Back in April when we launched the @Hidden_Track Twitter account, we kicked things off with a B List of 20 Twitter Feeds to Follow. Number One on the list was Grace Potter (@gracepotter) of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. The HT fave was an easy choice thanks to her consistent updates and behind-the-scenes pictures from the road. Though Potter was the only female in our list of 10 Bands to follow, there are plenty more worth following, and here’s 10 more Women who rock and are worthy of a follow.
1. Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer)
Palmer is highly engaging of her rabid fans, often stirring conversations about whatever is currently relevant in her life. She also drops info on secret “ninja” shows alerting followers to when and where to catch her.
2. Neko Case (@NekoCase)
Case is quick to reply to her followers and is great at updating from the road. Her recent tour with My Morning Jacket was well documented by her 140 character updates.
3. Lilly Allen (@MrsLRCooper)
Though Allen seems to be more interested in tweeting than making records these days, her feed is entertaining and at times controversial. Never shy to tell it like it is, Allen’s tweets can be as sharp as her tongue.
READ ON for seven more ladies worth following…
Last night was the first of two Phish webcasts from the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys in Stateline Nevada. We asked fans tuning in to tweet pictures of their #couchtour setups to @Hidden_Track, with the winner receiving Steve Conroy’s show poster. Several good submissions have rolled in but there’s still time, so send @Hidden_Track a snapshot of your #couchtour rig and you just might win a poster to add to the ambiance of your room.
The folks behind the webcast, Nugs.net, gave a glimpse of what is arguably the sickest setup possible:
READ ON for the couch tour pics sent in so far…
Each year when the calendar turns from July to August, along with countless others, I turn my attention to one man: Jerry Garcia. With August 1 being the birthday of the Grateful Dead guitarist and August 9 the anniversary of his death, the first weeks of August tend to be filled with memories of Jerry. Last Monday, on what would have been his 69th birthday, we asked the @Hidden_Track followers on Twitter to share their favorite Garcia moment of all-time as part of the #htconvo.
My favorite moment came from the storied Oregon State Prison show with John Kahn (no relation) in May of 1982 – sorry about the typo (*Cherise).
READ ON to see our readers’ favorite Garcia moments…
In the wake of the death of British neo-soul singer Amy Winehouse many fans, celebrities and organizations went to Twitter to express condolences for the fallen artist. Most of the tweets were sympathetic to loss of the young talent at only age 27.
However, some rather high profile tweets warranted apologies and retractions. READ ON for a look at these controversial tweets…
Considering this week’s song, Walking the Cow, was first released via a 1983 self recorded cassette tape, made in the home of Daniel Johnston, the covers sound quite different from the original. Johnston’s take from his album Hi, How Are You is a poignantly simple and honest delivery from the Austin, Texas mainstay whose well documented mental illness has both informed and hampered his creative output. His influence on recent artists from the Seattle grunge movement to the current wave of independent bands is undeniable evidenced by two of the contenders coming from tribute albums featuring impressive lineups of inspired musicians. For a true appreciation of the song and the covers start with the original recording by Johnston.
The Contestants:
Artist: fIREHOSE
Album: Flyin’ The Flannel
The Skinny: Bassist Mike Watt’s snapping notes punctuate this mellowed out version and only cover on their 1991 album. The California band puts just a touch of country twang on the Texan tune.
READ ON for more covers of Daniel Johnston’s Walking The Cow…
That tweet by Pitchfork contributor Marc Masters (@marcissist) set off a couple of interesting discussions on Twitter yesterday and today. The tweet, which was a response to this New York Times review of the Pitchfork Music Festival, prompted a response from critic Chris Weingarten (@1000TimesYes) as well as from Rob Mitchum (@robmitchum) who also writes for Pitchfork. Masters, Weingarten and Mitchum’s tweets below capture what’s become an age-old discussion about music genres and how bands relate to being labeled, particularly that of “jamband.” Mitchum went so far as to write up a blog post about the discussion that unfolded.
READ ON to see the conversation that took place over Twitter…
[Originally Published: October 19, 2010]
Hey everybody, DaveO here – over the next few weeks I am turning Cover Wars over to some of the other Hidden Track contributors to change things up a bit. Please welcome, Andy Kahn.
Lefty Frizzell first recorded and released this haunting ballad in 1959. Written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin, it’s a first person, from the grave account of a man wrongly sentenced to death for a murder he didn’t commit. However, he’s unable to provide an alibi because that would reveal at the time in question he was sleeping with his best friend’s wife. The wife often goes to the narrator’s gravesite wearing the long black veil and mourning the secret that led to his execution. Since Frizzell’s original release plenty of other artists have tackled this heart-string-pulling ballad. A good lot of them are up for consideration below, but let me know in the comments if I missed your fav.
The Contestants:
Dave Matthews: Those not steeped in the earlier folk stylings of the song might be most familiar with one of Dave Matthews’ performances. A staple of the Dave Matthews Band repertoire for years now, having first appeared on the 1999 live album Listener Supported, Matthews has also played duets with Warren Haynes, Tim Reynolds and as part of a tribute to Johnny Cash with Emmylou Harris.
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/daveveil.mp3]READ ON for the scoop on the rest of this week’s contestants…
A recent article on Digital Music News examined the correlation between artists’ popularity on Twitter and their album sales. The author created the chart seen below which paired Nielsen Soundscan stats of album sales with BigChampagne artist rankings. The conclusion the author comes to, that “[artists] outside of mainstream pop that are breaking through, constant Twittering frankly seems like a waste of time,” but is it?
[Image Created by Digital Music News]
The chart doesn’t acknowledge several important factors that would make Twitter relevant to both mainstream pop artists and those that are “breaking through.” The chart and the author fail to take into account whether or not an artist released an album recently. The third ranked artist on Twitter (who did not make the chart) may not have sold many albums this year if he or she didn’t release an album recently. Artists with albums released in the past two years are more likely to have higher sales than those who do not, regardless of Twitter ranking.
Nor does the chart show what the Twitter rank was for an artist like Adele prior to releasing her album. She has the top selling album but is also just breaking into the mainstream. It would be interesting to note what her Twitter rank was before releasing “21” this year and what it will be at year’s end. Just as having many followers could drive up sales for the Gagas and Biebers of the industry, having a quality album may drive up an artist’s followers and ultimately their Twitter ranking. READ ON for more of Andy’s take on the connection between album sales and Twitter rankings…
We’re still basking in the post-show glow of Phish’s Super Ball IX festival in Watkins Glen, listening back to the tapes, sharing stories and checking out some of the pictures tweeted over the weekend. Once again the @Phish_FTR feed was firing off images of the band and crew from backstage and beyond.
Several tweeters were equally prolific supplying illustrative insights into weekend’s festivities check them out below and send @Hidden_Track a tweet of your #SBIX shots.
Day 1
READ ON for more great photos from Super Ball IX…
Last night at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, Cake performed as part of the Late Show with David Letterman Live on Letterman concert series. Our fearless leader and E-I-C Scott Bernstein was lucky enough to get to see the band play a nearly hour-long set. Scott was on the @Hidden_Track twitter feed while Cake ripped through choice cuts from their new album Showroom of Compassion and other fan favorites, sending out 140 character updates and several snapshots from his front row seat as well as a brief clip of the The Distance closer.
READ ON for Scott’s updates and images…
