Our buddy Sunil was down at Jazz Fest and has shared a couple of videos we think you’ll dig.

Supergroup Dragon Smoke was one of many incredible bands to play last week’s Fiya Fest. This group consists of Eric Lindell, Ivan Neville, Stanton Moore and Rob Mercurio. At their Fiya Fest set, Dragon Smoke was joined by a horn section that included Skerik. One of the songs the group performed at Fiya Fest was a cover of Landslide from Fleetwood Mac’s eponymous 1975 album.

Neville has sung the tune before during his solo piano set aboard Jam Cruise 11, but we like this reggae-tinged version of the Fleetwood Mac classic even better. Check it out…

On May 4 New Orleans’ Bonerama played a gig at Feret Street Publiq House in The Crescent City. During Bonerama’s set, the band performed a horn-driven cover of the Grateful Dead’s West L.A. Fadeaway that’s unlike any version of the song we’ve ever heard.

READ ON

Virginia native Bruce Hornsby has been performing The Way It Is for nearly 30 years at this point, yet he always keeps his biggest hit fresh in concert by screwing with the arrangement or bringing up special guests. Or sometimes both, as was the case during Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where the one-time Grateful Dead member brought out the horn section from local favorites Bonerama for a samba-fied take on the tune. Check it out…

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers w/ Bonerama Horns – The Way It Is

War Pigs is the first track on Black Sabbath’s 1970 release Paranoid, their best-selling album. On a personal note, I have two distinct early memories of this song. 1) Listening to my brother’s Faith No More CD and initially thinking it was their tune. 2) Later, at the age of 17, seeing Gov’t Mule destroy this song at BankBoston Pavilion as part of Summer Sessions (there were also sets from Galactic, SCI and moe.) Covers by both these bands will of course be included. Let’s have a listen.

The Contestants:

I know what you were thinking. You’re going to lead off with the version with all the trombones right? Yes, we are – thanks Bonerama. Audio Source: 2-13-2008

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READ ON for more covers of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs…

New Orleans-based funksters Bonerama won themselves many new fans last October during a month-long residency in the Northeast. The sextet will see if lightning strikes twice this November when they embark on a tour that includes three weekly residency stops and features a slew of special guests including Steve Kimock, Kyle Hollingsworth and Shmeeans.

Each Friday in November, Bonerama will perform at Sullivan Hall welcoming different guests each week. Saturday November 13th and November 20th, the trombone-based group hits Philadelphia’s North Star Bar while Sundays finds the brassy funk act at The 8 x 10 in Baltimore. A number of guests have been announced – such as two shows with Hollingsworth and Kimock joining in – but many more will remain undisclosed until just before the performances if at all. Here’s the full list of dates and announced guests…

November 4 The Stone Church – Newmarket, NH
November 5 Sullivan Hall – New York City, NY w/ Adam Smirnoff & Members of Morphine and Jeremy Lyons
November 6 Market Street Live – Wilmington, DE
November 7 The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD w/ Adam Smirnoff
November 10 Wonder Bar – Allston, MA
November 11 Narrows Center for the Arts – Fall River, MA
November 12 Sullivan Hall – New York City, NY w/ TBA
November 13 North Star Bar – Philadelphia, PA w/ TBA
November 14 The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD w/ Cris Jacobs
November 16 Chico’s House of Jazz – Asbury Park, NJ
November 18 Church of Boston – Boston, MA w/ Nate Wilson Group
November 19 Sullivan Hall – New York City, NY w/ Nate Wilson Group, Kyle Hollingsworth & Steve Kimock
November 20 North Star Bar – Philadelphia, PA w/ Nate Wilson Group, Kyle Hollingsworth & Steve Kimock
November 21 The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD w/ Nate Wilson Group and Kyle Hollingsworth

Head over to Bonerama’s website for much more information on the run including details on the band’s innovative Boner Donor program.

The second weekend of Jazz Fest is upon us and one of the more intriguing shows in the French Quarter takes place at Tipitina’s French Quarter late night on Saturday where Bonerama will be joined by Mike Mills and Scott McCaughey of R.E.M. Mike and the Bonerama boys have a bit of history after the R.E.M. bassist sat in with them last October at the Future of Music Coalition show in Washington D.C. for a few choice covers.

Tickets for Bonerama @ Tip’s are onsale now. Also, just a reminder that Tipitina’s Webcast Series continues tonight with a broadcast of Railroad Earth starting at 10PM CDT followed by Karl D tomorrow night.

Let’s take a gander at a few choice links of interest this hump day…

• We’ve been enjoying the Corgan vs. Love battle on Twitter
• List Time: The Top 13 Lists The Top 13 Live Albums
• Who would’ve guessed Letterman was a big power-punk fan?
• Klosterman explains why Beck’s Loser defines the ’90s
• The NY Times profiles Live Nation chairman Irving Azoff
• Will Flo & Eddie join Zappa Plays Zappa as guests in ’11?

Finally, Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman loves sports and loves talking about sports. For his latest Steve Gorman Sports! podcast, Gorman spins the Rolling Stones’ Exile outtake Plunder My Soul and chats about attending the upcoming Kentucky Derby on Saturday. [via Swampland]

Last Week’s Sauce is a recurring column featuring recordings of shows from the previous week. Thanks to taperj for this week’s photo.

Artist & Title: Bonerama – Whipping Post
Date & Venue: 2009-10-03 The Rex Theater, Pittsburgh PA
Taper & Show Download: tonedeaf

In case you missed it, last month we featured a great interview with Mark Mullins of Bonerama. Bonerama plays tonight at Main Pub in Manchester, CT.

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READ ON to hear three tracks from the recent Thom Yorke shows…

If you’re a Northeast-based fan of the gobsmackingly excellent Bonerama and its brass-based approach to funk, rock & R&B, October’s your month.

[Photo by Dave Vann]

The New Orleans trombone brigade will be spending almost the entire four-week stretch playing in Northeastern markets, from Baltimore to Maine, including three weekly residencies: four Thursdays (Oct. 1, 8, 15 and 22) at Club Metronome in Burlington, Vt., four Fridays (Oct. 2, 9, 16 and 23) at Sullivan Hall in New York, and three Wednesdays (Oct. 14, 21 and 28) at Johnny D’s in Somerville, MA. This is a big-bonin’ deal.

Though founding ‘bonists Mark Mullins and Craig Klein still anchor the lineup, Bonerama’s changed a bit from its horn-heavy beginnings, and in the past year made a seismic adjustment to its sound, beginning to use an electric bass instead of a sousaphone on the low end. In addition to Mullins and Klein, the October touring lineup includes trombonist Greg Hicks, organist Joe Ashlar, guitarist Bert Cotton, drummer Eric Bolivar, and bassist Nori Naraoka.

Hidden Track caught up with Mullins to find the band busier than ever – and the residencies are only the tip of the tentacle. It has a new EP on the way – check out a meaty When the Levee Breaks – and is also launching a new fan donation service, the Boner Donor program, that offers exclusive content and even an opportunity to go on the road with the band based on tiered donation levels. As Mullins suggested, it’s all part of evolution.

HIDDEN TRACK: Those of us in the Northeast are going to be seeing a lot of you in October, and that’s awesome. Why the residencies and why now?

MARK MULLINS: It’s a nice problem to have. People are always pulling on us, asking when are you coming to the west coast, or Colorado, or New York, or whatever. And when we pass through those places it might be once or twice a year. So, instead of visiting a place and taking off, we’ve got like two years’ worth of NYC, Vermont and Boston appearances crammed into October. I do the setlists, and I’m a big fan of keeping things interesting and progressing, and to be able to use that creatively in a one month period and really mix it up, well it’s very exciting for us. It’s going to allow us to reach a whole new bunch of fans I think.

READ ON for more of Chad’s chat with Mark of Bonerama…

With the NCAA Tournament getting into full swing this evening, we wanted to create a little March Madness around these parts as well. We’ve taken 16 past Cover Wars champions and matched them up against each other to see which one our readers thinks is the best of the best.

Today, we kick things off with our round of 16 which finds some tough matchups in each of our brackets. Let’s take a look at the matchups:

1. Killing In The Name – tDB vs. Peaches en Regalia – Bonerama
2. Spanish Castle Magic – PBS vs. A Day In The Life – Phish
3. Sledgehammer – DMB vs. Wind Cries Mary – Martin Sexton
4. The Seeker – Pearl Jam vs. Sittin’ In Limbo – Garcia/Grisman
5. Making Flippy Floppy – UM vs. Bell Bottom Blues – Trey
6. Jealous Guy – RMB vs. Can’t Find My Way Home – WSP
7. Creep – Mule vs. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Blotto
8. Don’t Let Me Down – Van Ghost vs. Not Fade Away – Grateful Dead

READ ON to listen to, read about and vote on the Sweet 16…

We’re celebrating Fat Tuesday with the video debut of New Orleans funksters Bonerama. This video for Big Fine Woman comes from PartyGras2009.com – a site anchored by PBS and Bonerama that will feature new music in the form of live shows, a single of a brand new song, or an archival release from back in the day every Tuesday in 2009…

Bonerama – Big Fine Woman

• CLICK HERE TO BUY THE FULL-LENGTH VERSION

We’d like to welcome back Cock Jenkins to review Bonerama’s performance at Funk Fest III at The Parish in Austin, Texas…

In the self-proclaimed music capitol of the world there seems to be no shortage of musicians performing and interacting together in Austin, Texas. But when one music capitol of the world is invaded by musicians from another music capitol of the world (say, New Orleans for example), it’s safe to bet you’ll see some firepower. Or more aptly, funkpower as was displayed over the weekend at FunkFest III at the Parish on 6th Street in downtown Austin. Two nights of hard-hitting raw funk that leaned heavy on the grooves of today’s Austin and New Orleans best in funk brass and jam music including Stanton Moore Trio, The Greyhounds ftr Topaz, Flyjack and T-Bird & The Breaks. Headlining FunkFest III Saturday night was New Orleans’ new brand of horn heavy sounds, Bonerama who by all accounts either have a lot of trombones in the band or spend too much time online.

READ ON for more from Bonerama in Austin…

We’d like to welcome C. Jenkins to the team to review a concert in New Orleans that combined two of the best acts the Crescent City has to offer…

[Photo by Erika Goldring]

In a legendary square in the heart of New Orleans where over a century ago countless men fell in duels under the live oaks that still stand, last Thursday night’s show with Bonerama (BNR) and special guest George Porter Jr. was nothing about dueling and everything about two musical forces of today’s New Orleans coming together for an amazing night of musical celebration in a city that appreciates life just a bit more these days.

Once the bones took the stage last night at Lafayette Square in New Orleans, it was clear this would be no ordinary BNR show. Of course these days with the bones gaining so much road experience under their belts, that could be ANY night on a BNR stage. But tonight it would be George Porter Jr. being the catalyst for driving them off the main BNR highway into the uncharted territory that we all love.

READ ON for more of C. Jenkins’ BNR w/ George Porter Jr. review…

Famed treadmillers OK Go spent the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans recording with funky soul tromboners Bonerama, and the five-song benefit EP comes out, appropriately, today. Read on after the jump for details on the Fat Tuesday iTunes release, and tune in next Monday when Bonerama and Damian Kulash from OK Go perform one of the songs on Letterman…

The University of Georgia absolutely crippled overmatched Hawaii in last night’s Sugar Bowl, the Bulldogs making the islanders look more like Rainbow Flag-Waving Nancy Boys than Rainbow Warriors (though that’d be too long a nickname).

The highlight of the game may very well have been the National Anthem, arranged and performed exceptionally by New Orleans’ own Bonerama. Our friend J-Love is quite possibly the band’s real-deal #1 fan, and she’s pretty damn cool, so by some sort of modus tollens or ponens logic corollary, we’re also big fans of the ‘Rama. So when they get airtime in front of 80,000 people and the entire football-watching populace, we think that qualifies as news. Take it away, gang:

• Related Bonerama Video: Crosstown Traffic — 4/22/05
• Related Bonerama Video: Chicky Wah Wah from 2007
• Best Anthem Ever: Marvin Gaye at the 1983 NBA Allstar Game