busted into "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," a number Phish has covered regularly after learning the track as part of their Halloween, 1994 cover of The White Album on Halloween. Anastasio emerged partway through the song to thunderous applause to take an extended solo, before leading the group into a jam uncharacteristic of the cover act. He remained onstage for the rest of the group’s segment, which included a tease "Bungalow Bill" and "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey."
The rest of the night focused on Phish, both before and after the four members of the group took the stage to accept their award. After the quartet slipped into the wings, Disco Biscuits bassist Marc Brownstein led Disco Biscuits guitarist Jon Gutwillig, String Cheese Incident keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth, Umphrey’s McGee guitarist Jake Cinninger and Russo through a series of Phish covers under the name the HeadCount All Stars. Brownstein, who has shied away from covering Phish over the years, described the group as his “favorite band” and led the charge through spot-on renditions of “Wilson,” “Run Like An Antelope,” “2001,” and “Maze, " the latter of which also featured Disco Biscuits keyboardist Aron Magner. Throughout the performance, moe. lighting director, and former Jambands.com News Editor, Jeff Waful manned the board from the rear of the house.
A number of other popular performers were seen milling about throughout the evening, both on and off the stage, including Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, Assembly of Dust frontman Reid Genauer, Umphrey’s McGee bassist Ryan Stasik, moe. drummer Vinnie Amico, Guster guitarist Ryan Miller, Steel Train bassist Evan Winiker, Disco Biscuits drummer Allen Aucoin, Deep Banana Blackout/Tom Tom Club guitarist (and onetime Jammys Orchestra leader) Fuzz, American Babies guitarists Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger, Dr. Dog drummer Juston Stens, Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno and singer/songwriter Jonah Smith, along with the people behind Bonnaroo, Sirius Jam_On, the Rock Band video games, Q104, Rock the Earth, the Homegrown Music Network, HeadCount and JamBase, among many, many others. During the evening, Zenbu Media president Steve Bernstein also introduced the audience to 8-year old Japanese guitar prodigy Yuto Miyazawa, who is able to deliver note-perfect readings of Black Sabbath and Eric Clapton songs on a guitar the size of his small frame (Miyazaw later performed with Galactic at the Jammys post-party).
Look fore additional interviews and online exclusives in the coming days.
Report by Mike Greenhaus with Randy Ray
The Jammys: Award Winners
Here is the official list of the Award-Winners From Year One Through Year Seven…
Jammys Year One
Irving Plaza
Live Set of the Year: Phish, 12/31/99, Set II
Jam of the Year: The Disco Biscuits, Akira Jam, 12/31/99
Release of the Year: Grateful Dead, So Many Roads
Live Album of the Year: moe., L
Wetlands Award (Lifetime Achievement): B.B. King
Studio Album of the Year: Percy Hill, Color in Bloom
Future Jam (musicians' award): Soulive
New Groove of the Year: Fat Mama
Home Grown Music Award: Strangefolk
Radio Show: The Music Never Stops, Barry Smolin, KPFK, Los Angeles
Fan Web Site: www.etree.org
Community Service: Strangers Helping Strangers
Topper Award (commitment to the scene): Chris Zahn
Jambands.com Writer: Jeff Waful *** Jammys Year Two
Roseland Ballroom Album of the Year: Phish Farmhouse
Live Performance of the Year: Phish, 7/11/00, Noblesville, IN
New Groove of the Year: Yonder Mountain String Band
Radio Show: "Jam Nation" (Radio 104, Hartford, CT)
Fan Website: www.Etree.org
Festival: Gathering of the Vibes
Topper/Zahn Award: Howie Schnee
Mimi Fishman Memorial Award: Mockingbird Foundation
Live Album: Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade: Live Frogs Set 1
Jam of the Year: Phil Lesh & Friends with Mike Gordon (12-31-00)
Release of the year: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Grateful Dead
Lifetime Achievement: George Porter Jr. and the Meters ***
Jammys Year Three
Roseland Ballroom
TDK Live Performance of the Year: moe., Bonnaroo Music Festival, 6/23/02
Tour of the Year: Trey Anastasio, Summer 2002
Studio Album of the Year: Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio
Live Album of the Year: Widespread Panic Live in the Classic City
Archival Album: Phish, Live Phish 11: 11/17/97, McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO
Song of the Year: Gov't Mule “Soulshine”
New Groove of the Year: Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Fan Website of the Year: Philzone.com
Lifetime Achievement Award: The Grateful Dead (presented by essay contest winner Bill Stites)
Mimi Fishman Community Service Award: Joshua Stack, Panic Fans For Food
Grahamy Jammy (industry award for support of the scene): Annabel Lukins *** Jammys Year Four
Theatre at Madison Square Garden Lifetime Achievement Award: Steve Winwood
Live Album of the Year: Gov't Mule The Deepest End
Studio Album of the Year: moe. Wormwood
Song of the Year: The Allman Brothers Band “Old Before My Time”
Archival Live Album of the Year: The Grateful Dead Closing of Winterland: December 31, 1978
Live Performance of the Year: Gov't Mule with Les Claypool, Bela Fleck, Sonny Landreth, George Porter Jr., Dave Schools, Victor Wooten and more - 5/3/03, Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA
Tour of the Year: Phish - Summer 2003
DVD of the Year: Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert
Album Cover of the Year: String Cheese Incident - Untying the Knot by Alex Gray
New Groove of the Year: The Breakfast (formerly Psychedelic Breakfast)
Mimi Fishman Memorial Community Service Award: Justin Baker, Conscious Alliance
Grahamy Jammy (Industry award for support of the scene): Don Strasburg, talent buyer for the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO *** Jammys Year Five
Theatre at Madison Square Garden Lifetime Achievement: Buddy Guy
Song of the Year: Umphrey's McGee, "In the Kitchen."
New Groove of the Year: Benevento/Russo Duo
Tour Of The Year: Phish, Summer 2004
Download of the Year: The Dead 6/12/04, Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN
DVD of the Year: Phish, IT
Archival Live Album of the Year: Jerry Garcia, After Midnight Kean College, 2/28/80
Mimi Fishman Memorial Community Service Award: HeadCount
Studio Album of the Year: Gov't Mule, Deja Voodoo
Live Album of the Year: Keller Williams Stage
Live Performance of the Year: Phil Lesh & Friends, 12/19/04
Grahamy Jammy: Ken Hays *** Jammys Year Six
Theatre at Madison Square Garden Lifetime Achievement: Frank Zappa
Tour of the Year: Big Summer Classic Tour (String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey's McGee, New Monsoon, and Xavier Rudd)
Live Album of the Year: Widespread Panic Live at Myrtle Beach
Studio Album of the Year: Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon Sixty Six Steps
Song of the Year: Tea Leaf Green, "Taught To Be Proud"
Live Performance of the Year: moe. Tsunami Relief Benefit, Roseland Ballroom, NYC, 2/10/05 (moe. headlined with Trey Anastasio, Sam Bush, Jennifer Hartswick, John Medeski and Ray Paczkowski)
Archival Album of the Year: Phish Live at Madison Square Garden New Year's Eve 1995
DVD of the Year: Bob Dylan - No Direction Home
New Groove: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Global Rhythm World Music Award: Baaba Maal
Grahamy Jammy: Larry Bloch
Green Apple Award: Jack Johnson ***
Jammys Year Seven
Theatre at Madison Square Garden
Lifetime Achievement Award: Lifetime Achievement Award: Phish
Phish
Live Album of the Year: Umphrey's McGee, Live at the Murat
New Groove of the Year: Cornmeal
DVD of the Year: Disco Biscuits, Progressions
Download of the Year: Phish, "Headphones Jam"
Mimi Fishman Award: Rock the Earth
Song of the Year: Keller Williams, "Cadillac"
Tour of the Year: the Disco Biscuits/Umphrey's McGee, D.U.M.B
Grahmmy Jammy: Lee Crumpton, Homegrown Music Network
Archival Release of the Year: The Grateful Dead Three From The Vault
Studio Album of the Year: moe., The Conch
Live Performance of the Year: Gov't Mule and Guests, Bonnaroo
5/7/08
Phish to Receive Lifetime Achievement Jammy This Evening; Tom Marshall, Anthony DeCurtis and Reid Genauer Among Presenters
Phish will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Jammys this evening. The quartet joins an impressive list of Jammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, including B.B. King, The Meters, The Grateful Dead, Steve Winwood, Buddy Guy and Frank Zappa. The night will feature numerous tributes to the Vermont Quartet through several different mediums. Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, journalist Anthony DeCurtis (who penned a 2003 cover story for Relix on Phish), Pot Culture co-authors Steve Bloom and Shirley Halperin, Assembly of Dust frontman Reid Genauer, Relix Editor-in-Chief Josh Baron, Sirius Jam_On’s Jess Besack, Q104’s Ken Dashow and Jonathan Clarke, Rock Band visionary Tony Calandra and Zenbu Media president Steve Bernstein will be among the evening’s presentors.
An impressive mix of musicians will also perform throughout the night in a number of unique configurations, including Booker T. Jones, Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), Chevy Chase, Christian McBride, Doug E. Fresh, The Fab Faux, Galactic, Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze), Grace Potter, Jake Cinninger (Umphrey's McGee), James Carter, Joe Russo, Jon Gutwillig and Marc Brownstein (the Disco Biscuits), Kyle Hollingsworth (String Cheese Incident), Leslie West (Mountain), Matisyahu, Page McConnell, Rob Marscher (Addison Groove Project), Rose Hill Drive, Roy Haynes, Sharon Jones, Tea Leaf Green, Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd & the Monsters) and Warren Haynes. Several special guests are expected.
The Jammys will begin at 7:30 PM sharp with a performance by the evening’s hosts, Warren Haynes and Grace Potter. A limited number of tickets are still available at www.jammys.com.
American Babies on ABC
American Babies’ Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger will appear on ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday, May 8th. The show will capture acoustic versions of Hamilton’s "Invite Your Friends" and "Floating" that were recorded in Central Park as part of Diane Sawyer's "8 New Wonders of the World" series. The program airs tomorrow morning between 7 and 9 AM. American Babies will appear at Philadelphia’s
Jam on the River on May 25.
Cody Dickinson & Andy Kaufman Augment Umphrey’s
While many of us had our eyes firmly planted on New Orleans, Memphis, TN hosted its annual Beale Street Music Festival. North Mississippi Allstars drummer Cody Dickinson was in town and helped Umphrey’s McGee open its set Sunday by playing washboard on “In the Kitchen.” His brother Luther also made use of some rare downtime between tours with The Black Crowes and the North Mississippi Allstars and sat in with Steve Selvidge and Paul Taylor during their residency at Memphis’ Hi-Tone Cafe tonight. Dickinson clocked in a number of months on the road with the blues duo as part of the Jammy nominated Solid Blues Tour (the pair frequently back Jammys veteran Bettye LaVette).
Before heading to Memphis, Umphrey’s McGee played two shows at New Orleans’ House of Blues. A few songs into the group’s second set Friday an actor dressed as Andy Kaufman's Tony Clifton alter-ego came on stage and started ranting into the group’s microphone in character as the group jammed along with the rant. A few dancers then took the stage, one of whom did a quick strip tease before crew member Wade Williams escorted her off the stage. Umphrey’s McGee’s Jake Cinninger will appear at the Jammy Awards this evening.
Gov’t Mule Confirms Additional Mighty High Dates
Gov’t Mule has fleshed out some more details concerning its Mighty High Summer Tour. The festivities will commence at Masontown, WV’s All Good Festival on July 11, before making stops in Owensboro, KY (7/12), Chicago, IL (7/14), Columbus, OH (7/15), Cohasset, MA (7/17), Hyannis, MA (7./8), Hampton Beach, NH (7/19), Asbury Park, NJ (7/20), Englewood, NJ (7/23), Atlantic City, NJ (7/25), Block Island, RI (7/27) and Buffalo, NY (7/29). Pre-Sale Tickets for all these dates (with the exception of Buffalo which is free of charge) are now available.
The group has also made a point to mention that it will not perform in its home city of New York this summer or fall. The quartet will, however, offer three shows in New Jersey: Asbury Park (7.20), Englewood (7/23) and Atlantic City (7.25). Warren Haynes will co-host the 7th Jammy Awards at New York’s Theater at Madison Square Garden this evening.
The Return of Electron
Electron, the supergroup featuring The Disco Biscuits’ Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner, Tom Hamilton and Joe Russo, will reunite for a performance at Denver’s Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom on May 11. Brownstein first assembled the group during his hiatus from the Disco Biscuits in 2000, but rejoined his estranged bandmates before Electron played its fist show. Brownstein did, however, use Electron to debut his rock opera The Chemical Warfare Brigade in August of 2000.
Electron has only played a limited number of dates since then, but did release the live album This is Electron in 2005. Though the group last performed together during a Langerado late night show in 2006, the four musicians will hit the road together in various configurations this spring as part of the Twisted Conspiracy Tour. According to Brownstein, “This show is going to feature some really rare songs and we are even considering bringing back the whole opera (if Joe gets his way we will learn "Three Wishes" this week and do it)!” Brownstein and Russo will both perform at the 7th Jammy Awards this evening.
Tedeschi, Krasno and Trucks Lend Soul to Derek
The Derek Trucks Band’s co-bill with The Funk Meters at New Orleans’ Howlin Wolf last Saturday turned into something of a surprise Soul Strew Revival show. Near the start of the night, Trucks’ wife Susan Tedeschi took the stage for a few songs, including “Anyday,” “Get Out Of My Life,” ”Down Don't Bother Me” and “Done Got Over.” After a few numbers by the DTB, Tedeschi returned alongside Eric Krasno and Derek’s brother, and Soul for the finale of “Standback” and “The Weight.” Later in the night, Krasno, Trucks and Mike Gordon also each sat in with The Funky Meters during their performance, while Tedeschi joined her husband onstage the following day at New Orleans’ famed Fairgrounds. The Derek Trucks Band proper will appear at Moab, UT’s Desert Rocks Music Festival on May 25.
Robert Randolph Joins Eric Clapton at the “Crossroads”
Eric Clapton is back on the road with a new band rounded out by Doyle Bramhall II (guitar), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Pino Palladino (bass), Ian Thomas (drums), Sharon White (vocals) and Michelle John (vocals). On Saturday Clapton and his band performed at Tampa Bay, FL's Ford Amphitheatre with special guest opener Robert Randolph & the Family Band. As he has on occasion over the years, Randolph took the stage with the evening's headliner at the end of the night for Clapton's trademark cover of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." Slowhand also made a stealth appearance himself last week at West Palm Beach, FL's Sunfest, sitting in with Sheryl Crow on a cover of Steve Wonder's "Higher Ground" (a track Clapton himself once recorded for a tribute album). For more on Eric Clapton be sure to pickup the current issue of Relix.
Old Friends and New Grooves Confirmed for moe.down
moe.down has confirmed its initial line-up. In addition to performances from the festival’s namesake each day, the 9th annual gathering will feature appearances by The Sparrow Quartet featuring Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck, The Presidents of the United States of America, Fishbone, Cornmeal, The Brew, The PMG,
The Macpodz and Lynch. Both Cornmeal and The Brew are nominated for Jammys in the New Groove category, while Fishbone made a stealth appearance during moe.’s run of shows at the Highline Ballroom last spring. The late summer offering will return to Turin, NY from August 29-31. As previously reported, after the festival moe. will take an undetermined break from the road.
5/6/08
MMW, WMDS, KDTU, PBS and More On Jam Cruise 7
Jam Cruise 7 will set sail from Fort Lauderdale on January 4, 2009. Set to participate in the traveling festival are numerous notable artists, including: Les Claypool, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Michael Franti featuring Jay Bowman, Keller Williams with Moseley, Droll and Sipe, Galactic and the Cruise Krewe (featuring Big Sam, Walter "Wolfman" Washington & Trombone Shorty), Leftover Salmon, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, the New Deal, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Garage A Trois, Martin Sexton, Lettuce, Porter Batiste & Stoltz, New Mastersounds, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Bonerama, The Lee Boys and many others. The MSC Orchestra will sail for five days with stops in Belize City, Belize and Costa Maya, Mexico. Following pre-booking, remaining cabins will be open for sale to the public on June 4.
Eight More for 10,000 Lakes
Detroit Lakes, MN's 10,000 Lakes Festival has confirmed another round of additions, including Deep Banana Blackout, Lotus, Extra Golden, Papa Mali, New Primitives, God Johnson, Lynx and the Ultraviolet Hippopotamus. Both Lotus and Deep Banana Blackout will offer special late nigh sets, as will George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic. As previously reported, 10,000 Lakes will return to the Soo Pass Ranch from July 23-26, featuring performances by Phil Lesh and Friends, The Flaming Lips, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Leftover Salmon, Mickey Hart Band featuring Steve Kimock & George Porter Jr. George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood, Slightly Stoopid, Dark Star Orchestra, WookieFoot and many others. There are also two remaining slots for emerging and independent bands to play at 10KLF. Interested bands should venture over to www.ourstage.com/go/10KLF to apply for a chance to win a paid spot at the sixth annual festival.
Howlin Rain In The U.K.
San Francisco psych-rockers Howlin Rain will spend the fall on the road with The Black Crowes. The rising Bay Area band, which features Comets on Fire co-founder and lead singer Ethan Miller and Drunk Horse's Joel Robinow, is currently on the road supporting its Birdman/American release, Magnificent Fiend. The group is currently traveling through the United Kingdom, with a performance in London tonight and upcoming stops in Cornwall (5/7), Wales (5/8) Camber Sands (5/9), Bristol (5/11) and London (5/12). The group will then prepare for a U.S. tour scheduled to run from a May 24 show at Santa Cruz, CA's Highway 9 through the group's first appearance at Bonnaroo on June 13, before returning to Europe in late June.
In the fall Howlin Rain will open for The Black Crowes for two legs of the fall tour. As previously reported, The Crowes are expected to hit 90 cities before 2009 in support of the new studio album Warpaint. Howlin Rain will open for the group throughout September and October, beginning with an appearance at Arcata, CA's Van Duzer Theater on September 10. As of press time, Howlin Rain will support the Crowes through their October 28 stop at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom.
Howlin Rain is one of the many bands featured in an upcoming Relix feature exploring the new sound of San Francisco. The multi-band profile takes a look at a number of the city's brightest stars, ranging from jam-staples like Tea Leaf Green and New Monsoon to singer/songwriters like Jackie Greene and Brett Dennen and experimental indie-rockers like The Dodos. Look for the feature in the June issue of Relix.
Dumpstaphunk Brings It Home
On Sunday night Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk closed out a busy JazzFest weekend with a guest-heavy performance at New Orleans' Tipitina's. As expected, a number of musicians in town for other gigs stopped by for a final jam at various points throughout the night, including George Porter, Jr., June Yamaguchi, Matt Grondin, Cyril Neville, Eric Krasno, Adam Deitch, E.D. Coomes, Nigel Hall, Terrace Blanchard and Efrem Townes. Warren Haynes also popped in for a few songs, including a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" after playing with PBS at the Howlin' Wolf earlier in the evening. Haynes has played the popular cover with Dumpstaphunk on occasion, most recently at New York's Sullivan Hall this winter.
New Mastersounds in NOLA
Leeds' New Mastersounds spent the last week in New Orleans, playing a variety of shows throughout the Big Easy. Last week, the group performed at The Blue Nile following one of the venue's super jam, where The Stanton Moore Trio expanded to include The New Mastersounds' Eddie Roberts and Pete Shand, as well as Big Sam, Topaz, Cheme, Jonathan Batiste and Trombone Shorty, among others. According to the band, the event was "jolly good fun, this JazzFest business." This past Saturday The New Mastersounds also performed at the House of Blues, where Sam Kininger, Adam Deitch and Nigel Hall all took the stage with the group during the wee hours. The New Mastersounds next scheduled performance will take place across the pond at Leeds' Sela Bar this Friday, which guest Dionne Charles performing with the group. Charles is a featured guest on the group's forthcoming studio release.
Josh Sack: 1986-2008
On Sunday, May 4, Josh Sack passed away after a nine-month struggle with cancer. Sack, best known as the drummer in Philadelphia's The Brakes, was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) last August, but regained his strength long enough to tour with his band in October and attend rehearsals as recently as last week. Despite his young age, Sack had an impressive resume, supporting the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, The Hold Steady, Live, Willie Nelson, O.A.R., Widespread Panic, John Fogerty, The Disco Biscuits, The Benevento/Russo Duo and Grace Potter and appearing at marquee festivals like moe.down, All Good, High Sierra, Wakarusa, Jam on the River and Mountain Jam. The Brakes have also earned a reputation as an in-demand live act and regularly pack clubs, particularly near their Northeast home.
Along with his band, Sack became the face of H&R Block when The Brakes were featured in the company's "TaxCut program" advertising campaign. The campaign placed The Brakes on the back cover of magazines like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly and on network television across the country. In 2006, The Brakes were also anointed New Groove of the Month on Jambands.com.
Last spring, The Brakes undertook a dual city residency at New York's Knitting Factory and Ardmore, PA's Milkboy in Ardmore, PA, which were recorded for the live album A Tale of Two Cities. The album will be released this Tuesday on Hyena Records.
Funeral services will be held at Joseph Levine & Sons in Broomall, PA at 11:30 AM, Tuesday, May 6. The family respectfully requests that contributions in his memory be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Condolences, memories or messages to the band can be sent to management@brakesband.com As of press time, The Brakes are still scheduled to appear at Little Rock, AR's Sticky Fingers on May 7.
5/5/08
Trey Anastasio and the Undectet's Original Boardwalk Style
On June 10, Trey Anastasio will release Original Boardwalk Style on his Rubber Jungle Records label. Original Boardwalk Style will collect live tracks from his performances at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ on December 30th and 31, 2006. Anastasio's band for those two shows was the Undectet, featuring Jeff Sipe, Ray Paczkowski, Peter Apfelbaum, Cyro Baptista, Tony Hall, Christina Durfee, Jennifer Hartswick, Dave Grippo, Russell Remington and Jeff Cressman. The disc opens with "Drifting" and also includes "Mud City," "Money Love and Change," and "Simple Twist Up Dave" culminating with the version of "Mr. Completely" that carried into the New Year. Proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit the Seven Below Arts Initiative, established to foster artistic development and support arts education in the state of Vermont.
Grateful Grass For Rex with Williams, Moseley and Austin
The Rex Foundation will be the beneficiary of a new digital-only release aptly titled REX (Live at the Fillmore). The collection draws together the Grateful Dead compositions performed live by Keller Williams, Keith Moseley and Jeff Austin at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium on February 8, 2006. The three were billed as Grateful Grass that evening, delivering versions of such songs as "Bird Song," "Eyes Of The World," "St. Stephen" and a move from "Scarlet Begonias" into "Fire On The Mountain" all of which appear on the release. Following an appearance at the Jammys, Williams will spend much of his summer on the road with Austin as he will tour with the Yonder Mountain String Band.
Logic for U-Melt
New York City residents U-Melt and DJ Logic performed together for the first time on Saturday night at The Blue Nile in New Orleans. Logic began the evening with a DJ set and thirty minutes later, U-Melt joined him on stage and they segued into fitting Logic original "French Quarter." From there the five collaborated on a number of U-Melt originals, including: "The Eternal Groove," "Clear Light," "Carne," "Elysian Fields" and "Red Star." The quintet also interspersed these songs with selections from Logic's album, The Anomaly. U-Melt returns to the road this Friday for a performance at Philly's North By Northwest, while Logic is off the road until 6/18, when he performs at The Juke Joint in Sebastopol, CA.
Jorma Discovers "Dixie Chicken"
Whether is was a celebration of the end of a successful, but too brief, co-headline mini-tour, or an effort to help heal a city that just lost a seventh game by 37 points to the most storied franchise in the history of the NBA, last night at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse Jorma Kaukonen joined Little Feat for a unusual hybrid version of "Dixie Chicken." This was the first musical cross-pollination moment of this tour.
Just after percussionist Sam Clayton lent his warm growl to a deep-grooved "Spanish Moon," Paul Barrere introduced Kaukonen to the delight of the Atlanta crowd (no southern city supports Hot Tuna more). However, Kaukonen was quickly shuttled off the stage after the first two verses as Kenny Gradney stepped up for a funky solo, butressed by drummer Richie Hayward and Clayton. When the trio was done, Gradney left the stage and Jorma Kaukonen and Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne (who originally formed the band with Lowell George in 1969 upon the suggestion of Frank Zappa) reemerged to perform with Hayward and Clayton and shower the riveted crowd with quartet-style rock improvisation. Kaukonen faced Payne and the two exchanged licks in exceedingly delicious fashion. The band then gradually moved the music back toward "Dixie Chicken," briefly referencing Bob Marley's "Lively Up Yourself" before Barrere launched into the final verse.
As Kaukonen explains in his tour journal, "Paul asked me if I would sit for a bit on 'Dixie Chicken.' I went to Myron, my pundit in these matters and lo, he had it on his iPod. I studied it so I wouldn't be totally unfamiliar with the song. It's a great tune, and a tricky one, I must say. When the time came to jam, Bill the keyboard player (and a great one he is) said, 'We'll go to A minor... I'll cover you.' Cover me he did and when the band came back on they were so tight they really made it easy for me to fit in. I love this job!"
These bands should be hailed for continuing to eschew the "Nostalgia Act" temptation to regurgitate an unrotating setlist limited to hit songs from the many groups with which they have been associated with over the years (which with this bill would include Frank Zappa, Jimmy Buffett, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger and a litany of others) and instead they each chose to offer a more compelling setlist. Tuna's opening set included deep-in-the-catalog gems like "Ode To Billy Dean," "Sea Child" and "Living Just For You." They also brought forth classics like "Genesis" and "Bowlegged Woman" and offered slightly reworked takes on "I Know You Rider" and "Come Back Baby." Little Feat's set opened with "Marginal Creatures" from their 2000 release Chinese Work Songs followed by Payne's "Cadillac Hotel" from 1995's Ain't Had Enough Fun and would later include a powerful cover of John Hiatt's "Feels Like Rain" (made popular by Buddy Guy) featuring the powerful lead vocals of Shaun Murphy (a former member of Bob Seger's Magic Bullet Band who has also recorded with Eric Clapton). The night ended as it should, with a Little Feat encore saluting the greatest musical city in the southeast with, "Oh, Atlanta."
These two enduring bands will rejoin for one performance at The Paramount Theater in Boulder May 10th. In the meantime, you can catch Hot Tuna at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa tomorrow night and at the legendary Boulder Fox Theater Thursday. Little Feat will play Tuesday at the Neighborhood Theater in Charlotte's NoDa district, and then will join Creedence Clearwater Revisited Wednesday for a bash at the Innsbrook Pavillion just north of Richmond. Report by Rob Turner
The Mule With More
Gov't Mule celebrated the 5th Anniversary of its Deepest End concert with two shows at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans on Friday and Saturday nights. As with the Deepest End show (which took place at the Saenger Theater on May 3, 2003), numerous guests joined the Mule during these two days, many of whom are natives of the host city.
In our first story of the day (see below) we noted that Mike Gordon made a number of guest appearances in NOLA over the weekend and the longtime friend of Warren Haynes also was on hand at the CAC, appearing midway through the second set on Friday evening with Particle's Steve Molitz for a version of the Grateful Dead's "Loser" which led into a "Terrapin Station" jam and then back into "Loser." Night two had opened with a cover of "Smokestack Lightning" featuring John Butler. Other first set guests included Umphreys McGee's Jake Cinninger ("Dear Prudence"), Henry Butler and Roosevelt Collier ("That's What Love Will Make You Do"), Dirty Dozen Brass Band and DJ Logic ("Spanish Moon" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy") and Ruthie Foster ("Grinnin' In Your Face" and "A Million Miles From Yesterday").
The second set then began with covers of "Nutbush City Limits" and "Whole Lotta Love" with the Nocturnals' Grace Potter and Scott Tournet. Next, Walter Wolfman Washington appeared for "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City." The final collaborations occurred a bit later with Cyril Neville contributing to "Unblow Your Horn/Reblow Your Mind," Papa Mali and Ian Neville also stepping up for "Gilded Splinters" with Cyrille Neville and Pap Mali remaining for "Fortune Teller." The two night run concluded with two of Gov't Mule's signature tunes, "Sco-Mule" and "Mule" (both of which featured Tim Green).
First up on Saturday was the Radiators Dave Malone who sat in on Gov't Mule's debut covers of "You Got Me Hummin'" and "Parchman Farm." Then Ivan Neville and George Porter appeared for a series of selections ("Fortunate Son," "Sailing Shoes," "Hey Julia" and "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley"). They were followed by Kirk Douglas and Owen Biddle ("When The Levee Breaks"), Grace Potter ("Gold Dust Woman") Grace Potter and Brendan Bayliss ("Who Knows"), Sonny Landreth ("Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home") and Eric McFadden ("Goin' Out West").
The second set later opened with Ivan Neville, Stanton Moore, Cyril Neville and Eric Krasno on stage for "Africa." Krasno remained while Derek Trucks Band members Count M'Butu, Kofi Burbridge also contributed to "32/20 Blues. " Count M'Butu was then joined by Walter Trout and Henry Butler for "The Sky Is Crying" and by his DTB bandmate Yonrico Scott for "Everyday I Have The Blues" and "Three String George," with Wolfman Walter Williams on the former song as well. The night concluded with the four members of Gov't Mule on stage alone for "Soulshine." All in all more than two dozen musicians joined Gov't Mule for the performances at the Contemporary Arts Center and the group busted out eleven new covers for the occasion.
Many of the aforementioned musicians will be in New York City on Wednesday when Warren Haynes and Grace Potter co-host the Jammys.
Mike with Many (Including Page)
Mike Gordon has been making the late night rounds in New Orleans during Jazz Fest. Last night he joined Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Russell Batiste and Joe Krown at Tipitina’s. On Friday, he performed with Marco Benevento and New Orleans native Johnny Vidacovich for little over an hour at the Maple Leaf. The prior evening saw him reunite with Page McConnell, joining a cluster of musicians onstage during the Russell Batiste & Friends gig at the Howlin' Wolf. That show also offered reunion as McConnell, Batiste and Oteil Burbridge revisited their Vida Blue project with a version of “Most Events Aren't Planned.” Next up for Page is a performance at the 7th Jammys on Wednesday night on an evening in which Phish will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Dr. Dog has quietly become America’s next great band.
