Welcome back to another edition of Grousing The Aisles. There’s nothing like music to fight off the mid-week blues, so check out these fine live shows:

Gov’t Mule – December 16th, 2006 AUD (FLAC)

In quick fashion, this torrent features Mule’s headlining set from last Saturday’s Christmas Jam in Asheville. Since Warren Haynes has sat in on many a DMB version of Cortez The Killez, Dave returns the favor here by sitting in on a stellar version of the Neil Young classic. Branford Marsalis came out as well for Watchtower and a reggaefied Soulshine. The Mule only played two songs from their new album, and they even broke out old favorites Sco-Mule and Mule. While the link above is for an audience recording, I plan on buying the Mule Tracks soundboard version as soon as it becomes available later this week.

Read on for some Johnny Cash, MMW, kickass bluegrass and the old standbys…

By now I’m guessing Jerry Garcia’s corpse is pretty well decomposed. But his skeletal remains must be rolling over in the grave today.

His famous “When we’re done with it, you can have it” quip isn’t penetrating the Dead’s remaining organization like it should, nor has his advice been shared by the folks from Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Santana and others. It’s always nice to wake up to the news that peace, love, dope is dead. Litigation is the new Cosmic Harmony: “Rockers sue over sales of memorabilia.”

Strangely, it’s the rockers we all know and love, the ones that have made their livings on the road — they’re the ones trying to put the kibosh on Bill Sagan’s extraordinary effort to share Bill Graham’s archives with the masses.

I’m no lawyer, unfrozen caveman or otherwise, and I have about as much knowledge of intellectual property rights as a Chinese pirate (not what I intended but that’s a funny image), but what did Sagan buy from Clear Channel if not the ability to stream historic shows and sell the merchandise he contractually owns? That’s not a rhetorical device, I’m really asking a legit question here.

Here’s to hoping the situation between Wolfgang’s Vault and the artists can be resolved peacefully, amicably, and perhaps without Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty’s brightly colored outfits and high-flying ring antics. This…is a fuck.

Related link: Before the feds come and shut this place down. head on over to Wolfgang’s Vault and the Concert Vault and play around for awhile

Previously on Hidden Track: Opening the Concert Vault

As we previously reported last week, Phish’s 12/29/97 concert is indeed the next show to be released as part of the Live Phish download series. For whatever reason the original link became inactive for awhile, but today, both the audio and video are now available for download. Get to it.

If the free audio clips are any indication, the sound on this release is top notch. As far as the video goes, it would be great if it was in a more DVD-friendly format than mp4, but I guess we takes what we can gets, right? Sadly, though, video of the Good Times, Bad Times encore is unavailable, probably because Robert Plant hates The Phish (I made that up, but I bet it’s true).

Related link: Check out Kevin Shapiro’s essay on 12/29/97.

Let’s pull right into the interstate weigh station with this heavy haul of videos…

I spent almost every summer from 1986-2001 up at one of those Northeastern sleepaway Jewcamps. As a staff member in some capacity for six of them, my cohorts and I would find ourselves in one of the area’s local watering holes four or five nights a week. The jukebox at a backwoods bar called Cheers — where the locals don’t know your name, don’t care, and would probably shoot you if they knew that it ended in “stein” or “berg” — always played the same songs, every night, just in different rotation based on who arrived at the bar in what order.

No matter what time of night, though, every time Blind Melon’s Change hit the speakers I’d be stricken with a wicked case of the goose pimples. That song just did it for me. Now in any instance when the song comes up, be it on the iPod or somewhere in the real world, I’m immediately transported back to the carefree days of the Pennsylvania countryside. And I love that fucking song because of it. So here’s a little more Change for your pocket this morning:

Now let us over-indulge on the rest of this week’s YouTube deliciousness…

• Anyone taking the Trey arrest story too seriously is a bit dangerous. I mean, who among us has never driven all full of hashish with a pocket full of pharmies? The Trey story is just that, a story, a clever diversion from our own lives in which we can dissect someone else’s more charmed life. Still, the story’s been pretty funny, and we all for some reason feel like we’re part of it. So in stretching out our hero’s cautionary tale, check out this eerily prescient video of Big Red on The Preston & Steve Show, where the former 70 Volt Parade frontman may or may not make some pill jokes.
• I’m so fed up with the current state of mainstream music that I can’t even fathom how a song like Billy Preston’s Outta Space could ever hit number one on the charts. That kind of shit tells me that we’ve taken a bigger-than-huge step back as a society, ‘cuz that song fucking blows the doors clean off, and yet it would never even register a blip these days — see for yourself with this spectacular live version from 1973.
• From one minority keyboardist to another: Nobody made a bigger splash in 2006 than Grace Potter. Combining a pretty face with sickening talent, the Vermont fox saw nothing but good press written about her in just about every city she visited. And it’s all deserved — here’s Grace and The Nocturnals at the Boston Music Awards playing Nothing But the Water.
• I’m glad I caught Grace a few times in 2006, and now she’s off my “must see now” list. So who’s the band I most want to …
  

Talk about flying totally under the radar. Last year at this time the Noodling Community was abuzz with pre- and post-show chatter about the Warren Haynes Xmas Jam. And maybe it’s strictly the result of the lack of an exotic and limitless Serialpod debut, but this year’s event didn’t even register on most Google calendars, message boards or any of those newfangled “blogs.”

Did a subpar lineup keep the avalanche of buzz at bay? Was it Warren’s refusal to add any acts to the bill after the initial announcement? Or have people grown a bit weary of Haynes’ overexposure? No matter the reason, the 18th Annual Xmas Jam still managed to sell out 7,200 seats and provided the paying audience with hours of music. The Asheville Citizen-Times, not surprisingly, wrote a glowing recap of the event, the only media outlet to cover it apparently.

Branford Marsalis joins a strange balding dude and some homeless guy on stage on the 18th Annual Xmas Jam — credit: Paul Balicky (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Make sure to check out the Citizen-Times article, which contains a ton of multimedia from the show and the first ever Xmas Jam podcast. And read on below for the setlists from each band, many of which include Marsalis, middle-aged American Idol winner Taylor Hicks and Umphrey’s McGee geetarist Brendan Bayliss…

I’ve always been a big fan of incorporating mainstream popular culture into the not-so-mainstream culture, counter- or otherwise. In fact, I thought it was a grave misstep when every so-called jamband in the country passed on covering the This Is Budweiser song, perhaps sandwiching it in between an original anthem. Most of them have made the same mistake by not jamming the fuck out of John Mellencamp’s ubiquitous This Is Our Country jingle.

But the race to become the first band to cover this weekend’s Saturday Night Live sketch, My Dick in a Box, is over. My buddy Cantor, an avid fan of The Roots, reports the hip hop outfit broke out the song at last night’s show in Glasgow. We’re trying to dig up an mp3 of the fantastic decision, but in the meantime, I can offer you this recently leaked soundboard version of (some of) The Roots playing Masters of War at last month’s Bob Dylan Tribute. Enjoy that…and stay tuned.

Previously on Hidden Track: Download: The Roots’ Masters of War and Bob Dylan Tribute: Great Tunes, Less Mumbling

It’s synonymous with summer. And either you’ve got fond memories of a fucking awesome veggie burrito you bought in the lot or you’re making grand plans to see a show there when the popular rock band Phish inevitably returns.

Whichever camp you’re camping in, it seems like Live Nation’s about to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Or a shopping mall. Or a Wal-Mart. Harsh buds.

First they sullied the glorious Deer Creek name when the venue became the Verizon Wireless Music Center, now it looks like the lights may go down forever. Hey, at least it’s for a good reason, reports the Indianapolis Star:

The area around the music center has become one of the Indianapolis area’s hottest sites for new commercial development and Live Nation wants to take advantage of rising property values in the area…

Sweet, it’s all in the name of profit-taking…that’s great news. Here I thought there was gonna be an explanation people would be pissed about. Nick Arterburn of CB Richard Ellis, the real estate company listing the property, apparently doesn’t believe in sugar-coating nor subtlety, so he clarifies the Live Nation position:

“We’re not against selling it to another entertainment group…as long as they are the entity that pays us the most money.”

And we all know that entertainment groups outside of Live Nation and its former parent Clear Channel have plenty of money with which to win a bidding war. So I’m guessing this spells the end of one of the most famous outdoor amphitheaters in the country. Deer Creek, we hardly knew ye…or we knew ye too well.

Read on for an impromptu edition of The B List and links to some of the best Dead and Phish shows in the rich history of the venue…

I sure wish it were next Monday; then I’d be off from work for Christmas. Since I’m not, though, here are a handful of links to keep you entertained:

• Diane Schnier, wife of moe. guitarist Al, has a track available for download for which the proceeds will benefit Multiple Sclerosis
• Double J Jesse Jarnow reviews his experience seeing Gwar
• Pitchfork features the 25 worst album covers of the year
• Izzy Stradlin joins Axl for Paradise City and more at a Guns N’ Roses show
• Neddy once again previews the shows of the week, as well as future shows on the nedar
• Mike Greenhaus presents the second installment of his year-end series for Jambands.com
• JamBase does a Hanukkah feature on Matisyahu
• Glide Magazine takes a look at 40 Essential Songs of 2006
• Steely Dan plans to get back on the road early in 2007, playing casinos on the aptly named Heavy Rollers tour
• This MySpace for a missing deadhead is pretty creepy
• Warren Haynes’ 18th Annual Christmas Jam was a success once again
• Zero continues to book new shows in 2007 (please come to NYC!)
• Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger of UM played their annual Christmas show on Friday (thanks to Plimpton Koons)

Did you go to the Christmas Jam? Did you get arrested for a DUI in New York somewhere? Anything else on the brain? Let us know below…

This week we finally learned the answer to that age-old lot question “Who’s got my pharmies?” Apparently they’re in a black 2004 Audi sedan piloted by a bearded redhead all hopped up on goofballs. Driving is no time for improvisation, Trey.

But there was a far more underreported story this week. It’s with my humble sadness to note that the world lost another legend this week: Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun died Thursday after spending his last few months in a coma. Ertegun had fallen while backstage at the October 29th Rolling Stones show at the Beacon Theater, suffering a brain injury as a result.

Ertegun was much more than That Guy From Ray. “As Atlantic Records grew from a small independent label into a major national music company, it became a stronghold both of soul, with Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding, and of rock, with the [Rolling] Stones, Led Zeppelin and Yes,” the New York Times wrote on Friday.

I must admit, I think one of his cooler contributions to Americana is often overlooked: Ertegun and his brother Nesuhi founded the New York Cosmos juggernaut that captured this country’s attention, albeit briefly, with Pele, Giorgio, Beckenbauer and a host of international superstars. That all seemed cool.

I’ve often said, if Booger from Revenge of the Nerds plays you in a movie about a blind piano player, you’re really doing something right. RIP Mr. Ertegun.

Now let’s take a look at what else went down on your girlfriend this week:

• On the day Live Phish released 12/29/97 to the consumer masses, Trey decided it was time to become a real rock star and get himself a mugshot — then we recapped The Day That Was on The Day After
• The constant barrage of reviews continued unabated: Felonious Monk served up some album-cover-quality photos from the Primus show in Sacramende, Hal Hansen hit the Garden for some Tenacious D, and I became a member of Big Sam’s Funky Nation
• Bonnaroo said “Call your dad from the road”: The festival will return to Tennessee the second week of June (no word on whether the hippies or hipsters will be more excited by the unannounced lineup)
• The Allman Brothers want to be your IT guy…wanna watch the shows from the comfort of your couch?
• Saturday Night Live gave everyone what they’ve been seeking for Christmas: actual comedy and a Dick in a Box
• Our regular departments need lovin’ too: The B List proclaimed the five best years of the Dead, Grousing The Aisles dug up the best podcasts and Pullin’ ‘Tubes erected a video sanctuary

On the run from Johnny Law…ain’t no trip to Cleveland. Nor Whitehall.

Ya know, for all the dreck on Saturday Night Live this season, the show is actually producing at least one quality sketch almost every week.

Between the “Bobby McFerrin raped my grandmother” Awkward Carpool piece with Alec Baldwin and the new chick and the “Raps, raps, doin’ raps” MC Blizzard skit featuring Andy Samberg and Ludacris, there have been genuine knee-slapping moments throughout this piss-poor season. Perhaps the SNL brass is unaware it’s acceptable for them to make more than one above-average skit per month.

(Ir)Regardless of that suggestion, check out this week’s hilarity from Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake: My Dick in a Box.

Try not singing that all day and night — you’ll be quoting all week, I’m guessing. Something the keedz probably won’t be saying this week: “Maybe I’m a racist, but one time it helped me get my wallet back.” That came from one of our friends in all seriousness on Friday night, and if you act now, you can probably send us some money for a T-shirt when they eventually get made.

(A similar post can also be seen on Slack LaLane — either I wanted to spread the boxed dick love far and wide, or my laziness knows no bounds)

It’s been two weeks since Tenacious D rocked New York City with its patented brand of fuck-your-face acoustic rock. But since the vibration of death that The D left behind is still reverberating throughout Manhattan, our buddy Hal Hansen decided to retroactively inform you of what you’ve been feeling for a fortnight…

Overheard in New York, December 1st, 2006

“I check my dipstick, you need lubrication”
“Twas I who fucked the dragon, fuckalize sing-fuckaloo”
“Burrito supreme and a Chicken supreme and a Cutlass supreme”
“When I’m snackin’ on a tasty boosh, right after the show”
“I’m shooting my juice right in your caboose”
“Have you ever been worked on by two guys who are hot for your snatch”
“And then I’ll fuckin’ fuck you discreetly”
–34th Street & 7th Avenue

If any of the exclamations above seem a little out of place for a show review, or even the aforementioned and awesome Overheard in New York, please do not fret. They were all majestically sung at the most famous venue in the world, Madison Square Garden, by the greatest band in the world, Tenacious D — an incredibly rare combination of forces that left few asses intact.

Before we continue with the review, it should be painfully obvious by now that this is all just a big joke. Kyle Gass (KG, Kage, Rage Kage) and Jack Black (JB, Jables), who first met more than a dozen years ago as members of the Actor’s Gang troupe in Los Angeles, are undoubtedly actors first and musicians second.

Although Gass does have some serious chops on the acoustic guitar, and Black is arguably the closest thing to a rock star I’ve ever seen live, Tenacious D as the “greatest band in history” cannot be taken seriously. The key to thoroughly enjoying one of these ridiculous spectacles is to just go along with the joke: Accept that they are in fact the greatest band ever and indeed were born from Satan and slayed dragons on their way to this achievement. If you can tweak your sense of humor enough to get this far, you are ready for The D…

Much has been written over the past 30 hours aside from our commentary about the roadside arrest of former 70 Volt Parade lead singer Trey Anastasio:

• WCAX TV went right to the people and got the “Phish mom” perspective
• The AP story had Trey’s written statement, which read: “I feel terrible about what happened last night, and I am deeply sorry for any embarrassment I have caused my friends, family and fans”
• Phish still couldn’t get any respect from MTV — Trey’s arrest only garnered a brief mention
• Oddly enough, the best news story came from E! Online’s Josh Grossberg, who must be a Phish fan — he managed to work “flubbed” and Antelope lyrics into his piece
• The Rutland Herald’s Alan Keays disclosed that Trey was driving from NYC to Burlington
• Even the gossip blogs got in on the act: Gawker’s Idolator and Perez Hilton snarked away
• Check out this video from Albany TV station WNYT
• And front-page stories ran in the Burlington Free Press, The Post-Star, and the Times-Union in Albany

Deep down I always knew Trey could be front-page material:

Trey’s loving fan base also got their shots in, Photoshopping his image to show their care and concern for the man (via Pheesh and other places):

Read on for more well-crafted Trey images from around the world wide web…

It’s always nice to walk into the office after a long day and a half on the road to read the news you’ve been waiting to see forever: Your favorite rock star finally has the street cred he’s been lacking.

By now you’ve heard the news a hundred times: Former frontman for the popular rock band Phish, Trey Anastasio, was charged with “third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and DWI – drugs,” according to the Whitehall, NY Patrolman that pulled him over.

As our friend Wade pointed out in the aftermath of Trey’s arrest, you’re not a fucking rock star without a mug shot. And in today’s world, you’re no rock star without a mug shot on The Smoking Gun. Eat your heart out, George Clinton.

You’ve probably gotten e-mails from friends and co-workers. Maybe your mother called already to find out if you’re doing okay, and whether you’re also on drugs. You’ve been trying to weigh in on Phantasy Tour with your own snarky remark about how “It’s gotta be fake because his birthdate is wrong…and they found him with the wrong drugs,” but the site is down due to the startling news.

But this thing ain’t no fake, according to our legit forensic experts who inverted the photo and skewed the contrast, only to conclude that the pic is “definitely not Photoshopped.” Although, someone should probably take the time this afternoon to Photoshop Trey’s mug shot picture into this shot from Vegoose 2005:

I’m sure this wasn’t the big announcement most Phish fans had been expecting today, but I’m pretty stoked that after two decades we can finally say that a real rock star has been born. Street cred, baby, street cred.

Related link: Get your “Phree Trey” merchandise, hot off the presses…

A Big Red Update: Scotty B recaps the Day That Was with The Day After

There has been a bunch of chatter on the message boards lately about an announcement from the Phish organization. We seem to have our answer, as today the band has put up a show from December 29th, 1997 for download on Live Phish. This terrific show from Madison Square Garden features amazing versions of classics such as Run Like An Antelope, David Bowie, and Possum.

While I personally like the next night’s show a little better, 12/29/97 is a high-energy rock show that has always been underrated. Nice work Phish! Now go spend a year practicing and blow everyone’s mind in 2008.

12-29-97 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

1: NICU-> Golgi Apparatus-> Crossroads, Cars Trucks Buses, Train Song, Theme From the Bottom-> Fluffhead, Dirt, Run Like an Antelope

2: Down With Disease*-> David Bowie%-> Possum-> I Can’t Turn You Loose^-> Possum#, Tube**, You Enjoy Myself

E: Good Times Bad Times

*Nonstandard ending; with Mike and Trey solos. %With “James Bond Theme” and “Run Like an Antelope” teases. ^A jam, from this song often associated with the “Blues Brothers,” but truly an Otis Redding cover. #”I Can’t Turn You Loose” reprised after “Possum.” **With a lengthy “I Can Feel the Earth Move” segment.

Today is Friday, which means it’s time for another helping of Leftovers:

• The Top 10 Grateful Deadest Moments as picked by Boomsalon
• Porcupine Tree will be joined by Rush’s Alex Lifeson and King Crimson’s Robert Fripp on their next album
• Tucker Carlson goes to Dark Star Orchestra concerts and doesn’t really oppose gay marriage.
• The 8th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic and John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash are set for January 20, 2007 in Orlando
• Scarecrow Collection has been signed by Harmonized Records
• Particle comes home to celebrate New Years Eve at the Knit in LA. Let’s see if they can get through 2007 without any changes in personnel
• The Glide Magazine staff takes a look at the 20 best albums of 2006
• It’s alllllllllllllgood — Walther Productions announces the dates for the 2007 Allgood Festival
• Billboard announces the top grossing tours of the year (isn’t the year still going?)
• The American Beauty Project presents two free concerts at NYC’s World Financial Center
• Velvet Underground record for sale AGAIN
• Wolfgang’s Vault has added new concert recordings of 10CC, John Anderson, The Who, Accept, and Eric Clapton
• Check out the Tapers’ Section at the Dead’s under construction website
• STS9 has started a podcast series (don’t steal it!)
• It’s time to say goodbye to Rochester’s Milestones
• Phil Lesh offers blood money
• Rolling Stone reviews the first of Damien Rice’s two concerts at the Beacon Theater
• The Werewolves come out at night, on January 18th
• Jeff Tweedy has booked a few solo gigs in January

Have a great weekend — anything else out there to keep an eye on?