Last weekend was a busy one for the Warren Haynes Band as the jam scene’s “Hardest Working Man’s” soul outfit tackled covers from Sly Stone and the Family Stone in San Francisco on the 29th and James Brown in Denver on Halloween. There’s no rest for the weary, as the WHB is currently in Austin, where they are set to record their first DVD at The Moody Theatre at ACL Live this evening.
Thanks to YouTube user nowiknowuryder, we can check out some of the ensemble’s Sly covers from SF. Watch as Haynes’s group tackles I Want To Take You Higher, Luv N’ Haight, Everyday People and Babies Makin’ Babies…
The only major bummer about the first two North American legs of The Police’s reunion tour has been the lack of changes to their setlist. Well last night in Ottawa The Police finally switched it up a bit. Sting, Stewart and Andy opened with the first Bring On The Night since 1982, and followed it up with the first Demolition Man since the Synchronicity Tour. For more on last night’s show check out this review from the Ottawa Sun, or the setlist over at ThePolice.com.
Here’s one more batch of links for the week:
Shocker: Sly Stone cancels the second half of his mini-tour
The Allmans’ Farm Aid set will be broadcast this weekend
Jacksonville’s Black Kids sign to Columbia for their debut
Wilco’s John Stirratt is prepared to play all of the band’s songs
R.E.M. plans to visit old songs on their upcoming world tour
Has anyone seen the new fishing show, Skunked, that Dean Ween has put together for members of his Brownie Troop 666? In the first episode of Skunked, Mickey sets out to capture the disgusting creature known as the Shad. The second installment finds Deaner in Trenton, NJ, searching for Striped Bass with mixed results. Who needs the Deadliest Catch when you can get Skunked?
The White Stripes cancelled the remaining dates on their World Tour back in September when Meg White came down with a case of acute anxiety and couldn’t travel. It seems like Voluptuous Meggers is still wary of getting back on the bus. Jack White recently told the LA Times there’s a chance the White Stripes will forgo touring in the future to focus on studio work a la The Beatles. Because when we think of the White Stripes, we often think of the The Beatles.
Al Schnier, Keller Williams, Marco Benevento and several other folks list their favorite memories of 2007 for Jambands.com
Finally, we’re saddened but completely unsurprised to find out that Quiet Riot’s Kevin Dubrow died of a cocaine overdose. The Riot’s quieter these days.
It feels like forever since we posted a Grousing The Aisles, but it’s only been two weeks. We’re gonna make up for lost time by posting three incredible soundboards by legendary artists and linking to an additional five at the end of the piece As my mom likes to say “Don’t ever say we never gave you anything.” Let’s get down to business…
Sly and the Family Stone 09/01/1969 SBD [FLAC, MP3]
Much has been made about Sly Stone’s reappearance onto the scene. Sly clearly has seen better days, so instead of looking at his present, let’s take a look at a golden oldie from the days when crack was just the line on your ass. Just this week we came across an incredible soundboard of Sly and the Family Stone’s groundbreaking performance at the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969. You can hear the urgency in Sly’s voice as he sings early versions of songs that would soon be classics.
The whole band absolutely kills this material throughout the set. M’lady brings the funk, Sing A Simple Song shows a bit of a harder edge and Stand! gives the crowd a feel for the more political side of Stone’s music. All of Sly’s musicians are having a great night, especially bass player Larry Graham. Other highlights include a bombastic Dance To The Music and the whole filler, especially the guitar-driven Thank You (Fallentime Be Mice Elf Again). If you want to see what Sly and the Family Stone was all about, download this set or check out the Woodstock video, but whatever you do don’t pay $75 to see them play. Read on for tasty boots from Paul Simon, the Dead and more…
It’s time to mourn the loss of another legendary venue. Ziggy’s, a Winston-Salem tradition for the past 30 years, closes its doors on Sunday. The list of bands that have come through the doors at Ziggy’s is staggering in both size and quality. Perpetual Groove closes the venue down in style on Sunday by hosting A Last Supper featuring a bunch of their close friends.
With Sly Stone, in 2007, you take what you can get
Spin interviews Arcade Fire and Bruce Springsteen for their first joint interview
Donald Fagen let it slip that Steely Dan will return to the road next summer
Finally, former Lynyrd Skynryd drummer Artimus Pyle was thrown in jail for failing to register on a sex offender’s list. Gimme three steps towards the cell.
You know Saturday Night Live’s fallen on tough times when the only compliment you can give is: “Hey, the humor may be completely missing, but at least they still continue to book great bands.” The show continues to induce blank stares, with this weekend’s episode representing a new low for the current cast. But a brutal evening of comedy provided a splendid night of music, and Feist’s renditions of 1234 and I Feel It All were truly gorgeous, very Joni Mitchellesque.
Spreaking of shows that book great acts Zappa Plays Zappa rocked Late Night with Conan O’Brien last week. But enough of the videos, it’s linkage time:
Indie bands dive into Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim
Page McConnell shows off his setup for keyboard.tv
Aretha Franklin continues to gain r-e-s-p-e-c-t at age 65 (too easy?)
A Canadian government study finds that file sharing sells more music
The Rawking Refuses to Stop doesn’t understand all the love for Broken Social Scene (Ace said the same exact thing at ACL)
And read on after the jump for a comprehensive list of all the setlists from the weekend, including but not limited to Ryan Adams sitting in with Phil Lesh and Mike Gordon playing with RatDog, Van Halen in New Jersey, Jason Isbell and They Might Be Giants. Some torrents from the weekend are also available for download…
Sly Stone took himself higher than most, and the resultant burnout saw the funk legend living the life of a complete recluse. But the comeback trail beckons, and Sly and the Family Stone will make their first NYC appearance since 1974 on December 7th at B.B. King’s. How long Sly will actually take the stage that night remains to be seen. If the band’s recent European tour is any indication, don’t expect much more than 20 minutes worth of Sly singing inaudibly and banging on a keyboard. And oh yeah…expect to pay $85 for that opportunity.
We’ve got another answer to the Where’s Cactus query? Former Phish bassist Mike Gordon returned to the stage on Saturday night to sit in with Gov’t Mule at Burlington’s Memorial Auditorium. The artist formerly known as Cactus played a crazy looking bass during covers of the Grateful Dead’s Loser and JJ Cale’s After Midnight with Warren and the boys. You can buy the official audio recording of the show shortly over at Mule Tracks.
Ace provided us with plenty of coverage from the Austin City Limits festival this weekend, but a few other stories came our way…behold:
Beirut’s second album is due to be released next month
David Lee Roth looks really old in these high-quality photos from Van Halen’s rehearsal
Peter Bogdanovich’s four-hour documentary on Tom Petty will make its broadcast debut October 29th on Sundance
And as always on Mondays, read on after the jump for a full slate of setlists from the weekend in music…and hit us up with any cool links we didn’t see.
The official website of Larry Campbell blew up Phil Lesh’s spot, announcing that the Peter Gallagher lookalike will be touring with the former Grateful Dead bassist in the fall, beginning on September 28th. Not surprisingly, the news was deleted from Campbell’s website within a few hours of being posted.
We’re extremely excited that Phil is getting back on the road, and we wait with baited breath to see the dates and who the other members of the ensemble will be. The item posted on Campbell’s website also said that he will be playing with Phil and Friends in San Francisco on July 21st. So make sure to keep a look out for some announcements from the Lesh camp soon.
Who would have guessed Sly Stone could use a fax machine?
Have a great beginning to your week, and don’t forget to check out A Big Yes and a small no tonight in Brooklyn. The winners of our contest on Friday? Jeremy Welsh and Eric Mohl. Congrats to both. And as usual, read on after the jump for a long list of setlists from the weekend, including Arcade Fire, Bob Dylan, Dispatch, Genesis, Metallica, Morrissey, Tower of Power, and all your favorite jambands…
We hope you are enjoying the day we told England to fuck themselves as much as we are. On the off chance you are stuck at a desk, we’ve got your back with some linkage to get you through the day:
We know it’s Memorial Day, and most of you are sipping margaritas by the pool. But there’s still plenty of news to report from this weekend, and we live to serve and aim to please. Plus, we really wanted to debut our amazing new logo designed by the one and only Felonious Monk. Monk for President.
We’re also excited to announce this is The Police Week on Hidden Track. Every day this week we’ll have a new post about Sting, Andy, and Stewart, the trio that kicked off its reunion tour last night in Vancouver. Of course, we’ll still be covering the rest of the music world in graphic detail, never neglecting our regular duties.
Before you get back to your barbecue check out these links and setlists:
And remember to read on after the jump for as many weekend setlists as we could find, including the Beastie Boys, Bright Eyes, the Disco Biscuits, Kings of Leon, moe., Smashing Pumpkins, Steely Dan, The Who and Umphrey’s McGee…
What happens when you combine the country’s best radio station with a park in lovely downtown Camden? Why, the XPoNential music festival, obvs.
The festival expanded to four days this year, and as usual, has rounded up a killer lineup. The Tower of Power and Slo-MO headline on Thursday. Cracker, Earl Greyhound, and The Fratellis lead Friday’s festivites. Grace Potter, Martin Sexton and Los Lonely Boys are part of Saturday’s fun. And ALO, Dr. Dog and Marc Broussard will help to close out the festival on Sunday. Camden, here we come.
If visiting Camden doesn’t get you excited, maybe these links can do the trick:
The Black Crowes are a band in a state of transition. Last summer, Marc Ford and Ed Harsch left the band within a week of each other, just a few weeks after Chris Robinson and Penny Lane separated. The band regrouped to put together a solid fall tour with last minute replacements Paul Stacey and Rob Clores.
The Crowes will be playing at Central Park’s Summerstage less than 18 months after headlining a New Years Eve gig at Madison Square Garden. Believe it or not, tickets are still available. Ouch, that’s a tough 18 months. After a few gigs this summer the band will return to the studio, where they have been working on a new record which they hope to release in early 2008. You’ve just got to root for a band as dysfunctional as the Crowes. Vegas has the over/under for Marc Ford’s return and subsequent firing AGAIN at 4 to 1. Any takers?
As we entered the 1980s, there weren’t many places for rock bands to play on late-night television. Johnny Carson was more likely to have Paul Anka or Wayne Newton appear than Elvis Costello or Van Halen. But when NBC gave David Letterman the slot following The Tonight Show in 1982, things quickly began to change. Early on, Letterman established himself as a champion of up-and-coming acts. And as Letterman’s show got bigger, his bookings got bigger too.
Through the years, nearly every major act has performed on either Late Night with David Letterman or The Late Show with David Letterman. Many of these performances have been taken off YouTube by the networks (damn you, Viacom!), but at least 20 great clips remain. You’ll notice Paul Shaffer trying to get in on each and everyone of these performances.
Without further ado, read on after the jump for this week’s must-watch (seriously) B List, as we present 20 amazing Letterman appearances…
I wanna dance with somebody. No, I’d really rather feel the heat with somebody.
David Byrne is making headlines down at SXSW. Well, to put it a bit more accurately, some editors are making pun-fueled headlines about him. The music industry is abuzz after Colonel PowerPoint presented some obviously maverick viewpoints down at the Austin festival last week during his lecture entitled “Record Companies: Who Needs Them?” So in honor of Mr. Byrne’s recent efforts, here’s a new-to-YouTube video of his unique take on Whitney Houston’s rager:
Given all the Industrial Strength Levon Fluffing I’ve been doing ’round these here parts lately, I figured I’d balance things out with some Danko and some Manuel, two men this world is worse without: When You Awake and Tears of Rage (ToR video quality is ‘eh’ but audio is ‘wow’)
Speaking of bands I’d love to see on the same stage again, here’s a great video of the Faces playing a rockin’ I’m Losing You for the British telly
Every now and again I’ll type Sly & the Family Stone into YouTube and see what’s new on the ol’ cyberweb. It’s been about a month since my last check-up, and in that time someone’s been kind enough to post Sly & Co. performing a sweet medley on the Kraft Music Hour — so get down on it
I’ll let Scotty introduce this one from the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions: “Sammy and Michael Anthony leading the Letterman band through Why Can’t This Be Love. The redeeming quality is Will Lee jumping up and down like a mad man. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that guy without a bass before, and he makes the most of his opportunity.”
I gotta jump in here and ask an important question: Dude, is Michael Anthony on the juice these days? Somebody search that guy’s jock. Search his jock!
After a couple of three-day weekends we’re back to the old-fashioned two-day version. Whatevs, Fridays are awesome. It’s been a busy week at Hidden Track Headquarters, yet believe it or not we still have plenty to tell you about. Forget about your job and relax with some linkage:
Guitar Magazine presents a list of the top 40 guitar tones. No Frank Zappa? That’s borderline criminal, Guitar Mag…
Check out this awesome video of Keith Richards administering swift justice to a fan who rushed the stage
Filter Magazine honors the birthday of REM’s Michael Stipe with a list of his best videos on YouTube
The producers of Bonnaroo are in the final stages of purchasing the land on which the festival is held
Grateful Dead News live-blogged the Nancy Pelosi benefit last night
