On Saturday night I met a friend and headed to dinner at Coda in anticipation of the set by Skerik and Radioactive dubbed Skerdio. We witnessed some serious music that night, with the show beginning quickly as a showcase of natural musical talent and supplemented electronics to create a full sound worthy of a stage any size. The real highlights came when the masters relied only on natural instinct to create their music, and there’s nothing quite like a saxophone / beatbox duel when it really comes down it. What an amazing show.

Related posts:

• Tea Leaf Green, Coda, and The Future
• moe. Trio at the Coda (Again)

Starting tonight (Tues 3/2), Soulive will be playing a series of ten shows over the next two weeks at Brooklyn Bowl for a residency that’s been billed as “Bowlive.” Each night, they’ll be featuring a different special guest (or guests) to join them on-stage. Their list of musical guests so far includes Vernon Reid (of Living Colour), Sam Kinniger and Tash Neal (London Souls), Oteil Burbridge and Kofi Burbridge, Marco Benevento, and DJ logic, with more TBA.

I’ve got a special spot in my heart for Soulive, as I first caught them back in 1999 at the tiny Haunt in Ithaca, NY (RIP). It’s hard to believe it has been over 10 years since I first danced my butt off to songs like “Steppin,” “Turn it Out,” and “Doin’ Something.” I have fond memories of leaving that tiny sweatbox of a venue completely exhausted from dancing so hard. So it’s cool to see that these guys are still touring hard and crankin’ out more of the same soulful jazzy-funk that earned them a nice base of fans and a spot on Blue Note’s roster for a time.

Soulive’s 10-Night Brooklyn Bowl Residency with Special Guests:

Tues 3/2 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
Wed 3/3 Raul Midon
Thurs 3/4 Ryan Zoidis & Sam Kininger & Christian Scott
Fri 3/5 Sam Kininger and Tash Neal (London Souls)
Sat 3/6 TBA
Tues 3/9 Charlie Hunter
Wed 3/10 Oteil Burbridge and Kofi Burbridge
Thurs 3/11 ?uestlove & Rhazel
Fri 3/12 Marco Benevento
Sat 3/13 DJ Logic

Tickets are $10 for weeknight shows and $12.50 for weekends.

Related posts:

• Soulive @ Brooklyn Bowl, 3/9/10: Photo & Video Round-up
• Tonight: Benevento/Russo Duo Begin Mojito Residency
• The Disco Biscuits Add EP Release Party at Brooklyn Bowl

The 2010 Backbeat Jazzfest Series has announced their lineup of shows for this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The series will run from April 23 through May 1 at Tipitina’s French Quarter and The Blue Nile, featuring the likes of George Porter Jr., Marco Benevento, The Slip, Soulive, Toubabe Krewe, Trombone Shorty, as well as a Jimi Hendrix tribute with Will Bernard, Nigel Hall, Scott Metzger, Ron Johnson, and Eric Bolivar.

Backbeat Jazzfest Series 2010:

4/23 – Marco Benevento & Friends Feat. Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood) @ Tipitina’s French Quarter – 10PM

4/23 – George Porter Jr & Runnin Pardners @ Tipitina’s French Quarter – 2AM

4/24 – Anders Osborne / Eric Lindell @ Tipitina’s French Quarter – 10PM

4/24 – The Slip / Surprise Me Mr. Davis / Marco Benevento Trio @ Tipitina’s French Quarter – 2AM

4/25 – Tim Reynolds & TR3 With Special Guests @ Tipitina’s French Quarter – 9PM

4/29 – Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Dr. Gonzeaux @ Blue Nile – 10PM

4/30 – Tab Benoit & Friends @ Tipitina’s French Quarter – 10PM

4/30 – Big Sam’s Funky Nation @ Blue Nile – 10PM

4/30 – Some Cat From Japan: Music Inspired By Jimi Hendrix
(w/ Will Bernard, Nigel Hall, Scott Metzger, Ron Johnson, Eric Bolivar) @ Tipitina’s French Quarter Upstairs – 2AM

4/30 – Soulive @ Blue Nile – 2AM

5/1 – Soulive @ Blue Nile – 10PM

5/1 – Toubab Krewe @ Blue Nile – 2AM

Between this and the Superfly Jazz Fest series, there’s definitely no shortage of great nighttime options at this year’s NOLA Jazz fest.

Related posts:

• JazzFest Preview | Le Bon Temps Roule
• 2010 Superfly during Jazzfest Concert Series
• JazzFest Preview | Le Bon Temps Continue

Brothers Past stopped through Brooklyn Bowl last night in near-blizzard conditions for a solid show featuring some of their newer material and a lot of dancey electronic improv. I actually got a chance to chat with guitarist Tom Hamilton and bassist Clay Parnell before the show, so I’ll have more on that in a few days. For now, here’s a quick wrap-up of the show with setlist, photos and a video clip of their newer tune “Who’s Gonna Love me Now.”

Setlist:
Brothers Past
Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Feb 25, 2010
(Jounce opened the show)

Set I:
State Police >
Charity Starts at Home
Who’s Gonna Love Me Now
Heroes >
The Mirror >
Celebrity

Set II:
Bitches & Candy
Year of the Horse >
Getaway Somehow >
Year of the Horse
Simple Gift of Man

Photos:

Full Flickr Photo Set

Video:

Brothers Past – 2.25.10 – “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now” (clip) [YouTube]

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• Preview: Brothers Past at Brooklyn Bowl
• Soulive @ Brooklyn Bowl, 3/9/10: Photo & Video Round-up
• Brothers Past Photos, Download | Summer Camp 2006

Brothers Past – The Ceiling Part 2 – Bowery Ballroom – 9-26-09 [YouTube]

Despite the snowy evening forecast here in NYC, I am hoping to head on over to Williamsburg to catch Brothers Past at Brooklyn Bowl. I was pretty impressed with BP’s last NYC show at the Bowery. As you can see from this video above, it was quite the rager, so I’m hoping for good things this evening.

As a bit of a fan-friendly gesture to fans that have made — or are willing to make — the long trip through the snow for the tonight’s show, the band just sent out this update:

Tonight’s show at BK BOWL is FREE if you can prove you traveled there from the Philly area or beyond. Show your train ticket, bus ticket, turnpike receipt and you will be granted free admittance to the show.

Good stuff. Let’s hope BP once again brings the heat to the Big Apple. After all, now they’ve got Williamsburg hipsters to impress.

Related posts:

• Brothers Past @ Brooklyn Bowl, 2/25/10: Setlist, Photos, Video
• Preview: Brothers Past at Bowery Ballroom Tomorrow
• Downloads: Brothers Past at Bowery Ballroom Soundboard

Radiohead’s frontman Thom Yorke has announced today that he’ll take his previously unnamed supergroup on a short Spring tour in April, including a stop at Coachella. The band, which includes Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, is now called Atoms For Peace.

Atoms For Peace 2010 Spring Tour Dates:
April 5 & 6: New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom w/ Flying Lotus
April 8: Boston, MA – Citi Wang Theatre w/ Flying Lotus
April 10, 11: Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom w/ Flying Lotus
April 14, 15: Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre w/ Flying Lotus
April 17: Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl w/ Flying Lotus
April 18: Indio, CA – Coachella

Ticket on-sales start on Tues, March 2 and continue throughout the week.

Related posts:

• Thom Yorke Announces New Solo Band and Two Nights in LA
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It’s not often that we get approached to be a ‘breaking news’ sort of music news vehicle, so whenever I get the chance to promote something that is pretty unique for the audience I like to try and put the word out. And thanks to my T-Mobile® myTouch™ 3G Fender™ Limited Edition sponsors, I have it on authority that the band Deer Tick is going to be playing a “secret” (though not anymore) show in San Francisco on Wed, 3/3 at the Independent, which is ahead of their already scheduled return to San Francisco with Dr. Dog in April. For fans of the band that want to see this here Deer Tick show, you better get in line…the show will be free on a first-come, first-serve basis and it’s going to be a good one.

If you’re down with going to the show, you should email this address first to let them know you’re coming. They may add you to some mailing list or something, or they may just give you all tickets if you in the group that’s smaller than the allotted amount of tickets going out the door. I’m not sure either way, so buyer beware on that front. I’ll be at the show with friends and I’ll be making this my first opportunity to see this band in their native setting before opening up for Dr. Dog at Great American Music Hall in April; I’ve already got my tickets to that one.

Who’s going to try and make it out for this? Let me know so we can chill at the show…

Related posts:

• Video: Live Deer Tick Set From Austin City Limits Festival
• Now Playing — The Secret Machines’ New Single
• Now Playing: Secret Machines Again

Photo © Pete Merriman

Last night was the third time I’ve gotten to see Medeski, Martin & Wood since I’ve relocated myself to the Bay Area, and my friends and I left the venue in awe of an unbelievably confident band that seems to get tighter and tighter every day they continue to play together. In the past, I remember I actually thinking that these guys were boring at times and couldn’t get their act together to find a groove, but those past few shows have been nothing but concise and directed. I wasn’t bored for a second last night.

At any rate, the band continues on tour up the West Coast this week, then they go to Japan in April ahead of a sure-to-be-busy summer with dates already booked at Red Rocks (supporting John Butler Trio) and Bonnaroo. I’m really hoping there’s still time to add them to the High Sierra lineup…

Related posts:

• Podcast #067: Medeski, Martin & Wood @ The Fillmore
• Medeski, Martin & Wood | New MP3, 2008 Tour Dates
• medeski, martin and wood on carson daly

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB hit NYC’s Terminal 5 on Tuesday night for a high-energy show that featured a seriously reinvigorated Big Red. Read on for my review and round-up of photos, videos, and downloads…

TAB has always been a forum for Trey to tool around with various solos and effects pedal pyrotechnics, so there were certainly moments of long-winded guitar wizardry throughout the band’s three-hour plus workout. But I was surprised at how well this version of TAB really gelled as a cohesive unit. Compared to previous versions of TAB, the latest iteration is much more of a true collective than just a backdrop for Anastasio to unleash the guitar hounds. Throughout the night, Trey nicely allowed the other players to shine. The biggest standout to me was Jennifer Hartswick, who not only showed off some killer trumpet chops but also tore up the vocals on a raucous cover of Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” Natalie Cressman (on trombone) is the newest and youngest addition to TAB. She really nailed a few key solo sections, and at one point, got a nice shout-out from Trey who pointed out that she’s the band’s first second-generation member (daughter of former TAB trombonist, Jeff Cressman). It’s hard to believe she’s only 18 years old; she’s got some serious chops.

Mozambique- Trey Anastasio Band- Terminal 5 – 2/16/10 [YouTube]

Overall, I was also struck by the sheer funkiness of Trey’s interplay with keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, a key highlight on a number of the longer improv-oriented tunes like “Gotta Jiboo,” “Nights Speaks to a Woman,” and “Sand.” For these longer jam vehicles, the horn section would exit the stage and let the quartet play around with the funk for some nice, long stretches.

Trey Anastasio Band – 2.16.10 – “Last Tube jam” [YouTube]

Another one of my first set highlights was the outro for the new tune “Liquid Time.” I don’t love the lyrical sections of this tune, but something about the major key tone and simple melody lines in the outro really caught my ear. I could see Phish stretching out the end of this song into some cool territory.

Of course, the night wasn’t all big-band TAB. Towards the end of the first set, Trey performed a solo acoustic section where he let loose on some classic Phish tunes in stripped-down, “unplugged” format. With the looseness, the intimacy and the audience interplay, the acoustic section felt almost like a campfire sing-along. It was clear the man was having a blast and really taking in the energy of the Terminal 5 crowd.

Set II kicked off with a killer version of “Sand,” and the energy didn’t let up until the mellower “Show of Life.” But the second set was definitely dominated by the two big cover tunes, “Sultans of Swing” (Dire Straits) and “Black Dog” (Zeppelin). For the second solo section in “Sultans,” Trey stepped aside to let his horn section take the lead, and they nailed pretty much every one of Mark Knopfler’s memorable notes and worked the crowd into a frenzy.

Trey Anastasio Band – 2.16.10 – “Sultans of Swing solo” [YouTube]

After the sultry funk and soul of “Ether Sunday,” they then launched into a blistering “Black Dog” with Jennifer Hartswick belting out the vocals and the crowd eating up each and every howl.

Trey Anastasio Band – 2.16.10 – “Black Dog” [YouTube]

After a powerful second set, they finished off the show with a nice two-song punch of an encore. First up was the band’s take on Phish’s jazz rarity “Magilla,” which they turned it into a true jazz tune by making full use of all the horns. And after Trey did a round of band intros, they tore into a fiery “First Tube” to close out the night with a serious bang.

USA Trey[YouTube]

Overall, I didn’t really have high expectations going into this show, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I think the most significant part of the show was seeing how much Trey has been re-energized as a guitar player. His playing was spot-on with nary a flub, and he played with an intensity and focus that I just haven’t seen in a while. It makes me really excited for what happens when he takes this freshness back to Phish this summer.

View Flickr Photo Set

Downloads:
FLAC Bitorrent via etree
Mp3s via Mediafire

Setlist:
Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB 2/16/10 @ Terminal 5, NYC
Set One:
Shine
Cayman Review
Push On ‘Til the Day
Alaska
Mozambique
Gotta Jibboo
All That Almost Was
Drifting
Liquid Time
The Birdwatcher
Night Speaks to a Woman
Tuesday
Brian and Robert*
Strange Design*
Sample in a Jar*
Chalkdust Torture*
Wilson*

Set Two:
Sand
Alive Again
Last Tube>
Show of Life
Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits cover)
Ether Sunday
Black Dog (Led Zeppelin cover)

Encore:
Magilla
First Tube

*=solo acoustic

Related posts:

• Setlist: Trey Anastasio Band @ Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
• Trey Anastasio Band at Jefferson Theatre 2/8/10: Video, Photos, Setlist and Download
• Downloads: Trey Anastasio Band 2010 Tour

Superfly Productions has announced its annual “Superfly during Jazzfest Concert Series” for 2010’s New Orleans Jazz Festival. The series will include shows by Galactic, Greyboy Allstars Les Claypool, the North Mississippi Allstars, and a special Gov’t Mule show at the recently-renovated and reopened Mahalia Jackson Theatre in New Orleans.

2010 Superfly during Jazzfest Concert Series:

Gov’t Mule
w/ 7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann & Papa Mali
Friday, April 30
Mahalia Jackson Theatre
Tickets $35
Pre-sale tickets go onsale Friday, Feb 12 via Mule Ticketing.

Jazzfest 2010 Riverboat shows aboard the Riverboat Creole Queen:
Galactic w/ Kirk Joseph’s 504 Brass Band
Saturday, April 24
Riverboat Creole Queen
Tickets $45

Les Claypool w/ Kirk Joseph’s 504 Brass Band
Sunday, April 25
Riverboat Creole Queen
Tickets $45

North Mississippi Allstars w/ Kirk Joseph’s 504 Brass Band
Friday, April 30
Riverboat Creole Queen
$40

Greyboy Allstars w/ Kirk Joseph’s 504 Brass Band
Saturday, May 1
Riverboat Creole Queen
Tickets $40

Tickets for the Riverboat shows go on sale on Saturday, Feb 13 at 12 PM ET. Visit superflypresents.com for more information.

Related posts:

• Superfly Announces Jazzfest 2007 Info
• Backbeat Jazzfest Concert Series: Marco Benevento, The Slip, Soulive, Toubabe Krewe, Trombone Shorty
• Jazzfest 2007 Webcast Schedule