It's been a while

I know... I was doing so well then dropped off for a while. I needed a break, and I also fell in love with Twitter. 140 characters is totally more fun and also easy to update. 

But I'll try harder. Of record lately, Weezer & Blink review posting tomorrow. Virgin FreeFest is this weekend, so a review is pending for Monday. 

Also, Eric Church will be at The Grand on September 3rd, tickets are still available. 

Pearl Jam to close the Spectrum

I suppose it's a fitting way for the Spectrum to close before sadly they tear it down. Many acts were to have rumored to close out the old venue, amongst them were The Dead and Neil Young, both of whom I saw. Tickets for Pearl Jams two shows, October 28th, and October 30th, go on sale at comcasttix.com on July 17th at 10 a.m. 

Wilco Tonight!

Wilco is coming back to Wilmington tonight! Check back tomorrow for a full show review. More Bonnaroo to come soon. Speaking of, taking a quote from Jeff Tweedy "If anyone boos us tonight, we know they're just saying 'Bruuuuuuce'." 

Special guest Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band will also be on hand, hopefully giving way to some beautiful notes from Outer South. 

The Belleville Outfit | Cafe Where Appearance

“The only music that hasn’t influenced us is the music we haven’t heard.” ~ Phoebe Hunt, the Belleville Outfit

So I happened upon this band completely by accident, in between looking for shade, while waiting on Wilco to appear. I hadn't planned on making a trip over to Cafe Where until Sunday night to hear the Heavy Pets, however after listening to the Belleville Outfit, I came a bit more often. I was pleasantly inspired by this bands roots of folk, jazz, and even a hint of big band swing. The six person band hailing from Austin includes members: Phoebe Hunt, vocalist, and violin, and incorporates, crafty piano work by Connor Forysth, guitar work by both Marshall Hood and Rob Teter, bass played by Jeff Brown and drums by Jonathan Konya. Vocals are also supported by Marshall, Rob and Jeff. 

Bonnaroo post Set lists

Bonnaroo has been kind enough to do the work for me this year in regards to compiling an easy to navigate page of set lists from anyone who performed. It's going to make reviews a bit easier, as my memory from every show isn't quite as sharp as some, or many for that matter. 

Bonnaroo | Phish

No doubt could I write quite about Phish, and their sets at Bonnaroo. They Played their first one, Friday night, from 11-about 2am, and it was a nice way to kick off a late night. And although I enjoyed that performance, I personally feel their Sunday night closing act of the festival is where all attention should be paid. They were joined at the end of their first set by The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, for "Mustang Sally", "Bobby Jean", and "Glory Days." 

All in all, they played for just over 3.5hrs from about 8:30p to 12:40a with set break around 10:30. I had the sense more than a few fans didn't feel the love for Bruce, but I'll say this, isn't that what Bonnaroo is all about? Music, collaboration and the unexpected? 

It was a treat they played past the 12:00a scheduled stop, after an string of amazing songs in the second set, Farmhouse seemed like a fitting end. Though they treated us, by playing through another five songs, ended with a reprise of "Tweezer." It was the perfect ending to 96 hours, over 150 acts and a long trip of good, new, unexpected music. Enjoy!

Anyways, courtesy of LivePhish.com here's the set list and also a link to purchase the show.

Set One

AC/DC Bag

NICU

Gotta Jibboo

Punch You in the Eye

Sparkle

Bathtub Gin

Character Zero

Tweezer

The Horse

Silent In The Morning

Run Like an Antelope

Mustang Sally

Bobby Jean

Glory Days

Set Two

Rock & Roll

Manchester Jam

Light

46 Days

Limb By Limb

Farmhouse

Backwards Down the Number Line

Prince Caspian

First Tube

Suzy Greenberg

Tweezer Reprise

Where I've Been

I know, it's been a little over a week since the last week and it's rare, especially in the summer I wouldn't have some music related news. Well I've been at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, TN for the last 5 days. I soaked up a good amount of the hot Tennessee sun, a bit of rain and every ounce of music I could fill myself with while indulging a hippie spirt I didn't know existed. 

There's a lot to write about, shows, bands, high points and lows, and will be covered all in good time. A small snapshot who I saw and need to write about: 

Portugal. The Man. 

The Low Anthem

Zac Brown Band

Toubab Krewe

King Sunny Ade

Katzenjammer

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Mike Farris

The Bellevue Outfits

William Whitmore

Gov't Mule

ILO & The Coral Reefer Allstars w/Jimmy Buffett

Moe

NIN

MGMT

Paul Oakenfeld

Snoop Dog

Erayku Badu

Wilco

The Boss

Phish

The Heavy Pets

Well you get the idea, it was a busy 96 hours o say the least. 

Peace, Love & Bonnaroo

MGMT Releases "Kids" Video

MGMT finally has released their video for "Kids" which was written in 2003. It's an interesting mix of live action, animation and a bunch of trippy effects.  Congratulations to Henry Thurlow for his work on the animation in the final 10/15 seconds of the video. Looks great!

Yarn @ The Tin Angel in Philadelphia

Last night may be the best surprise I've had in a long time, I found myself standing in Tin Angel amongst a small crowd of 40 or so, and suddenly I heard "Introducing Yarn". Sweet. Let me preface the review of the show to say I've been slightly addicted to their 2007 release of "Yarn" for the past couple of months. 

It amazes me that a band with such well crafted sound and craftsmanship didn't pack the Tin Angel to back of the bar, let alone a larger venue. You didn't want a chair for the two and half hour set straight through, with a break only long enough to drink a glass or two of whiskey. And who could blame them, what better way is there to compliment the powerful sound coming across from the stage. 

More coming shortly, for the moment back to work.

Wilco's New Album is Streaming

Well here's the link if you want to give it a first listen. 

NYT Article | Freeing a Mentor From His Mythology

Interesting article from the New York Times regarding Steve Earle, his mentor Townes Van Zandt and the new album he's releasing Tuesday covering Townes music. It's a good read and quick.

The Heavy Pets Rock Logan House

It was quite the show for a $5 cover, The Heavy Pets stopped at Kelly's Logan House on Saturday night to a full house upstairs crowd. If you haven't seen them they're like the offspring of perpetual groove and Lotus that grew up with the Disco Biscuits. They have a solid sound and played straight through from 10 p.m to just a little past 1 a.m. No set break needed for this band, just solid jams, cool rhythms mixed with a few tightly woven vocal additions. I'll be sure to add them to my Bonnaroo schedule, which is a nightmare already, but that's another post. 

I don't have the set list for last night yet, but here's a recording of a show on May 3rd for a little sound bite. Enjoy. 

Bonnaroo Band in Wilmington Saturday

The Heavy Pets while on their National tour will be making a stop this Saturday May 9th, at the Logan House prior to heading down to Bonnaroo this year. In addition to the 'roo they'll also be playing other great festivals such as; Wakarusa and Summer Camp. Cover is $5 at the door, show starts at 10pm! 

JJ Grey & Mofro, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe are coming to the Trocadero

It's time to get the funk on at the Trocadero, JJ Grey & Mofro along with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe will playing the intimate venue on May 29th, show starts at 9pm, and tickets are on sale for $24. I saw Karl Denson's show four years ago at the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival followed up by a show at Bonnaroo, and he packs in the funk for a good time. While at Mountain Jam last year during a rainy Saturday afternoon while recovering from a long Friday night I found the sweet sounds of JJ Grey & Mofro, only to come home and immediately buy their album. Can't wait for this show as I sadly have to miss the Jam on the mountain top this year. 

Fleet Foxes | Pre-sale begins today! May 6th

The Fleet Foxes from Seattle will be coming to Philadelphia on July 30th, at the Electric Factory, the ticket pre-sale begins today! Go here. If you can't make it out to see them in Philly, I would strongly suggest heading to All Points West on July 31st, where they will also be making an appearance. In addition you'll spot the National, MSTRKRFT & Ra Ra Riot. 

Here's a clip from the Fleet Foxes performing with Wilco, covering Bob Dylan's "I Shall be Released"

The Dead | Philadelphia

Where to start off is a tough question. So I only made it to one show, Friday which was unbelievable, and have been spending tonight winding my way through Saturday's. Being fairly new to the Dead/Grateful Dead and too young to have ever seen Jerry I was awe inspired with the show. I've seen Bobby, Phil and Warren all separately with their respective bands before during countless festivals, but seeing them all together was a treat. 

Friday they wound us through just under three hours of the early sounds of the Grateful Dead, opening their first set with Playing in the Band, leading into Mississippi Half Step. Other highlights in the first set included Shakedown Street, Hard to Handle, and A Friend of the Devil back into Playing. We made a euphoric lap around the spectrum, trying to find any enjoyment we could in a tall glass of coors light and abounding spinning hippies. 

Coming back into the second set I enjoyed the long winding, funky jam of Alligator > Caution > Drums > Space. They've been pretty reliably in playing Drums > Space, so the addition of to other older funky tunes were a nice addition. Closing out the set was a fantastic version of Sugar Magnolia. To cap the evening, Box of Rain was our encore to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd. 

I have mixed thoughts on missing out on the Saturday show and seeing the shuttering of the Spectrum, to which they closed the building with Sampson and Delilah, and Bobby's vocal "...If I had my way, I would tear this old building down..."

Friday 5/1 | Spectrum Set List

Set 1

Playing In The Band >

Mississippi Half Step >

New Speedway Boogie

Shakedown Street

Duprees Diamond Blues

Hard to Handle

Friend Of The Devil >

Playing Reprise

Set 2

Jack Straw

Alligator >

Caution >

Drums >

Space >

Loose Lucy

Comes a Time > 

Cold Rain & Snow

Sugar Magnolia

Encore

Box of Rain

Dewey Beach Summer Concerts @ Bottle & Cork

The Bottle & Cork has stacked up a superb lineup for the summer of 2009, cheap tickets, beer and a great venue combined with a few great names. You know were you will find me parked this summer. A few of the highlights are Dark Star Orchestra (DSO), Keller Williams, Carbon Leaf, Lez Zepplin & Robert Randolph, however leaving anyone out is a bit of an injustice. 

If I wasn't already seeing Umphrey's McGee & Matisyahu or DSO the following day, I would be at the Lez Zepplin show. It's awesome, I saw them last year at Bonnaroo, a couple of days before Robert Plant would take the stage with Alison Kraus. Just for kicks, here's a clip of Lez Zepplin rocking out to Whole Lotta Love, and they can rock, enjoy.

Here's the complete lineup, tickets can be purchased here.

The Bangles | Friday, May 22, 2009

Carbon Leaf | Friday, May 29, 2009

Pat McGee Band | Friday, June 5, 2009

Citizen Cope | Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Cowboy Mouth/Virginia Coalition | Friday, June 12, 2009

Bruce in the USA | Friday, June 19, 2009

Old 97's | Thursday, June 25, 2009

Lez Zepplin | Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Dark Star Orchestra | Thursday, July 9, 2009

Eric Church | Thursday, July 16, 2009

Robert Randolph & The Family Band | Friday, July 17, 2009

George Clinton & Parliment Funkadelic | Thursday, July 23, 2009

James Otto | Friday, July 24, 2009

Keller Williams | Thursday, August 6, 2009

Umphrey's McGee & Matisyahu to play Electric Factory

Umphrey's Mcgee is headed back again to the Philly region on July 8th, co-headlining a show with Matisyahu at the Electric Factory. Both will play full sets, tickets are $28.50 on sale at Ticketmaster. 

Wilco in Wilmington!

In August when Wilco rocked the Grand Opera House, they promised to return. Who knew that they meant in less than a year they would come back and play another show. This time though at a slightly larger venue, Frawley Stadium, it holds 10,000 people. Tickets will be $35 and go on sale April 24, at either the Grand Opera House Box Office or online.

Ben LeRoy | Live @ the Grand

His show kicked off Friday night a dream 20 years in the making. It was nothing short of grand, set perfectly in Wilmington's Grand Opera House. Ben didn't quite sell out the crowd, however by best guess I would put the venue at about 2/3 full of a 1200 cap. It turns out the ticket proceeds all were donated to Delaware Autism and Light Up The Queen. 

Through two sets in a little under 2 hours, we wound through a mixture of classic covers and new originals. I would best describe his original music as a cross between Peter Gabriel and Cat Stevens, and even a hint of Steve Earle in some sense. Although Ben and his entire cast was musically talented I did feel the show was at times a little over the top. He kicked off his second set with solo violinist joined by a drum line entering from the back of the theatre, until he joined them all on stage with the rest of the band, we're talking like 18 or so people on stage. Directly after the audience was entertained with a pair of professional dancers occupying the typical spot of front row seats and an intricately matched light show.  Entertainment value aside, I prefer to cut right to the music, it's what brought me to the seat in the first place. 

I'll see if I can't find the set list and post that soon, in addition to a few photographs from the night.

Delaware Symphony Covers Led Zeppelin

It's a show that's well traveled, conducted by Brent Havens, accompanied with vocals by Randy Jackson, who although sounded great, looked like a washed up rocker from the 1980's. And frankly that make sense, his claim to fame was "Zebra" released in 1983, that according to his biography sold 75,000 copies in the first week. I only mention him, due to the long crazy hair, slight bald spot and  fashion sense that would have been better left in a closet. Looks aside this tight Zeppelin cover band combined the classic favorites with newly written scores fit for an orchestra. 

Some highlights of the show, was the awe-inspiring drum solo of Powell Randolph during Moby Dick, or ear screeching guitar work of George Cintron. The audience was more than willing to oblige to crowd participation, shouting out lyrics and aaaahhhs at the top of their lungs. Needless to say Jackson worked the crowd, leading up to a standing ovation at the end. Yes, unlike a real hard rock concert, this was better enjoyed from the comforts of your seat. I don't have an actual recording of last night's performance, as it turns out the Delaware Symphony frowns on this.  Here's a clip from a show in Florida:

Umphrey's McGee

So after 11 years of playing, Umphrey's McGee finally stopped off in Wilmington for a show at the Grand Opera House. If you haven't been to the Grand to see a show, you're missing out, it's acoustic euphoria. I last saw UM in a crowd of 35,000 at Bonnaroo, in the hot TN sun, needless to say a 1200 person venue 5 minutes from my house was a welcome change. 

They rocked the house with 2 sets, and an encore, playing for 2.5 hours, here's the set:

Set One

Ocean Billy

Spires

White Man's Moccasins

Morning Song

Last Man Swerving

Words

Ocean Billy Reprise

Set Two

Slacker

Cemetery Walk

Africa

Crazy Fingers

Thin Air

Push the Pig

End of the Road

Much Obliged

Slacker Reprise

Encore

Miss Tinkle's Overture