To me, Hidden Track features a staff of intelligent well spoken contributors who host the only blog on the web that cover all genres with no rules or regulations. It is the tipping point for a beautiful online community that exists in today’s social networking world with a focus on soulful & meaningful music. Filled with unique content, original contests, well spoken editorials and a readership of like-minded folks, Hidden Track shows great potential to become one the web’s most visited blogs for music into this new decade.

For these reasons, my favorite blog on the web is Hidden Track. I really wanted to announce the launch of this podcast series exclusively through HT to its community of passionate music lovers. I hope you enjoy it, will share it with others, and are off to a great start for 2010. With mad love for y’all…

- Michael Harrison Berg of Van Ghost

11.21.09 – Kingston, NY – Keegans Ales (*)
11.25.09 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean (**)

1. Do It For You    2:38 (*)
2. Coliseum    3:01 (*)
3. Head Above Water    2:47 (**)
4. Danimal Plays For Keeps    0:23  (**)
5. Wednesday    4:07 (**)
6. Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full of Promise (The Avett Brothers cover)    4:04 (**)
7. Return To Innocence    3:58 (**)
8. Heart Broken On The Wrong Day    3:25 (**)
9. Not Feeling Me    3:28  (**)
10. Domino Effect    3:25 (*)
11. Telling Stories    3:48 (*)
12. Everyday Music    3:22
13. Hurry Up –>    3:16 (*)
14. On The Way Home –>    4:20 (*)
15. Find The Cost Of Freedom (CSNY cover)    2:41 (*)
16. Summer Promise    3:20 (*)

All songs are from November’s “The Breakdown Acoustic” tour.

We were out on the road as an acoustic trio featuring Michael Harrison Berg (vocals/guitar), Jennifer Hartswick (vocals), and Chris Gelbuda (guitar/vocals) supporting our friends Nershi/Law Duo having too much fun. The performances feature material from our debut record, “Melodies For Lovers“, our forthcoming record, (currently titled) “Heartbroken On The Wrong Day” as well as a few covers by The Avett Brothers and CSNY. The track listing above will show you which show each track is from but all cuts are from.

• Breakdown Acoustic Podcast Downloads: Single Track Podcast [iTunes/libsyn], 16 Tracks [split up for easy skipping around between songs]

Van Ghost – A Summer Promise Webisode
Next week, the Van Ghost Acoustic Trio featuring Michael [...]

We’ve been singing the praises of Van Ghost for over a year at this point and we were excited to come across the band’s first webisode featuring footage of the band in action at Rothbury and the Wicker Park Festival.

Van Ghost – A Summer Promise Webisode

Next week, the Van Ghost Acoustic Trio featuring Michael Harrison Berg, Jennifer Hartswick and Chris Gelbuda hits the road with the Nershi-Law Duo for The Breakdown Acoustic Tour. Check out the Van Ghost website to find out when they’ll be in your neck of the woods.

It’s not often we point you to shows on the Open Source Archive, but our friends from Chicago – Van Ghost – recorded their set opening for the Derek Trucks Band back in April, mixed and mastered it in protools and uploaded the files to the aforementioned Open Source Archive for our listening pleasure. Van Ghost’s sound has gone a bit more to the rock side of things recently thanks in part to the addition of Nick Cassarino on electric guitar and the band’s tendency to open the arrangements up a bit. You can download or stream the show here and don’t miss vocalists Michael Harrison Berg and Jennifer Hartswick’s harmonies on a cover of The Faces’ Ooh La La.

Here are six more shows we found on the Open Source Archive…

• Perpetual Groove: 05-08-2009 SBD
• God Street Wine: 12/30/1989 FOB?
  
• Marco Benevento Trio: 05/07/2009 SBD?
• Skinny Singers (w/ Phil Lesh): 09/13/2007 SBD
• New Mastersounds: 07/28/2007 DAUD
• Scarecrow Collection: 02/08/2008 MATRIX

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…

Killing In The Name – Disco Biscuits vs. Peaches en Regalia – Bonerama

The Skinny: The Disco Biscuits have debuted a slew of covers over the past few years, but none as powerful as their take on Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name. Bonerama add a dash of funk to this delicious version of Frank Zappa’s Peaches en Regalia.

Spanish Castle Magic – PBS vs. A Day In The Life – Phish

The Skinny: Brian Stoltz channels Jimi Hendrix during PBS’s show-stopping cover of Spanish Castle Magic, while Phish channels The Beatles for a song that Paul McCartney didn’t even have the balls to cover until recently.

Sledgehammer – DMB vs. Wind Cries Mary – Martin Sexton

The Skinny: The Dave Matthews Band busted out a number of covers last summer, but none as good as their take on Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer. Martin Sexton also plays a ton of covers with his take on Hendrix’s Wind Cries Mary standing out from the pack.

The Seeker – Pearl Jam vs. Sittin’ In Limbo – Garcia/Grisman

The Skinny: Pearl Jam has been covering The Who since their early days and sneak their fantastic version of The Seeker into setlists on rare occasions. Jerry Garcia has always loved to sing Jimmy Cliff’s Sittin’ In Limbo and brought the song to his project with David Grisman, where the two greats teamed up for this beautiful cover.

Making Flippy Floppy – UM vs. Bell Bottom Blues – Trey Anastasio

The Skinny: Umphrey’s McGee first covered Making Flippy Floppy for a Talking Heads tribute album and the tune quickly became a band and fan favorite. Trey Anastasio debuted a number of tunes he always wanted to play on his first solo tour with this Clapton cover standing out from the rest of the pack.

Jealous Guy – RMB vs. Can’t Find My Way Home – Widespread Panic

The Skinny: Ryan Montbleau channels Donny Hathaway’s version for his band’s cover, while John Bell goes falsetto to tackle Winwood’s vocals on the Blind Faith masterpiece.

Creep – Gov’t Mule vs. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Mr. Blotto

The Skinny: Warren Haynes eschews Thom Yorke’s falsetto in favor of belting out this cover of Radiohead’s most radio-friendly song, while Mr. Blotto works a rap about Bill Clinton’s impeachment into their impressive Paul Simon cover.

Don’t Let Me Down – Van Ghost vs. Not Fade Away – Grateful Dead

The Skinny: Van Ghost vocalists Michael Berg and Jennifer Hartswick deliver top-notch vocals on their Beatles cover, while The Dead have made this Buddy Holly cover their own thanks to over 20 years in heavy rotation.

Now, we’re not going to give guidance on how you should judge each entry. Vote for whatever cover you want for whatever reason you want. The polls close at 11:59PM EDT on Sunday night and we’ll be back with our Round of 8 one week from today. If you feel like sharing your choices, let us know which covers you picked by leaving a comment below…

This has been a big week for video debuts from a few of our favorite up-and-coming artists. On Tuesday we showed you Bonerama’s first video and today we’ve got the new clip from Chicago’s Van Ghost. Van Ghost’s debut album, Melodies For Lovers, features the tender yet intense songs of longtime Chicago music scene fixture Michael Harrison Berg. Rocco Labriola’s uplifting pedal steel licks mix perfectly with the gorgeous harmonies Berg lays down with vocalist Jennifer Hartswick on each Van Ghost original.

Our first taste of Melodies For Lovers is a single called Summer Promise that sounds equal parts Oasis, CCR, Wilco, Moonboot Lover and The Byrds. Van Ghost worked with the talented Wiggle Puppy Productions team to create the perfect visual for this catchy tune. Let’s take a look…

Further Viewing:

• Van Ghost – Telling Stories
• Van Ghost – Wednesday
• Van Ghost – On The Way Home

Widely known for his work with Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds has recently embarked on his first tour with a full band in eight years. The Tim Reynolds band (or TR3) promises to bring “a mix of updated Tim classics to wild covers of everything from James Brown to Prince to Tim’s newest catalogue of material he is preparing just for this tour,” according to his website. Read on for more…

We all know he is a hell of a sideman, but personally I’m excited to see BandLeaderTim emerge from his slumber. On an acoustic, Reynolds balances between gorgeous chord voicings against frantic flurries of single-note runs. His picking is rarely rivaled, and I can’t wait to see him wielding an electric ax out in front of a rhythm section.

Van Ghost is the brainchild of Chicago indie promoter Mike Berg. After spending some years booking and promoting other top-notch national and local acts, Berg decided it was time for his own music to be heard. No slouch himself, Mike filled in with some of the country’s best musicians whose resumes include the Trey Anastasio Band, Fareed Haque Group, and RANA.

Self-described as “classic or folk rock,” the heart of Van Ghost’s songs lie in the interaction between Berg and vocalist/trumpet player Jennifer Hartswick. Berg’s voice has just the right touch of timidity, making each word he sings seem honest and direct. Hartswick has an impressive resume herself stemming from being a staple of Trey Anastasio’s band since he expanded from the trio. Her powerful vocals and elastic trumpet phrasing leave the audience hanging on every note, eagerly awaiting what she will do next. Their voices mesh beautifully, allowing the feeling and passion of Berg’s lyrics to shine.

As a band, Van Ghost evokes a sound reminiscent of Glenn Campbell’s 70s big sound mixed with a touch of CCR and the Dead’s country period. They perform Berg’s songs with precision and tenderness, allowing the lyrics and music to blend in a way that the overall songwriting craft becomes the center of attention.

Triple Dot Mas Presents:
Tim Reynolds Band
Van Ghost
The Double Door
1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
773-489-3160
$15 adv / $17 dos