SuperDee's House

New Tricks

2011-11-08T23:47:00.001-05:00

I got a jolt of good feelings today after learning a new web development technique. The whole process took just a few hours but I'll use it over and over again. Some days I feel unqualified, unaccomplished, and underwhelmed. And some days are wayyyyyy better than that. Tackle a challenging task by learning something new. My takeaway for today!

Instagram: My New Favorite Thing

2011-11-06T18:35:00.001-05:00

A blackberry user for years, my world is now better because of my brand spankin' new iPhone. Instagram is my favorite app! Here's why:

NYC Marathon

2011-11-06T18:27:00.001-05:00

The NYC Marathon is a source of inspiration for the entire city. Luckily it was a gorgeous day. Somehow mother nature and her boss wanted us to have a day filled with positivity unhindered by inclement weather. Strangers cheering on strangers as they are amidst accomplishing one of the greatest moments in their lives. Truly wonderful, truly inspiring.

Snowpocalypse 2010

2010-12-27T15:14:00.008-05:00

All hail mother nature! She has tricked us yet again into believing we have any sort of control over our lives! Stranded in Park Slope with no train service and unplowed streets (um, any idea when to expect those plows to come through??), I took a stroll through the hood to see the sledders in Prospect Park....

Inspiration

2009-11-16T23:22:00.002-05:00

Dear Blogosphere,

It's been many many MANY months since my last confession. Today I was jarred in the soul by the voice of J. Tillman of Fleet Foxes fame. He sang three songs for the folks at Relix Magazine and I was fortunate to be working there with CID today. He opened his mouth to sing, pure beauty came out, and my eyes filled with tears. It was the first time in a long time that I had been that close to something so staggeringly beautiful.

Or was it?

"Inspiration, move me brightly..." We all know these words but just last weekend they were sung with full, loud voices by my dear friends around a table at the wedding for dear friends' wedding in Mexico. All faces beaming all around the table. I, myself, was just recently married too. My wedding was a dream, beyond dreams. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I married an amazing man that I love and will love forever. And this was just months after the wedding of one of my best friends - a couple that we can envision our future with, raising children. Friends having babies, raising babies. Falling in love. Loving. Hurting. Laughing. Crying. Hugging. Feeling. FEELING everything.

And music? Well, Phish returned. That sure was nice of them. This came during a time when I was on a Ryan Adams Only diet so I guess that was a healthy transition, relatively speaking. Other than this? I've found a few pieces of music that have floated my boat so to speak but LIFE has been the driving force these days. Music has not been the one dictating which way to go.

I am finding joy in making a chicken dinner. In building new shelves for my new dishes. Looking at new neighborhoods with my new husband to find a place for our new life and the family we will raise. I enjoy spending time with my parents who have given me so much love and support and I am beyond grateful. (Ok, yes, I have been deeply enjoying The Phish Band's return as well.)

So, thanks J. Tillman, for knocking something loose inside of me today. For some reason, I was sitting on the subway after lugging a huge bag from Bed, Bath & Beyond and thinking about spitting out some words. Writers block? Maybe. Maybe there's just been too much going on. Too much goodness, stress, love, happiness, emotions, confusion, excitement, nervousness, joy, up, down, this way, that way...

Sorry for staying away so long. I will try to be better at keeping in touch. Say hello to your family. Have a great Thanksgiving if I don't talk to you before.

Much love,

Super Dee

Super Obama!

2008-11-18T12:15:00.002-05:00

See more Obama Action Figures.

Our New President Loves Wilco and That is the Coolest Thing Ever

2008-11-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

The Spell Has Not Yet Broken

2008-11-05T17:08:00.001-05:00

We Sure Did

2008-11-05T14:06:00.001-05:00

Great t-shirt

2008-10-27T18:19:00.000-04:00

From Threadless T-Shirt s

You can vote however you like.

2008-10-27T14:56:00.000-04:00

I'm No Good At All

2008-08-20T14:04:00.002-04:00

It's been months since my last post... But this is the most blog-worthy thing I've seen in a long time so I decided to come out of my unintentional hiatus and show it to you:

The official music video for Surprise Me Mr. Davis' "I'm No Good At All".
Featuring Nathan Moore (guitar & vocals), Brad Barr (guitar & vocals), Marc Friedman (bass), and Andrew Barr (drums).

Edited by the multi-talented Nathan Moore.
Produced by Shine A Light Productions.

Visit www.myspace.com/surprisememrdavis for tour dates and more info.

Geauxbama!

2008-05-13T14:58:00.003-04:00

Great new t-shirt design from my good friends at Dirty Coast.

Lettuce Funk Your Face Off

2008-05-12T00:07:00.002-04:00

When my good friend Pete Costello uses words like "flat out on fire," "Heavyweight Champions of Funk" and "BEST BAND IN THE GENRE" - at 10:08 am, mind you - I heed the call. After a day of loving my mother and sister and nieces and eating a sequence of bagels, lox, brownies and hot dogs while enjoying a supposed Tom Hanks marathon on TBS today, I took a detour back to Brooklyn via the Bowery Ballroom to see Lettuce. What I encountered was nine guys on stage in an unbreakable groove lock with each other. Boundless energy from the stage made it seem like it was a Saturday night in Detroit in 1972 - or at a raging funk party on Mars in the year 2054. The horns cut through the sea of sexy sounds from the band with a punchy staccato that's so clean and crisp it makes your hair stand up on its ends. Adam Deitch (omg, adam deitch...) is like the hip hop version of Stanton Moore and they've got him up on risers so you can just marvel at his skill to create mindblowing beats before your eyes.

From the looks of it, this is the end of their little jaunt (for which they apparently had zero rehearsal time beforehand and still sound tighter than anyone I've heard in a long while). But they'll be out and about during the summer and their new album RAGE! is available now - I found it here on HomeGrown.

Get a little dose of Lettuce right now over here: www.myspace.com/lettucefunk.

Hi, I'm a mac.

2008-05-10T20:32:00.000-04:00

I am no longer a PC and I have to tell you it feels great. So, I threw down around three grand for this new baby and I do love it. They were nice enough to throw in a new printer/scanner/copier from which I expect to have lots of fun digging up old photos. Here's an old gem of me and my sisters from way back when...

The River JazzFest

2008-04-28T22:22:00.006-04:00

The river runs through it... JazzFest that is. Yesterday was another incredibly rainy day but that didn't damper the spirit of JazzFest one bit. The sun started to finally peek through the clouds during Irma Thomas's set yesterday afternoon. And Al Green sang us love songs to send us on our way into the nighttime...

The nighttime, which started with an amazing meal at Upperline, took us from Tipitina's where Rebirth Brass Band opened up for Leo Nocentelli's Rare Funk Gathering. Leo is the original source of "super space funk" if you asked me.

As the night got fuzzy, it was time for a trip back downtown to the Howlin' Wolf where there was some major howlin' going on... from Skerik's horn. Not sure what this incarnation was called but we had Marco & Joe with Skerik and Eric Krasno blasting away in a Bustle-esque fashion. This is a band to write home about! So... I'm writing home about it...

Today was the beginning of the "daze between" which I just love. The noise settles down and the brain starts repairing itself. We made the pilgrimage uptown to get Domilise's poboys. People, if you have not hunted this place down yet, you are missing out on the best poboys in town. While uptown we went to visit our friends at the Dirty Coast store to buy some t-shirts. And now for a little down time before checking out the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars tonight at DBA!

Billy Joel... from under a human held tarp.

2008-04-26T20:49:00.003-04:00

Torrential downpours at JazzFest today! But the music is still playing so ya gotta work it out, riight?! We found shelter during Billy Joel's set under a giant tarp held up by people. It was kinda awesome. That piano man sang us some songs and there were still thousands of soaking wet people all in the mood for a melody!

Fairgrounds, Day One.

2008-04-25T21:32:00.006-04:00

Soft shelled crab po'boy, strawberry lemonade, crawfish beignets, fried eggplant in crawfish sauce, Cajun duck po'boy, fried green tomatoes, cochon delait, crawfish bread, crawfish strudel, white chocolate bread pudding... oh my. And there was music also. Day one happened. Here's some pics from the glorious fairgrounds.

NOLA Awaits

2008-04-24T11:19:00.003-04:00

Hello blogosphere. It's been one month since my last confession.

I thought I'd fire up ye olde blog here again as I am once again making the pilgrimage down to the Big Easy for 10 days of N'awlins goodness. I'm printing out my grids, checkin' out the nighttime happenings, and my stomach is growling for po'boys and crawfish monica. Tonight after checking in to our house in the Bywater, I think a visit over to DBA for some Anders Osborne is in order. I've got my sights set on Saturday afternoon at 5pm on the Fairgrounds as we patiently wait (while nibbling on some crawfish bread) for Billy Joel to take the stage.

Happy JazzFest! I'll be in touch! Holla!!

There are ghosts in Berlin...

2008-03-27T00:07:00.003-04:00

... and we met one of them. While we were attempting to club hop on our off night in Berlin, there were about ten of us that settled in at this one place for a couple of drinks. There are two actual people in this picture - Lacey and Sarah - and one not-so-actual person. Maybe two. He looks like he's just walking by, holding a drink perhaps. Take a look and you decide.

There's the city of Berlin as it exists today and then there's the city that once was, that is felt all over. The new on top of the old, life replacing death. But who's to say the spirits aren't still there, existing on some level (apparently a level picked up by my digital camera) among the living?

Still Filtering Out the Everglades

2008-03-14T23:39:00.014-04:00

Here's a few from Langerado last weekend:

Brett Dennen:

Gator! Ah! (He was in a cage, don't worry):

Obligatory D Shot:

Everglades Sky:

Tommy Hamilton - an American Baby:

The Wood Brothers:

Ben Folds:

Matisyahu:

R.E.M. from afar:

The Band of Changes:

Ani DiFranco:

Le Wheel de Ferris:

All in all, quite a bit of hassle for not the big musical payoff (i.e. 7+ hours of straight live Phish), but a good time was had by all. Next stop on the D-Train: Amsterdam...

No wonder there were so many Jewish kids on Phish tour.

2008-03-11T18:39:00.002-04:00

From HU research: Revelation at Sinai was 'mind-blowing':

Writing in the British scholarly journal Time and Mind, Prof. Benny Shanon claims that Moses and the children of Israel were likely under the influence of natural psychedelics found in the Sinai Desert when cataclysmic events like the receiving of the Ten Commandments took place.

Kind of an interesting theory! I'm sure there are many of us that have "seen the truth" during an... episode. Read the entire article.

A Little Class in Sayreville

2008-03-02T20:07:00.002-05:00

Ann Marie Calhoun just played with The Biscuits this weekend in Sayreville and she was so rad! Here's her rendition of "Stash" if you have not already seen this:

Langerado on the Brain

2008-02-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

In one month we'll be rocking in the Florida sun. I kinda wanted to see what happened when I embeded this Langerado playlist from imeem (some things are even over MY head, if you can believe that):

The schedule was announced today. Check it out!

Yes. We. Can.

2008-02-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

The REAL Morning Party

2008-02-04T00:43:00.001-05:00

If you're ever looking for THE SONG to put on while flippin' pancakes on a Saturday morning, look no further than this new Marco Benevento ditty from his new solo album Invisible Baby:

Billy Joel at JazzFest

2008-01-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

"Drop a dime in the box, play a song about New Orleans!"

Terrible Loss

2008-01-22T17:06:00.000-05:00

RIP Heath Ledger

I can hardly believe this is true. What an incredible loss of an amazing talent and father of a beautiful girl.

Singing Like the Sun One Year Ago

2008-01-20T22:47:00.001-05:00

My how the time flies... It was just one year ago that Rotary Downs came to NYC for the first time and things haven't seemed the same since. "Sing Like the Sun" has become an integral part of the musical landscape for many new friends of the Downs. Here's an acoustic version from their taping at Studio 360 one year ago:

Circo Bisco

2008-01-17T19:28:00.000-05:00

Check out this cool video created by JamBase contributor Jake Krolick and follow him around on New Years Eve through Circo Bisco:

Happy New Year! Look out below!

His full review on JamBase here.

U23D OMG

2008-01-17T00:46:00.001-05:00

I saw a screening of the U23D film tonight. Can I even call it a film? It really was more of a live music experience than... a live music experience! Breathtaking (literally, it took my breath away), mind-blowing (I feel like it was DOING something in my brain), incredibly moving (it is a U2 concert afterall), and words that I don't have to describe. This is the future. Good luck at Sundance!

Kate Nash is my new Lily Allen

2008-01-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

Yes! My first new musical love of 2008. Kate Nash... sing it girl! The album is Made of Bricks and it's filled with delicious musical nuggets. She's got the talent and the attitude: "Why you bein' a dickhead for? You're just f'in' up situations." She's got that cute little sassy Brit pop thing but can do Bjorky and Specktory inflections with her voice. Obsession #1 of the year! Woo hoo!! Check it out...

www.myspace.com/katenashmusic

www.rhapsody.com/katenash

Tea Leaf Reed on New Year's Day!

2007-12-30T12:34:00.001-05:00

Sullivan Hall | New Year's Day | Tuesday, January, 1st, 9pm

Bisco Love + Camp Announcement!

2007-12-29T23:06:00.000-05:00

The Disco Biscuits at The Hammerstein!

Camp Bisco VII will be July 17 - 19 in Mariaville this year!

Rotary Downs is one of NPR's Top Ten of 2007!

2007-12-26T11:51:00.000-05:00

from NPR.org, December 24, 2007 - It's a great time to be a musician. Anyone can have a home studio and record an album, and there are more ways to distribute that album and get it heard than ever before. All Songs Considered tries to help out by sharing the best of the great unknowns on our Second Stage. On this year-end edition of the program we have the best of the outsider artists from 2007: musicians who made remarkable recordings that were largely overlooked.

02. Artist: Rotary Downs
Album: Chained to the Chariot

The New Orleans rock group Rotary Downs has released a stunning collection of psychedelic art pop songs that plays like a brilliant mashup of Neutral Milk Hotel and Odelay-era Beck.

Song: "Sing Like the Sun"

NPR's Top Ten Great Unknown Artists for 2007

My Favorite Albums of 2007

2007-12-24T00:56:00.000-05:00

Many new musicians and bands got under my skin this year. Following are the albums that made up the soundtrack of my life this year. Here's looking back at the roller coaster of 2007 and ahead at the possibilities of 2008!

1. Rilo Kiley - "Under the Blacklight"
This album was like a bag of jelly bellys. It tasted so sweet and somehow I thought it might be bad for me but I kept going back in for more and more. And every time I went back into the bag, I found a different flavor that was even sweeter than the one I loved just before. The way I played this album over and over was a bit compulsive but these songs gave me a rush and made me smile over and over again.

2. Feist - "The Reminder"
Finally a true indie-rock darling made their way into my soul. This album is so rich with haunting and meandering melodies and poetry but it's that voice... That voice is so soft yet unnerving. "The Limit To Your Love" is the song that seriously shook me up - emotion just dripping out of the speakers. I got to see Feist a couple of times this summer to feed my new obsession. One was the awesome Bookeaters Revenge show where she read a kid's story about a peanut named Mystic Water and the other was at McCarren Pool where I stood behind Mischa Barton for the last half hour of the show - in gen pop too!

3. Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky"
Oh Jeff Tweedy, how I love thee. You and the boys really hit it this time... again. I read interviews where you described the songwriting experience on this album - everyone in the same room, creating magic, as a band fully realized. Oh why oh why could I not have been a fly in the wall of that room? Thanks for touring and for being a band that people really and truly care about. They care about what songs you choose to play, the banter you speak, the way you rock. Thanks for getting a total spaz for a guitar player that blows my mind. Thanks for writing words that I can hear loud and clear, understand, and make my own. I believe in you, Tweedy and Co., for being a band that is KEEPIN IT REAL. Thanks.

4. Steel Train - "Trampoline"
Touching stories, catchy melodies, emotive and interesting singing... these boys learned how to write an album! It's just so damn infectious. How can you resist singing along, "We are young and nearly faaaaaamous!" This album just feels good from beginning to end. My crystal ball shows me great things for Steel Train in '08. They are loved by jam kids, indie kids, college kids, and 30-something kids, too. They're like a yellow lab - what's not to love?!

5. Ryan Adams - "Easy Tiger"
This one was a big one this year, to say the least. All of the songs seemed to mirror life at one point. Ryan's voice, so strong. His lyrics, so fragile. The way he chooses just the perfect word to say for each moment is astounding. "When you get the time, sit down and write me a letter" - that word "get" says so much with so little. And this year saw a sober Ryan with many live performances (and subsequent downloads) that showcased these Easy Tiger songs even more heartwrenchingly. Ryan is an artist that makes you pray for his sweet soul. Keep on going, Rose, we love you!

6. Various Artists - "I'm Not There"
Yesssss!!! So many great things going on here! Jim James! Cat Power! Vedder, Tweedy and Malkmus! It's as if the producer and Todd Haynes crawled into my brain and hand picked all of my absolute favorites to sing these Bob Dylan songs. I did the trifecta of activities pertaining to this movie. I got the soundtrack, I went to the tribute concert at the Beacon, and then I finally saw the movie. While the movie was overall confuddled (except for the incredible performance by Cate Blanchette) and the concert was disorganized and uninspired (except for the incredible performance by Jim James), the album is all aces. A++++++!!!

7. American Babies - "American Babies"
The album itself is not nearly as good as the band has become in the last 12 months but nevertheless these songs made up a big part of my living soundtrack this year. Tom Hamilton wrote some gems and it was obvious how ready he has been to break out of his untz world. It's a pretty clear sign of something good when we, the audience, are singing along almost word-for-word after seeing them just two or three times. So many gratifying lines to belt out - "Baby, don't cryyyyyyyyyyyy!" I think I saw the American Babies more times than the number of shows they actually had. That's how it feels anyway, and I love it, and I'm not stopping. Bring on the merch! Kick some ass in '08, Babies! Yay Babies!

8. Perpetual Groove - "Livelovedie"
Yes, I still like jambands. (Oh wait, what's a jamband?) This album has bits of what gave PGroove their steam to come up through the noise of the scene as far as their abilities to rock out with songs like "Speed Queen" and "Mayday." But the heart of this album lies in the songs that tug at the heartstrings, for me anyway. PGroove, and Brock's lyrics and singing in particular, give us something very pure, not hidden behind smoke and mirrors. Just plain and simple truth. "You live, you love, you die."

9. Marco Benevento - "Live at Tonic"
Spawn out of a 5 week residency at the now defunct Tonic in the Lower East Side, Marco brings us three discs of amazing music. The whole nature of the shows was very spontaneous and this was truly captured in these discs. You can almost picture Mike Dillon banging on stuff and Reed Mathis flopping his head around. This collection serves as a nice preamble to Marco: The Residency, Part II. Thursdays in January at the new Sullivan Hall (that's the 2008 version of the Lion's Den, kids) will be filled with the blessed Benevento & Friends including all the Slip guys on different weeks, Billy Martin, Stanton Moore, Skerik, etc etc etc. Um, yay?

10. Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
When the music industry was looking over its left shoulder, Radiohead nonchalantly tapped on its right shoulder and said, "We're gonna go ahead and release our new album by ourselves in a week. And people are going to decide what they want to pay for it. Cool with you?" Revolutionary, exciting, ground-breaking, trend-setting, all that. Bob Lefsetz posed the question, "Did anyone actually listen to the album?" The answer is yes. And while it didn't stop war, cure cancer, fix global warming, wash windows, and massage your feet, it is still way better than what most people are putting out these days. A Radiohead album is like sex, and pizza. You see where I'm going with this. Listen to Radiohead while you're having sex and eating pizza.

So that's pretty much it for me at the moment. Before I sign off, an honorable mention to the additional 2007 albums that made a sizeable dent in my consciousness this year:

Elvis Perkins - "Ash Wednesday"
I'm From Barcelona - "Let Me Introduce My Friends"
Iron & Wine - "The Shepard's Dog"
Nathan Moore - "In His Own Worlds"
Band of Horses - "Cease to Begin"

2006 albums that got me this year:

Rotary Downs - "Chained To The Chariot"
Fionn Regan - "The End of History"
Lily Allen - "Alright Still"
Justin Timberlake - "FutureSex/LoveSounds"
LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver"

You might be hearing more outta me this week. I got some time on my hands! Happy holidaze :)

Saints Season Ain't Over Yet

2007-12-10T18:08:00.001-05:00

Rotary Downs on CurrentTV

2007-11-28T00:18:00.000-05:00

The rebirth of the New Orleans music scene has lifted the spirits of a city that has fallen on hard times. Leading the charge, bands like Rotary Downs have been touring to packed houses in Louisiana and around the country. Their sound is a good mix of soulful NOLA jazz rhythms, modern guitar and inspired lyrics.

Rotary Downs on CurrentTV

Something's Phishy 'Round Here

2007-11-14T16:29:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my friends at HT, I have spent the last 24 or so waking hours thinking about Fall Tour 1997. (My dreaming hours were about puppies for some strange reason. Cute and fluffy puppies. I digress...) This tour was so significant in my life as I met some people that would change the entire direction of my life. I am not sure exactly what direction I was going in at the time. It's possible I was just in limbo, waiting. I was literally in Purgatory. It was my first Fall post-IU and I was living in Durango, Colorado just kind of hanging out, working in the ski rental shop at the mountain. Instead of the usual Fall plans to hit shows in, say, Champaign, Cedar Rapids, or Louisville, I was now the furthest West I'd ever been in my life so our plans revolved around Vegas, Utah and Denver. I remember the moment I met the colorful people that would quickly become my best friends of post-college life, my Phish tour family, and who three years later would become my San Francisco family... who I still love very much to this day. And of course, the Jockey.

Today, livephish.com radio has been very helpful in reminiscing about the good ol' days with their broadcast of the entire Vegas '96 show. After turning up the speakers real loud and virtually sharing in the groove with friends all over Phish Nation via IM, I can remember how Simple things were. How phun!! Not that life is not it's own kind of fun now but... it's just... different, ya know?

Anyway, thanks Phish, as always. I still love you!

I Was There

2007-11-08T11:27:00.001-05:00

The highlight came early and powerfully at the I'm Not There concert last night. It was song three, about 15 minutes into the show, when Jim James came out in a navy blue hoodie sweatshirt, his hands stuffed in its pockets. Calexico was "The Band" for this portion of the evening. Jim approached the microphone and perfectly delivered "Goin' to Acapulco" - his song on the soundtrack. His performance incited three separate bursts of applause from the audience (and three sets of extreme shivers from yours truly) when he belted and sustained the "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah!"

The remainder of the show was okay - "meh" as the kids like to say. Equipment and sound problems were distracting. Many of the performances seemed unrehearsed and somewhat uninspired. There was a memorable yet awkward moment when a gum-smacking Heath Ledger introduced some Devandra-esque barechested weirdo guy, Edward Sharpe, and his spun out girlfriend/vocalist, one of his Magnetic Zeros, to perform "All I Really Want to Do." Al Cooper did a rousing and horn-laden version of "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." Ian Ball and Olly Peacock from Gomez brought some brightness to the stage with their cover of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." Yo La Tengo did their part as "The Band" and performed their songs that are on the soundtrack - "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Fourth Time Around." But the house was not brought down again until the entire My Morning Jacket band came on stage to perform "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You." The energy level in the room skyrocketed especially as Jim sang "I can hear that lonesome whistle blowin'!!!"

Okay, fine. We (I) are (am) tend to have an extremely positive slant towards anything related to Jim James or My Morning Jacket around here. But this is my blog, so there. (And they just happen to be the best band on the planet.)

Poor Mason Jennings had to follow MMJ with an otherwise lovely acoustic "Times They Are A Changin'." The audience was told that there were a few musicians on the bill that missed flights and whatnot so we were going to be treated with a few surprises. Ooooh, who could it be? Tweedy? Trey?? Dylan himself??? Nope, it was this girl Tift Merritt, who came out with her acoustic guitar and completely shattered "Hard Rain." Sometimes the unknown surprises can be the best. The show ended with a robust and eerie "Masters of War" by The Roots and then an everyone-who's-still-backstage-come-on-out-and-sing version of "All Along The Watchtower."

All in all a good night of music punctuated by that amazing performance of "Goin' to Acapulco" by Jim. A feel-good celebration of the music of the great Bob Dylan. The thrown-together feeling might be preparing us for the jigsaw puzzle that is the film itself which I cannot wait to see.

By the way, have I told you lately that I love Jim James?

Check out the complete setlist along with some streams over at HT.

I'm So There

2007-11-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

Just got an invite to go see the I'm Not There spectacular at the Beacon Theatre tonight. Woo hoo! Thank you very much.

This soundtrack has pretty much dominated my Rhapsody player this week. If you're gonna collect a bunch of musicians to record some of the most important music to come out of our contemporary culture, well you might as well shoot for the best. This thing is packed with brilliant versions of these songs. Not much I can say that can drive it home better than looking at the list of talent. Here they are:

1. All Along The Watchtower - Eddie Vedder
2. I'm Not There - Sonic Youth
3. Goin' To Acapulco - Jim James
4. Tombstone Blues - Richie Havens
5. Ballad Of A Thin Man - Stephen Malkmus
6. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again - Cat Power
7. Pressing On - John Doe
8. Fourth Time Around - Yo La Tengo
9. Dark Eyes - Iron & Wine
10. Highway 61 Revisited - Karen O
11. One More Cup Of Coffee - Roger McGuinn
12. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll - Mason Jennings
13. Billy 1 - Los Lobos
14. Simple Twist Of Fate - Jeff Tweedy
15. Man In The Long Black Coat - Mark Lanegan
16. Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power) - Willie Nelson

1. As I Went Out One Morning - Mira Billotte
2. Can't Leave Her Behind - Stephen Malkmus and Lee Ranaldo
3. Ring Them Bells - Sufjan Stevens
4. Just Like A Woman - Charlotte Gainsbourg
5. Mama You've Been On My Mind / A Fraction of Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie - Jack Johnson
6. I Wanna Be Your Lover - Yo La Tengo
7. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
8. Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? - The Hold Steady
9. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - Ramblin' Jack Elliot
10. The Wicked Messenger - Black Keys
11. Cold Irons Bound - Tom Verlaine
12. The Times They Are A Changin' - Mason Jennings
13. Maggie's Farm - Stephen Malkmus
14. When The Ship Comes In - Marcus Carl Franklin
15. Moonshiner - Bob Forrest
16. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine - John Doe
17. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Antony and the Johnsons
18. I'm Not There - Bob Dylan
19. Trouble In Mind - Bob Dylan
20. Bunkhouse Theme - Calexico

Life Is Complicated Yet Beautiful in New Orleans

2007-10-30T10:09:00.001-04:00

Another great weekend in New Orleans... While I get my voice back and brain matter regenerated, I'd like to share this wunnerful video showing a glimpse of the one-of-a-kind French Quarter. This video features Clint Maedgen of the New Orleans Bingo! Show (which I saw this weekend at Voodoo) and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Clint said he wanted 100k views of this video so I figured I'd throw it up here to show everyone why New Orleans is the greatest place in the world!

Photos from Voodoo soon...

Rocktober, where the heck did you go?

2007-10-24T17:49:00.001-04:00

In less than 48 hours, I'll be arriving in my beloved Crescent City to attend the Voodoo Music Experience from the perspective of Rotary Downs world. My boys are performing the opening slot on the main stage on Saturday morning. If anyone reading this is making their way to Voodoo, come check 'em out! Or if that's too early, they'll play that night at DBA on Frenchmans.

With Voodoo comes the end of Rocktober (or Actober, for you baseball fans). I have to look through my camera to see where the heck this month went. Let's see...

I saw Umphrey's McGee at the Nokia Theatre this past Saturday:

My niece was Bat Mitzvah'd... isn't she beautiful?

I drove to New Haven, CT on a Tuesday to see PGroove:

CMJ happened... And so did the Rhapsody Rocks NYC party sponsored by Jameson (read: free Jameson). Pretty sure this is The National but I was pretty sloppy by then:

And the American Babies, who opened the night:

And that pretty much brings us up to date, according to my camera, who doesn't lie. More from NOLA in a few days...

iEcho

2007-10-14T17:30:00.000-04:00

Watch Umphrey's right now!!
(and Phil later this evening)

More photos sent via Andy's iphone...

ALO welcoming people to their BBQ:

Jake rocking out:

Michael Franti:

Rabbit In The Moon (check 'em out - sounds interesting):

PGroove (yay!):

Echo Fest via iPhone

2007-10-13T13:27:00.000-04:00

I'm experimenting with the concept of intentionally missing a music festival that's going on this weekend. This decision came after a busy summer/year that drained me in a few ways and figured it would be good for to me have that sense of yearning for a change.

The things you love have a way of finding you somehow. This time via Andy's iphone. Here are some photos he's been iphoning to me (that I viewed on my new Blackberry last night).

The Polyphonic Spree - Hey! It's the Sun!:

Mike D, Skerik & Les:

The Flaming Lips:

This one had the subject line of "Hi superdeeeeeeeeeee!":

Bisco:

My friend Jay Blakesberg is filming and webcasting at the fest all weekend too. Check it out here: www.iclips.net.

Marco, you're also my hero.

2007-10-09T17:44:00.000-04:00

If you have not already picked up a copy of Marco Benevento's Live At Tonic, I highly recommend doing so. The 3-CD Live At Tonic, released by our friends at ropeadope, is the compilation recording of Marco's Thursday night residency in November '06 at the now defunct Tonic, experimental music's former mainstay in the Lower East Side. Lucky for us, 2006 had five Thursdays in November making for whole lotta love from some favorites - Steve Bernstein, Dave Drewitz, Bobby Previte, Joe Russo, and much more. I gave all three discs a run-through today. I got the shivers a few times especially during the cover of Pink Floyd's "Fearless" on TRIO night with Reed Mathis and Matt Chamberlain. This is a real showcase of some pure talent that only some folks are lucky to be born with. More info, track listing, purchase and audio links here: www.ropeadope.com/marcobenevento.

Check out some video while your head is in Marco-ville:

James Murphy, you're my hero (this week).

2007-10-09T17:38:00.000-04:00

Thanks to LCD Soundsystem for completely kicking ass on Saturday at Randall's Island. I'm gonna leave it up to my friends Ace and Karina to tell the story because, well, they did already :) I was standing right next to them anyway.

DUMBO: Art Under the Bridge Festival

2007-09-30T23:36:00.000-04:00

There Go My American Babies

2007-09-28T10:29:00.000-04:00

Tom Hamilton's American Babies is the band to watch this coming year. I've seen this band take form and become something delectable. The songs themselves are the root of the greatness here - so many great sing-along hooks - but the incarnation of the band itself is gelled and stellar. Individually and in other projects, each member has a solid pedigree. Together, it just works and each time it just gets better and better.

Here's a clip from last night's (grossly underattended but totally awesome) American Babies show at Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ. Any of the songs could be an example of why this band rules but this one, ~~"There Goes My Girl"~~ "Brooklyn Bridge", shows the ever-emphatic Tommy really belting it out, harmonies from each member (this band has FOUR singers!), and of course some great riffs and solos from the mighty Scott Metzger. Metzger, Joe Russo, and the Brothers Hamilton are the American Babies:

The Babies were invited to open up a few dates with the Derek Trucks Band next week in the Southeast. They head west towards the end of October with The Duo including a Halloween show at the Independent in SF (Yeah! I'm lookin' at you, people!!). All the dates are here. It's only the beginning...

Leave Kang Alone

2007-09-27T18:26:00.000-04:00

Ok, by now we've all seen the "Leave Britney Alone" video. (Even Colbert!) Here's the response from the jam scene:

Oh, I do love the interweb.

New Rotary Downs Video for "B/W"

2007-09-18T11:50:00.000-04:00

Take a trip to the other side:

Rotary Downs Take California

2007-09-17T17:16:00.000-04:00

Do I have any perusers from Cali here? If so, then this information is for you. If not, then this is for your friends who are!

Thu 9/20 - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles - 10:30 set

Fri 9/21 - Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco
with Eric McFadden Trio! RD at 8:30pm

Sat 9/22 - The Sweetwater, Mill Valley
opening for The Mother Hips!! RD at 9pm

Rotary Downs: www.rotarydowns.com | myspace.com/rotarydowns

A View from Inside a Richard Serra Sculpture

2007-09-16T17:04:00.001-04:00

The Last One Ever?

2007-09-16T16:48:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn was graced with a performance by Surprise Me Mr. Davis last night at Park Slope's Union Hall. Nathan Moore made a comment towards the end of the night that this could be the last SMMD show ever. Now, some folks got nervous but think about it, anything we ever do could always be the last time we ever do that thing - no matter how much we love it. He's just stating the truth - it could really be the last one ever, he swears it. Treasure the present and hope for the best...

This is more or less the setlist:

Set I: ???, ???, When A Woman, Summer Of My Fall, Poor Boy, Unprotected Sex Song, Everything Must Go

Set II: ???, Ambrosia Drunk, I Wanna Get to Heaven, I Hate Love, Red Sky, Sleepyhead, As Long As There's One Of Us Standing

Encore: Back in 15 Minutes, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Last One Ever

Happy New Year

2007-09-12T12:35:00.000-04:00

Remember that "I Gotta Crush on Obama" video?

Here's the Jew-take special for this week's festivities:

Remembering 9/11 and Everything Else

2007-09-11T13:22:00.001-04:00

This is undoubtedly a difficult and memorable day for all Americans. Here in New York, the first Tuesday on the 11th of September since that fateful day in 2001, the thunder is booming and the rain is falling sideways. Six years ago, the sky was clear and blue as far as the mind could stretch. Today's gray sky and drenched streets have a Louisiana feel. It could be the fact that I've been repeatedly listening to Anders Osborne's latest album, Coming Down, that was delivered to my door a few days ago. Sadness overcomes as he sings "Oh Katrina" as if he's singing to a woman who broke his heart: "You pushed me and you pulled me and you tore my heart apart. You took me and you shook me and you left me all alone in the dark. Everything I love is almost gone. Since you came along, I can't go home. " (There's a live track of the song on his myspace page.) I'm feeling the strong connection between The Big Easy and The Big Apple today. So much loss, it's hard to comprehend. So, today I listen to the blues to soothe my soul. Mad love...

Bret's Angry Dance Break

2007-09-04T12:46:00.000-04:00

I'm experiencing post-holiday weekend busy-ness today but I had to share this scene from this week's Flight of the Conchords. Earlier in the episode, Bret says that he dances at parties and when he's angry. This is when he gets kicked out the band (again) and gets pissed off so we get his wonderful Flashdance/Footloose-esque "angry dance" featuring a cameo appearance by the one and only Eugene Mirman:

That was the last FOTC episode of the season but I'll be watching Season 1 over and over again until they come back!!

Remembering Katrina

2007-08-29T12:18:00.000-04:00

I love you New Orleans!

Photo taken May 2006 in the LGD

For those of you that have never seen Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" documentary, they are airing on HBO today.

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
As the world watched in horror, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005. Like many who watched the unfolding drama on television news, director Spike Lee was shocked not only by the scale of the disaster, but by the slow, inept and disorganized response of the emergency and recovery effort. Lee was moved to document this modern American tragedy, a morality play witnessed by people all around the world. The result is WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS. The film is structured in four acts, each dealing with a different aspect of the events that preceded and followed Katrina's catastrophic passage through New Orleans. Read more.

A Few More Bookeaters Photos

2007-08-29T11:05:00.000-04:00

These photos came to me this morning via Jen Snow at 826NYC (thank you!). I already posted my ramblings yesterday but how can I not share these beautiful shots taken by Joe Pacheco.

Mmmm... Jimmmm...

Jim with his Omnichord

See ya tonight, Feist!

Eating Books is Indie-Fabulous

2007-08-28T16:37:00.000-04:00

[Thanks to Susie Martinez for the photos.]

The summer begins to wind down and another school year is about to start. For us 30-somethings, we may not be buying pencils and books but there is a lingering memory within all of us that comes up with the approaching season. Were you inspired to learn and create as a child? Many of us were lucky to have a supportive and stimulating early education but there are tons of kids running around that don't. Enter 826NYC - "a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write." It's also a kick-ass Superhero Supply Store in Park Slope.

On a balmy Sunday evening in August on the Upper West Side, indie-rock darlings gathered together at the Beacon Theater to perform a benefit concert for 826NYC - Revenge of the Bookeaters. Daily Show contributor, comedian Demetri Martin was our irreverent host for the evening, "sprinkling jokes" in between musical sets. First up was A.C. Newman (New Pornographers) who was accompanied by the warm sounds of violin and cello. He sang "Come Crash" (with the "Christine come crash on my floor" refrain) and then told us how he just met a girl named Christine a couple of weeks ago which he thought was pretty f*cked up. Dreams really do come true (for indie-pop stars anyway).

The second act was my favorite pleasant surprise of the evening - Grizzly Bear. They've opened for many bands I admire and Jeff Tweedy put them on his list of new favorite bands. I tried to listen to their albums a couple of times and I just didn't quite get it yet. But now I do - seeing them live was like the much-needed lightbulb. Grizzly Bear is four very talented and slightly creepy guys (especially the impish Chris Taylor with his mind-blowing falsetto) blending perfect vocal harmonies and odd instrumentation (oboe, whistling, accordian) with just a dash of reverb giving it that other-worldly quality. Their songs gave me the sense that I was looking in a crystal ball and seeing a fuzzy image of the past and the future all at once. There was one song called "Marla," originally written by singer/songwriter Ed Droste's great aunt in the 1930s, that was stunning and dreamlike with an old-timey circus-esque organ melody played by drummer/keyboardist Chris Bear. In-house superstar Feist joined the boys for a beautiful number giving a little potential foreshadowing to their show together tomorrow night at McCarren pool. (Demetri Martin later said they should be Feisty Bear - cute!) The song that made my jaw drop was guitarist Daniel Rossen's deconstructed cover of Paul Simon's "Graceland" which became wistful and spooky. When he sang "losing love is like a window in your heart," I could almost actually feel the wind blow.

After a great joke by Demetri about jello shots ("I like virgin jello shots. I guess I just really like to eat jello really fast"), and some heckling from and to some jerk in the crowd, it was time for my true love, Jim James. He began with an out of tune guitar, unfortunately, on a song I did not recognize but gave me goosebumps on goosebumps at the end with gorgeous falsetto oooooooooooh's. A beautiful "Bermuda Highway" followed. He then traded his acoustic for the coolest thing ever, the Omnichord (thanks to Dindas for the research), with which he synthesized a band for "What a Wonderful Man." "A lot of people think that song is about G-d, but it's not," he said. Jim, looking like a preacher man in a three piece suit, always likes to comment on his surroundings ("You are all ponies!" - High Sierra 2006) and he told a story about his church growing up that had a big eyeball in the ceiling which was supposed to be G-d looking down on them making sure they were all being good. Where is he going with this? Well, the chandelier at the Beacon kinda looks like a giant drill bit so he said this was Satan's house and he was drilling down to get us. He's such a weirdo and I love it. "A lot of people think this song is about G-d, but it's not," he repeated and then sang "Gideon." During the end of the song when he was rocking out, he turned around to headbang with his band that wasn't there like an amputee. He played "Anytime" to finish his set and comically recreated the changing drum beat at the end with the awesome Omnichord. Oh, please don't go away Jim.... Ok, ok, more music to be had ahead.

Journalist, humorist, and 826NYC board member Sarah Vowell took the stage to talk some more about the organization. They presented a few hilarious trailers of movies created by the kids during their summer film workshop. The best was a Scream-like trailer for "Death Is Calling" with the tag line, "your life is on the line." Bwahaha! Sarah then mediated a skit acted out by comedians Leo Allen and Eugene Mirman who both portrayed a character named George Washington (no relation) who was tutored and not-tutored (respectively) as a child. Obviously, the non-tutored adult played by Eugene ended up being executed by lethal injection and his last words were, "Ice cream!!!!!" Hilar.

Next up was the seductive Leslie Feist who read two stories written by the kids of 826NYC. The first was written by an 8-year-old about a lonely boy named Paul who lived in iCity (run by Mac). Paul met Steve (who was in a punk band called Black Luster) who showed him how to use iChat to communicate with other people and all was well. The second story, written in tandem by a group of kids at the center, was about a peanut named Mystic Water who was a model, lived in a jar, and had a wife named Jellytaker. Ya gotta love the limitless imagination of the youth... Feist then sang "The Water," a hauntingly beautiful song from her album The Reminder.

After Feisty was Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene who's got his own solo project at the moment called Spirit If.... He was accompanied by his BSS brother, Brendan Canning, and the two played a few songs including Kevin's "F*cked Up Kid" and BSS's "Superconnected." The final performance of the evening was by Spoon's Britt Daniel who started his set with "I Summon You" from Gimme Fiction followed by "Black Like Me" from the new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Britt's got great stage presence and the Spoon songs were delivered with fury. AC Newman popped up to sing a song with Britt and that closed the show.

It was an amazing night of music for a wonderful cause. Kudos to Bowery Presents for their insightful booking. They no doubt raised a good deal of money for 826NYC, helping tons of kids to unleash their imaginations, use their superpowers for good, and to be ever vigilant and ever true. Learn more here: www.826nyc.org.

Tom Hamilton, The Scribe. Camp Bisconess.

2007-08-20T19:52:00.000-04:00

I went up to Camp Bisco this past Saturday and one of my favorite parts was reading Tom Hamilton's (American Babies) description about Bustle In Your Hedgerow in the program:

Bustle In Your Hedgerow by Tom Hamilton
What a cool jamband idea to have some heavy jamband hitters put together a Led Zeppelin tribute jamband! You have the Benevento/Russo Jamband, the ripping ex-guitarist from the west coast jamband Particle (LOVE THEM!), and the bassist from Ween who isn't a jamband but jamband fans seem to really like. This is a jamband fan's fantasy jamband and I can't wait to hear the Bonham like drumming of jambander Joe "I Love to Jam, Jam, Jam" Russo, the insane Page like jambanding of Scott "Four on the Jamband Floor" Metzger, the brilliant John Paul Jones' rhythms and arrangements split between Marco "Jazz Farmer Jam" Benevento and Dave "I Love te Untzzz" Dreiwitz, and finally of course the Golden-God/King of the Bulge/ Robert Plant like vocals of..... Jamband "Jamband" Jamband. Jamband jamband jam band. Jam, band jam bandjam ba. Nd jamband jam jam jam band band band. Jamband.

Bustle In Your Hedgerow, the jamband, with jamband special guest Jamie Shields substituting for Marco on keys.

Scott Metzger

Lyrics Born

STS9 at dusk.

Tommy Hamilton sings "Take a Bow" by Muse with The Disco Biscuits. Wow.

Air Guitar is here to stay, whether we like it or not.

2007-08-17T13:43:00.000-04:00

Last night I had a once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) experience at Irving Plaza at the Air Guitar National Championships. NYC local "William Ocean" was crowned the winner and he will represent our country at the Air Guitar World Championships in Finland (yes, I said "world.") Currently Japan has the title, apparently, and judging from the sold-out crowd last night, USA is ready to take it back. (I say let 'em keep it.) With the exorbitant amount of press in the house recording every last moment, this seemingly was a pretty big deal. As the emcee / mastermind (or complete and absolute idiot depending on your perspective) Bjorn Turoque said, "If you're holding an air guitar, you can't be holding a gun." Air guitar for world peace. Right on, man.

Anyway, I went out in support of a good friend of mine from my college years who was the regional champion from Columbus, OH. We shall call by his stage name, Derek Not So Smalls (DNNS's qualifying peformance). Derek was criticized pretty harshly by the esteemed panel of judges who included Malcolm Gladwell of "The Tipping Point" fame (I wish I was kidding you), ACLU attorney Ben Weisman (who's best line of the night was, "Air Guitar is not a novelty act."), Rachel Dratch from SNL and 30 Rock, and the Daily Show's Jason Jones (who probably got his ass kicked after the show.) Contestants are judged on technical merit, stage presence, and "airness." And, of course, there may be no actual guitars on stage.

Beer cans were thrown at judges and contestants alike as crowd favorites and villains took the stage to show their... um... stuff. Standouts were Ricky Stinkfingers from San Francisco mostly because of his name and his seven pieces of flare and the 2006 champion Hot Lixx Hulahan because lets face it, if you don't come up with a good name, why are you really doing this? The two guys from Texas, Stryker and Big Rig, were the winners in my book due to their display on balcony during the "Freebird" finale. Stryker, clad only in gold shiny tights, almost took a nose dive before the caring and daring Big Rig, himself wearing merely a stars-and-stripes speedo, pulled his air brother to safety. But only one of these brave individuals can be named winner and this year the honors went to the local fave, William Ocean, who graciously accepted his prize while bleeding from his face. (Beer can injuries seem rampant around these parts.)

As Jason Jones reminded the crowd with his final thoughts while flipping everyone the double bird, "Just remember, there are no winners. You are all losers. All of you."

A few photos in case you don't believe me:

Ricky Stinkfingers from San Francisco

The smack-talkin' judges

Derek Not So Smalls in action.

More Derek...

...and one more.

Derek and some fan

2007 Champion William Ocean is crowd surfing on stage during the "Freebird" finale.

People who definitely have really bad hangovers today.

Last but not least, the darling Texas boys who stole my heart.

Three Years Ago Today

2007-08-15T13:22:00.000-04:00

My JamBase piece from three years ago: Pharewell My Phriend.

Nice day for a dip in the pool.

2007-08-15T10:12:00.000-04:00

BlogBerry

2007-08-11T19:24:00.000-04:00

It was only a matter of time before I went mobile! Writing to you from under a tree, in the ocean air, with heady friends, eating almonds and listening to Keller Williams (and Bob Weir just sat in). Greetings from gathering of the vibes in Bridgeport, CT.

The Hold Steady in Prospect Park

2007-08-10T12:11:00.000-04:00

It's the last weekend of shows in Prospect Park for the summer - wah! The Hold Steady was great last night. The Big Sleep and The Teenage Prayers (with The Dansettes girls on backup vocals for a few numbers) opened.

SuperPalooza: Afterword

2007-08-06T20:05:00.000-04:00

Lollapalooza happened. If you feel like reading my ramblings, head over to JamBase and check it out. I am completely spent in the best of ways. I am currently delayed at O'Hare so I've got nothing to do but write to you friendly folk. Some of my favorite moments of the weekend include (in no particular order):

1. Karen O sticking the microphone in her mouth and growling into it while holding it in her teeth.

2. Dancing barefoot in muddy gravel during My Morning Jacket.

3. Rodrigo Y Gabriela's cover of "Wish You Were Here."

4. Discovering new (to me) bands that I will be looking into: Cage The Elephant, MRNORTH, and Los Campesinos!.

5. The LCD Soundsystem > Daft Punk Friday night robot rock freak out dance party.

6. Kidzapalooza.

7. Craig Finn's emotionally grateful moment.

8. Headbanging during Muse.

9. Eddie Vedder.

10. Jim James.

One Year Ago...

2007-07-31T14:38:00.000-04:00

As I prep for Lollapalooza, my thoughts wander to last year. I was on my way from California to New York - an awesome and emotional 10 day trip that took me through Utah, Colorado and Chicago. Wilco managed to get their $.02 in during their set at Lolla when Tweedy sang "I'm comin' home via Chicago."

Some photos from my cross country adventure last year:

My last burger from In-n-Out

Crazy shoe tree on Highway 50 in Nevada

Stunning Utah

Rocky Mountain High

Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa. Or... maybe Nebraska.

The Wilco Towers in Chicago

Lollapalooza

George Washington Bridge

It's mindboggling to think back on all that's happened in the last year!

Keeping tabs on SuperPalooza

2007-07-31T12:50:00.000-04:00

Follow the SuperPalooza adventures over here at JamBase.

SuperPalooza

2007-07-30T12:22:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I'm going to Chicago this coming weekend for Lollapalooza. I'll be reporting for JamBase and hopefully will come home with some new favorite bands. Take a look at the schedule - who should I "not miss" no matter what?

Tunnel Vision

2007-07-26T12:44:00.001-04:00

Our view of the Lincoln Tunnel coming back from Ween last night:

Feeling Somewhat Un-Bloggy and Only Slightly Foggy or Groggy

2007-07-26T12:10:00.000-04:00

Hello my lovelies out there in the blogosphere... I'm sorry I've been neglecting you but I've apparently taken some sort of unintentional hiatus from posting my life on the internet. Fear not, I've been amusing myself and others. Since Harry Happened, I jumped on a bit of "wedding tour," turned 32, checked in with our friends Widespread Panic at Radio City, went to my first Pool Party of Summer '07, continued to fuel the fire of my love for Flight of The Conchords, rocked out with my new favorite Russo/Metzger/Hamilton(s) outfit American Babies at The Knit, and finally saw Ween in a park in Princeton, NJ at a teeny tiny amphitheater with 200 people. Here's a few sights from last night:

Summer's only halfway through... Stay tuned...

Harry Happened

2007-07-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

Another epic High Sierra this year and Camp Harry was as special as ever. I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to share these experiences with some of the most amazing people on the planet! I want to share lots of photos and stories with you but for now let's all just listen to the late night Camp Harry Surprise Me Mr. Davis set and reflect...

Love is not some fragile flower

It's one that breaks the sidewalk just to bloom
Even God said there is no higher power
Than the lily or the love inside of you
So if you're out there looking for answers
Then you must know that you are the light in someone's dark
- "One of Us Standing" by Surprise Me Mr. Davis

Harry Happens

2007-07-02T21:46:00.000-04:00

See you in Quincy!

The Marriage of Figaro

2007-06-29T10:52:00.000-04:00

Before Three's Company, there was Mozart. Confusion, deception, misunderstandings, comedy, tragedy... and some of the most perfect music ever written. I'm playing in two performances of The Marriage of Figaro this weekend in Park Slope. If you're around, check it out:

Tragically Beautiful and Beautifully Tragic

2007-06-28T16:53:00.000-04:00

Musical obsession comes in all shape and forms and... colors. This week I cannot get enough of the soundtrack to Wicked. Yes, okay, I'll wait for the snickering to subside. I like Broadway... okay? I went to see the musical this week with my parents and my two lovely nieces, ages 9 and 12. While the acting, singing, stage production and overall energy of the performance was absolutely top notch, it's the story that is sticking with me. It's the proposed story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good and everything that happened before Dorothy's house fell out of the sky. There are abstract themes throughout the plot that hit home in so many ways. What is truth and what is beauty? What about good and evil? These things are changeable depending on your perspective and what is "popular" in society. And what you always thought you knew could be just what someone wanted you to believe for their own purposes.

Both the musical and the book by Gregory Maguire are highly recommended. He also wrote the untold story about Cinderella's ugly stepsisters. These stories create the urge to look beyond the surface of things - a great life lesson for children of all ages!

Summertime's Alright With Me

2007-06-26T01:22:00.000-04:00

Thursday of last week was the longest day of the year. It's all downhill from here as we spiral through the summer and fall towards another cold winter. I'm not trying to rush us there or anything. I'm just saying, time flies when you are having fun and that's what summer is all about, rrrright?!?! It's all happening... I've had the ridiculous opportunity to see some of my favorite bands in the world in the last four days.

On the Summer Solstice, I started out the long night with a film screening of "Unsettled" at the IFC with Mr. Benor. A first-time filmmaker, Adam Hootnick, gives us this brilliant documentary that follows the experience of six twenty-somethings - soldiers and civilians - during the evacuation of the Israelis from the Gaza Strip two summers ago. It was incredibly heartbreaking to watch the Israeli government (kids!!) have to remove their own people from their homes. Hootnick did an amazing job and it's incredible that he was even able to be there to capture all of that so closely.

From there, I went to Southpaw to see my boys JFJO. I've been working on something to post on JamBase but let me tell you two quick things. There is a new drummer named Josh Raymer. He's young and he's a killer. Jason Smart has amicably decided to move on from the band and during their touring hiatus this year, Josh joined Brian and Reed for practice and magic was made. The second thing was Steve Kimock - wow. His "Jerry" notes were mesmerizing and Reed was throwing down such a ridiculously heavy groove the whole time... That is when he wasn't ripping on electric guitar for most of the show!

Friday night was time for The Slip to come to town. It seemed like they started the show at the end by coming out with a rocking Zeppelin cover followed by "If One of Us Should Fall" - a song that usually comes towards the end when everyone's loose and ready to throw their arms around each other. The show had its ups and downs but we got an epic "Paperbirds." I'm really sorry for the lack of detail here but I got very drunk that night. Broken ATM machine at the Bowery and there's a $25 minimum at the bar. $25 worth of Jack Daniels in my system... ouch.

Goodness, I almost forgot that before The Slip, I went to my first Celebrate Brooklyn show in Prospect Park. Friday was bluegrass night and I met some friends to see Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys! I can't wait to go back to the bandshell again and again this summer. It's the best!

On Saturday, after waking up with that oh-so-fabulous-morning-after-drinking-way-too-much-whiskey feeling, we packed up Junior and headed down to Asbury Park for the Rocks Off School of Rock Music Festival. In short, we saw the coolest kids ever rock everyone's faces off, The Duo, Sam Champion, Benzos, Northern State, Ween, and Bustle In Your Hedgerow. What a (school of) rockin' day! See my friend Ace for a full report.

We had some pool time at the amazing Empress Hotel (complete with it's own super gay disco club and mirror ball over the pool) before heading back up to NYC on Sunday. Not much else to report on Sunday except for the new HBO show Flight of the Conchords. Both episodes had a Eugene Mirman cameo and we all know that I love that guy! Another local Brooklyn comedian Kristin Schall has a hilarious role as their groupie.

Which brings us to today... A couple of months ago, I got a ticket for a show the old fashioned way: refreshing ticketmaster like a maniac until I get through to purchase one ticket in the 5 minutes before the show sold out. The night was finally here - Wilco in NYC at the Hammerstein! Tweedy and the boys look and sound amazing. They played every song from Sky Blue Sky including my favorite "Impossible Germany" with the perfect guitar melody at the end. We got a bunch of old faves too - "Jesus Etc" for the heartwarming singalong; "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" absolutely rocked and had an extra long pause with audience clapalong during the fake out ending; "California Stars" made everyone sway and swoon. Nels Cline is just... uh... so amazing to watch. Cole and I named him the RockBot because he is machine! Tweedy seemed to be in great spirits all night. A beautiful beautiful night of music.

Now we're all caught up! Until next time...

Daily Wheatgrass Shots Burn a Brand New Pathway To My Brain

2007-06-19T15:04:00.000-04:00

One of my top 10 bands of all time, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, comes to NYC this week - Thursday at Southpaw and Friday on the Rocks Off Concert Cruise. Steve Kimock will be their special guest on Thursday night which should be transcendent! See ya there on the longest day of the year...

Roo-flections

2007-06-18T11:25:00.000-04:00

Well, it was certainly a whirlwind adventure hitting Bonnaroo for approximately 44 hours but I did it and remained relatively unscathed. I got to see a few favorites and come home with a few new ones which I'd like to share with you. Sorry, my camera was in the shop so no super special eye candy this time.

After logistics were settled and bearings relatively achieved, I got to shake it all off and dance with my former home-town champions, Tea Leaf Green. It's quite satisfying to be at Bonnaroo and see the mass of people screamin' and hollerin' for a band that I saw years ago at a little bar in Cotati, CA. Bonnaroo had clearly begun by the time they got to the obligatory and epic "Sex in the 70s".

Friday was the perfect festival ADD day, wandering from stage to stage getting a glimpse of a number of different bands. This started out with the Cold War Kids at "That" tent. I love this band but I thought some of their intensity got lost in a space that big. But then again the last time I saw them was in the tiny Union Hall space and almost got smacked in the face by a guitar in the front row. From there, we stopped by the Sonic Stage area to say hello to the JamBase booth and my girl Annabel who was running the show at that stage. While over there we were treated to a "Magnolia" by Apollo Sunshine.

Next up was the amazing Richard Thompson, my first time seeing the British folk rock guitar legend. His guitar playing was mesmerizing. He would barely move a muscle as he so effortlessly delivered some of the most soaring sounds I've ever heard. There's a great quote on his website: "Richard Thompson can play two or three guitar parts at once while getting his nails done and talking on the phone at the same time." He's playing this week in Prospect Park for Celebrate Brooklyn.

The major wandering part of the afternoon came next as we enjoyed a frozen lemonade on the bleachers at the "Which" stage for the spicy Brazilian Girls with a little Tortoise on the way. We then doubled back to That tent to see the young and beautiful Scottish soulful singing sensation, Paolo Nutini with his rockin' band.

More young beauty ahead as we trekked over to the "What" stage for Kings of Leon. Again, I had the very satisfying feeling of remembering seeing these boys at the Great American Music Hall when they were really just babies playing 3 minute songs. They always had the chops to grow into themselves (they always seemed way bigger than they actually were) and here on the main stage of one of the biggest festivals in our country, they've really made it and show no signs of slowing down. We got a nice sprinkle of rain during this set which settled down the dust and the heat. Nothing like the torrential downpours I experience in 2004. But then again, My Morning Jacket wasn't around this year so I guess the storms stayed away.

The ADD took over again and we pressed on back to This tent for what would be my favorite new discovery of the weekend - Hot Chip. It's no real surprise that I've never heard of these guys before as they are an electronica sorta thing out of the UK. Man, are they fun! They threw down the late afternoon dance party and had everyone sweating and kickin' up dust. I've been listening a bunch since I've gotten home, too. Kudos to Bonnaroo for being able to dig up awesome little surprises like this!

From there, I caught the beginning of The Roots but my FOMO (fear of missing out) was acting up so I had to run back to This tent to see my girl Lily Allen. She still wins the prize for adorablest even as she downed almost an entire bottle of Jaegermeister on stage. I love her songs and felt like a 12-year-old as I sang along and twirled around.

After some much needed down time in the evening hours, I made it back out for some late night action with the likes of STS9 and DJ Shadow. The best part of the night was rocking in the Silent Disco with DJ Logic spinning. Imagine walking by a tent and seeing everyone in headphones dancing with each other. It's hilarious! Logic is great too - he plays everything you want to hear!

The next day, I had only a little bit of time to catch a few things before taking off for the airport. First stop was Breakfast with the Babies at the Sonic Stage. Tom Hamilton's American Babies won the OurStage contest for that slot. Forget everything you know about Tommy's other band, Brothers Past. This is a showcase band for musical and songwriting talent made up of a few of our favorite things: Jim Hamilton, Tommy's brother, on vocals and bass, Joe Russo on drums and backup vocals and Scott Metzger for the gratifying guitar solos. Check out the new cd and catch them on tour this summer.

Time was running thin so I got a bit of Alexa Ray Joel and a smidgen of Dr. Dog before heading back to That tent for the beginning of The Slip. Thank goodness High Sierra is just around the corner cause having to leave a Slip set is heartbreaking. I did get a nice "Proud" into "Even Rats" and then the fitting "Airplane Primitive" to send me off to the airport on the day before the rest of my life.

So, there you have it. Bonnaroo, check!

1Days, 23 Hours, 52 Minutes, 36 Seconds to Bonnaroo 2007

2007-06-12T11:48:00.000-04:00

As if the excitement wasn't building enough on its own, embellished by emails, IMs and phone calls from my dear people, the countdown on bonnaroo.com really seals the deal. It's official. I'm going to Bonnaroo and I'm really f'ing pumped! Unfortunately, I'll only get to stay until Saturday afternoon before I have to come back to perform in my OWN concert with the Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra on Sunday. You really can't tell Beethoven to roll over for Bonnaroo. I just don't think it works that way.

Anyway, I will get approximately 44 hours to hang out with some of my favorite people on the planet and no doubt get a plethora of musical treats to tide me over until High Sierra. Here's some stuff I'm really looking forward to during my time in Manchester this year:

Going? Check out the schedule and customize your own at BonnarooBase.

Not Going? Go to the blue room for webcasts all weekend.

Next stop, Manchester, Tennessee! Bring it!

Lovely Music in NYC Tonight

2007-06-07T15:49:00.000-04:00

Photo: Velvy Appleton

One of my very favorite musicians/songwriters from the Bay Area graces Gotham City with his presence tonight. Etienne de Rocher will be performing the 8pm slot at Rockwood Music Hall tonight. He will be joined by the legendary Todd Sickafoose on bass. At 7pm is another fellow bay area musician Noe Venable who has collaborated with Etienne on the stage before.

Listen to Etienne here on his website, here on myspace, or here if you have a Rhapsody account. Check out a piece I wrote about him a little while back.

Siesta Con Brock

2007-06-04T12:39:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite moments of Amberland was the opportunity to see a couple of Brock solo sets. He really has created an amazing act for himself that lucky Savannah and Athens folks get to see pretty often. Thanks to trusty Joel in the taping department of the PGroove family, we've got his Sunday morning Brockfast set with lots of tasty covers right here. Enjoy!

Brock Butler Live at Amberland VIII - Cherokee Farms on 2007-05-27

Disc 1
1. Instrumental
2. Time to Move On
3. Garden Grove
4. Queen Bee
5. Kitchen of Funk
6. Super Mario Brothers Theme

Disc 2

1. Living Boy in New York
2. Soprano's Theme
3. Black Water
4. Boston Rag*
5. Livin' Life
6. Easy Like Sunday Morning
7. Sometimes
8. Here Comes the Sun
9. Asshole**

Also available are the two amazing 3-set shows from the band that weekend:

Sat 2007-05-26 Amberland VIII Cherokee Farms - Lafayette, GA

Sun 2007-05-27 Amberland VIII Cherokee Farms - Lafayette, GA

AmberLove

2007-05-30T19:27:00.000-04:00

Photo by James Harris. More here.

I went down to Georgia this Memorial Day weekend for my first Amberland with Perpetual Groove. These boys have become some of my dearest friends in this music world of ours and I was thrilled to be able to go this year. They invited me to come play violin with them which was such an honor.

While I realized this was going to be a relatively chill and intimate weekend compared to other festivals, I didn't realize how truly special this event is. Amberland is basically a fan appreciation weekend for PGroove and a chance for them to shine without any other distractions. It was so refreshing to be at an event that was focused on one band. It really brought me back to the Limestone/Oswego/Plattsburgh days but on a much smaller level, of course. Today's multi-stage festivals are amazing in their depth and variety but to be around approximately 700 people who all share the love for the same band, a different kind of atmosphere can flourish. Instead of running around catching as much as you can between sets, you are free to hang out, make new friends, make bacon, whatever.

The shows were fantastic and supported by an extremely professional production in both sound and light. Having experienced the sound on stage now, I know how really incredible the equipment really was but nothing can be done without the meticulous work by the band's team - Patrick on monitors, Newt on front sound and Huffer with his amazing light show.

My highlights obviously include when I was on stage playin' in the band - totally a surreal experience. We did "Out Here" on Saturday night and "All This Everything (Part 1)" on Sunday. I also got to do Wilco's "Jesus, etc." with Brock during his solo show on Friday night. Brock's solo sets are really such a treat as he loops his way around a wide variety of mostly cover songs like Paul Simon's "Graceland," Secret Machines' "Alone, Jealous, and Stoned," and the beautiful "Queen Bee" by Taj Mahal. He also did an awesome rendition of the entire Super Mario Brothers theme (beginning, middle and the resolution at the end) as well as the Sopranos theme with guest Tye Munn.

Major major props to Adam's brother, Damien Perry, who sat in multiple times on guitar and totally outstaged me which is more than fine. He was jawdroppingly fun to watch. Check out his band Red Giant. I had a funny moment with him backstage as he was focusing, getting in the moment, and trying to decide what antic he'd do next. "I could try to do a backflip, maybe."

Brock, Matt, Adam and Albert, I love you guys so much! Thanks for an amazing weekend that I will never forget. Lifelong bonds were made this weekend, I know it. PGroove music makes me feel...

That's Pretty Underground

2007-05-24T18:49:00.001-04:00

Most of you may have seen this already but it's worth watching again.

Big Guy, Little Bike, Smaller Dog

2007-05-24T13:43:00.000-04:00

Too good not to share... My friend Blake in a photo taken by Zack.

Happy Music: I'm From Barcelona

2007-05-22T12:53:00.000-04:00

Springtime is here. The sky is blue and people have emerged from their winter dens to turn their faces to the sun like flowers. What better time to get acquainted with some sunny overproduced pop music? I'm From Barcelona are not actually from Barcelona, they are Swedish. Personally, Barcelona is my dream destination, a trip I'm saving for some extra special time so I can understand the desire to channel the untamed romance of the place. IFB have put out an album called Let Me Introduce My Friends and it just makes me smile. Emanuel Lundgren, whose official credit in the band is "The Principle," has basically invited all of his friends to his house to make noise and sing and voila... you've got magic. The all-inclusive Montreal sound and it's do-it-yourself nature has drifted to Scandinavia, been reinterpreted and been given cute lyrics like "I have built a treehouse / Nobody can see us / it's a you and me house." We all need little reminders from time to time not to be so damn serious all the time, right?

Lighten Up: imfrombarcelona.com | myspace.com/imfrombarcelona | rhapsody.com/imfrombarcelona

RD in NYC Aftermath

2007-05-20T20:31:00.001-04:00

Rotary Downs NYC weekend was a blast! The LES got its share of the Downs starting with their set on Thursday at the Mercury where we made new friends with the fine folks of Jupiter One. On Friday, the RD set was simultaneous with the free PBR hour at the Hot Rocks Party at the Delancey which turned up the rowdy vibe. The Brooklyn/NOLA connection grew stronger at the cozy Magnetic Fields on Saturday night. Andy Friedman & The Other Failures had an awesome set after RD and we all had a really fun night.

Here's a clip of "Holiday Home" from Friday night's show:

Holiday Home
This is the first last chance
I'm up on a broken branch
determined to sing like a beheaded king

If there's love in this world
there'll be miracles unfurled
like sails on the sea if you only agreed

It gets cold in the evening
I'm gonna freeze my bones
'til the morning shows

And I'm stoned on believing
you could just pick up the phone
but you leave me alone
in my holiday home

So stoned, frozen alone
up on a tree in the fall away zone
holiday holiday holiday holiday holiday holiday holiday home

RD at The Mercury

Free PBR dude!

The amazing Layla Isis does her bellydance at The Delancey.

Andy Friedman rockin' Magnetic

RD Live On the Radio

2007-05-17T12:17:00.000-04:00

Tune in at 2pm EST (that's 1pm for you folks in the middle, 12pm for those in the mountains and 11am for you slackers in Cali) to hear Rotary Downs live on public radio today!

Go here.

Rotary Downs Returns to NYC this Week

2007-05-14T14:14:00.000-04:00

Fresh off the heels of a successful run of shows during New Orleans' JazzFest - including a high-profile slot at the Fairgrounds - the Big Easy's favorite indie-rock band Rotary Downs makes its return to New York City. This will be their second visit to Gotham City, their first marked by two remarkable shows at the Knitting Factory and Magnetic Fields as well as an appearance on public radio's Studio 360 that was heard around the world.

Rotary Downs is leading the charge in a Post-Katrina rock'n'roll resurgence for New Orleans. In the Fall of 2006, the band released Chained To The Chariot , an album that survived formidable elements and obstacles. Original tapes were rescued from the deluge and evacuated with the band to Lafayette, LA where the album was completed. Chariot is a masterpiece with commentary on many different elements of life in South Louisiana and has quickly become a favorite among fans and critics.

"Emerging fully formed and ready for radio, Chariot's mix of ear-pleasing pop structures with a now to-be-expected experimental bent marks it as New Orleans' best rock record in recent memory." - Gambit Weekly, May 2007

"**** -- 4 Stars!" - Alternative Press Magazine

Join Rotary Downs in NYC this weekend:

Thursday, May 17
Soundcheck WNYC - 2pm on 93.9
Stream it: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck

Thursday, May 17
Mercury Lounge
with Jupiter One and Autodrone
(RD at 8:30pm!)

Friday, May 18
Hot Rocks Party at The Delancey (RD at 10pm)

Saturday, May 19
Magnetic Field (Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY)
with Andy Friedman & The Other Failures (RD at 9pm)

For more information visit www.myspace.com/rotarydowns and www.rotarydowns.com.

Encouraging OCD

2007-05-09T12:19:00.000-04:00

My horoscope from Rob Brezny tells me this week's astrological advice in a quote from Franz Kafka:

"Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly."

I guess I was just slightly ahead of the curve as I just spent 12 days in New Orleans doing just that. But maybe it means I'm supposed to go back really soon...

The Blur of 2nd Weekend

2007-05-06T22:42:00.000-04:00

Friday evening sky - Lower Garden District

Friday night - Ween at Contemporary Arts Center

Friday late night - Umph at House of Blues

Saturday morning - Rotary Downs on the freakin' fairgrounds

Irma Thomas in the Gospel Tent

Upstairs balcony at Saturn Bar

Rotary Downs - Saturn Bar

Out on St. Claude Street

Mystery Street

Steely Dan, man.

Louisiana Rain

2007-05-04T18:01:00.000-04:00

By the time the cab driver took us to the fairgrounds, it was raining too hard to get out so we went to the quarter to get some grub and beers at Acme. Here was a funny moment of a little girl getting helped across the street using a crate as a stepping stone.

French Quarter in the Evening

2007-05-04T13:42:00.000-04:00

Let the Games Begin... Again.

2007-05-03T16:16:00.000-04:00

Traditions are an important thing here in New Orleans. The local corner convenience store guy could probably give you a 150 year history of the spot you'd be standing in at that moment. The people take a great pride in the sordid past of their city which is full of colorful characters like pirates, slaves, French soldiers, musical pioneers, and so on. It truly is like no other city in the world.

Back to the future in 2007, we have our own JazzFest traditions that must be upheld. One for me is the Wednesday night show at Tipitina's with Garage A Trois in the hopes of hearing the beautiful melody of "Angel Nemali" that I fell in love with at JazzFest years ago. This quartet has undergone a personnel change and instead of the bass/guitar sounds of Charlie Hunter, joining Skerik, Stanton Moore, and Mike Dillon this time is Marco Benevento = Garage A Benevento.

So what is gone without Charlie? Well, that "Angel Nemali" for one. The mellow island vibe is pretty much gone. They could bust it out again possibly but it just doesn't feel like it's ever around the corner. What we do gain with Marco, though, is pretty outta sight. It seems as though he is pushing the rest of them to take it up one more notch. He's leading the charge much of the time doing his seamless segues from one tune to another. The best little cover bust-out theme was The Zombie's "She's Not There" which made an appearance in the first set and then again in the second set. Skerik started to do some flow about the color of her hair and that the fact that she was not there. It got pretty raucous and then they went into "Gimme Some Lovin." There was a little Bustle bust out with Zep's "What Is and What Should Never Be" which made me miss Joey, Dave and Scotty a little. But it was so great to see this band rock it without even really missing a guitar at any point. Pretty cool shtuff.

Skerik and Marco came out for a lovely piece of music - not sure what it was - but featured the straight up beautiful sax without the phonics. Sometimes it can just make you melt. Maybe that "Angel" will come back someday anyway.

JazzFest Crystal Ball

2007-05-02T11:59:00.000-04:00

On these "daze between" I've had some time to relax and reflect on the first weekend that was and get prepared for the weekend to come. JazzFest is food for your soul. This is what I told a good friend of mine the other day as part of my arsenal of words to convince her to buy the plane ticket to come for second weekend. (She did.) There are many ways to replenish the mind and spirit throughout the year but coming to New Orleans is like doing a cleanse for your soul.

Last weekend was highlighted by spending some wonderful time with Club T.S.R. aka "Three Queens and a King". Musically, the shows sticking out in my mind are the Anders Osborne show at the Rock'n'Bowl [read about that here] and Irma Thomas' set at JazzFest on Sunday. These two epitomized what is going on down here from the heartbreak to the hopefulness. The spirit here is definitely raised from last year but there is still a lot of pain in people's hearts. We met this wonderfully cute man who was parking cars during fest in his brother's yard. He told us that he's returning to NOLA from Texas soon but his eyes glazed over when he remembered the family that lived next door to him for 20+ years. They all drowned. This has always been a city of the macabre with spirits flying every where. It's just that now, the ghosts seem to be walking among us. And dancing! As is the culture down here, we must continue to celebrate life and persevere.

The Skerik watch is going well. He's pretty much playing somewhere every hour for 10 days. You may even catch a set on your way to the bathroom in the morning. I saw him play with Papa Mali's Stone Soul Picnic with about a billion other musicians on Thursday night. Saturday's Maelstrom Trio set was totally weird and spooky and I love the combination of Skerik with the incorrigible Brian Coogan, Simon Lott and Mike Gamble - the Brooklyn/New Orleans Express. All aboard. Last night, I saw a more subdued Skerik perform a duo with the legendary Johnny Vidacovich. Skerik watch continues tonight with the traditional Garage A ~~Trois~~ Benevento show at Tipitina's. "Angel Nemali" here I come...

And then the second weekend is upon us. The new crew arrives tomorrow with fresh excitement to stir it up once again. Looking ahead, we'll be checking out the Chaz Fest tomorrow afternoon > evening with some down home cookin' of both the culinary and musical varieties. JazzFest is different post-Katrina as there used to be a huge number of national acts playing at the big theaters. It's way more localized and intimate now but on Friday, after the fairgrounds, we've got Ween and Umphrey's McGee making their appearances in the Big Easy.

Saturday night's the night as we'll be taking over the Saturn Bar (3067 St. Claude) for the one-two punch of local rock and fusion bands, Rotary Downs and The Other Planets. This FREE show is going to be out of this world (Saturn, to be exact) and it's a good opportunity to see the new sound bubbling out of this city. The late night lineups at Maple Leaf and Chickie Wah Wah look especially good for Saturday night.

Who knows what else may happen?! JazzFest is always chock full of wonderful surprises. I already can't wait until next year. Stay tuned...

Tipitina's Foundation: Instruments A Comin'

2007-05-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

Instruments A Comin' is an annual fundraiser held by the Tipitina's Foundation every Monday after the first weekend of JazzFest. I'm not usually here for this event but this year is different! I went to Tips to check it out and it was RIDICULOUS. Basically, it was about 6 or 7 legendary bands playing back-to-back 40 minute sets from about 6pm to 3am. We walked in just before Jon Cleary's set. Bonnie Raitt came and sat in for a few songs on vocals and guitar and it was extra sick. This was followed by an awesome set by the power group of New Orleans Social Club featuring Ivan Neville, Leo Nocentelli, Henry Butler, Raymond Webber, and the man, George Porter, Jr. Such heavy hitters!

Trombone Shorty's set was the one that really blew the roof off. This band is full of young and cocky prodigies lead by the enigmatic Troy Andrews. They were dressed all sassy and classy in all black and RIPPED a version of "Back in Black" that had me doing air trombone moves. Air bone? They played "Saints Go Marching In" full on with a crowd participation of "Whodat! Whodat! Whodat say they gonna beat them Saints?!" The place was going nuts! This might be my new favorite New Orleans band coming out of this year's JF.

Next up was Rebirth Brass Band who is always a fun time especially when they play fun songs like "Cassanova" - I ain't much on Cassanova, me and Romeo ain't never been friends. They did a great "Shoo fly don't bother me" with a man that looked like he could have written that billion year old song. I'll find his name for you... But man, I would not have wanted to be the band to follow that T-Bone set...

Walter Wolfman Washington closed out the show, as he always does, I believe. He was super soothing and groovy and I loved when he impressively played his guitar with his teeth! Great great great night. If you want to find out more about the work of the Tips Foundation, visit www.tipitinasfoundation.org. Here's one more pic of a brassy audience member:

It doesn't end here..... Stay tuned....

Move Your Body and Your Soul

2007-04-30T18:39:00.000-04:00

How awesome is this family?

2007-04-29T13:52:00.001-04:00

Saturday Visuals

2007-04-29T13:44:00.000-04:00

Mike Dillon late night at Le Bon Temps

2007-04-28T13:57:00.000-04:00

SuperDee's House

New Tricks

Instagram: My New Favorite Thing

NYC Marathon

Snowpocalypse 2010

Inspiration

Super Obama!

Our New President Loves Wilco and That is the Coolest Thing Ever

The Spell Has Not Yet Broken

We Sure Did

Great t-shirt

You can vote however you like.

I'm No Good At All

Geauxbama!

Lettuce Funk Your Face Off

Hi, I'm a mac.

The River JazzFest

Billy Joel... from under a human held tarp.

Fairgrounds, Day One.

NOLA Awaits

There are ghosts in Berlin...

Still Filtering Out the Everglades

No wonder there were so many Jewish kids on Phish tour.

A Little Class in Sayreville

Langerado on the Brain

Yes. We. Can.

The REAL Morning Party

Billy Joel at JazzFest

Terrible Loss

Singing Like the Sun One Year Ago

Circo Bisco

U23D OMG

Kate Nash is my new Lily Allen

Tea Leaf Reed on New Year's Day!

Bisco Love + Camp Announcement!

Rotary Downs is one of NPR's Top Ten of 2007!

02. Artist: Rotary DownsAlbum: Chained to the Chariot

My Favorite Albums of 2007

Saints Season Ain't Over Yet

Rotary Downs on CurrentTV

Something's Phishy 'Round Here

I Was There

I'm So There

Life Is Complicated Yet Beautiful in New Orleans

Rocktober, where the heck did you go?

iEcho

Echo Fest via iPhone

Marco, you're also my hero.

James Murphy, you're my hero (this week).

DUMBO: Art Under the Bridge Festival

There Go My American Babies

Leave Kang Alone

New Rotary Downs Video for "B/W"

Rotary Downs Take California

A View from Inside a Richard Serra Sculpture

The Last One Ever?

Happy New Year

Remembering 9/11 and Everything Else

Bret's Angry Dance Break

Remembering Katrina

A Few More Bookeaters Photos

Eating Books is Indie-Fabulous

Tom Hamilton, The Scribe. Camp Bisconess.

Air Guitar is here to stay, whether we like it or not.

Three Years Ago Today

Nice day for a dip in the pool.

BlogBerry

The Hold Steady in Prospect Park

SuperPalooza: Afterword

One Year Ago...

Keeping tabs on SuperPalooza

SuperPalooza

Tunnel Vision

Feeling Somewhat Un-Bloggy and Only Slightly Foggy or Groggy

Harry Happened

Harry Happens

The Marriage of Figaro

Tragically Beautiful and Beautifully Tragic

Summertime's Alright With Me

Daily Wheatgrass Shots Burn a Brand New Pathway To My Brain

02. Artist: Rotary Downs
Album: Chained to the Chariot