Everybody Wants To Rule The World was a chart-topping single off the 1985 Tears For Fears album Songs From The Big Chair.

According to Roland Orzabal, Everybody Wants To Rule The World was written and recorded in two weeks and was the last cut to make the album. Good thing they got it in there.

The Contestants:

The Bad Plus: The Bad Plus show up a lot on Cover Wars, often leading off (because we use alphabetical order) and easing us in with instrumental renditions. This is the second song to be included in a Cover Wars from their 2007 album Prog (see also Life On Mars Cover Wars) Source: Prog

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READ ON for the scoop on the rest of this week’s contestants…

Mike Greenhaus may not have gotten his start as a writer quite as far back as 15th century ancient Europe, but he is a Renaissance Man so-to-speak.

Having cut his teeth at just about every task under the jamband and indie sun, he now holds down the role of Executive Editor at Relix/Jambands.com, co-hosts the ever popular Cold Turkey podcast series, developed a burgeoning videocast for the forthcoming Relix website and continues to help lead both Relix and jambands.com into the next generation.

With all the positive changes a foot over yonder, Mike kindly offered to shed some light on everything from his humble beginnings, to the future of the Jammy’s, to the redesigns of both websites, to some tips for Larry David in this, one of our most insightful editions of Writer’s Workshop to date.

Hidden Track: For starters, could you explain how you got started writing about music and ultimately grew into the Executive Editor seat at Relix?

Mike Greenhaus: Well, I was always the type of dork that spent more time working on the school newspaper than playing hockey, but I guess I really started writing about music in college. I went to a small liberal arts school at a time when the jamband scene was coming into its own before the first Bonnaroo and got to interview String Cheese Incident, the Disco Biscuits, moe., Dispatch and Addison Groove Project as an editor at my college newspaper. Relix was my favorite magazine, and I also started writing reviews for Jambands.com, one if our websites, after sending in a blind pitch.

READ ON for more of Writer’s Workshop with Mike Greenhaus…

Dark Star Orchestra on Monday confirmed that guitarist/singer John Kadlecik is leaving the band. The official word on Kadlecik, who has played “Jerry” in the well-traveled, well-oiled Grateful Dead tribute since its 1997 inception, is that he has officially resigned.

[Photo of Jeff Mattson and John Kadlecik by David Gans]

According to a statement from the band, Kadlecik’s last show with Dark Star Orchestra will be its Dec. 5 date in Buffalo, NY. Kadlecik has in recent months been playing with Furthur, the Bob Weir/Phil Lesh project that has New York, New Jersey and Connecticut dates scheduled in early December and will ring in the New Year in San Francisco.

Kadlecik will be replaced on a temporary basis by Zen Tricksters frontman Jeff Mattson, who was already announced as a fill-in guest for several of the band’s upcoming dates, and will be with the band for its New Year’s run, its upcoming spot on Jam Cruise and a Winter Tour that will kick off in February.

Dark Star Orchestra publicist Dave Weissman tells Hidden Track that Mattson’s assignment will be temporary, and that DSO has begun a search for a permanent replacement.

READ ON for more on this breaking story…

Railroad Earth has confirmed to Hidden Track that bassist Johnny Grubb will leave the band at the end of the year. According to a spokesperson, Grubb’s last shows with the band will be its New Year’s Run concerts in San Francisco, CA (Dec. 27, 28) and Portland, OR (Dec. 30, 31).

[Photo by Lewis Cooper of GonzoShots.com]

Grubb first indicated he would leave Railroad Earth in a post to his personal blog on Wednesday. According to the bassist, the decision was one borne of a “medium-range plan that had me exiting RRE at the end of [2010]” and continuing into a career in production and computer programming.

“About a year and a half ago (as regular readers know), the flame of my creativity began lighting a different path than the one I was on with RRE,” Grubb wrote. “I’d always been pretty good with computers. I only recently realized that the main reason that I like recording and production so much was mainly because it involves using and being good with computers. It took an iPhone to spark the idea that I should take matters into my own hands and start learning how to program myself.”

Grubb writes that he accelerated his plans depart once it became apparent that Railroad Earth was about to sign a new record deal. The deal was hinted at by RRE’s Todd Sheaffer in an interview with Hidden Track earlier this week. READ ON for more on Johnny Grubb leaving RRE…

Now that we’ve had a few weeks to look at all of the photos from Phish’s Festival 8, we’ve put together our list of the best costumes at the event. It was a difficult decision as there were dozens of amazing ideas from multiple Festival 8 basketball teams to various Angry Mobs of Joggers to Pocahontas, but we whittled down the contenders to a list of ten.

10. American Gladiators

[Photo by Melany]

Thank god these characters ignored the recent version of American Gladiators in favor of the original ’80s edition. They really do look like Nitro and Blaze. READ ON for the top nine costumes at Phish’s Festival 8…

As another top-flight year with his Railroad Earth mates winds to a close, Todd Sheaffer will take a trip down memory lane before it ends.

[All photos by Adam Kaufman]

Last month came word that Sheaffer and the other former members of From Good Homes — the eclectic, cult-beloved New Jersey group that didn’t quite escape the 1990s — would reunite for the first time in a decade to play two shows, scheduled for December 18 and 19 at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ.

Hidden Track caught up with Sheaffer recently to hear a little about the long-awaited Homes reunion and what Railroad Earth has in store for the new year, too.

HIDDEN TRACK: Railroad Earth seems well. You guys have been staying busy.

TODD SHEAFFER: We’re good, really good. We’ve got some big shows coming up. and we’re going to be doing a big New Year’s run out in San Francisco and Portland. It’s awesome — we’re doing a couple nights at the Fillmore, which is one of the great venues of all time of course and one we obviously love to play at, and we’ll be in Portland for the new year again, like last year. READ ON for more of Chad’s chat with Todd Sheaffer…

Seeing the boys from Leroy Justice on stage tends to remind me of the scene in Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke when Curtis first passes out the new uniforms to the band.

Man (Chong): No, hey man, if we’re gonna wear uniforms man, you know let’s have everybody wear something different.
Pedro (Cheech): Yea, that’s it. Yea, we want something wear everybody wears something different man, but the same, you know?

Always dressed to the nines in their “same, but different” vests and three piece suits, Leroy Justice have managed to differentiate themselves as a distinct up-and-coming rock band in New York City – no easy feat to say the least. In the past year, the band put out a killer record with producer John Siket (of The Siket Disc fame), shared the stage with some impressive names like Hill Country Revue, Backyard Tire Fire, RANA, & Cornmeal and struck up a friendship and distribution collaboration with the folks at Hittin’ the Note Magazine (an Allman Brothers & friends glossy). Trust me, it won’t be long before smaller acts hope to share the stage with them.

We caught up with lead vocalist and guitar player Jason Gallagher on the heels of the group’s big Halloween show at the storied old Greenwich Village haunt the Bitter End to check in on all the exciting developments throughout their banner ‘09.

Ryan Dembinsky: First off, let’s talk about the Halloween show where you performed Steve Miller’s Greatest Hits in its entirety. Don’t get me wrong — I mean, who doesn’t like some Steve Miller — but this is a pretty random selection. Can you tell us how this choice came to fruition?

Jason Gallagher: Our friend Steve Zahn (actor, guitarist, and owner of a horse named “Dude”), suggested it a while back when we were talking about possibly doing another Halloween cover album. In high school, we pretty much listened to that greatest hits album daily, and I never got tired of it. It always represented this super sweet sounding “produced” rock ‘n’ roll. Also, it’s a ton of fun to play, and that’s what we like our Halloween shows to be. READ ON for more of Ryan’s chat with Jason Gallagher…

Hidden within the soul of certain cops is the feeling that they’re above the law. I’m not saying they’re not, mind you. They do get to sample the best dope, beat on the innocent and drive way past the speed limit. To Protect and Serve, as it were. But whom?

And speaking of The MAN, we slither into the City of Lost Angels in our latest thrill ride (and this one has a manic drive down the wrong way of a very crowded freeway), directed by William Friedkin, who made his name in the ’70s with two classics, The French Connection, and The Exorcist. The former, a tale about the devil on the outside; the latter, about the devil inside. In this week’s Hidden Flick, there is a sinister combination of the two wrapped into one character played by ex-CSIer William Petersen.

To Live and Die in L.A. should have been a comeback film for Friedkin, and a breakout performance for Petersen, who was a Chicago stage actor at that time (and, actually, went back to that role before, during, and after, his stint on that popular television show), while the director was mired in films that didn’t seem to capture the popular Zeitgeist. And who really gives a shit? What is popular? What is a stupid German term like Zeitgeist but an excuse to whip out the Andy Warhol card that says ‘15 minutes of fame happening’?

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

I’ve never really understood the Bruce Springsteen hardcore fans who catch The Boss all over the world as often as they can. I mean, how many times can you see the E Street Band play Born To Run?

Bruce & The E Street Band w/ Elvis Costello – Higher & Higher

Last night, as I approached Madison Square Garden, I noticed a massive single file line stretching from the sign in front of the venue to the box office and was told this was the “drop line” filled with Bruce fans hoping for a last minute ticket release for the group’s first of two MSG shows. As a diehard fan of a different band I appreciated the zealousness of the Boss fanbase. By the end of the first song I also appreciated the zealousness of The Boss himself – a performer who does anything and everything to make the crowd happy.

Scoring tickets to a Springsteen show in the New York City area is always tough but finding ducats for this two-show run was near impossible. Besides the drop line there were hundreds of people circling the arena trying to find tickets. A couple of factors led to the unusual demand for the two MSG shows. With only eight shows left to go before the band’s upcoming indefinite hiatus, fans fear this tour may be the last for the E Street Band which would make this their last shows in NYC. Also, a few days ago Springsteen announced he would be performing all of 1973’s The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle [WIESS] at Saturday night’s show to the delight of fans that have been chasing the multiple rarities from that album. Everything was setup for a classic which is just what we got.

READ ON for more from Scotty on Bruce Springsteen @ MSG…

Words: Tim Hara
Images: Matt Speck

Everyone inside the Auditorium Theatre knew that they were in for a special night. It was the first time that Philadelphia’s Disco Biscuits were playing a Halloween show in Chicago. This was a big deal.

The venue was absolutely stunning – an old opera house that has been open for almost 120 years. Huge murals are painted on the walls that are surrounded by intricate, ornamental carvings. The sound is loud and crisp and there are great sightlines from virtually every seat in the house. There are multiple balconies with the highest one making the performers look like ants on stage. No fans ventured that high unless they wanted to. The orchestra level and first balcony were completely filled with kids in their wildest costumes. They anxiously awaited what tricks and treats the Disco Biscuits had up their sleeves for the night.

After Holy F*ck and The Glitch Mob opened things up with some early dance parties, the Biscuits took the stage dressed as “classy zombies,” with their costumes complete with suits and lots of fake blood. As they looked out over the crowd, it seemed as though even they were amazed that they were playing in such an awesome venue. The group opened the show with a stand-alone instrumental, Strobelights and Martinis, which seemed very appropriate with its dark theme. This version was solid, but straightforward without much of a jam.

READ ON for more from the Disco Biscuits’ Halloween show…