Phish took the first part of 1996 off to start recording their follow up to 1994’s Hoist entitled Billy Breathes. Phish pretty much stayed holed up in the studio trying to finish things up. The quartet managed to come to the surface twice in the Spring. Once at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the second being at a small club in Woodstock, NY called The Joyous Lake. In classic Phish humor, the band booked themselves into the club as Third Ball w/ special guest: Juan Hung Low.
This show really seemed to serve more as a vehicle for the band to loose the rust from not playing live in a while than as a premiere for the new material. Matter of fact, the only Billy Breathes songs that were present in the entire set was Character Zero, Theme and Waste. A Split Open and Melt opener set the pace for a loose and fun-filled night of classic Phish songs played in an intimate setting never to be seen again. This is a fantastic soundboard recording of a magical moment in the band’s history.
It’s summer time and most bands are hitting up outdoor sheds and festivals, but the Disco Biscuits have always done things a little different. Just a few weeks before the start of Camp Bisco VIII, the boys did a quick “dirty beach” run, up the coast of Delaware and into Atlantic City for a 2 night run at the House of Blues.While Bisco kidz always seem to be the butt of jokes in the scene, AC didn’t even flinch at the invasion of the raging flat brims.
Brothers Past kicked off both nights at the HOB, at least for those of us who were able to pull away from the casino floor. As someone who has really enjoyed BP before, I was a little disappointed with the room sound’s effect on the experience; the sound mix was really heavy on the bass and a bit muddy near the front of the stage.
The HOB has a large floor downstairs that is almost entirely covered by a seated area. Fortunately, night 2 is already posted on the LMA and the recording sounds great! It is a lot clearer than it sounded at the show, and you can actually hear the vocals. My highlights were the cover of Radiohead’s National Anthem and their own Simple Gift of Man to close the set. I think that these guys have so much potential, as they are definitely breaking out of the jam band and livetronic mold.
READ ON for more of Carla’s words and Jeremy’s photos…
With Paul McCartney’s previous two albums (Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway) not being especially critically acclaimed, many see his 1973 release Band On The Run as something of a statement piece, and what a statement it was. Paul once shared that the title track of the album was built around something guitarist George Harrison would say during The Beatles’ business meetings, “If we ever get out of here”.
Side Note: Band On The Run is a great addition to the “What album is Phish going to cover?” discussion that friends of yours are undoubtedly having.
And now, the covers:
The Brew: Leading off this week we’ve got The Brew. Check the rest of this show for a great recording and additional covers from Kansas and The Police. Source: 5-14-2009
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READ ON for the lowdown on the rest of this week’s contestants…
Wilco’s seventh disc, Wilco (The Album), hits stores today nearly six weeks after it was leaked, which led the band to stream it on their website. With each passing release Jeff Tweedy and co. seem to be gaining the commercial success that many critics have been predicting since they formed.
We’ve stumbled upon a working chemistry. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s experience — I think that certainly contributes to everyone being able to keep their perspective rooted in some reality. My being a much healthier person contributes to the overall stability of the band. But mostly I think it’s a bunch of guys who have been playing music for long time, who realize Wilco is a rare and unique opportunity to play at a level where you’re assured of a certain audience and you’re being heard.
Wilco returns to the stage tonight at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville, OR.
Over the last few years the Virgin Mobile Festival has established itself as one of the premiere East Coast festivals, bringing both big name arena acts and more indie-oriented bands to the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD. This year the fest, which had been a multi-day affair, is scaling back and changing venues. The fest will now be a free one day concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion on August 30, featuring the likes of Weezer, The National, The Hold Steady, Girl Talk, St. Vincent and more.
If you’re not into the one day fest’s line-up, than maybe you’ll be interested in hitting one of these recently announced tours…
Finally, emo-pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate have announced a string of reunion shows. The band, whose debut album Diary is revered among some, will embark on a 21 date tour that kicks off on September 17 in Vancouver and will hit larger-scale rock clubs around the country.
When I first saw Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, his epic out-of-nowhere British zombie/uber cannibalistic/virus outbreak/mutant apocalypse mind-blowingly violent death mental film, I immediately had the same reaction I have with any incredibly talented director. Give the bastard some serious coin to spin the celluloid fantastic into hyperspace. See what they can do. Give them enough rope to either jump across the whole psychedelic lake and swing back with their sanity intact and talents furthered, OR the rope tangles around their artistic neck, strangling themselves on their own self-indulgence.
Boyle reached his total mass creative potential in a completely unexpected way with the unpredictable critical and commercial success of Slumdog Millionaire. However, Boyle’s film before the East Indian tempest in a tea pot, is an intense and visually stunning piece of work that just seemed to come and go under the cultural radar in the 2007 theatrical night like so many other obscure gems. Indeed, this week’s Hidden Flick is Sunshine.
The science fiction film helmed by Boyle, and written by Alex Garland, tells the tale of a ship in 2057 sent from Earth to detonate a nuclear weapon “the size of Manhattan” within our dying Sol in a desperate attempt to reinvigorate and give new life to a dying star. The international cast is surrounded by ingenious CGI effect shots, and the usual Boyle setups which neither foreshadow, nor echo anything that has really come before in the film.
Lately, it seems that the only people more excited for the return of Phish than the fans are the mainstream media. Not only does every issue of Rolling Stone seem to devote at least half a page to Phish, the newly-reunited quartet is currently on the cover of Billboard Magazine. The issue, currently on newsstands, contains a full feature on the band while the magazine’s website has been updated with three Q&As between Billboard writer Ray Waddell and Page McConnell, Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon.
The Q&As run the gamut from the breakup to business decisions to the decision to release Joy on their own label. Here are a few excerpts…
Billboard: What led to the breakup?
Mike Gordon: I think we just need to shake things up: people’s personal habits, the group habits, the way that the organization was run — which was awesome, but everything had to be looked at from a difficult angle, and it had to be deconstructed before it could be reconstructed.
Billboard: When you made the decision to reconvene, how long did it take you to recapture that chemistry that’s so productive?
Trey Anastasio: I actually do remember having a dinner at a restaurant, the four of us. We hadn’t all four of us been alone together in a number of years, and sometime during the dinner I went to the bathroom to call my wife and said, “I understand what’s so special about this band just by the way we’re speaking to each other.” There’s such a level of communication and mutual respect that was evident before we ever even picked up the instruments again.
Billboard: Do you feel more comfortable onstage than in the studio?
Page McConnell: We made 12 or 13 albums and played between 1,500 and 2,000 shows, so you can do the math. We’ve spent a lot more time playing live than we have trying to make records. I have a fun time in the studio, but I like making [albums] on the faster side, you don’t want to get bogged down.
Be sure to pick up the latest issue of Billboard to read the Phish feature.
It’s time for a summer reggae mix, kicking off with Peter Tosh back in the mid seventies with a solo acoustic version of Get Up, Stand Up, followed by his one time band mate Bob Marley, also solo with and acoustic guitar for a long medley of tunes from Guava Jelly to Cornerstone to Stir It Up – it is warm and brilliant, one of my all time favorite pieces of recorded music. Finally, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman cover Sitting in Limbo back in 1992. It’s an all acoustic Stormy Monday this week, so as always, enjoy.
As evident from our Free NYC Concert Preview, seeing great live music in the Big Apple doesn’t have to cost you a penny. Among the plethora of gratis shows around town mentioned was The Music In The Oval concert series taking place at Stuyvesant Town – the monstrous community of apartment buildings off of First Avenue that I call home. Over the last few years this normally wouldn’t have gotten my attention, but this year’s lineup looked like it was programmed by someone with my taste in music.
Among the bands that have played for the weird mix of families, curious by-standers and music fans was the local indie buzz act the Phenomenal Hand Clap Band. The band, which is more like a small gang boasting nine members, played their brand of psychedelic-disco-funk-rock and is a must see when you’re looking to dance the night away to some deep grooves. Want some evidence, check out their the video for You’ll Disappear…
The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band released their self-titled debut last week, and now head across the pond for a string of UK dates, while the Music In The Oval series continues through July 15.
hits stores today nearly six weeks after it was leaked, which led the band to stream it on their website. With each passing release Jeff Tweedy and co. seem to be gaining the commercial success that many critics have been predicting since they formed.
is revered among some, will embark on a 21 date tour that kicks off on September 17 in Vancouver and will hit larger-scale rock clubs around the country. 
debut last week, and now head across the pond for a string of UK dates, while the Music In The Oval series continues through July 15.
