Third Ball (Phish) – 06/06/1996 MP3s [zip file]

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.

Check out more from Don at The Great Southern Brainfart.

Words: Carla Danca
Images: Jeremy Gordon

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.

To celebrate the release of Wilco (The Album) our friends at Paste Magazine have staged a Wilco Takeover of their website featuring all sorts of fun articles about the band including a list of their five favorite nonsensical Wilco lyrics, a look at what we’ve learned about Jeff Tweedy from his son’s blog and more. Tweedy hasn’t been doing too much press for Wilco (The Album), but he did speak with Chicago Public Radio and Time Magazine. The latter contains some of Jeff’s thoughts on why the current lineup has lasted so long…

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…

• The Dodos will head cross-country this fall
• Elizabeth & The Catapult keep busy through July
• Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd team up for a shed tour
• Psych-rockers Woods mix headlining and support dates
• Gregg Allman Band lines up handful of summer shows
  
• Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer will head out together

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.

Jackson Browne – Late For The Sky

[Originally Published: March 10, 2009]

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.

READ ON for more on this week’s Hidden Flick…

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.

• CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK’S MIX

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.

• Free Download: Phenomenal Hand Clap Band – 15 To 20

We’re starting a new column today called Track By Track in which an artist shares a story or factoid about each track on their latest album.

Ever since guitarist Mark Karan joined The Other Ones in 1998, he’s been winning over Deadhead after Deadhead with his soulful lead guitar work. Mark followed his stint with Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart in The Other Ones by spending the last 11 years as a member of Bob Weir and RatDog and also started a band called Jemimiah Puddleduck. For all of Karan’s work as a crucial member of a number of bands, he’s never made a solo album…until now.

That album, Walk Through the Fire, comes out tomorrow on Quacktone Records and will be available in stores, on Itunes, Walk Through the Fire and at his website markkaran.com. The album features special guests Delaney Bramlett, The Persuasions, Billy Payne, The Rowan Brothers, Mike Finnigan, and Pete Sears. Each of the tracks on this disc has deep, personal meaning for Mark, a throat cancer survivor, including the title track which he wrote on his hospital bed after starting chemotherapy so we wanted him to tell us about them in his own words…

ANNIE DON’T LIE – This is a really fun, party sort of song by my friend Alex Call. I played in Alex’s band for quite a while. I hadn’t heard it in years when my friend Teresa James pulled it out at an LA blues gig as “Eddie Don’t Lie”. I remembered I always loved the song and started doing it myself. I love the singalong party vibe and the tex-mex quality the accordion brought to it. JT Thomas’ piano playing is great on this track.

LEAVE A LIGHT ON – I wrote this song when I was a songwriter and producer at Studio 56 in LA. It was poppier and more overblown back then, but I always thought it had something. I revived it for the record and tried pulling it into a more authentic, organic space. I had to twist JT’s arm to play the insistent quirky keyboard part, but it really makes the track for me.

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READ ON for Mark’s take on the rest of the tracks…

As Neil Young brought his set at Saturday’s Hard Rock Calling concert in London’s Hyde Park to a close by covering The Beatles’ A Day In The Life, a shadowy figure emerged from the wings to sing harmony – Paul McCartney…

A Day In The Life – Neil Young w/ Paul McCartney

Fuse will re-air its four-part series on the Dave Matthews Band, Road to Big Whiskey, beginning Wednesday at 10pm. The series takes a personal look at the band and its music, including how they dealt with losing saxophonist and founding member LeRoi Moore along with tons of footage from the studio.

Monday, June 29 [All Times Eastern]

• The Black Eyed Peas: Then and Now [Fuse 7PM]
• The Band: The Last Waltz [Palladia 11PM]
• David Letterman: Steve Earle [CBS 11:30PM]
• Conan O’Brien: Green Day [NBC 11:35PM]
• Jimmy Fallon: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs [NBC 12:35AM]

Tuesday, June 30

• V Fest: 2008 Highlights [Palladia 11AM]
• The Roots: Soulstage [Palladia 2PM]
• Kanye West: Storytellers [Palladia 4PM]
• Film: Purple Rain [Fuse 10PM]
• Johnny Cash: Half Mile a Day [Ovation 11PM]

Wednesday, July 1

• Kings of Leon: 2008 Oxegen Festival [Palladia 4:30PM]
• Prince: Live at Paisley Park [VH1 Classic 7PM]
• Dave Matthews Band: Road to Big Whiskey (Parts 1-4) [Fuse 10PM]
• Jimi Hendrix Experience: American Landing [Ovation 10PM]
• Conan O’Brien: Taj Mahal [NBC 11:35PM]

Thursday, July 2

• Film: Woodstock [VH1 Classic 6:30 AM]
• Hank Williams, Jr.: Biography [Biography 10AM]
• Lou Reed: Live at Montreaux [Ovation 2PM]
• Kiss: Live From Los Angeles [VH1 Classic 8:30PM]
• Willie Nelson: Biography [Biography 11PM]

In keeping up with a tradition we started after the Hampton shows, we wanted to point you in the direction of the best video on either YouTube or Vimeo of every song from each Phish Summer Tour show. Today, we’ll start with a look at the best videos from Phish’s performance at Fenway Park.

Click on the name of each song to see the best video currently available…

Pre: Star Spangled Banner

Set One: Sample In A Jar, Moma Dance, Chalk Dust Torture, Ocelot^, Stash, Bouncing Around The Room, Poor Heart, Limb By Limb, Wading In The Velvet Sea, Down With Disease, Destiny Unbound, Character Zero

Set Two: Tweezer > Light^, Bathtub Gin, David Bowie, Time Turns Elastic^, Free, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Cavern, Good Times Bad Times, Tweezer Reprise

^ – Debut

• Previously on HT: Phish Hampton Videos

Ya’ll have probably heard this story many times, but in the interest of a few laughs, this week’s mix tape consists of some funny tribute songs to Doc Ellis and his amazing achievement in sport: the lysergically-enhanced no hitter.

Doc allegedly mixed up his days and realized he was scheduled to pitch in San Diego after having dosed in L.A., so he hopped on a plane and proceeded to manufacture a 2-0 no hitter against the Padres. Throughout his nine shutout innings, Doc actually beaned one, walked eight and dove out of what he thought was a line drive hit right towards him, but was actually a slow grounder that never came anywhere near him. Still, he got it done. What’s most impressive about Doc’s feat though, perhaps more so even than pitching a no no on acid, is that he actually managed to board a plane.

The mix tape of tribute tunes include a new one from funny guy Todd Snider called America’s Favorite Pastime, a couple of twangy country songs by Zacariah & the Lobos Riders, Chuck Brodsky & the Marvin’s Garden, along with an indie take written by San Diego musician Barbara Manning in her former side-project, the SF Seals. All of the tributes are pretty darn funny, but I think the one by Zacariah & the Lobos Riders takes the cake.

If anybody is curious, here is the boxscore from the game.