Vegoose Eye Candy

The Great Evil Pumpkin

Austin Powers at the Wedding Chapel

Buckethead (performing with Praxis)

Yard Dog Road Show

Vegoose at Dusk

Outside J5's tent

The Vegoose Eyes over the main stages
(Don't mind the chatter of my friends.)

The Goose

Ah the post-Vegas fog... This past weekend, I attended the Vegoose Music Festival put on by the fine people at Superfly. It was a relatively last minute decision for me to go as I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hang out with my California peeps who I haven't seen in three months. JamBase was on the scene - we conducted a bunch of video interviews which will be broadcast throughout our website and then in a format that we don't even know about yet.

The festival itself was fantastic... Musical highlights for me? The Raconteurs blew most everything else away. The set was identical to the sets I saw at The Warfield and at Lollapalooza this summer but that's just it. When Jack White and crew hit the stage, they just do what they do: rock your face off. The Jim James set is tied for first place for me. It's no surprise that I love him but he has come so far from the first time I saw him perform at Slim's years ago, hiding behind his hair. Now to see him with a nice suit, singing to an adoring crowd with face clear and present... The sound bleed from the other stages was ridiculous - an acoustic performance was placed in between The Roots and Widespread Panic on the other stages. But Jim gracefully told the crowd that he was going to close his eyes and pretend that we were in a silent forest (and that we should too). Somehow, Jim's voice, his acoustic guitar, and his accompanist Carl Broemel (also from MMJ), managed to drown out the other sounds and put the people there in a beautiful trance.

Certainly there are plenty more stories to share and I will be putting together my ofoto chronicle sometime today. But I would like to share this moment which was the conclusion of the Jim James set. Jim told the crowd early in the set that the pumpkins at the front of the stage would be smashed at the end of the set and he delivered....

LIVE with Live Music!

JamBase has teamed up with our friends Dirty Coast down in NOLA to make these SWEET t-shirts. NOLA and Live Music go hand in hand and that's why this all just made so much sense, ya dig? We've got some for boys and some for girls. Pick one or five up here.

Look at the leaves, they are peaking.

Oh the suspense! What has SuperDee been up to all week! Let's work backwards:

Sunday 10/22: Eugene Mirman @ Union Hall
Those of you who have known me for a long time know that my favorite website on the internet - hands down - is www.eugenemirman.com. I just love that marvelous crooning child and I can never quite get enough of him. My favorite is the "Who Medley" if you make it over there.

Anyway, the actual person Eugene Mirman is a stand-up comic and I have missed the opportunity to see him a few times in SF. But now that I'm a Sloper, Eugene is my neighbor so the odds are much greater. Sunday night at Union Hall was a no brainer for me...

Eugene was hosting a night of comedy last night (as well as giving out random items like a scale, vintage cameras, and a heating pad from his picnic basket). The other comics were so funny too. The only name I remember was Kristin Schall because she was the last to perform and almost made me fall over on my chair when she did a re-enactment of the final dance scene from Dirty Dancing with Jesus Christ. Lots of laughs from 8pm - 9:30 and I was thrilled to find out that starting November 5th, this is going to be a weekly thing at Union Hall. Chuckles for all!

Saturday, October 21: Peaking Fall Folliage and Apple Pickin' with the Ladies (and Ron)
It was a glorious autumn day and thanks to the great planning by our lovely Miss Rachel Seiden, five girls and one Ron piled into Monica's Jimmy and headed out of the city and into Rockland County. We rolled up the road and oooh'd and aaah'd at the tri-colored leaves - peak week! We went to Dr. Davies' Farm in Congers, NY for apple and pumpkin pickin'. There were some fantastic photo opps, of course. Check out Monica's album, Rachel's album AND Lainie's album. (Waiting on Andrea's...) Apple picking was followed by a delicious lunch at Temptations Cafe in Nyack followed by a drive through the towns of Rockland where we happened upon a terrifying scarecrow invasion!


Friday, October 20: Marie Antoinette
Honestly, this movie is probably not worth paying the $10.75 to see it in the theater. Sure, there were some good lookin visuals and even a slightly different perpective on the history. It definitely made me think about the fact that Marie was just a 14-year old girl plucked from one palace and placed into another. Her only interaction with the "real world" was going to the opera in Paris. What did she know about hunger? Maybe she really thought they could just eat cake! What did she know about seducing her own husband? Sophia could have told this story a little better and in about 40 less minutes. Kirsten Dunst's talent was underused and the dialogue was so painfully average. Anyway, see it if you must. I know when I have my sights set on seeing a movie, I pretty much have to see it no matter what to make my own opinion.

Rocking the Earth and Rocking with PGroove

This past weekend I was in Denver, Colorado - home base of Rock the Earth, the environmental non-profit that I've been involved with since 2004. It was started by my good friend Marc Ross who I met on Phish tour a billion years ago. Now we all growed up (sorta) and are saving the planet (workin on it...). This weekend was our annual "retreat" aka lots of meetings, brainstormings, and action itemings. I've been on the Board of Directors for the last two years, just started my second term as of this weekend and as of Sunday am now the Vice President of the organization. Should Marc meet his untimely demise (Marc, be careful!!!), I'll be the head honcho.

These weekends are always good for refueling the organization and getting people excited again, a rededication. Since the org is made up of music freaks, we always have some event to go to. Lo and behold, who happened to be in Denver over the weekend? Well, it was my honey bunnies, Perpetual Groove. They were kind enough to welcome Rock the Earth at their show by letting us set up a table and collect a dollar from folks on the way in. Brock made a nice lil' speech from the stage. Brad didn't even blink an eye when I gave him a guest list of 20 people. Thanks Brad!!!

So, PGroove... Oh PGroove, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... One, you tug at my heart strings with lyrics like "I never had the thing I thought I had, the thing that made me think I had it made"; two, you rock my retinas with the cwazy intelligent lights you got blaring out from the stage; three, you make me laugh when Brock does his Wutang thang (remember when he didn't even open his eyes?); four, you are just lovely people - warm, honest, and you leave the bullshit at the door.

I saw all of Saturday's show and the first four songs of Sunday's before having to jet to the airport. There's a lot of new material coming out in the sets - new gems like "Two Shores," "Beyond the Veil," and "Old Friend" - and some newer of the ragers for the kids to freak out with - "Suburban Speedball" and "Speed Queen". They passed along an almost finished version of their new album (coming out this February) of which I've been digesting ever since Sunday night. It tastes delicious and thankfully showcases my new faves "Only Always" (All the saddest things I’ve seen / Don’t come close to what has been / All the great things left to be / Things that keep me in between) and "It Starts Where It Ends" (You live you love you die). I can't wait for the world to hear it and love it!

Adam suggested I jump in the bus and go on tour to California with them. Man... man, man, man... I seriously sat there and pondered that for a second. We'd just stop and pick up a violin along the way. We'd figure out the meaning of life, write brilliant music and stories. As the bus rolls through the forests of Oregon, SuperDee would cry, "I have to go home!" You are home...

Okay, a little daydream there... sorry.

I'd like to share some video with you all. Here is a snippet of their "Naive Melody" cover - a staple in their set these days. They closed the set with the classic "Three Weeks." Here we've got the troubled and disheartened first verse and then the ridiculous climax into the optimistic and hopeful conclusion of the last verse. Enjoy!!!

Ok, JamBase calls... Time to make the emails...

Babies and Cassette Tapes

I'd like to take this opportunity to announce the birth of two kids that will no doubt rule the planet. First is Emilene Grace, the new daughter of my dear friends in Berkeley, Chelsea and Zaq, born this past Sunday. Next is Isaac Crowe Cook, the new son of the legendary Dennis Cook and his lovely wife Sara. They are also in the East Bay hmmm... could it be a match??

In lieu of actual photos of the babes, I will also take this opportunity to showcase a really pointless but fun website that was sent to me by Robbie K - the Cassette Generator!

Give it a shot and show me whatchu got!

Yay for Trey!

Trey trey trey trey trey..... You go! What a smile on his face last night. What a smile on MY face last night! Gosh it was good to see him rock out and have fun. And that's all it is... just good fun. Great jams, SICK SICK SICK lights. "What's Done" is a great new song. The tour shall be a good one.... Here's some video:

• Push On 'Til the Day
• Waiting for "The Note" - DSky - I had an awesome birdseye view of this so I could drool over the string section. I want that gig!!!
  

Yay for Trey is all I gotta say.

Couple o' vids from Saturday night

Life in cyberworld is a bit touchy today. My outlook just crashed and I'm currently performing an Inbox Repair Tool which seems to be doing...something. Oh outlook, how much grief can you dish out in my life? I'm about ready for the complete switch to gmail...

Anyway... on to more important things. Saturday night was a great music-filled NYC night. The night started off with another hit from the Gomez pipe at the Bowery Ballroom. These chaps put on such a grand show. Can't wait for them to come back already! Gomey! Gomey! Here we have the end of "Sweet Virginia". who doesn't love a crowd sing-along?? It just feeeeeels goooooood.....



Next... down to the Knitting Factory we go for some good ol' Stanton Moore rockin funktasticness. The touring Trio is Stanton with the slammin' Robert Walter and the beloved Bay Area brother Will Bernard. Skerik was pretty much a full member of the band this night and other guests included Josh Roseman, Cheme, Ben Ellman... um, was that it? It was hot, that's all. Good times music. Here's some Zeppelin Hendrix (thanks Neddy I blame Ketel One):



And today is Trey Day! It's a bit ironic that I wrote a not-so-pleased cd review that was posted today yet I couldn't be more excited for the show tonight. I'm bonkers for the guy, what can I say?? See ya later...

Beautiful Brooklyn

Today I took a walk to the Brooklyn Museum which is on the opposite end of Prospect Park from my apartment, near the Botanical Gardens. Right now they have a few special exhibits going on including an extensive Egyptian art collection, a graffiti exhibit that was just okay (that stuff just looks more beautiful on the sides of buildings and subways), and a multi-medium exhibit on lower Manhattan marking the five year anniversary of 9-11. There was a great collection of old photos from pre-WTC days, when lower Manhattan was just budding and the idea of world trade (a synonym for world peace according to the masterminds behind the towers) was becoming a reality. Most stunning was the photography by G.N. Miller of the days surrounding the disaster - very very moving portraits and scene shots. Definitely worth checking out.

When I left the museum the sun had come out so I went to meet mister Benor for a stroll down the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and to the Guinness and Oyster festival in DUMBO. Perfect weather, great food, music, drinks, view, and of course company... A perfect day. I took lots of photos because there was just art popping out of every corner in that neighborhood. The day warrants it's own little photo gallery but I'd like to share this one image that struck me:

I spy the Empire State Building quite literally
Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.

superdee takes a time out

Well, it finally caught up with me... A combination of a ridiculously busy week, a couple of rocking late nights, a fridge full of food from my first trip to Fairway, cable tv and a free movie coupon from Time Warner... This is a recipe for a Friday night at home. Sorry I had to miss your birthday party, Bernstein. I owe you a drink and a dance.

Another factor contributing to my shirking of social responsibilities is the amazing massage I had today from at new favorite place in Park Slope: the d'mai urban spa. Ahhhh, can't you just feel the tranquility setting in...

Shabbot Shalom, y'all.

What's a "Gomez"?

The brain is not quite working at full capacity today and I need to reserve those few electrical sparks for closing out the work-week so I'll let the pictures do (most of) the talking today. (Yeah! Remembered the camera this time!)

First stop of the night was dinner at applewood in Park Slope. Delicious! Every single morsel of food was just scrumptuous and delightful. The wine began...


Second stop: The Mercury Lounge - New Monsoon & Hot Buttered Rum. Here we have a crazy double-headed fiddler (Aaron Redner) from HBR sitting in with NM. The last time I saw a double bill with these two bands it was at The Fillmore in SF! Ten times the size of the Mercury! Crazy! Good vibes, good jams in there... I'll take NM over SCI any day, IMHO.

Next stop: Bowery Ballroom - Gomez. Here we have the lovely Gomez with some Antibalas horns thrown in. This is their first of three nights at the Bowery this weekend. Tonight I hear there is a string section... Gomez totally rocks and they have fun doin' it. I'll be heading back on Saturday for more...

Here we have the ladies (hey ladiesssss) celebrating the goodness of rock'n'roll! What follows is the post-show silliness that ensues when people don't yet wanna go home...

Monica is showing off her Gomez posters - pretty sweet!

Now Monica shows off her Gomez.

She don't say nothing, she just give you that look.

The Bowery Ballroom Bar

This is just hot.
From the wall outside of Sweet&Vicious.

Until next time....

Doug Martsch: So Not a Rock Star That He Is One

Well well well... It seems I've acquired a few readers somehow. Now my compulsion to tell you everything grows so I will probably need therapy at some point because I won't be able to be away from my computer for extended periods of time without having some kind of anxiety attack. Oh wait, that already happens.... I did curse myself extensively for leaving my camera at home last night but it's probably alright because the men of Built To Spill are not exactly too pretty. But BOY do they ROCK! What an awesome awesome show that was at Irving plaza last night.

I first saw Built To Spill at Slim's in San Francisco in late June after falling head over heels for You In Reverse earlier in the spring. I am fully aware that I am a mega-late comer when it comes to this band. What can I say? Phish completely dominated my life in the '90s. Indie rock had to wait until my dreadlocks were cut and my Saturn returned to really make a dent in my world. I digress...

Back at the Slim's show in San Francisco, I have to say I probably wanted to love that show more than I actually did. I loved it for the pure fact that I got to hear some of my new favorite songs - "Conventional Wisdom" and "Goin' Against Your Mind" - along with some other familiar tunes - like "Else" which I knew because it has been covered by The Slip, my lovelies. My next BTS show was at Lollapalooza this summer. Also great.

But last night was "it." After a full summer of touring, they are so good right now. The set was pretty much the same as far as song selection (as far as I could tell) and production (that freakishly edited Lassie storybook on the projection screen behind them) but it just had so much more power. Doug Martsch's voice is so pristine it can just take you away...

And the rocking! The (gasp) JAMMING! I have a lot of emails to make today so I can't poke around the internet all day but will someone please tell me who the other guitarist is?? Standing off to Doug's left, almost in the shadows, certainly under a lot of head and facial hair (not at all unlike our fair Jim James circa 2003), was this man taking all the important solos and going off head to head with Doug. The 15 minutes or so of freaked out space jam rock your face goodness for the encore was fabulous.

Thanks Built To Spill!

The hits just keep on comin'

"Does it ever end?," SuperDee asks herself as the train leaves Brooklyn headed for Times Square.

After two 4am nights in a row, how do I still have the compulsion to get out of the house and go see live music? I am just a few days shy of being an NYC resident for a month and I have seen, lemme count... 15? 20? different shows. Let's just say I feel like a superhero in a Superhero Supply store.

Anyhoo... Last night, after emerging from underground onto the Disneyland that Times Square has become, I elbowed my way through a billion gawking tourists to walk the 2 blocks to Nokia Theatre where JFJO was about to take the stage. Flashing my backstage stickie a few times I navigated the maze of rooms and hallways at the Theatre and finally found the boys who were ready to release the hounds in NYC. They absolutely killed it. They started with their Bjork cover from The Sameness of Difference. Here's a bit of that:



They demolished the audience after that. When Brian said, "This next song features Reed Mathis on guitar," I about fell over. I heard that Reed had been picking up an axe but for some reason I still was not prepared. Sure, he still kinda looks like a bass player playing guitar (albeit, a bass player who plays soaring guitar solos on his bass), but the direction they are headed is undeniably exciting. I got a sweet dedication (awww) and at first didn't recognize what they were playing until I heard that old melody ring out - "Vernal Equinox." To say they have reworked this song is an understatement as this "Vernal," which I've heard many, many, many times, was a tricked out space funk rock jam version of "Vernal" featuring Reed on guitar with Pink Floyd teases.... um... WHAT?

I have known JFJO for a long time - about six years - and have seen them perform countless times. I need to stress the fact that they seemed to have turned a corner - be it mental or musical or otherwise. They are fired up and they sound great. I don't know what the future may hold for our sweet boys but they are tapping into something that will send them on a magical carpet ride. The rest of the year sounds fantastic for them - a trip to Europe and invited to open for Primus (!!). Go, go, JFJO!

Next up was STS9. Those of you who know me well (is anyone even reading this??) know that I have a history of being a Sector 9 addict of sorts. When they first came into my life, it was like the apocolypse had come and the only thing that brought me salvation was listening to Sound Tribe Sector 9 (and Phish, too, probably). I'm not sure if it was a slow and steady shift in my musical world, or if it was a few dinstinct happenings or bands, but the shift did come and my adoration for STS9 became less pronounced. Sort of like that love affair that was full of passion and steam and then somehow you both just sorta moved on to something else. No hard feelings, just people changing.

All that being said, STS9 is a sick band. They have perfected what they do and it sounds amazing. It might be a little too perfect at points. It's so clean that it makes me thirst for something a little messy, a little less calculated. Another thing that strikes me is that the ego on stage seems bigger than ever. This is a band that started with the notion of selflessness. I can't help but think how cool they look up there and how much they look like they know it. Not that there's anything wrong with that! They are enjoying their success and they deserve every piece of it. I love to see them do well. I love to see fans fly in from all over just to see "Sound Tribe" in NYC or Red Rocks or wherever the "big," "not-to-be-missed" shows are. Congrats, STS9, you're DOIN' IT!

So, to answer our superhero, who is burning the candle at both ends, when she asks, "Does it ever end?"... We must simply tell her, "No, SuperDee. It does not." As the clock struck midnight, we entered Rocktober and after some atonement on Long Island for the next 36 or so hours, I'll be riding the trains again...