The last Drive-by Truckers show I saw was their stellar Dirt Underneath performance at Bowery Ballroom (photos here). I was stationed front and center for one of the best concerts I saw all year. They were more powerful, unplugged, than most any other band turned up to eleven.
That was in October. Last Wednesday night the BIG ROCK SHOW returned to New York City and I was psyched.
Patterson Hood
This was my seventh time seeing this band and it is great to see how they have evolved. No longer a three-guitar attack, there is room for John Neff’s pedal steel work, and Spooner Oldham on keyboards. Spooner, in particular, has added so much, making songs I’ve listened to so many times sound fresh. His work on “Hell No I Ain’t Happy,” among others, was just fantastic.
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I was reading through my feeds sometime yesterday when I caught the coverage that JamBase put up on Jam in the ‘Dam ’08, the festival featuring Umphrey’s McGee, Disco Biscuits, Lotus, Tea Leaf Green, and Dark Star Orchestra that just finished up mid-March. It got me all reminiscent of my trip to Jam in the ‘Dam ’06. At any rate, the photos look amazing and I’m sure it was a fun time had by all. I can’t wait to see who they announce for next year’s lineup.
Feel free to ponder that while I get all reminiscent of the past week here on LMB…
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As we briefly mentioned earlier this week, the Disco Biscuits and Umphrey’s McGee announced that they would be heading back to Jamaica in December for a second version of their “Caribbean Holidaze” extravaganza. They’ve now made the announcement official, with an updated website, a list of supporting acts, and all the deets on accommodations:
Caribbean Holidaze 2008 returns to Runaway Bay, Jamaica with
Umphrey’s McGee and the Disco Biscuits December 11th-15th!
Toots & The Maytals, Toubab Krewe, OTT, Mad Professor with the Ariwa Posse, and the Brain Damaged Eggmen!
Visit www.caribbeanholidaze.com today for all of the details. Check out photos from last year’s magical event, scope out what type of room you want and learn how the pre-booking process works. Pre-booking begins this Tuesday, April 1st; make sure to reserve your spot before they’re all gone!
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For my first effort at a Phish Friday, I dug deep into my binders of discs for something from the earlier years.
In the Summer of 1992, Phish was on the cusp of breaking huge. Not yet headlining arena tours around the nation, June saw the band make their first trip to Europe. After taking part in four HORDE shows, they spent the remainder of the summer opening for Carlos Santana.
From this tour, I offer you a tight three song run from their July 25 show at the Stowe Performing Arts Center in Stowe, VT. This closed the set and features Carlos Santana. His unique tone is a fantastic counter-point to Trey. Listen to how he tears up “Llama.” Astounding.
Also featured, on “You Enjoy Myself,” is Santana band percussionists Raul Rekow on congas and Karl Perazzo on tibales. The thick rhythms that they add to Fishman’s drums make this one of my all-time favorite YEMs; the give and take between Trey and Carlos doesn’t hurt either.
I hope you enjoy one of the best parts of one of my favorite shows.
The iconic and all too underrated Steely Dan is embarking on another summer tour that will pass through almost a dozen cities. The highlight of the tour is almost certainly the three night run in New York City’s Beacon Theater.
Steely Dan is a band that has blurred the lines of jazz, rock ‘n roll and R&B for over three decades. Known mainly for their perfection in the studio, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker put together an incredible ensemble for their shows. Some of the best jazz and R&B musicians in the business climb on board for these tours. Who knows — you may be lucky enough to catch a date where Michael McDonald unleashes his unflinchingly soulful voice on your eardrums.
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After the first day at the South by Southwest music fest and seeing 15 bands or so the day before, I was pretty tired and ready to hunker down for Thursday’s music lineup. I knew it was going to be capped off by our crew arriving early to the NPR Music showcase featuring The Whigs, Yo La Tengo, and My Morning Jacket, so all I had to do until then was have a good time conserving my energy and try to catch as much new stuff as possible. Along the way that day, I think I easily accomplished my goals.
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A few months ago, the esteemed Justin Ward and myself were able to catch a really nice Holy Fuck show at Schubas here in Chicago. Now it seems like I may be able to see these guys once more before the summer. Toronto’s electro-rockers are teaming up with the amazingly hip M.I.A. for a handful of dates in late April and some in early May and June. Hopefully this time the temperature won’t be floating near zero.
M.I.A. and Holy Fuck Tour Dates:
04/25-27 Indio, CA – Coachella
04/28 San Diego, CA – 4th and B
05/01 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
05/02 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
05/05 Nashville, TN – City Hall
05/06 Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
05/08 Detroit, MI – Fillmore
05/09 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
06/02 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy
06/02 Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
06/06 Brooklyn, NY – McCarren Park Pool
Read on for their separate tour dates…
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We’re going to continue our festival catch-up fest here at LMB and keep on posting some staples that we’ve been neglecting. What better way to continue the fun than to post about moe’s annual Midwestern party, Summer Camp. The band will be returning to good ol’ Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL on May 23 – 25 with a festival lineup featuring some interesting additions (New Pornos, the Roots, Blind Melon), plenty of old-standbys (Umphrey’s, TLG), along with three nights of moe. Lineup highlights include:
moe. (3 days!)
Umphrey’s McGee (2 days!)
The Flaming Lips
The Roots
O.A.R.
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
G. Love & Special Sauce
The New Pornographers
Girl Talk
Tea Leaf Green
Clutch
Blind Melon
The Avett Brothers
Hot Buttered Rum
The Lee Boys
(full lineup after the jump)
Man, three days of moe. and two of Umphrey’s McGee makes me say “Oh my guitar!” Of course, Summer Camp’s always got that slant towards bands of the jammier variety. But this is a pretty interesting lineup for a festival so steeped in the jam-rock standards and Midwestern bands. I like seeing bands like New Pornographers continuing to hit the festival stages to show the jam kids how fuckin’ great a succinct and well-written rock song can sound. The guitar wankfest will surely dominate, but this Camp shows promise. And hey, for some reason those Chuck and Al solos do seem to fit nicely with the humid heat of the Midwestern summer and a nice cold brew….so it all works for me.
So what do all you guys think? Anyone hitting this?
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