Lotus at Majestic Theatre on October 25, 2007

Lotus and Unwed Sailor played a great show at the Majestic. The sound was superb and the main floor was throbbing with fans dancing to the chill grooves laid down by Lotus. They never disappoint. . . See more photos [here].

Photos from Global Drum Project at Overture Hall on October 26, 2007

An incredible performance by rhythm masters! . . . See more great photos [here].

Project/Object - Surge for Zappa Music Tour@ Majestic Theatre, 10.23.2007

I'm a fan of Frank Zappa. A small "f" fan - but one with a real appreciation of his brilliance. . . On the other hand, my old friend Paul Schroeder in Chicago is a FAN! He introduced me to Zappa back when we shared the same dorm floor as college freshmen. And he now has the most complete collection of FZ recordings you could imagine - both audio and video. . . We saw a lot of great shows together. So when Paul recommends a band performing the music of Frank Zappa - as he did with Project/Object - I take notice. [. . . more]

Spoon performs in the Current studio

 

 

Check this news out from Al-X: 

Fresh from their Saturday Night Live performance on Oct. 6, 2007 and the day after their first of two shows at the world-famous First Ave night club in downtown Minneapolis, Spoon stopped by the Current studios in downtown St. Paul to show some love and chat with Mary Lucia.

Songs performed: "Don't You Evah," "Beast and Dragon ," and "Black Like Me."

LINK:  http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/11/spoon/

 

Drive-By Truckers w/ Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses @ The Barrymore Theater, October 20, 2007

The Drive-By Truckers brought their “Dirt Underneath” Tour to Madison (sans Spooner Oldham) on Saturday night. The show opener was Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses from Austin, TX. Every once in a while you are lucky enough... [more]

Drive By Truckers Patterson Hood
transforming from man to beast with
a little help from Jack D.

More pictures from the show here

Dave Mason and John Mayall Rock the HouseNorthern Lights Theatre, 10.19.2007

It was definitely a strange and different scene walking through the Potowatami Casino to get to the Northern Lights Theater where Dave Mason with opening act John Mayall and the Blues Breakers were set to perform. But the theater itself is a wonderful room to see a show. It has a nice large stage, the acoustics are great, and I don't believe there is bad seat in the house. And on this night there was a full house of appreciative listeners on hand. [. . . more]

CHROME DREAMS II "RIVERBOAT" PREVIEWS

NY Times, August 27, 2007

Chrome Dreams II will feature several Riverboat previews as bonus CDs at selected retail outlets. Each outlet will have a different track. "The Riverboat" is disc 1 of the NYA Performance Series and is included in the Archives Volume 1 release scheduled for early 2008. When the Archives Volume 1 is released, The NYA Performance series will total three released discs including "Crazy Horse at the Fillmore East", "Massey Hall", and "The Riverboat."
      "The Riverboat" was a coffee house on Yorkville Avenue in Toronto where NY played soon after the break-up of the Buffalo Springfield. It is one NY's earliest known live recordings.

Photos - Fiery Furnaces at The Annex, 10.11.2007

Here's some photos from the amazing performance put on by the Fiery Furnaces last night at The Annex. It was quite a display of talent by all four band members. Catch this band live whenever you have the chance!



Want to see more photos? Click [here]

Interview w/ Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers

I recently had the opportunity to interview Patterson Hood and asked about the upcoming DBT release as well as some in depth personal questions. [MORE...]

Live Review: EOTO / Future Rock at High Noon Saloon

As you probably know, I was really excited by the Future Rock / EOTO bill at the High Noon. I've just been listening seriously to electronic music for a couple years now, and really enjoying it. And earlier this year, Ankur initiated me into great dance scene at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival - which plays host to some of the world's best DJs and production artists each Memorial Day weekend.

I have come to really love watching electronic artists perform - because what they do is apparently so simple (Just creating a beat, right?), but is in reality quite technically complex (Have you ever tried using this equipment and software? . . . It's damn difficult). And the best part is that good DJs/PAs are magicians at finding the energy of a crowd and then moving it. So it makes a great tribal community experience. . . which is something we need more often.

EOTO started the night out with a great groove and kept it rollin' for an hour and a half. I've seen Michael Travis and Jason Hann perform with String Cheese Incident several times, so I knew that these percussionists were excellent. But I was amazed by their live performance and really grateful to be able to see them in such an intimate show venue - the High Noon is one of my faves.

It also wonderful to be able to socialize with the musicians before or after the set. I always appreciate musicians like Travis and Jason who despite a long career on the road still remain very open to their fans. . . I've been listening to their 2006 release - elephants only talk occasionally. It sounds great, and if you weren't there it would give you a good idea what you missed.

Future Rock followed - and turned up the heat. Luckily, Felix has got that shirt! You will be hearing a lot more about this Chicago area band, who we want to see play in Madison often!! Their new release - GEARS - is also quite good, and recommended.

http://www.futurerock.net/
www.myspace.com/eotomusic

Photos of Deerhoof at The Union Terrace, Madison, WI (10/01/07)

Deerhoof tore it up at the Union Terrace last evening...

To visit the full photo page at Madison Music Review's site click here

Michael Franti and Spearhead @ The Orpheum - September 30, 2007

Fire! Fire! Fire! Light up ya lighter. Fire! Fire! Fire! While I had heard Spearhead's music on radio before (courtesy my favorite local radio station WORT 89.9 FM), I really had no clue as to what to expect at their live show. Blending a mix of hip-hop, funk, reggae, rock, R &B, and folk with introspective yet highly-charged lyrics, Michael Franti and Spearhead had the sparse-for-Sunday-night Madison crowd (and plenty of out-of-towners) jumping and chanting through a sweat-soaked, squishy-footed night of dancing and fabulous music!

Blue King Brown from Australia started off the night's party at the Orpheum. Lead singer and frontwoman Natalie Paapaa's fiery vocals andpolitically-themed lyrics coupled with the afro-beat, Latin, reggae and worldbeat sound of BKB got the crowd dancing by the stage. The band is passionate about world issues and have been invited to perform in celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Australia in 2007. My highlight of BKB's set was a Santanaesqe drums and guitar jam that had me dreadlocks flying through the air.



Mr. Bill picked up a copy of the band's debut studio album Stand Up so look out for a review soon.

On to Michael Franti & Spearhead. The group is comprised of lead singer and songwriter Michael Franti, Carl Young (Bass), Dave Shul (Guitar) and Manas Itene (Drums). I found the band to be exceptionally tight sounding with fine guitar playing, super funky bass lines and a double drum set-up complementing Franti's lyrics and on-stage charisma. The crowd was in spectacular dancing form and had come prepared with lighters for the ubiquitous Light Up Ya Lighter song. Even the venue (and security) turned out to be perfect last night.

Some pictures from the show that hopefully capture the mood from last night.... malliman