Prog-jammers Umphrey’s McGee gave the crowd at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater a night they’ll never forget on Halloween when the Chicago-based sextet presented their first Halloween Monster Mashup. The gents mashed up a number of classic and modern covers and originals including a brilliant pairing of their own Phil’s Farm with the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army, Pink Floyd’s Money and Led Zeppelin’s How Many More Times.
[All Photos by Mike Sherry]
HT Contributor Mike Sherry took a slew of terrific shots of this memorable evening. Let’s start by looking at the band’s mashed up costumes…
Jake Cinninger = Beezelbub Dylan
READ ON for more of Mike Sherry’s photos from UM’s Halloween gig…
Last night at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB kicked off the Northern Exposure tour. We live blogged about the show, but this morning we’ve got a tremendous group of photos Jeremy Gordon took of Big Red and his merry band of brothers.
Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB
October 16, 2008
Roseland Ballroom
New York, NY
I: [8:27PM] Sand, Cayman Review, Let Me Lie, Gotta Jibboo, Dragonfly, First Tube [9:27PM]
II: [9:54PM] Alaska, Last Tube, Sweet Dreams Melinda, Valentine, Drifting, Brian and Robert*, Chalkdust Torture*, The Way I Feel, Spin [11:13PM]
E: [11:17PM] Heavy Things, Burlap Sack and Pumps [11:34PM]
* Solo acoustic
READ ON for more of Jeremy’s amazing photos from last night’s show…
Our favorite dynamic duo, Carla Danca (words) and Jeremy Gordon (images) headed to Moogfest on Monday night and filed this report…
This past Monday night in New York City, high above the Hammerstein Ballroom, an intimate celebration for took place. Now, while many of us are not aware of the back story or the influence of MOOG, if you check out the credits of many of your favorite artists you’ll probably find a MOOG synthesizer listed right by the top. It was a night filled with music to remember the late founder Bob Moog and his inventions which have furthered the sound of music and fueled the imaginations of countless musicians.
The night started with The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band giving us an intro of some of the sounds that can come out of this amazing instrument. Producing the signature dark, stormy and at times moodiness associated with many Floyd songs they got the night rolling with a great rendition of Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
When Prison Shank (Aron Magner, Joe Russo, Jamie Shields and Ryan Stasik) took the stage however, a whole new sound, mood and demeanor took over the stage including a surprise full set sit in by Jake Cinninger. While technically this was Prison Shank’s first night on stage together you could tell by the easy nods and signals being shot across the stage that these guys are far from strangers.
READ ON for more of Jeremy’s photos and Carla’s thoughts from Moogfest…
Just before Hampton came alive again, Phish keyboardist Page McConnell hit the road for a four-night jaunt with Porter, Batiste and Stoltz. On Friday night, the quartet brought the MOODOO to NYC’s B.B. King’s. Andrew DeRosa kindly contributed a full report which we’ve teamed up with Jeremy Gordon’s typically stunning photographs. Let’s take a look…
“Good funk, real funk, is not played by four white guys from Vermont.” However, good real funk comes out the pores of George Porter Jr. and Russell Batiste. George Porter is a living legend. He’s up there with Larry Graham– except George Porter never got cheesy. He left that to Art Neville. With Art Neville out of the line up, the other members of the Funky Meters are unhinged. With the addition of cow-funker Page McConnell we’ve got some shit yo.
The first few tunes the band was warming up and I could barely hear Page in the mix. I wondered if this would be the case all night– a shy Page playing some back-up all night. As Brent Mydland once described his roll in the Grateful Dead, Page was “adding color”. He played a nice version of Jealous Guy, which sounded closer to the Donny Hathaway version with such a solid rhythm section behind him. It was weird hearing Page play clean piano from a Yamaha rather than the Baby Grand. After Jealous Guy, the rest of the set saw the band warmed up, locked in and inspired. Brian Stoltz can really take off on guitar and has the ability to dial in his tone. However, sometimes he just sounds like a talented New Orleans bar band guitarist– good, not great. I can’t say enough good things about Porter and Batiste. They are motherfuckers. The real deal.
READ ON for more from Page McConnell and PBS at B.B. King’s…
As you may remember from our three-part B List series, we’re disturbingly enamored with stage setlists. Just today, our new friends at Rolling Stone posted a kickass photo of Beck preparing the official setlist for his tour opener in Reno.
[Photo by Chris Tuite for Rolling Stone]
Be sure to check out the entire article for more on Beck’s tour, including his scrapped lighting ideas and his collaborations with opener Devendra Banhart.
On labor day weekend Jeremy Gordon and Carla Danca headed to the ninth annual moe.down and filed this report on the festival…
Is there a way to better sum up a beautiful weekend in upstate NY than Abigail Washburn’s proclamation to those gathered on the slope Saturday evening? “What a wonderful festival, where a band throws a party, invites all their friends, family, favorite musicians and the best fans to share the weekend.” Even after a summer of soaring gas prices and packed with festivals, the moe.rons didn’t hesitate to make the trek up to moe.down 9 at Snow Ridge Mountain in Turin, NY. The annual thank you party drew a wide assortment of sounds that brought fans young and old out to the main stage and beer tent set among the chair lifts and rolling slopes of the Tug Hill region of the Adirondacks that makes up moe.’s backyard.
One difference between moe.down and most other festival this summer was apparent at the side stage; this was truly a show for the fans by the fans. In the beer tent, hand-picked new generation acts were given multiple sets to allow them to truly show off more than just a quick taste of their skills. U-Melt started the festival off on Friday evening with three sets including a tribute to Michael Jackson on his 50th birthday that included Billie Jean, Wanna be Starting Something and ended with the entire tent entranced into their own version of the Thriller video.
READ ON for more thoughts and photos from moe.down 9…
On Thursday night at the Park West in Chicago, former Tombstone Blues Band bassist Mike Gordon treated fans to a show that was unbelievably strange, even for eccentric Cactus. Gordon brought out stilt walkers with human puppets, jugglers, a hula hooper and other circus performers to help him act out the story behind Andleman’s Yard from his latest album, The Green Sparrow.
[All Photos By Joel Berk]
Joel Berk was on hand at Park West and here are his amazing photos:
Mike Gordon
9/4/08
Park West
Chicago, IL
O: Andelman’s Yard > Dig Further Down, Cruel World > Ain’t Love Funny, Andelman’s Yard > Morphing Again > Andelman’s Yard > Traveled Too Far, Things That Make You Go Hmmm > Andelman’s Yard > Voices, Andelman’s Yard > Another Door
READ ON for more photos and videos from the Mike Gordon Variety Show…
Yesterday, we welcomed photographer/journalist Mike Sherry into the Hidden Track Family to add some much needed coverage of the West Coast. For Mike’s first assignment he headed out to Morrison, Colorado for a wonderful weekend at arguably the world’s most beautiful music venue: Red Rocks.
The afternoon of day two saw a thunderstorm roll over just as doors opened, but as is often the case at Red Rocks the front blew through with plenty of time to spare and provided a rainbow payoff. Umphrey’s McGee hit the stage and got right down to business with Search 4, a newer tune with great drive and a bright feel that reminds me of Yes’ sound. The early crowd was treated to an extended set that showcased some of their strongest newer material, Higgins especially, rolling into a fan-pleasing sandwich of powerful classics: Divisions > Resolution > Divisions > JaJunk with a rowdy Pipeline and dance party Norwegian Wood jam thrown in the mix. By the time night had fallen, the bowl was full and rocking out as Umphrey’s closed with authority.
If all the music that had come before set the bar high, Gov’t Mule vaulted that light as a feather opening with Soulshine. Drummer Matt Abts was locked tight with Andy Hess, who had several standout moments on bass that kicked things up and kept the crowd’s feet moving. Likewise, Danny Louis sounded solid and funky on keys, while other times barnstorming with Warren’s soaring guitar. Another warm Red Rocks night was made even warmer by a sweet version of Dear Prudence with Brendan Bayliss from Umphrey’s sitting in on guitar, only to turn the amphitheater on its collective head with Black Sabbath’s War Pigs to finish the first set. Best of all was opening the second with When the Music’s Over. Mule didn’t just make the proverbial musical statement, they sent a ferociously fine proclamation into the night, capping off a splendid weekend at the best venue the outdoors has to offer.
READ ON for more of Mike’s incredible pictures from UM/Mule on the Rocks…
We’d like to welcome photographer/journalist Mike Sherry into the Hidden Track Family to add some much needed coverage of the West Coast. For Mike’s first assignment he headed out to Morrison, Colorado for a wonderful weekend at arguably the world’s most beautiful music venue: Red Rocks.
Red Rocks never fails to amaze the eyes & ears. It’s an iconic music destination, worth planning a visit just to see your favorite act perform, and moreso with a two-day billing of closely-tied bands. This Labor Day weekend I enjoyed two nights of outstanding music and fantastic access to photograph the action. RatDog kicked things off with a subdued Help on the Way, paced too slow for my liking (Bobby stopped Jay Lane’s first tempo) but eventually the energy picked up, thanks bigtime to an infusion of Derek Trucks’ bright slide on Loser & Warren Haynes’ rascally voice on Loose Lucy. Having a guitar sparring parter certainly seemed to fire up Mark Karan, and crowd got more responsive as the evening faded into night. Chants for Not Fade Away echoing between the rocks made the air feel especially nice & warm.
READ ON for more of Mike’s thoughts and stunning photos from Red Rocks…
07/24/08 Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
Sound Tribe Sector 9 opened
Set I: JaJunk> Higgins, Soul Food I> Ocean Billy, Nothing Too Fancy> Got Your Milk (Right Here)> Jimmy Stewart> Nothing Too Fancy, Syncopated Strangers, Rocker Part II> JaJunk, Come Closer
Famous words from Levon Helm about the first time The Band played NYC:
“New York, it was an adult portion. It was an adult dose. So it took a couple of trips to get into it. You just go in the first time and you get your ass kicked and you take off. As soon as it heals up, you come back and you try it again. Eventually, you fall right in love with it.”
My count has this as UM’s 30th gig inside the borough of Manhattan, their first appearance being nearly nine years ago at the Wetlands Preserve in October of 1999. These trips have brought UM through: Lion’s Den, Irving Plaza, The Knitting Factory, Bowery Ballroom, B.B. King’s, The Rocks Off Boat Cruise, Nokia Theatre, Central Park and CBGB.
The beginning of the set leaned heavy on improvisation and at the 30-minute mark of the set, the sold-out crowd was whipped into a frenzy by the screaming vocals of Ocean Billy. UM finished off the night with a cover of a mash-up that’s titled Come Closer (that’s a mash-up of Come Together by The Beatles and Closer by Nine Inch Nails).
READ ON after the jump for more pictures and reviews of the next three shows, as well as the link to download full-resolution pictures of the stage…
