Clarence Clemons died on June 18 at the age of 69. He was a huge part of the E Street Band and will truely be irreplaceable. His saxophone playing inspired many and brought much passion to the music of Springsteen and many others. He will be deeply missed.
Couldn't embed the 2nd part...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYeH6sEdXU
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tunes
Here's a little feature where I post a few tunes that I personally enjoy and describe why I like 'em. Nothing really formal or deep, just five interesting cuts:
The Lettermen- "Allentown Jail"
Not exactly typical Lettermen material (not a ballad), this folk song was written by Irving Gordon and covered by the group in 1963. It's got great harmonies and a good jangle to it.
JJ Cale- "Cocaine"
I've never liked Clapton's cover that much, although the rest of the album
Slowhand is great. Cale's original has such a better vibe to it and feels, I dunno, more "authentic."
The Laughing Dogs- "Reason For Love"
Playing pop-rock at CBGB's in a time when punk dominated, The Laughing Dogs are an interesting band. This is a great little catchy tune, nothing deep, but fun. I own their S/T debut.
Mark-Almond Band- "One Way Sunday"
Evoking a great feel, this tune had popularity in the New England area. Evolving from members of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, this jazz-rock band features excellent musicianship. Jon Mark of the band produced a Grammy-winning album of Tibetan Monk chants in 2004.
The Kingsmen- "If I Needed Someone"
Evoking a garage-Byrds-Beatles(of course) vibe, this Kingsmen cover is curious, but good in its own way.
The Lettermen- "Allentown Jail"
Not exactly typical Lettermen material (not a ballad), this folk song was written by Irving Gordon and covered by the group in 1963. It's got great harmonies and a good jangle to it.
JJ Cale- "Cocaine"
I've never liked Clapton's cover that much, although the rest of the album
Slowhand is great. Cale's original has such a better vibe to it and feels, I dunno, more "authentic."
The Laughing Dogs- "Reason For Love"
Playing pop-rock at CBGB's in a time when punk dominated, The Laughing Dogs are an interesting band. This is a great little catchy tune, nothing deep, but fun. I own their S/T debut.
Mark-Almond Band- "One Way Sunday"
Evoking a great feel, this tune had popularity in the New England area. Evolving from members of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, this jazz-rock band features excellent musicianship. Jon Mark of the band produced a Grammy-winning album of Tibetan Monk chants in 2004.
The Kingsmen- "If I Needed Someone"
Evoking a garage-Byrds-Beatles(of course) vibe, this Kingsmen cover is curious, but good in its own way.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Review: Aztec Two-Step at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA
Date of concert: February 5, 2011
Some acts just never have a big popular hit. It's not because they're not a good enough act or because of a lack of talent, it's just that they sadly never break through with a song that gets out to the masses. In the case of Aztec Two-Step, they've been a talented no-hit wonder for forty years now. As part of their anniversary tour, they gave a show that has become an annual event at the Iron Horse Music Hall.
Rex Fowler and Neal Schuman compose the acoustic guitar duo, performing along with bass player Fred Holman. There was no opening act at this show. Aztec Two-Step offers a spin on the acoustic and folk-rock that heavily populated the early seventies. Fowler's and Schuman's voices are as perfect as ever and sound just like they did doing the same wonderful harmonies forty years ago. The acoustic guitar playing is stellar, and Schuman's lead guitar lines are beautiful. Covers of the Everly Brothers and Simon and Garfunkel were performed as well as Aztec Two-Step classics like "Baking", "The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty", and "Rabbit in The Moon".
The only problem with the show was that the pacing was a little off-kilter, which left little room at the end for the classic "Highway Song" which they were unable to play despite promising it earlier in the show. Other than that it was a pleasant and mellow evening, and Aztec Two-Step is easily one of the best surviving acoustic folk duos today, and simply one of the best ever.
Aztec Two-Step performing "The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty":
Some acts just never have a big popular hit. It's not because they're not a good enough act or because of a lack of talent, it's just that they sadly never break through with a song that gets out to the masses. In the case of Aztec Two-Step, they've been a talented no-hit wonder for forty years now. As part of their anniversary tour, they gave a show that has become an annual event at the Iron Horse Music Hall.
Rex Fowler and Neal Schuman compose the acoustic guitar duo, performing along with bass player Fred Holman. There was no opening act at this show. Aztec Two-Step offers a spin on the acoustic and folk-rock that heavily populated the early seventies. Fowler's and Schuman's voices are as perfect as ever and sound just like they did doing the same wonderful harmonies forty years ago. The acoustic guitar playing is stellar, and Schuman's lead guitar lines are beautiful. Covers of the Everly Brothers and Simon and Garfunkel were performed as well as Aztec Two-Step classics like "Baking", "The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty", and "Rabbit in The Moon".
The only problem with the show was that the pacing was a little off-kilter, which left little room at the end for the classic "Highway Song" which they were unable to play despite promising it earlier in the show. Other than that it was a pleasant and mellow evening, and Aztec Two-Step is easily one of the best surviving acoustic folk duos today, and simply one of the best ever.
Aztec Two-Step performing "The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty":
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Review: Ernie and The Automatics at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA
Date of concert: January 30, 2011
Ernie and The Automatics is a blues-rock band composed of members of formerly successful bands, the most notable being Barry Goudreau on guitar and Sib Hashian on drums, both formerly original members of Boston. The story and soap opera of Boston is best described on other web sites, so it's best I get on with reviewing the actual show.
Local band Damon Reeves and the Love Thieves, or just The Damon Reeves Band, opened the show. They delivered a decent half-hour set and proved themselves to be one of the better local groups. Reeves is a pretty decent guitar player, and their set was enjoyable.
Ernie and the Automatics is Brian Maes on vocals, Tim Archibald on bass, Michael "Tunes" Antunes on saxophone, and Ernie Boch Jr. on guitar, as well as the aforementioned members. They're all great musicians, but many tracks from their first album were mildly dissapointing. Live, many of them have an extra air of life to them, but they still aren't really great songs, save "The Good Times (Never Last)" and "Tappin' On An Empty Head".
Luckily, this night they decided to debut some tracks from their upcoming album, and all of them are markedly better than what came before. I can't recall any specific song titles, as many were very new, including one they said they wrote while getting ready to perform.
They did a great version of the J. Geils' Band "First I Look At The Purse". Archibald and Maes both formerly toured with Peter Wolf in his solo band. The highlight of the show has to be the "Boston Medley" they play. Composed of "More Than A Feeling", "Rock and Roll Band", "Smokin'" and "Foreplay/Long Time", it's great to hear Goudreau play the solo in "Long Time" just as he played it on the record(Tom Scholz handled the majority of Boston's studio guitar work). They are not able to play any more Boston material for legal reasons, but what they do play sounds great.
A very good show, and all of the band members are friendly guys who are great to talk to. Tickets for these guys aren't usually very expensive(This show was $1.02!), so I recommend them!
"Tappin' On An Empty Head" perfromed live:
Ernie and The Automatics is a blues-rock band composed of members of formerly successful bands, the most notable being Barry Goudreau on guitar and Sib Hashian on drums, both formerly original members of Boston. The story and soap opera of Boston is best described on other web sites, so it's best I get on with reviewing the actual show.
Local band Damon Reeves and the Love Thieves, or just The Damon Reeves Band, opened the show. They delivered a decent half-hour set and proved themselves to be one of the better local groups. Reeves is a pretty decent guitar player, and their set was enjoyable.
Ernie and the Automatics is Brian Maes on vocals, Tim Archibald on bass, Michael "Tunes" Antunes on saxophone, and Ernie Boch Jr. on guitar, as well as the aforementioned members. They're all great musicians, but many tracks from their first album were mildly dissapointing. Live, many of them have an extra air of life to them, but they still aren't really great songs, save "The Good Times (Never Last)" and "Tappin' On An Empty Head".
Luckily, this night they decided to debut some tracks from their upcoming album, and all of them are markedly better than what came before. I can't recall any specific song titles, as many were very new, including one they said they wrote while getting ready to perform.
They did a great version of the J. Geils' Band "First I Look At The Purse". Archibald and Maes both formerly toured with Peter Wolf in his solo band. The highlight of the show has to be the "Boston Medley" they play. Composed of "More Than A Feeling", "Rock and Roll Band", "Smokin'" and "Foreplay/Long Time", it's great to hear Goudreau play the solo in "Long Time" just as he played it on the record(Tom Scholz handled the majority of Boston's studio guitar work). They are not able to play any more Boston material for legal reasons, but what they do play sounds great.
A very good show, and all of the band members are friendly guys who are great to talk to. Tickets for these guys aren't usually very expensive(This show was $1.02!), so I recommend them!
"Tappin' On An Empty Head" perfromed live:
Review: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the Pearl Street Ballroom in Northampton MA
Date of show: Friday December 10, 2010
The last year catch-up comes to a close....
So after seeing Grace Potter and the Nocturnals open for My Morning Jacket in August, I was curious about what they would be like headlining. Good things were expected and the show was pretty solid. However, I have to be one of those people who says that after researching the band further, I liked them better before their 'pop-rock' makeover. However, that doesn't mean you won't find much to enjoy at a GP&TN show.
Blues and Lasers opened, which is basically Grace's band minus Grace. They mostly did blues jams reminiscent of the Allman Brothers. They rambled a little in their set, but overall the double-drummer group were a decent opener for Grace and the full band.
There was an hour wait between bands. I thought this was pretty ridiculous considering most of the band had been out there already, but anyway I digress. Bassist Cat Popper was out sick and replaced by John Rogone. The band opened with "Hot Summer Night". Fitting considering it was freezing and about to snow outside. Strong material like "Joey", "Ah Mary" and "Sweet Hands" were played from earlier albums.
The material from the latest self-titled release comes off better live, but it's still weaker compared to the first two albums, "Nothing But The Water" and "This Is Somewhere". It's not bad by any means, just not as meaningful or genuine feeling.
Mid-show, Grace did a solo acoustic set which included a cover of "Not in Nottingham" by Roger Miller from the 1973 Disney movie "Robin Hood" and also played "Ragged Company". She was soon joined by Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco on acoustic guitars.
Encoring with their hit "Paris", a cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit", and "Nothing But The Water", the show finished strongly. Overall, it was a good show, and trust me, this band is going to become huge someday soon, so see them in a smaller venue while you can.
The band performing "Some Kind of Ride"
The last year catch-up comes to a close....
So after seeing Grace Potter and the Nocturnals open for My Morning Jacket in August, I was curious about what they would be like headlining. Good things were expected and the show was pretty solid. However, I have to be one of those people who says that after researching the band further, I liked them better before their 'pop-rock' makeover. However, that doesn't mean you won't find much to enjoy at a GP&TN show.
Blues and Lasers opened, which is basically Grace's band minus Grace. They mostly did blues jams reminiscent of the Allman Brothers. They rambled a little in their set, but overall the double-drummer group were a decent opener for Grace and the full band.
There was an hour wait between bands. I thought this was pretty ridiculous considering most of the band had been out there already, but anyway I digress. Bassist Cat Popper was out sick and replaced by John Rogone. The band opened with "Hot Summer Night". Fitting considering it was freezing and about to snow outside. Strong material like "Joey", "Ah Mary" and "Sweet Hands" were played from earlier albums.
The material from the latest self-titled release comes off better live, but it's still weaker compared to the first two albums, "Nothing But The Water" and "This Is Somewhere". It's not bad by any means, just not as meaningful or genuine feeling.
Mid-show, Grace did a solo acoustic set which included a cover of "Not in Nottingham" by Roger Miller from the 1973 Disney movie "Robin Hood" and also played "Ragged Company". She was soon joined by Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco on acoustic guitars.
Encoring with their hit "Paris", a cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit", and "Nothing But The Water", the show finished strongly. Overall, it was a good show, and trust me, this band is going to become huge someday soon, so see them in a smaller venue while you can.
The band performing "Some Kind of Ride"
Review: Joe Bonamassa at Springfield Symphony Hall in Springfield MA
Date of concert: Thursday November 11, 2010
Joe Bonamassa is one of those people who you know was just born to play the guitar, as if it was simply an extension of his body that he used to great effect. He's one of the greatest living blues-guitar players today, and even though his music might not be incredibly innovative in the genre, he's still one hell of a guitar player. He performed a great show at Springfield Symphony Hall, his first show after a while of performing outside of the United States.
Right after being introduced, Bonamassa promptly appeared onstage, playing "Cradle Rock." There was no opening act. He was backed by a bassist, Carmine Rojas a drummer, Bogie Bowles, and a keyboardist, Rick Melick. The set delivered some of the best blues-rock songs wriiten and performed in recent memory including "Sloe Gin" and "If Heartaches Were Nickels". During "The Ballad of John Henry", Bonamassa played parts of the song with a violin bow, which was quite the experience. The cover of "Young Man's Blues" sounded like vintage Led Zeppelin, and that is completely fine in my book.
After about a two hour show, Bonamassa's encore wrapped up with a cover of ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid" that threw in parts of Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused." Bonamassa's show is just what you're looking for if you love some vintage-sounding blues-rock played by a fantastic guitar player with a tight band.
"Just Got Paid" Live:
Joe Bonamassa is one of those people who you know was just born to play the guitar, as if it was simply an extension of his body that he used to great effect. He's one of the greatest living blues-guitar players today, and even though his music might not be incredibly innovative in the genre, he's still one hell of a guitar player. He performed a great show at Springfield Symphony Hall, his first show after a while of performing outside of the United States.
Right after being introduced, Bonamassa promptly appeared onstage, playing "Cradle Rock." There was no opening act. He was backed by a bassist, Carmine Rojas a drummer, Bogie Bowles, and a keyboardist, Rick Melick. The set delivered some of the best blues-rock songs wriiten and performed in recent memory including "Sloe Gin" and "If Heartaches Were Nickels". During "The Ballad of John Henry", Bonamassa played parts of the song with a violin bow, which was quite the experience. The cover of "Young Man's Blues" sounded like vintage Led Zeppelin, and that is completely fine in my book.
After about a two hour show, Bonamassa's encore wrapped up with a cover of ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid" that threw in parts of Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused." Bonamassa's show is just what you're looking for if you love some vintage-sounding blues-rock played by a fantastic guitar player with a tight band.
"Just Got Paid" Live:
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Review: America at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton MA
Date of concert: Friday October 15, 2010
America delivered a solid show. There was no opener. America's always been one of those 70s folk-rock bands that has been viewed as pretty inconsequential. I have to agree that none of their music was particulary revolutionary, but that doesn't mean that the show didn't have a lot of solid music and hits.
They opened with "Tin Man" and the sound was awfully quiet. The vocals were buried. They then played "You Can Do Magic" and the sound was still muffled. An audience member yelled "Turn up the vocals!" and the sound was adjusted to an almost perfect level, and it became easier to focus on the music.
The setlist was pretty much what you would expect, but that's not a bad thing. Some of America's weak songs are very weak, but their solid hits are classics for a reason. Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley voices have both held up very well over they years and are both still in great shape. The screen behind them played vintage clips and montages. This show being part of their 40th anniversary tour, the show was a little more focused than a few of their recent recorded performances I've seen. "Chasing The Rainbow" from their most recent album Here and Now was a great song, evoking a great 70s feel.
The encore started with a blues number that I can't seem to remember the title of and, of course, "A Horse With No Name" during which the band was joined by Chris Collingwood and Brian Young from Fountains of Wayne. Given that they helped produce America's last album and live in the area, I figured they might make an appearance.
Overall a very pleasant show. America gave a solid performance as I've heard they always do. Not a lot of surprises, but good musicianship. It's a band that if you like them, you should see at least once. And "Sister Golden Hair" is still one of the best feel-good songs of all time:
America delivered a solid show. There was no opener. America's always been one of those 70s folk-rock bands that has been viewed as pretty inconsequential. I have to agree that none of their music was particulary revolutionary, but that doesn't mean that the show didn't have a lot of solid music and hits.
They opened with "Tin Man" and the sound was awfully quiet. The vocals were buried. They then played "You Can Do Magic" and the sound was still muffled. An audience member yelled "Turn up the vocals!" and the sound was adjusted to an almost perfect level, and it became easier to focus on the music.
The setlist was pretty much what you would expect, but that's not a bad thing. Some of America's weak songs are very weak, but their solid hits are classics for a reason. Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley voices have both held up very well over they years and are both still in great shape. The screen behind them played vintage clips and montages. This show being part of their 40th anniversary tour, the show was a little more focused than a few of their recent recorded performances I've seen. "Chasing The Rainbow" from their most recent album Here and Now was a great song, evoking a great 70s feel.
The encore started with a blues number that I can't seem to remember the title of and, of course, "A Horse With No Name" during which the band was joined by Chris Collingwood and Brian Young from Fountains of Wayne. Given that they helped produce America's last album and live in the area, I figured they might make an appearance.
Overall a very pleasant show. America gave a solid performance as I've heard they always do. Not a lot of surprises, but good musicianship. It's a band that if you like them, you should see at least once. And "Sister Golden Hair" is still one of the best feel-good songs of all time:
Review: Lost in The Trees at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA
Date of concert: Saturday October 2, 2010
Lost in The Trees w/ opener The Loom put on quite an interesting show at the Iron Horse. Brooklyn- based folk-rock band The Loom opened with an energetic set of material. It was an excellent choice for an opener. They produced a very full sound and all of the members were very energetic and into the music. I'd like to seem them do a headlining show sometime. My personal favorite song of theirs was "The Middle Distance", which is available on their Myspace page to listen to. Special mention of member Sydney Price who is one of the most energetic people I've ever seen and has a beautiful voice as well.
Lost in The Trees is pure orchestral-folk pop awesomeness. Leader Ari Picker really has something new and exciting on his hands. This group definitely has the chance to go somewhere...Someone in the crowd shouted that and Picker responded with something to the effect of, "We're just going to Boston". They pull the audience in with their music which is so textured and impeccably performed that I'm still thinking about it. I think that the seven-member group will continue to grow and come up with even stronger material in the future.
Lost in The Trees performing "Walk Around The Lake".
I'd like to put a special note here about the sound at the Iron Horse. It's awesome. Not earbleedingly loud at all the times I've been there, and this show was particularly good sound-wise. It's nice to have a venue that books great acts and has nice sound as well. I plan to review the shows I've gone to earlier this year as well...it's my first year of concert-going. Hopefully I'll catch up with the beginning of the year by the end of it.
Lost in The Trees w/ opener The Loom put on quite an interesting show at the Iron Horse. Brooklyn- based folk-rock band The Loom opened with an energetic set of material. It was an excellent choice for an opener. They produced a very full sound and all of the members were very energetic and into the music. I'd like to seem them do a headlining show sometime. My personal favorite song of theirs was "The Middle Distance", which is available on their Myspace page to listen to. Special mention of member Sydney Price who is one of the most energetic people I've ever seen and has a beautiful voice as well.
Lost in The Trees is pure orchestral-folk pop awesomeness. Leader Ari Picker really has something new and exciting on his hands. This group definitely has the chance to go somewhere...Someone in the crowd shouted that and Picker responded with something to the effect of, "We're just going to Boston". They pull the audience in with their music which is so textured and impeccably performed that I'm still thinking about it. I think that the seven-member group will continue to grow and come up with even stronger material in the future.
Lost in The Trees performing "Walk Around The Lake".
I'd like to put a special note here about the sound at the Iron Horse. It's awesome. Not earbleedingly loud at all the times I've been there, and this show was particularly good sound-wise. It's nice to have a venue that books great acts and has nice sound as well. I plan to review the shows I've gone to earlier this year as well...it's my first year of concert-going. Hopefully I'll catch up with the beginning of the year by the end of it.
Review: John Hiatt at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton MA
Date of concert: Friday September 24, 2010
On Friday night in Northampton MA, John Hiatt performed. And man, did he perform. But first the show opened with Holly Williams, granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr. and daughter of Hank Williams Jr. She played a simple, rather soothing set of country-folk material. Nothing really spectacular to me, although I did enjoy her cover of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery." She has a decent voice and was a pretty good opener for Hiatt, setting the mood well.
An intermission followed, and then came Hiatt. He played an excellent "Drive South" before going into the classic "Perfectly Good Guitar" with some great harmonica added. Hiatt was solo, switching up between two guitars throughout the show and playing a few songs on a keyboard. Hiatt was consistently hilarious throughout the whole show as well, with his answers to a member of the audience shouting for "Barbie Ferrari" (which Hiatt did play), and with his hilarious story in the middle of "Your Dad Did" about his father and February 1964, when the Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. Seriously, it rivaled anything I've heard from a stand-up comedian in a long time.
Hiatt playing "The Open Road" with a full band on Letterman:
Hiatt also played a handful of songs from his March 2010 release The Open Road, my favorite of which was the title track. Other highlights- but you know, really the whole show was a highlight- included renditions of "Feels Like Rain", "Crossing Muddy Waters", and "Master Of Disaster". I can honestly say I've never been so entertained with a solo performance in my concert going experiences so far. Really, not only is Hiatt one of the most excellent songwriters ever, he's also one of the funniest and down to earth performers I've seen. When he encored with "Have A Little Faith In Me" you know he's one of the greatest, because despite being covered by artists like Joe Cocker and Jewel, Hiatt does it the best, and it's because you know from his performance that he's lived it. Excellent show.
On Friday night in Northampton MA, John Hiatt performed. And man, did he perform. But first the show opened with Holly Williams, granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr. and daughter of Hank Williams Jr. She played a simple, rather soothing set of country-folk material. Nothing really spectacular to me, although I did enjoy her cover of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery." She has a decent voice and was a pretty good opener for Hiatt, setting the mood well.
An intermission followed, and then came Hiatt. He played an excellent "Drive South" before going into the classic "Perfectly Good Guitar" with some great harmonica added. Hiatt was solo, switching up between two guitars throughout the show and playing a few songs on a keyboard. Hiatt was consistently hilarious throughout the whole show as well, with his answers to a member of the audience shouting for "Barbie Ferrari" (which Hiatt did play), and with his hilarious story in the middle of "Your Dad Did" about his father and February 1964, when the Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. Seriously, it rivaled anything I've heard from a stand-up comedian in a long time.
Hiatt playing "The Open Road" with a full band on Letterman:
Hiatt also played a handful of songs from his March 2010 release The Open Road, my favorite of which was the title track. Other highlights- but you know, really the whole show was a highlight- included renditions of "Feels Like Rain", "Crossing Muddy Waters", and "Master Of Disaster". I can honestly say I've never been so entertained with a solo performance in my concert going experiences so far. Really, not only is Hiatt one of the most excellent songwriters ever, he's also one of the funniest and down to earth performers I've seen. When he encored with "Have A Little Faith In Me" you know he's one of the greatest, because despite being covered by artists like Joe Cocker and Jewel, Hiatt does it the best, and it's because you know from his performance that he's lived it. Excellent show.
Review: Stan Ridgway at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA
Date of concert: Sunday September 12, 2010
I like Stan Ridgway. He reminds me of one of my favorite 1970s folk-rock artists, Harry Chapin. He's witty in concert, plays good music and seems like an all-around nice guy. And yet I barely knew about him before his performance at the Iron Horse. I'm glad I saw him.
Opening the show was Cindy Lee Berryhill. I missed most of her set, but got there in time to see her do a pretty poor cover of "Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds" where she forgot the song halfway through. I'm not exactly saddened by missing most of her opening act.
Stan was joined on his stage by his wife, Pietra Wexstun on keyboards, and Rick King on electric guitar. Drums and other instrument parts were pre-recorded tracks. Stan and the band played the newest album "Neon Mirage" in its entirety. There weren't any real big stand-out tracks to me from the album, but it was all solid material. I liked the cover of Bob Dylan's "Lenny Bruce".
After playing the full "Neon Mirage", Stan played some of his older classics including "Ring of Fire" which Ridgway's early-80s new wave band Wall Of Voodoo did an amazing cover of. Ridgway's live version was impressive, with Ridgway getting offstage and doing a brief run through the crowd. Other songs played included "Call Of The West" and one of my favorites, "Camouflage". He did not play "Mexican Radio", his biggest Wall Of Voodoo hit, but it wasn't especially missed.
Stan's a good guy, and even though the new album material wasn't spectacular, it was still an enjoyable show.
It's almost impossible to find professional live footage of Stan on YouTube, this isn't even close to being recent, but it is really cool:
I like Stan Ridgway. He reminds me of one of my favorite 1970s folk-rock artists, Harry Chapin. He's witty in concert, plays good music and seems like an all-around nice guy. And yet I barely knew about him before his performance at the Iron Horse. I'm glad I saw him.
Opening the show was Cindy Lee Berryhill. I missed most of her set, but got there in time to see her do a pretty poor cover of "Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds" where she forgot the song halfway through. I'm not exactly saddened by missing most of her opening act.
Stan was joined on his stage by his wife, Pietra Wexstun on keyboards, and Rick King on electric guitar. Drums and other instrument parts were pre-recorded tracks. Stan and the band played the newest album "Neon Mirage" in its entirety. There weren't any real big stand-out tracks to me from the album, but it was all solid material. I liked the cover of Bob Dylan's "Lenny Bruce".
After playing the full "Neon Mirage", Stan played some of his older classics including "Ring of Fire" which Ridgway's early-80s new wave band Wall Of Voodoo did an amazing cover of. Ridgway's live version was impressive, with Ridgway getting offstage and doing a brief run through the crowd. Other songs played included "Call Of The West" and one of my favorites, "Camouflage". He did not play "Mexican Radio", his biggest Wall Of Voodoo hit, but it wasn't especially missed.
Stan's a good guy, and even though the new album material wasn't spectacular, it was still an enjoyable show.
It's almost impossible to find professional live footage of Stan on YouTube, this isn't even close to being recent, but it is really cool:
Review: My Morning Jacket at Mountain Park in Holyoke MA
Date of concert: August 25, 2010
Oh man. What an amazing show. Rock and roll lives.
Opening was fantastic Vermont band Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, who are most definitely going places. This opening set was just powerful. Grace and her band are performers that are just so much better live then their studio records would indicate. They jam perfectly and their entire group drum solo is a unique experience. Excellent opener.
My Morning Jacket is an amazing rock and roll band. An even more amazing live rock and roll band. The band performed a two and a half-hour set of tracks that went all the way back to "I Think I'm Going To Hell" from their first album The Tennessee Fire to the new song "Circuital." I loved every minute.
Jim James is a charismatic frontman, and the band seems to just love playing this music. A song like the Prince-like "Highly Suspicious" which is so weird and out there on record, is just hilarious and rocking live. And their jams are just...wow. The "Run Thru" jam was just one of those live music moments you hope you can be lucky enough to witness at least once.
The encore was stupendous. James started playing "Bermuda Highway" acoustically and it was just beautiful. The rest of the band then came back and they did "Wordless Chorus", "Highly Suspicious", "Off The Record" and "One Big Holiday," during which the crowd went nuts. I can't say enough about how good it all was. The music is pretty feel good and it will be a fond memory for years to come.
Mountain Park is a very cool outdoor venue, managed by the Iron Horse Entertainment Group. If anyone you like is ever playing there, don't hesitate, it's a beautiful place to see a show. Oh and if My Morning Jacket or Grace Potter and the Nocturnals comes to play near you, go see them. It's an order.
My Morning Jacket performing "Lowdown" from the Okonokos DVD.
Oh man. What an amazing show. Rock and roll lives.
Opening was fantastic Vermont band Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, who are most definitely going places. This opening set was just powerful. Grace and her band are performers that are just so much better live then their studio records would indicate. They jam perfectly and their entire group drum solo is a unique experience. Excellent opener.
My Morning Jacket is an amazing rock and roll band. An even more amazing live rock and roll band. The band performed a two and a half-hour set of tracks that went all the way back to "I Think I'm Going To Hell" from their first album The Tennessee Fire to the new song "Circuital." I loved every minute.
Jim James is a charismatic frontman, and the band seems to just love playing this music. A song like the Prince-like "Highly Suspicious" which is so weird and out there on record, is just hilarious and rocking live. And their jams are just...wow. The "Run Thru" jam was just one of those live music moments you hope you can be lucky enough to witness at least once.
The encore was stupendous. James started playing "Bermuda Highway" acoustically and it was just beautiful. The rest of the band then came back and they did "Wordless Chorus", "Highly Suspicious", "Off The Record" and "One Big Holiday," during which the crowd went nuts. I can't say enough about how good it all was. The music is pretty feel good and it will be a fond memory for years to come.
Mountain Park is a very cool outdoor venue, managed by the Iron Horse Entertainment Group. If anyone you like is ever playing there, don't hesitate, it's a beautiful place to see a show. Oh and if My Morning Jacket or Grace Potter and the Nocturnals comes to play near you, go see them. It's an order.
My Morning Jacket performing "Lowdown" from the Okonokos DVD.
Review: Clem Snide at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA
Date of concert: Sunday July 18, 2010
The show was actually just Eef Barzelay solo. I know it was probably very fun for huge devotees of the band who called out for songs all night long, to Eef's delight, but for a casual fan like me, it got a little sleepy.
The redeeming factor of the show was that Eef is a very funny and extremely sincere guy. I like a lot of the most recent Clem Snide album "The Meat Of Life", and it was interesting to hear those songs acoustically. Eef also threw in some cool covers, including Journey and Neil Young, as well as a Michael Jackson melody during the encore. "He died for your sins," joked Barzelay. Barzelay alternated between acoustic guitar and ukulele throughout the show.
Chris Otepka's band The Heligoats opened, but it was just Otepka playing acoustically. Otepka also sat in on a part of the Clem Snide show. Otepka is another funny guy, with the story/joke he told before "Fish Sticks" a highlight of the evening. By the way, "Fishsticks" is one of my favorite songs of 2010. No lie. Look it up.
Otepka is sitting in on this full band Clem Snide performance of "Wal-Mart Parking Lot", he's on the mini-acoustic guitar:
Local Northampton band Leisure Colony "opened" as well. I think they were gone and off before Barzelay and Otepka even arrived. As for them...well, if you can't say anything nice...
The show was actually just Eef Barzelay solo. I know it was probably very fun for huge devotees of the band who called out for songs all night long, to Eef's delight, but for a casual fan like me, it got a little sleepy.
The redeeming factor of the show was that Eef is a very funny and extremely sincere guy. I like a lot of the most recent Clem Snide album "The Meat Of Life", and it was interesting to hear those songs acoustically. Eef also threw in some cool covers, including Journey and Neil Young, as well as a Michael Jackson melody during the encore. "He died for your sins," joked Barzelay. Barzelay alternated between acoustic guitar and ukulele throughout the show.
Chris Otepka's band The Heligoats opened, but it was just Otepka playing acoustically. Otepka also sat in on a part of the Clem Snide show. Otepka is another funny guy, with the story/joke he told before "Fish Sticks" a highlight of the evening. By the way, "Fishsticks" is one of my favorite songs of 2010. No lie. Look it up.
Otepka is sitting in on this full band Clem Snide performance of "Wal-Mart Parking Lot", he's on the mini-acoustic guitar:
Local Northampton band Leisure Colony "opened" as well. I think they were gone and off before Barzelay and Otepka even arrived. As for them...well, if you can't say anything nice...
Review: Average White Band at Springfield City Hall Steps in Springfield MA
Date of concert: Saturday July 9, 2010
When you talk about older acts that aren't exactly high-profile but are still touring, the question often comes up: How many original members? In the case of AWB(as I'll be referring to the Average White Band), 2. Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre are still with the group which performed a free show as part of Springfield's Hoop City Jazz and Art Festival of 2010.
The AWB's show was supposed to start at approximately 7:30 PM I believe, but was delayed about two hours probably due to the heavy rains we had had. So first I got to see Kashif, who was a member of BT Express and is now a producer. He was decent, but really I couldn't get into his repetitive material. There were still many people who enjoyed him however.
The AWB proved that you don't need to have all original members to be a wonderful performing group. Rocky Bryant on the drums was just outstanding and played an incredible drum solo. The other members, Klyde Jones on guitar, keyboard and vocals and Fred Vigdor on saxophone and keyboards, were tight players as well. The setlist was basically what you'd expect. Classics like "Cut The Cake", "Schoolboy Crush", and "Work To Do" were played and had great live energy. The encore was, of course, the classic "Pick Up The Pieces" which is still as awesome now as the day it came out. I wouldn't hesitate to see them live again, and for free? "You Got It".
The line-up's not exactly the same anymore (Bryant's not on the drums here and the rather cheesy keyboard guy is gone), but it's recent enough:
When you talk about older acts that aren't exactly high-profile but are still touring, the question often comes up: How many original members? In the case of AWB(as I'll be referring to the Average White Band), 2. Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre are still with the group which performed a free show as part of Springfield's Hoop City Jazz and Art Festival of 2010.
The AWB's show was supposed to start at approximately 7:30 PM I believe, but was delayed about two hours probably due to the heavy rains we had had. So first I got to see Kashif, who was a member of BT Express and is now a producer. He was decent, but really I couldn't get into his repetitive material. There were still many people who enjoyed him however.
The AWB proved that you don't need to have all original members to be a wonderful performing group. Rocky Bryant on the drums was just outstanding and played an incredible drum solo. The other members, Klyde Jones on guitar, keyboard and vocals and Fred Vigdor on saxophone and keyboards, were tight players as well. The setlist was basically what you'd expect. Classics like "Cut The Cake", "Schoolboy Crush", and "Work To Do" were played and had great live energy. The encore was, of course, the classic "Pick Up The Pieces" which is still as awesome now as the day it came out. I wouldn't hesitate to see them live again, and for free? "You Got It".
The line-up's not exactly the same anymore (Bryant's not on the drums here and the rather cheesy keyboard guy is gone), but it's recent enough:
Review: Megafaun at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA
Date of concert: Friday June 11, 2010
As you get on in years and begin to discuss your concert experiences with people, the question will eventually come up, "What was your first concert?" And I will answer "Megafaun". I expect to get some strange looks in the years to come, but Megafaun's actually a pretty great group.
The opener was Sam Quinn, formerly of the everybodyfields. I couldn't really get into his material. It seemed rather depressing and I felt like I needed something to lighten my mood after his opening set.
Megafaun, usually three guys with beards, except Phil Cook shaved before this show, was a nice pick-me-up. You wouldn't know it from most of their performances you can view online, but they deliver quite the upbeat and exciting show. They have a sound that's basically folk, but they bring a lot of other elements into it. Their long extended psychedelic freak-outs are mesmerizing to the audience.
The members of Megafaun, Phil and Brad Cook, and Joe Westerlund, all formerly in DeYarmond Edison with Justin Vernon, are funny, friendly people. They put on a great show, and it was a great first time concert, places like the Iron Horse are great. Enough great in that sentence for ya?
And who writes a cool song about Gram Parsons' death and his manager? These guys.
As you get on in years and begin to discuss your concert experiences with people, the question will eventually come up, "What was your first concert?" And I will answer "Megafaun". I expect to get some strange looks in the years to come, but Megafaun's actually a pretty great group.
The opener was Sam Quinn, formerly of the everybodyfields. I couldn't really get into his material. It seemed rather depressing and I felt like I needed something to lighten my mood after his opening set.
Megafaun, usually three guys with beards, except Phil Cook shaved before this show, was a nice pick-me-up. You wouldn't know it from most of their performances you can view online, but they deliver quite the upbeat and exciting show. They have a sound that's basically folk, but they bring a lot of other elements into it. Their long extended psychedelic freak-outs are mesmerizing to the audience.
The members of Megafaun, Phil and Brad Cook, and Joe Westerlund, all formerly in DeYarmond Edison with Justin Vernon, are funny, friendly people. They put on a great show, and it was a great first time concert, places like the Iron Horse are great. Enough great in that sentence for ya?
And who writes a cool song about Gram Parsons' death and his manager? These guys.
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