RSS Feed     Twitter     Facebook

Posts Tagged ‘John Mellencamp’

New Orleans JazzFest: Arcade Fire, Boni Jovi, Buffet, Wilco

Arcade
Fire



Bon Jovi



Jimmy Buffett



Kid Rock



John Mellencamp



Wilco



Robert Plant



Ms. Lauryn Hill



Willie Nelson



The Strokes



John Legend



The Roots

Arcade Fire, Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Sonny Rollins, Kid Rock,
John Mellencamp, Wilco, Robert Plant, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Willie Nelson,
The Strokes, John Legend & The Roots To Join Hundreds of Louisiana Greats at 2011 Jazz Fest in New Orleans

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival today announced the music lineup for the
2011 Festival scheduled for April 29 – May 1 and May 5 – 8. With twelve stages of virtually every style of roots music,
Jazz Fest presents one of the entertainment world’s most diverse music lineups, including its unparalleled showcase
of Louisiana’s unique culture. Hundreds of thousands of fans annually flock to the seven-day event that has been
called America’s best festival.

Arcade Fire, Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Kid Rock, John Mellencamp, Wilco, Willie Nelson, The Strokes, Robert Plant, Ms.
Lauryn Hill, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Sonny Rollins, John Legend & The Roots, The Avett Brothers, Cyndi Lauper, Wyclef
Jean, Mumford & Sons, Alejandro Sanz, Jason Mraz, Maze feat. Frankie Beverly, Lupe Fiasco, Arlo Guthrie, Jamey
Johnson, Fantasia, Kenny G, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Decemberists, Gregg Allman Blues Band, Vickie Winans,
Lucinda Williams, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Robert Cray, Bobby Blue Bland, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Edie
Brickell, Keb’ Mo’, Rance Allen, Ahmad Jamal, Fourplay, Ricky Skaggs, Amos Lee, Jesse Winchester, Michelle Shocked,
Tabou Combo, RAM, and Boukman Eksperyans of Haiti, Punch Brothers, Ron Carter Trio, Fisk Jubilee Singers, Ivan
Lins, Charlie Musselwhite, Maceo Parker with guest Pee Wee Ellis and more are all among the national and
international guest artists scheduled to appear at the 42nd edition of the Jazz Fest.

Hundreds of Louisiana artists, the heart and soul of the Festival, are scheduled to appear, such as: Trombone Shorty
& Orleans Avenue, The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Mystikal, Pete Fountain, Kermit
Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Better Than Ezra, Rebirth Brass Band, Galactic, Tab Benoit, The Radiators, Cowboy
Mouth, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Marcia Ball, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ellis Marsalis, Walter “Wolfman”
Washington, Sonny Landreth, Henry Butler, Papa Grows Funk, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, John Boutte, Terence
Blanchard, Amanda Shaw, The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Jon Cleary, Partners N Crime with 5th Ward Weebie, Soul
Rebels Brass Band, Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste, Glen David Andrews, Anders Osborne, Buckwheat Zydeco, George
Porter, Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Big Freedia & Sissy Nobby, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty
Notes, MyNameIsJohnMichael, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, Zachary Richard, Warren Storm – Willie Tee
& Cypress, Honey Island Swamp Band, Bonerama, John Mooney & Bluesiana, Nicholas Payton, Irvin Mayfield & the New
Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Jeremy Davenport, Deacon John, Donald Harrison, Astral Project, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
& the Golden Eagles, Banu Gibson, Shamarr Allen, Pine Leaf Boys, Mia Borders, Hot 8, Mahogany, New Birth &
Pinstripe Brass Bands, Roots of Music Marching Crusaders Band, The Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians plus many
more.

Quint Davis, producer/director of Jazz Fest said, “The 2011 Jazz Fest lineup will deliver an unprecedented balance of
the traditional and the contemporary, in all of the many music categories the Festival presents: from Bon Jovi, Sonny
Rollins and Arcade Fire to Jimmy Buffett, Kid Rock, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson to Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Strokes
and Robert Plant and on and on, along with the unending list of New Orleans super talents. This lineup reminds us
that the artists we grew up with are now the icons of today, and that today’s new heroes are tomorrow’s heritage.
We’re honored to be able to once again celebrate the soul of America as only New Orleans and the Jazz Fest can.”

The 2011 Festival will also host the largest celebration of Haitian culture in the U.S. since the devastating earthquake
one year ago. New Orleans and Haiti have shared a deep cultural connection for over three hundred years and many
of the local traditions and customs owe their roots to this complex Caribbean country. The Jazz Fest is proud and
honored to host the icons of Haitian music and culture including Wyclef Jean, Tabou Combo, RAM, Boukman
Eksperyans, Emeline Michel, Djakout #1, DJA-Rara and Ti-Coca & Wanga Negès. The many cultural connections will
be illustrated throughout all aspects of this year’s Festival. Some highlights include traditional Vodou drumming
performances, folk crafts demonstrations led by visiting master artisans and rara band DJA-Rara parading
throughout the Fair Grounds. With the support of the Green Family Foundation, the program will also include a
series of scholar-led panel discussions entitled Haiti & New Orleans: Cultural Crossroads as well as a listening station
featuring excerpts from the Grammy nominated recordings of Dr. Alan Lomax made in Haiti for the Library of
Congress in 1936-1937.

Tickets for the Festival, which takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course, went on sale today. A limited number of
discount ticket packages including tickets to each day of a particular weekend of the Festival will be offered. Ticket
packages purchased for all three days of the first weekend (April 29, 30 & May 1) will be $120 ($40 per day), while
second weekend packages purchased for all four festival days (May 5, 6, 7, & 8) will be $160 ($40 per day). (Tickets
included in each package are day-specific.) Advance single day Jazz Fest tickets are only $45; the gate price is $60.
Children’s tickets (ages 2 – 10) are still only $5 and are available at the gate only. Single day tickets to Jazz Fest are
on sale by specific weekend, with each ticket valid for a single day’s attendance.


Tickets are available at www.nojazzfest.com and www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by
calling (800)
745-3000. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Jazz Fest ticket office located at the New Orleans Arena Box
Office. All Jazz Fest tickets are subject to additional service fees and handling charges.


John Mellencamp Flips Out On National Enquirer: “I’ll Whip Your @$s!”

Um — remind us never to inquire about John Mellencamp’s love life. Especially not in a call to his private cellphone. The chain-smoking classic rocker — remembered for his ’70s and ’80s hits, such as “Pink Houses,” “Jack & Diane,” and “Hurts So Good” — stepped out with new galpal Meg Ryan last week, just [...]

John Mellencamp Meg Ryan Dating

Hot On the Web Right Now: Eighties rocker John Mellencamp is dating When Harry Met Sally actress Meg Ryan. Interesting, considering John only announced his separation from wife of 18 years, Elaine, on New Year’s Eve. Meg, 49, has been spotted enjoying Mellencamp’s company on Martha’s Vineyard and in New York City in recent days, [...]

John Mellencamp & Wife Split

Rocker John Mellencamp and his wife are throwing in the towel after 20 years of marriage. In a post-holiday week that has seen the announcements of several celebrity engagements — including those of Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Hugh Hefner, and LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian — Mellencamp and his wife Elaine have decided to do [...]

T Bone Burnett: The Speaking Clock Revue

MULTI-ARTIST EXTRAVAGANZA FEATURING ELTON JOHN, LEON RUSSELL,
JOHN MELLENCAMP,
ELVIS
COSTELLO, GREG ALLMAN, AND OTHERS


T Bone Burnett

T Bone Burnett will
premiere The Speaking Clock Revue – a multi-artist concert extravaganza – on October 16 at the Wang
Center in Boston and October 20 at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Both evenings of the Revue will feature
performances by Elton John & Leon Russell, John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello, Gregg Allman, Ralph Stanley, Jeff Bridges, Punch Brothers, Karen Elson, and newcomers The Secret Sisters. In addition, Neko Case and Jim James from My Morning Jacket will join the lineup in
Boston and New York respectively.

The concerts will be presented in a revue format with a house band consisting of the players featured on numerous
Burnett-produced recordings. Tickets for The Speaking Clock Revue will go on sale Monday, September 27 at noon,
through Ticketmaster.

T Bone Burnett
Tour Dates

::
T Bone Burnett News
::
T Bone Burnett
Concert
Reviews


John Mellencamp: “The Internet Is Dangerous & Destructive!”

Prince isn’t the only music legend chanting “Down With The Web!” Rock star John Mellencamp believes the Internet is one of the most destructive forces ever created.Speaking at a public seminar at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles Tuesday night, Mellencamp told fans: “I think the Internet is the most dangerous thing invented since [...]

Farm Aid 25 Full Lineup

WILLIE NELSON; NEIL YOUNG; JOHN MELLENCAMP; DAVE MATTHEWS; KENNY CHESNEY; AND
MORE


Willie Nelson

Farm Aid board members Willie
Nelson
, Neil Young, John Mellencamp
and Dave Matthews will be
performing at Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday,
October 2. The full lineup is below.

Willie Nelson

Neil Young

John Mellencamp
Dave Matthews
Kenny Chesney
Norah Jones
Jason Mraz

Jeff Tweedy
Band of Horses

The BoDeans
Amos Lee

Robert Francis

Please sign up for updates for the latest concert news and action
alerts from Farm Aid.


John Mellencamp: Tour Dates

TICKETS ON SALE BEGINNING SATURDAY AUGUST 14


John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp and his band are set to embark on the first leg of the “No Better Than This” Tour in late October following the August 17 release of his Rounder Records debut album, No Better Than This.

The tour, anticipated to continue through the spring of 2011, will kick off on October 29th in Bloomington, IN, where Mellencamp and his family make their home. It continues for four weeks bringing Mellencamp, his band and music to audiences in Nashville, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and three additional Indiana markets of South Bend, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis with further tour dates pending.

Fans should to log on to www.mellencamp.com for the most up-to-date concert and ticket on-sale information.

TOUR DATES:

October

29 Bloomington, IN Indiana University Auditorium

November

1 Cincinnati, OH Music Hall

3 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium

5 Kansas City, MO The Midland by AMC

6 St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre

8 Indianapolis, IN Clowes Memorial Hall

11 Indianapolis, IN Hinkle Fieldhouse

13 South Bend, IN Morris Performing Arts Center

16 Fort Wayne, IN Embassy Theatre

17 Cleveland, OH Palace Theatre

19 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre

20 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Hall*

22-23 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre

26-27 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre**


Tickets on sale Saturday, August 14 at 10 AM except as noted.

*Tickets on sale Friday, August 20 at 10 AM

**Tickets on sale Friday, August 27 at 10 AM

John Mellencamp
Tour Dates

::
John Mellencamp News ::
John Mellencamp
Concert
Reviews


Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America

OCTOBER 2 AT MILLER PARK IN MILWAUKEE


Willie Nelson

Farm Aid took to the field yesterday to reveal details about its 25th anniversary benefit concert, scheduled
for Oct. 2 at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Farm Aid founders Willie
Nelson
and John
Mellencamp
joined executive director Carolyn Mugar by webcast at an on-field news conference at the
home of the Milwaukee Brewers to reveal details about the all-day music festival that will mark their 25th year.

Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America will feature Nelson, Mellencamp, and fellow Farm Aid board members
Neil Young and Dave Matthews, with other top
artists to be announced. The show will be broadcast live on DirecTV.

Tickets for Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America will go on sale Saturday, August 14, at 9 a.m. CDT and
are available at the Brewers box office, by phone at (414) 902-4000 or online at www.tickets.com. Ticket prices range from $39.50 to $97.50, including facility
fee.

Farm Aid will offer special advance sale tickets to Farm Aid members beginning Friday, August 6. To become a Farm
Aid member, visit www.farmaid.org.


Bobby Long | 03.15 | NYC

By: Ryan Dembinsky

Bobby Long :: 03.15.10 :: Mercury Lounge :: New York, NY

Bobby Long by: Lisa Serrano

In this uncharted realm of so-called new media – you know, the one that flipped the music industry on its head and continues to shake it by its very ankles until every last bit of loose change spills out of its pockets – there now exists a slew of ways to judge the snowballing momentum of a rising star. You can count hits on a MySpace page, fans on Facebook, views on YouTube, links on blogs, downloads on iTunes, Tweets, re-Tweets, and more. But there’s still one failsafe method that speaks volumes above and beyond any digital metrics for monitoring the growth and staying power of a new talent: Can they fill a venue on a Monday night in the rain?

In his latest unlucky streak of stormy visits to the Big Apple, the U.K.’s Bobby Long packed the Mercury Lounge to the gills on a dreary, stormy Monday and served a perfect supplement for the Day of Moon blues with his heart-achingly stripped-down songwriter fare with a finger-picking country bent and sung with a beckoning English accent.

I suspect few jam fans know much about Bobby Long as he does not fall neatly within those borders, but for anyone who cares to hear a captivating vocalist in the vein of Ralph McTell, Kris Kristofferson, or perhaps even a British John Mellencamp, give him a listen.

Over the course of this hour-and-change set, Long tested out new material, including “A Winter Tale,” “I Give Her Love,” “A Stranger Song” and “Hide Yours,” while working in old standbys like the popular “Bounty of Mary Jane” and “In the Frost,” all performed with great solemnity. Highlights included the introduction of a new arrangement of “Penance Fire Blues,” which built into a nice crescendo, as well as the rousing beauty of “Two Tone Lover.”

Bobby Long by: Lisa Serrano

Between numbers, he kept it light, joking before delving into “Who Have You Been Loving” that “this one’s for Tiger Woods.” Furthermore, he showed a generally increased comfort level and ease in his stage presence, taking the audience on entertaining anecdotal tangents, such as an endearing story of his grandfather’s time spent serving as a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot.

Since his last visit to New York City, when he held court at the also jammed Bitter End in September, Long seems to have also improved markedly in his finger-style guitar playing. The majority of the catalog builds off relatively simplistic chord progressions, but he shows a remarkable knack for adding color via accent notes with his unorthodox two-fingered picking attack and construction of fuller, brighter chords than the standard singer-songwriter fare. Notably, he walks the line between country blues and the more uplifting traditional I-IV-V type structures, while taking the crowd energy through high peaks of heavy strumming howls and low valleys of quiet, whispered picking.

Interestingly, while no shortage exists of catchier singer-songwriters in the genre, Bobby Long possesses a rabid fan base, once comprised largely of females but the male portion continues to grow fast. This is surely due, at least in part, to his distancing, finally, from an earlier licensing success as he had a song placement in some movie that we’re not going to mention – it’s time to let it go. Still, the fans get it. They follow all the new material intently, sing-along with most every tune, and soak up even the most obscure cover choices.

There is something genuine and invigorating about catching a young musician in such a sweet spot, the point where the close knit, accessible feeling still exists but you truly feel that momentum building. Bobby Long currently sits comfortably on that perch. With his first proper LP due to drop later this summer and the rooms quickly growing, the chances for quiet, standing-room-only Mondays are likely fleeting. But look on the bright side; so is the rain.

Bobby Long :: 03.15.10 :: Mercury Lounge :: New York, NY

A Winter Tale, I Give Her Love, The Bounty of Mary Jane, In the Frost, A Stranger Song, Who Have You Been Loving, Penance Fire Blues, Hide Yours, and I’ll Hide Mine, Dead and Done, Two Tone Lover, Two Years Old

Bobby Long Tour Dates :: Bobby Long News :: Bobby Long Concert Reviews

JamBase | Longing
Go See Live Music!


Kendra Wilkinson Senate Run?

Is Washington ready for a former Playboy Bunny? Rocker John Mellencamp isn’t just one celeb possibly his hat into the ring for Evan Bayh’s Indiana Senate seat.
There’s a grassroots movement building that’s urging former “Girls Next Door” Kendra Wilkinson to run to replace Bayh, who announced this week that he will not seek reelection [...]

John Mellencamp For Senate?

Now that Indiana Senator Evan Bayh has announced plans to vacant his Senate seat, native son singer John Cougar Mellencamp seems the natural choice to replace him. Over 1,000 people have joined “Draft John Mellencamp for Senate” on Facebook in a bid to encourage the rocker to make a run for office. Mellencamp, an outspoken [...]

Evening Crunch Crumbs: “Pants On The Ground” Singer Honored By State Of Georgia; John Mellancamp For Senate; Sade Tops Billboard For First Time Since 1986

-Have you heard about JustDontWifeHer.com? It’s a new resource that allows bitter sad sacks to stick it to their “golddigging” exes without ever leaving the sofa. Why waste your time? Kinda gives new meaning to the phrase “Move on, Buddy!”
-Complex: The 10 Hottest Taiwanese Women…..
-This is why low-rise pants should be worn with long tops….
-Speaking [...]

Blind Boys of Alabama & Bob Dylan To Play White House Concert

BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, BOB DYLAN, JOHN LEGEND & MORE

TO PERFORM AT WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESIDENT AND MRS. OBAMA

Blind Boys of Alabama

Blind Boys of Alabama have been invited to perform at a special concert at the White House on February 10. In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music From the Civil Rights Movement will be held in the State Dining Room, and is timed to celebrate Black History Month.

The Blind Boys will join hosts President and Mrs. Obama as well as music superstars Bob Dylan, John Legend, Seal, Jennifer Hudson, John Mellencamp, Natalie Cole and Smokey Robinson on the bill. Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah will emcee the entire event.

The concert will be the White House’s first music event of 2010, and is the latest in a music series started last year by Michelle Obama. It will be streamed live online at Whitehouse.gov and broadcast on PBS on February 11.

The event is a particularly poignant one for the Blind Boys. “Our group started singing together in Alabama in the late 1930s, and we lived through the dark days of segregation,” says Jimmy Carter, the band’s leader and one of its founding members. “That’s why it is a great pleasure and an even greater honor to sing on this program.”

The White House concert adds to an already remarkable year for the legendary gospel group. The band opened 2010 with a series of concerts in China, then flew to New York last week where they were joined by Lou Reed for a blistering performance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Watch the video of this first time live collaboration here.

The group will be touring the rest of the spring, including upcoming concerts in Morristown, N.J. (with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band), at UCLA’s Royce Hall (with Allen Toussaint) and at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, punctuated by their induction into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Montgomery, AL on March 25.

Blind Boys of Alabama Tour Dates

01/29/10 Fri Community Theatre at Mayo Center Morristown, NJ

02/19/10 Fri University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL

02/20/10 Sat Sangamon Auditorium Springfield, IL

02/21/10 Sun The College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA

02/25/10 Thu Laxson Auditorium Chico, CA

02/26/10 Fri Knitting Factory Reno, NV

03/04/10 Thu Lobero Theatre Santa Barbara, CA

03/06/10 Sat UCLA Los Angeles, CA

03/06/10 Sat Royce Hall at UCLA Los Angeles, CA

03/07/10 Sun Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA

03/19/10 Fri Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts Franklin, NC

03/25/10 Thu The Alabama Music Hall of Fame Tuscumbia, AL

04/23/10 Fri Skipper’s Smokehouse Tampa, FL

04/25/10 Sun New Orleans Fairgrounds New Orleans, LA


Most Important Shows of The Decade

JamBase’s Most Important Shows Of The Decade

Everything changed over the last decade. Never mind the political, social and economic upheaval, musically everything changed. Ten years ago we didn’t own iPods or Smart Phones; we rocked a Discman and in some cases an old yellow Walkman. We didn’t download tracks or stream shows; we bought albums and traded live Maxell tapes. Then technology set us free and the record industry collapsed. After peaking in 2000, CD sales have plummeted by more than 50-percent, dropping further into oblivion every year. Meanwhile, digital sales continue to rise and free music (both pirated and authorized) is everywhere, flooding hard drives like never before. Surely this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

The old model is dead. It’s a new game and the rules are still being defined. One thing, however, is for sure, the music industry needed a colossal change and it’s getting it. The days of boy bands selling 2 million units in a week are gone. And for that, you can thank the digital download. Online music is on the way to making radio irrelevant and no one seems sure if MTV even plays music anymore. It’s not that people listen to or want less music. The way we get it has simply evolved. We no longer need anyone to spoon-feed us lowest common denominator crap. Now we’ve got a billion ways to get turned on to the latest thing, and with advancements in how music is made there’s more to choose from than at any other time in history.

But one thing didn’t change in the past ten years. We still go see live music. As album sales fell through the floor, live music revenue has grown by 150-percent. Here at JamBase, we’ve always known the live experience is where it’s at, and now that all bands (not just the ones this site was founded upon) are forced to survive on touring dollars, the rest of the music world is catching on. That’s one change we’re happy to embrace.

At the beginning of the decade, JamBase was just starting to really take form. Surviving the dot-com bubble burst, we were a small team working out of an even smaller house in Mill Valley, California. Soon we sprouted legs, and as our vision and team evolved, we moved into a real office South of Market in downtown San Francisco, where we’ve been since 2003. Now JamBase has the most complete tour date information anywhere in the world, providing concert listings for AOL, Billboard, Spin, Rhapsody and many more, and our content has evolved into a leading source for live music editorial. Part of our mission has always been to use technology to help you get to the show and we know today’s music fan is often on the move, that’s why we created our lauded iPhone App that puts all our concert info straight into your pocket.

Even a cursory look at the articles on this website over the past decade indicates great change. From the way we look to what we cover, change has perhaps been the only constant at JamBase. Clearly, we report on more than just jam bands now (we like to think we cover the live music scene as a whole, with no genre being off limits), but if we go back to our roots and look at the band that started it all for JamBase (which grew out of Andy Gadiel’s Phish Page), we’re reminded that change is an essential part of life. It’s often hard, but almost always exciting, and if you aren’t changing and evolving, you’re probably dying.


In the past decade Phish quit (2000), came back (2002), quit again (2004), and finally got it right and resurfaced with purpose in 2009. For the most part, this was a messy decade for Trey, Mike, Page and Fish. With personal struggles taking center stage and the music falling off, when the band finished their final set at Coventry in 2004, in many ways, things couldn’t have been worse. The muddy fields were a metaphor for the state of the band and the sloppy performances an indication of just how bad it had gotten. But they overcame their challenges, and that’s certainly part of why we love them. Who amongst us hasn’t made poor decisions and paid the price? And if there’s one thing Americans love it’s a comeback story. During the ’90s this band dominated. The pressures of fame brought stress unlike anything they’d experienced, and in the 2000s they fell hard. But as we close the book on this decade, Phish is back on top in a major way. No band’s comeback has made a bigger impact on our world this decade than Phish, and we couldn’t be happier to have chronicled every step of their triumphant return.

But there’s more to Phish than just sick jams and transcendent rock shows. The ups and downs experienced by the band in many ways mirrored America’s path this decade. Coming out of the ’90s, everything appeared peachy. Mainstream music desperately needed help, but economically and politically, America was mostly doing great. September 11, 2001 thrust change upon us in ways we may never fully understand. Our collective psyche shattered, we’ve been at war ever since. Our economy has collapsed, and we’re facing a rising environmental crisis. Like Phish, America had a rough decade, but hopefully we can grab the strands of hope we’re starting to see and rise to the occasion like our favorite bands seem to do.

While it’s not likely that Phish’s trajectory had any tangible affect on our nation, it definitely affected the music scene. Phish’s hiatus (especially the first one) opened the door for a plethora of talent to flourish. With no one band filling the void, a wide array of acts like The String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee, STS9, The Disco Biscuits, Keller Williams, and many others were able to rapidly gain new fans and separate themselves from the pack as the premier new crop of jam bands.

Michael Jackson

The changing scene and lack of a clear improvisational concert king also allowed a host of bands hovering on the borders of jam to emerge more prominently in the live music space. With the help of festivals like Bonnaroo, websites like JamBase and open-minded fans like you, artists such as My Morning Jacket, Jack White, Drive-By Truckers, The Hold Steady, Arcade Fire, and The Mars Volta all experienced incredible breakthroughs.

But, that didn’t mean the pillars of the jam scene crumbled in the 2000s. The granddaddy of ‘em all, The Grateful Dead found ways to reform, reinvent and move on after Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. moe. proved to be one of the most consistent acts of the decade, Gov’t Mule survived the death of Allen Woody, and Widespread Panic managed to find new life with Jimmy Herring after Michael Houser passed away in 2002.

Though we lost some legends, including Johnny Cash, James Brown, George Harrison, Vic Chesnutt and Michael Jackson, we did get a bunch of reunions and even a few rebirths this past decade. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Cream, The Police, Van Halen, The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Polvo, Meat Puppets, Smashing Pumpkins, Gang of Four, Rage Against the Machine, Leonard Cohen and The Stooges all returned to the stage, and all were in consideration (some more than others) for this feature.

In fact, there were pages upon pages of possibilities pored over while creating this list. Trying to determine 10 shows that stood out in a decade packed with powerful performances proved daunting, and we’re sure we left off something critical, which is why we’d love to see you set the record straight by sharing your own list in the Comments Section. But this is our list. After serious internal debate, discussions with artists and industry insiders, and careful consideration of your comments and emails, these are JamBase’s Most Important Shows of The Decade, presented to you in chronological order. It all starts with a special night in Florida that many fans spent the next decade reminiscing about or wishing they’d attended. (Kayceman)

Continue reading for The List…

Phish | 01/01/00

Big Cypress | Seminole Indian Reservation | Everglades, FL

Photo of Phish at Big Cypress by Danny Clinch

The decade began with Phish performing for over seven straight hours from midnight until sunrise in the middle of the Florida Everglades. The band arrived on stage riding their trademark giant Hot Dog as it paraded through the audience to a recording of their song “Meatstick.” As they took to their instruments and finished the tune, the final moments of the ’90s came to a close and an audience over 85,000 strong was led in a Millennium Countdown before the band launched into their anthemic “Down With Disease.” About an hour later, “Heavy Things” (cheesecake!) would be telecast live on ABC Nightly News‘ special New Year’s Eve coverage from around the world to over 100 million people.


Significant for its timing, location and endurance, the show featured some of the most powerful and definitive versions of the band’s staple songs including “You Enjoy Myself,” “Slave to the Traffic Light,” “Reba,” “Sand,” and “David Bowie.” They also showcased several beloved covers including The Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll,” Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless,” The Who’s “Drowned,” and Ween’s “Roses Are Free.” The set was so powerful for the band that after leaving the stage at sunrise they opted not to return for an encore, instead leaving it to Mother Nature and a recording of The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” to send the audience on their way. This ultimate “long gig” left those in attendance satiated, awe struck, and thankful that the world (Y2K) did not come to and end. (Andy Gadiel)

Setlist (courtesy of Phish.net)

Meatstick > Auld Lang Syne, Down with Disease > Llama, Bathtub Gin, Heavy Things, Twist > Prince Caspian > Rock and Roll, You Enjoy Myself, Crosseyed and Painless, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Sand > Quadrophonic Toppling, Slave to the Traffic Light, Albuquerque, Reba, Axilla, Uncle Pen, David Bowie, My Soul, Drowned > After Midnight Reprise, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Bittersweet Motel, Piper > Free, Lawn Boy, Hold Your Head Up > Love You > Hold Your Head Up, Roses Are Free, Bug, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Wading in the Velvet Sea, Meatstick


Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

Phil & Friends | 12/31/00

Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium | Oakland, CA

Photo of Gordon, Herring, Lesh & Haynes on NYE 2000 in Oakland by Dave Vann

In no small way, this night was the relaunch of The Grateful Dead NYE tradition. Despite the fact that RatDog had been playing December 31st since 1998, after numerous lineups, Phil Lesh & Friends settled into a stunning aggregate in 2000 that happily reminded many diehards why this music endures. The Dead tribe had set their calendars for decades around where the band would land on key dates like NYE, Mardi Gras, etc. and the buzz leading up to this evening had the same run-away-to-the-circus, butterflies-in-the-tummy vibe that The Grateful Dead always engendered. “The Quintet,” as they came to be known, of Lesh (bass, vocals), Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals), Jimmy Herring (guitar), Rob Barraco (keys, vocals) and John Molo (drums) attacked this music like it was alive – rangy and unruly like days of old – and that in turn put the electrodes to this beloved catalog. For perhaps the first time since Jerry Garcia passed, it felt like there was a real tomorrow for this music. The heightened atmosphere was further elevated by the recent passing of Allen Woody, putting the future of Gov’t Mule in question and leaving Haynes and Matt Abts to open the night as an acoustic duo. Toss in several guest turns by Mike Gordon, which poignantly reminded one that Phish was not holding their annual NYE festivities, and you had a gathering that directly and indirectly grappled with death and rebirth in stirring ways. (Dennis Cook)

Setlist

Show Download/Audio

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

The Concert for New York City | 10/21/01

Madison Square Garden | New York, NY

With the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11 still stingingly fresh in our collective memory, Paul McCartney gathered together The Who, Bon Jovi, Macy Gray, John Mellencamp, Backstreet Boys and more, plus film and political luminaries like Adam Sandler, Billy Crystal, Tom Daschle and Harrison Ford for a benefit concert that was a defiant affirmation of the United States’ ability to endure almost anything and thrive. Where most events of this sort truck in near-somber sincerity, The Concert for New York City welcomed in laughter and entertainment, both of which were in short supply for the many NYC firefighters and policemen and their families in attendance. Though studded with stellar turns like Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy doing “Hoochie Coochie Man” and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards getting gospel on “Salt of the Earth,” the pinnacle of the night might be Billy Joel‘s one-two punch of “Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” and “New York State of Mind,” where MSG exploded as he punched lines like, “They turned our power down and drove us underground, but we went right on with the show,” with an emotion impossible to duplicate. An incredible example of where the worst in human beings can sometimes be a catalyst for the very best in us. (Dennis Cook)

Full Lineup and Songs Played

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

Widespread Panic | 04/28/02

Oak Mountain Amphitheatre | Pelham, AL

Photos of Widespread Panic at Oak Mountain on 04/28/02 by Jackie Jasper

As far as anyone knew, this was it. By all accounts, Sunday, April 28, 2002 at Pelham, Alabama’s Oak Mountain Amphitheatre appeared to be Widespread Panic lead guitarist and co-founder Michael Houser‘s last concert. It was the final night of a brief eight-show spring tour that felt like, and in many ways was, the “Goodbye Houser Tour.” Although not an official word had been uttered, most fans knew that Houser had contracted pancreatic cancer, and one could tell just by looking at him up close onstage that his time was drawing near. Although he would bravely perform seven more shows as he began the spring tour two months later, at this point, Sunday at Oak Mountain looked like the final one.

The venue, set in the heart of Panic Country, was packed with 10,000 serious fans and there was a tension and energy hanging in the humid Alabama air unlike anything I have personally ever experienced. The band rose to the occasion; from song selection (there wasn’t a dry eye during the “Trouble” encore) to execution to the Jerry Joseph guest appearance, it was nearly flawless and one of the best shows of the band’s legendary career. But it was more than just that. It was the way the weather coincided with the music, making it feel like bandleader John Bell had created rain during “Cortez The Killer.” It was the undeniable sense of community. It was the bittersweet, sad-yet-grateful feeling for the opportunity to say goodbye properly and rage it one more time. It was the weight of it all. Standing at Oak Mountain, bitter tears and warm rain washing over one’s face, wrapped in arms from friends both old and new, truly believing this was the final Houser jam, it felt like we were part of history on that day. (Kayceman)

Setlist

Stream this show for free at Panicstream.com

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

Bonnaroo Music Festival | 06/21/02 – 06/23/02

Manchester, TN

Photo of Phil Lesh and Friends with Bob Weir at Bonnaroo 2002 by Dave Vann

Selling out 70,000 tickets in advance to an untried mega-festival in the Tennessee hills with roots in the jam scene would have been accomplishment enough, but the inaugural Bonnaroo had ripples far beyond great sales. In no small way, Bonnaroo put this subculture on the larger cultural map, joining Coachella and Lollapalooza as one of few festivals covered by MTV and other mainstream outlets. However, from the start Bonnaroo has embraced tradition and heritage artists AND cutting edge talent in a way no other super-sized fest had, putting the likes of Blind Boys of Alabama and the Del McCoury Band right next to Ween and Les Claypool. In going big from the get-go, Bonnaroo established itself overnight as a destination for music lovers worldwide. Using the abundant energy and vast subterranean network of live music loving jam fans, the organizers launched something part intrinsically “jam” that was also something much, much larger in scope and vision. While subsequent years have found the likes of Tool, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers headlining, for some ‘Roo vets there’s perhaps no more enduring, moving set than Widespread Panic performing one of their final shows with Michael Houser this first year, a pulsating, powerhouse display that included “Testify” with Dottie Peoples, where Dave Schools says he looked out over the crowd and they were “levitating.” In an age where small ideas and limited expectations prevail Bonnaroo actively reaches for grandeur and all those involved are encouraged to stretch beyond their normal limitations and ways of seeing. (Dennis Cook)

2002 Bonnaroo Artist Lineup: Widespread Panic
* Trey Anastasio
* Ben Harper
* The String Cheese Incident
* Phil Lesh and Friends (w/Bob Weir)
* Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer
* Galactic with Trombone Shorty and Corey Henry
* Gov’t Mule
* Jack Johnson
* Norah Jones
* Jurassic 5
* Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
* Les Claypool
* moe.
* Ween
* Keller Williams (WMD’s)
* Acoustic Syndicate
* The Big Wu
* Blind Boys of Alabama
* Blackalicious
* John Butler Trio
* Campbell Brothers
* Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains
* Cut Chemist
* The Del McCoury band
* Dirty Dozen Brass Band
* The Disco Biscuits
* Gabe Dixon Band
* Donna The Buffalo
* Dottie Peoples
* Drums & Tuba
* Gran Torino
* Col. Bruce Hampton & The Code Talkers
* Corey Harris
* Lil’ Rascals Brass Band
* Llama
* DJ Logic
* Mofro
* North Mississippi Allstars
* Old Crow Medicine Show
* Particle
* RANA
* Soulive
* Amon Tobin
* Umphrey’s McGee
* Jim White
* Vinroc
* Z-Trip
* Mark Eddie
* Mike Birbiglia
* Vic Henley

JamBase Show Review

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

Gov’t Mule – The Deepest End | 05/03/03

Saenger Theatre | New Orleans, LA

Photo of Haynes, Abts, Newsted and Louis at Gov’t Mule’s “The Deepest End Concert” on 05/03/03 in New Orleans by Michael Weintrob

If one ever needed proof that Gov’t Mule was a band adored by their fellow musicians, then “The Deepest End Concert” in New Orleans should provide all the evidence one needs. The culmination of three years of recording and mourning the loss of founding bassist Allen Woody, this five-and-a-half-hour marathon performance found this contemporary classic rock unit joined by some of the finest bassists in the world – Jason Newsted (Metallica, Ozzy, Voivod), George Porter Jr. (The Meters), Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck), Rob Wasserman, Paul Jackson Jr., Mike Gordon (Phish), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Jack Casady (Hot Tune, Jefferson Airplane), Conrad Lazano (Los Lobos), Les Claypool (Primus), and then Mule regular Greg Rzab. If that weren’t enough, the night also had guest turns from Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk), Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Karl Denson and more. A largely unrehearsed affair, the show was rich in what Mule leader Warren Haynes calls “spontaneous composition.” The range of material was off the chain, including Sabbath covers with Jason Newsted, Purple’s “Maybe I’m A Leo” with Glover, and a blinding version of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” with studio whiz Paul Jackson Jr. whipping the low end every which way. The art of focused, meaty improvisation has rarely had a finer showing than this gig, which also served to highlight what a ridiculously diverse bunch Gov’t Mule is – a big tent capable of holding just about anything if these cats (and their collaborators) put their backbone into it. (Dennis Cook)

Setlist

JamBase Show Review

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

04/28/06-04/30/06 & 05/05/06-05/07/06

Fair Grounds Race Course | New Orleans, LA

Photo of Bruce Springsteen at Jazz Fest 2006 in New Orleans by Michael Weintrob

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. One of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the United States, around 2,000 people died with several hundred more declared “missing.” When the levees broke on August 29, 2005 water covered 80-percent of the Crescent City. With the pathetic, disorganized response from our government and the days of bedlam that followed, it appeared that America’s most unique, most culturally significant city (giving birth to jazz is often considered this country’s crowning artistic achievement, not to mention the food!) might be gone forever, submerged under six feet of water never to return. And that’s why eight months later when the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival celebrated its 37th year it was much more than just another Jazz Fest.

No one was sure if the organizers would even be able to make the event happen, and there were serious questions about if anyone would come. What transpired was an emotional celebration that marked a critical point in our nation’s history. It was a symbol of hope and a statement of purpose from the city, the musicians and the fans. 4,000 artists performed on ten stages over the two-weekend event, with headliners including Bruce Springsteen, Dr. John, Dave Matthews, Lionel Richie, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint. It was a stake in the ground that said, “We won’t let New Orleans die.” The massive surge of tourist dollars clearly helped, but what New Orleans needed even more was the knowledge that we cared, that despite our government’s lack of commitment, the American people valued New Orleans and we would help bring her residents home. And while there is still so much more that needs to be done, we learned that no flood could drown New Orleans. Music is the blood of the city (and those who flock there), and Jazz Fest 2006 jumpstarted her heart and began the long, slow, still ongoing recovery of New Orleans. All you needed to do was step foot on the Fairgrounds that spring to know it was happening. The smell of crawfish Monica wafting in the air and the sound of The Boss singing, “We Shall Overcome” to hordes of weeping, dancing masses was enough to make us believe again. (Kayceman)

JamBase Show Review

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

Daft Punk | 04/29/06

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival | Indio, CA

Photo of Daft Punk at Coachella 2006 by Casey Flanigan

Daft Punk built a pyramid of lights and broke down walls. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo were hardly the first act to blur genre lines, but what they did at Coachella in 2006, their first U.S. appearance since 1997, shattered the boundaries of electronica. Transformed into robots and perched inside a 40-foot shape-shifting LED covered pyramid, the French duo manipulated the crowd’s movements (serious dance party) and emotions (laughter and tears were both common) with brilliant super anthems like “Around The World,” “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and “One More Time.” It was pop music, but smart, funny and designed to make you think as well as move. It brought elements from the dance world into stadium rock and the over-the-top production felt like a Broadway play from the distant future. And the fact that two guys not playing any traditional instruments could be this completely captivating was revolutionary. When that pyramid touched down in Indio, all of a sudden music made by machines was for everyone. Rockers pumped their fists, hip hop enthusiasts bounced, teenage girls screamed, doubters instantly became believers and everyone was blown away by the most elaborate, intricate and arguably greatest light show ever put together. It was a life-affirming experience that brought every person to the table, and no one has come close to duplicating it since. (Kayceman)

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

Radiohead | 06/17/06

Bonnaroo Music Festival | Manchester, TN

Photo of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke on 06/17/06 at Bonnaroo by Dave Vann

Few bands are more un-hippy than Radiohead, so their Saturday night headlining slot at Bonnaroo ’06 signaled a sharp turn towards modernity for the festival. It was hardly the first time these Glastonbury vets had played for mud flecked, long haired masses, but there’s something resolutely non-jammy about Radiohead and attendees were pretty evenly split between those thrilled to have arguably the greatest rock band in the world serenade them and those who genuinely thought they were a duck out of water at the ‘Roo. However, once they started playing their hyper-alive sound and permeating depth swiftly gathered up the packed crowd. A young, dreadlocked, peasant skirt wearing String Cheese fan told us before the show that she’d never heard a note by Radiohead but was curious based on their rep. A few songs in, having been splendidly tousled by “There There,” “2+2=5″ and a pre-In Rainbows “15 Step,” she bellowed from the back of the huge field, “I like your music!” It was a succinct, heartfelt exclamation and serves to illustrate how intensely moving Radiohead’s music can be. And the band appeared to be just as smitten with the Bonnaroo audience, with frontman Thom Yorke giving as good as he got in a glow stick war and shimmying like a jellyfish that’d just been hit with a car battery. The first encore was almost a second set with eight songs, including a blistering early “Bodysnatchers,” and the second encore delivered us to the celestial plateau of “Everything In Its Right Place.”

Afterwards, Yorke told BBC Radio, “We did this festival called Bonnaroo. We did 2.5 hours. And there’s 80,000 people, admittedly they’ve been smoking the sticky green all day – probably wouldn’t go anywhere anyway. It was just amazing. We played loads of new stuff. We did whole sections of quiet piano songs and it sounds like the most grotesque, self-indulgent nonsense, but it probably is my favourite gig for years and years and years.” (Dennis Cook)

Setlist

JamBase Show Review

Download Option #1 and Download Option #2

Continue reading for the next Most Important Show of the Decade…

My Morning Jacket | 12/31/06

The Fillmore | San Francisco, CA

Photo of My Morning Jacket on 12/31/06 at The Fillmore by Dave Vann

There have been many epic My Morning Jacket shows over the past decade – their “coming-of-age” afternoon set in the rain of Bonnaroo 2004; their marathon late night set there four years later; the hometown party in Louisville at Waterfront Park in August 2008; and the huge NYE gig a few months later at Madison Square Garden. Any of these concerts could have made our list, but it was MMJ’s New Year’s Eve 2006 run at The Fillmore that takes the cake. The band was experiencing huge growth, both musically and in terms of ticket sales and would soon be dubbed “America’s best live band” by Rolling Stone, LA Weekly and many JamBase writers to name a few. This show put them on one of the most famous stages in the world on the biggest night of them all and they killed it.

The three-night extravaganza culminated in a sprawling NYE celebration that included an ambitious theatrical element inspired by the old video game The Oregon Trail. The mood was built upon a “Donner Party meets Little House On The Prairie” theme with the band dressed as settlers and native Americans, and the spirits came to life with a number of well executed skits that eventually found bassist Two-Tone Tommy coming back from the dead and killing his bandmates in retribution for eating him earlier in the show (food was scarce on the trail). And that was just the backdrop for a night of extremely well played classic Jacket tracks mixed with rare nuggets and a slew of covers including AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long,” Wham’s “Careless Whisper” and Prince’s “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.” The show was an instant classic. But like most of the bands that really stick with us, a Jacket concert is more than just a rock show. It’s big, heady stuff and has the ability to open us up and help us feel and connect. It’s an experience, and on NYE 2006 My Morning Jacket seized the moment and created something special. What The Fillmore run announced was a world class band with ambitions beyond just performing their songs well. (Kayceman)

Setlist

JamBase Show Review

JamBase | Happy New Year
Go See Live Music!


John Mellencamp Facebook Campaign To Quit Smoking

When it comes to battling smoking, there are several age-old options: The Patch, The Gum, Hypnosis, and now Facebook. The campaign to get John Mellencamp to kick the habit just made it’s way to the world of social networking. The rocker’s 14-year-old son, Speck, has started the Facebook group “1,000,000 to join, my dad john [...]

Police In New Jersey Don’t Know Who Bob Dylan Is

Rock legend Bob Dylan was treated like a complete unknown by police in New Jersey last month.

The problem began when a resident called to report a suspicious-looking person wandering around the neighborhood.
On July 23, Dylan was in Long Branch, NJ, about a two-hour drive south of New York City, where he was set to [...]

Assembly of Dust: Required Listening

By: Court Scott

Assembly of Dust by C. Taylor Crothers

Though certainly excited at the prospect of a new disc from Assembly of Dust (AoD), I was both dubious and curious upon learning the recording, Some Assembly Required (released July 21 on Rock Ridge Music) (JamBase review here), has at least one guest musician on each of the album’s 13 tracks. Other bands, including Galactic and Keller Williams have done similar projects with From the Corner to the Block and Dream, respectively, and were met with mild skepticism by critics and fans alike.

A flurry of thoughts: This is only AoD’s second studio album; is it too soon to take on a project like this? The band’s last release was 2007′s Recollection (JamBase review here), and prior to that, a live recording called The Honest Hour in 2004. Would the new album be focused enough to sound like the band, or will each guest’s bold signature sound overwhelm the quartet? Also, if a band’s sound and songs are their brand, does hosting a guest per track detract from their image, their message? And if I’m honest, in my cold, dark heart I wondered, “Is this a marketing ploy to sell more units?” To gain insight into the band’s writing, recording and thinking processes, AoD’s main songwriter and vocalist Reid Genauer and drummer Andy Herrick were each good enough to drop me a line and share their impressions with me.

Initially formed as a quintet in 2002, but now short one keyboardist and down to four members, AoD got together after Genauer departed from Strangefolk. Fans and critics alike have heralded AoD, who are respected for their consonant, tuneful songwriting bolstered by meaningful, smart lyricism. AoD, I agree, are poised to crossover to the mainstream and recorded over two years, the songs on Some Assembly Required stoke and utterly reaffirm that opinion. Seven of the 13 tracks have been made available on the band’s website since early June. Released each Tuesday leading up to the release date, the band used this approach to reward fans and give an audio teaser to casual or unfamiliar listeners.

Musically, AoD has drawn comparisons to The Beatles and The Band, which no doubt is due in great part to the songwriting duo of Genauer and former keyboardist and current co-producer Nate Wilson‘s shared understanding of songcraft and appreciation for the history of American roots music. Many of the songs had been marinating for years, explains Genauer, most having been written by himself, some with the help of Wilson. The bulk of the material was about three years old, but a 16-year-old Genauer wrote the oldest 20 years ago. “It was written when I still dreamed of being in a band. It was THE first song I wrote that moved out of the first position on a guitar neck.” As far as the song selections on Some Assembly Required go, each track is a perfect snapshot from lives intertwined, varying from the frustratingly mundane to unabashedly proud to achingly devastating, all clever ruminations paired with well arranged, sparsely orchestrated, home-baked, hooky tunes.

Genauer by Susan J. Weiand

The collection of songs on Some Assembly Required were primarily unreleased, and were more therapeutically written than purposefully so. “It wasn’t about writing songs for a specific album,” says Genauer. “We just had some songs recorded, some we played in a live setting, and some were just sitting in a bucket in a dark corner. Generally, those songs are the ones we worked with.” Herrick tells me the album was recorded over four days in late summer of 2008. Genauer notes with a hint of pride that as he wrote the songs he became more comfortable “trying on” different characters, writing from different point of view. “[The songs] are time capsules that reflect a specific process and times in my life, some are autobiographical some are from other perspectives. There are different characters I interact with.”

Having an abundance of material allowed for a new freedom in the studio, according to Genauer, because in addition to the songs themselves, they had greater time to create and tinker with arrangements and production. “This time we had time to write as we [went]. Sometimes we would create while the mics [were] running,” explains Herrick about his time in the studio with Genauer, guitarist Adam Terrell and bassist John Leccese. Where the material on previous AoD albums had been “road tested,” played and recorded in live rotation and allowed to shape-shift over time, this album came into its own in the studio.

Gordon & Leccese (AoD) by Britt Nemeth

Genauer likened the alternate, unhurried approach to grocery shopping. “Sometimes you just buy the same things day in and day out. But some days you crave different flavors, textures, or tastes,” he says. “We went into the studio with that in mind.” Further, because each song and its parts was able to distill better and in using songs that hadn’t been played live, AoD didn’t have to “untangle or un-bake” songs that fans had already become familiar with. Instead, the band was able to infuse the tracks they decided would be on the album with other creative input and different genetics in the form of multiple guests.

The entire list of guests is comprised of musicians Genauer has long respected and with whom he’s hoped to work in some capacity. Even the album’s title is a play not only on the band’s name but a nod that each track is an assembly of musicians. The resulting roster boasts some of the finest players in their generation. Richie Havens, David Grisman, Bela Fleck, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Mike Gordon, John Scofield, Martin Sexton and more each add their signature sound in a supporting capacity.

Continue reading for more on AoD…

 


I tried to select instrumentalists who were complimentary to each song, someone who could change the texture. I had to think about who would make sense, who I aspired to play with and who had similar musical aesthetics. It was possible to imagine but impossible to know what they’d add.

-Reid Genauer

 

Photo by: C. Taylor Crothers

“It was awesome,” says Herrick of recording with the various guests. “[Each musician made their respective piece] stronger, added more of a flavor than affected the overall taste of the track,” he continued, unaware that Genauer, too, fancied discussing the project in culinary terms.

Assembly of Dust

Most of the songs were written and their structure didn’t deviate radically from the original by the time they were recorded, Genauer says. “The songs are skeletons [when we go into the studio], and the band delivered the flesh and muscle to the songs.” Herrick continues, “Reid and Nate would make rough tapes which demonstrated the direction and feel they wanted songs to take, because they know what they want. I think one that ended up different was ‘Leadbelly’ [with Jerry Douglas and Alison Krauss]. Some songs had several slightly different versions at the end of the day, but we always record [different] versions to support the story Reid tells. We [the rest of the band] use texture and feel to best support his words.”

Both Herrick and Genauer used the word “satisfying” often, almost as much as they used the word “pride,” and this being at peace with the songs and the recording comes across on the album. The resulting disc opens strong with “All That I Am Now,” a wide-open, anthemic stomp with Genauer sharing vocal and guitar duties with ’60s icon and Woodstock opening act Richie Havens. The clarity and power of Genauer’s voice is reflected and complimented by the overall grand, reverby tones and texture of the song. The third track, “Cold Coffee,” featuring David Grisman’s plaintive mandolin, is met by Genauer’s soft articulation of heartache, depression and self-doubt, making this coupling perfect. Similarly, “Second Song” with Keller Williams is AoD’s answer to John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane” or Steve Miller’s “The Joker,” a short story about dreams, realities and a lack of resources stacked against poppy, rolling melodies. Bela Fleck’s rollicking, distinctive plucking on “Edges” make it a standout, with the banjo’s phrasing saying as much as any words.

If a band’s sound and songs are unique, then their sound and their words are as big a part of their brand as, say, their trademarked logo, name or live reputation. It is what makes a band almost instantly identifiable, so I was intrigued about how AoD would maintain their signature sound with so many guests.

Reid Genauer by C. Taylor Crothers

“I tried to select instrumentalists who were complimentary to each song, someone who could change the texture,” Genauer says. “I had to think about who would make sense, who I aspired to play with and who had similar musical aesthetics. It was possible to imagine but impossible to know what they’d add.”

Genauer calls the experiences in the studio “extremely poignant and meaningful” because his heroes became his colleagues. It is an endorsement and affirmation of the personal risks taken by Genauer.

A majority of the songs sound and feel natural with soft, acoustic stringed instruments, but it is the weighted delivery of both “Pedal Down,” a rangy, loose-limbed Southern rocker featuring Cincinnati’s Brothers Gabbard of the Buffalo Killers and the straightforward chugging rock of “Arc of the Sun,” about the birth of Genauer’s son, that add an edge to the album. Though “Arc” has been played live and is not necessarily new to fans, the album version is anchored by Mike Gordon and his swirling, fuzzed-out bass solo. Also featured on “High Brow,” another rockin’ track is moe.‘s Al Schnier who helps inflate the band into something more aggressive and edgy, a sound that completely works.

How this all shakes out live, without the benefit of the guests, is something fans are curious to see and hear. When I asked Genauer if he was concerned about the lack of the guests during a live performance he replied, “Sometimes it’s harder to recreate songs in the studio because the energy and excitement in a live setting can’t be recreated. In this case the guests are that x-factor, and they created the energy usually created by the audience. The audience will do the same without guests, and also, the songs may grow and evolve. I look forward to what they become.”

AoD will be touring throughout the summer and through the end of October, gaining momentum and working to build on their already solid assembly. While I was initially concerned that each guest would overwhelm the band, in retrospect I would have liked AoD to augment their guest’s signature sounds a little more – boost them in the mix, extend a solo – but each guest did exactly what the band hoped they would do and that is what matters. They added a slightly foreign accent on an otherwise unmistakable voice and accomplish this without pretense. The strong writing and subtle arrangements definitely make this masterful Assembly of tunes Required listening.

Assembly of Dust tour dates available here, Reid Genauer solo dates here.

JamBase | Dusty
Go See Live Music!



David Wild: “Police On My Back”: My Playlist For Today’s “Teachable Moment” at the White House

Today’s the day that President Obama will attempt to share a “teachable moment” with Sgt. James Crowley and Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I’m…

Farm Aid Additions: Wilco, Phosphorescent, Mraz

Farm Aid Adds Wilco, Phosphorescent, Jason Mraz and Jamey Johnson To Line Up


Matthew Houck/Phosphorescent

As reported earlier this month, Farm Aid is set to take place October 4 in St. Louis at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Headlining will be Farm Aid staples Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Neil Young. Organizers recently announced the addition of Wilco, Phosphorescent, Jason Mraz and Jamey Johnson. More performers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The performance of experimental/gospel outfit Phosphorescent at Farm Aid will come on the heels of the band’s tribute album to Willie Nelson, aptly titled To Willie.

Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck had this to say about playing Farm Aid:

“I’m proud as hell to have been invited to play at this year’s Farm
Aid. Phosphorescent is more than happy to join in their support for
the independent farmer and for locally and organically grown crops.
We agree fully with their opposition to the large-scale, corporate,
‘factory farm’ system – which, in the name of profit, produces mostly
genetically modified and/or chemically preserved junk – all the while
exploiting the laborers who farm, package and deliver these items by
paying them damn near slave’s wages. Of course, having the opportunity to lend our support by sharing the
stage with several true legends of American music ain’t too shabby in
itself.”

Tickets are on sale now at LiveNation.com.