American Idol boasted over 57 million viewers for their first night of Season Six. That's more than they've gotten for some of their finale shows and their second highest single show to date. For comparison, it is also the highest rated Fox premiere in total viewers in the network's history. I guess, for better or for worse, there's no end in sight to the Idol franchise.

Next week is Memphis, but don't forget to look for Earvolution friend Sabriena Stone when the New York area auditions air. And, as for last night, yes the "Big Red" dude from Seattle creeped me out too.

Labels: American Idol, Sabriena Stone

We usually poke fun at American Idol, but our tune may have to change if Sabriena Stone makes it to Hollywood. Sabriena, who we've covered here as part of 5th of July and the 7/11 Project, has made it to Round 3 of the current American Idol auditions. Indeed, we were graced by her lovely voice this past Thursday at our Summer Jam at Sin-e in NYC.

After arriving for an early morning audition, Sabriena told the Associated Press that "It was pretty nerve-racking" and that "[She] felt confident for the most part."

She was right to be confident as she sailed past the first two auditions and Sabriena's next performance is before Randy, Paula and Simon. Sabriena we wish you well and be sure to wear that Earvolution shirt when you get to Hollywood!

Labels: American Idol, Sabriena Stone

One of New York's most talented jambands, Licorice, featuring David Lott (guitar), Matt Epstein (bass), Chad Dinzes (keyboards) and Josh Bloom (drums), have found themselves at home at venues as crunchy as the City's Lion's Den and as staid as the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club. Named October 2005's "New Groove of the Month" by Relix Magazine, fans have sought out Licorice to get a taste of this jazzy, improvisational quartet. Highlighting any Licorice show is their ability to jam in unison, with no one taking the opportunity to sit back and let the others carry their weight. Throughout any performance, everyone on stage will be doing something meriting attention: whether it be Dinzes turning his hands into a blur on the keyboards; Lott running through an intricate guitar riff; Epstein relentlessly churning out a funky rhythm or Bloom slipping in some jazzy drumming. In lesser hands, the result could be auditory chaos. In Licorice's hands, the result is an exciting jazz, avant-garde, funk and rock concoction.

Anyone coming by The Baggot Inn in New York City's West Village for Thursday's Happy Hour has come across The Seven Eleven Project. Slowly becoming an early evening fixture, the Project comprised of Licorice guitarist David Lott, 5th of July lead singer Sabriena Stone and longtime collaborator, guitarist Michael "Skitz" Fitzpatrick, offer a delightful mix of acoustic originals, guitar-heavy jams and an occasional eighties chestnut. The trio have known each other for years and their joy of playing together comes through in their music.

Both Licorice & the 7/11 Project will appear this Thursday, August 10th at Sin-E in NYC as part of Earvolution's Summer Jam 2006. Some tickets remain and are available here.

Labels: Licorice, Sabriena Stone, Seven Eleven Project

By: David Schultz

On a weekend where Licorice's keyboardist, Chad Dinzes, became swept up in one of the many late May graduation ceremonies taking place across the country, the remaining three members of Licorice, guitarist David Lott, bassist Matt Epstein and drummer Josh Bloom, amply made do at their Saturday evening show at New York City's Coda. Hearkening back to a time before Dinzes joined the band, Licorice went "Old Skool," taking the stage as a trio, solicited the help of an old and long-time friend and played a show designed to delight their long time fans. While Licorice can always be counted on to provide entertaining improvisational jams, with everyone constantly moving the music forward, this night showed that they can also play within the conventional structure of the power trio. On their opener "Name" and the following instrumental number, Epstein and Bloom provided an additional kick to their always stellar rhythm section, giving the songs a nice weighty pacing. On "What's Your Status In London," a song customarily punctuated by Dinzes' sharp keyboard work, Lott showed extraordinarily dexterous skill in remarkably transforming the song's keyboard intro into a startling guitar solo.

After their opening trio of originals, the band brought on newly engaged, 5th of July singer Sabriena Stone, reforming one of Licorice's original lineups. As the band went through a number of genres, Stone showed off a wonderful range and ability to adapt to styles as diverse as reggae, blues, pop and even some late-era, howling-Sting Police. With only her voice to match the finely-tuned musicians of Licorice, she ably held her own.

Taking advantage of the gifted vocalist Stone, Licorice pretty much abandoned their traditional catalog of instrumental heavy jams, offering instead a number of eclectic covers. Over the course of their set, Licorice and Stone touched on The Police's "Synchronicity II," T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday" and a wonderful medley of Eric Clapton's "Get Ready" and The Pointer Sisters' "How Long," Playing straight covers seemed to constrain Licorice, their creativity unable to flourish when offering another's songs. In contrast, when they interpret, rather than cover, they create something memorable. Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" has long been a number covered instrumentally; with Stone adding her powerful voice, Licorice offered a version that was part cover/part hip transformation as Lott incorporated Santana's signature riffs from "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" over Epstein and Bloom's deliciously tribal beat. Lott also offered another attention-grabbing bluesy solo during their cover of "Stormy Monday." While their run through "Mystery Train" was enjoyable, their ventures into reggae fell into the same disappointing realm as most non-reggae bands' foray into the genre.

Near the close of the set, originals moved back to the forefront of the set; a fantastic duet between Stone and Lott on Licorice's "Freeze" being followed by a set-closing rendition of the witty "Say It (Your Mom Is A Vegetarian)," their inventive reworking of Blink 182's "All The Small Things." For the encore, Lott and Stone, who often play together as The Seven Eleven Project, offered a nice rendition of a Lott original while Epstein and Bloom subtly made their way towards the bathroom. The rhythm section did return in time for an evening closing romp through Men At Work's "Down Under."

Licorice and Stone's true effect on the audience came as their set proceeded apace. At the commencement of the show, the majority of the crowd dispersed themselves around Coda's perimeter, which includes some relatively comfortable seats. Drawing everyone into their circle, Licorice and Stone had practically everyone on their feet by the end of their set, decamped at the front of stage and calling for encores.

Labels: Licorice, Sabriena Stone

By: David Schultz

As American Idol consistently proves, there are a number of singers throughout the country with strong voices, but quite few who truly know how to use them in synch with other musicians. About a month ago, in the middle of Licorice's late night set at New York City's Lion's Den, Sabriena Stone, who sang with the band during their infancy, unassumingly took the stage for a medley of the Pointer Sisters' "How Long" and Eric Clapton's "Get Ready." While not only astounding the crowd with her undeniably strong voice, equally impressive was Stone's ability to work with Licorice rather than battle them for a place in the song.



At the Lion's Den this past week, Stone appeared as one half of The Seven Eleven Project, an acoustic duo with Licorice guitarist David Lott for a fun set featuring Beatles covers as well as Lott's originals. With Stone and Lott securely comfortable with stable and promising bands, The Seven Eleven Project exists as a side project for the long-time friends. Stone fronts the New York based quartet 5th of July with guitarist Larry Post. The group just released their debut album, No Surprise on 1/5 Records. The album features Stone and Post's straightforward rock and roll that shows off their considerable musical range and songwriting talents, evoking a Dylan-like quality on "God Fearing Willie." On songs like the ballad "Tonight," the blues-rock "Bound To Come," and the Journey-esque "No Surprise," Stone continues to show there's more to singing a song than simply hitting the right notes. Lott's band, the innovative quartet Licorice, has already received jamband.com's prestigious title of New Groove of the Month. Currently in the process of firming up their spring concert dates, Licorice confirmed an April 21 appearance at New York City's Knitting Factory as part of the upcoming Green Apple Music & Arts Festival.

Before a crowd that filled the club to see them, Stone & Lott opened with Tom Petty’s "Time To Move On," and covered The Beatles' "Oh Darlin'," "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," Phish's "Back On The Train," Dylan's "If Not For You" and the Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn duet "You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly" over the course of their set. The Project also played Licorice's "Freeze" and Lott originals "Who Knew," "Anyway" and "Fish For Dinner." While touching upon some cornerstones of classic rock, the two chose songs that allowed Lott to show off some fancy guitar work and Stone, who sang the entire evening while seated, to exhilarate with her bombastic voice. Instead of closing the night with a classic rock anthem or an endearing moving ballad, Stone and Lott joyously raved up The Jeffersons' theme song, "Movin' On Up," finishing the show on a note that had the crowd howling for their piece of the pie.

Labels: Sabriena Stone, Seven Eleven Project