LCD Soundsystem: more, please...

The invitation began while I was in my first beer line of the evening: a throbbing baseline reminiscent of something vaguely Talking Heads-esque was beckoning me beyond the brew stand at Randall's Island last Saturday, a venue that I had ostensibly ventured to for the first time in order to see Arcade Fire.

What ensued over the next couple of hours before Arcade Fire took the stage was a tour through myriad genres of music, all wrapped up into one highly combustible package of aural delight. Admittedly, I fell pretty quickly for LCD Soundsystem, despite some small resistance somewhere in the back of my head asking if I was truly hippie-ing out to dance-trance electronica. But that guitar sound! That frontman! The energy! The comely keyboard player and her shiny pumps! And that disco ball couldn't have hurt, either...



I had hoped to find a clip of "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" online to share with you, because James Murphy's hilarious and touching performance truly felt like a loving, impromptu confessional to the city. Murphy is utterly captivating onstage, not just because of his quick wit and large stage presence, but because he has the ability to slip between vocal registers with the unforseen stealth of somebody like Jim James, who could be melting your face with primal screams and then suddenly hit an ethereal note that transports you. James Murphy is my new man to watch (and for those of you in NYC, he's DJing a set at The Hiro Ballroom next Tuesday, Oct 16th. It's free if you RSVP...). For more evidence of Murphy's sense of humor, and because bloggers deserve to be made fun of, click here.

Towards the end of set we returned to that deliciously quirky baseline that had enticed me at the outset, and I concluded that I would need to see more of this band as soon as possible. As I was trying to figure out how I would describe this newfound portal of pleasure, my friend and music expert SuperDee aptly concluded that it was Dance N' Roll. No wonder they pay her the big bucks ;) The set that followed from Arcade Fire was an enjoyable (if predictable) sing-along, but it could not nearly deliver the punch of its predecesor, leaving me hankering for some more Dance N' Roll as I headed out to find the loser cruiser to deliver me to back to Manhattan.

Hippie, heal thyself.

Next time you find yourself wiggling and thrashing at Webster Hall, give yourself a pat on the back because you're likely doing your body a great deal of good, according to Bradford Keeney. Keeney is a psychotherapist who is also considered a shaman in several different cultures. Keeney points out that meditation was once viewed as outlandish, but is now considered an acceptable form of treatment to deal with stress. "But the relaxation response, from Asian wisdom, is only part of the equation. Healing also comes from the arousal response, from African wisdom," he says in an interview (Ode Magazine).

His study of the healing practices of the Bushman people of the Kalahari Desert was summed up in his book, Shaking Medicine. Keeney noted that when people come to Bushman doctors with physcal or mental ailments, oftentimes they are prescribed a night of dancing and drumming. The healer will hang on to the patient as he dances around a fire, trying to move energy around his system until the patient enters a state of deep relaxation, similar to the calm induced by meditation.


If you needed more proof that Keeney is a strong ally in your quest to justify your jamband jones, consider that he is also the man who brought us the book Bushman Shaman: Awakening the Spirit through Ecstatic Dance. "Music and dance can get us back in touch with ourselves," he says.


Sounds like we'd best increase the shake, rattle, and roll in our daily diets, everybody. Doctor's orders.

Where were you twenty years ago?

Probably not at The Ranch, but maybe this video will make you wish you were:



5 things I liked about this:

1. It features Shaggy Trey at his shaggiest;

2. It features dogs;

3. The cameraman's penchant for scoping girls seems to take precedent over capturing the jam;

4. The rooftop antelopes toward the end of the clip;

5. Mike's mop fighting with the wind is like watching a 70's carpet in a small hurricane.

Ain't no mountain high enough...

Just a little proof that not all of the music I see can be traced back to JamBase... some of the best songs I heard this summer rang out between 13,000 - 19,000 feet beneath the Snows of Kilimanjaro (which, since you asked, indeed are receding at an alarming rate...)


With plenty-o-packs on their backs but no musical instruments, the amazing guides & porters of Berg Adventures make the most of their voices in the jam-tastic celebration they offer each day as weary hikers arrive at camp. Despite having tired legs and varying degrees of altitude sickness, it's nearly impossible not to smile when you're greeted with this kind of love...

It just doesn't get any yummier than this.

Good news for New York: Kamara Thomas is on 'Earl Greyhound vacation', albeit a short one, which means that Big Apple denizens are getting treated to a bountiful slate of yumminess as she performs (on a seemingly almost-nightly basis) with her band, 'Larune'.

Thomas performed with Gordon Hartin and Serena Southam in a stripped-down version of Larune in Williamsburg at Sound Fix, and delivered some of the most incredible renditions of songs like 'Texas' and 'You Call Everybody Baby' that yours truly has ever witnessed. (You can sample those songs here...) The crowd in this fantastic new music space was held absolutely rapt as she and Gordon delivered tasty duets. (Sidenote: if you haven't caught Widower yet, you're too late, because they're moving to Seattle, but you can still check out their incredible sound here...)


Last night, Larune had a more robust lineup of happy Honkytonkers as they played to a packed house at The Living Room. Witness crooning at its finest below, featuring the velveteen vocals of Thomas, Serena Jean, Amal Bouhabib, and Suzan Hurtuk, as the lovely ladies share "Novena".




In true Honky Tonk fashion, Gordon Hartin supplies the sweet slide guitar, and Matt Whyte swaps up the Les Paul he shreds in Earl Greyhound for the softer sounds of an acoustic six string and occasionally the keys. Thomas has penned some truly dazzling ditties over the years, and you are as likely to stomp your feet and sing along as you are to wipe tears from your eyes. You can sample two of her finest songs here: My Kentucky and Slow Sally.

Be sure to catch Larune performing this Sunday at The Living Room with Periodic Label-mates Gabe Berezin (doing an acoustic Monuments session), Vaughn Montgomery, and Basement Band. And for that matter, be sure to check out all the incredible acts on the Periodic Label calendar, as this a a family of talented musicians who are well worth whiling away your summer nights with.

Page McConnell at the Fillmore/ Irving

It's a lesson we learn again and again: having expectations will generally hamper the event, and having none will almost always enhance the experience.

I had not even been planning on seeing Page's show on Monday evening at the venue formerly known as Irving, and thus a last minute phone call and generous offer (merci beaucoup, Sir Scotland) prompted me to come into Manhattan to see what Page would offer up.

The first thing I noticed (and loved) was the small but healthy crowd, which made maneuvering the normally-packed main floor a breeze. The next thing I noticed (and loved) was the swirly, shiny announcement raining down from the lightboard... yes, Chris Kuroda was in the house and providing free flashbacks for anyone who had seen that other band Page used to play with back in the day.

With those two factors duly noted, I turned my attention to the man on the keys, did a swift check of his band (all new faces to me), and took in a set that included most of the new material from Page's latest album. Which translates to, I nodded my head, I danced a bit, I yawned once or twice (and truth be told, rolled my eyes a bit during Maid Marion... I mean, c'mon Page, 'I'm not marryin' Maid Marion'? I think you can do better than that...).

But just as I was starting to think the set was going to be nothing beyond 'a pleasant way to spend Monday evening', things got cookin' toward the end of the set. 'Beauty of a Broken Heart' crescendo-ed into a wonderfully aweseome bubble bath of yum, with a peak reminiscent of (yes) that other band Page played with back in the day. Perhaps it was simply a matter of the band members finding their groove, but it sure would be nice if more of Page's new material were engingeered for this kind of peak-potential, because it was truly ear-to-ear-grin great.

Once all that goodness had been unleashed, he closed the set with a song that I can't believe isn't covered more often, 'Monkey Man', and floored the already-jubilant crowd. And then, to cap off that fierce double-header, he encored with his jazzy gem, 'Cars, Trucks, Buses' and cemented the feel-good euphoria we all took home that night. Was I expecting to take home a loot bag of smiles? Hell, no. But I'm glad I went in with the sole intention of being mildly amused, as I left rooting for a musician with whom I felt I'd lost touch. Nice catching up with you, Mr. McConnell. Hope to see you again... soon.

My kind of town.

I was barely two months old when the deal went down, but 5/8/1977 is a date I know. Not because anything especially monumental happened in the crib that day, but because later on my brother would indoctrinate me with the finest of Grateful Dead bootlegs, and Barton Hall was among his most cherished cassette tapes.

Flash forward thirty years later, and far from having eschewed its hippie roots, the town of Ithaca, NY has made itself pretty dang cool by declaring May 8th "Grateful Dead Day" to commemorate that hallowed performance. The event was marked by a concert by Dark Star Orchestra, in which the band covered that classic show in its entirety. Mayor Carolyn Peterson is responsible for the declaration, and she issued the following statement to introduce the show:

Whereas, the Grateful Dead have been recognized by many highly credible organizations, individuals and entities including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as significantly important and integral to the musical and social fabric of our contemporary culture, and

Whereas, on May 8th, 1977 the Grateful Dead performed in Barton Hall on the campus of Cornell University in the city of Ithaca New York, a concert that is widely acknowledged and regarded as a defining and transcendent occasion and example of the art of contemporary musical improvisation, collaboration, musicianship, and performance, and

Whereas, many tens of thousands of individuals who were not in attendance that night in Barton Hall, have become knowledgeable & familiar with the extraordinary nature of the performance on May 8th 1977 through the trading and sharing of recordings of the show, and

Whereas, the cultural identity and perceptions of Ithaca as a community, have been informed and bolstered by the widespread acknowledgment of the magic of May 8th, 1977, and

Whereas, it has been said many times by many people that, “there is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert”,

Now therefore, be it resolved that as Mayor of the City of Ithaca, and in heartfelt recognition of the thirtieth anniversary of the May 8th 1977 concert performance, I declare May 8th 2007 as Grateful Dead Day in the City of Ithaca.

The setlist included treats like Dark Star, Row Jimmy> Dancin' In The Streets, and They Love Each Other. You can download the entire Dark Star show here, or you can head over to Setbreak.com and with one click, add the original Grateful Dead classic to your personalized podcast.

And while we're on the topic of the Grateful Dead, I figured you all would enjoy this unbelievable snippet of Bobby Weir being... Bobby Weir. It came with a personal guarantee that there would be laughter out loud. I pass it along with the same guarantee to you, dear reader:

musical musings for may...

The Tragically Hip at the Fillmore / Irving Plaza

Did it happen, or was it a flashback from high school?

I think it really happened. The Tragically Hip totally rocked my face off. But instead of being underage and hoping my parents won't smell beer on my breath when they pick me up outside the arena after the show, I'm now over 30 and seeing them at a small, packed venue they're calling the Fillmore East. What the... How did I get here?! No wonder I'm confused.

Bottom line is that this very same lineup has been rocking pretty hard for the better part of two decades, and I was caught unprepared for the freshness with which songs from my youth played out before me. Songs I had forgotten I knew every word to suddenly seemed like... well, old friends who had also turned 30 and found themselves at the Fillmore East. I don't think I'd be out of line to say that the jam during "At the Hundredth Meridian" was one of the best I've heard all year. Which made me think... Hmmm, was The Hip a JamBand all along and we Canadians didn't know any better to categorize it? Regardless, they do jam. And well, considering the wealth of experience they take into each show, a refreshing change from the typical JamBand experience of watching a quartet of seventeen-year olds recycle lesson notes from "Jamming for Dummies".

For those who haven't seen the band, Gord Downie is an absolute magician onstage, a delight to behold as he jerks around like a puppet, spins around on the bottom of his mic stand, calls chords out to the audience as he strums his acoustic... you get the idea. He does things onstage I've never even thought a person could do, and he does it all with total sincerity.

It also occurred to me that The Hip may just be one of the most important seeds from which grew the current buffet of "hard rockin' in an obscure fashion" bands that hail from the north country: Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, and the legion of bands that are splintered from each camp are all indebted to The Tragically Hip. When you listen to The Hip, you'll see why.

In other news...

Bjork is beautiful. So is the Apollo Theater. Together... you should be so lucky to someday take a bath in the result.




Fat Mama needs to get back together. ASAP. Too much talent in that lineup for this NOT to happen... and as we head into some Duo-less days ahead, it just may take 6 other guys onstage to hold down what Russo spews forth. And those horns... c'mon.



The best five dollars you never spent: the unbelievable hour-long set by Bobby Previte and Marco Benevento during the final night of performance (ever) at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Center. It will now revert to its pre-9/11 use of being a bank, but it will hopefully remain filled with the incredible energy that artists like Previte imbued into its walls. His show with Marco capped a week of duets with various madmen (and women), but you can catch these two back at it at High Sierra under the Coalition of the Willing banner. Stay tuned for info on how you can get your hands on a video copy of this set...

Those sweet babies from Rose Hill Drive sure know how to rip a cover tune... while their songwriting as-of-yet is nothing to blog home about, their musicianship certainly is. The balls with which they'll pull off covers like Sabbath's "Fairies Wear Boots" or Hendrix's gritty "Power of Love" are astounding. And don't worry about their songwriting, as the boys are just in their early twenties, and seeing as they've already opened for The Who, I think they'll be around a while. That's a good thing. You can sample the rest of their blistering set at the Mercury Lounge on April 28, 2007 here.

Arcade Fire sound just like Arcade Fire, even when they're at Radio City. Which is to say, pretty damn good, in that energetic 4-4 time kind of way. And it always fun to watch Canadians scamper around a room like that: playing trumpet on the first Mezzanine, booking across the backs of seats in the orchestra, and generally behaving like RCMH is kind of like a playground... which it kind of is. So, thumbs up, my Canuck friends. C'est bon.

Got a hankering for some country that won't make you cringe? Eat yer heart out, Dolly Parton. We've got Serena Jean performing at the Brooklyn County Fair with some of her Honky Tonk Happy Hour mates here...
You can catch Serena performing with Larune along with some other rather talented Honkytonkers on Monday, May 21st at the Living Room.

And finally, the best part of watching the Greyboy Allstars is pretending that Karl Denson isn't onstage. Then again, if he weren't, we wouldn't get those delicious smug glances shared behind his back by Robert Walter and Elgin Park up there. Their non-verbal communication is almost as tasty as the lick-a-licious grooves they're laying down. Some say the GBA sound just like they always did... I say that so long as RW wants to make that stinky-funk face, I'm down.

marco benevento - "live at tonic"

Well, it's been many months since Marco wowed us all at Tonic with his immense talent and infectious love of music. I've been lucky to have been basking in the sights and sounds of his residency since then, as I've been editing the footage from each of those delicious Wednesdays last November (and weren't we all glad the calendar graced us with FIVE Wednesdays that month...)

Below is a collection of some highlights from Marco's amazing residency. It features some of his rather talented friends, like Mike Gordon, Bobby Previte, Mike Dillon, Steven Bernstein... the list goes on and on. Yes, that's Brad Barr playing a drum with one of Marco's old Wurlitzer keys. Yes, that red-head dancing and playing the flute is none other than Sir Joe Russo. Even half of the Ween team, Claude Coleman and Dave Dreiwitz (pictured above), showed up one evening to back Marco, despite the fact that Coleman had never met Marco face to face before that evening. You certainly would never know it after listening to the two hours of music they created that night...

The fine folks at Ropeadope are going to release much of the material on a multi-disc set this summer, and as you'll see in the clip, the range of Marco's material is vast. Thelonious Monk ditties sit beside Pink Floyd tunes, and little-known songs from Leonard Cohen and Elliot Smith will send you back to your record collection to revisit them. Marco's jazz chops being what they are, prepare to be floored by the free-jazz improvisations that he created each night alongside the likes of seasoned veterans like Matt Chamberlain or Steven Bernstein.

Stay tuned for more material featuring Marco, as talks are in the works with Ropadope to create a web TV station devoted to all-things-Marco, curated by yours truly. Now that's what I call using time for fun...

Just for s%^&s and giggles...

5 things I liked about this:

1. It features Trey.

2. He says he '"rocked out so hard at Webster Hall last night" that he needs a painkiller. And then he asks if TO is still in town.

3. He doesn't realize that TO was backstage at Phish's last arena show in Philadelphia... or maybe this is what he's alluding to when he talks about how the backstage scene got out of control... whoops. Sorry, everybody.

4. He gives well-deserved props to Marco Benevento and Joe Russo when he describes how 'Dragonfly' was born.

5. I guess I only liked 4 things about this. But maybe number five would have to be how he cradles his guitar like a teddy bear and seems to be nuzzling up to the microphone like he's eating cotton candy.

beware the ides of march.

some serious rock n' roll power has been birthed on march 15th...


Mr. Phil Lesh


Ry Cooder


Sly Stone


DJ Fontana


Dee Snyder


Yours Truly


... and Fabio.

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