Dark Star Orchestra @ The Capitol Theatre – May 9

Words: Chad Berndtson

They’re a tribute group, yes, and there will always be fans that just can’t get past that as a fundamental flaw. But I’ll say it again knowing full well what I’m in for: Dark Star Orchestra is the band from which I get the most Grateful Dead nourishment out of any touring ensemble these days.

I know what you’re saying, and some days, you’re right. And, look, I like Furthur just fine. And if Phil stops through with just about any group of Friends, I’m in. And Bob will be back soon in fighting shape, I’m sure, and I can’t wait to see what comes out of TRI Studios and Weir Here next. And 7 Walkers has so many great reasons for being, one of which is keeping  Bill Kreutzmann out there and playing. And if you haven’t yet experienced the current, space-a-delic lineup of the Mickey Hart Band, you’re missing a group that’s become a must-see – an event – in a very short amount of time.

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Dark Star Orchestra bassist Kevin Rosen will be leaving the band, Hidden Track can confirm.

Rosen, who as DSO’s “Phil Lesh” is its longest-tenured current member, has held down bass duties for the beloved Grateful Dead spirit band for more than 2,000 shows. He will sit out the first five shows of DSO’s spring tour, which begins May 9 at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. He will then return to finish out DSO’s string of May dates, including the Dark Star Jubilee May 24-26, with his last show with the band scheduled for June 1 at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

Bassist Skip Vangelas, who has played with DSO guitarist/vocalist Rob Eaton in the band Border Legion and was briefly in DSO himself in 2001, will fill in for Rosen during the first five shows of the May run, May 9-14 in the New York City area.

A representative from Dark Star Orchestra confirmed Rosen’s pending exit and the upcoming schedule to Hidden Track. In a note to Dark Star Orchestra fans and band mates scheduled for posting to DSO’s site Friday and viewed by Hidden Track, Rosen writes the following:

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A Friend of Phil, a regular at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios and Weir Here performances, a guest with Kimock, a swingman extraordinaire in the ongoing God Street Wine reunion, a member of Assembly of Dust…Jason Crosby’s been absolutely everywhere lately. And on top of all that, he’s still found time to work on original music and also tackle a series of interpretations tied to Beck’s Song Reader project.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

It seems like a lot. But if you’ve been aware of Crosby for a while – maybe from his stints with the Susan Tedeschi or Robert Randolph bands, maybe as a frequent sit-in guest in the New York area and at festivals, maybe from some other vantage on his adventurous body of work – you know this is how the man operates: his notoriety spreading, his presence ubiquitous, his talents for violin, keyboards and many other instruments in high demand.

In between appointments, Crosby was gracious enough to chat with Hidden Track for a few minutes and catch us up. We touched on pretty much all of his current projects, although it’s clear his recent involvement with the various priorities of Weir and Lesh has him most excited.

HIDDEN TRACK: Well first things first, you are based out West full time now, correct?

JASON CROSBY: Yes. I am in Marin County, specifically Mill Valley. It became official in February though I’ve been out here really since the beginning of the year when I came out to do some shows with Phil & Friends. I decided I wanted to stay a few weeks because I’d had such a great time with God Street Wine out here and wanted to see who else I would run into and meet.

I was considering relocating from New York anyway. And then I reconnected with Bob [Weir] and we had begun working on the Weir Here webcasts, so he was really the driving force to getting me out here. He had heard a bit about me maybe moving, and he said to me, there is a lot of stuff we could be doing if you move here. I could tell by the way he said it and the look in his eyes that he meant it.

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Vintage Trouble and Leogun @ Highline Ballroom – March 4

Words: Chad Berndtson

Vintage Trouble just feel like one of those bands: right there, on the precipice, the buzz building, the action getting heavy, the critics swooning, the crowds getting bigger and bigger. You see one or two of these every year – the Black Keys were there once, way the hell back in 2002, Mumford & Sons were getting there in early 2010 and Alabama Shakes hit that percolation point somewhere near the end of 2011 and into early 2012. That’s a lot of pressure for a young band, to hit that kind of stride, but then, if you took in Vintage Trouble’s balls-out blowout at the respectably packed Highline Monday night, you were at once enthralled and also certain you wouldn’t see them in a room this cozy again.

It’s not overstating things to call the Hollywood-based group one of the more richly entertaining rock ‘n’ soul bands of recent years: a spiritual union of Solomon Burke-style rave ups, James Brown-style theatricality and intensity, and layers of Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, Elvis and a galaxy of other throwbacks. But then, they don’t feel like an old-school soul revue: the sound is very immediate, punched up with raw, squalling guitar and pulse-pounding, un-slick rhythms, and unusual detours into swamp rock, rockabilly, neo-soul and smoldering blues. One moment, we’re clap-clapclap-clap-clapclap-ing, another, we’re shaking ass, another, we’re crowd surfing, and another, we’re watching lead guitarist Nalle Colle taffy-pull big, fat notes with roaring-dinosaur Hendrix tones.

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Bill Evans’ Soulgrass @ The Blue Note – March 3

Words: Chad Berndtson
Photos: Vernon Webb

See Bill Evans’ mesmerizing Soulgrass group enough and you start to wonder just how it works – how it can work, what with so much that could make it feel overcrowded or unfocused or too much “too much.”

[All Photos by Vernon Webb]

There’s the intensity of the jamming, sure, and that’s more than enough to warrant repeat visits. But the bluegrass-meets-jazz-meets-all-kinds-of-other-stuff concept is heady enough, and with this assemblage of players — sax, drums/vocals, bass, electric guitar, banjo, and, for this run of shows, anyway, keyboards — the potential is always for these performances to become mere hodgepodge. “You solo there, then I solo, and in doing so we’ve said something profound about how woodwinds and strings can find common ground somewhere between jazz, bluegrass, country, rock, funk and R&B.”

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The Allman Brothers Band’s multi-night residency at New York’s legendary Beacon Theatre isn’t merely a tradition – it’s a rite of spring that, despite some speedbumps and setbacks over the years, remains a reliably good time.

Years ago, it became fashionable to host Allmans pre-parties and aftershow concerts at smaller clubs throughout the city. Not only can the shows extend the excitement of seeing hot nights at the Beacon, they’re also a way for savvy promoters to showcase like-minded bands and, in some cases, pieces of the extended Allmans family to fans who are guaranteed to be out and about already.

The add-on show action waned a bit after the band’s epic 2009 40th anniversary run, but this year seems to have returned full-on, with a number of tasty-looking parties in Manhattan and Brooklyn dotting this year’s 11-show ABB residency. Here’s a look at 10 shows to hit as before- or after-parties for Beacon evenings – including the six shows at Lucille’s branded as the “Brothers Midnight Concert Series” — and also five suggestions for shows to hit if you’re visiting NYC and want to see great music on a night you’re not with the Allmans.

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“Spot the buzz band” is a favorite pastime in our scene, and right now, you could do a lot worse that put your marker next to the Revivalists, one of the best breakout New Orleans bands since Dumpstaphunk.

Theirs is a potent sound: a seven-piece horde playing plenty of the funky R&B you’d expect from the Crescent City, but also a songwriting sensibility that veers folk and even pop, along with a healthy dose of soul. Layered within that is a greasy swamp-rock streak that benefits heavily from a pedal steel — an unusual, but downright titillating context for such a rich instrument.

Word’s quickly getting out about their live show, and the Revivalists have already logged time as openers for Rebirth Brass Band, Galactic, Dr. John, J.J. Grey and Trombone Shorty. (Galactic’s Ben Ellman produced their second album, 2012′s City of Sound).

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Anders Osborne @ Brooklyn Bowl – December 21

Words: Chad Berndtson
Photos: Jeremy Gordon

Ultimately, Anders Osborne always sounds like himself. But as far as rock-history comparisons are ever useful, the one I keep coming back to is vintage Crazy Horse era Neil Young, where you’re not only getting the eardrum-shattering, brain-exploding guitar squall you came for but there’s also the sense of portent and foreboding, ever-present no matter how sweet or gentle the song appears. Anders writes heavy songs, tender songs, gutsy songs and sentimental songs, and your only guarantee is that each will be completely presented — merely playing or lightly jamming is never enough for his passionate, tortured soul — as an exhaustively potent workout.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

It was nice to see Osborne back for a full-on New York show, particularly after he bagged last month’s HeadCount finale at the last minute. Better yet, it was two shows — I caught the blistering first — and a completely different setlist each night, with the emphasis balanced between Anders staples and a sampling of new material and bustout covers.

Night one, overall, was by Anders standards a workmanlike two hours, adequately awesome, with the expected mix of black-chaos drug rockers and soulful, “we’re going to make it after all” kindnesses. Bassist Carl Dufresne and drummer Eric Bolivar are an effective rhythmic chassis, equally as patient with Anders as they are willing to indulge his many, roaring guitar flights. The ubiquitous Scott Metzger played the whole show as guitar foil, though Metzger as a guest musician was, as usual, respectful, content with a support function unless specifically egged on by Anders to shred a bit.

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Medeski, Martin and Wood w/ Nels Cline @ Blue Note – Dec. 12

Well, of course it was a good idea, and even if they hadn’t played this well, the titillation of seeing Medeski Martin & Wood in a room this small, decades into an adventurous and nearly-always-rewarding career, would have been a good enough reason to go. But then, there’s always something extra when MMW come home to the Big Apple.

[Photo via MMW Facebook Page]

The more you think about it — and the more you watch other acts who’ve been around and/or are as consistent as MMW, but who’ve undoubtedly faded with the burdens of time and expectations — the more you’re sure John, Billy and Chris have done things the right way over 21 years together.

That they don’t play together as often as they used to is, as Billy Martin told me over the summer, by design. It makes them better. It keeps things fresh. It makes the shows sound as organic and spry as possible. It reflects a collective understanding by three guys who are so intimately familiar with each other as musicians that they know the comfort level that made them that way can also make what they do feel routine and even antiseptic. Exceptional comfort among musicians is a double-edged sword, as everyone from Phish on down knows.

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HeadCount Participation Party @ Highline Ballroom – November 5

Words: Chad Berndtson
Photos: Jeremy Gordon

As we’ve often said in these pages, benefit shows with lots of announced special guests have a way of coming up short: packaged “moments,” awkward pacing, “super jams” that end up as little more than quick, haphazard exercises in pass-the-hat soloing on songs that aren’t so much improvisation vehicles as lowest common denominators.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

But heading into last night’s HeadCount Participation Tour finale in New York, there was THAT feeling: a night where there’d be room to dance, smiles to share and some gnarly magic. That it was a rager — and whoa mama, was it — shouldn’t have been a surprise, seeing there are few bands more adept at high-energy throwdowns than Dumpstaphunk, accommodating guests in often-messy succession.

There were good vibes all around, and despite repeated insistence to vote, almost no actual politics from the stage. And yeah, you had a damn good cause on top of a damn good cause; HeadCount had announced late last week that it would turn the benefit partly into a fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy challenges.

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Our scene doesn’t exactly lack for ace bluegrass and bluegrass-inspired combos, that’s for sure. But you have to tip your hat to the Infamous Stringdusters: a combo of pickers skilled enough to earn the admiration of serious bluegrass lovers, adventurous enough to stoke the interest of jaded jam-scene audiences long-skeptical of “next big things,” and buzzed-about enough to earn the professional admiration of fellow players and veteran scene staples.

Not bad for a band barely halfway into its first decade.

[Photo by Tom Daly]

Banjo player Chris Pandolfi, dobro player Andy Hall and former guitarist Chris Eldridge planted the seed for what would become the Stringdusters around 2005, after Pandolfi and Eldridge had met at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

Both musicians followed Hall to Nashville, and from there joined up with mandolinist Jesse Cobb and fiddler Jeremy Garrett. The last piece of the first incarnation of the band was Travis Book on bass, and almost right away – especially with the release of their debut album, Fork in the Road — the band started getting appreciative nods and industry laurels, including an armful of International Bluegrass Music Association awards.

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Jackie Greene describes his forthcoming album as “simple songs,” and we’re guessing it’s going to be a more intimate, self-contained affair than his most recent efforts, seeing as he’ll play all of the instruments and he’s also planning to pare down the final material from some 25 originals he’s been working on.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

Where he gets the time to do so much writing, it’s much tougher to say. The new, as-yet-untitled album is the latest milestone in a particularly charmed career that’s already seen several strong releases, a steady graduation from small clubs to theater-level gigs all over the country, and continued national exposure with both his own band and thanks to his ongoing collaborations with the likes of Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Chris Robinson, Warren Haynes and other jam scene luminaries.

“Phil [Lesh] once told me: ‘Don’t be afraid to fail.’ It stuck with me. You can try things on stage. Any idea is game. Some of them work, some don’t. That’s how the opera is made.” – Jackie Greene

Greene, who’s also, it must be noted, a particularly engaging blogger, has been a little tough to get ahold of in recent weeks, so we asked him to field a few questions via e-mail. He and the Jackie Greene Band kicked off a month-long, 18-date tour last week in the Southeastern U.S.

HIDDEN TRACK: What do these new songs sound like, compared to your last few albums

JACKIE GREENE: I’d say much more acoustic, for lack of a better word but that might change. Lots of ballads. Simple songs. I feel like the last record was too complicated for most people.

HT: You’re opting to play every instrument on the album yourself. Sounds liberating! Why this approach?

JG: We’ll see how that goes. I’ve done it before. I have a certain luxury of time and my own studio. That means things can change drastically.

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Sean Rowe has one of those voices: an oaky, resonant baritone that would suck you right in even if his songs weren’t so sturdy and compelling. Even a short listen to Rowe’s work, however — his voice, the quality of the writing and the spare, yet filling nature of his guitar accompaniment — confirm him as a triple-threat alt-folkie justifying all his buzz and then some.

But the voice, man. The voice.

Comparisons to Nick Cave get tossed around a bunch, and that’s legitimate. I hear at least as much, however, of Willard Grant Conspiracy’s Robert Fisher and Tindersticks’ Stuart Staples. And even that’s limiting; Rowe’s is an instrument malleable enough to shade into Johnny Cash territory, maybe even Tom Waits if he scuffs it a bit.

Rowe’s label home is Anti-, the same as Cave and Waits and on which he has a sterling new album, The Salesman and the Shark. The combination of that album and 2011′s under-the-radar gem, Magic, is a good place to start, as are live recordings. (Rowe’s 7/21/12 show at New York’s Mercury Lounge, linked here in a superb capture by the irrepressible NYCTaper, is a good example, featuring achingly on-point covers of Waits’ Jesus Gonna Be Here, Leonard Cohen’s Bird On a Wire and the Violent Femmes’ Gone Daddy Gone, in addition to unhurried, fleshed-out readings of Rowe originals like Joe’s Cult and The Walker.)

At least as important to Rowe’s make-up is his passion for the wilderness. Rowe’s love of naturalism originally started after reading Tom Brown’s The Tracker at 18, and turned into taking courses at Brown’s Wilderness Survival School in New Jersey, solo survival quests, studying under wild food experts, instructing wilderness survival students, and blogging for the Albany Times Union on the subject. It’s not always completely obvious in his music, but it’s the type of personal attribute that add a level of understanding to some of his lyrical choices – and for many listeners, that enhances the experience.

Rowe, who briefly caught up with Hidden Track earlier this month, is on tour this fall, including two nights opening up for Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers in New York this week.

HIDDEN TRACK: Your interest in naturalism is well documented. In what ways does that directly inform your songwriting?

SEAN ROWE: I wrote a song called the Lonely Maze. The answer is in that song.

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The number of projects to which Keller Williams is devoted as both a solo artist and collaborator would make most musicians’ heads explode, but for Keller, they’re all steps — very necessary steps — into what the irreverent guitarist and singer calls “the world of different.”

That’s part of what’s preserved Keller’s long-held reputation as one of the scene’s singular presences, and endeared him to an ever-growing list of friends and collaborators that stretches to the farthest reaches of the jam scene and elsewhere. In the past few years alone, he’s toured and jammed with countless musicians in a dozen genres, made a children’s music album, made an album entirely focused on his under-heralded skills as a bassist, and recorded at least two more albums’ worth of music that hasn’t even been released yet because there just hasn’t been time to properly slot it.

Keller still has plenty of 2012 dates left, including an appearance at the Jomeokee Music & Arts Festival, Sept. 14-16 in Pinnacle, North Carolina. But his next project — details of which he revealed to Hidden Track in a recent interview — may be his most intriguing yet. Read on for those details, what brought Keller together with the fabled McCoury clan among other recent co-conspirators, and why that “world of different” continues to hold so much appeal.

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7 Walkers, Steve Kimock and Yarn @ Beekman Beer Garden, August 1

It’s been almost two years since the eponymous debut album from 7 Walkers arrived, and boy, does it hold up well to repeat listens: a swampy, humid, oddball curio collection of music that, to these ears, is the strongest, deepest studio release by any post-Jerry band featuring a surviving Grateful Dead member.

[Photo by Michael Stein from 8/3]

As a live unit, it’s taken them a little longer to fulfill that promise. Early 7 Walkers shows had the spark Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne and Bill Kreutzmann stumbled on as kindred musical spirits, but little fire, as the band was still feeling itself out, and Welbourne, especially, was finding his way around music that required a different guitar attack than perhaps he was used to. In 2009 and 2010, 7 Walkers shows were fun and rollicking, but also tentative; Welbourne, Kreutzmann, bass ace George Porter Jr. and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard knew they had something that would transcend just a really interesting side project, but the improvisational potential was barely tapped.

What’s appeared to have happened over three years, however, is beautifully organic growth: a band gradually developed, fed and cared for and subtly adjusted, versus something thrust out there to prove a point. The 7 Walkers of 2012 sounds even less like a Dead band and more like the spicy, chunky gumbo of New Orleans swamp-rock, R&B and blues it was intended to be. It’s a band really opening up its originals and playing Dead tunes less out of obligation and more out of feel, with the transitions more spry, the pace more patient and groovy, and the jamming — especially the jamming — more confidently aware.

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