News
Edited by Staff
8/15/08
Jerry Wexler: 1917-2008
Jerry Wexler, Atlantic Records executive, producer, and one of the key architects of the rhythm and blues sound in the 20th century, passed away today in Florida at the age of 91. Wexler, along with the late Ahmet Ertegun, transformed Atlantic into the industry standard for a variety of musical genres stretching from Aretha Franklin to Led Zeppelin. “Jerry brought a rare combination of creativity,” said Atlantic Records in a statement issued today, “intelligence, wit, artistic sensibility, and business savvy to the evolution of Atlantic from a small independent label into a major industry force.”
Wexler’s dynamic abilities and personality, along with his relationship with Ertegun helped build the label into an R&B force with releases from legendary artists such as Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, and the “King of Soul,” Ray Charles. He also signed and nurtured the artistic direction of the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin. Indeed, Wexler is credited with inventing the phrase “rhythm and blues”—thereby negating the outdated “race records” term that was out of fashion in pre-Civil Rights 1950s America—early on in his career as a journalist for Billboard magazine, before he and Ertegun blazed the Atlantic trail that led to the height of “Southern Soul” music in the 1950s-70s. This development led to his Muscle Shoals, Alabama recording home base for sessions.
The music pioneer was born in the Bronx, New York on January 10, 1917. A member of a Jewish family of Polish immigrants, he craved the jazz and blues music he found in Harlem. Wexler served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, before graduating from Kansas State University. He worked as a music journalist, and began his career with Ertegun in 1953 at Atlantic Records as a full partner—a role he insisted upon before joining the label. The duo, along with Nesuhi Ertegun, was instrumental in not only cultivating the careers of Charles, Franklin, and other R&B artists, but established a key relationship with the formation of Stax Records in the mid-60s that would launch yet another nearly endless supply of classic hits throughout the next decade.
Wexler also ventured from his roots as he helped seal the deal between Zeppelin manager Peter Grant and the band in an extremely profitable and artistic relationship that continues to this day. He also produced or guided the careers of such disparate acts as Carlos Santana, Yes, the J. Geils Band, Dusty Springfield, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan. Wexler produced Dylan’s first Christian-era album, the Grammy Award-winning work, Slow Train Coming which was met with controversy based upon lyrical content, but praised for its overall Wexler-produced sound. He also was instrumental in establishing Capricorn Records with Allman Brothers Band manager Phil Walden, as well as continuing his career post-Atlantic departure in the 70s, producing acts like Dire Straits.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, Wexler, perhaps, will be best known for his contributions to rhythm and blues music. “He loved black music, R&B music and rhythm and blues was his foundation,” said Solomon Burke, an artist Wexler recorded in the 60s, in a statement to the Associated Press today. “He had a feeling for it; he had the knack to keep it going in his heart and recognize the talent that he felt was real. Jerry Wexler didn’t change the sound of America, he put the sound to the public. He opened the doors and windows to the radio stations ... and made everybody listen.” Randy Ray
Molitz, Perkins, Clark, Adams and Iscove: Region Of Darkness
On October 16, the Roxy in Los Angeles will host the debut performance of a new project that spans bands. Steve Molitz (Phil Lesh & Friends, Particle), Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction, Banyan), Josh Clark (Tea Leaf Green), bassist Steve Adams (ALO) and vocalist Adam Iscove (Allrise) will take the stage as Region Of Darkness. The quintet pledges to offer new original music along with classic covers, and ample doses of improvisation. Following the Roxy gig (on a bill with Lotus and BLVD), the quintet will travel to Ocean Beach, CA for a show the next night at Winston's.
Halloween in Boston for The Mule
Gov't Mule has confirmed the details of its Kinder Revolution Fall Tour. The band will cross the country, with Back Door Slam opening all of the dates, save the tour opener. That initial gig will take place in Burlington, VT on October 30. Back Door Slam will then be in place starting on Halloween night at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston. The tour will continue for three weeks, traversing the country and wrapping up with two evenings at The Fillmore in San Francisco on November 21 and 22.
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals at The Finish Line
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals will close out the month of August in
Austin, TX. While in town, the group will play a special
post-race celebration for the Nike+ Human Race, an event that aims to
"bring together the power of sport and music to inspire and connect
runners from every corner of the planet." Runners will race past some of
Austin's most famous landmarks during the 10K route before ending in front
of the Texas State Capitol building where Congress Avenue meets 11th
street. To attend the concert, you must run the race, with the details available at the
Nike+ Human Race site.
The Green Sparrow on Green Vinyl
Earlier this month, Mike Gordon's latest studio effort, The Green Sparrow, hit stores. Now on Tuesday, a limited edition green vinyl pressing of the album will be released. Meanwhile, folks can download the recording at iTunes and receive a bonus demo track, "Doing It Anyway." Look for our Jambands.com reader interview with the bassist and band leader to appear on the site next week.
Tonight is Gordon's Demrockracy concert, a free event in Burlington, VT at Waterfront Park. Senator Bernie Sanders will address the crowd, while Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck will open the show.
RANA Returns
On Saturday, RANA will play its first full show in almost two years at New
York's Mercury Lounge. The New Jersey-bred group recently reunited for
a wedding gig and then an opening spot for friends the Benevento/Russo Duo, but
will offer a full two-set performance this Saturday. Leroy Justice, The
Still Out and A Big Yes and a Small No will round out the evening's
festivities. Fans of Scott Metzger may also be in luck: The RANA
guitarist appears on A Big Yes and a Small No's debut album and recently
sat in with Leroy Justice at New York's Sullivan Hall for a cover of Buddy
Miles' "Them Changes."
Yonder, EO with Fishman, Soulive, Dumpstaphunk To Appear at Bear Creek Music Fest
While November is a rare month for outdoor music in northern climes, festival season is ongoing in Florida. Thus on November 14-16, the Bear Creek Music and Art Festival will take place in Live Oak, Florida at the Spirit of Suwanee Music Park. This year's edition will draw together more than 60 performers, including the Yonder
Mountain String Band, The Everyone Orchestra (featuring Jon Fishman), Soulive and the Robert Walter Trio. Those who find their favorite artists' festival performances too brief should be delighted to hear that the 2008 Bear Creek Fest will present two full shows from artists such as Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, The New Mastersounds, Perpetual Groove, The Motet (featuring Kyle Hollingsworth of String Cheese Incident), Lettuce, the veteran reggae band John Brown's Body, Dubconscious, and many others.
While there will be plenty of music throughout the weekend, the attendees will also be tempted by available canoe trips, horseback riding, hiking trails, a fishing lake and other opportunities to get closer to nature. There will also be a craft village, country store, swimming pool, golf cart rentals, an onsite restaurant and modern cabins will be available. For those looking to keep up with the NFL, NBA or NHL, there will even be a sports lounge onsite. More artists and VIP packages will be announced soon, with full information at the Bear Creek website. Report by Rob Turner
Faber For Free
Future American history professor and former God Street Wine frontman Lo Faber will make a rare live appearance this weekend. Faber will perform at Saturday's Black River Music and Art Fest, a free event in Chester, NJ (the rain date is Sunday). Faber is scheduled to close out the Daily Record Acoustic Courtyard at 5:30 PM with former Echofission keyboardist Ken Sidotti. Both are expected to appear with Echofission during that group's WRSU Stage set at 2:30 PM.
Again, while the event is slated to take place on Saturday, August 16, the festival reports, "Currently, the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms all day Saturday, and Sunday is supposed to be sunny. It is looking increasingly likely that the event will be moved to Sunday. The decision will be made by the end of the day today, Friday, August 15. Keep checking back for details, and thanks for your understanding."
8/14/08
Dr. John, JFJO, Mocean Worker, Roberta Flack and Friends Celebrate the Life of Joel Dorn
A cross-section of musicians paid tribute to legendary jazz and soul producer Joel Dorn last night in New York City. The free show was part of Lincoln Center’s Outdoor Festival and featured heartfelt performances by a number of Dorn’s longtime collaborations. The night opened, appropriately enough, with a few songs by the funk outfit Mocean Worker, which features Joel's son Adam Dorn. New Orleans legend Dr. John then offered a solo piano rendition of "April Showers," as well as a collaboration with guitarist Cornell Dupree on "Next Time I See You." Other highlights included Roberta Flack singing "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," vocal group The Persuasions' surprise appearance on "The Ten Commandments of Love," a solo trumpet workout by Hugh Masekela and a cameo by Washington DC go-go legends Black Heat, who reunited for the first time in 30 years to perform "No Time To Burn." Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, one of the last groups to record with Dorn during his storied career, also paid tribute to the producer’s work with Rahsaan Roland Kirk by offering a medley of "The Black and Crazy Blues" and "A Laugh For Rory."
Other performers included Mose Allison, Jane Monheit, Frank Vignola and Wardell Quezerque, who conducted an invisible orchestra. At one point in the evening, Dorn’s longtime associate Kevin Calabro delivered a touching speech about his work with Dorn at 32 Records, Label M and, most recently, Hyena Records. The evening came full circle by ending with Mocean Worker joining pianist Les McCann for a ripping version of his biggest hit, "Compared To What."
Mike Gordon Shares “Spanish Moon” with The Bridge
The Bridge closed out a week-long run of shows with Mike Gordon last night at New York’s Highline Ballroom. Gordon first collaborated with The Bridge at the All Good Music Festival in July and, a few days later, invited the group on the road for a handful of performances. As they have throughout their mini-tour, the members of The Bridge joined Gordon and his band onstage a number of times throughout the night. Halfway through his set, Gordon unplugged for an acoustic interlude that featured Bridge guitarist Cris Jacobs and veteran New York banjo player Andy Cartoun, as well as members of his own band. Gordon switched between acoustic guitar and acoustic bass on selections like “On a Bad Day,” “Bury Me” and “A Little Bit Lonesome,” before plugging back in for a jam based around the Beatles’ “She Said, She Said.” Soon after, The Bridge’s Kenny Liner emerged to beatbox during an extended jam, while the local horn section of Jenny Hill (tenor sax) and Pam Fleming (trumpet) stepped up for both “Radar Blip” and a humorous cover of C&C Music Factory’s “Things That Make You Go Hmm.” Both Hill and Fleming later returned along with the entire Bridge for a slow-closing take on Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon” that found Gordon bouncing between bass and percussion. Gordon also plays bass on Little Feat’s new studio album Join the Band, which features a number of guest musicians.
Mike Gordon will play a free show as part of Buffalo, NY’s Thursday At The Square today, while The Bridge will appear at Hagerstown, MD’s Duffy's this Saturday.
New School, "Old Schoold DMB"
The next volume in Dave Matthews Band’s Live Trax series documents a performance that took place earlier this year. Live Trax Vol. 13 captures Dave Matthews Band’s June 7, 2008 stop at St. Louis, MO’s Busch Stadium with current auxiliary musicians Rashawn Ross and Tim Reynolds. Dave Matthews Band was actually the first band to perform at the major league stadium, which holds close to 35,000 fans. The show was apparently selected because of a unique setlist that features material from each DMB release, including rarities like “Pay For What You Get,” “Recently” and a “Water into Wine” jam, the latter of which had not been played in 12 years. Other songs of note include 13-minute take on “Crush,” as well as covers of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” and Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Again).” A journal entry on the group’s homepage mentions that the group felt as if they had delivered an “old schoold DMB" show. Dave Matthews Band will perform at The Woodlands, TX’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion tomorrow.
Eric Krasno and Steve Berlin to Sit in with The Lee Boys
Eric Krasno and Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin are among the guests scheduled to sit in with pedal steel stars The Lee Boys at New York’s Sullivan Hall tonight. Devil Makes Three and Hoots & Hellmouth will open the night’s festivities. The Lee Boys welcomed a number of guests to the stage during their last Sullivan Hall appearance as well, including Krasno, Warren Haynes and Marco Benevento. Berlin is in New York for a performance with Los Lobos at Central Park SummerStage earlier this evening. A handful of additional musicians are expected to join The Lee Boys throughout the night.
Fun for Antonoff, Ruess and Dost
Steel Train frontman Jack Antonoff has signed on for Fun, the latest project by former Format leader Nate Ruess. The group, which also features former Anathallo keyboardist
Andrew Dost, has spent the past few months working on songs for their new group and will enter a Los Angeles studio with producer Steven McDonald (Red Kross) and arranger Roger Joseph Manning Jr (Jellyfish) to start work on their first album September 1. As of press time, Fun’s debut is slated for release on Nettwerk Records in early 2009.
McDonald and Manning Jr. both also worked on The Format’s 2006 indie-pop breakthrough, Dog Problems. Fun will hit the road November 8 for a series of shows with Jack’s Mannequin. Meanwhile, Steel Train will perform at St. Petersburg, FL’s The State Theater this evening.
State Radio Joins Rage Against the Machine During the D.N.C.
The politically-charged State Radio, a group led by former Dispatch frontman Chad Urmston, will join Rage Against the Machine on August 27 at Colorado’s Denver Coliseum as part of the Tent State Music Festival to End the War. The rally is being organized in partnership with the Iraq Veterans Against the War and Tent State University and will coincide with the Democratic National Convention. Other acts scheduled to perform include the Flobots, The Coup, and MC5’s Wayne Kramer. The members of State Radio first befriended Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello while performing on his left-leaning Justice Tour
Tickets to the Tent State Music Festival to End the War are free and available by lottery. Fans interested in attending should sign up for the lottery at Tent State University between 11 AM and 6:30 PM Sunday, August 24 through Tuesday, August 26 during the D.N.C. Winners will be notified by email Tuesday evening, August 26. Rage Against the Machine will also perform at Minneapolis’ Target Center on September 3 during the nearby Republican National Convention.
Brad Barr: The Fall Apartment
Slip guitarist Brad Barr will has completed his next solo album, The Fall Apartment: Instrumental Guitar. The instrumental collection will arrive via New York’s Tompkins Square label on September 16, featuring a mix of new originals and covers ranging from Cuban musician Ernesto Lecuona’s “Maria La O” to Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” to Le Trio Ferret’s “Gin Gin.” The album will also feature Barr’s latest batch of originals, including the inspired “Sarah Through The Wall.” The Slip will spend most of the fall on the road backing singer/songwriter Sonya Kitchell.
Warren Haynes Revisits RatDog, Roy Haynes Shares the Stage with the Allmans
RatDog’s August run with the Allman Brothers Band continued last night at Wantagh, NY’s Jones Beach Amphitheatre. Recalling their early summer shows together, Warren Haynes emerged during RatDog’s opening set to play on both “New Speedway Boogie” and “Mississippi Half-Step.” A bit later, the Allman Brothers Band returned the favor by inviting out RatDog guitarist Mark Karan for a familiar number, “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl.” Soon after, legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes took the stage with the Allman Brothers Band for the second time at Jones Beach for an extended drum segment that morphed into “Afro Blue.” In addition to Haynes, the latter number also featured guest appearances by RatDog saxophonist Kenny Brooks and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.
The Allman Brothers Band and RatDog will share the stage once again at Holmdel, NJ’s PNC Arts Center this Friday. For more on both groups, please read our recent site interview with Bob Weir.
8/13/08
Flowmotion’s Summer Meltdown
Over the weekend, Seattle’s Flowmotion hosted its 8th annual festival. The Flowmotion Summer Meltdown took place at the Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater in Darrington, WA, with over thirty artists participating. Flowmotion offered a set on Thursday night for early arrivals, ceding the main stage to Tea Leaf Green on Friday. During its performance, TLG brought out Flowmotion guitarist Josh Clauson for a few songs at the close, including “Invasion,” “I’ve Got A Truck” and “Sex in the 70s.”
One Saturday highlight was Buckethead’s late afternoon main stage set, which took place in the rain. Next up was Flowmotion, which welcomed everyone with a run from “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band“ into “With A Little Help From My Friends." Tea Leaf Green's Trevor Garrod later sat in on Flowmotion's "Please Don't Forget” and the band closed out its performance with numerous guests, including Sonny Bonoho, Lee Oskar (War), American Idol’s Blake Lewis, and Jacob Navarro (Spoonshine) for the Bonoho original "Get Down."
The festival concluded on Sunday with a performance by Everyone Orchestra. Matt Butler's core band included Steve Kimock, Garrod, Flowmotion's Bob Rees and Three members of AlO: Dan Lebowitz, Steve Adams and Dave Brogan. Guests included the host band’s Josh Clauson as well as members of On The One, Blue Turtle Seduction and Delta Nove.
Flowmotion will next appear at Seattle’s HempFest on Sunday afternoon.
Built To Spill Joins the Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven Campout
The 2008 Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven Campout will return to the site of a former film set in Pioneertown, CA. The event, which is co-hosted by both groups (the nexus, of course, being David Lowery, the longtime vocalist/songwriter in the two bands) began four years ago as a birthday party for some of the participating musicians. This year's Campout will run from September 11-13, with headlining sets from both Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven. In addition, Built To Spill will perform, as will a number of the host musicians in various incarnations, including an acoustic set from Cracker's Lowery and Johnny Hickman as well as Hickman's pre-Cracker band The Dangers (reformed with Lowery now stepping in on bass).
Grambling Into The Final Days of 12 Galaxies
San Francisco's 12 Galaxies will shut its Mission St. doors at month's end. The final night of music is scheduled for August 28 with Big Light. Another notable show will take place as a post-Outside Lands event on Friday August 22. The Golden Gate Gramble will feature music from The Skinny Singers (Tim Bluhm and Jackie Greene), Lebo (ALO's Dan Lebowitz), Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, DJ Superchill and the aformentoned Big Light. This evening the club will feature Dead Night with DJ Darkstar Dan, while on Friday, Tea Leaf Green's Trevor Garrod will open for Blue Turtle Seduction.
The Duo's Back To School Tour
After some recent gigs with other projects, Marco Benevento and Joe Russo will travel to San Francisco and return to the stage for a four night stand at the Mojito starting on August 17. From there The Duo will perform at Outside Lands before returning to the Northeast for an appearance at moe.down over Labor Day weekend. Then, starting on September 4, the pair will begin three weeks of steady touring that will eventually land them back home in New York City at South Street Seaport on September 23rd. Along the way the Benevento Russo Duo will travel from the Midwest to the South, including appearances at Gainesville, FL's Real Big Deal Festival and the Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival in Harrodsburg, KY.
Bill Kreutzmann Performs With KBH and Great American Taxi
The Realm of Music Festival took place this past weekend in New Castle, CO. One of the highlights was a Saturday evening performance by a trio comprised of new bandmates Bill Kreutzmann and Oteil Burbridge (KBM) and Burbridge's longtime collaborator Col. Bruce Hampton (ret.). Kreutzmann arrived at the festival on Friday evening and he also sat in throughout the performance by Great American Taxi, which focused on material from the Taxi catalogue. The Realm of Music Festival, now in its third year, benefits the Realm of Caring charity, which is designed to support arts programs in public schools.
Gregg Allman Returns To The Stage With The ABB
Last night in Bethel, NY, the Allman Brothers Band performed their first show in nearly a year. The band had cancelled its annual Beacon Theater run as well as a performance at its Wanee Festival while Gregg Allman recovered from treatment for hepatitis C. The night featured guest appearances from two keyboard players (who possibly were on hand as a precaution in case Allman was feeling under the weather). Early on, Bruce Katz, who tours with Allman's solo band, appeared for "Stormy Monday" while Gov't Mule's Danny Louis joined in a bit later for "The Weight." RatDog opened the show and delivered a set that focused on Grateful Dead material (which was quite fitting since the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is located at the site of the original Woodstock festival). This evening both groups will appear in Wantagh, New York at Jones Beach.
8/12/08
Camp MMW
Medeski Martin & Wood hosted their first Camp MMW at Big Indian, NY's
Full Moon Resort over the weekend. Before the event, Chris Wood said the
following about the festival/fantasy camp hybrid: "It's going to be
interesting. I went to jazz camp as a kid, but I am kind of ignorant about
the rock fantasy camp, so this is somewhat of a cross. We are going to be
teaching, giving some materclass, doing some basic teaching on rhythm and
concepts and how to play together." Throughout the weekend, the three
musicians each offered a variety of classes and recruited guest lectures
like slide-trumpet player Steve Bernstein and guitarist Marc Ribot and
John Scofield. MMW also performed in a more formal setting and used the
opportunity to jam with both their musical guests and visiting campers. In
addition, Cuban film archivist Henry Medina hosted an engaging
presentation. Larry Legend was onsite throughout the weekend blogging at
www.ropeadope.com/music.
In addition to a few U.S. dates, MMW has also recently confirmed a South
American tour scheduled to kick off in Chile on September 16.
Bill Withers Tribute Features Appearnces by Jim James, Angelique Kidjo and Withers, Himself
On Saturday night at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Bandshell producer Hal Willner closed out this year's Celebrate Brooklyn! free concert series with a tribute to Bill Withers (author of such songs as "Lean on Me," "Ain't No Sunshine," "Grandma's Hands" and "Just The Two of Us.") A core band featuring Steven Bernstein, Lenny Pickett and Cornell Dupree supported a range of performers over the course of the night. Angelique Kidjo, Nona Hendryx, Eric Mingus, the Persuasions and the Swell Season were among the announced artists who participated in the tribute. One late addition was My Morning Jacket's Jim James who delivered an early highlight with "Ain't No Sunshine." Withers himself attended and was moved to make a brief appearance on stage during "Grandma's Hands." The concert was filmed as part of the forthcoming documentary, Still Bill.
Everyone Orchestra featuring Futureman and Kofi Burbridge, "Downtime Barnacle Stage" at FatFest
Fat Maw Rooney will host its third annual FatFest at the Coffee Mill Ski Resort in Wabasha, MN on August 21-23. The event has a pirate theme and while we're still not sure what that entails beyond a "Pirate Parade" (it turns out we're landlubbers at heart), we can confirm that FatFest has added a third stage, the "Downtime Barnacle Stage." Beyond that, while the Jeff Coffin Mu'tet will not perform as Coffin is off gigging with the Dave Matthews Band, that slot now will be occupied by the Everyone Orchestra featuring Futureman and Kofi Burbridge. In addition to music from the host band, other performers include EOTO, Garaj Mahal, That 1 Guy, Cornmeal, Family Groove Company, God Johnson, Kinetix and White Iron Band. The festival will be offsetting all emissions and pledges to plant a tree per each ticket sold, with the full details at Fatfest.org.
Phil Lesh & Friends and the Allman Brothers Band Add Dates
The Allman Brothers Band finally will return to the road this evening, setting off for three weeks of shows with Bob Weir and RatDog. As we reported last month, the band also had confirmed two dates with Weir's longtime bandmate Phil Lesh in late September and early October. However, beyond those two shows slated for September 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD and on October 4 at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Pelham, AL, some additional gig have been added to the tour itinerary. The bands now will also share the stage on October 1 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Virginia Beach, VA, on October 3 at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC, October 1 at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Birmingham, AL and October 8 at The Amphitheatre at The Wharf in Orange Beach, AL. Tickets to these additional dates will go on sale this coming Friday and Saturday.
Nate Wilson Group Unbound
On September 15, the Nate Wilson Group will offer up free digital downloads of its debut studio effort. The music from Unbound will then be available for four weeks from the band's website. The Nate Wilson Group features Percy Hill co-founder Wilson on keys along with his fellow Assembly of Dust bandmate Adam Terrell on guitar, bassist Nate Edgar (Moon Boot Lover) and drummer Tom Arey (Adam Ezra Group, Akashic Record, Uncle Sammy). The quartet will support the release of Unbound with a series of dates in mid-October. Before then the band will continue a Wednesday night residency at the Stone Church in Newmarket, NH over the next three weeks.
Mike Gordon To The Bridge
Over the past week, The Bridge has opened up a series of dates for Mike Gordon. The musicians have clicked, which has set in motion a series of collaborative moments. For instance, last Thursday at the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, all six members of The Bridge emerged for Gordon's encore, a cover of Little Feat's "Skin It Back." The next night at the Music Farm in Charleston, Gordon and guitarist Scott Murawski sat in with The Bridge for The Meters' "Just Kissed My Baby." A bit later in evening, The Bridge's Patrick Rainey added sax to Gordon's "Radar Blip." The tour continues this evening at the State Theater in Falls Church, VA.
8/11/08
Radiohead, Trey Anastasio and Jack Johnson Highlight All Points West
The inaugural All Points West Music & Arts Festival attempted to stake its claim as the New York Metropolitan Area’s definitive large-scale music gathering over the weekend with mixed results. Held at the beautiful Liberty State Park, a green field overlooking The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan’s skyline from southern New Jersey, the multi-band gathering boasted three performance stages, a The Do LaB’s electronic tent, a Sonic Forest and other leftover installations from the festival’s West Coast counterpart Coachella. Though less than an hour from Wall Street by either train or ferry, All Points West fell short of a sellout on both Friday and Sunday. In fact, certain performance spaces were noticeably empty until headliners Radiohead and Jack Johnson took the stage, leading many fans to describe the event as more of an amphitheater show with bonus openers than a full-scale festival. All Points West did, however, reach capacity on Saturday thanks to ideal weather and high-profile names like Radiohead, Kings of Leon, Animal Collective, The Roots and Metric.
Radiohead remained at the eye of the storm throughout the weekend, offering a two-hour-plus set on both Friday and Saturday that boasted a unique eco-friendly light show. The group’s performances took on a special meaning since the group last performed at Liberty State Park---which is located directly across the Hudson from the World Trade Center---just days before the September 11 terrorist attacks. While both of Radiohead’s performances relied heavily on material from 2007’s influential In Rainbows, the group’s sets were studies in contrast. Friday night’s show focused on the group’s more somber, introspective and melancholy songs like OK Computer’s “Climbing Up the Walls” and “Pyramid Song,” which was dedicated to "a very hectic city.. for when you're looking for some peace." Other highlights included an energetic reading of "Paranoid Android" from OK Computer and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)," the evening’s only selection from The Bends. Saturday’s performance was decidedly more of an upbeat and rocking, including sing-a-longs like “The Bends,” “Fake Plastic Trees” and a show-closing “Idioteque.” Both shows equally captivated the audience and temporally erased most of the weekend’s other complaints.
Each day the festival also succeeded in offering a diverse mix of performances. Friday’s festivities ranged from Brooklyn indie-rockers Grizzly Bear to Brazilian electro-rock sensations CSS to Canadian collective The New Pornographers. Festival-favorite Michael Franti honored his 21-yeard-old graffiti artist son, while the members Go! Team revealed to Relix/Jambands.com that they planned to begin work on a new album this fall. As is now custom, Girl Talk invited dozens of his fans onstage to dance while he manically jumped through a number of popular mash-ups. Indie-pop idol Duffy, violin-wiz Andrew Bird and seminal electronica group Underworld also fleshed out the day’s offerings.
Saturday’s festivities were equally diverse, running from rising dance-punk stars Chromeo to experimental freak-folk favorites Animal Collective to hip-hop/folk/afro-beat MC K’NAAN. Other highlights included Woodstock-area offspring The Felice Brothers, the Broken Social Scene offshoot Metric (whose singer Emily Haines offered a peace prayer after joking that “she’d rather be a hippie than a hipster”) and The Roots, who nodded to the late Bernie Mac near the end of their particularly jazz set. The Kings of Leon was awarded direct opening duties for Radiohead and used the opportunity to preview material from its forthcoming release Only By The Night. Thom Yorke latter acknowledged the group during Radiohead’s set, joking that he’s be famous if he was “that good looking.”
Sunday’s festivities was on the whole more jam-friendly, though indie-songstress Cat Power, psychedelic-rockers the Secret Machines and singer/songwriter Ben Jelen appealed to a portion of Friday and Saturday’s primary audience. Headliner Jack Johnson also brought along a number of artists from his Brushfire label, including fellow California songwriter Matt Costa, Slowdrive founder Neil Halstead and rising indie-rockers Rogue Wave, the latter of whom ended its set with a brief drum jam that led into “Lake Michigan.” Jackson’s longtime friend Ben Harper offered a penultimate mainstage that that mixed sing-a-longs like “Diamonds on the Inside” with material from 2007’s Lifeline. Though technical difficulties delayed Harper’s show almost 30-minutes, the guitarist avoided a Kanye West debacle by apologizing to the crowd and his crew near the start of his show.
For many, however, the day’s festivities revolved around Trey Anastasio, who offered a performance with keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, drummer Russ Lawton and bassist Tony Markellis as Classic TAB. Like their intimate gig at the Music Hall of Williamsburg appearance Thursday, the four musicians played a clean, energetic, if not overly adventurous set that focused primarily on material from Anastasio’s 1999 trio tour like “First Tube,” “Sand” and “Gotta Jiboo.” In addition, he offered a smattering of solo cuts ranging from “Cayman Review” and “Mr. Completely” to the new, possible Phish song “Alaska.” Before “Drifting,” Anastasio also acknowledged his grandfather who arrived in the United States in 1910 via the nearby Ellis Island. The Trio stretched out especially well on grooves like “Gotta Jiboo” and “Mr. Completely,” helping Anastasio score the weekend’s only non-headliner encores: “Heavy Things” and “Tuesday.”
Jack Johnson closed All Points West with a two-hour performance that blossomed into something of a “friends” performance. A few songs into Johnson’s set, his keyboardist Zach Gill---a founding member of ALO---took the microphone to invite Anastasio, “one of his favorite musicians of all time,” out for a breezy version of "Mudfootball." Soon after, Costa emerged for a take on "Fall Line” that segued into his own “Sunshine,” and Gill later led Johnson’s band through his new solo cut “Family.” The laid-back festival king---whose headliner credits also include Coachella, Bonnaroo, Virgin and Outside Lands this summer along---also ran through favorites like "Bubble Toes," "Flake" and “Banana Pancakes,” along with a number of cuts from this spring’s Sleep Through the Static.
All Points West is slated to return to Liberty State Park in 2009.
John Bell to Sing the National Anthem
Widespread Panic’s John Bell will sing the National Anthem before the Atlanta Braves take on the San Francisco Giants at Atlanta’s Turner Field on August 18. As of press time, Bell is expected to belt out the anthem at 4:35 PM. The Midwest native has previously offered his unique version of the National Anthem before both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox take the field. The group will return to the road next week for a performance at the first annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. In other news, August 10 marked the sixth anniversary of Widespread Panic guitarist Michael Houser’s passing.
8-8-08
The first Trinumeral Music & Arts Festival took place in Miami on January 1, 2001 and has been held each subsequent year on the date in which the day, month, and year align in “an auspicious numeric sameness.” This year’s festivities took place just south of Asheville in Deerfields, NC from August 8-10, featuring jam-friendly headliners like Galactic featuring Boots Riley, Conspirator, Lotus and Midnite, as well as an increasingly rare performance by Particle. In addition, Trinumeral placed particular emphasis on the arts aspect of the festival’s offerings, including live painting during most performances, burlesque shows, belly dancers and the Ariel Arts, who hung, swung and performed from the rafters of the main stage during Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band and Afromotive. Attendees also had access to a pair of swimming holes, while sandcastle artist Billy Jack served as the weekend’s Master of Ceremonies.
Conspirator’s marquee set turned into something of a 3/4th Disco Biscuits performance when drummer Allen Aucoin took the stage with the group for familiar songs like “Orch Theme,” “Caves of the East” and “Oname Wa.” Aucoin was at Trinumeral for a performance under his DrFameus electronica alias. Lane Shaw of Pnuma Trio also took the stage with Conspirator to play drums on “Commercial Amen.” Likewise, String Cheese Incident’s Michael Kang sat in with his longtime bandmates Michael Travis and Jason Hann throughout their entire all-improv EOTO performance.
For many, some of the weekend’s best moments took place on the Ocho Stage, which showed emerging artists. Highlights included a set by the Charlotte group Incognito Mosquito, Miami indie-rockers The Jean-Marie and the bluegrass/metal hybrid The New Familiars. Former Perpetual Groove keyboardist Matt McDonald also returned to perform a solo set on the festival’s mainstage. The festival will likely shift locations for a performance around September 9, 2009
Assembly of Dust’s Stealth Atlanta Gig
Assembly of Dust was scheduled it make its Atlanta debut at the Woodstock City Park on August 2. As previously reported, severe weather left the entire area powerless and, thus, forced the quintet to cancel its long overdue appearance. Realizing that many fans had traveled a great distance for the show, the ever-resourceful band setup at a nearby coffee shop named the Serene Bean. Though the venue was also without power, the group offered a completely unplugged and un-amplified set with Reid Genauer and Adam Terrell on acoustic guitars, bassist John Leccese on bongos, drummer Andy Herrick on a snare and keyboardist Nate Wilson on the coffee shop’s acoustic piano.
The group’s extended set featured a number of familiar tunes, including “Tavern Walker,” The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek,” “Man With a Plan,” “The Honest Hour,” “Comes A Time” and Genauer’s solo takes on “Avenue of the Giants” and “Shame.” Scott Puckett, one of the musicians scheduled to appear at the coffee shop before the power outage, also sat in with the group on both “Friend of the Devil” and “Nine Pound Hammer.” Assembly of Dust will appear at Chicago’s Park West on August 22.
August’s USTORM
The next USTORM Benefit Party will be held at Chicago’s The Dock Street Café at Navy Pier. The event will take place on August 27 featuring two sets of acoustic Jack Straw with special guest Brendan Bayliss. Tickets will be available starting Tuesday, August 12 at Chicago clubs aliveOne and The Tonic Room. Umphrey’s McGee has also confirmed a handful of fall dates in various pockets across the country. Of particular note is the group’s three-night run at New York’s Blender Theater at Gramercy (10/14-16), two-night run at Knoxville, TN’s Bijou Theatre (11/18-19) and tour-closing performances at Washington, DC’s 9:30 Club (11/21-22). As previously reported, Umphrey’s McGee will also appear at Moogfest 2008.
The Tricksters, New Riders and Dark Star Salute Garcia
The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dark Star Orchestra and The Zen Tricksters honored Jerry Garcia on the anniversary of his death Saturday at Hackettstown, NJ’s Mighty High Fest. Mighty High was conceived and produced by good folks at Create a Vibe and featured a number of intriguing collaborations throughout the day. Early in the evening, both New Riders drummer Johnny Markowski and Zen Tricksters drummer Dave Diamond joined Dark Star’s Dino English and Rob Koritz for an extended drum segment.
Later in the evening, current DSO keyboardist, and onetime Tricksters, Rob Barraco sat in with his former bandmates for a few tunes including “New Potato Caboose,” while DSO’s Lisa Mackey sang with The Tricksters on “White Rabbit” and “I'll Be with Thee.” Donna Jean & the Tricksters’ Wendy Lanter, as well as, New Riders guitarist Mike Falzarano and bassist Ron Penque also joined the Tricksters for a few numbers.
The collaborations continued last night in Saranac Lake, NY. While at the Mountain Music Meltdown, The Tricksters brought Barraco and DSO guitarist John Kadlecik out for a choice version of Blind Faith’s “Can't Find My Way Home.” Kadlecik then remained onstage as Mackey emerged for a set-closing take on Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” Donna Jean & the Tricksters will appear at Laurelton, PA’s A Bear's Picnic this weekend, while Dark Star will play Garrettsville, OH’s Nelson Ledges Quarry Park on August 29.
An Evening at Masquerade Music Park
On Saturday, Gov’t Mule headlined an extended evening of music at Atlanta’s Masquerade Music Park. Local favorites Perpetual Groove played first, before Mike Gordon offered a set with his new solo band. In addition to material from his new studio album The Green Sparrow, Gordon covered the Phish favorite “Makisupa Policeman.” Gov’t Mule then offered a full two-set performance that found Gordon and his guitarist Scott Murawski taking the stage for “Sugaree” and Ivan Neville and his Rick Callahan for “Get Out Of My Life Woman.” Murawski is no doubt familiar with the tune thanks to his years in Max Creek and recent gig in Bill Kreutzmann’s new trio.
The evening’s festivities then moved to Masquerade Music Park’s indoor space where Dumpstaphunk and Perpetual Groove’s Brock Butler played late-night shows in neighboring rooms. Brock’s set featured the Disco Biscuits’ Allen Aucoin on drums, as well as a steady stream of guests that included Perpetual Groove bassist Adam Perry and the group’s new keyboardist John Hruby, among others. Meanwhile, Dumpstaphunk invited out Warren Haynes for a run from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” to A3’s “Woke up this Morning” and back again. A night earlier, Neville also sat in with Gov’t Mule at Myrtle Beach, SC’s House Of Blues for a handful of songs, including “Brickyard Blues,” ”Take Me To The River,” “32/20 Blues” and a show-closing “Spanish Moon,” the latter of which also drew in guitarist Ian Neville and special guest Matt Grondin. Gov’t Mule will appear at Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on August 31.
Moogfest 2008
New York’s Moogfest will move from B.B. King’s Blues Club to the larger Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom this fall. The annual event, which honors keyboard visionary Dr. Robert Moog, will take place on October 13 featuring performances by Umphrey’s McGee, Bernie Worrell & Eric McFadden Trio and Prison Shank. The latter group will bring together a number of familiar faces, including Umphrey’s McGee bassist Ryan Stasik, Disco Biscuits keyboardist Aron Magner, New Deal keyboardist Jamie Shields and Duo drummer Joe Russo. A DVD documenting Moogfest 2006 is now also available.
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