McDowell Mountain Profile: Ratdog
photo courtesy of Alan Hess: http://www.shotlivephoto.com/
Headlining the McDowell Mountain Music Festival tomorrow night is Bob Weir and his band Ratdog. The band originally formed as a side project for Bob and his friend Rob Wasserman. They picked up former Primus drummer Jay Lane and guitar / harmonica player Matthew Kelly and hit the road in 1995. For those that don’t know, Bob Weir was the rhythm guitar player and founding member of the Grateful Dead (did I need to mention that?). Ratdog’s songbook has consisted primarily of Dead tunes, Weir solo tunes, and the wealth of Bob Dylan tunes that the Dead also enjoyed playing over their 30 year career. Only Bob and Jay Lane remain from the original Ratdog lineup (Wasserman left in 2003), but they’re still going strong. This summer, they’ll be touring the U.S. with jam-guitar man Keller Williams.
Judging by a Weir interview I read in the local paper today, I can look forward to seeing some Ratdog / Neville Brothers collaborations tomorrow night. Did I mention I’m excited?
Ratdog–
Masters of War(mp3) – Dylan cover, live, unknown date & location – great version of a great song that rings OH SO TRUE today.Ratdog –
Heaven Help the Fool(mp3) – live, September 2nd, 1995 – original comes from Weir’s 1978 solo album of the same name – this is hands down one of my favorite versions.- Ratdog’s Official Site.
- Stream / download some live Ratdog shows on Archive.org.
- Current Ratdog lineup: Bob Weir (vox, guitar), Jay Lane (drums), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards,vox), Kenny Brooks (sax, vox), Mark Karan (guitar, vox), Robin Sylvester (bass, vox)
Odds and Ends
- I feel obligated to steer you to iTunes for the new White Stripes tune “Icky Thump.” Jack and Meg, representin’ da Ick! This is true Ickmusic. Preview it here.
- Zack has a sweet post on his blog, Gonzo’s Music-o-Rama. It’s Prince’s ‘Camille’ album, a collection of songs he sings as that helium-voiced horn-dog (you know, like “Housequake” Prince).
- Go check out Aikin’s cool music blog, Licorice Pizza, where he discusses the new Wilburys reissues and Robert Johnson, among a lot more.
- Stereogum recently posted a cool tune by ex-Mott the Hoople man Ian Hunter, with guest vocals from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. Go grab it before it goes away.
- Lablogotheque has a video of the Shins busking in the streets of Paris, singing my favorite tune of theirs, “Gone for Good”, among others.
McDowell Mountain Profile: The Neville Brothers
Photo by Beate SandorNow we’re getting to the really fun part. I’m excited as hell to say that I’m gonna see the Neville Brothers on Friday! As I mentioned in another post, I saw them at a cool festival in May 1996 called Laguna Seca Daze at the Laguna Seca Race track in Monterey, California (a festival that also included a “Being There”-era Wilco). I remember a really amazing moment as they were playing a version of the Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain” as the sun was setting (nope, not “Fire on the Bayou”). There were rolling green hills behind the stage, and around the bend on a distant hill road came a red fire truck with lights on and the faint sound of the siren. Amazing imagery (pfffffffssstt – pass it on!). Mindblowing dude! 😉
So where do you even start with the Nevilles? They are an institution in their hometown of New Orleans. Brothers Ivan, Aaron, Cyril, Art and Charles released their first record as the Neville Brothers in 1977 (self-titled). The brothers were active prior to that. Most notably, Art was a founding member of soul/funk pioneers the Meters. For a full bio, check out their site. So thirty years later, here they are still going strong, touring as ambassadors for their suffering city. As New Orleans Jazz Fest kicks off this weekend, I’ll have the honor of catching the Nevilles here in my home, Arizona. I consider myself very privileged.
The Neville Brothers –
Yellow Moon(mp3) – live in KBCO studios, Boulder- Pick up some Neville Brothers albums.
- Check out a sweet video of the Nevilles performing “Tell It Like Is” with guests Greg Allman and Bonnie Raitt.
Previous MMMF Profiles: Gelatinous Groove | 2 Tone Lizard Kings | Tea Leaf Green | Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
McDowell Mountain Profile: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Next up on the big stage Friday: Vermont band Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. Grace leads the band with her killer soulful voice and a Hammond B3. The Nocturnals are made up of Scott Tournet (guitar), Matthew Burr (drums), and Bryan Dondero (bass). The fine folks over at Hidden Track swear by her, and they are true aficionados of today’s jam scene, so I’m looking forward to the live GP & the Nocturnals experience. Judging by a recent live show I checked out on Archive, it should be good.
So this summer will see their third release, This is Somewhere. Here’s a sneak peak at one of the tracks…
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals –
Ah Mary(mp3)Watch Grace & the Nocturnals tear up “Mystery Train”.
Previous MMMF Profiles: Gelatinous Groove | 2 Tone Lizard Kings | Tea Leaf Green
ManaMana: for the kids
My 3 year old daughter’s favorite commercial of the moment is one with the “manamana” song (can’t even remember what product they’re advertising). No idea on the origin of the song, but a co-worker thinks it may be a Muppets creation. Anyone?
Leroy Justice’s Purple Rain
Ya know, I gotta say, this is one of the finer Prince covers I’ve heard. And certainly the best cover of “Purple Rain”. I’ve seen Phish’s cover live, and, as much as I loved the band, I never cared much for the cover, because it seemed to be more of a parody than a heartfelt version of a song they really respected. I mean, the drummer – John Fishman – would play the guitar solo part on a vacuum cleaner. But I guess I’m just a sensitive Prince fan, I dunno. But then again, a lot of Phish’s covers were tongue in cheek.
So a member of my Prince board sent me this cool, twangy, earthy version of the song performed by New York City band Leroy Justice. I don’t know much about them at this point besides the fact that they list Otis Redding, Steve Martin, and John Prine as influences on their MySpace page. For that, they are good in my book.
Leroy Justice –
Purple Rain(mp3)Song appears on their album, Revolution’s Son. Coincidence?
McDowell Mountain Profile: Tea Leaf Green
Third to take the stage at this Friday’s McDowell Mountain Music Festival is San Francisco jam band Tea Leaf Green. I was trying to get a chat lined up with the guys prior to the festival, but it looks doubtful considering they’re busy on the road, and I waited until only a week before the festival to get in touch with them. But look for something in the near future.
Anyhoo, the boys in Tea Leaf Green are made up of keyboardist/vocalist/ and main songwriter Trevor Garrod, guitarist/vocalist Josh Clark, bass man Ben Chambers, and drummer Scott Rager. They’ve been going strong in northern California since the late 90’s and have really built up a loyal and growing fanbase through their live performances. They caught the attention of Phish’s Trey Anastasio, who brought them out on the road to open for him. They’ve since opened for Gov’t Mule, Dave Matthews Band, and Bruce Hornsby.
TLF has gone from playing the small clubs (including Tempe’s former dive bar with a heart, the Sail Inn) to selling out San Francisco’s Fillmore in a few short years. I’m waiting for my eMusic monthly downloads to roll over to pick up some of their stuff, but I did grab a few off their latest, Rock ‘n’ Roll Band, which was recorded live at Boulder, Colorado’s Fox Theater in 2006. The release also includes an accompanying DVD, which I’ll have to check out.
I’m really looking forward to checking them out on Friday. Here’s a kick ass introduction to Tea Leaf Green, a 10-minute journey through power jam goodness…
Tea Leaf Green -Franz Hanzerbeak
Check out Tea Leaf Green on their official web site | Archive.org | YouTube
Buy Rock ‘n’ Roll Band.
Previous MMMF Profiles: Gelatinous Groove | 2 Tone Lizard KingsLucinda Live in Harrisburg
After hearing this terrific recording of Lucinda Williams‘ March 28th show in Harrisburg, PA, it’s pretty apparent I better buy tickets to see her live on May 4th at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. She’s on the road in support of her latest album, West, out on Lost Highway Records.
Lucinda’s dynamic, raw, and very genuine presence is alive and well in this show. On the last four tracks, she’s joined by Alejandro Escovedo. The masses can have their Faith Hills, their Carrie
UnderwearsUnderwoods and Martina McBrides. Beneath the surface, we have Lucinda. And God, does she kick ass.Pretty great quality here, methinks you’ll like.
Lucinda Williams
The Forum, Harrisburg, PA
March 28th, 2007
w/ special guest Alejandro EscovedoPineola
Drunken Angel (false start)
Drunken Angel
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (false start)
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Lake Charles
Fancy Funeral
Crescent City
I Lost It
Out of Touch
Too Cool to be Forgotten
Righteously
Come On
Essence
Unsuffer Me
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
Joy *
Get Right With God **
Everything Has Changed **
West *** with Alejandro Escovedo
** with Alejandro Escovedo and his orchestraEver had a Garage a Trois?
Howzabout a little Garage a Trois to end the weekend / kick off the week? What we have is a side project of Charlie Hunter on his 8-string guitar, Galactic’s Stanton Moore on drums, and Skerik on sax. On this 2003 release, Emphasizer, they had Mike Dillon help out on percussion and vibraphone.
Laid back acid jazz/funk comin’ your way.
Buy Emphasizer.
Garage a Trois’ Official Site.Listen to a whole GaT show on Archive.org: August 3rd, 2005 at the Fox Theater in Boulder. That’s my birthday, mark your calendars and save your money.
McDowell Mountain Profile: 2 Tone Lizard Kings
On to the second act of next Friday’s McDowell Mountain Music Festival. In my opinion, you just can’t go wrong with a good horn section. In the last year or so, I’ve had the chance to catch some mighty impressive horns: Springsteen and his Seeger Sessions Band, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. So I consider myself spoiled.
The 2 Tone Lizard Kings, a ska band local to the Phoenix area, is a 7-piece outfit made up of a three piece horn section: sax, trumpet, and trombone. I see they have some Specials songs in their repertoire (another band that I had the privilege of seeing a few years ago). Hard to be a ska cover band and not have some Specials on the set list, I suppose.
The Lizard Kings will be kicking off their set at 2:30 in the afternoon. Get their early to drink $2 Sierra Nevadas and catch some live ska action.
2 Tone Lizard Kings:
Nite Klub(mp3) – Specials coverVisit the 2 Tone Lizard Kings web site | MySpace
A handful of more mp3’s available here.
Current lineup:
Adam – Vox
Anthony – Trumpet
Grant – Bone
Mario – Drums
Jack McGroin – Sax
Pat McGroin – Bass
Oliver McGroin – GuitarPrevious Profile: Gelatinous Groove
