'Scuse me while I Slip into My Morning Jacket...

It is a rare thing indeed when someone tells you that a band is about to melt your face off... and they're right. I had heard studio work from My Morning Jacket, and I suppose I can recall a few recommendations to see them live, but I was nowhere near prepared for the tower of sound that engulfed me on Nov. 30th at the Roseland Ballroom in New York.

First things first, of course, which brings us to the delicious opening set by The Slip, a trio who earns more and more of my respect each time I hear them. (Which, fortunately for me, is rather often these days...) The songs that comprise their latest studio effort, Eisenhower, are all remarkably stage-worthy, continually evolving, and are profound enough to provoke both your grey matter and your dance moves.

The band took to the stage adorned with furry wildlife as headgear: Brad Barr (guitar & vocals) played Moose, Marc Friedman (bass) was the Fox, and Andrew Barr (drums) took on the Wolf. The story goes that the pelts were acquired somewhere in western Pennsylvania, and there were multiple plush accessories purchased (including one for My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, who brought his Bear onstage for portions of his set).

While Slip fans are now accustomed to getting their fill of Eisenhower's 'hits' like Even Rats, and Children of December, songs like Paper Birds are developing into incredible live adventures, and Airplane/Primitive might just be my favorite rock song of the year. Do yourself two favors: buy the album, and see the band, and you'll be a much happier person. New York, are you listening? The Slip will be playing their New Years show at (soon-to-be-closed for-renovation and returning-in-spring as the Williamsburg Music Hall) NorthSix in Brooklyn. You have been advised...

You can stream the set that The Slip played the following day for WXPN at Philadelphia's Electric Factory here.

Which brings us back to My Morning Jacket, where my face was just about to melt. I'm really at a loss for words to describe their impact, but what I can tell you is that I was captivated every single moment of the show. Not just entertained, but that kind of "I don't even want to have a sip of beer because I might miss something" engagement. I think it's safe to say my jaw was on the floor for the majority of the set, and I kept wondering "Where have I been? Why hasn't anyone told me about this breathtaking sound before?" The energy was powerful not only in the epic rock tunes (and these boys from Kentucky seem to know a thing or two about epic rock), but also in the seemingly mellow tunes which touched on everything from reggae riffs (Phone Went West) to easy listening elements (Lowdown) to jazzy romantic ballads (They Ran).

The show inspired that kind of striking-oil-eureka euphoria that a whole well of future musical enjoyment had just been tapped. While I was admittedly less flattened by the next night's show in Philadelphia, I can safely add this band to my list of not-to-be-missed concert experiences, and if you're reading this, you can't say nobody told you. San Francisco, are you listening? A three-night New Years run at the Fillmore. Consider yourselves advised...

You can stream My Morning Jacket's 12.01 Philadelphia show here, and you can also add it to your iPod through the Setbreak.com podcasting system.

Land of Talk at CMJ Music Marathon

The trio of northerly Indie-Rockers known as Land of Talk blew into New York City like a Canadian cold front last week for the CMJ Music Marathon, and then proceeded to heat things up at venues all over the Lower East Side. Their sound simultaneously conjures archival rock like The Pretenders but yet feels as current as the sounds coming out of the Broken Social Scene camp.

The trio offered up a special never-before-attempted-or-rehearsed acoustic performance at White Rabbit on the afternoon of November 2nd, and although the set was as short as any other you may have caught at CMJ this year ("don't blink or you'll miss it" style), Land of Talk sounded as natural acoustic as they do on larger stages.

While the band expressed some uncertainty as to what the drum kit might consist of in this space, the absence of a bass drum was hardly noticeable because of the solid jazz-chops of drummer Bucky Wheaton. Elizabeth Powell's ethereal voice was particularly well-suited to the space, and besides his spot-on harmonies, you may notice in the clip below that multi-talented bass player Chris McCarron somehow manages to sneak in some ironic punchlines on the bass.



You can sample two of the trio's finest songs in their acoustic format here, Seafoam and Summer Special, both of which appear on their album Applause, Cheer, Boo, Hiss. Canadian fans will be treated to a small run of shows with The Dears later this month, and then in December comes a not-to-be-missed pair of shows opening for The Slip, whose long-awaited album Eisenhower is now out and getting unanimous praise. Pick up your copy of this watershed record here.

To keep up to speed on Land of Talk's upcoming dates, visit the Land of Talk MySpace page.

View other CMJ Highlights here:



Earl Greyhound plays "I'm the One" @ Gibson Guitar Showroom - November 1, 2006

Apollo Sunshine @ CMJ Music Marathon

The Wordless Music Series

The Wordless Music Series is a concept developed by Ronen Givony, based on the notion that the sonic worlds of classical and contemporary instrumental music share much more than we would commonly attribute. The series aims to blur the distinction between the two genres by pairing modern rock musicians with classical players, showcasing their talents in solo pieces, as well as in small improvised groups. The inaugural concert was held in September at the Good-Faith Shepherd’s Church near Lincoln Center, and drew a large crowd for two reasons: the first is that Givony aims to keep music accessible to all by pinning ticket prices at less than twenty dollars, and the second reason is that the two rock musicians on this particular evening are current members of the hugely popular Chicago rock outfit, Wilco.



In introducing the series, Givony described how he came to the decision to put together such a series:

“I started working at Lincoln Center about a year and a half ago, and [at that point] I knew next to nothing about classical music. I was talking with one of my colleagues and I asked her, “What is this thing we call chamber music that we are working to perpetuate?” And she thought about it for a minute and she said, “Well, basically it is music played by small groups, in a small intimate room.” And so I said, “That’s funny, I went to the Mercury Lounge last night and saw a trio--a cello, violin, and viola--and there were fifty people there… Is that chamber music?” And she thought about it for a minute, and she said, “I’m not too sure about that.” And so I asked her “Why is that not chamber music?” She answered, “Maybe a shorthand definition of it is that when you are at a concert with your friends, it’s considered acceptable to lean over to your friend and say, “This is a pretty cool concert’, whereas at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, that’s considered less than acceptable”. And the first thing that popped into my head was, “Have you ever been to a Wilco concert in your life?”

So this series is meant to question what it means to have a small group of people in a room playing music…”

View highlights of each performer's solo sets here:



This evening’s show was heavy on sonic distortion, as it featured two eclectic guitar players in the form of Cline and Sharp. While they certainly explored creative sonic landscapes, both their solo pieces and their collaborative efforts were somewhat overwhelming. Their music perhaps should have been pared back to suit the intimate venue, allowing the sound to breathe and resonate more. Jenny Lin’s turn on the piano became a welcome tonic for the ears, and her adept fingers were astounding to witness. Lin plays with a delicate balance of fluidity and force, whether it be on traditional pieces or modern compositions, and she would be well worth catching in any future project.

The highlight of the evening, however, was Glenn Kotche’s percussion adventure tale, “Monkey Chant for Solo Drumkit Projections of (What) Might…” He began this work by retreating to the altar of the church, where sat perhaps 40 small boxes, and he flipped them open one at a time to reveal the delicate chirping of crickets. This created a rich, al fresco undertone for the percussive tale, which involved a princess, a pursuit, and monkeys in the jungle. Kotche is a riveting performer, as he is doing much more up there than simply banging the drums, which you will see in the clip below.

View Glenn Kotche's "Monkey Chant" in its entirety here:

As the first installment in the series, this evening’s music was an adventurous presentation, and while not every piece was sonically pleasing, in the words of Charles Ives, “Beauty in music is too often confused with something that lets the ears lie back in an easy chair”. This is a series with an ambitious goal and future incarnations look promising, with members of Canada's Broken Social Scene lined up for some dates in the spring.

The next installment of the Wordless Music Series will be Wednesday, November 15th, and will feature the Albuquerque multi-instrumental duo “A Hawk and a Hacksaw”; pianist Steven Beck; and, in his first-ever all-instrumental solo violin recital, Andrew Bird.

More Info at: www.wordlessmusic.org

Band of Changes at Grand Central Station and CB's

Chris Harford brought his Band of Changes to Grand Central Station in midtown New York on Wednesday (09.27.06), warming up for the following evening's gig at CB's Gallery on the Lower East Side. Harford fronts a band made up of guitarist Scott Metzger, Ween's Dave Driewitz, and School of Rock product Eric Slick. They performed outdoors for an eclectic crowd of suits, tourists, and spinning children. You can view the highlights here:



The next day saw Metzger doing double duty on the lower east side, doing an opening set for Fishbone with the Rodney Speed Experience and then at midnight rejoining the Band of Changes next door.



The Rodney Speed Experience was a lighthearted set of covers aimed at paying tribute to the soon-to-be-closed CBGB's, with songs from The Clash to the Rolling Stones. Rodney, a current staffer at CB's (and former Wetlands employee) made for a delightful front-man, and was backed by some pretty serious downtown talent with Metzger on guitar and Joe Russo on drums. Highlights include a "Should I Stay or Should I Go", where Joe and Scott chimed in on the backups "Rodney, Rodney, Rodney, Rodney!" Metzger and Russo later traded gear for a stab at "Wild Thing", and while Russo didn't conjure up a guitar face to rival Metzger's, there were plenty of smiles onstage to bid farewell to the club.



You can catch Metzger and Russo on tour together in October, as Joe picks up drumming duties in the Band of Changes while they open for the Benevento/Russo Duo throughout the midwest and the south. With all four "Bustle In Your Hedgerow" members on that trip, be sure to stay for the entire show (consider yourselves warned...)

Trey joins Los Lobos at Irving Plaza

Trey Anastasio popped in to Irving Plaza last night (09.28.06) to join Los Lobos. He sat in on "Road for Gila Bend", "Mas y Mas", a lively "I Got Loaded", "Not Fade Away", and finally "Bertha". Trey has sat in with the band on previous occasions, and invited them to open for him in 2002 at Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas, NV.



Los Lobos is touring in support of their new album "The Town and the City".



Trey has announced a few more dates on his fall tour, including a run through California in early December, which recalls last year's tour wrap-up from the Warfield down to the Wiltern.

Earl Greyhound Rocks Tonic

Don't believe everything you've read. But if you happened upon a recent copy of The New Yorker that suggested that Earl Greyhound just might be the second coming of Led Zeppelin, you probably wouldn't believe it until you witnessed the trio live. The hype this band is generating isn't unfounded: this is rock n' roll in its truest form.



The multi-talented duo of Kamara Thomas and Matt Whyte are certainly easy on the eyes up there, and now that they've joined forces with drummer Ricc Sheridan, the Earl Greyhound unit now finally seems complete and ready to dominate the rock scene here in New York.

It speaks volumes about the drawing power of a band to say that on a recent night at Tonic (09.06.06), it was well past 1 a.m. and the band had yet to begin, but the room grew more packed as the night slipped away and people eagerly awaited the buzzed-about band. Despite the fact that the monstrous sound that these three produce would perhaps be more suited to arena-rock stages than this intimate room on the Lower East Side, the crowd happily lapped up every loud note.



They began the set with two new tunes, including the stellar "The Ghost and The Witness" where Thomas trades up her bass for a Fender Rhodes. Both new songs show potential for the album which will follow up their critically-acclaimed current release, Soft Targets. There are indeed moments onstage which channel mighty Zepp, like the face-melting solo in "Monkey", but Earl Greyhound has crafted their own gritty sound, with searing guitar riffs from Whyte and a thunderous energy from Sheridan. That's not to say it's all hard-rock riffs, because the trio have their share of undeniably catchy tunes like "Like A Doggy" that will stick in your head for days.



A don't be deceived by the presence of a lady on the bass: while her vocals occasionally add a soothing touch (as they do to introduce "Yeah, I Love You"), Thomas' lungs will just as quickly launch an unfathomably fierce banshee wail that will knock your socks off. And she was recently featured in Bass Player magazine, to boot.



Gigs are piling up fast and furiously across the nation for the trio, and you won't want to miss their free show at The Hook in Brooklyn this weekend (09.16.06). They play as part of the "Freedom Festival", a day of free music in festival format conceived by Kamara Thomas which showcases many incarnations of her incredible talented musical posse. The day kicks off at 2 p.m. with the Honky Tonk Happy Hour, where you can witness the folkier side of Thomas (who in this lineup sings and plays guitar) and Whyte (who will man the keys). The talent will be overflowing at the Freedom Festival, and it is a chance to catch some rising rock n' roll stars for free... I think Page and Plant would approve.