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Tuesday, February 09, 2010Tuesday's Earful: Yeasayer; U-Melt; BuzzUniverse
By: David Schultz
 Two years ago, Yeasayer's debut album All Hour Cymbals had bloggers all atwitter in their usual state of excitement and at SXSW, every one of their numerous sets, including one at the NPR showcase, had lines streaming down West Sixth or Red River. They surely didn't rush back into the studio to capitalize on the success. Quite the opposite, they seemed to let the buzz fade before trying to get it going again. With Odd Blood, their long-awaited follow-up, Yeasayer treads lightly between well-crafted melodious pop and visionary Brooklyn-proper originality, never committing to either camp. Anand Wilder, Chris Keating and Ira Wolf Tuton seem to have enjoyed their time in the studio: "The Children" seems to make use of a spare Auto-Tune and, like many bands will this decade, show that they were paying attention to what Animal Collective has been up to the past couple years. Much like Vampire Weekend's second effort, Yeasayer will knock a few noses out of joint by doing something different. Odd Blood does keep your interest, even when they flirt dangerously with the Eighties power ballad motif. Jon Pareles wrote an interesting feature on the band and the new album for the Sunday Arts & Leisure section of The New York Times. In discussing their new direction, they try to put the whole thing into perspective:
 U-MELT HAS ADDED DATES TO their upcoming Perfect World tour, including their first proper swing through the West Coast. The trek begins later this month in the Northeast with their February 20 album release celebration at the Bowery Ballroom being the show to highlight. On March 24, U-Melt visits the South - three shows in North Carolina and one in Atlanta - before heading west where they will visit Winston's in San Diego (April 2), The Mint in Los Angeles (April 3) and The Connecticut Yankee in San Francisco, CA (April 4) before covering most of Colorado. U-Melt thrives on stage so if they are in your town, you do not have anything better to do that night. Get the full slate of tour dates by clicking here.BUZZUNIVERSE WILL ALSO BE MAKING new friends in the Spring, making their first venture to the Midwest. The New Jersey based band will be bringing their progressive and eclectic brand of music to Cleveland, Ohio on April 15, Indianapolis, Indiana on April 16 and Kalamazoo, Michigan on April 17. They'll return to New York City for an April 30 gig at the Ace of Clubs (w/ Leroy Justice) to celebrate Willie Nelson's birthday. Check out BuzzU's full Spring schedule by clicking here. Labels: BuzzUniverse, U-Melt, Yeasayer Monday, February 08, 2010Monday's Earful: Galactic; Tea Leaf Green; The Who; Frank Sinatra
By: David Schultz
Tea Leaf/Galactic Photo: Jeremy Gordon  On the eve of the Saints’ first ever Super Bowl appearance, New Orleans’ funkmeisters Galactic brought a bit of the French Quarter to New York City this past Friday night, packing people into the spacious Terminal 5 for a wild night of Mardi Gras-tinged reveling. A guest laden night, Galactic received tremendous infusions of energy from Corey Henry, an ebullient trombonist who served as the de facto ringleader for the night. Henry hardly limited himself to the stage, halfway through the show, he took to the jampacked floor, which parted in Biblical fashion and allowed him to stroll over and play from atop one of the bars. Cyril Neville lent his voice to the predominantly instrumental band, his years of experience bringing even more of the Bayou to NYC.The set list included significant time devoted to Tea Leaf’s loose jangly side, notably “My Bastard Brother” and “Let It Go,” an increasingly powerful version of guitarist Josh Clark’s “Carter Hotel” and the groove heavy “Sex In The 70s.” It also contained quite a few new songs like “Training A Cloud” and “Germinatin’ Seed,” always a fine sign for an evolving band. For those who weren’t familiar with Tea Leaf Green before Friday night, their opening set was not the best introduction to the San Francisco based foursome. In their element, Tea Leaf Green masterfully builds off the excitement of the crowd, patiently letting the music evolve. A fair number of people arrived early to catch TLG but the cavernous warehouse known as Terminal 5 can make a sizable crowd feel sparse. Although hey had a little more than an hour to work with, they never seemed to find that zone that TLG fans rave about.  No such criticism could be leveled to Clark and keyboardist Trevor Garrod’s sit-in with Galactic. Following the advice of PT Barnum, the collaboration gave the people what they wanted. In the days leading up to the show, the fans got to register their votes as to what songs they wanted to see as part of a combined effort. After a fine version of Marvin Gaye/The Band’s “Don’t Do It,” a song that makes the occasional appearance at TLG shows, Garrod tore the house down on a lengthy take on The Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’” At Tea Leaf shows, Garrod will occasionally emerge from behind his keyboards and get the crowd going with some endearingly neo-coordinated jumps and exhortations. For the Stones cover, Garrod tapped into some unknown spring of energy, took center stage and belted out the song like a bona fide rock star. It was undoubtedly one of the cooler rock star moments Garrod’s had in New York City.Due to weather conditions, Galactic postponed their Saturday night show in Washington DC, which kept them in New York long enough to at Brooklyn Bowl for a post-Super Bowl throwdown. If the gleeful response Henry received to his “Who Dat” chant on Friday night was an indication, I can only imagine the enthusiastic reaction it brought during last night’s victory celebration. SO WHAT DID WE LEARN from The Who's performance at the Super Bowl? 1) The Who Sell Out wasn't irony; it was foreshadowing. 2) Roger Daltrey can no longer belt out "Baba O'Riley" like he did 35 years ago . . . or any other song for that matter. 3) Who medleys are unssatisfying. 4) CBS knew not to put a fake crowd near Pete Townshend. 5) None of the above was as surreal as Grizzly Bear scoring a Volkswagen ad that features Stevie Wonder playing Slug Bug with Tracy Jordan. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: Super Bowl 45 Halftime show = Billy Joel.  I HAD ALWAYS BEEN UNDER the impression that when anyone plays or sings Frank Sinatra's version of "My Way" in a bar, that meant that there would be no more fun to be had in the establishment. Old men were welcome to sit at the bar and nurse their whiskeys but all other fun loving folk should disperse and find other places to seek frivolity. In the Philippines though, singing "My Way" - and not the Sid Vicious version - apparently starts riots. Who knew? Don't believe me: read here.Labels: Galactic, Tea Leaf Green, The Who Friday, February 05, 2010Friday's Earful: Big Head Todd & The Monsters; Red Baraat
By: David Schultz
 Big Head Todd & The Monsters make a point of doing something special for their annual hometown show at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Denver, Colorado. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Midnight Radio, their landmark sophomore effort, and to commemorate the occasion, Big Head Todd will play the album in its entirety when it headlines Red Rocks on June 5. On the strength of Midnight Radio, BHT found themselves a national audience and became mainstays on the traveling H.O.R.D.E. festival, the jamband response to Perry Farrell's Lollapalooza that set the stage for today's modern festival circuit. While songs from Midnight Radio have long populated Big Head Todd's set lists, a straight run through, to my knowledge, has never been done. To hear them finish the set with "Ann Arbor Grandfather" and "Elvis" would fall into that priceless category.A COUPLE YEARS BACK I had the opportunity to interview Todd Park Mohr for jambands.com before one of his shows at the Bowery Ballroom.  LAST WEEKEND, I ENDED UP at La Poisson Rouge for the CD release party for Chaal Baby, the debut album from Red Baraat. The predominantly horn based nine piece band mixes New Orleans style jazz-funk with Indian Bhangra in a pretty interesting fashion. Bandleader Sunny Jain gives the band its traditional Indian sound with the double sided dhol, the deep booming drum nearly inextricable from the Bollywood dance scenes being shown behind them. When they touch on the Indian rhythms, Red Baraat is a pretty interesting little band; when they focus on the brass-styled funk to its exclusion, they don't quite hold the excitement. IMPOSE has a really good article on the current relevance and importance of Pitchfork. It's worth reading. Labels: Big Head Todd and The Monsters Thursday, February 04, 2010Thursday's Earful: Cold War Kids @ Terminal 5
By: David Schultz
Photos: Jason Fuiman  At the close of the Cold War Kids’ New York City set this past Friday night, lead singer Nathan Willett sat down at his keyboard and began to pound out the opening chords of “We Used To Vacation.” As has been their custom for years, guitarist Jonnie Russell wails away on a loose cymbal perched atop a speaker cabinet in between shakes of a maraca until the fervor of the song sends the cymbal crashing to the ground. In the lounges and clubs that the Kids have long outgrown, the tale of regret and prayer for redemption made for a wonderfully intimate experience. At a sold-out Terminal 5, with nearly 3000 people singing along, the effect was simply overwhelming. Willett. Russell, bassist Matt Maust and drummer Matt Aveiro may not be entirely house trained once the house lights dim but they no longer prowl the stage like untamed feral beasts. (Not that Aveiro ever did from behind his drum kit). While this may be a symptom of them having more room on the bigger stages, it’s also illustrative of their maturity. Making fine use of the space, the larger set allows them to incorporate elements of Maust’s artwork, a significant component of their image, with video screens showing images derivative of the bassist’s photography. They also manage to work in some new sounds, most notably the Beck sounding fuzzy organ tones on “Audience,” one of the fine tracks off Behave Yourself, their recently released EP.  The warehouse atmosphere of Terminal 5 – which in the biggest clusterfuck in the history of lists ranked #3 on Pollstar’s ranking of the 100 greatest venues – provided a fine milieu for Maust’s resounding bass lines and Russell’s precise guitar riffs. Cold War Kids can sound like the coolest, slightly demented, cabaret band with many of the songs moving untraditionally forward on Maust’s bass, permitting Russell to insert concise hit-and-run solos, like on “Something Is Not Right With Me.” They can also hit U2-like grandeur with songs like “Welcome To The Occupation” and the soaring highs of “Dreams Old Men Dream” match the wizened images of the song.Fully rounded bass and surgically incisive guitar licks notwithstanding, the increasingly confident lead vocals of Willett, who sings his unguarded, literate lyrics with an urgency and passion matched by few, may be the most compelling aspect of the band. An idiosyncratic group, their covers are usually rare and often quite diverse, spanning from remarkably adept Sam Cooke adaptations to slight appropriations of Tom Waits. With the help of an impromptu horn section made up of Elvis Perkins In Dearland’s Nick Kinsey and Wyndham Boylan-Garnett (at least that’s who it seemed to be), they offered up a powerful version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Long As I Can See The Light” that saw Willett wring every bit of the song’s yearning. Of course, as long as there were guests on stage capable of making some noise, they careened into a raucous version of “St. John,” the prison gang chant that typically brings down the house. Labels: Cold War Kids Wednesday, February 03, 2010Wednesday's Earful: USA For Africa - 25 For Haiti; Broken Social Scene
By: David Schultz
 Twenty-five years ago, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie helped organize the original USA for Africa session which brought together the biggest names of the 80s and Dan Aykroyd to record “We Are The World,” a benefit song inspired by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” This past week, the two along with Wyclef Jean brought together an A-list of today’s music scene and Nicole Richie to re-record the tune to benefit those affected by the Haiti earthquake. Notwithstanding the fine sense of symmetry and nod to history involved in calling it “We Are The World – 25 For Haiti,” given that the new Supergroup reportedly includes the likes of Celine Dion, Fergie, Enrique Iglesias, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Jason Mraz, Akon, Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, will.i.am., Nicole Scherzinger, Katharine McPhee, Miley Cyrus, Pink and The Jonas Brothers, it’s really no surprise that they assembled talent couldn’t write an original song of their own, or at least one without sampling.  NORTH OF THE BORDER IN CANADA, another Supergroup of sorts has reformed. On May 4, Broken Social Scene will release a new album on Arts & Crafts, the first under the BSS moniker since 2005. Featuring anchoring members Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin and Andrew Whiteman, the new album will also have guest spots from alumni like Leslie Feist, Jason Collett and members of Stars and Metric, including Amy Millan and Emily Haines. Starting in May, the collective will hit the road making American stops at The Fillmore in San Francisco (May 1), Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles (May 3) and Webster Hall in New York City (May 7).Labels: Broken Social Scene Tuesday, February 02, 2010Tuesdays Earful: The Giraffes @ The Mercury Lounge
By: Rinjo Njori
 In a perfect world every band would be as interesting and engaging as Brooklyn's The Giraffes. Sure you can call them punk metal, but live this band ceases to fit into any genre: a brew of vintage Soundgarden grunge, hints of System of a Down folk flare, and classic Blue Cheer blues metal. Guitarist Damien Paris pulls more licks out of his guitar than all three guitarists in the current incarnation of Guns N' Roses. On some songs it would be fair to say he attacks his guitar but ably pulls together the lead and rhythm. Bassist Jens Carstensen and drummer Andrew Totolos don't' so much as look at each other over the entire hour long set. Rarely, if ever, do the two miss a beat. Totolos probably matches the intensity of Paris, but Carstensen sways and grooves through each song that gallop along with sudden breakdowns. Bringing it together with constant beer in hand and a devilish grin is thew towering Aaron Lazar. All the charisma of TSOL's Jack Grisham with a vocal style that quickly brings to mind Alice In Chains' Layne Staley. For a lead singer that barely moves around the stage, one thing is abundantly clear: he owns the crowd. That beer in hand not only is for him but also most of the crowd eagerly leaning into the stage. Quickly sucking down half the beer between verses, he showered the rest on the crowd and quickly re-filled. Most of The Giraffes' Saturday night after-hours set was filled with songs from 2008's Prime Motivator and 2005's The Giraffe, including "Prime Motivator," "Sickness," "Million Dollar Man" and the scary "Louis Guthrie Wants Me Dead." There might have been a new song or two and with props given to Bea Arthur, a brief detour into Carole King's "Thank You For Being A Friend." Notably absent was the fantastic "Man U" and Lazar's slightly creepy mustache, but the Giraffes could not be accused of leaving the audience short changed. The show itself becomes a mild frenzy: an economical "pit" formed from time to time and the band didn't waste the good stuff (a bottle of whiskey) on a shower, they passed the bottle around. The crowd endured, but the band took as good as it gave. At the end of the night you didn't see a "show". A "metal band" didn't go through the motions. This was not just another band from Brooklyn. The crowd at the Mercury Lounge got to see The Giraffes turn it up to eleven. Here's an approximation of The Giraffe's live show, minus their patented beer shower. Lazar is one of the more fascinating front men leading any type of band, his demeanor perfect for cozy intimate venues like the Mercury Lounge. Much like Hannibal Lecter's pulse didn't speed up when he bit off someone's face, Lazar seems his most comfortable while in the midst of the maelstrom. The beer comes flying at his own calm instigation, he politely descends the stage to mosh and thrash with the crowd, he finds the sweat coming of Paris' forehead a subject of fascinating interest and offered up the best literary criticism of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness that I've ever encountered - he ate page after page. I didn't follow Rinjo into the mosh pit - he's a braver man than I. (Schultz) Labels: The Giraffes Editors Tour Dates Editors are in the U.S for a string of tour dates before heading back home to England in March. They kick off in Seattle on February 5th and The Antlers will join them for several stops in the states:Feb 8 The Warfield Theatre San Francisco, California Feb 9 House of Blues San Diego, California Feb 11 The Wiltern Los Angeles, California Feb 13 Ogden Theatre Denver, Colorado Feb 15 Vic Theatre Chicago, Illinois Feb 16 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, Ontario Feb 17 Il Motore Montreal, Quebec Feb 18 House of Blues Boston, Massachusetts Feb 19 Terminal 5 New York, New York Feb 20 The Trocadero Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Feb 21 930 Club Washington DC, Washington DC Full list of Editors US, UK and European tour dates here. Labels: Editors, The Antlers, Tour Dates Monday, February 01, 2010Monday's Earful: Dave Matthews Band; Phish
By: David Schultz
 THE CONCERT FOR HAITI TELETHON album isn't the only way you can use the power of the download to help out Haiti. The Dave Matthews Band has put together an EP of live tracks entitled The Haiti Relief Project. The 5 track EP doesn't contain live versions of Matthews' hits, rather it includes a 2004 recording of "Cry Freedom," a 2007 solo version of "Butterfly" and 2009 takes on "Out Of My Hands," "Lying In The Hands Of God" and "Dive In." The EP is available for $5 at the DMB site (click here) and the proceeds will go to their newly formed Bama Works Haiti Relief Fund. AS PART OF THEIR LIVEPHISH set of archival releases, the jamband titans will release their November 19, 1992 show from the Ross Arena at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. The mp3s are $9.95 and the FLAC files are $12.95 and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Haiti earthquake relief efforts through the Partners In Health and the American Red Cross. The show is notable for the live debuts of "Axila" and "Fast Enough For You" and a sit-in by Gordon Stone. The night also marked Phish's first attempt at the Big Ball Jam, where the crowd controlled Phish by knocking around four giant balloons with each one corresponding to a different member of the band. I saw them do the Big Ball Jam a couple days later at a gym in SUNY Stony Brook. I won’t profess a knowledge I didn’t have; I had no clue what they were doing and thought they were copying Jethro Tull’s penchant for lobbing balloons on the crowd at the end of a show. It’s a cool visual concept which might lose something in a purely audio context. Download the show through LivePhish by clicking here.THE FIRST EDITION OF THE GUITAR DEN with RICH CASELLA will make its Web based debut tonight at 8:00 p.m. at Casella's Web site. Each week, the talented New York based guitarist will take a song and break down its structure including fingerings and progressions. Making it more of seminar than a forum, there will be a live interactive chat going on during the live Webcast. First up on The Guitar Den will be Paul Simon's "Kodachrome." If you're reading this after 8:00 p.m., don't fret, the Webcasts will be saved for posterity. Labels: Dave Matthews Band, Phish Bon Jovi Dashboard Confessional Tour Dates Bon Jovi will fire up their steel horse for the Circle Tour that kicks off in a couple weeks. The veteran road warriors will do many of the first leg dates with Dashboard Confessional opening. Before the Bon Jovi tour dates, Dashboard will perform on Jimmy Kimmel live February 12th. For Bon Jovi, the Circle Tour begins February 11 in Hawaii and is set to go well into the summer.February 24 - Jobing.com Arena - Phoenix, AZ February 26 - Honda Center - Anaheim, CA February 27 - Honda Center - Anaheim, CA March 2 - Arco Arena - Sacramento, CA March 4 - Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA March 6 - MGM - Las Vegas, NV March 8 - Pepsi Center - Denver, CO March 9 - Qwest Center - Omaha, NE March 11 - Intrust Bank Arena - Wichita, KS March 12 - People's Court - Des Moines, IA March 13 - Fargodome - Fargo, ND March 15 - Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO March 17 - The Palace - Detroit, MI March 18 - Kool Haus - Toronto, ON March 19 - Bell Centre - Montreal, QC March 20 - Bell Centre - Montreal, QC March 22 - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel - Providence, RI March 23 - Wachovia Center - Philadelphia, PA March 24 - Wachovia Center - Philadelphia, PA March 26 - Nokia Theater - New York, NY March 27 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ March 28 - Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT March 29 - Verizon Center - Washington DC April 6 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL April 8 - House Of Blues - Boston, MA April 10 - Northern Lights - Clifton Park, NY April 13 - BOK Center - Tulsa, OK April 15 - Phillips Arena - Atlanta, GA April 16 - House Of Blues - Orlando, FL April 17 - St Pete Times Forum - Tampa, FL April 18 - Bank Atlantic Center - Fort Lauderdale, FL April 21 - Sommet Center - Nashville, TN April 22 - Time Warner Cable Arena - Charlotte, NC Full Bon Jovi tour dates here. Labels: Bon Jovi, Dashboard Confessional, Tour Dates Friday, January 29, 2010Friday's Earful: The Secret Machines; The National; Peter Gabriel; Earl Greyhound
By: David Schultz
 Unfortunately, the departure of Ben Curtis from the band in 2007 to concentrate on School Of Seven Bells with Alejandra and Claudia Deheza seemed to sap the rush out of the Machines. Their last studio effort with Phil Karnats rounding out the trio flashed glimpses of past wonder but too often Secret Machines plodded forth with a joyless mechanical march. They remain compelling, even if they’ve yet to get back in step with where they were at the middle of the last decade. Around Christmas time, Curtis and Garza played a Secret Machines show as duo when a snow storm stranded Karnats outside the City limits. Village Voice profilee nyctaper caught the show and wherever he goes, high-quality recordings follow. LOOKING AHEAD, INSTEAD OF BACKWARDS: When the weather gets warmer, The National will be releasing their follow-up to Boxer and take to the road. They’ll play the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN, where guitarist Bryce Dessner will co-curate, hit up parts of Europe and both American coasts, including a hometown June 16 show at Radio City Music Hall. On the west coast, Menomena’s Brent Knopf’s side project, Ramona Falls, will open. In support of Scratch My Back, his album of cover songs that will be released in the US on March 2, Peter Gabriel will embark on The New Blood Tour. Leaving guitars and drums at home, Gabriel will be accompanied solely by an orchestra he’s named the Scratch My Back Experience. The tour will bring Gabriel back to America for the first time in close to seven years with shows announced for Radio City Music Hall in New York City (May 2, May 3) and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.  Labels: Earl Greyhound, Peter Gabriel, The National, The Secret Machines Thursday, January 28, 2010Thursday's Earful: Drive-By Truckers; White Stripes; The Allman Brothers Band
By: David Schultz
 When you've gone through the whole record-release-tour- develop side project cycle enough times that you can do it on auto-pilot, how do you go about keeping things fresh? It seems that the answer is: star in your own documentary. The White Stripes will accompany the March 16 release of Under Great White Northern Lights with an Emmett Malloy directed documentary of the same name. The songs and the footage come from The Stripes' 2007 jaunt across Canada with Under Nova Scotian Lights, their 10th Anniversary concert, getting a separate DVD release treatment.The Drive-By Truckers will also be multi-tasking this year, bundling the March 16 release of The Big To-Do, their eighth studio album, with a documentary of their own, The Secret To A Happy Ending. They describe the film as one "about the redemptive power of rock & roll; it's about the American South, where rock was born; it's about a band straddling the borders of rock, punk and country; it's about making art, making love and making a living; it's about the Drive-By Truckers." They surely haven't mellowed: the first single from the new album is entitled "This Fucking Job," which the Truckers are offering up as a sample taste.  AS THEY HAVE IN THE PAST, The Allman Brothers Band have added another five shows to their March residency, which will move from the Beacon Theater to new and larger digs at the United Palace. If you weren't able to get tickets for the first eight shows, try to free up March 22, 23, 25, 26 or 27. Unless you are a member of the Peach Corps or an American Express cardholder, tickets will be available February 6. The Allmans residency is one of the few remaining uncorrupted events still left in rock and roll and shouldn't be missed by anyone who considers themselves a true music lover.Labels: Allman Brothers Band, Drive By Truckers, White Stripes Wednesday, January 27, 2010Wednesday's Earful: Rinjo Cloudcast
By: Rinjo Njori
The cover photos are definitely getting better, although in our household we are partial to "Uncle" Dwight Schultz, even if he did go slightly Limbaugh a couple years back. At the risk of giving away some of the plot, Rinjo includes Silversun Pickups, Japandroids, Animal Collective, the Almighty Defenders and the Reatards. Tuesday, January 26, 2010Tuesday's Earful: moe. @ Roseland Ballroom
By: David Schultz
 Bands that vary up their setlists on a nightly basis pose tremendous difficulties for anyone wanting to write an all-encompassing review of the group from a single show. The personnel won’t change but the band you see one night could be subtly to drastically different from the one that played just 24 hours earlier. What you typically get is someone’s personal recollection of their individual experience at the show that holds your interest to the extent that you know or care about the writer. In most cases, that personal connection is non-existent, which explains why many show reviews of jambands fail to provide much in the way of interesting insight. Seeing as my mother isn’t even interested in hearing my thoughts on a specific show, you aren’t really going to get a ton of astute perceptions about moe.’s Saturday night show at the Roseland Ballroom.moe. followed up their guest laden benefit for World Hunger Year and Haiti with a formal celebration of their 20th anniversary. Dressed nattily in matching suits, moe.’s Saturday night set consisted almost exclusively of longtime live staples including the twangy “Yodelittle,” the zany “Dr. Graffenberg” and a lengthy revved up version of “Meat.” By packing the set with a treasure trove of moe. classics, the venerable upstate rockers reminded many fans of what made them appealing in the first place; a fine way to commemorate a momentous anniversary. Legions of bands hardly make it past their second album or go their separate ways at the first sign of adversity only to find a rekindled love of the music once the possibility of a lucrative reunion tour rears its head. In jamband circles, Phish and the Grateful Dead will always dominate the conversation but perhaps it's time for moe. to be invited on to the panel. Since Terminal 5 opened its doors a couple years back, the Roseland Ballroom, once a mighty and vital stop for any jamband or rising indie act, has lost much of its luster with T5 coopting nearly all the shows that would once take place at the roomy midtown haunt. Revisiting Roseland for the first time in more than 3 years, all of the Ballroom’s perceived warts seemed trivial, especially in light of Terminal 5’s horrific sightlines, overcrowded floors and impersonal warehouse feel. To the contrary, Roseland felt like a venue with its own character: from the side stage that doubles as a VIP section to the hidden bar (I’m not telling) and the balconies from which you can actually see the stage, it’s a concert space that does not deserve to be forsaken. moe. reawakened a few of Roseland’s ghosts this past weekend, hopefully they don’t once again go dormant. moe. moe. moe. Tonight at the Brooklyn Bowl, moe. will play a not-so secret show at Pete Shapiro's wonderful new venture in Williamsburg. No tickets will be sold in advance, so be there on line when the doors open at 6:00 and you'll get to see moe. at the largest mini-arena in Brooklyn. Labels: moe. Monday, January 25, 2010Monday's Earful: The Swell Season
By: David Schultz
 Context is everything. No matter how good a band may be, how they make their first impression – how you come to hear about them – predisposes how you’re going to feel about them. If the backstory of The Swell Season consisted of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova coming together as the result of their shared experiences on failing to become American Idol, they would likely be ridiculously popular but would have as much credibility as Justin Guarini or Taylor Hicks. Well, on second thought, maybe they wouldn’t even be popular. Instead, Hansard and Irglova garnered raves for their starring turn in Once, a charming little movie for which they won the Best Song Oscar for “Falling Slowly.” There may be other paths to instant credibility but becoming the darling of the independent cinema isn’t a bad one to take. If you came across The Swell Season’s old school, blue-eyed soul dotted with twinges of modern Irish folk, which they build to Springsteen-quality crescendos, on Top 40 radio, they might be easy to dismiss as a manufactured label project. Take into account Hansard’s busking background, his role as Outspan in Alan Parker’s The Commitments and the manner in which his romantic roller coaster with Irglova intertwined with his involvement with The Frames, and it would be spiteful to begrudge them their sold-out return to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. After Hansard and Irglova opened the show on their own with “Fallen From The Sky” and “Lies,” Hansard welcomed The Frames, who many worry he’s forsaken for The Swell Season project. Along with an occasional assist from a horn section made up Clark Gayton and Steven Bernstein of Levon Helm’s Ramble band and Jake Clemons, E Street Band’s Clarence’s nephew, the full band fleshed out The Swell Season’s soaring melodies and delicate harmonies. The briskly paced two and a half hour set focused on material from the recently released Strict Joy, a couple newer songs and of course touched upon the songs from Once, including a lovely offering of “Falling Slowly.” Like most Swell Season shows, there were intricately laid out sing-alongs and some choice covers. Admittedly wanting to ingratiate themselves with the Tri-State audience, they played a powerfully soulful rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Drive All Night,” with Jake Clemons playing the role of his uncle. Hansard's throwaway reference to “and the colored girls sing” in the midst of the number prompted the audience to echo back the familiar bridge from “Walk On The Wild Side.” After the show’s opening,” Irglova remained primarily out of the spotlight; she took lead vocals for a couple songs, added some surprisingly powerful piano counterpart to the thunderous finale of “High Horses” and, of course, featured prominently in “Falling Slowly.” The night though belonged to Hansard, an incredibly charismatic frontman. With the stage to himself, Hansard tapped into his days as a street performer, engaging the audience with nothing more than a guitar and his charm. He quieted the audience long enough to sing without the microphone and tore through Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks,” energizing the relatively serene classic into an impassioned acoustic rockers. Possessed with the Irish gift of telling a compelling and entertaining story, Hansard eloquently prefaced each song with a brief introduction as to its origin. Instead of becoming some sort of egocentric Storytellers session, the context of the lyrics gave the night a couple unifying themes. In light of Hansard and Irglova’s romantic entanglements, Hansard’s constant references to being comfortable enough to wish someone happiness even as you are saying goodbye had an added poignancy. The sentiment didn’t quite match up with the turgid march of “Go With Happiness” but it made their finale of the Irish standard, “Parting Glass” come alive with Hansard channeling the ghosts of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in wishing everyone “good night and joy be with you all.” Labels: The Swell Season Friday, January 22, 2010Friday's Earful: Genesis w/ Peter Gabriel; The Hold Steady; Rinjo CloudcastBy: David Schultz  With Genesis being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, the dormant reunion rumors with Peter Gabriel have once again sprung to life. Before they could gather steam, Genesis' original lead singer has doused all of the anticipatory excitement, definitively stating that no reunion will occur. Rather than just cast the normal aspersions on the reunion, Gabriel categorically listed the reasons why it won't take place: there will be no time to rehearse and Phil Collins isn't physically able to play the drums for an extended period of time. Gabriel may not even be able to attend the induction ceremony as he will be on tour supporting Scratch My Back, his album of covers that will be released on February 3.PERHAPS THIRTY YEARS FROM NOW we will be all atwitter over a Hold Steady reunion. Keyboardist Franz Nicolay announced today that he will be amicably leaving the greatest bar band in the world to pursue his solo career. Questionable move for the curiously mustachioed one; hopefully we won't end up bringing up Nicolay's name in a conversation that includes David Caruso and Shelley Long. HERE'S PART II OF RINJO'S CLOUDCAST with the Best Title Tracks of 2009. Thursday, January 21, 2010Thursday's Earful: moe.; Concerts For Haiti; Rinjo CloudcastBy: David Schultz  Tomorrow night, jamband stalwarts moe. will celebrate their 20th anniversary with two shows at New York City's Roseland Ballroom. In addition to marking the milestone, Friday night's show will serve a more civic minded purpose: not only will the show benefit World Hunger Year, the organization co-founded by singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, it will benefit those in need in Haiti. If you have any questions as why the latter is necessary, stop reading this site immediately and get thyself a newspaper, you are in desperate need of a clue. The benefit will feature guest appearances from The Allman Brothers Band's Butch Trucks, David Sanborn, Yonder Mountain String Band's Jeff Austin, banjo great Danny Barnes and Marco Benevento. This won't be moe.'s first benefit at Roseland. In February of 2005, moe. enlisted Trey Anastasio, Sam Bush and John Medeski to put on a monster show to raise money to assist victims of the Tsunami that struck India at the end of 2004.moe. ISN'T THE ONLY BAND lending their voices to the Haitian cause. By the time you read this, Robert Randolph & The Family Band will have played the Brooklyn Bowl to benefit the Red Cross Haiti Fund and Yele Haiti but tonight the hippest bowling alley in Williamsburg will feature DJ sets from Q-Tip and ?uestlove. City Winery will have four benefit shows for Partners In Health, Doctors Without Borders and the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center: Last night's benefit featured Patti Smith, The Swell Season, The Antlers, John Wesley Harding, Carolina Chocolate Drops and Yo La Tengo. Tonight's will have Vernon Reid and Corey Glover of Living Colour, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marshall Crenshaw and Lewis Black. The Support Haiti shows continue on Sunday with Roseanne Cash, Madeleine Peyroux and Nada Surf and conclude on Monday with 20 Indie Artists, including Earvolution faves Amber Rubarth and Wes Hutchinson. THE BIGGEST TELETHON WILL TAKE place on Friday night. The George Clooney hosted Hope For Haiti event will be simulcast on all the major television networks, MTV, VH1 and CNN. U2, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Sting, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder are among the participating artists. YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS mine as to why we're looking at a pair of knobby knees. Hit play though and you get Part I of Rinjo Njori's Cloudcast with the Best Title Tracks of 2009. Come back tomorrow for Part II. Labels: moe.
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