Friday, September 29, 2017

Full Show Friday: James Brown at The Ritz 1986

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...James Brown!

Occasionally for our Full Show Friday series RtBE decides to dedicate the month to certain topics like showcasing random years, say 1979,  or unique live venues, like CBGB's. Sometimes we combine both like Bonnaroo 2014. This month we are focusing on live shows from the historic NYC Venue Webster Hall aka The Ritz. Enjoy!

RtBE have enjoyed many a concert at the famed Webster Hall or as it was known in the 80's, The Ritz and a few weeks ago the club played host to it's last show for sometime as it will be undergoing a long renovation. To celebrate the illustrious venue we will be dedicating September's Full Show Friday's to the club, highlighting some amazing performances. 

Well we started this month's Webster Hall/Ritz showcase with the amazing Prince, and we end the showcase month with the man who he loved and emulated, James Brown. January 1986 saw Brown back in the spotlight after his performance of "Living In America" in Rocky 4 (the robot from the film does an intro here) and while we here at RtBE have never ever let JB leave out ears for long it is great to see him back and riding high here (perhaps in more ways than one).

While this isn't our favorite show from The Godfather of Soul (for that check THIS out) it is still great to see him (along with Maceo Parker and that crazy tuxedo) play and in the famed small venue as well. We hope enjoyed this monthly showcase, we sure did. Pro-shot, Pro-sound full setlist below, Enjoy!
  

James Brown - Full Concert
Recorded Live: 1/26/1986 - Ritz (New York, NY)

More James Brown at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com
Subscribe to Music Vault: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF

Setlist:
0:00:00 - Robot Introduction
0:02:21 - Maceo Parker Instrumental
0:09:31 - Hot Pants Road
0:16:03 - James Brown Introduction / Give It Up Or Turn It Loose
0:22:02 - It's Too Funky In Here
0:26:14 - Doing It To Death
0:33:07 - Try Me
0:37:45 - Georgia On My Mind
0:43:18 - There's No Business Like Show Business / Cold Sweat
0:47:16 - (I Got You) I Feel Good
0:50:04 - Please, Please, Please / Jam (Till Your Body Gets Busted)
0:59:42 - Super Bad
1:04:23 - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
1:08:24 - Jam (Till Your Body Gets Busted) Reprise
1:13:08 - Living In America
1:26:34 - Band Exit

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Album Review: Lee Ranaldo - Electric Trim

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Lee Ranaldo's newest release Electric Trim. We have reviewed each of his solo albums for Glide and we would put this one in the middle (would rank Between The Time And The Tides first, it would have been 8 stars on the new scale, Last Night On Earth, third).

It is definitely his oddest solo release of his so far, it is not easy to get into right away but it grows. Also it should be mentioned while the album art isn't particularly shocking on first glance it truly fits the music which does not always happen.

Support the artist, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:





Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Album Review: Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

Power Trip 
Nightmare Logic
**** out of *****
On Power Trip's second album Nightmare Logic, the Texas based thrash quintet's combo of old school slamming riffs and head banging beats combined with modern day Armageddon is a metal-riffic combo.

Opener "Sould Sacrifice" is a long way from Santana, but it also contains an extended instrumental work out before slamming full on into a brick wall, exploding into ear drums. "Executioner's Tax" is slower and the vocals of front man Riley Gales jump to the forefront as he calls out all of the religious hypocrites that he sees.

Where the album really starts to break through into thrash metal hell is on "Firing Squad". It is a shift blast of power, speed and anger that motors with Jack Daniels and hell fire shouting out of the speakers. Reminding of excellent old school thrash gods like S.O.D.Exodus and Anthrax the guitars of Blake Ibanez screech into the sun only to deploy with the force of a neutron bomb on tracks like "If Not Us Then Who" and the propulsive title track.

The shotgun blasts of fury do not give up, "Ruination" recalls the early days of Metallica while disk closer "Cruifixation" channels the recently departed soul of Lemmy and Motorhead's unbridled power riffs. Even when they play with some digital intros/outros on "Waiting Around To Die" the group never ventures far from the metallic fury with a track that crams in a soaring solo and a huge breakdown that is sure to liter the dance floor with broken bones.

Aggressive, melodic, rhythmic, homicidal, Nightmare Logic contains everything that makes heavy music so vibrant and vital. Power Trip can make old school metal heads and young ones just finding the genre scream with delight.
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A great bandcamp find. Support the band, buy the album, stream it below and peep some video:




Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Album Review: Prophets of Rage - Prophets of Rage

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
It is of the "supergroup" Prophets of Rage self titled first full length release and wow does this one underwhelm. We here at RtBE are fans of all of these original acts and each played a vital part of our musical evolution (well maybe not so much Cypress Hill) but this is a dud of an album.

It feels half-assed from the start, Rage Against the Machine cast off riffs and beats behind MC's, while trying, can't put the right phrases together to elevate anything. A serious disappointment. In fact Public Enemy's newest release has more energy, anger and successes then anything these guys have done.

However, still feel free to support the band, read the review, buy the album and peep some video below:


Monday, September 25, 2017

Dylan Cover #294: The Lucky Losers "What Was It You Wanted?" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by The Lucky Losers of the Dylan tune "What Was It You Wanted?"

Thoughts On Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:
Oh Mercy brought Dylan back in from the creative wasteland that was his 1980's. It had an eerie sense of foreboding, helped by producer Daniel Lanois and the ghosts of New Orleans. The irritable old man in Dylan came out a bit here as well, and "What Was It You Wanted" is a good example of that, a confused searching that colors the lyrics as the protagonist just can't seem to get it right.
Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
The Lucky Losers from their website:
Accompanied by a dynamic six piece ensemble, veteran Bay Area artists, Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz deliver a truly signature sound, layering elements of Stax/Volt styled R&B, electric Americana, and psychedelic rock atop a Chicago and Texas blues foundation. The Lucky Losers perform powerful original music about transcending the dark side of the American dream, the beauty and pain of being alive, and devotion in all it’s complexities.
Thoughts on Cover:
A very upbeat cover that really doesn't really match with the original at all and is really odd upon first listen. There are very nice guitar and harmonica solos that are nice work outs, but this isn't one of our favorites in our Monday series. 

Friday, September 22, 2017

Full Show Friday: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Live From Webster Hall 2014

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard!

Occasionally for our Full Show Friday series RtBE decides to dedicate the month to certain topics like showcasing random years, say 1979,  or unique live venues, like CBGB's. Sometimes we combine both like Bonnaroo 2014. This month we are focusing on live shows from the historic NYC Venue Webster Hall aka The Ritz. Enjoy!

RtBE have enjoyed many a concert at the famed Webster Hall or as it was known in the 80's, The Ritz and a few weeks ago the club played host to it's last show for sometime as it will be undergoing a long renovation. To celebrate the illustrious venue we will be dedicating September's Full Show Friday's to the club, highlighting some amazing performances. 

We are going freak rock with the Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard this week in our showcase to Webster Hall. Pithcfork filmed the set so you have pro video and pro sound. Full Setlist is below, Enjoy!


0:22 Open Water 5:49 Doom City 9:15 Anoxia 13:00 Billabong Valley 18:02 Sleep Drifter 24:24 Nuclear Fusion 28:42 Rattlesnake 35:25 Altered Beast 44:42 Robot Stop 49:36 The River 1:00:43 Gamma Knife 1:05:00 People Vultures 1:09:32 Lord Of Lightning 1:15:00 Cellophane 1:19:17 Am I in Heaven? (Extended/Medley)

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Brooklyn Comes Alive Festival This Weekend

This weekend Brooklyn Comes Alive arrives. It is a jam influenced festival happening at three different excellent venues in Brooklyn with some NOLA acts and others that are worth catching.
Brooklyn Bowl, Music Hall of Williamsburg and Schimanski New York will play host for the weeken. There are lots of interesting pairings, George Porter Jr. Mike Dillion and Skerik make a feisty trio and DJ Logic and Friends will get you moving with an excellent afternoon set. Another opener Jon Cleary we just reviewed and he will be playing solo at this show as well as teaming up with the excellent John Scofield later on Sunday.

Below are the set times and venues for all the acts as well as some videos to set the mood. If you like live music this is a hell of a weekend for tunes in Brooklyn.







Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Live Review: Counting Crows & Match Box 20 Bristow, VA 9/3/17

A Brief History of Everything Tour: Counting Crows & Matchbox 20
9/3/17 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
We had just pulled into the parking lot of Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia when the woman suddenly lost it.

“Get me the hell out of here…you’ve tricked me!”

The crushed gravel parking lot. The adjacent heavy equipment dealer advertising “discount bulldozers.”

Under normal circumstances I would indulge the ceaseless charade of “What fresh crazy is this?” Only in this moment I was too busy playing hopscotch with the brake. No choice. White people wandered the parking lot with zero regard for their personal safety. Pale, portly, possibly intoxicated and with folding lawn chairs slung underarm, they were like some new breed of zombie trying to remember what it was once like to be an American. And the white zombies were everywhere. Wombies. Self-absorbed but unfocused. Angry without immediate cause. Every now and then you’d see the confused Wombies bump into each other and exchange pleading glances, “Is this what we used to do…you know…before?”

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Album Review: Mike Gordon -OGOGO

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
This is the biggest musical surprise of the year to RtBE. Not only did a member of Phish manage to craft a damn good studio album, it was bass player Mike Gordon who churned out this doozy. In discussion with Glide's editor we toned things down a bit, but we were both blown away by this disk on a few levels and personally think it is the best Phish band member solo release ever. 

Production is great. Everyone should get extra props for it and things overall feel like a joint effort in the playing department but the writing and editing def seems to come from the warped mind of Gordon. 

We said a lot in the review, and would love to discuss with with Phish fans to get their thoughts, but any fan of quirky interesting rock and roll should check this out; leave your Phish bias at the door. As it stands you should support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Monday, September 18, 2017

Dylan Cover #293 The Band of Kelleys "Maggie's Farm" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune comes is a live cover of "Maggie's Farm" from The Band of Kelleys

Thoughts on Dylan's Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:
"Maggie's Farm" is classic Dylan, everyone thinks they know what it's about and they are sure they are right, but they all think different things. I will confess I like the sped up Electric version from Newport Folk Festival that caused the end of popular folk music (in theory) and really solidified Dylan's pop music career. It is a great tune and really flows in lots of forms making it perfect to cover.
Cover

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
We have not heard of The Band of Kelleys before, but they are a family bluegrass band who are just arriving on the scene. If their first few posts to youtube are any indication they have a successful career ahead of them.
Thoughts on Cover:
This is a fantastic acoustic cover. Tons of great playing, singing and most importantly energy. This is a doozy for the middle of September and a great cover version of this Dylan tune ranking as one of the best we have re viewed in this ongoing Monday series.   

Friday, September 15, 2017

Full Show Friday: Los Lobos Live at The Ritz 1987

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Los Lobos!

Occasionally for our Full Show Friday series RtBE decides to dedicate the month to certain topics like showcasing random years, say 1979,  or unique live venues, like CBGB's. Sometimes we combine both like Bonnaroo 2014. This month we are focusing on live shows from the historic NYC Venue Webster Hall aka The Ritz. Enjoy!

RtBE have enjoyed many a concert at the famed Webster Hall or as it was known in the 80's, The Ritz and a few weeks ago the club played host to it's last show for sometime as it will be undergoing a long renovation. To celebrate the illustrious venue we will be dedicating September's Full Show Friday's to the club, highlighting some amazing performances. 

Here is Los Lobos at the height of their commercial success on the back of the film La Bamba, playing the famed NYC venue in 1987. The show was shot for MTV and has pro video and pro sound. We recently re-watched the American Epic Sessions and loved Los Lobos, a band RtBE still needs to dig deeper on. Full setlist with timing is below...Enjoy!


Los Lobos - Full Concert
Recorded Live: 3/26/1987 - Ritz (New York, NY)

More Los Lobos at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com
Subscribe to Music Vault: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF

Setlist:
0:00:00 - Will The Wolf Survive
0:04:16 - We're Gonna Rock
0:06:54 - Come On, Let's Go
0:09:47 - Our Last Night
0:12:43 - Walking Song
0:15:33 - How Much Can I Do
0:18:16 - Anselma
0:22:01 - Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
0:24:52 - Matter Of Time
0:28:47 - Evangeline
0:31:21 - I Got Loaded
0:34:12 - Let's Say Goodnight
0:38:02 - Corrido #1
0:40:53 - Serenata Nortena
0:43:57 - Volver, Volver
0:47:34 - I Got To Let You Know
0:50:03 - My Baby's Gone
0:54:14 - Farmer John
0:56:42 - Don't Worry Baby

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Album Review: Downtown Boys - Cost of Living

Downtown Boys
Cost of Living
**** out of *****

With 2015's Full Communism Providence, RI's six piece punk rockers gained national attention wailing to the forefront with pro-minority/underdog lyrics, a punk vibe and bellowing brass that made them stand out from the pack. If you are unfamiliar with the band and their mission, their words say it best:
The United States’ myriad inequalities, hatreds and phobias are painfully evident in 2017, offering proof that the age-old dichotomy of “political bands” versus “apolitical bands” simply doesn’t exist. Either you are comfortable and unfazed by the current reigning power structures, or you use your music as a vehicle for the dismantling of oppression and the creation of something better. No matter what your songs are about, you are choosing a side.

The position of Providence, RI’s Downtown Boys has been clear since they started storming through basements and DIY spaces with their radically-minded rock music: they are here to topple the white-cis-het hegemony and draft a new history.

Now they arrive more focused (in every way) for their follow up Cost of Living. With a President and administration to rail against and a clear jump up in production to Sub Pop (from Don Giovanni) the group plans a more calculated approach and on most fronts they succeed in expanding their sound, sharping their chops and bringing more ears into the tent.

Immediately the production of Guy Picciotto stands out, the band has been cleaned up and put on the path of succeeding. From Mary Regalado’s bass (a constant source of joy) bounce on the opening defiant "A Wall" the band is rich and alive, warm in the speakers aggressive when it needs to be but toned down when the music needs to just motor and not wail; this pairing of producer and band is a winner.

Most listeners first reaction however will be to front woman Victoria Ruiz who sings in Spanish and English. As on every other release she remains raw and defiant, repeating things over and over and blasting through the polished production to attack the listener where they sit. Her attack is admirable but as on Full Communism her lyrics and shouts can become one-note, repetitive and ultimately diluted of their power as on "Promissory Note" "Clara Rancia" which are both  musically full throttle motoring but never escape the defiant rage of the front woman. Punk calls for sing-along's and memorable stanzas, but the best transcends and makes connections, not just screams against.

Also noticeable toned down this go around is the out and out saxophone skronk's that so effectually brought to life Full Communism. Here the brass is pushed to more of supporting role, but the fury is still present with tracks like the blistering "Because You" or "Tonta". Tracks like "Violent Complicity" "Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas)" and "Lips That Bite" are more well rounded, pulling all of what the band does well at the this point and moves it forward with flashes of groove, electro flourishes and textural nuances.

Cost of Living is a complete record however the Downtown Boys still feel like a work-in-progress but that is fine as they work through sounds, political agendas, feelings and musical styles. Hopefully sticking with Sub-Pop and Picciotto will be in their future as they are cracking open their style more and more with each release.
_______________________________________________________________
Support the band, buy the album, stream it below or on bandcamp, and peep some video:


Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Live Review: Classic Quadrophenia Live 9/9/17 @ The MET NY, NY

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
It is of Pete Townshend's Classic Quadrophenia Live at The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. For those new to RtBE Quadrophenia holds a special place in this sites digital heart, it is our favorite album of all time.

We can write a book on the album and should probably do something based around that at some point, and we have seen the band do it in 2013 down by the Sea and Sand in Atlantic City. That show had some issues, but we had a fucking blast. Same with this show, it was goofy, over the top and not true to the original...but we had a great night anyway.

The venue was gorgeous, company was top fucking notch and the music was divine. Enjoy the review, feel free to catch it live if you can, buy the vinyl or DVD. Hey and peep some video below:



Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Album Review: Bloodclot - Up In Arms

Bloodclot
Up In Arms
**** out of *****

Two New York City Hardcore legends John Joseph (Cro-Mags) and Todd Youth (Murphy's Law, Danzig) recently rekindled a friendship and a long forgotten band, Bloodclot. That combo has produced this sizzling debut album that directly calls back early 80's thrash/punk/hardcore.

Recruiting Joey Castillo on drums and Nick Oliveri on bass (who have both played with Queens of The Stone Age and others) the four piece lock in from the opening title track which is direct before devolving into a break down that will have mosh pits overflowing when it hits. The band is clear in their throwback style, most songs are short bursts of riffs, screams, crashes and bangs.

"Fire" is a blasting punk burst that would be great on skate mix tape, Youth's fiery solos dominate "Manic" as he shreds the fret board and "Kill The Beast" cuts right to the core with it's power and brevity. Both "Prayer" and "Slipping Into Darkness" motor, letting the low end shine while "Solider's of the New Babylon" is a rousing shout along number, then comes a track like "Siva/Rudra" recalling the best of of both Joseph's Cro-Mag past and Youth's frantic ax playing shining as a highlight to the album.   

For fans of early era NYHC this is a must own as there is no filler anywhere, each song is dynamite exploding in eardrums. From their raw call to unity on "Life As One" to their pummeling stomping of the disk closing 'You'll Be the Death of Me" this quartet is blazing.

Joesph is in excellent vocal form and the whole production sounds crisp and alive, pulsating in speaker cabinets or headphones. While there is clear Bad Brains love and devotion in almost every song, that tribute feel also mixes with tried and true punk staples. Originality isn't a strong point, but the energy, professionalism and balls out enjoyment of the genre is evident from the first note to the last carrying Bloodclot's first release to soaring heights, here's hoping there are more to come.     
______________________________________________________________
Thanks to Glen for cluing us into this one, legends getting back to their NYHC roots and doing so in a damn great way. Support the band, buy the album stream it below or on bandcamp and peep some video:


Monday, September 11, 2017

Dylan Cover #292 Caitlin Gilligan "Let Me Die In My Footsteps"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is by Caitlin Gilligan and it is a live cover of "Let Me Die In My Footsteps"
Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this track:
A Dylan track that for once you don't have to wonder what he is singing about. This is Dylan's reaction to nuclear war and the cold war scare that was happening, "Let Me Die In My Footsteps" is a defiant statement against to the idea of bomb shelters and fear. A proud American song that still resonates today and an early Dylan track we go back to periodically. Also sounding a whole hell of a lot like "Long Black Veil" helps things out too. Quick side note, it was the first Dylan song we put on the morning of September 11th 2001. (We thought it was appropriate to put a cover of it up today, unfortunately it is relevant in more ways than one)
Cover:


Thoughts on The Cover Artist:
We do not know much of  Caitlin Gilligan, she is a Scottish singer-songwriter and  she shares her youtube clips.

Thoughts on Cover:
This is a excellent delicate version of a great song. 

Friday, September 8, 2017

Full Show Friday: Vanessa Carlton Live at Webster Hall 2012

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Vanessa Carlton!

Occasionally for our Full Show Friday series RtBE decides to dedicate the month to certain topics like showcasing random years, say 1979,  or unique live venues, like CBGB's. Sometimes we combine both like Bonnaroo 2014. This month we are focusing on live shows from the historic NYC Venue Webster Hall aka The Ritz. Enjoy!

RtBE have enjoyed many a concert at the famed Webster Hall or as it was known in the 80's, The Ritz and a few weeks ago the club played host to it's last show for sometime as it will be undergoing a long renovation. To celebrate the illustrious venue we will be dedicating September's Full Show Friday's to the club, highlighting some amazing performances. 

This week we hop ahead in time to when the venue was actually called Webster Hall and showcase Vanessa Carlton's 2012 performance there. While the video is a bit grainy, the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Album Review: Dead Cross - Dead Cross

Dead Cross
S/T
**** out of *****

A super group of thrash metal come together for Dead Crosses first self titled release and the players dutifully pay their respects to the genre with straight ahead blasts of pure aggression, but being the tricksters they all are there a few curveballs tossed into the mix

The dream lineup of Mike Crain - Guitar Dave Lombardo - Drums  Justin Pearson - Bass Mike Patton - Vocals have worked with each other in various forms before but here they just go directly after it. Outside of Patton's caterwauling and vocal histrionics the group plays it pretty straight ahead; they lineup behind Lombardo's notorious double bass and slam directly forward.

The aggression and fury is palpable from opener "Seizure and Desist" blasting into "Idiopathic" The razor blade changes, shout outs and jarring Patton vocal shifts add a sense of exhilaration to "Obedience School" while the guitar beseeching of Crain pairs perfectly with the tempo changes of the assaulting "Shillelagh". The grinding and industrial feeling gets played with for "Bela Lugosi's Dead" switching up the feel of things while "Divine Filth" slams back into the thrash metal slime cutting through the muck like a chainsaw. 

Patton adds his whacked out perspective, vocal effects and lyrics ("Blow out the candles on the urinal cake" from "Grave Slave" is a good one) to the table and those will keep any listener on their toes as he inserts distorted "woo's" and cat calls from hell, that unique approach will make any record he is on standout (sometimes not in a great way) but pairing him with such a talent backing band elevates Dead Cross higher then other tossed off side projects. 

"The Future Has Been Canceled" is a hyper active blender of noise and drum fills while "Church of the Motherfuckers" is the doom filled cataclysmic finale. The production shifts from track to track, intentionally mucking up the sound at times, or zeroing in with crystal clarity sometime from note to note. The players are dynamite, the songs are explosive and jarring, in the end this is what any listener hopes that adventurous aggressive music should sound like.
___________________________________________________________
This was a fun bandcamp find that clearly won't be right for everyone. Support the band, buy the album, stream it below or on bandcamp, and peep some video:

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

The National Playing Today (and more) To Hype New Album

The National have a new album due out this Friday and to celebrate it's release they are playing a few shows including one at the Bowery Ballroom that will broadcast on Sirius XM.

They will also be playing today at the Apple Store in Williamsburg and RtBE could not pick a more perfect location for the band...They just scream Apple Store in Williamsburg to us. We have reviewed the band in the past, and there is a part of us that enjoy the professionalism of their music, but this is a band where we just can't past the front man, the lyrics and the dour mood that Matt Berninger facilitates on record and stage. In it way it reminds us of a straight, American middle class version of Morrissey for this generation...not our cup o'meat...

All that said...they will also be playing the Stephen Colbert Show tomorrow night and various other shows to hype Sleep Well Beast, their new album that is due out Friday. Below is the first single from the disk:

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Live Review: Phish 7/30/17 MSG, NY, NY

Phish
Live @ Madison Square Garden
New York, New York 
7/30/17

Here was night eight of the Bakers Dozen Phish run and our first chance to jump into the donut goodness of Phish's historic set of shows at Madison Square Garden. RtBE have been into Phish for a long time now and more than any other band this groups shows (and the reviews) are more personal than most others because this was the band that really ignited our passion for live music.

This night was our 82nd time seeing the band and it was a great testament to what we loved about them as artists and what has made us semi move on from them in listening/loving ways. There is no doubt about it; Phish are the best live act we have ever scene on stage. The amount of times they interlock musically is astronomical at this point, but they are also almost incapable of constructing tight, short songs that transcend moments lyrically and spiritually (especially in the studio). Recent shows for us have focused more on the negative, but tonight reminded us why we fell in love in the first place.

During the Bakers Dozen shows, Phish did not repeat a song and let the daily donut theme influence the set list, this nights theme was "Jimmy's" or as New Yorker's say, "Sprinkles". In this case though we bow to the Philly/Vermont "Jimmy's" as we knew a few old tunes would make an appearance and we guessed a few covers that also showed up.

The first set kicked off with one of the classic Phish set one openers, "The Curtain With" which was gorgeously played before the band jumped (predictably) into "Runaway Jim". While this version was short and to the point (along with newer tunes "Waking Up Dead" and "Home"), a curve ball of "Esther" bubbled out with it's evil doll ways. The fact the band was willing to dip all the way back to their beginning (over 30 years ago) proved this run special, where as recent tours had a bust out or two, the Bakers Dozen was chock full of songs the band hadn't played in years, sometimes decades.

While the "Colonel Forbin's > Fly Famous Mockingbird" combo was joyful and the "David Bowie" closer a gas, it was the more delicate "Brian and Robert" that somehow stuck to these ears at set break.While the madcap madness has dulled as the band has aged, the fact that they can turn up the sentiment on a mood song like this speaks volumes.

Many nights at a Phish show it is hard to agree on the jam of the night but from the moment the second set opener "Drowned" kicked open the floodgates until the waves faded on "A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing" the band was full full throttle. This adventurous free form rock and roll is what Trey, Mike Page and Jon are all about; while this night will not go down as an all time must listen this segment will ring in these ears for a long long time.

Amazingly a showstopper like "Harpua" actually ground the show to a halt. The classic song (whose protagonist Jimmy fit the theme on this night) contained a drawn out, written dialog about the nature of the universe and astrophysics. While this could have been saved by say a Neil deGrasse Tyson guest spot, it was a real mood killer. The band instantly tried to kick it back up with a funky "2001" and a cheery "Golgi Apparatus" but the point where most shows take off, this one retreated back into a donut shaped black hole.

However, the band made up for some lacking energy with a pitch perfect cover of Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary". This encore also highlighted another development of Phish in 2017; where in the past the best vocals of the group belonged to Page McConnell, now a sober and nuanced Trey Anastasio has added gravity, age and wisdom to his singing voice in a captivating way.

The Bakers Dozen will prove to be one of the best run of shows ever (any year, any venues) and it was a joy to remember exactly why this band has captivated so many ears on so many nights.
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Monday, September 4, 2017

Dylan Cover #291 Journeyman "Union Sundown" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Journeyman playing "Union Sundown"
  
Thoughts on Original:
From what has become an annual tradition here and here:
Wanted to pick this one for Labor Day as it is Dylan's take on the lack of US manufacturing jobs as well as the increasing flux of capitalism in society and the death of unions.  The idea of greed taking over is nothing new, but this song seems to come from an impulsive Dylan (a lot do) and shows up on Infidel's of which Dylan has commented something along the lines of "Those songs stuck around too long".  Ideas seem to be a bit jumbled on this disk, but not on this tune, his lament at no good paying job for American workers is clear, but he isn't passing the buck.  It is all of HIS products that are foreign made, this isn't a plea for change as a younger Dylan might have done; it is a simple statement of fact...and a sad one at that.  Having grown up in a extremely pro-Labor house hold I just wanted to point this tune out and the fact that Dylan wrote it almost 30 years ago, and things have only gotten worse... Happy Labor Day....
Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
I don't know Journeyman but he seems to be a solo artist who posts lots of covers to youtube.
Thoughts on Cover:
Love the slide guitar. Happy that Journeyman covered this song. That's enough said.