Bruce’s Opener in Berlin: “When I Leave Berlin”
This Boss guy sure knows how to endear himself to a crowd, doesn’t he? Last night in Berlin, Bruce kicked off the show with “When I Leave Berlin” by British folk artist Wizz Jones. I’ll admit to knowing next to shizz about Wizz, but turns out he’s one of the most revered, influential folk artists to come out of the UK. “When I Leave Berlin” was the title track of his fourth album released in 1973.
Not sure how the song got on to Bruce’s radar. It’s likely that he’s a Wizz fan, or maybe just as likely he Googled “songs about berlin” a few days before the gig? Who knows? Bruce does, actually.
But at any rate, watching this video earlier today was the first time I’d knowingly heard the tune. And the warm, heartfelt spirit that emanates from Bruce to the Berlin crowd was enough to put a smile on my face and a mist in my eyes. Maybe it’s the combined macht of my Bruce fandom and my German heritage, but it sure is a beautiful thing to behold…
Los Lobos: Live at the Furthur Festival, 1996
The first time I saw Los Lobos live was August 4th, 1996 as part of the Furthur Festival, launched by Bob Weir and Mickey Hart (two surviving members of the Grateful Dead) the year after Jerry Garcia’s passing.
Along for the short summer tour was Ratdog (Weir’s band), Mickey Hart’s Mystery Box, Los Lobos, Hot Tuna, and Bruce Hornsby.
Phoenix was the last stop on the tour. It was August. It was hot. And I was there.
The Los Lobos set sparked a lifetime love of the band for me. The set was only 45 minutes long, but the rich and eclectic nature of the music reeled me in. Rock n’ roll, blues, traditional Mexican, a Hendrix cover, and of course what I came to know as their signature Dead cover of “Bertha” (done better than any band outside of the Grateful Dead).
So I was stoked to come across this short but power-packed set (not to mention it’s a soundboard recording) from that very hot summer day in 1996, and I’m excited to share it with you all.
Los Lobos: an American treasure. And they’re still out on the road. I’ll be catching them again in a couple of short weeks – June 15th at Wild Horse Pass Casino here in the Phoenix area. Life’s too short not to.
Los Lobos
August 4th, 1996
Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix
Furthur Festival (last show of the tour)Download ZIP of the whole set.
Angel Dance
I Walk Alone
Evangeline
Revolution
Spanish Castle Magic
I Got to Let You Know
Los Ojos de Pancha
I Got Loaded (w/ Lovelight verse)
Mas y Mas
Bertha (w/ Pete Sears on keyboards)Diamond Rugs
If that crazy bastard John McCauley is involved, count me in. John’s main gig is Deer Tick, but he’s also popped up in a couple of indie supergroups: Middle Brother (along with Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez and Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes) and, most recently, Diamond Rugs, featuring members of other bands like Los Lobos, Dead Confederate, and the Black Lips.
The bare bones, stripped down rock n’ folk vibe is prevalent in the record. John’s signature snarl shows up on songs like “Gimme a Beer,” “Call Girl Blues” (killer horn riffs by Lobos’ Steve Berlin and Deer Tick’s Robbie Crowell, presumably), and the killer holiday-themed ballad “Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant” (John’s good at those tear jerkers when he wants to be).
Another cool thing about this record is new exposure to some of the other guys. Ian Saint Pe of the Black Lips opens the album with a great one, the punked out, sneering “Hightail.” The tune pulled me right into this record…
“Blue Mountains” is one of Ian’s others songs that I really like. I like his laid back, sing/talk style.
And then there’s “Country Mile,” sung by Dead Confederate‘s Hardy Morris, which jumps between fuzzed out psychedelic rock and country blues. There’s all sorts of cool instrumental shit going on in this one – pedal steel, guitar and keyboard effects – particularly in the last minute or so of the song…
Add this to the list of albums that gets better with each listen. The contributions from all of these guys makes for a diverse experience that has you finding something new to like each time around.
Diamond Rugs will play The Late Show with David Letterman on June 25th. You can pick up the record on Amazon here… Diamond Rugs
Live Dead on YouTube: 3-28-81 at the Rockpalast Festival
There’s an insane amount of live Grateful Dead shows on YouTube these days, and I’ve fallen hard into the rabbit hole the past couple of weeks.I’ve spent some time traveling back to the late 80’s at Alpine Valley (to think I was a clueless 18 year old just 45 minutes away at this moment), the early 90’s at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas (where I saw my final Dead show), and most recently – today in fact – over in Germany at the 1981 Rockpalast Festival.
The show really takes off midway through the first set, with the run of “Sugaree”, “Me & My Uncle”, “Mexicali Blues”, and the funky disco-jamming of “Shakedown Street.”
Here’s the Dead at the Rockpalast Festival in March 1981 – all three hours and twenty-two minutes – featuring a guest appearance late in the show by a Mr. Pete Townshend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldse7hpLphY
Deer Tick roll through Phoenix [May 3rd Recap]
For the second time in seven months, Rhode Island band Deer Tick stopped into the Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix to rock the joint with their good time fusion of bar room rock n’ roll, folk, country and punk.
The set list was largely similar to their last stop in October, featuring a bunch of tunes from their latest album Divine Providence. Once again, front man & “drunken devil” John McCauley showed why he’s one of the most raw and charismatic live performers out there. But he also shared the spotlight with his band mates – guitarist Ian O’Neil taking lead vocals on the fiery “Walkin Out the Door” and the electric piano-powered ballad “Now It’s Your Turn” (a tune whose intro reminds me of the Stones “Melody Motel”); and drummer Dennis Ryan sang “Clownin Around”, a tune he wrote about John Wayne Gacy.
The DP songs grow stronger live as they log more days and weeks on the road. “Main Street”, “Funny Word” and “Miss K” are as strong and explosive as ever.
Non-Divine Providence highlights for me were “Ashamed” (cool arrangement & a killer sax solo from Rob Crowell); “Easy” (my favorite tune from Born On Flag Day); “Not So Dense” (watching John scream “I watch 60 minutes go by hour after hour after hour!!“- priceless); but most of all, my favorite Deer Tick tune of ’em all – “Dirty Dishes” – which I’d never seen performed live in my previous three DT shows.Unlike the album version, they do the song a Capella in five part harmony. It started off a little shaky, with O’Neil jumping ahead of the others during the first verse. But everyone laughed it off and they were right back on track. The harmonies capture the sad beauty of the song, and it was a hell of a treat to see it live. If only we could get the crowd to shut their mouths during the quiet songs like this. Some people sure like to go to shows and spend their time talking and talking (and talking and talking). But what are you gonna do…
Deer Tick delivered again – a fun, killer live band – one I’ll be obliged to go out & see whenever they roll through town.
→ And I have to mention the opening band, Nashville’s Turbo Fruits. I’d never heard of these guys before seeing them on the bill with Deer Tick. But Wowee & Holy Sheeet – pure adrenaline, hard-driving, Les Paul-thrashing, cymbal-crashing, flying scissor-kicking ROCK AND ROLL. If you’re going out to see Deer Tick, get there in time to see Turbo Fruits.
Here’s “Dirty Dishes” from last night, starting near the beginning of the first verse…
New Gaslight Anthem: “45”
Photo by Tony Cano I’ll be honest, The Gaslight Anthem‘s last record, American Slang, didn’t do a whole lot for me. After being knocked out by their preceding album, 2008’s The ’59 Sound (the title track and “Here’s Looking At You, Kid” being two of my favorites), Slang just seemed to lack that spark, that connection and excitement I felt with ’59.
With their brand new single, “45”, Brian Fallon and the boys are clearly back in that hard-driving ’59 frame of mind.
The single comes from Handwritten, TGA‘s new album due out on June 24th. The album is produced by Brendan O’Brien, who we Springsteen fans are well aware of (he produced The Rising, Magic, and Working On A Dream), but who has also produced the likes of Pearl Jam, Incubus, Mastodon, and Trey Anastasio (and a whole lot more).
It should be an entertaining listen, and I look forward to checking it out – and of course I hope TGA are returning to my neck of the woods on tour. The albums are one thing, but their live shows take their songs up in the stratosphere.
Team Coco’s Zombie Music, Girls, etc.
I can confirm after this morning’s run that Team Coco’s Rdio playlist entitled “Good Zombie Killin’ Music” happens to double as a mighty fine runnin’ mix. Rage’s “Bulls on Parade”, Maiden’s “Run to the Hills”, the Black Keys’ “Gold on the Ceiling”, and some new tunes for me – including the strange but fascinatingly entertaining “I Fink U Freeky” by Die Antwoord.
I think my favorite of the bunch was Outkast’s “B.O.B.” off their Stankonia album. It reminded me that there’s a treasure trove to be found in Outkast’s stuff. This week, I’ll be diving into Stankonia with fresh ears. I’m not sure if I’ve ever listened to the whole thing.
If you’re on Rdio, you can follow Team Coco, and subscribe to the handful of playlists they have up thus far.
The Zombie mix? Solid.Back on April 18th, my favorite band of the last few years – Girls – took to Conan’s stage for a performance of “Love Like A River.” See it? No? Well here…
The Friday Five Has Moved…
Hey gang – for those of you needing your Friday Five fix, head over to its new home at Popdose. I want to thank Michael for his steadfast commitment in keeping a weekly series going on Ickmusic for more than four years, which is about 3 years and 11 months longer than I’ve ever managed to pull off!
Upcoming: 2012’s McDowell Mountain Music Festival
WHAT: The 2012 McDowell Mountain Music Festival
WHEN: Friday, April 13th – Sunday, April 15th
WHERE: The Compound Grill, 7000 E. Mayo Blvd, Phoenix (N. Scottsdale Rd & the 101)
TICKETS: Single Day | 3 Day Passes
LINEUP: See bottom of this post.
Somehow it’s April already, which for me means it’s time to gear up for another installment of my favorite Arizona music festival. The McDowell Mountain Music Festival is back for its ninth consecutive year, kicking off this Friday (the 13th) at the Compound Grill in north Phoenix/Scottsdale.
This will be the third year in a row that the Compound has been the locale. In 2010, the organizers decided to move from the more spacious Westworld complex to the Compound (owned and operated by some of the same folks that run the MMMF). Although I miss all the space (and camping) that Westworld offered, the new location makes up for it by offering a more intimate experience – closer vantage points to the stage & musicians, real sod laid out in the parking lot that surrounds the Compound, and just a cozier feel overall. But at the same time, there’s also ample space to break away if you want (not to mention the cool, A/C-cranked confines of the Compound Grill, where the Creamy Radio Stage features local bands all weekend).
The lineup this year does not disappoint. Friday’s theme is clearly Funk/Jam/Rhythm Dance Party, featuring local electronic/dance jam collective Endoplasmic, L.A. latin/world group Ozomatli, New Orleans funk party band (and Mardi Gras staple) Galactic, and Colorado afrobeat and rhythm masters The Motet. This is going to be some opening night. Pace yourself, big weekend ahead!
Saturday’s lineup rocks and jams out with another New Orleans artist, Anders Osborne (who I’ve been waiting years to see), SoCal’s Trevor Hall (pop/acoustic/reggae), headliners Dark Star Orchestra (who recreate complete Grateful Dead shows), and probably the most commercially successful artists of the weekend, long time rock outfit Big Head Todd & the Monsters. Like a lot of you, I spent a good deal of time with the Stratagem and Sister Sweetly albums back in the day. Can’t wait to see these guys.
Late night inside the Compound, electronic jam duo EOTO (made up of Michael Travis and Jason Hamm) will melt minds from 11pm to 1am. All this madness kicks off at high noon with local band The Nameless Prophets, followed by Tramps & Thieves (also locals). The Arizona bands are solid year after year, and I look forward to checking ’em out.
And then there’s Sunday, and Sunday is no slouch lineup-wise. It all starts at noon with Carolina Chocolate Drops, who reeled in a Grammy earlier this year for Best Traditional Folk album. This old-timey trio will make you smile, make you move, and blow your mind with their mastery of traditional instruments and vocal sounds. I saw them last year at the Newport Folk Festival, and I can confirm that you do not want to miss their early 90 minute set.
Austin’s Bob Schneider is up next at 2:00 with another 90 minute set of his eclectic music – from pop to funk to bluegrass and beyond.
At 4:00, it’s time for the organ-driven soul/jazz of Soulive, a super-talented trio from the Northeast. Then, finishing off the weekend of music are Sunday headliners The Travelin’ McCourys featuring Keller Williams – bluegrass meets one-man-jam band Keller Williams. It should be something to see (and hear).
Long story short – this is an AMAZING weekend of music in a laid back & hassle-free setting (and totally kid friendly – everyone under 12 gets in free). Always a great vibe to the McDowell Mountain Music Festival – there’s a reason this will be my sixth straight year of taking it all in. Come on down…
TICKETS: Single Day | 3 Day Passes
WEB SITE: Official Site of the McDowell Mountain Music Festival
LINEUP:
Friday:
5:00 – Endoplasmic
6:30 – Ozomatli
8:30 – Galactic
11:00 – The Motet (inside the Compound, extra ticket required)Saturday:
Noon – The Nameless Prophets
1:00 – Tramps & Thieves
2:00 – Trevor Hall
4:00 – Anders Osborne
6:00 – Big Head Todd & The Monsters
8:30 – Dark Star Orchestra
11:00 – EOTO (inside the Compound, extra ticket required)Sunday:
Noon – Carolina Chocolate Drops
2:00 – Bob Schneider
4:00 – Soulive
6:00 – The Travelin’ McCourys feat. Keller WilliamsRDIO PLAYLIST
Delta Spirit’s new one
The new (self-titled) Delta Spirit album came out earlier this month, and it’s a good ‘un. It’s the southern California band’s third full length release, and is a departure of sorts from the more folk-based rock influences of their first two (excellent) albums.
Plenty of hard driving rock n roll (“Money Saves”, “Empty House”, “Tear It Up”, “Tellin’ the Mind”); slow burners (“Home”, “Yamaha”) but also more electronic touches like “California,” a tune the band previewed before the release date that seemed to polarize a certain fan-base who wanted more of the same.
Delta Spirit continues to evolve, and I’m excited to be along for the ride. Each of the eleven songs offers something unique and special, and with each listen, I find something new to like about each one.
Here’s the just-released video for “California”, which captures alternative teen angst and confusion. In a way, I think of it as sort of a 21st century update to Tom Petty’s “Into the Great Wide Open” video.
Since reading I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution, I’m a lot more aware of the director role in video making. This one was directed by Abteen Bagheri, a 22-yr old recent Stanford grad. Nice gig!
Buy: Delta Spirit
