One of our favorite bands, The Band, was far from the most photographed/filmed act in the ’70s as such there aren’t many clips of The Band in action on YouTube. Yet, there are some and the ones that are on YouTube give a great view of this incredible ensemble doing their thing.

This week’s B List presents the ten best The Band vids on YouTube.

1. Don’t Do It (The Academy of Music ’71)

We didn’t know footage existed from the group’s legendary Rock of Ages shows, but this clip of the best Marvin Gaye cover ever is killer.

READ ON for nine more amazing The Band clips…

Kudos and thanks go out to Honest Abe over at Mystic Chords of Memory for compiling and sharing an amazing compilation of Pearl Jam tracks featuring a live version of nearly every tune on their studio albums. Want to hear the best live version of every song from Ten? This compilation is your jam.

We’ve got six terrific boots to keep your iPod hummin’ this week…

• Pink Floyd: 11/01/1987 SBD Miami, FL [Blog Stoned]
• Grateful Dead: 07/02/1971 SBD San Fran, CA [Guitars 101]
• Panicast Podcast: Vinyl Origins Part Two [Everyday Companion]
• Little Feat: 10/03/1978 FM Durham, NH [Guitars 101]
• Bonnie Raitt: 02/29/1976 SBD Hollywood, CA [Resurrecting...]
• Sting: 02/26/1994 SBD East Rutherford, NJ [Guitars 101]

Not only will HeadCount be giving away free Ben & Jerry’s at Phish’s Festival 8, but the ice cream makers themselves will also have their own tent in Indio where fans can participate in a small social action (like signing up for the WaterWheel newsletter) and get a free scoop of Phish Food. Look for the Ben & Jerry’s tent next to the WaterWheel table to partake.

At this point most fans are either at the festival or on their way. Those of you who aren’t making the trip can follow the action both on Sirius and through the web. We’ll be live blogging most of the weekend and we expect to have recaps and professional photos the morning after each performance on both Glide and HT. Also, our friends Scott Gordon and Scott Marks will be reporting live from the scene for @YEMblog.

Just in case you missed the Phish reference on the Tonight Show last night…

UPDATE: The Bunny has just gone online and will be streaming through KAJR.com 24/7 through Monday morning. That means you’ll be able to listen to Kevin Shapiro’s From The Archives shows as they happen. Sweet deal!

Craig Finn, the always engaging front man for The Hold Steady, has earned a reputation for his clever, witty and wordy story songs he’s crafted across his band’s four must-listen albums. Finn’s next project will take things a step further as he will team up Late Show writer Tom Ruprecht to adapt Chuck Klosterman’s 2001 memoir Fargo Rock City : A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota into a feature length film. The duo, who are currently looking for financing for the project, “plan to include specific portions of the book while also broadening its appeal”. We look forward to watching it.

• List Time: Top 10 Halloween Music Video
• Help get Gram Parsons inducted into the Country Music HoF
  
• Cover Alert: Harper Simon tackles Nick Drake
• Bradley Nowell’s estate may sue over the use of the name Sublime
• Own the headiest board game around Grateful Dead-opoly
• Them Crooked Vultures debut finally gets a release date

Finally, when record dealer John Tefteller was contacted by the widow of a former Capitol Records executive to look at some vintage vinyl little did he know he was about to stumble upon one of the rarest rock records.

Amongst the collection was a sealed copy of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This was no ordinary version of the band’s psychedelic masterpiece as this copy featured faces of the record label’s executives instead of the usual collage of famous and friendly faces.  After consulting with noted Beatles collector Stan “The Beatleman” Panenka it was determined that there many have only been about 100 copies ever made, and none have turned up in over 10 years. Quite a score for Tefteller.

Last week, after seeing Deer Tick for the third time this year, I’m quite convinced that I’d really enjoy hanging out with this band off stage for a night. While I’m pretty sure that’s not happening anytime soon, filmmaker Cory Lovell did just that as he chronicled the band’s 2008 fall tour. The film, Deer Tick: To The City Of Sin!, will make its public debut this weekend at the Vermont International Film Festival. Check out the trailer…

Deer Tick – To The City Of Sin (Trailer)

Words and Images: Tim Hara

As we exited our cab outside of the Park West in Chicago, we were immediately approached by a fan asking us if we had any extras for the sold out Pretty Lights show. Then another, then another, then another. Dozens of kids braved the miserable cold and rain with their fingers raised high in the air with hopes of scoring a ticket to what seemed like the hottest show in town. Sadly, almost all of them would get shut out.

Yonder Mountain String Band was playing at the House of Blues Chicago, but you wouldn’t have known it. All people were talking about for weeks was whether they had a ticket for Pretty Lights and how they were going to get in if they didn’t have one. Desperation led to some fans offering up to five times face value for a single ticket. I hadn’t seen this kind of pandemonium for a show in this city for a long time. We passed all the unfortunate, ticket less fans and entered the venue knowing that the evening was truly going to be something special.

Derek Vincent Smith, AKA Pretty Lights, creates infectious beats that seem to appeal to a wide audience. His music is so unique that even his biggest fans have a hard time describing exactly what it is that they are listening to. He blends a heavy electronic sound that walks the line of glitch, electro or even dubstep with a combination of samples that run the gamut of soul to funk to rap. The result is a live performance of non-stop dance music that truly provides something for everyone.

READ ON for more from Tim on Pretty Lights in Chicago…

Earlier this month we ran a virtual costume contest where folks submitted ideas for their best Phish-related costume contests and now that Festival 8 is finally upon us we’re asking our readers to look out for the best costumes on site. We’ll have further details next week, but if you see a great Phish-related – or even scene-related – costume at F8 please take a picture for us.

[via Weather.com]

In other Festival 8 news, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, The Yes Album and Frank Zappa’s Apostrophe have been “killed off” from the animation on Phish.com.

That leaves 12 albums remaining…

Hunky Dory
The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Electric Ladyland
Larks’ Tongues In Aspic
Led Zeppelin I
Oracular Spectacular
Thriller
Purple Rain
Kid A
Exile on Main Street
Astral Weeks

Which of the remaining albums are you pulling for? For much more on F8 – including plenty of spoilers – head to Jamtopia’s Festival 8 Page.

Words: Jonathan “Kos” Kosakow

Each year, the CMJ Music Marathon descends upon New York City for five days in October. For bands, it is a chance to be discovered. For journalists, bloggers, photographers and the recording industry, it is an opportunity to stumble upon the next big thing. And for the fans, it is a chance to discover new music, a chance to witness the origins of a band, and perhaps more importantly, a chance to run around New York City for five days without a plan or a clue as to what they will find.

There is no “right” way to get through CMJ. Of the almost 1,100 musical acts who performed over the five days at this year’s marathon, even those fans heavily immersed in the music scene were familiar with only a small percentage. Some choose to see only the bands they already know and are familiar with. Some choose to pick a venue and stick with it for an entire evening. Others choose to pick bands based on their names, and still others just go to an area with the highest concentration of shows (generally the Lower East Side of Manhattan), and bounce around between venues. But no matter what method you choose, you are bound to find something you love, something you hate, or something completely weird.

As I am just one man, I was only able to see a (very, very, very) small percentage of the music played. But of the bands I was able to see, here are my recommendations.

These United States bring a sound similar to a combination of The Black Crowes and The Band, with vocals slightly reminiscent of the Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz. Comparisons aside, this quintet had a sound too big for Piano’s, the small bar that played host that evening. By adding a steel pedal guitar to the classic southern rock, they are allowed much greater diversity of sound and can bring in many more influences. And that may be their only true drawback – the lack of a definitive sound. Give them a little bit more time to find their true sound, though, and I’d put some money on seeing these guys in much larger venues.

READ ON for more of Jonathan’s recommendations…

The Faces reunited on Monday night at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London for a one-time charity show with Simply Red front man Mick Huchnall, Kiki Dee and Mel C replacing Rod Stewart – who couldn’t attend – on vocals. Drummer Kenney Jones told Music News Net that Stewart is up for a reunion when he finishes his current commitments to promote an album.

While we can’t wait to see the Rod-led Faces, this version of Stay With Me featuring Huchnall on vocals is smokin’. [via The Daily Swarm]

As usual, we’ve got six links to help you get over the mid-week hump…

• Bruce Springsteen will perform at Thursday’s Rock Hall concert
• Jeff Beck will fill in for Eric Clapton at Friday’s Rock Hall concert
• Tea Leaf Green have announced a New Year’s Eve gig in Phoenix
• John Paul Jones explains why a Plant-less Led Zeppelin didn’t tour
• John Zinkand reviews the latest Umphrey’s McGee Stew Art event
• Crawdaddy: Steely Dan continues to gel on their Rent Party Tour

Before we leave, our buddy Goff told us that pro poker player Jeff Shulman – a longtime Phish fan – has been wearing Phish gear throughout the World Series of Poker tournament. Thus far he’s worn a Phish tee, a Trey Anastasio tee and a Phish hoodie. As of last night’s episode, Shulman is still alive in the tournament and appears to be in good position to make the final table.

[via WickedChopsPoker]

Words: Daniel Schneier
Pictures: Will Porter

It’s taken The Avett Brothers 9 years, 11 albums and a tireless touring schedule to abandon the indie label cradle and enter the musical mainstream, though one evening with this North Carolina foursome leaves no doubt as to why they have courted the interest of big city suitors. The group is currently in the throes of a touring and promotional blitz in conjunction with the late September release of I and Love and You, their major-label debut, recorded in collaboration with acclaimed producer, accomplished beardsman and recently minted Columbia Records co-helmsman, Rick Rubin.

Having sold out two straight nights at the formidable “Fillmore” at Irving Plaza back in June, the Avett’s took on an even larger New York City stage on Saturday, October 17th, delivering a high-energy set of music to a packed house at Terminal 5. The band, consisting of talented multi-instrumentalists, Scott and Seth Avett, longtime bassist Bob Crawford and cellist, Joe Kwon, wasted no time in setting the night’s hootenanny tone, taking the stage around 9:15 to a roar of raucous approval from the audience.

With a swarm of homemade signs and t-shirts pressed up against the stage, and denizens of flannel-wearing, 20-somethings leaning off the venue’s 2nd and 3rd story balconies, the Avett’s broke out the ringing acoustical chords to opener, Paranoia in bFlat Major and proceeded to power through a breakneck paced 90-minute set of rock-infused folk and bluegrass.

READ ON for more on the Avetts from Dan and Will…

The first-ever Marco Benevento & Friends DVD – culled from footage shot during their Sullivan Hall residency in January of 2008 – hits stores on November 10. Those who pre-order the video will be treated to five additional videos that didn’t make the DVD. Here’s the trailer…

Marco Benevento & Friends – DVD Trailer [via LMB]

Each month, HT Contributor Ben Wiser will take a closer look at notable performances of Dark Star. If you have any favorite Stars you would like him to cover, send the date over to darkstarstories@yahoo.com

Last month I touched on the great Halloween night Dark Star from the Oakland Coliseum Arena back in 1991. That was the night Ken Kesey showed up and delivered his eulogy to Bill Graham. He recited some e.e. cummings and gave us the great line – “In any given situation there are always going to be more dumb people than smart people – we aint’ many.”

In honor of that and in honor everyone’s favorite holiday – here is a trick or treat bag of seminal October Dark Stars -

10/9/89 “Formerly the Warlocks!”

It’s been twenty years since Virginia heads got a treat when the boys played two hastily-planned nights at Hampton billed as “Formerly the Warlocks”. The first night featured the return of Help on the Way > Slipknot!, but the second night, whew.

READ ON for the rest of this month’s Dark Star Stories…

Phish’s Festival 8 kicks off on Friday at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, CA and those of us who can’t make it very excited to learn last night that Sirius will be broadcasting all eight sets including the “musical costume” and acoustic sets on their Jam_On Channel live as they happen.

[via Accuweather.com]

For those of you who will be making the trip out to Indio, we’d suggest stopping by the HeadCount booth to compete in their Reality Check game show for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind piece of art created by famed Phish poster artist Jim Pollock. Here are the deets…

“Reality Check” will pit you head-to-head with another competitor as a host quizzes you on Phish history, classic albums, the news and government. Plus, there will also be a Family Feud-style “Survey Says!” question. Win three straight times and you can advance to the Tournament of Champions, held before Phish’s final set of the weekend on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The Grand Prize winner will receive an uncut sheet of four Pollock Halloween masks. These masks will be available at the WaterWheel table throughout Festival 8, which will house a Pollock gallery. To make the “Reality Check” prize one-of-a-kind, Jim is doing a special illustration on one uncut sheet –  meaning the winner goes home with a true Pollock original. Other prizes include a Festival 8 merchandise pack and an autographed copy of the PhanArt book.

So brush up on your Phish trivia and at the absolute least you’ll walk away with some free Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream. Good luck!

• Previously on HT: Video – Trey on Phish Festivals,  Festival 8 Update – House of Live Phish & More, The Number Line – Potential Festival 8 Albums
• Live Updates From Festival 8: @YEMblog

While Yo La Tengo is taking the year off from their regular run of Hannukah shows, New Yorkers will still be able to celebrate the holiday with music as Matisyahu has announced the details for his fourth annual Festival Of Lights. The eight-show run, which will be split between Webster Hall and the Music Hall Of Williamsburg, will feature a diverse roster of opening acts which this year includes John Brown’s Body, Brothers Past, Kid Koala and a rare appearance from RANA. Tickets for the entire run are on-sale now.

If you can’t make it out to one of these eight crazy nights, than maybe you’ll be able to hit one of these recently announced tours…

• Stellastarr* puts together an 11-date cross-country trek
• Brendan Benson & Cory Chisel team up for a winter run
• Ray Davies will hit select cities backed by a full choir
• Guthrie Family Tour have scheduled shows into May of 2010
• Pelican head out in support of their latest release
• Julian Casablancas lines up a month long LA club residency

Finally, for those that may have gotten shut out of Phish’s three-night run at the World’s Most Famous Arena, or for the adventurous souls looking to keep the party going into the wee hours, a number of late-night shows have popped up around the Big Apple for your consideration.

Night one (December 2nd) will feature shows from Cornmeal at Sullivan Hall, Gordon Stone Band at Ace Of Clubs, Bustle In Your Hedgerow at the Highline and the Heavy Pets at BB Kings. Night two (December 3rd) brings us Steve Kimock at Sullivan Hall and Granola Funk Express at BB Kings. While the final night of the run (December 4th) sees Kimock and his Crazy Engine cohorts moving to over to BB’s, while U-Melt will be throwing down at Sullivan Hall. With all these options, what will you be hitting?

In general, when I arrive at a show and learn that I am walking in on an opening act that I was not aware of – I’m not very pleased. I had a timeline in my head of what I thought set times were going to be and realized that now, all of a sudden, every thing had been pushed back an hour. Sunday night however, it only took about five minutes for me to realize that I was going to be catching a great set of music from Clare & The Reasons, a band I had never heard of – in fact I did not know the name of the group until after their set was over and I swung by the merch table.

Clare & The Reasons touring band are a quartet, fronted by Clare Manchon and all four musicians are multi-instrumentalists. There was fiddle, trombone, clarinet, keyboards, guitars and basses constantly being passed around amongst all the members of the band, and while there was no percussionist…Clare had a foot-tambourine setup that added a little extra punch in the choruses of some songs.

They played the majority of their brand new album Arrow including the first-ever performance of the “Japanese Bonus Track”. As her set came to a close, Manchon announced that “You will all know this song” and launched into a great arrangement of That’s All (which is also on the album Arrow). With the signature piano line being played on a clarinet, the crowd – of unfortunately only dozens of people – let out an audible laugh and Clare quickly explained, “It’s not funny” into the microphone. This band is opening for Vic Chesnutt through November 7th, I highly recommend arriving early to check them out. Manchon’s gentle voice is a perfect fit for their type of music which borders somewhere between Twee Pop and gypsy street musicians. As my friend Indie Dan said, “Even though there wasn’t an accordion onstage, I totally could see them having one.”

Here is their music video for the song All The Wine:

READ ON for more from Dave including a review of Vic Chesnutt’s new band and to see the hilarious infomercial for Clare & The Reasons New Album…