Live Music

Old News and Other Current Events

Here at rowjimmy.com, as we’ve pressed into the new year, I’ve continued to maintain my high standards of neglect. So, today, I’m going to fill you in on a slew old music news as well as a couple of current items.

“Why old news?”
C’mon, it’s not as if anyone is reading this to get the latest scoop.

So, what’s new?

Phish Summer Tour:

06/04 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
06/05 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
06/06 – Comcast Center – Mansfield, MA
06/07 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
06/09 – Asheville Civic Center – Asheville, NC
06/16 – Fox Theatre – St. Louis, MO
06/18 – Post Gazette Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA
06/19 – Verizon Wireless Music Center – Noblesville, IN
06/20 – Alpine Valley – East Troy, WI
06/21 – Alpine Valley – East Troy, WI

Pretty cool little run if you live on the East Coast. The Asheville show is pretty small (fewer than 8000) but the St. Louis show is crazy small (approx. 5000.) Good luck to those trying to get into that one.

If those dates don’t suit you, do not despair. Word is that West Coast dates are pending for late Summer. Also, watch for the Bonnaroo line-up to be announced on Feb. 3.
Edit to add: Red Rocks, too!

The lottery for Phish Ticketing is open now. Click here to get in on the action.

‘The Dead’ will be hitting the road this Spring on what’s become a somewhat controversial tour. The so-called “core-four” (Lesh, Weir, Kreutzman, Hart) have hired Warren Haynes to sling the lead guitar and Ratdog’s keyboardist to fill out the stage, replicating the favorably reviewed line-up from the recent Barack Obama fundraiser.

The controversy arises from the ticket prices. While not “Rolling Stones” high, tickets for this tour are nearly double what Phish is charging for their shows. Add to that the outrageous “VIP” bundles that sell “premium” seats along with special entrances, posters and a private cash bar for nearly $500 per person. The pre-sale has already begun and tickets ARE selling but, I’m afraid that you won’t see me at the local shows.

Instead, I’m planning to catch Keller Williams whose Winter > Spring solo tour gets underway this week. I taped his annual Xmas SPCA Benefit last month am had a great time. You can stream and download the show here.
Check out Keller’s website for more music, tourdates, tickets and more: http://www.kellerwilliams.net.

Speaking of taping, I’ve had the pleasure of taping several local bands in my neighborhood venue over the past few weeks. Prize Money, from the Charlottesville area, and Seven Minutes, from Richmond, played a hot rock show at The Loft in Fredericksburg, VA. The following week, local reggae band, The Transmitters made the walls sweat as they, accompanied by a three-piece horn section, danced through two great sets of original reggae laced with a couple of old favorites. I’ll see about posting streams from each show up here soon.

Lastly, I just got word that The Decemberists are offering a free mp3 of a song from their upcoming album, The Hazards Of Love. The song is entitled, “The Rake” and is available at http://www.decemberists.com. Also, be sure to check out their singer/songwriter, Colin Meloy, this afternoon on World Cafe on XPN (http://xpn.org)

Thanks to Here Comes The Flood for the Decemberists tip!

Live Links

Jerry week was fun but, I’ve been catching up on a lot of other great, live, music lately and I thought I’d share some of it with you.

First up, on the heels of yesterday’s Spiritualized article, I have a link to a show from just last month. On July 25, 2008, Spiritualized kicked much ass onstage at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club. Being a completely oblivious fool, I missed the show. However, NPR’s All Songs Considered made the gig and they’ve made it available for your listening pleasure. Check It Out.

This Summer, My Bloody Valentine broke 13 years of silence and hit the stage in the UK. For some fans this is a dream come true. Me, I’m waiting for the full-blown US tour before I crap myself. Anyway, they did play and they brought their sheets of sound in a big way. Web In Front has a recording of the 2008-06-13 show up as a podcast right here. I have to tell you two things about the recording. First, the vocals are inaudible beneath the rest of the instruments. Second, Web In Front suggests that you start listening at a conservative volume and they are not messing with you. It gets loud. Handle with care.

TAB marquee image shamelessly linked from one of my favorite music blogs: Hidden Track

Next up is the guy who first hipped me to My Bloody Valentine, Trey Anastasio. He played two electric shows last week in the NYC area with a band he’s calling “Classic Tab.” Continue reading →

Bird Song

If anyone actually regularly read this blog they’d know that updated nine days in a row is actually a rare display of commitment. Last year’s Jerry Week didn’t make all 9 days mostly because I’m what’s commonly known as a slacker. Oh well.

That having been said, for today’s post, I thought I’d share some vague and unorganized thoughts about The Grateful Dead. I’m going to pu ton a tune and write on it for a few… And to stifle the collective yawns from my readership, I’m going to stream that music here from the get-go so you can listen while you read.

The above show (1982-08-06) is one that I got on tape more than 15 years ago. The “Bird Song” is a long standing favorite. (Go ahead, skip right to it.) The recording may not be the crispest ever but the playing is on point. Brent’s keys rig out and his voice warmly complements Jerry’s plaintive vocals. This song, written in memory of Janis Joplin can be heartbreaking. It is shot through with longing and the benefit of hindsight before offering the advice to clutch tightly those special few for whom time is likely short. Slipping pas the verses, Jerry begins to stretch and explore the theme. This is Grateful Dead music at its most perfect. Loose, slippery, on the cusp of flying out into oblivion but still hanging two wheels on the tracks as it rounds each twist and turn.

Brent Mydland

When asked, in the latter half of his career, why the Grateful Dead seldom played “Dark Star”, Jerry replied that there is a little bit of “Dark Star in almost everything they play. This is keenly apparently on any decent version of this song. I recall seeing “Bird Song” at a show at Hampton Coliseum. It utterly swept me up and carried me away. I can still find myself back on that floor, dancing about; egoless. And I remember stirring out of my trance as Jerry brought the lyrics back around for a reprise and repeated the line, “snow and rain,” like a mantra. It held no great meaning for me then but it still carved an impression into my consciousness. I’ve since ran with a few interpretations of the full line,

“Tell me all that you know, I’ll show you snow and rain.”

Share with me that which you’ve learned in this life and I’ll offer what I know of the elements, snow and rain, cold and sorrow, death and grieving and comfort. I love hearing “Bird Song” with Brent. His high harmonies on the refrain give me chills…

“Don’t cry now
Don’t you cry
Don’t you cry any more
Sleep in the stars
Don’t you cry
Dry your eyes on the wind.”

Until tomorrow…

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