Josh Miller | ICT magazine

Posts Tagged ‘Josh Miller’

Hot Buttered Rum Headed To Africa To Study, Record, Film

December 8th, 2010 | No Comments

HBR AND MEMBERS OF IZABELLA AND POOR MAN’S WHISKEY HEAD TO GHANA
TO REALIZE A DREAM AND YOU CAN HELP!

Though very much an American string band, San Francisco’s Hot Buttered Rum has long had roots in African music, mingling the original Motherland inspirations with their modern take on acoustic music. Now the band is making a full leap into learning and recording in Africa early in 2011. In January, Nat Keefe and his comrades and friends will assemble in Ghana. To find out more about this exciting adventure (and perhaps donate the much-needed funds to make it all happen) pop over here.

Here’s a mission statement from Keefe:

Nat Keefe by Josh Miller

A decade ago I traveled to Ghana, West Africa and found the missing piece of my musical education. In studying drums, xylophone, palmwine guitar, dancing, and singing, I found the roots of, and a new perspective on, some of my favorite music. Oldtime banjo, Stravinksy, James Brown, Radiohead, all of this music has roots still resonating in West Africa.

It was an “a-ha” moment for me, which has changed everything since. I wrote symphony, choir, and percussion ensemble pieces based on Ghanaian rhythms. I returned to Ghana and filmed a documentary and recorded a disc of field recordings. I started a benefit project for an orphanage in Accra. With my brothers in Hot Buttered Rum, I created a fresh approach to American string band music. Things have not been the same for me since my trip to Ghana!.

This January I am returning to Ghana to record an album with Ghanaian musicians and American musicians from Hot Buttered Rum, ALO, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Elephant Revival, and Izabella. This will be a masterwork of sorts for me, bringing together music, community and service. Let me explain the scope of the trip. There are three phases:.

First, I’ll spend the first part of January alone in Ghana paying respects to old friends and making arrangements for the rest of the trip. Then, on January 18 my American colleagues are arriving in Accra. This will include Erik Yates, Lucas Carlton, Eli Jebidiah, Bonnie Paine, Audio Angel and Murph Murphy. I invited each of these artists to come for a week of workshops, cultural exchange, and service. Together we’ll learn music and dance from Ghanaian masters, and share our own music with people in the capital city of Accra and the beach village Keta. The group will do service projects in each city and music sharing in schools. The week will be filmed and made into a movie by Eli Jebidiah..

After our workshop, we’ll record for several days in Accra. I’ll also do some more recording when I’m back in California. I’m going to produce an album of shining collaboration with American and African musicians that can stand beside any great music. I’ve got the songs, the vision, and the organizational skill to put the pieces together. It will be passionate, accessible, fun music that will find an audience in and beyond the Hot Buttered Rum world.

This album will bring together elements of Ghanaian music and Bluegrass music, all tied together with my Americana-style songwriting. It will bring together luminaries from Ghana and the States alike. It has taken a decade of experience to be in a place to do this, and I’m going to work tirelessly to bring it to fruition.

All of the workshop participants are paying their own way. I am paying for my travel expenses. The place I need support is in the production of the album. While all these elements are aligned, I want to be able to do things right and produce the project with tools in my hand. I don’t have the resources myself to make this happen. So I’m asking for people who believe in this idea to help make it happen, in a variety of ways.

Once again, if you would like to help bring this dream to fruition head over here and share what you can.

Hot Buttered Rum Tour Dates :: Hot Buttered Rum News :: Hot Buttered Rum Concert Reviews

JamBase Questionnaire: Brian Haas

December 7th, 2010 | No Comments

Welcome back to JamBase’s baker’s dozen to the bright lights of the music world. Last time we heard from The New Up.

Odysseys are a tricky business. By nature, they are circuitous and fraught with sirens calling one towards the rocks and angry, jealous gods tossing stones in one’s pathway. The long, winding road of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey handily reflects the mythological origins of their name, with myriad lineup changes and stylistic shifts over their many years. But one element remains constant – though perhaps bobbing his head wildly – and that’s Brian Haas, who is hands down one of the finest keyboardists of his generation, a player for the ages who continues the line begun by Earl Hines, Chick Corea and John Medeski.

Another facet of an odyssey is surprise around each turn, and one need only press play on Stay Gold, the latest JFJO studio joint (released June 21 on Royal Potato Family), and they’re whisked into brightly hued fresh spaces dappled with Chris Combs’ lap steel (and growing compositional acumen) and Haas’ ever-potent piano. The atmosphere of opener “The Sensation of Seeing Light” touches on Jacob Fred’s existing gift for capturing elemental qualities in song, but it’s followed by “Trampoline Phoenix,” which shifts and explodes in a patient, intense way for a vibe that’s genuinely new. This vibe – a little Okie, a little funky, a little classical – continues on the superb “Hanby’s Window,” which burns and jumps with giddy life. A lovely melodic sense infuses this set, with the entire quartet using conscious control and playing to the shared sensibilities of each piece. So, as usual, instrumental music is given a gift when JFJO gathers, particularly in the flowing, gorgeous piano work of Haas on Stay Gold.

Jacob Fred plays NYE in their native Tulsa, Oklahoma – tackling, perhaps literally, the music of Madonna, Beyonce and Lady Gaga – and then a special NYC Winger Jazz Fest gig in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge on January 8 (late night – starting at 1 am), but Mistah Haas squirreled away a few moments to answer our questions. (Dennis Cook)

Brian Haas by Josh Miller

1. Great music rarely happens withoutÂ…
Risk

2. The first album I bought wasÂ…
Thriller.

3. The last song or album to really flip my wig wasÂ…
Wooden Arms by Patrick Watson

4. When I was a kid I wanted to grow up to beÂ…
A rock star

5. My favorite sort of gig isÂ…
A relaxed, peaceful, exuberant celebration

6. One thing I wish people knew about me isÂ…
I stopped wishing a long time ago – I create.

7. I love the sound ofÂ…
Birds, the ocean, the wind in the trees and my breath.

8. One day I hope to make an album as fantastic asÂ…
John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme

9. The best meal I ever had on tour was atÂ…
A friend’s house

10. I always find the coolest audiences inÂ…
Europe

11. The worst habit I’ve picked up being on the road all the time isÂ…
An addiction to driving.

12. The Beatles or the Stones? Por que?
The Beatles. John Lennon.

13. The craziest thing I ever saw wasÂ…
A naked man wearing shoes run through an alley in West Hollywood and approach a black Chevy Suburban. An arm came out of the Suburban window and the naked man received fast pleasuring. This happened 100 feet away from a large group of us. The man said nothing. He ran off and the Chevy drove away. We cheered.

JFJO Tour Dates :: JFJO News :: JFJO Concert Reviews

JamBase | Tied To The Mast
Go See Live Music!

The Black Crowes: Welcome To The Good Times

October 28th, 2010 | No Comments

By: Dennis Cook

The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes have never been a band overly obsessed with their past, resistant to endlessly sifting through the rubble to make sense of what’s been or refute claims about the band. For this long-lived bunch, the road ahead, the next curve, the next sunrise and song have always been the marks on the horizon that kept them moving. However, as they hit their 20th anniversary in 2010, the Crowes are explicitly examining what it means to be this band and no other.

Croweology (released August 3 on the band’s own Silver Arrow Records) culls 20 cuts from their voluminous catalog and gives them often radical acoustic reworkings. It’s a joyful reminder of what a rich songbook they’ve composed and a showcase for the chops and ingenuity of the lineup that’s gelled over the past three years – Chris Robinsion (vocals, guitar, songwriting), Rich Robinson (guitar, vocals, songwriting), Steve Gorman (drums, percussion), Sven Pipien (bass, vocals), Luther Dickinson (guitar) and Adam MacDougall (keys, vocals). This fall they’ve embarked on a lengthy, arduous live schedule, cheekily dubbed the “Say Goodnight To The Bad Guys Tour,” where they’re diggin’ into anything & everything in their repertoire and playing an acoustic set followed by an electric set most nights. After the tour culminates in a six-night run at The Fillmore in San Francisco in December, The Black Crowes are going on an indefinite hiatus.

So, how’s it feel knowing this is last haul for a spell?

“I feel great about it, but I’m probably the most adapted to The Great Unknown [laughs]. The abyss doesn’t scare me,” says Chris Robinson. “If anything, it adds to a focus and dynamics for the shows. I don’t think the band is going to go away forever or break up or anything, but there’s not going to be any new Black Crowes music out there for a time and we don’t have any plans to get back together. So, I think it’s just about enjoying this tour and having our moment of accomplishment for being just warped enough to stick around for 20 years and get into this music and celebrate it. Face it, it’s not about anything else but that.”

“[Greater perspective on our history] would require some sort of group Gestalt therapy [laughs]. We can go to Esalen and get into a hot tub and figure it out,” quips Chris. “Maybe it’s different for everyone else, but I’m having fun. If it was tedious I don’t think we’d have bitten off such a big piece [this fall]. No matter what our internal problems may look like or seem, we want to play music and we want to have the best shows we can. Within that, everyone is on the same page. Our musical brotherhood is pretty tight, and I know you don’t just walk away from this group, these songs or this mythology now. But, taking a vacation from it is just pragmatism at its finest.”

It’s heartening to find the band in such a positive place, which clearly hasn’t always been the case with the Crowes. This break emerges in striking contrast to the last time the group went on hiatus in 2002, which occurred under heavy emotional & creative stress. This time, the pause after the December shows at The Fillmore in San Francisco seems natural and necessary for the Crowes’ long term potential.

Rich Robinson by Josh Miller

“I think we’ve had a pretty interesting career. To do the things we’ve done and gone the places we’ve gone has really been a cool thing. I’ve really been very interested in looking at that. It hasn’t been just a flat fuckin’ line,” offers Rich Robinson. “We’ve made some tough decisions and stuck with it and it’s been pretty cool overall.”

Based on the evidence of Warpaint, Before The FrostÂ…Until The Freeze, Croweology and a slew of officially released live material, the previous three year hiatus was nothing but ultimately positive for the band in creative terms. While it took a few years to shake things down to present circumstances, it’s clear to serious longtime fans that the Crowes have never been happier or more consistent in their music making than this current chapter.

“The last few years, especially since Adam and Luther joined, have been SO progressive and SO fulfilling in so many ways. The last three records, to me, are as strong as anything we recorded at any time,” says Chris. “Adam and Luther come into the situation without any weird ego or resentments. It’s all out in the open and it’s about this musical conversation instead of this other bullshit. In those terms, it’s been the best. These last three albums were the best studio sessions we’ve ever had.”

“I think we’re ourselves for the first time ever in the past three years,” observes Steve Gorman. “Everyone was finally ready to say, ‘Fuck it,’ and embrace who we are and what we are. Everyone’s been there at different levels at times but we’ve never all been there at the same time before. This is the most cohesive this band has ever been, onstage and off. It’s a time in the band’s arc where things are more in sync than I would have thought possible even five years ago. This is as good as it’s ever been. I’m such a sports, team-minded person and there’s nothing better than playing together with one mind. That’s how you get something done. You don’t have to always see eye-to-eye, you just have to be able to look out in the same direction and say, ‘Let’s go there.’”

Steve Gorman by Josh Miller

“Personally, I play better with this band [today] than I’ve ever played because I’m able to. I couldn’t listen and play and predict and feel in the moment in 1997 the way that I can now. It’s night and day. I couldn’t give that band half of what I’m able to now, just as a musician,” says Gorman. “There’s a lot that goes into that. It’s not just Luther’s better than Marc or anything like that, it’s that everybody onstage is dialed in with everybody else onstage in a way we never were before.”

Stripped of the majority of its hindering baggage these days, the Crowes’ focus remains resolutely on the music they make together, with the songs and their care being the central hub. Independence from record labels, industry suits and the like has done nothing but firm up their always-independent streak, with the result being one of the richest, most extended stretches of growth in the group’s history.

“I feel everyone has reached a place where we just kind of accept each other. That’s really what it is,” says Rich. “It’s been tumultuous [since we returned from the hiatus] but I think it’s been cool. We’ve gotten to focus on who we are. After 20 years you have to ask, ‘Who are we?’ Are we jam band? A classic rock ‘n’ roll band?’ No, we’re really just The Black Crowes. It’s really hard to be individual in rock, and a lot of the time we didn’t make the easiest decisions for our success. But we are the way are because of that. Although we had huge success when we were young, we’ve always had an independent spirit that really came more from an alternative headspace than anything.”

Today, The Black Crowes give off a distinct sense of pleasure in simply making music that permeates every note, as obvious in the studio as it is in the flesh.

“I couldn’t agree more,” says Chris. “Why force your hand? A snake can’t crawl on glass. You know what I mean?”

Continue reading for thoughts on the current tour …

Bad Guys On The Trail

Chris & Rich Robinson by Josh Miller

One clear sign that the Crowes aren’t content to rest on their laurels after two decades is the challenging course they’ve set for this final tour before the hiatus. With most headlining shows clocking in around three hours, they are actively challenging themselves to push into every aspect of their musicianship and material.

“Everybody in a band has their list of what they’d like to see happen, and it’s a matter of how much each person can get of their wish list. Saying that, I couldn’t ask for more [right now] because I know what the reality of what could happen is, which is my may of saying, ‘The shows are going great,’” chuckles Gorman. “Physically, it’s not a challenge. The acoustic set just slides by. It’s physically very easy, and if anything, it’s tough to be restrained, which comes back to the mental thing. I have to be so completely present but it does fly by. What I’m doing back there on the drum kit sets the dynamic way more in an acoustic set than an electric set. So, the acoustic set ends, you take a quick break, feel totally refreshed, do the electric set, and the show ends and I feel fine until 5 minutes later when my brain just shuts down. It’s that sort of exhaustion.”

The current tour reflects the Crowes’ enormous range, as well as showing off the dividends of their lengthy, intense sound checks where they hash out details, add filigree and otherwise thoughtfully tweak things. Their legacy seems important to them now in a way it may not have been in years past, and their dedication to high-level craftsmanship supercedes any lesser concerns in 2010.

“It’s going really well. It took a few shows to really figure out pacing and things like that. It’s a great way to build a show. The setlists have been really great. We’re trying to touch on everything, so we’re not shying away from old, new, unreleased songs, anything, ” says Rich. “It’s funny but we’re so kind of insular that we don’t really see what’s going on beyond us. We’ve always been on our own island but even more so these days.”

Chris Robinson by Josh Miller

“At the double shows, I feel a serious level of excitement, not just from us but from the audience. It just adds to the texture and dynamic of what we can do,” says Chris. “It highlights the musicianship and capabilities of this band, and it gives the songs a different space to mean something different – same melody, same lyrics, same key but a different exploration, if you will, a different feel. But of course, if we were in showbiz I guess we’d try to replicate the same thing for 20 years. When we set up everyday and fire up the electricity, it could be the best show you’ve ever been to that night with that given set of people and our set of electronic circumstance. You never know what’s gonna happen, and that’s the adventure that’s still relevant to us.”

“There’s still little things that happen on a very regular basis for the first time in this band, a certain turnaround or something that nobody else notices but we do, and it gets us off big time,” says Gorman. “Saying that we’re taking a break has also taken off a lot of pressure. Everyone’s enjoying their time onstage more than in years. We know we’re in a good place, and by design this [current] tour acknowledges that.”

“Chris voice is so, so, so strong right now. It’s like 1993 onstage these days,” says Gorman. “We did ‘Morning Song’ one night and when it hit the big rave-up he let a scream go that, honest to God, I haven’t heard in 15 years. When I came over, I told him, ‘Nice scream.’ And he said, ‘Oh really. You liked that?’ I joked, ‘I thought you twisted your ankle or something.’ Then later we did ‘Seeing Things’ and he did another one and looked back at me and winked. I thought, ‘You gotta be fucking kidding me.’”

Continue reading for thoughts on the group’s coming hiatus…

The Pause That Refreshes

The Black Crowes by Josh Miller

Inevitably, it’s nervous making for anyone’s favorite band to stop, even for a spell. It raises a huge question mark over the future and leaves fan appetites for new music unsatisfied. But, these are human beings and like any of us, a break from one’s daily grind is always invigorating, often in unpredictable ways. Where the sudden stomp on the brakes in 2002 came as a shock, the coming hiatus, announced long in advance, seems like the healthiest, smartest choice the band could make after one of the busiest, most productive stretches they’ve ever known.

“I can’t wait to get my hands into some other stuff,” says Chris. “To me, it’s about writing and my energy for that remains at a certain intense level. If I’m not sitting on six or seven new pieces at a time I’m little wigged out. Right now, I have about 15 new songs, which starts to look like a meaty thing to get into while the band takes time off. Knowing that we have this break coming does give a cult-focus to what we’re doing now in the band.”

“I’m gonna try and produce and hopefully get back into scoring again, which is what I’d love to be doing more than anything,” says Rich. “And possibly make another solo record. Not sure about that one. I like the music on Paper, but I’ve learned a lot about singing since then. I think I bit off a lot producing, writing, singing and all that shit. But it was worth it for what I learned. If I did something now, I think I’d understand it a lot better.”

Rich Robinson by Josh Miller

“Chris really wants me to sing. He really pushes me to do it, and I’m happy to oblige,” says Rich, who’s really shined on some of the Grateful Dead tunes the band has tackled in recent years. “I think there’s a vulnerability to Jerry’s voice that people have told me I have, too. I don’t know. Andy from Jellyfish told me that I sound like Gram Parsons sometimes. I think it’s really just that vulnerability present in my voice. Chris has such an amazing voice that it’s a good juxtaposition. Having both of us sing just gives us more layers.”

Layers are fundamental to this band. More than ever, today’s Black Crowes reflect a real understanding of the history of rock ‘n’ roll and it’s fundamental roots in country, blues, folk and jazz. In their own creations and smart cover choices, the Crowes represent the best that this gutbucket melange has to offer by being wide-eyed and nakedly passionate about music in the broadest, lustiest sense. For this band, Moby Grape, Skip James and Django Reinhardt are living influences, seemingly disparate forces that somehow find common ground in the Crowes.

Chris Robinson by Josh Miller

“If you listen from Southern Harmony to Amorica to Three Snakes it’s all over the map, but we’ve still maintained our sound, and that’s because of Chris voice, the way I play guitar and write songs and the way Steve plays drums. The three of us have such a thing together that’s really kind of unique to us,” says Rich. “And I think Sven is the same way. He’s been there with us all along, even if he wasn’t in the band for the first 10 years. His approach to music is pretty unique as well.”

“Since we were growing up in the same household, Chris has always been the catalyst for new music. He’s the one who’s delved deep in the past,” says Rich. “He’ll bring things in and I’ll like some things but not others. But, the ones I do like I get into SO much and absorb myself into the music and the process of it. He’s encyclopedic in his music knowledge and he really brings it around and it’s great. He really is responsible for shaping a lot of the music I’ve learned and loved.”

One of the sad facts of modern culture is a seemingly relentless need to make hierarchies and dissect every detail of art in a way that assumes too much, gripes about facts that can’t be changed and otherwise refuses to embrace a thing as it is in favor of what it was or might be. Few bands know the ass-end of such thinking like The Black Crowes, whose every lineup shift, careless word and internal drama has been blown up and mulled over in our increasingly catty-chatty Internet culture.

“You’re missing a good story, you’re missing a good show if you’re doing that,” says Gorman. “For people that can take The Black Crowes for what they are in 2010, I think they’ll be pretty sated. For people harping on the old days, go put on a DVD or video. This is what’s going on right now. And five years from now those same people will realize what they’re missing out on. That’s their right. It’s not my job to straighten them out. It just seems sad that they’re going to miss this because they can’t get their head around it.”

The Black Crowes Tour Dates :: The Black Crowes News :: The Black Crowes Concert Reviews

JamBase | Wingin’ It
Go See Live Music!

Treasure Island Music Fest 2010 | S.F. | Review | Pics

October 21st, 2010 | No Comments

Words by: Eric Podolsky | Images by: Josh Miller

Treasure Island Music Festival :: 10.16.10-10.17.10 :: Treasure Island :: San Francisco, CA

Check out Josh Miller’s fab photo gallery here.

Treasure Island Fest ’10 by Josh Miller

As far as urban music festivals go, the Bay Area has got it made when it comes to gorgeous, out-of-the-way-yet-accessible locations to stage big parties. Now in its fourth year, Treasure Island Music Festival takes the cake for most unique location, situated right on the shoreline of the man-made island, a few miles offshore from SF. As there was no parking on the tiny island, a brigade of upscale buses provided free shuttle service to and from the island from downtown SF, which proved to be convenient, comfortable and efficient. Once inside the fairly small festival grounds, we were greeted to gorgeous views of the SF cityscape across the bay. Unfortunately, our luck ran out with the weather, as the Bay Area was bombarded with cold, clouds, wind and its first rains in months, right in time for festival weekend (after highs in the 80s earlier in the week). This took Saturday’s under-dressed crowd by surprise, and many were seen huddled against the Bay’s whipping winds, which swept across the exposed festival grounds.

With two closely situated stages sharing one field and no overlapping sets, this festival was a marvel of convenience that made it easy to expend as little effort as possible to catch your favorite bands. There were no half-mile walks from stage to stage, only leisurely strolls within the field’s confines. The icing on the cake was the inclusion of the Silent Disco this year, which offered the crowd a headphone-dance-party alternative to the main acts throughout the day. DJ Motion Potion‘s set really got my Saturday evening going right, as he induced a big headphone-funk dance party under a canopy of lit-up trees.

This year’s lineup was as indie as ever, and with the two days distinctly separated into “electro-dance-DJ day” and “sentimental-indie-rock-collective day” you may as well been at two different festivals over the course of the weekend. Saturday’s sold-out raver crowd swelled throughout the day, reaching a saturation point for Deadmau5‘s Daft-Punk-scale house music extravaganza. The electro beats of band after band carried the neon island party into the night before we were forced to board the buses, which deposited us back into the real word of downtown San Francisco.

Sunday was a different animal altogether, as cold and rain hit early in the day, putting a damper on affairs early on. Fortunately, the rain disappeared around 2 pm, and the rest of the day went along smoothly, and we were serenaded with the finest indie music around. Lovely harmonies, huge bands and well-crafted songs dominated the day, and the noticeably subdued and smaller crowd was all smiles, with many a couple seen making out all over the place.

The separation of each day into a general musical genre proved to be a smart decision that paid off for everyone, as people were able to choose which day to attend based on their musical tastes. Overall, even with lousy weather, the bands delivered in a big way, and the setting was naturally breathtaking and surreal. What more could you want from a festival?

Continue reading for Saturday highlights…

Treasure Island Saturday Highlights

LCD’s James Murphy by Josh Miller

1. LCD Soundsystem :: 9:35-10:50 :: Bridge Stage

After the straight house music barrage of Deadmau5 whipped the crowd into a manic frenzy with larger-than-life beats, headliner James Murphy and Co. took the stage and built their set organically with a mighty patience, letting the music breathe, swell and build to epic heights. Decked out in a brilliant white suit, Murphy was a straight crooner on this night, singing to us with a confidence and clarity I haven’t heard from him before. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand at every moment, and he knew it. Opening quietly with the slow-burner “Dance Yrself Clean,” Murphy forced us to lean into the music right off the bat, even before the song exploded into the dance party we were all waiting for. From there, Murphy led us through his infectious catalog of ass-shaking analog dance-rock, putting special emphasis on dynamics. His well-oiled band cranked out song after song of finely crafted, polyrhythmic grooves, and it was awe-inspiring. Many things blew me away about this set, most of all the sonic perfection of the mix. Every instrument came through bright and clear, and the band’s big, spacious sound filled the festival space perfectly. With drummer Patrick Mahoney driving the groove with his incessant pocket, the masterful maturity of this band shone through in the ever-urgent, slow builds of “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” and “Tribulations,” which peaked in epic fashion before the band closed with the happy sing-along groove “Home.” My favorite set of the weekend.

2. Die Antwoord :: 3:00-3:45 :: Bridge Stage

It’s safe to say that this set left the entire crowd with their jaws on the ground. Storming out the gate on their first U.S. tour, South African MCs Ninja and pint-sized lady Yo-Landi Vi$$er blew our fucking minds with their over-the-top stage presence and lewd gestures, and backed it all up with some of the best MC skills I’ve ever witnessed. Presenting themselves as unabashedly white trash gangsta, it was easy to laugh at their weird haircuts and ridiculous braggadocio, but as soon as Ninja started rapping, his incredible skills more than justified any antics. Simply put, the set was pure, blazing hip-hop. Ninja speed-rapped with amazing clarity over minimal slice-and-dice beats, and it was off the charts awesome. Running around the stage in his boxers, shaking his dick around and sneering, he spat dirty sex rhymes and amazing freestyles, and blew us all away with pure MC skillz. Throughout the set, Yo-Landi Vi$$er acted as a sort of Joe C to Ninja’s Kid Rock, for lack of a better analogy. Her otherworldly, little-girl delivery complimented the songs, but mostly she was all attitude and sexuality, grabbing her chest with a snarl and mooning the crowd a couple of times. An truly tremendous concert experience.

3. !!! :: 4:35-5:25 :: Bridge Stage

I’ve known about these guys for a while, and was excited to see them for the first time. This band was one of the first to patent the now-widespread dance-rock movement a number of years back, and they still deliver live. Theirs is a dirty-punk groove approach, with Tyler Pope‘s funky, deep-fuzz basslines driving the songs forward. The band themselves was fantastic, but I couldn’t say the same for vocalist Nic Offer, whose breathy, low delivery didn’t compliment the band very well. At times it seemed like he wasn’t trying very hard, and it was often hard to hear his mediocre voice above the consistently engaging grooves. When the band decided to get instrumentally serious and jam a bit, it was fabulous, bass-bombing psychedelic dance-rock, complete with electro-glitch bloops and bleeps. The band’s horn section seemed under-utilized to me, as they were used more for sonic color than anything else. I danced my butt off anyway.

4. Holy Fuck :: 1:30-2:15 :: Bridge Stage

These guys pack a sonic wallop. This instrumental band is just a rhythm section and a couple of dudes tweaking and fiddling with knobs, but they sure make a lot of sound. They crafted an eerie ambiance with their weird toys, which complimented the driving rhythm. But this wasn’t really dance music, more a soundscape of ethereal groove-noise. Vocal loops and modulators evoked Lee Scratch Perry level experimentation in a rock setting (there was even a melodica), and the audience responded warmly to the out-there results, especially considering the set was so early in the day. Hunched over their toys, these mad professors won me over with their exploratory, order-in-chaos approach to music.

Deadmau5 by Josh Miller

5. Little Dragon :: 7:05-7:50 :: Tunnel Stage

I had never heard of this Swedish band before I caught this set, and their synth-soul-pop sound really caught my ear. Sometimes evoking the icy early-80s sounds of Grace Jones or even Bowie, Little Dragon has catchy songs and an airy-cool ambiance created by well-placed synths, which serve the melodies well. Their lead singer Yukimi Nagano is soulful yet detached in the languid, catchy way that synth-pop works best. This was one set that succeeded in inspiring me to actively seek out the band’s material. Great nighttime music.

6. Deadmau5 :: 7:55-8:45 :: Bridge Stage

Having no ear for or experience in the world of house music, I was somewhat baffled at the hordes of adoring fans that came out for this guy. His fans were definitely the most visible on Saturday, and the crowd was absolutely packed for his set. As I’m mostly unable to tell house music apart from other electronic music, I can say that his was a very simple, stripped-down style of epic tension-release beats and electronic sounds meant solely to make you dance. His stage show was the most elaborate of the weekend, taking a page straight out of the Daft Punk playbook. Deadmau5, with glowing mouse head on at all times, was perched atop a giant cube, which projected various images and light displays. This all combined to be a fun, high-energy experience, though not musical in nature. Talking with a fan later, I learned that the man uses no samples in his live show and creates all sounds in the moment with analog equipment. That said, I respect Deadmau5 for what he does, but can’t say the music engages me.

Continue reading for Sunday highlights…

Treasure Island Sunday Highlights

Broken Social Scene by Josh Miller

1. Broken Social Scene :: 5:35-6:25 :: Bridge Stage

Though I was mostly unfamiliar with this Canadian musician collective before this set, I was soon converted. Their ensemble approach to playing continually surprised me, with musicians continually switching instruments after every song. The band plays a sort of alt-rock chamber music, with each musician in the eight-piece band playing a very specific role in the sound and always serving the song. The set started with four guitars jangling away, and yet the sound was lean and not overly busy. “7/4 (Shoreline)” was rocked out nicely, and the mid-tempo “Texaco Bitches” was made interesting with some bloopy synths. At times the band evoked the wide-open-spaces feel of early U2, with shimmering guitar parts and soaring vocals. But the peak of the set had to be “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl,” a slow-building loop of a tune which repeated itself, each band member gradually adding something new at every repetition until it built to a soaring, heartfelt crescendo. As the band peaked the song out, singer Kevin Drew successfully crowd-surfed all the way back to the soundboard – a triumphant way to end the set.

2. Superchunk :: 2:30-3:15 :: Bridge Stage

I’d never heard of these guys either, and they thoroughly impressed me with their meaty, poppy punk rock. Superchunk has influenced countless indie rockers having been around for over 20 years, and listening to them play it’s easy to tell why. They work as a unit, slugging it out with duel guitar power chords and a rockin’ female bassist, her axe slung low, to boot. Singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan was right on all set with his great voice. Their new track “Digging for Something” had me rocking hard, and included the first real guitar solo of the entire weekend, believe it or not. “My Gap Feels Weird” was also awesome, and the anthemic “Crossed Wires” had a rip-roaring, jangly guitar duel. They closed their utterly satisfying afternoon set in grand rock fashion, with thrashing guitars and windmill power chords.

3. Belle & Sebastian :: 9:05-10:20 :: Bridge Stage

Another band I haven’t given a chance, these guys closed the festival out on a cheery note with their immaculate, gorgeous pop-rock melodies. In a day filled with large ensemble bands, this group beat them all with an 11-piece band, complete with horn and string sections. Lead man Stuart Murdoch was in high spirits, bouncing around the stage while his band churned out bright, meticulously crafted pop. All the songs were light and catchy, with a high gloss production that gave them a kind of George Martin feel. Songs like “I’m A Cuckoo” were amazingly clean and precise in their sound, and the audience was all smiles and extraordinarily attentive. Indeed, in between songs, I had never heard a quieter, more well behaved audience in all my years. This allowed the band to give their music the delicacy it required, what with its lovely flute and string parts and three-part madrigal harmonies. Tunes like “Suki In The Graveyard” and “The Boy With The Arab Strap” were gleaming, radio-friendly nuggets that got people bouncing around before the epic, feel-good climax of “Sleep The Clock Around” sent us to the shuttle buses, closing out a big day of music.

4. The National :: 7:15-8:15 :: Bridge Stage

This band is Matt Berninger. Everything about the archetypal indie rock this band plays revolves around his aching, Morrissey-like baritone and the heartbreaking lyrics it delivers. In this eight-piece band, all instruments function to serve the song, first and foremost. Strings, horns, guitars and keyboard are all complimentary color to his deeply soulful voice. Most all of his songs are about relationships and getting older, and all are tinged with melancholy. The music is always achingly beautiful, and tunes like “Apartment Story” and “Conversation 16″ make you feel more than you might expect. This was a deep show, and every now and then Berninger would freak out, as he did in “Abel,” screaming, “My mind’s not right!” His performance contrasted drastically with his funny, witty stage banter – definitely the winner for best banter of the weekend. Berninger has great stagecraft, and knows how to be a leading man to great effect. Some other lead singers from the weekend could have taken a tip or two from him…

M. Ward by Josh Miller

5. She & Him :: 4:00-4:50 :: Bridge Stage

This collaboration between M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel was a fun afternoon romp into 60s era doo-wop pop. Their band had a jukebox feel to it, with M. Ward’s soul-fried guitar work leading the band. Though Deschanel has a great voice, it was a cold, windy day, and she seemed a bit unsure onstage, and her voice didn’t fill the open field very well as a result. This would clearly be a great band to see in a small venue, but their delicate sound didn’t translate very well to a gigantic, open-air stage. Regardless, songs like “Black Hole” were fun and lighthearted, with backup singers doo-wopping it up. My favorite song had to be “This Is Not A Test,” a sunny, strummy, acoustic feel-good number. Another highlight included M. Ward leading the band through a folkified version of “Roll Over Beethoven” to close out a fun set.

6. Papercuts :: 1:55-2:25 :: Tunnel Stage

A short 30-minute set started my day off right with an introduction to Papercuts’ etheral indie-pop. Based in SF, they are led by vocalist Jason Robert Quever, whose high-pitched, quavering tenor blends with the band’s lo-fi sounds. Their songs are punctuated with strange washes of organ sounds, and are catchy if a bit generic sounding. I would definitely give them another chance, as a half hour is not much time to prove one’s worth as a band.

Continue reading for Josh Miller’s photo gallery…

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”6″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=152″);}); 10/16/10 – 10/17/10 – Treasure Island Music Festival (San Francisco, CA) View Photos

JamBase | Surrounded By Water
Go See Live Music!

JamBase Questionnaire: Reed Mathis

June 17th, 2010 | No Comments

Welcome back to JamBase’s baker’s dozen of probing, wide-ranging questions to the bright lights in the jam scene (and beyond). Last time we heard from Keller Williams and upcoming installments will include The Black Seeds, Scott Metzger, Plants and Animals and more!

Few would argue with you if you said Reed Mathis is one of the bassists of his generation. More than once I’ve had friends seeing him play for the first time make Hendrix comparisons, and there’s more than a bit of Jimi’s fire and of-the-moment creativity to Mathis’ style, which mingles fine groove instincts with a precocious knack for taking the bass into places usually reserved for electric guitarists. Few players listen more intently to their compatriots or act upon what they hear with such clear pleasure in making music together with others. He is a constant source of inspiration to his bandmates in whatever setting, driving himself in ways that also stirs up the best in others, elevating the whole of whatever he puts his mind to. As a co-founder and architect of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey for 15 years, Mathis established himself as one of the premiere instrumentalists and top-notch young composers in the jam & jazz worlds, and in recent years has shown a similar flair for rock ‘n’ roll with Tea Leaf Green and new side project 7 Walkers with Papa Mali and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as plying open-ended instrumentalism with the Marco Benevento Trio..

Reed Mathis by Josh Miller

One of the less celebrated but equally lethal aspects of this hyper-multi-talent is his growing production acumen. Approaching mixing boards and recording technology with the same purposeful intensity he employs with his instrument, Mathis has emerged in recent years as a premiere young producer. His mojo was working REALLY well on his JFJO swansong Winterwood, and now he’s captured the finest studio work to date from Tea Leaf Green. Looking West, released yesterday, is the quartet’s most adventurous, sonically switch-on album, finding them playing with vocal textures and scintillating, unpredictable arrangements, while adding ropey muscle to their trademark signature glide.

On Looking West we hear Trevor Garrod unearth his inner Leon Russell – rusty menace and all – while Josh Clark plays with greater subtlety and sings with greater force than we’ve ever heard on record. The rhythm team of Mathis and Scott Rager carries the whole enterprise along so seamlessly that one might initially miss how tight ‘n’ right they’re playing is. And the entire album overflows with small, perfect touches that accent the strength of their songwriting and charismatic delivery. Put more briefly, Looking West is as fine a rock ‘n’ roll slab as you’re gonna hear in 2010. (Dennis Cook)

Here’s what Reed had to say to our inquiries.

Nicknames: Ginger-Christ-Superstar, Yeti Lee

1. Great music rarely happens withoutÂ…
Ungluing your eyes from the teleprompter and saying, “Fuck it, we’ll do it live.”

2. The first album I bought wasÂ…
A double purchase: Thriller and Rappin’ The Books of the Bible

3. The last song or album to really flip my wig wasÂ…
In a rental car I heard a radio show in Burlington VT of a local band called Swale. Unbelievable songs, gut-wrenching performances. Can’t wait to hear more of that.

4. When I was a kid I wanted to grow up to beÂ…
Some sort of explorer/discoverer/adventurer. It pretty much is going exactly according to plan.

5. My favorite sort of gig isÂ…
An old, beautiful room, a humongous bass tone, consequence-free improvising, a packed dance-floor, some prepared poems and some surprise solos. And then, a silent, dark, cool place to do some deep breathing.

6. One thing I wish people knew about me isÂ…
Sometimes I’m shy, but it’s not cause I’m not stoked.

7. I love the sound ofÂ…
The mockingbirds in the Mississippi River Valley

8. One day I hope to make an album as fantastic asÂ…
Axis: Bold as Love

9. The best meal I ever had on tour was atÂ…
At a good friend’s home in Trinidad, CA. Thanks, Polans!

10. I always find the coolest audiences inÂ…
San Francisco

11. The worst habit I’ve picked up being on the road all the time isÂ…
Not calling family & loved ones enough, even though I miss & think of them often.

12. The Beatles or the Stones? Por que?
I’d have to say Beatles. Why, I can’t really say. I do like it a lot though. The Stones, too.

13. The craziest thing I ever saw wasÂ…
Carnegie Hall, from the stage

JamBase | Westward Leaning
Go See Live Music!

High Sierra Troubadour Sessions Tim Bluhm, Nathan M, Dan Bern

May 10th, 2010 | No Comments

NATHAN MOORE, TIM BLUHM, DAN BERNS, TREVOR GARROD AND MORE
GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

One of the distinct pleasures of the High Sierra Music Festival is the intimate, often hushed or warmly humorous late night Troubadour Sessions. The lineup for this year’s Sessions is as follows:

Tim Bluhm by Josh Miller

Thursday, July 1
Trevor Garrod
Zach Deputy
Tim Bluhm
Nicki Bluhm

Friday, July 2
Nathan Moore
Kate Gaffney
TBA
TBA

Saturday, July 3
Scott Law
Julian Coryell
Carolyn Wonderland
TBA

Sunday, July 4
Josh Clark
Paul Benoit
Chris Chandler
Dan Bern

High Sierra takes place July 1-4, 2010 in Quincy, CA. A full schedule of late night offerings can be found here, and those heading to Quincy for Fourth of July weekend can begin planning now with the JamBase High Sierra Grids, which lay out the full festival schedule for 2010.

Tea Leaf Green: Summer Shows Looking West Out June 8

May 5th, 2010 | No Comments

NEW ALBUM OUT IN JUNE
APPEARANCES AT WAKARUSA, OYSTERFEST, ALL GOOD AND ROCKS OFF

Tea Leaf Green by Josh Miller

Tea Leaf Green has announced the release of their first studio album since 2008. Set to be released on June 8, Looking West will be available on iTunes, in the band’s online store, and at all of their upcoming shows.

“We’ve been waiting a long time to make this record,” says Trevor Garrod. “It’s almost as if we’ve loved these songs too much and were afraid to encase them forever in a studio album. These songs are messages in bottles washed up on foreign shores, alien transmissions from distant worlds, memories from our fading youth, and reminders of our endless and repetitious search for love and freedom.”

A special pre-order of the album is available now at the band’s online store. Everyone that pre-orders the album will automatically be registered to win a signed copy of the CD and one grand prize winner will receive a 4-pack of tickets to the headlining show of their choice and a private meet & greet with the band. They are also offering a special bundle sale option of a copy of the CD and one of the new TLG shirts for $25, or $22 for a digital download and t-shirt.

Tea Leaf Green will celebrate the release of Looking West on June 16th at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco. To mark the occasion, the band will be performing the album in its entirety with a stripped down acoustic set. Every ticket purchase will also include a free copy of the CD. For more info or to purchase your tickets to this special show, visit tealeafgreen.com.

Tea Leaf Green has also announced several new dates this summer, with more dates to be announced soon.

Tea Leaf Green Summer Tour Dates

06/05 – Wakarusa – Ozark, AR
06/16 – Cafe du Nord – San Francisco, CA
06/19 – Oysterfest – San Diego, CA
07/03 – Marin County Fair – San Rafael, CA
07/09 – All Good Music Festival – Masontown, WV
07/10 – Abbey Bar- Appalachian Brew Co. – Harrisburg, PA
07/11 – Tags Summer Stage – Big Flats, NY
07/12 – Rocks Off Concert Cruise – New York, NY

Tea Leaf Green Tour Dates :: Tea Leaf Green News :: Tea Leaf Green Concert Reviews

Dr. Dog | 04.25 | San Francisco

May 4th, 2010 | No Comments

Words by: Justin Gillett | Images by: Josh Miller

Dr. Dog :: 04.25.10 :: Great American Music Hall :: San Francisco, CA

Dr. Dog :: 04.25 :: S.F.

After releasing six albums over the better part of the past decade, with the most recent being Shame, Shame, the Philadelphia-based quintet Dr. Dog has yet to truly affirm itself as a momentous studio band. All the group’s LPs are mildly respectable, but none of the releases truly capture the band’s live character. The band’s ardent performances highlight each musician’s ability to play off one another and carry out the band’s impressive harmonies.

During the nostalgic indie rock outfit’s recent two-night layover in San Francisco, Dr. Dog was able to sell out both nights at the Great American Music Hall, an admirable feat for any group, considering S.F. is home to a good amount of smug music snobs who consider obscure forms of brash noise to be the apex of musical artistry.

As the dogged musicians took the stage and immediately locked in with one another it was made clear that the deep interplay between the members is the band’s selling point. Vocals were traded between guitarists Scott McMicken and Frank McElroy, as well as bassist Toby Leaman, and the group’s blissed out harmony arrangements sounded strong. The guys don’t necessarily sing extremely similar – Leaman’s raspy howl is a vast departure from McMicken’s mellow croon – but the pairing works and the divergent vocal styles complement each other.

An auxiliary multi-instrumentalist was recently added to the band’s live show, and he would occasionally trigger electronic samples, tap percussion devices, hit triggered drum pads and strum an acoustic guitar. While his presence added small nuanced layers to the band’s already full sound, he seemed little more than a glorified tambourine shaker and didn’t really contribute much to the group’s refined sound.

Playing hollow body guitars through a few vintage sounding effects, both McMicken and McElroy added impressive layers of feedback-fueled noise to the band’s pop-friendly tunes. Though the instrumental sections managed to propel the music, when the group added its characteristic three-part harmonies the music really shined. The teamwork of the guitarists also served to bolster many of the songs, and whenever McMicken or McElroy took a solo it was a joint effort. Both guitarists would read one another and play off each other, creating an awesome amalgamation of sound that further fueled the band’s lush grooves.

When the band left the stage after its 75-minute set, the crowd was still thirsty for more Dog, and the group obliged fans with an impressive five-song encore. Aptly concluding the show with “California” off the 2006 Takers and Leavers EP, Dr. Dog managed to, again, prove its worth as a live band and leave a lasting impression in the minds of all in attendance.

Dr. Dog Tour Dates :: Dr. Dog News :: Dr. Dog Concert Reviews

JamBase | Howling
Go See Live Music!

Widespread Panic: Summer Tour

April 26th, 2010 | No Comments

RADIO CITY, CHICAGO THEATER AND RED ROCKS GET THE TREATMENT

WSP’s John Bell by Josh Miller

Widespread Panic has announced dates for their 24-date, 17-city Summer tour, tagged “The Dirty Side Down Tour”. The tour kicks off with a three-night stand at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison CO, and includes headlining festival dates, a three night run at the Chicago Theater and a date at New York’s legendary Radio City Music Hall.

Dates in Boise, Chicago, Boston, Knoxville and Charlotte (nine different shows) will feature the ‘Feeding People Through Music’ Food Drives, where fans will be able to make donations to the local area food banks at the venue. For more information on the program, go here.

Dirty Side Down is the title of the Widespread Panic’s 11th studio album, which is set for a May 25th release on ATO Records. Dirty Side Down was produced by John Keane along with Widespread Panic, and recorded in his Athens, GA studio.

Widespread Panic “The Dirty June 25 Red Rocks Amphitheater June 26 Red Rocks Amphitheater June 27 Red Rocks Amphitheater June 29 Cuthbert Amphitheater June 30 Paramount Theater July 2 High Sierra July 3* Outlaw Field July 6 Orpheum Theater July 7 Orpheum Theater July 9 Forecastle July 10 All Good Festival (Headlining) July 13 Promowest Pavillion July 15* Chicago Theater July 16* Chicago Theater July 17* Chicago Theater July 20 Tower Theater July 22 Radio City Music Hall July 23 Ives Concert Park July 24* Bank of America Center July 26* Tennessee Theater July 27* Tennessee Theater July 28* Tennessee Theater July 30* Verizon Wireless Amphitheater July 31* Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

* = “Feeding People Through Side Down Tour”

Morrison, CO
Morrison, CO
Morrison, CO
Eugene, OR
Seattle, WA
Music Festival (Headlining) Quincy, CA
at the Botanical Gardens Boise, ID
Omaha, NE
Minneapolis, MN
Festival (Headlining) Louisville, KY
Morgantown, WV
Columbus, OH
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Philadelphia, PA
New York, NY
Danbury, CT
Boston, MA
Knoxville, TN
Knoxville, TN
Knoxville, TN
Charlotte, NC
Charlotte, NC Music” food drives

Widespread Panic Tour Dates :: Widespread Panic News :: Widespread Panic Concert Reviews

Tea Leaf Green | 04.17 | San Francisco

April 22nd, 2010 | No Comments

Words by: Dennis Cook | Images by: Josh Miller

Tea Leaf Green :: 04.17.10 :: Great American Music Hall :: San Francisco, CA

Tea Leaf Green :: 04.17.10 :: San Francisco

Sometimes it helps with our favorite bands to step back for a spell. Without some distance, they can only be so fresh to us; their changing angles obscured by what we’ve seen and want to see. Tea Leaf Green was one of the first bands I wrote about when I got serious about music scribing eight years ago. Then, playing tiny clubs and searching for their sound, I heard shit-tons of promise, and there’s not many more charming quartets on the planet – something felt in their easy-to-like music and smiling, seemingly effortless stage demeanor. Dramatic personnel changes, a few hundred new songs and countless nights honing them in front of sweaty, happy people have worn away the baby fat to reveal one of the sturdiest American rock bands out there, a group capable of playing multi-night runs at quality theatres like the Great American Music Hall. Having spent many months away from their concerts, I arrived in S.F. open to whatever might unfold. Based on this gig’s resounding evidence, they’ve fully coalesced, a classic four-piece rock combo with talent, tunes and tenacity to spare.

Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers played a lovely opening set to a sparse but increasingly enthusiastic early evening crowd. There’s the pull of flames for moths to Bluhm and her tight, thoughtful boys. One simply wants to move nearer when they ply their newfangled country rock meets skipping pop sound. The initial draw, obviously, is Bluhm’s powerhouse voice and charming phrasing. Don’t even bother trying not to stare or reveal your shock when the full force of her pipes hits you. But, she’s not up there alone, and The Gramblers play with brilliant economy, giving just as much and no more as each moment requires, exemplified by the tasty, leave-them-wanting-more guitar work of Deren Ney. New one “Jet Plane” had the together oomph of electric Fairport Convention and raises hopes pretty high for their forthcoming new album. My money says they deliver and then some.

Tea Leaf’s first set put a shadowy hue on their trademark bounce. Where once they were defined by their “California” feel (nicely revisited in S.F. with “Panspermic De-evolution”), here their collective reach touched on bloody nosed hard rock, jam flexibility, prime ’70s singer-songwriter fare and post-Wilco pop-rock. I’ve always liked them a touch heavier than some TLG faithful, and this gig let the clouds rain strong even though they always ultimately resurfaced into sunlight. Looking Unabomber chic, bassist Reed Mathis possessed a hairy intensity, a powerful aura that silently infiltrated the others, particularly in the grand-fab-tab-u-lous second set, which ranked amongst the very best TLG sets I’ve ever witnessed.

“Weird,” “psychedelic,” “heavy” and “intense” were some of the adjectives folks pulled out around me, yet none of it hints at how much forward motion and honest reflection lies at the heart of their music. For as much fun as one is likely to have at a Tea Leaf Green show, there is something decidedly more profound afoot. TLG is a dance hall band that slips emotion-triggering mementos into your pocket while you’re lost in the smoke, volume and flashing stage lights. It’s only the next day that one really appreciates the full measure of the experience, and it’s that lingering satisfaction that brings one back again and again.

Tea Leaf Green :: 04.17.10 :: Great American Music Hall :: San Francisco, CA
Set I: Germinatin’ Seed, Criminal Intent > Dreaming Without Sleeping, Cops Took My Weed, Santa Cruz, The Devil’s Pay, Miss Mae, Hello Jane, Baseball Song, Fallen Angel

Set II: 354* > Morning Sun, The Invasion, Honeymooners, This is Real > Georgie P, Not Fit > Panspermic De-evolution > One New Day > Panspermic De-evolution, Zoom Zoom, Emma Lee, Let Us Go
E: Forgivin’ > New Shoes > One Reason

* Guns N’ Roses cover (first time played)

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”0″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=33″);}); Tea Leaf Green | Great American Music Hall | San Francisco, CA Tea Leaf Green perform at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on Saturday April 17, 2010… View Photos

Tea Leaf Green Tour Dates :: Tea Leaf Green News :: Tea Leaf Green Concert Reviews

North Mississippi Allstars | 03.12 | St. Louis

March 24th, 2010 | No Comments

By: Neil Salsich

North Mississippi Allstars :: 03.12.10 :: The Pageant :: St. Louis, MO

Hill Country Revue :: 01.23.09 :: by Josh Miller

“Welcome to the North Mississippi Hill Country Revue!” Those words, shouted by Hill Country Revue‘s Daniel Coburn as he shook his mic stand triumphantly before the crowd, marked the end of the evening’s most amazing display of collective musicianship and the beginning of a fervently appreciative crowd’s ravenous applause. It was well deserved considering what had just taken place: a shimmering, joyous take on the North Mississippi Allstars‘ “Going Home” that morphed into a triple guitar wrestling match between the Brothers Dickinson and their Hill Country Revue pal Kirk Smithhart. Three guitars onstage is a risky move, but when done right, the music flies. Colorful notes and rich harmonies swirled together, rolling over each other and building incessantly towards their peak destination and the song’s end, all lathered down with sticky-sweet Southern rhythm by bassist Chris Chew and Hill Country drummer Ed Cleveland. It was everything great about rock and roll: sunshine, soul and salvation.

Though the show was billed as two separate acts (Hill Country Revue opening for the North Mississippi Allstars), thankfully the two bands spent at least half the evening sharing the stage. It was in these 30 minutes or so of communal playing that the music really opened up. Before that, however, the Allstars already had the audience positively worked up with their signature low-down-and-dirty take on Mississippi Hill Country blues. Oozing “cool” in shades, a flannel shirt and swinging brown hair – and boasting a rotating arsenal of mouthwatering Gibsons – Luther Dickinson plunged the trio down into some devilishly dark, psychedelic riffage. He’s a fascinating player to watch because of his constantly changing technique; one minute he’ll be searing the strings with only a slide and his fingers on a greasy blues number, and the next he’ll be flatpicking his way through an Allmans inspired boogie, the best around this side of “Blue Sky.”

Riding the low end to Luther’s muscular melodies was bassman Chris Chew, a towering giant of a man who kept his lines slippin’ and sliddin’ underneath, murmuring up meaty rhythmic backbones to the songs. In contrast to his imposing stature was his honey-coated voice, wherein lies the group’s secret weapon. He lent his pipes to more than a few numbers, including “I’d Love To Be A Hippy,” and at times stole the show, charismatically working the room like a pro. Stationed behind the drum kit and rounding out the trio with his rumbling percussion was drummer – and Luther’s brother – Cody Dickinson.

Luther Dickinson :: 01.23 :: by Miller

Key to the Allstars’ sound is the two musical poles their playing straddles, i.e. bone rattling blues that almost tear down the walls mingled with bouts of freewheeling Southern boogie that can’t help but inspire grins and gaping jaws. Sometimes a song itself – “Lord Have Mercy” being a prime example – was a constant journey between the sticky, muddy blues of the swamp and the open water and blue skies of the ocean. It’s no-frills-rock-and-roll; no need to focus on frantic chord changes, modulating keys or the like – just two feet planted firmly on the ground, a cold beer in your hand and a little rhythm in your hips.

The night really peaked when the remaining members of Hill Country Revue (Chris and Cody already being onstage) joined the band for a few numbers. It began with a lengthy but absolutely engaging “drums” segment between Cody and Hill Country Revue drummer Ed ‘Hot’ Cleveland. Witnessing these two in actions – both during their rhythmic duel and later with the rest of the musicians – reminded me what an awesome and fascinating sight a double drummer rock band really is. When done right, I’ll maintain that two drummers are always better than one; being able to hear and see the effect it has is simply one of the most exciting things in live music. With arms flying, snares snapping and symbols crashing, the two wove in an out of each other in percussive lines that leapfrogged the beat but came together at precisely the right moments. Lightning in a bottle. The Dead and the Allman Brothers do it best, but this night’s duo was not far behind.

With the whole gang onstage, the music really took off. Daniel Coburn howled soulfully alongside Luther, who, spurred by HCR’s Kirk Smithhart, wrangled the songs into submission with blistering slide work and some deep, dark, psychedelic wah-wah. Surprisingly (or not, considering his musical pedigree), Cody Dickinson wasn’t half bad on the axe. With Ed Cleveland taking over – and boy, did he own the drums – Cody emerged from behind the kit to spit out a few licks and work with Luther and Kirk in a euphoric, chill-inducing “Going Home.” It’s great fun to dance and get down, but it was moments like this that I caught myself standing stone still and slack jawed, in awe of the music and the rumble in my chest. As a trio or with their friends, the Allstars delivered. Heavy hooks, blues and country boogie are meant to be played like this. Amen.

For more on the Allstars, check out our 2008 feature.

North Mississippi Allstars Tour Dates :: North Mississippi Allstars News :: North Mississippi Allstars Concert Reviews

JamBase | Hill Country

Go See Live Music!

All Good Festival Adds: Dr. Dog New Mastersounds, Derek Trucks

March 19th, 2010 | No Comments

MORE SWEET ADDITIONS TO 14TH ANNUAL GATHERING

Walther Productions has announced the following additions to the 2010 All Good Music Festival lineup. The festival will take place July 8-11 in Masontown, WV on Marvin’s Mountaintop, with no overlapping sets allowing fans to see every set and every band on the lineup. The new All Good Festival additions are:

Dr. Dog by Josh Miller

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band
Dr. Dog
SOJA
Everyone Orchestra
The New Mastersounds
Papadosio

These acts join the following confirmed artists:

FURTHUR featuring PHIL LESH & BOB WEIR

Widespread Panic

Umphrey’s McGee

Yonder Mountain String Band

Dark Star Orchestra

George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic

Lotus

Femi Kuti & the Positive Force

Rebelution

Railroad Earth

The New Deal

Perpetual Groove

Cornmeal

Fort Knox Five

The Macpodz

Keller Williams & the Added Bonus

Bassnectar

Garage a Trois

The Travelin’ McCourys

Dr. Didg

Lee Boys

All tickets are on sale now through here or charge by phone by at 1-800-594-TIXX.

ALO: Put Away The Past

February 5th, 2010 | No Comments

By: Dennis Cook

ALO by Jay Blakesberg

One of the functions of music is to help us process emotions and life experiences. If music is to become a soundtrack to our lives it must carry some verisimilitude and hold an honest mirror up to our lives. So, it seems no accident that the opening verse on ALO‘s new release, Man of the World (arriving February 9 on Brushfire Records and currently available as a world premier on JamBase), on the stunning, moody, philosophical “Suspended” is as follows:

Lost the plot, but we found it again
It’s a mirror in which we all blend
Shades of darkness, shades of light
Everlasting, with no end in sight

The first time I listened to this album I was in a foul mood. At the ass end of one of those days where despite one’s best efforts the world vexes and befuddles in countless ways, I put on Man of the World and by the fourth cut I realized this was music custom made for bad days. Where some of this S.F. Bay Area band’s past efforts have been a touch too sunshine-y (or just plain goofy fun) for my taste, here I was awash in music that reminded me of Fleetwood Mac and Crowded House – wonderfully executed pop-rock built upon the shared reality of people living hands deep in the suds, scrubbing away at the dirty work of this world, wrestling relationship entanglements, and struggling to find good reasons to get out of bed in the morning.

The new album finds the quartet – Zach Gill (keys, lead vocals), Dan Lebowitz (Lebo) (guitar, pedal steel, vocals), Steve Adams (bass, vocals) and Dave Brogan (drums, vocals) – exploring some heavy themes – hopelessness, the persistent urge for going, the past and how we live with it in the present – and while the material has a pleasant sheen and catchy character, there’s ink black edging that gives this set honest, substantive weight.

“You have to because that’s a reflection of true life, at least for adults. For kids, it’s maybe not all lights and pretty colors, but it should be! As an adult you don’t want it to be all rainbows and leprechauns,” observes Dave Brogan. “There’s darkness and art that doesn’t reflect true life or some experience of true life, well, I don’t know. It’s questionable to me. You have to have some dark edges, and I think we have a better balance on this album than in the past.”

“Some people that follow us don’t want dark edges in ALO music because they perhaps want an experience slightly akin to a childlike experience with our music. So, they’re looking for a little escape from their dark corners,” continues Brogan. “But, I don’t think we really escape our dark corners, no matter how much Ecstasy you take or how happy the music is. And if you can deal with this darkness in the music it’s way more helpful and positive than shutting that stuff off and watching Teletubbies for four hours straight. We all struggle everyday. It can be as simple as someone cutting you off in traffic and you want to kill that person. It’s not tragedy; it’s just life.”

Meet Zach Gill

Zach Gill by Susan J Weiand

What is your favorite word? So many good ones, but I’ve always enjoyed “onomatopoeia.”

What is your least favorite word? Stupid.

What turns you on? Intellect and creativity.

What turns you off? Flakiness.

What sound or noise do you love? My daughter singing.

What sound or noise do you hate? Piercing feedback.

What is your favorite curse word? H E double hockey sticks.

What is the craziest damn thing you ever saw? My daughter being born.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Professor of something along the lines of history/anthropology/art/mythology/psychology or… a professional dancer or…

What profession would you not like to do? Anything that felt like a dead end.

What is one album that you never tire of listening to? Recently I’ve found myself listening over and over again to Regina Spektor‘s Soviet Kitsch.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Something along the lines of, “If you thought that was fun wait ’til you see what’s next.”

Working With Jack Johnson

Man of the World is ALO’s most egalitarian effort yet, with all four guys taking a bigger hand in songwriting, arranging and even tackling lead vocals on at least one cut each. Where often the group has been weighted a bit more towards Gill’s side of the stage, this album reflects an ALO where four gifted, strong personalities shine very brightly.

ALO w/ Jack Johnson :: Oahu, HI by Dave Homcy

“We all feel this album is the most true to ALO of anything we’ve done. The playing and even the messages are just true to where we’re at as people right now,” says Lebo. “We have so much to play with from this album! The first day of our new tour [beginning February 11 at the Belly Up Tavern in Solano Beach, CA - full tour dates here] will be the second time we’ve played ‘Suspended’ and the first time it’s ever actually been played in its entirety with the vocals [laughs].”

Another big change was bringing in another strong personality to help helm the recording process, namely longtime ALO pal Jack Johnson, who brought the boys to his studio in Hawaii and pitched in on everything from guitar to congas to lyrics and arrangements.

“We’ve known him for a long time. We lived in the dorms [at UC Santa Barbara] and tracked recordings with him there, and we’ve talked about doing something like this together for a while. We’ve put out records on his label but we’d never actually worked with him on a project. And it was really natural,” says Lebo. “We’d never really worked with a producer and had heard all the producer vs. band horror stories. ALO is very collective. A lot of the time you’ll have two people who like a thing and two people that don’t, and you spend a lot of time sorting that out. It was great having a producer, a fifth person, we trusted in these sorts of situations. It kept things moving much faster than in the past. Being in his context, his studio, he had a lot of ideas to contribute. We have our way of working together with the four of us but it was great to have his take on things, too.”

“When we played the Byron Bay Blues Festival [in Australia] a few years ago, he kind of became the fifth member for that set, where we alternated between Jack’s songs and our songs. It was like, ‘Really? Wow, that’s a good band!’” says Brogan. “We kind of have the same background and everyone has known each other for a long time. Working with him was great. He was very involved with all of it; he plays on a lot of the songs, especially on ‘Man of the World’ [title track] where he and Dan are playing different parts. That alone was pretty magical. In the past with recording we’ve always missed someone in the producer role who can take everyone’s input, process it and then say, ‘Okay, let’s do it this way.’ We’ve always been pretty leaderless in the past, and this made everything a lot easier. And we had our trusted helmsman Dave Simon-Baker [engineer]. I kinda can’t imagine making an ALO record without him at this point. He’s got a great personality for the studio and great engineering skills.”

“Jack had a lot of enthusiasm for the project, and we fed off that a lot,” adds Lebo. “Usually he’s in the studio working on his own thing – where you have your own history of what people like and pressures from labels, etc. – and I think this was just a very creative space for him. It’s different when your job is to help others craft something.”

Meet Steve Adams

Steve Adams by Susan J Weiand

What is your favorite word? Hola.

What is your least favorite word? Duh.

What turns you on? Patience.

What turns you off? Typos.

What sound or noise do you love? Paul McCartney on vinyl.

What sound or noise do you hate? Piercing feedback.

What is your favorite curse word? Blast.

What is the craziest damn thing you ever saw? Rolling our van on tour – the whole sliding, tipping and rolling, plus the aftermath of broken gear and band flyers floating down the road. Easily the craziest most surreal firsthand sight for me ever.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Cafe owner (with awesome food, art and music).

What profession would you not like to do? Anything that would confine me to an office cubicle for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and require a painful commute. I’m not even sure what job that would be, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like it.

What is one album that you never tire of listening to? Wildflowers by Tom Petty. Close runners-up: What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, Rumors by Fleetwood Mac

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Hola.

Continue reading for more on ALO…

I don’t think we really escape our dark corners, no matter how much ecstasy you take or how happy the music is. And if you can deal with this darkness in the music it’s way more helpful and positive than shutting that stuff off and watching Teletubbies for four hours straight. We all struggle everyday.

-Dave Brogan

Photo by: Jay Blakesberg

Meet Dan Lebowitz

Dan Lebowitz by Josh Miller

What is your favorite word? Carpaccio. I’ve never eaten it, but I love the way the word sounds.

What is your least favorite word? Doofus.

What turns you on? X-Factor.

What turns you off? Grudges.

What sound or noise do you love? The Purring of a late 50′s Fender tweed deluxe.

What sound or noise do you hate? The sound of a hammer hitting a nail puller (cat’s paw).

What is your favorite curse word? I reserve this for the bedroom.

What is the craziest damn thing you ever saw? ECMO.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Lutherie. It was my trade before the music got me, and if the music ever let me go, it’s likely where I would return.

What profession would you not like to do? Wouldn’t wanna be a Hit Man.

What is one album that you never tire of listening to? Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Just in time for dessert.”

Live Or Something Like It

“The method we used this time related a lot more to our live method. A lot of it was done [with all four of us in studio at the same time]. Fly Before Falls (2004) was a lot more overdubbing and Roses And Clover (2007) had a lot more of that layering, too. We’ve all wanted to do it more ‘live’ for years and finally with this album we did,” says Lebo. “Basically, we were all in a room together. My guitars are all over the drum mics and the drums are all over my guitar mics and the piano mics are… well, it’s all just blended all together. It’s not like in the past where your amp is off in the other room and maybe you’re tracking together but you think, ‘Oh, I screwed that part up but I can fix it.’ This time we needed to get it ALL together because we couldn’t change it.”

This kind of unfolding moment – without a thought for erasers and second guesses – is somehow picked up by the tape and digital coding, creating an immediacy and intimacy that captures some of the eye contact and non-verbal communication that occurs when music evolves in close physical proximity.

ALO by Jay Blakesberg

“I feel, too, that there’s a difference of mindset when you’re playing this way. It has the potential that each take will be ‘it,’ and there’s a different intensity in the way you play, at least for me,” says Lebo. “If I’m just overdubbing alone I’ll just do each part just the way I want it. It doesn’t matter if I mess it up; I’ll just keep doing it over and over until I get what I want. With this [live oriented approach], these guys might be about to have their best take ever and you don’t want to be the one who screws it up. And I’m watching them in the same way, like, ‘I’m having a good one right now. You gotta pull on through!’ It’s really powerful. The other cool thing is things make it on to the recording that you didn’t intend. With Pro-Tools and editing you can go back and change all these things you did, but this way – even though it can be sculpted in different ways – it captures what I did not necessarily know I was trying to do. This is a more real version of me, and while there’s things I maybe wish I could have done differently, it’s real.”

Man of the World is a warm grower that welcomes one in an active way, eager to bridge the divide between performers and listeners. It’s definitely the closest ALO has come to harnessing their considerable live charisma and energy in the studio.

“It was the most laid back process we’ve had. It was relaxed. We didn’t put a lot of pressure on it to be anything in particular or do anything for us. It’s really about going in and getting some songs together and recording them,” says Brogan. “We took off all the pressure we usually put on ourselves doing this one, and maybe that’s what you’re hearing in the warmth. It was recorded more live than any of the past [albums]. The thing is, we weren’t trying to make a well-crafted album [laughs]. Natural is what we were going for.”

Not every group could open an album with a nearly seven-minute empathetic simmer like “Suspended” but ALO makes the slow boil work, keeping a steady pace but painting the skyway with flashes of color and light as the piece moves. This is a glimpse of the soundscapes they regularly conjure in concert but finessed in a way that thrives in the studio.

“That song, for me, is a really special tune, and not just because I like the melody but because of the process of how it came to be. We’d never done a tune in the way this came to be,” says Lebo. “We did the record over three weeks in Hawaii and this was about midway through. In the beginning, you’re all excited and ready to start, and then it dawns on you that your time is wrapping up and you need to capture this thing. You know you don’t have all of it yet and you’ve only got like seven days to get the rest. It’s not a lot of time and the magic has to happen.”

“About a month before we went to Hawaii we’d gone into a room and just recorded a bunch of ideas. A lot of the tunes on the new album came from those sessions, where someone would lay something down and the others would come up with something on the spot or people took the jams home and worked on them,” continues Lebo. “['Suspended'] was one that’d kind of been forgotten, just this progression, this kernel of an idea, and it was late one night in Hawaii where we were wondering if we were going to have an album and we decided to play around with this cool thing. We came up with this really basic arrangement and just recorded it. What you hear on Man of the World is that. We forgot about it for a few days and then realized we had something and started working on lyrics, and we just laid the vocals down over that first take. It’s such a neat way for music to happen. It came from a feeling that we wanted to have something else on our album, and this how we reacted to that feeling. There was some debate within the band about starting the record with ‘Suspended,’ some worry it might turn some people off, but this IS us. If they don’t like this then they probably don’t like us.”

Meet Dave Brogan

Dave Brogan by Susan J Weiand

What is your favorite word? Something they say in Brazil: belleza. It means ‘beautiful’ but they use it like we use the word ‘nice’ when something goes really well.

What is your least favorite word? Morsel. Makes me wanna hate chocolate chips.

What turns you on? Feminine energy.

What turns you off? Wealth with no intellectual or spiritual foundation to support it.

What sound or noise do you love? Water dripping from trees.

What sound or noise do you hate? Car horns.

What is your favorite curse word? Poo poo.

What is the craziest damn thing you ever saw? A stuffed squirrel made to look like a horse with a mane and hooves glued to it sitting on the head of a trophy buck. I have a picture of it on my iPhone.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Outcast genius who works as a janitor at MIT, solves an impossible math equation written on a chalkboard in the hallway, gets taken under the wing of the head of the math department, can’t make it happen because he doesn’t have the social skills but ends up going to this really brilliant therapist who works at the community college and starts dating Minnie Driver.

What profession would you not like to do? Head of security on a planet called Pandora. It’s 175 years in the future. I’ve seen a lot of action before and never got a scratch, but when I got to Pandora one of the ‘natives’ gave me a nasty facial scar. All I can think about is getting revenge by destroying their whole civilization. That sounds like soul death to me. Although, I would get to say things like, “Pandora will eat you for lunch and shit you out with zero warning.”

What is one album that you never tire of listening to? Ambient 2: The Plateau of Mirrors by Harold Budd and Brian Eno. It’s the soundtrack of my soul.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “I don’t blame you for doubting me.”

A Touch of Mystery

On the sleeve of the new album and in general the band has been using the acronym ALO instead of the elongated Animal Liberation Orchestration, a name that sometimes feels a touch cumbersome for the lithe, poppy quartet. Condensed to three letters, there’s a touch of mystery that suits guys able to play pretty wide and hard while simultaneously (and successfully) working in the odd Wang Chung or primo soft rock cover.

ALO by Jay Blakesberg

“What I really like about using the shortened version nowadays is that AOL [America Online] is pretty much dead, so we don’t get that mix up quite so often. That helps,” chuckles Brogan. “I always wanted to use ALO with ‘Animal Liberation Orchestra’ in parenthesis because I think ALO is like a little brand. We got tired of having to explain that name all the time. It got to be a drag, and the name ‘Animal Liberation Orchestra and the Free Range Horns’ is sort of a tongue-in-cheek name for a college band, and for better or for worse, we stuck with the name. The way it is now, it could spell anything; it’s sort of a symbol.”

This quiet embrace of open-ended interpretation carries into the spirit of Man of the World, which doesn’t fully reveal itself for a few spins, but when it does you may find yourself tickled in places you didn’t suspect, laughing about things that are no laughing matter, lost in the glorious peels of pedal steel or Gill’s terribly inviting voice, and feeling like things might work out after all.

“There are albums that you listen to and just love the first time through but by the third spin you’re just bored. The difference is often some mystery. Albums with no mystery are the easiest thing to like right away, but it only peaks your interest because there’s not much to ponder,” says Lebo. “The ones that you put on and can’t figure out immediately are the ones that end up being your favorite albums.”

“I was sitting around my house the other day, listening to music, and the player went onto the next album in alphabetical order and it turned out to be an ALO album we’d done in college. It came on and I hadn’t listened to it for years and years, or even thought about it. It was cool but it’s NOTHING like what I’d make now. It was fun to listen to this band that I barely related to though. Had we not gone into the studio that weekend to make this music it wouldn’t exist, and I thought it was cool. I could never make this music today,” says Lebo. “It’s so important to just go and record music. A year later it’s not going to be true to what it was at the time. It’s kind of a life lesson beyond music. Everyone has ideas but there are few people good at manifesting their ideas quickly. Sometimes you’re driving down the street and you have this idea and let it go. Then, a year later you see it out in the world – somebody had the same idea and made it real. Just think of all the ideas that never get to be real because you left it as a thought in your head. It’s kind of your responsibility, in a way, to the world, to your place in the world, to make your ideas real.”

The questionnaire used in this feature was taken from James Lipton’s TV program “Inside the Actors Studio” and inspired originally by the Proust Questionnaire.

ALO tour dates available here.

JamBase | Worldly Wise
Go See Live Music!

Black Lips | 01.21 | San Francisco

January 29th, 2010 | No Comments

By: Justin Gillett

Black Lips :: 01.21.10 :: Great American Music Hall :: San Francisco, CA

Black Lips :: 02.08.08 by Josh Miller

Over the past ten years, Atlanta’s Black Lips have earned a reputation for being one of the crudest live acts on the touring circuit. The band’s affinity for discharging bodily fluids while onstage, as well as playing nude and performing sexual acts on one another, has led some to consider the band distasteful at best and a gimmick at worst. While this behavior has kept the four-piece garage rock outfit from mainstream appeal, it has attracted a different audience; a sort of anti-establishment, anarchistic mass that’s drawn to artists who do what they want regardless of any possible consequences and who prove this with their actions as much as their music.

During Black Lips’ recent layover in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall, the band was surprisingly tame compared to the depravity of its old self. The group still put on a high energy live show, to the admiration of the sold out crowd, but the band seems to have matured a bit and grown out of its “shock rock” ways. Whether this is a calculated move or something that just kinda happened naturally, it was clear that Black Lips are entering a new chapter and are intent on evolving as a band. This isn’t to say that they’ve totally changed ethos, but the group has toned down its antics a bit. However, the band still has an unpredictable stage presence and its S.F. stop proved that the rabblerousing nature of Black Lips is still somewhat intact.

At first sight of the band coming onstage, people in the audience became very agro – setting the tone for how the audience would act for the duration of the show. As Black Lips played it was clear with the liberal amount of mic reverb that the band doesn’t really care about crispness of sound or clarity of vocals. It almost sounded like they were playing through speakers that were intentionally set up to sound like they were blown out. While bassist Jared Swilley sang the majority of lead vocals, the entire band had mics and sang spastically. The guys are not accomplished singers, and the vocals sounded extremely rough, but the approach helped add to the overall renegade quality they exude.

Black Lips :: 02.08.08 by Josh Miller

As the members onstage jumped and flailed about, the rambunctious crowd matched their actions in intensity. For a bunch of pretentious looking fans, everyone really got excited by the music, with people crowd surfing, getting thrown onstage and then leaping back into the crowd to rage some more.

Throughout the show it was interesting to look at the interplay between guitarists Cole Alexander and Ian Saint Pe. As both guys played it was clear that neither of them were that skilled on their instrument. They both played well, in the confines of the music, but both rarely took a solo, and when one did it was slightly droll and uninteresting. The lack of instrumental prowess is excusable though. Black Lips is a band that doesn’t need virtuosity to propel itself. By not being tied down to playing fast or particularly adept, the band is surprisingly able to write memorable songs that are easy to listen to.

As the self-proclaimed “flower punks” kept lighting up the room, it became evident that the band has grown since its adolescent years, developing a potent stage show that mixes rock and theater with compelling results. Black Lips’ relentless touring schedule is testament to their dedication to music, and even though the band still looks like a bunch of skate rats, they are noteworthy performers who have earned their spot in the musical zeitgeist.

Black Lips tour dates available here.

JamBase | Blackened
Go See Live Music!

Widespread Panic | 11.13 | Oakland

November 17th, 2009 | No Comments

Word by: Kayceman | Images by: Josh Miller

Widespread Panic :: 11.13.09 :: Fox Theater :: Oakland, CA

Widespread Panic :: 11.13 :: Oakland

It had been over two years since perennial road warriors Widespread Panic played a non-festival show in the Bay Area. Shacking up at the gorgeous Fox Theater in Oakland, CA for a three-night run, it was the second show on Friday the 13th that stuck out as special. There was nothing wrong with Thursday or Saturday’s shows, other than being perhaps a bit flat, but Friday’s concert was a reminder of why this band has one of the most dedicated fan bases in all of music and it was a prime example of why these fans continue to drop it all and chase Panic around the country. During the band’s peak, somewhere between 1997 and 2002, shows like this popped up frequently, and for many seasoned touring vets, Friday’s show was one of the better since band co-founder Michael Houser passed away.

Clocking in at around an hour and a half, the lengthy first set featured Bob Dylan (“Solid Rock”), Tom Waits (“Goin’ Out West”), Neil Young (“Don’t Be Denied”), and Jerry Joseph (“Light Is Like Water”). The tone was set immediately with Jimmy Herring‘s ominous guitar bleeding the dark notes to first song “Junior” and before long it was Jojo Hermann‘s dirty Clavinet that pushed the song into surprisingly funky terrain. Hermann would prove to be the catalyst throughout the night, leaning on his keys, tempting a Friday the 13th “Superstition” (which never surfaced) and creating spacey interludes so that the momentum rarely slowed.

John Bell :: 11.13 :: Oakland

During old school instrumental “Happy,” Herring was channeling vintage Garcia as he pulled notes from the sky and showed incredible control of his warm tone. Frontman John Bell grabbed hold of the crowd during “Pigeons,” belting out some of the most poignant lyrics in rock: “We’ve all been waiting/ Wondering, will we ever know the truth/ What it’s like washing windows when you know there are pigeons on the roof.” The world is a harsh, unforgiving place and we all know it. We wake up and struggle to find a moment of peace, we wash the windows of our life only to turn around and find shit caked all over them once again. But we push on. We clean up and fight another day. It’s all we can do.

Another old gem, “Walkin’” was a revelation. Taking the loping tempo and twisting the notes until they were unrecognizable, Panic landed in one of the night’s longest and most impressive jams that may have been influenced by the recent tour with the Allman Brothers. With bassist Dave Schools working overtime to keep the wheels glued on, Herring and Hermann were free to fly loose and light, dancing around one another, dipping into fast-paced duels and spacious feather-weight cascades.

If the set ended there it would have been a great first set, but then emerged one of the most emotional songs in the band’s repertoire, Neil Young’s “Don’t Be Denied.” With strong parallels to Panic’s history, as JB sang, “Pretty soon I met a friend who played guitar,” the Fox erupted. One look at the capacity crowd and it was clear many were feeling it. Tears were forming, arms were wrapped around shoulders, and if you stared long enough, maybe you could still see Mikey Houser sitting up there on the stage.

Clearly this had to be the end of the set. “Don’t Be Denied” is generally a first, last or encore song. Wrong again. Out comes Jerry Joseph for a blistering “Light Is Like Water.” They’ve previously only played the song eight times and it had been over a year since it last showed up. A meaty middle section featured a three guitar attack with Herring, JB and Joseph winding around each other, and then Schools and JB doing back-up harmony for the Reverend Jerry Joseph in a raucous church revival moment as he screamed, “Whatever gets you through the night!” It was a big way to end a massive first set that left many out of breath with eyes glassed over.

Ortiz & Schools :: 11.13 :: Oakland

When they came back out with “Tie Your Shoes” > “Blight” > “All Time Low” > “Blight” it was clear that Panic was not letting up on this evening. Set two never stopped and never slowed down. Every song bled into the next and they turned the Fox into a sweaty soup of gyrating bodies and flailing limbs.

“Tie Your Shoes” was played at a frantic pace with notes folding over one another and everyone somehow staying off each other’s toes. “Blight” was slow and dark, allowing fans the rare chance to hear Schools sing lead. With a heavy delay on his vocals, Schools was improvising about “green shoots popping up everywhere,” and when JB sang back-up, Schools followed by blurting out “spooky” before they did some of the finest vocal harmonizing of the run. The fact that they went out of “Blight” and back into it for a brief moment after “All Time Low” sent the hardcore fans reeling.

Set two found Dave Schools out front, and when he dropped the bombs to signal The Meters‘ “Just Kissed My Baby” (which hadn’t been played since 2006) the dance party went into overdrive. Fully equipped with the JB “Night People” rap, Jimmy Herring’s fire-starter lead and percussionist Wally Ingram adding color, things opened wide during this section.

Herring & Hermann :: 11.13 :: Oakland

One could wax poetic about every song played: the strong “C. Brown;” the heavenly, delicate jam out of “Wonderin’;” the slow, methodical, long “Porch Song” that erupted at the end, reminding fans of the late ’90s; and the “Love Tractor” that closed the set. But it was “Arleen” > “Red Hot Mama” that turned a great show into the stuff of legend.

The dirty disco funk of “Arleen” came on hot and heavy and sent backs breaking and knees popping. Everyone – band and fans alike – were fully lubricated at this point and there was no looking back. It didn’t matter if this was your 150th Panic show or your first; everyone felt it and it appeared that all had given themselves over to the groove. Jojo was hammering the Clav, locked-in deep with Schools, and JB was loose, adlibbing about the neighbor girl (“her face look good but her body not ready”) and tossing in a brief moment of “Junior,” adding to the story he’s been crafting for decades. It all built to a mean crescendo with that little neighbor girl’s daddy coming out with his gun locked and loaded as the band fell in step, turning out the final jam before Schools teased Sugar Hill Gang‘s “Rappers Delight” with a bit of “Hotel motel Holiday Inn.”

At this point all bets were off, and when they blasted into Parliament/Funkadelic‘s “Red Hot Mama” it was a blur of funky keys, growling guitars, heavy bass, and grinding ass funk. For this writer, “Arleen” > “Red Hot Mama” (and the entire second set for that matter) was as good as anything he’s seen all year.

John Bell :: 11.13 :: Oakland

“We’re glad we came to work tonight,” declared JB before the encore. It was a big show felt just as much by the band as the fans, and when they closed with JB on mandolin for a tender “End Of The Show” it was the perfect way to send us off into the night, feeling just a bit lighter than when we walked in.

There’s transcendence in these songs. Dancing with eyes closed and screaming along with old friends you rarely see and new ones you’ve yet to make, there’s community here. There’s a shared experience that stretches far beyond the concert hall. Widespread Panic is a true blue workingman’s rock & roll band. They aren’t singing of fantastical places or imaginary moments, this is salt of the earth stuff and as Americans we need it more than ever. Life is hard right now and we’re carrying a lot weight. People are losing jobs, houses, and lives, and many aren’t sure how they’re gonna pull through. A rock concert might not save us from tomorrow, but it sure feels nice to let it all slide off our shoulders and roll down our backs, even if it’s just for three hours on a Friday night.

Widespread Panic :: 11.13 :: Fox Theatre :: Oakland, CA

Set I: Junior, Solid Rock, Happy > Goin’ Out West, Big Wooly Mammoth, Pigeons, Crazy, Walkin’ (For Your Love) > Don’t Be Denied, Light Is Like Water*

Set II: Tie Your Shoes > Blight > All Time Low > Blight > Just Kissed My Baby**, C. Brown** > Wondering > Porch Song > Arleen > Red Hot Mama > Love Tractor

E: End Of The Show
* with Jerry Joseph on guitar/vocals

** with Wally Ingram on percussion

You can stream and/or download this show for free now at panicstream.com.

Widespread Panic is on tour now; dates available here.

Continue reading for more pics of Widespread Panic at The Fox in Oakland…

Images by: Casey Flanigan

JamBase | Liberated
Go See Live Music!

Poor Man’s Whiskey: Darkside Shows This Week

October 19th, 2009 | No Comments

PINK FLOYD GETS THE MOONSHINE TREATMENT IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

PMW by Josh Miller

Northern California gem Poor Man’s Whiskey embark on a handful of special dates this week in Seattle, Portland and Bend, OR, where they will showcase their inspired interpretation of the classic Dark Side of the Moon album, given hickory smoke and twisted twang in their Dark Side of the Moonshine.

Released earlier this year in studio form, along with an entirely winning disc of original material, Moonshine is a brave, entertaining experiment that works both to twang up the beloved ’70s epic and to highlight the broad reaches of a group once considered a pure string band. In the liner notes, JamBase Associate Editor Dennis Cook says, “Their thoughtful mingling of flavors and focused craftsmanship allows them to spin Pink Floyd’s disenchanted bong hit masterpiece atop their fingers Harlem Globetrotter styleÂ…Instilling the shadows with honey harmonies, fusion-y fiddle, and innumerable other cool touches, they show respect and boldness in their interpretation, giving us new corridors to explore where once we were certain we knew the terrain by heart.”

Further dipping into pop culture tradition, PMW will perform the piece with a Wizard of Oz accent (do yourselves a favor and check out these lunatics in costume here). The Seattle and Portland shows will be full productions including lasers! For a further taste of what these shows may hold check out JamBase’s 2008 show review.

Poor Man’s Whiskey follows these dates with several sets at Las Tortugas IV – Dance of the Dead, taking place October 29-November 1 in Yosemite, CA.

Darkside Pacific Northwest Dates

Thur – 10/22 – Columbia City Theater – Seattle, WA
Fri – 10/23 – Mt. Tabor Theatre – Portland, OR
Sat – 10/24 – Domino Room – Bend, OR

Monday Melody
Black Crowes Edition

August 31st, 2009 | No Comments

WE TAKE WING WITH ONE OF THE GREAT ROCK BANDS OF OUR TIME

Crowes by Josh Miller

Today is the release date of Before The FrostÂ…Until The Freeze, the latest salvo from JamBase faves The Black Crowes, and we’re celebrating with a baker’s dozen of their finest, including a healthy sprinkling of new tracks to whet your appetite. If last year’s Warpaint showed the group shoring up their core qualities, the new double record finds them exploring fresh, organically creative pathways, some strikingly different than anything in their past, further evidence that their artistic renaissance continues apace. We’ll have a full review of Before The FrostÂ… later this week, but in the meantime let this assortment of Monday Melodies put a little giddy-up in your stride and a lil’ love in your heartÂ….

For those interested in singling out the new tunes, they are “Make Glad,” “Been A Long Time (Waiting On Love),” “I Ain’t Hiding,” “Good Morning Captain” and “What Is Home.”

Gregg Allman | 07.21 | San Francisco

July 23rd, 2009 | No Comments

Images by: Josh Miller

Gregg Allman :: 07.21.09 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA

Gregg Allman performed two shows at San Francisco’s intimate Independent earlier this week. The solo band featured Allman on piano, guitar and vocals, Bruce Katz on keyboard, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Steve Potts on drums, Scott Sharrard on guitar, Jay Collins on sax and Floyd Miles on percussion.

Setlist: Don’t Keep Me, I’m No Angel, I’ll Take Care, Rivers, Feel So Bad, You Must Be, Multi Color, Bullets, Dreams, Lovelight, Melissa, Daytona, Thumb, Midnight Rider, Whipping Post

Encore: Sweet Feeling, Statesboro Blues

Gregg Allman has a few more solo dates listed, you can view them here.

JamBase | San Francisco
Go See Live Music!

The New Up: Summer Tour

July 20th, 2009 | No Comments

REST OF COUNTRY GETS CHANCE TO ENJOY SAN FRAN TREAT

The New Up by Josh Miller

Wrapped in effusive female fronted melodies, darkened by whirling guitars while juxtaposing hard-hitting 00s alternative with psychedelic overtones, The New Up announces summer tour dates in August and September, including Austin, Houston, Cleveland and Portland, in support of the August 18th release of the Better Off EP.

Having played with such artists as The Burning Brides, Jon Langford and Mike Watt, the first EP of the series, Broken Machine, received national recognition where it charted on the CMJ Top 200. Music critic Dennis Cook (Pitchfork, Signal to Noise, JamBase) deemed them “a post-Radiohead group, full of mutated pop hooks, absinthe guitars, smartly wrangled chaos and undisguised beauty and feeling. But, there’s little in the way of influences, even Radiohead’s, that you can pin down exactly… What they’ve made is their own.”

Backed by sincere musicianship inspired by Chicago roots and San Francisco surroundings, The New Up’s influential evasiveness illustrates a dichotomy of urban darkness and Midwestern sincerity, highlighting their equal fascination with nature and urban chaos. Headquartered at their San Francisco home, endearingly named The Pleasure Pad (where the band rehearses and records), members ES Pitcher (vocals, guitar), Noah Reid (guitar, vocals), Hawk West (flute and automation), Dain Dizazzo (bass) and Drew Bertrand (drums) began recording a series of three EPs in the spring of 2008. After lying down the basic tracks at Hyde Street Studios with Jaimeson Durr (Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Handsome Boy Modeling School), they began layering additional tracks at The Pleasure Pad, where they could explore by recording flute lines in bathrooms and trying odd mic placements in closets – without the pressure and financial constraints of a traditional studio.

For more on The New Up check out this recent show review.

Tour Dates

8/21/2009-Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco
8/22/2009-Cellar Door, Visalia, CA
8/23/2009-Viper Room, Los Angeles
8/24/2009-Soda Bar, San Diego, CA
8/26/2009-Red Eyed Fly, Austin, TX
8/27/2009-Rudyard’s, Houston, TX
8/28/2009-Vinos, Little Rock
8/29/2009-Preservation Pub, Knoxville, TN
8/31/2009-Caledonia Lounge, Athens, GA
9/1/2009-Somewhere Else Tavern, Greensboro, NC
9/2/2009-Alley Katz, Richmond, VA
9/3/2009-Outback Lodge, Charlottesville, VA
9/4/2009-The Red and the Black, Washington DC
9/5/2009-Trash Bar, Brooklyn
9/6/2009-Cedar’s Lounge, Youngstown, OH
9/7/2009-Now That’s Class, Cleveland, OH
9/8/2009-The Robin Hood, Kent, OH
9/9/2009-Carabar, Columbus, OH
9/11/2009-The Dark Room, Chicago
9/12/2009-Cactus Club, Milwaukee
9/17/2009-Zebra Lounge, Bozeman, MT
9/19/2009-Tonic Lounge, Portland OR

Las Tortugas IV: Umph, DumpstaTea Leaf, Hips, Monsoon, Rum

July 16th, 2009 | No Comments

A HOPPIN’ HALLOWEEN AMONGST TALL TREES

Josh Clark – Tea Leaf Green
Las Tortugas III by Josh Miller

“A shared community dedicated to good times accessed through sound waves, dance and a neighborly spiritÂ…Las Tortugas has all the makings of an annual event that folks will mark on the calendar in permanent ink.” – JamBase

The premiere intimate West Coast fall music festival, Las Tortugas – Dance of the Dead IV, returns October 29 through November 1. Presented by Terrafin Entertainment, this emerging Halloween weekend gathering at Evergreen Lodge in Groveland, CA (located at the Western Gate of Yosemite National Park) offers a musician and fan friendly experience in an idyllic woodland setting dotted by cozy cabins, a restaurant and bar, a general store and many unique features. Las Tortugas offers a handpicked, quality assortment of diverse, jam friendly artists in a positive, engaged environment that’s quickly becoming a can’t-miss event in Northern California.

This year’s lineup features:

Umphrey’s McGee
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk
Tea Leaf Green
Hot Buttered Rum
Bag of Tricks (featuring Zach Gill, Steve Adams and Dave Brogan of ALO)
The Mother Hips
Blue Turtle Seduction
New Monsoon
Trevor Garrod
Counterclarkwise
Big Light
Papa Mali
Dave Brogan Band
Guitarmageddon
Sean Leahy
Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers
Pimps of Joytime
Izabella
Poor Man’s Whiskey
Tracorum
Tistrya and Friends
Montana Slim
Smokedaddies

In it’s fourth year, Las Tortugas continues to build on its core ideal of active, joyous musical pleasure delivered by road tested pros, who often finds themselves collaborating in unique combinations here. A strong sense of community infuses Las Tortugas, with daily themes, special one-off sets (like TLG’s Trevor Garrod‘s annual Sunday morning solo performances), quality, reasonably priced food and a wonderfully immersive feel where costumes change on a daily basis and the players have as much fun as the attendees.

For Tickets and festival information visit here.

Check out JamBase’s rave for Las Tortugas III here.

Posts Tagged ‘Josh Miller’

Hot Buttered Rum Headed To Africa To Study, Record, Film

JamBase Questionnaire: Brian Haas

The Black Crowes: Welcome To The Good Times

Treasure Island Music Fest 2010 | S.F. | Review | Pics

JamBase Questionnaire: Reed Mathis

High Sierra Troubadour Sessions Tim Bluhm, Nathan M, Dan Bern

Tea Leaf Green: Summer Shows Looking West Out June 8

Dr. Dog | 04.25 | San Francisco

Widespread Panic: Summer Tour

Tea Leaf Green | 04.17 | San Francisco

North Mississippi Allstars | 03.12 | St. Louis

All Good Festival Adds: Dr. Dog New Mastersounds, Derek Trucks

ALO: Put Away The Past

Black Lips | 01.21 | San Francisco

Widespread Panic | 11.13 | Oakland

Poor Man’s Whiskey: Darkside Shows This Week

Monday Melody
Black Crowes Edition

Gregg Allman | 07.21 | San Francisco

The New Up: Summer Tour

Las Tortugas IV: Umph, DumpstaTea Leaf, Hips, Monsoon, Rum

Latest Video

Recent Posts