Friday, November 30, 2018

Full Show Friday: Joe Russo Almost Dead 1/12/18 Capital Theatre

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...Joe Russo's Almost Dead!
Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artistsyearsvenues, festivals or some combo of it all. This month we focus on the gorgeous Capital Theatre over the years. 

The Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY was a popular stomping ground throughout the 70's and 80's for musicians with a sprinkling during the early 90's tossed in. It was refurbished by Peter Shapiro and opened again in 2012 with a Bob Dylan concert to re-christen the venue to rock and roll once again. 

RtBE has caught some great shows since the venue reopened and will be going to more in the near future. This month the focus for Full Show Friday's will be on some of the dynamite shows throughout the "Cap's" history. 

We are closing the month with a beast of a show, the full night of Joe Russo's Almost Dead from earlier this year up at the Cap. Not much to say as anytime JRAD play it is an amazing night of music, updating Grateful Dead tunes with palpable energy, sprinkling in a few other songs and jamming out with the best of them. (It is a good weeks for fans of the Dead here at RtBE check out our Rose Grove Band live review as well)

Full set list with almost too much info below. Enjoy:  


Set One (9:04PM - 10:27PM):
01. Jam ->
02. Brown Eyed Women ->
03. Jack Straw >
04. Jam ->
05. The Wheel @ ->
06. Estimated Prophet ->
07. The Other One # >
08. Shakedown St $ ->
09. Here Comes Sunshine Jam

Set Two (11:08PM - 12:39AM):
01. Rosa Lee Mcfall % (TH)
02. Throwing Stones ^
03. Atlantic City & ->
04. Slipknot! * ->
05. Franklin’s Tower >
06. Slipknot! * ->
07. Help On The Way ->
08. Slipknot! + ->
09. Feel Like A Stranger @@ >
10. Jam ->
11. Let It Grow
Encore: 
12. Touch of Grey

@ - With “Girl From Ipanema” (music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. English lyrics by Norman Gimbel) and “Dear Prudence” (The Beatles) teases (MB) 
# - With a Purple Haze Tease (SM) & a variation (a really fast variation) on a Love Supreme (John Coltrane) jam (Band)
$ - With a Brown Eyed Women Tease (SM), and The Wheel, China Cat Sunflower and Here Comes Sunshine Teases (TH)
% - First Time Played by Almost Dead, Charlie Monroe cover
^ - By Request for Joe’s sister on her birthday, with a Brown Eyed Women Tease and a Cats Under the Stars Tease (TH)
& - Not played since Ogden Theater, Denver, CO 2017.04.28, a gap of 29 shows / 8.5 ish months 
* - Short snippets...
+ - Full Song
@@ - With a “Your Kiss Is On My List” (Hall & Oates) Tease (MB/Band) (I think. Will try to confirm when I speak with MB)

Pre Show Music: Cap Funk Mix
Set Break Music: The In Sound From Way Out (Beastie Boys)
Post Show Music: Life During Wartime (Talking Heads)
Poster: Colortest

Joe Russo - Drums, Vocals
Tom Hamilton - Guitar, Vocals
Scott Metzger - Guitar, Vocals
Marco Benevento - Keyboards, Vocals
Dave Dreiwitz - Bass

Show #136
Night One of Three
SOLD OUT ~ THANK YOU!

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Album Review: Warthog - Warthog EP

Warthog
S/T EP
**and1/2 out of *****

Their first EP in a few years finds the New York Hardcore band Warthog slamming straight ahead from the drop as the brief 4 song offering kicks off with "Corroded". The five piece punk/hardcore outfit fronted by Chris Hansell use the sludge bass to set the tone as the track blasts, pausing only for a guitar solo to rock up the end of the track.

The follow up "Levitated Corpse" has more of a plodding tempo as the band trudges, thundering around Hansell's yells which remind of early Zack De La Rocha circa Inside Out. Half way through though "Levitated Corpse" blasts off fueled by sizzling guitars and rumbling bass. Perhaps not surprisingly for this genre the lyrics and yells are buried by the furious aggression so a lyric sheet is need to understand the nuances, but the violent meaning manages to come through.

The drums propel "Death's Hand" forward as the band ups the ferocity before a grooving "Brainwasher" closes the record on the most melodic note that Warthog offer. The band seems to release 4 songs every few years, and this collection is certainly up to the levels of past offerings.
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Support the band, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:


Album Review: BB and the Blips - Shame Job

BB and the Blips
Shame Job
*** out of *****

The Australian punk outfit BB and the Blips debut record on Oakland's Thrilling Living record label is a blast of lo-fi punk rock that in their words is a "retort to the insidious and complacent “she’ll be right” mentality fomented in the so-called Lucky Country."

The quintet (BB on vocals, Ben on Drums, Max on Bass, Rowena on Guitar, Will on Guitar) addresses sexual inequalities and shaming in various forms over Shame Job's ten direct tracks. Opener "Matriduxy" begins sluggish but picks up the tempo with scuzzy punk sound and nasally vocals. Lead singer BB has a voice that can fluctuate between Johnny Rotten snarl and Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females soaring up/down warbles before randomly yelping to punctuate things; this style keeps the listener engaged as the bands smokes around her.

The title track is a blast of raw energy while frantically yelling and playing with abandon rambles fourth on one of the highlight tracks "L.I.B.I.D.O". The group has a Sex Pistols sound which goers beyond just the lead vocals as both "Lucky Country" "The Ballad of Personal Growth" and "Bitcoin Baby" clang, bang and groove in that late 70's dirty way while the drums and guitars lead a killer groove on "Corrections" which ends too soon chanting the refrain "Hope is a Prism/No more Prisons".   

The short debut (the full length is a mere 22 minutes)  ends with a pummeling effort "Whinge and Whine" that lets BB and the Blips soar and still deliver physical release. Shame Job gets it's point across in digestible punk fashion with thudding/motoring low end and scuffed up guitars around an engaging lead singer as this Australian act delivers on their first effort.
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Support the artists, buy the record, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:


Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Album Review: Hank Wood and the Hammerheads - S/T

Hank Wood and the Hammerheads
Hank Wood and the Hammerheads
***and 1/2 out of *****

The contemplative loan piano which opens hank and the Hammerheads self titled release is a curve ball as the band lulls the listener before slamming them with their brand of noisy garage rock/punk on album opener "I CAN'T STAY".

The New York based outfit has some interesting lineage as front man Hank Wood's father Charles Wood spent some time as the drummer for NYC legends Richard Hell and the Voidoids as well as other formidable punk acts and his sons band has a swaggering grimy cool from the late 70's flowing through their songs.

"HOW'M I SUPPOSED TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING" is a blasting slice of garage rock with a swirling organ and power packed drumming while "YOU WANNA DIE" is the most pummeling straight ahead punk song the group presents on this record. 

The band which comes to mind often while listen to HW&TH is not a New York City staple but one from Boston; The Pixies. Their influence feels ingested in their brief angular tunes such as with the guitar layering complete with acoustic breakdown in "MUST BE NICE" and the groovy sense of sway in "IT'S LONELY IN THIS WORLD ALL ALONE". While lead singer Wood curses more than Frank Black, there is a definite connection in their brief yelps and singing style.   

"LOVE IS A COLD WHITE TILE" is a head bopping bit of garage soul which hits its mark winningly while the swaggering "WHISPER" ends the record on an all out note again using an acoustic breakdown to excellent effect. "CONCRETE" isn't as successful with its one track chant, it could actually improve by a bit more power and ferocity.

This is the groups third album but they have said it feels like a rebirth for the band having partnered with engineer producer Ben Greenberg to excellent results. Hank Wood and the Hammerheads use pounding drums scuzzed up guitars and hip swinging grooves to superb effect on their self titled album.
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Support the band, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:


Album Review: Brandon Coleman - Resistance

Brandon Coleman
Resistance
***and1/2 out of *****

Brandon Coleman has been sitting on his completed release Resistance for over 6 years now, releasing it in late 2018 because he felt the time is right with a rejuvenated hometown scene to shine a spotlight on it. Coleman has been a part of Kamasi Washington's band and the collective of fellow L.A. artists (Thundercat et all) are all present on this release which is a slippery slice of bright Los Angeles modern R&B, Funk and pop.

All of the tunes are wrapped in a 80's gloss with modern day twists such as vocoder's, what is old is new again for Coleman as his tracks roll out like unheard of late 80's pop staples. The trio which kick off Resistance are all cut from that same cloth as "Live For Today" adds strings funk and a big guitar ending, "All Around The World" increases the electro pop vibe while "A Letter To My Buggers" is a skittering gorgeous mix of bright electric keyboard blasts, piano fills, bubbling bass and dynamite drumming leading to a great retro/modern single. 

Coleman and company shift gears as "Addiction" drops directly into Parliament Funkadelic territory as Sheera joins on lead vocals for the get down jam while "Sexy" just jams out on and on, feeling like freedom. Things are less exciting in the middle of the record, with one note offering "There's No Turning Back" and the title jazz interlude closes when it was just picking up steam, but business picks back up for the Earth Wind and Fire sounding "Sundae" with vocals from N'Dambi.

Coleman's source of inspiration when he was young and the artist who he credits with blowing his mind was Herbie Hancock, but it is telling that the record which brought forth this epiphany was Sunlight, not close to the top of his popular or critical releases. This was the phase in Hancock's career where he was singing through a vocoder and making disco tracks like "I Thought It Was You".

Knowing this about his influences, things quickly fall into place and show Coleman and crew are well versed, talented and making music they want to hear on Resistance. Clearly retro, clearly futuristic, Coleman continues to be an artist to keep tabs on whether he is dabbling in funk, jazz, pop or soul and while his collaborators have gotten lots of attention recently Resistance is about to join the conversation.
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Support the artists, buy the record, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:




Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Live Review: Roses Grove Band 11/23/18 @ St. Vitus Brooklyn, NY

Roses Grove Band
11/23/18 St. Vitus Brooklyn, NY


The heavy metal club St. Vitus in Brooklyn was transformed for a private party (on Black Friday of all days) as tons of physical of roses was arraigned to augment the skulls which are always on display in the dark venue. Playing host to some of the owners close friends the club welcomed a completely different vibe than normal on this night as the Hampton's based Roses Grove Band took the stage to display two strong sets of their versions of Grateful Dead tunes; Skulls and Roses indeed.

The five piece on this night, Chuck Gallanti lead guitar, Nick Epstein, guitar/vocals, Ben Chaleff bass/vocals, Matt Lasurdo keys/vocals, Adrian Mullins drums, started with a fluid easy jam as the crowd mingled around the vegetarian spread by the bar and slowly filtered into the main room as "Jack Straw" kicked into gear. The tune got multiple inspired solos from Gallanti as it was extended and served as the perfect opener before an upbeat "Sugar Magnolia" brought the crowd fully into the mix. The following "Scarlet Begonias" > "Fire On The Mountain" pairing and transition received excellent keyboard and drum work getting everyone up and shimmying as the night burned bright. 
The highlight of the whole evening arrived next as the band launched into "China Cat Sunflower" where Chaleff took lead vocals as Roses Grove Band displayed more grooving meat on the bone then the majority of lighter Dead versions as the players locked in and jammed before moving to the climatic "I Know You Rider". The triumphant pair delighted with both big breaks and delicate intricate playing. 

RGB kept the crowd moving with a lighter "Eyes of the World" and while "Terrapin Station" is always a mega song, most of the crowd took the time to relax and chat with friends before a set closing "Franklin's Tower" brought everyone back to dance floor via grooving bass runs and more killer guitar solos from Gallanti in the vein of Garcia.

A long break found the crowd smiling brightly before a winding jam started the music back up and lead into the funky segment of the show as "Shakedown Street" kick started the second set. The song was expertly paired with the slow funk of "West L.A. Fadeaway" (Did the Dead ever connect these two? They should have) before "The Wheel" and "Playing In the Band" pairing which unfortunately had a more bumps in the road then any tunes before them, however a pulsing "Casey Jones" immediately righted the ship via strong drum work from Mullins.

After an intro from the birthday boy the band started "St. Stephen" and they would spend the rest of the set weaving the tune in and out of the remainder of the songs. "Cryptical Envelopment" and "That's It For The Other One" contained ringing riffs and deep bass respectively with a tease of "Throwing Stones" and a "St. Stephan" reprise.

Twinkling keyboard work from Lasurdo and excellent vocals from Epstein made the closing usual rockers "Not Fade Away" and "Going Down The Road Feeling Bad" more dream-like then hard blues but the crashing "St Stephan" reprise once again came back to finish the strong show.

While the band was truly clicking during the first set the second set was more adventurous and with unique pairings. Any Grateful Dead fan who has the chance to catch Roses Grove Band should, the group powerfully showcases interactive live skills with a clear love of the originals and skills to go beyond. 
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Support the band, catch them live and peep some video below:

Album Review: Will Sessions - The One

Will Sessions
The One
**** out of *****

Will Sessions is a collection of musicians from Detroit who have built their following through constant shows around the city and late night dance parties. For The One the group wrote and collaborated with vocalists Amp Fiddler and features the Dames Brown singing backups. The band Sam Beaubien: Trumpet/Keys, Bryan Arnold: Drums, Jason Bonaquist: Drums, Tim Shellabarger: Bass, Ryan Gimpert: Guitar, Eric Kacir: Percussion, Matt Martinez: Trombone, Jimmy Smith: Trumpet, Justin Jozwiak: Sax are rock solid professionals who are lock step tight recalling late 70's funk excursions.

Opening with popping bass of "What It Is?" The group throws down it's Funkadelic inspired party jam right from the first note. That P-Funk get down influence is clearly noticeably on all the tracks like "Rendezvous" and while P-Funk are the pinnacle of the field where Will Sessions make their mark, the players are also adept at shifting the sound so they are more than just followers.

Tracks like "Lost Without You" and "Reminisin'" amp up the disco sheen to go along with the funk, putting a roller skating rink swirl around the strong sound; both tracks sound straight from 1978. The group expands layers of strings on many of the tracks as well, and the most tasteful usage of that accompaniment arrives on "Belle Isle Drive". 

The gorgeous horns, guitar tone and bass runs are expertly produced and shine on the record. The Will Sessions players have their sound crafted perfectly, such as on the blaxsplotation soundtrack sounding "Seven Mile", the soulful funk of "Who I Am"(highlighted by Dames Brown's vocals) or restrained closer "Reconcile" which showcases some skittering drum work. There isn't a misstep on any one of the eight songs presented here, but also there isn't a must hear single, as The One is more successful as a mood piece of an era of funk gone bye. 

Funk is one of the harder genres to fully capture on record as the experience of dancing and grooving is essential to the experience but Will Sessions along with Fiddler and Dames Brown have crafted a full length worthy of your time as The One recalls greats from the genre's past and fresh sounds of it's possible future.
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Support the band, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:


Monday, November 26, 2018

Dylan Cover #352 River Whyless "It Ain't Me Babe" 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 River Whyless playing "It Ain't Me, Babe"

Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:
One of the best Dylan songs because it is universal, to the point, lyrical, smirking, self-centered and a perfect statement. Dylan has written lots of songs that can be covered well (as evident by this series) but "It Ain't Me, Babe" fits perhaps better then almost any other one into a huge variety of styles. That is because we have all been in the singers position one time or another...and it is a damn good song.

Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
RtBE digs on River Whyless and have reviewed and loved their last two albums here and here.

Thoughts on Cover:
The delicate live cover is fine, light airy and free but for some reason the recording in the open "boomy" sounding room just doesn't do it for us. The coolest aspect is the dropping out of acoustic guitar midway through so the song just lives on the trio's excellent vocals before the acoustic strumming comes back to wrap things up.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Full Show Friday: Ghost 6/15/18 @ The Capital Theater

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...Ghost!
Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artistsyearsvenues, festivals or some combo of it all. This month we focus on the gorgeous Capital Theatre over the recent years. 

The Capital Theater in Port Chester, NY was a popular stomping ground throughout the 70's and 80's for musicians with a sprinkling during the early 90's tossed in. It was refurbished by Peter Shapiro and opened again in 2012 with a Bob Dylan concert to re-christen the venue to rock and roll once again. 

RtBE has caught some great shows since the venue reopened and will be going to more in the near future. This month the focus for Full Show Friday's will be on some of the dynamite shows throughout the "Cap's" history. 

While Black Friday has come with black metal full shows in RtBE's past, unfortunately we couldn't find any that were filmed at the Capital Theater. The closest we could find was Ghost filmed earlier this year and while they aren't Black Metal, they are metal, so it will have to do today. 

The video has some major issues as it was filmed in 6FPS which gives it a delayed tripped out look, but the sound is fine for the Swedish theatrical metal band. Full setlist with timings below. Enjoy:

Ghost 6/15/18 Port Chester Capital Theater
Single camera recording, accidentally shot at 6FPS. Date on the title slide is incorrect.
0:00 Ashes 
2:22 Rats 
6:45 Absolution 
14:06 Ritual 
17:13 Con Clavi Con Dio 
21:05 Per Aspera ad Inferi 
25:15 Devil Church 
26:20 Cirice 
33:16 Stand by Him 
37:28 Miasma 
41:35 (Papa Nihil's sax solo in Miasma) 
42:42 (Cardinal Copia chats with the audience) 
45:07 Jigolo Har Megiddo (Acoustic) 
48:45 Pro Memoria 
54:22 Deus in Absentia 
59:10 Intermission (Masked Ball by Jocelyn Pook) 
59:50 Spirit 
1:05:25 From the Pinnacle to the Pit 
1:11:47 Faith 
1:15:47 Year Zero 
1:21:25 Spöksonat 
1:22:15 He Is 
1:26:31 Prime Mover 
1:30:35 (Cardinal Copia chats with the audience) 
1:32:25 Mummy Dust 
1:37:57 If You Have Ghosts (Roky Erickson cover) 
1:40:00 (Cardinal Copia introduces the Nameless Ghouls and Ghoulettes during If You Have Ghosts) 
1:46:37 Dance Macabre 
1:50:37 Square Hammer 
Encore 
1:57:34 (Cardinal Copia chats with the audience) 
2:01:11 Monstrance Clock

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving From RtBE!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Make sure you spend some time over this holiday doing what is truly important...Watching The Last Waltz:

For the gear heads reading this, here is an excellent run down of all the equipment used for this historic show.

Since it is a holiday, also make sure to enjoy your time with loved ones and family. As a famous man once said, "Enjoy Every Sandwich"...especially the leftover turkey, mashed potato, stuffing and gravy ones on potato rolls...

The last few years we have thrown it back to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades of the past and this years no different.

Here is the 1994 Thanksgiving Day Parade, now go get stuffed!

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Live Review: The Complete Last Waltz Live 11/17/18 Capital Theatre, Port Chester, NY

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
It is of the fantastic Complete Last Waltz Live at the Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY.

A fantastic night of music, food (no we weren't given Thanksgiving dinner) and great friends. It may have to become an annual ritual as it paid homage to one of the best concerts of all time and managed to feel friendly, welcoming and fun.

One thing we didn't put in the review was a special nod to Dave Dreiwitz who was playing Rick Danko inspired Gibson Ripper bass. Pretty cool, as were the gold/yellow guitars.

Support all the artists, read the review, and peep some video from the show below:




Album Review: War on Women - Capture The Flag

War on Women 
Capture The Flag
***and1/2 out of *****

On "Anarcha" lead singer Shawna Potter exasperates "How long must we wait until these pillars of men crumble and fall" during a marching pause in the breakneck explosion of a song before the track fades out with yells of "we're tired of waiting". There couldn't be a better intro or summation of the co-ed feminist hardcore punk band War on Women from Baltimore, MD who have been railing against society for a few years now. On their second full length things have fully aligned as their slamming energy coalesces around their action inspiring lyrics and the current cultural climate for Capture The Flag

While the album plays around in different punk/hardcore sub genres the lyrical message is always the same; women need to fight for themselves because men sure as shit won't. The five pieces name is taken directly from the movement of the Republican Party restricting women's rights in the United States and as the band fights for abortion rights and against misogyny in general, the message is crystal clear and unfortunately, as stated in "Divisive Shit", the game is fucking rigged.

Opener "Lone Wolves" bangs to start as lead singer Potter sets the stage with the blanket statement that it's all ever been about control before teaching the parts of a gun to the listener around a killer drum beat. The fret board flames fly from Nancy Hornburg and Brooks Harlan on more mainstream metal offerings like "Predator In Chief" which doesn't give a fuck who is in office because it is all the same.

While the lyrics clearly grab attention as the female-focused direct-dealing with issues is rare in hardcore/punk, the band tries out a few different musical angles to get their sound across, all of which are tied together by the powerhouse drumming of Evan Tanner.

Things can become angular and art metal-ish on the most affecting metal song to come out about postpartum depression with "Childbirth", "YDTMHTL" works with math rock and blast beats declaring independence and identity while closer "The Chalice & The Blade" has flashes of theatrical rock wrapping up the disk with the longest offering here pushing six minutes with the shout along motherly warning to clean out your mouth.

The title track injects almost poppy punk moments during it's call to arms "Everyone is your enemy" indeed as Joanna Angel joins the fight. The bass groove of Sue Warner carries the day of "Silence Is The Gift" which deals with animalistic relationships twisting the phrase "trapped" to primal levels while guttural yells of "The Violence of Bureaucracy" flirts with death metal levels of aggression.

These slight changes in style keep things unique yet it slightly diminishes the overall flow of the album as a complete listen. Also Potters vocals and singing style can at times come off as a bit too polished with the rawness around them, however when you are trying to get your message heard, this is the side to error on over gruff/raw/off putting.

Two of the best offerings are smack dab in the middle of the record. "Dick Pics" is a complete package of great revving guitars, motoring skins, ringing guitars, driving bass and vocal/lyrics which attack sexist roles, fantasy/reality and relationship standards in general. "Pleasure & The Beast" mixes blood and bodily fluids around an upbeat punk riff before a direct speech about knowing your self as a woman and not let men in particular define you, get your pleasure from your self.

This point of view is everywhere and vital in today's world. While particular issues/politicians are not directly addressed by name which might date the songs, the overarching vision is vital and should be shouted in every punk club around this country.
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Along with Tescorsa, there has been some great female driven punk lately around here. Support the band, buy the album, check it on bandcamp and peep some tunes below:




Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Album Review: Charles Bradley - Black Velvet

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
It is of Charles Bradley final studio record Black Velvet.

A great cap (if posthumous) to Bradley's amazing late life solo career. The Daptone people hit another one out of the park with their retro soul. The music on the album is fantastic, and our star rating was only dropped a bit because a lot of this has been released before and these are alternate versions or gathered together here for the first time.

Some fantastic tunes indeed. We have been sharing this version of "Stay Away" with Nirvana fans and seeing their amazed reactions.

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

Monday, November 19, 2018

Live Review: Jack White 11/17/19 Kings Theatre Brooklyn, NY

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

It is of Jack White's recent concert at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn NY on Friday Night November 17th.

We have caught Jack a bunch this year, from a tiny polish club in Brooklyn to the soggy upstate brewery near the hall of fame, and in all honesty this show ranks third on that list for us, but even the third best Jack White concert is still in our top ten for the year; the man is just the best going today.

His supporting band is pretty god damn great as well and on this night it was almost impossible to look anywhere but at Carla Azar. Having fantastic seats we were only about 10 or so rows from her and she was powerful and magnetic. We have been aware of her for a while now, but this night sealed our full on love for her.

Support the artist, read the review, peep some video below from the last time he played Brooklyn in the early Spring:

Dylan Cover # 351 Stonehoney & Friends "I Shall Be Released" 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 Stonehoney Jimmy LaFave and Red Molly playing "I Shall Be Released"


Thoughts on Cover:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this song:
"I Shall Be Released" has been covered by too many artists to count and with reason; it is a masterpiece. A simple song that will forever be etched in Rock Legend as it ended perhaps the best concert in rock history, The Last Waltz. The Band are always connected to the tune as Dylan wrote it during those amazing days playing with the group up at Big Pink in the Catskills and the group released it on their first album. Gospel in nature the song is about salvation that can be certain, and each listener (and performer) can add their own personal feelings into the sketch, perfect for covering, especially live to close a show with friends. 

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist: 
Stoneyhoney are a Austin, TX based band who we have not had the pleasure of hearing until today. Jimmy LaFave (who looks a lot like Terry Funk in that picture up there) was a folk singer originally from Stillwater, OK and Red Molly are an Americana roots rock trio from right here in the state of NY. 

Thoughts on Cover:
Well it is that time of year, this past weekend we managed to catch The Complete Last Waltz live at the Capital Theater and this week brings with it Thanksgiving so The Band's final concert is basically on full time at RtBE headquarters. What better Dylan song for our cover series this week then the finale of that amazing show?

As for this version, Stonehoney Lafave and Red Molly are all on point and do an excellent job with a folksie acoustic take on the oft covered number.   

Friday, November 16, 2018

Full Show Friday: Father John Misty Live @ Capital Theater 2017

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...Father John Misty!

Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artistsyearsvenues, festivals or some combo of it all. This month we focus on the gorgeous Capital Theatre over the years. 

The Capital Theater in Port Chester, NY was a popular stomping ground throughout the 70's and 80's for musicians with a sprinkling during the early 90's tossed in. It was refurbished by Peter Shapiro and opened again in 2012 with a Bob Dylan concert to re-christen the venue to rock and roll once again. 

RtBE has caught some great shows since the venue reopened and will be going to more in the near future. This month the focus for Full Show Friday's will be on some of the dynamite shows throughout the "Cap's" history. 

Back in August RtBE reviewed the fantastic new album from Father John Misty, God's Favorite Customer. It is a mix of absurd and sincere and Josh Tillman's singing has never been better. RtBE will probably be talking more about this album in our year end wrap-up next month, but for now

Like all of the shows this month this one took place at the gorgeous Capital Theater in Port Chester on his Pure Comedy tour. Pro-Shot, Pro Sound, Full Setlist and Info Below. Enjoy:

Joshua Tillman’s performs at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., as part of the ongoing Pitchfork Live series.

00:40 Pure Comedy 07:00 Total Entertainment Forever 10:10 Things It Would Be Helpful To Know Before The Revolution 14:55 Ballad Of The Dying Man 20:15 Nancy From Now On 25:20 Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins) 28:25 Strange Encounter 33:15 Nothing Good Ever Happens At The Goddamn Thirsty Crow 38:10 When The God Of Love Returns There'll Be Hell To Pay 43:25 When You're Smiling And Astride Me 48:30 True Affection 53:30 Birdie 59:40 A Bigger Paper Bag 1:04:30 Bored In The USA 1:11:15 The Memo 1:17:10 I'm Writing A Novel 1:21:15 Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings 1:25:00 Real Love Baby 1:28:30 I Love You, Honeybear Encore 1:36:48 Leaving LA 1:50:25 So I'm Growing Old On Magic Mountain 1:57:50 In Twenty Years Or So 2:04:00 Holy Shit

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Album Review: Tozcos -Sueños Deceptivos

Tozcos
Sueños Deceptivos
**** out of *****

The Santa Ana based four piece Tozcos has been around a few years releasing various EP's and singles and now comes their first full length Sueños Deceptivos. The record is a blistering assault of hardcore/punk screeching alive and present from the first track as the band vibrates with a compulsive energy that is barely controlled on record.

The band members Corrina Pichardo (drums), Jose Limon (guitar), Kevin Lopez (bass), Monsé Segura (vocals) are instantly at your throat with "Guerra Mundial" as the record kicks off before it's heavy slamming segues into "Asqueroso". While all the lyrics are sung/yelled in Spanish the fury palpably arrives through the speakers clearly, if not the exact meaning (to these English only ears sadly) but that matters little.

The tension building "Ritmo de la Muerte" shows the band can do more than just play hard and fast as they add texture to their formula and (slightly) tone done the aggression. "Sangre Roja, Sangre Tuya" injects some driving bass runs from Lopez while "Rechazo" screams directly forward; front woman Segura is a dynamo and clear focus, but the players expertly support her with rippling punk waves to surf upon.

Speakers of any language can follow along and join in for the crowd screaming power of "Es Mi Vida" while the ominous marching drums from Pichardo lead the way on "Veneno". The frantic tempo almost derails the speed metal fast "La Ilusion" and the tempo never lets up for the rhythmically propulsive title track.

The group works best at these breakneck speeds as the least engaging track is also the longest and slowest in "Un Hogar" but the disk wraps up firing on all cylinders as Limons buzzsaw guitar work cuts through everything on "Agusto En Miseria".

Production is bright clean and thundering when necessary as the band sound like seasoned pros careering through the 13 songs presented here just under 25 minutes. Fans of punk rock, no matter what language they speak, will not be deceived by Sueños Deceptivos
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Support the artists, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:




Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Live Review: Morning 40 Federation @ Maple Leaf Bar, NOLA 11/9/18

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

It is of Morning 40 Federation's recent live show at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans last Friday Night.

MoFoFed are a RtBE Personal Favorite and having seen them in various states of sobriety over the last few decades it is great that they are playing at a top notch level and maybe even more importantly seem to be having a ball doing so.

Support the band, read the review, and peep some video of an older live shows of theirs which RtBE was in attendance but was way too drunk to review back in 2012:




Album Review: Cypress Hill - Elephants on Acid

Cypress Hill
Elephants on Acid
***and1/2 out of *****

It has been a long time since the classic West Coast hip hop lineup of Cypress Hill released an album. While Rise Up arrived in 2010 DJ Muggs only produced two songs for that record, you need to go all the way back to 2004's Till Death Do Us Part to find the full collective in action. Perhaps because the group is all back together or various other reasons, Elephants on Acid is the best music Cypress Hill has produced in the 2000's.

The long sprawling album of 21 tracks and interludes takes the foundation of Cypress Hills classic offerings and blends them with even more tripped out sounds and sonic adventures; nothing is off limits for the group. B Real leads the way with his patented nasal delivery, Sen Dog gets rough with his supporting growls and verses while Bobo adds percussion to lower the boom. 

By the title and the bands history, drugs are at the forefront of the record, most of the musical intervals bleed into the hip hop which follows making for a cohesive listen from the first pairing of "Tusko" into "Band of Gypsies" swirling with eastern Indian sounds into a hypnotic layered adventure. "Satao"'s intro to "Jesus Was a Stoner" and "Blood On My Hands Again" all lean heavy on the tripped out vibes but the band also recall their early harder sound as "Put Em in the Ground", "Pass The Knife" and the bilingual "Locos" prove the raw drum bass and horror movie fills are still reliable for the outfit. 

Thematically the record holds up bouncing between these two areas (trippy vibes and old school raw) thanks to Muggs production work and the fact that the interludes and instrumental breaks are just as vital to the overall albums sound as the booming hip hop tracks. Deep bass, eastern sounds can blend on tunes as well like the fuzzy "Falling Down" or the self referential (complete with la-la-la's) of "Reefer Man" or the cartoonish sounds of "Crazy" both with female vocals from Brevi. The cinematic end of days drama spewed fourth from "Warlord" is a thundering powerhouse track calling to arms all of us to "march on the devil".

The band's obsession with weed (and other hallucinogenics) produces the best offering in "Oh Na Na" as the players add saxophones, trumpets (from Terrace Martin, Adam Turchin and Josef Leimberg) around Bobo's percussion to produce an upbeat almost dance ready number for the sweet sticky bud.

This large collection of tracks can drag at times, "Insane OG" is sluggish on purpose but dulls over the short track, however the groups reinvigorated direction with Elephants on Acid manages to look directly into it's own multi platinum past and hazy psychedelic future successfully, pleasurable for both long time fans and new stoners ready to tune in and drop out.
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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below:


Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Album Review: J Mascis - Elastic Days

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!
It is of J Mascis newest acoustic release on Sub-Pop titled Elastic Days
J is J. Plug him in, give him an acoustic, put him behind a drum kit, the man is going to write his same style of songs over and over. RtBE loves him and his style and while some may be turned off by the volume of his day band Dinosaur Jr. or his lackadaisical stoner whine vocals, his songwriting skills are certainly easy to spot on his solo records. 

This one has more drums than the others, but all of his last last three (2011's Several Shades of Why or 2014's Tied To A Star) are really solid and you can't go wrong with any of his solo albums. RtBE should actually go back and highlight his Fog records because those are great as well...until then...

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

Monday, November 12, 2018

Dylan Cover #350 Joan Baez "With God On Our Side" 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 Joan Baez playing "With God On Our Side"


Thoughts on Original
From the first time we talked about around Veterans Day as well:
Perhaps the most poignant and lasting song Dylan has written and that speaks volumes. Lyrically it is perfect; using history, the warping of religion and politics to get across the point that man will rationalize anything, even war. Only played live 30 times since it's debut at Dylan's historic Town Hall show the song has added weight and meaning when it is played.

Morality and War, Religion and Righteousness, all just words when it comes down to it, hold life inside those letters. Musically stark Dylan uses his impressive lyrics to express the confusion perfectly. Should be mandatory listing in every history classroom.

Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist
Joan Baez is a pure legend, a voice that will transcend time. To learn about her history check out this.

Thoughts on Cover
Well number 350 in our series just happened to fall on Veterans Day 2018 and gives us a chance to make this one special. While we paid tribute to the Veterans with some NYHC earlier today, we go lyrically heavy for our Dylan Cover now. Joan is tied to Bob and vice versa and this tune and presentation is both tearful and manages to piss you off at the same time. Great song, Great cover not much more needs to be said.

Veterans Day 2018

Veterans Day is an important one in our history, read more about it here.

Since this is a music site we will pay homage in our way and especially since our friend Glen has recorded a song with his great NYHC band Billyclub Sandwich titled "Veteran's Day". You can listen to bad ass tune below following the perfect Patton quote that the group used to intro it:
No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.


"I choose to fight for what I live for" Well said fellows. Well said.

Friday, November 9, 2018

Full Show Friday: Tedeschi Trucks Band @ The Capitol Theatre 02/20/18

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...Tedeschi Trucks Band!
Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artistsyearsvenues, festivals or some combo of it all. This month we focus on the gorgeous Capital Theatre over the last two years. 

The Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY was a popular stomping ground throughout the 70's and 80's for musicians with a sprinkling during the early 90's tossed in. It was refurbished by Peter Shapiro and opened again in 2012 with a Bob Dylan concert to re-christen the venue to rock and roll once again. 

RtBE has caught some great shows since the venue reopened and will be going to more in the near future. This month the focus for Full Show Friday's will be on some of the dynamite shows throughout the "Cap's" history. 

This week it is the excellent touring soul review of the Tedeschi Trucks Band from last February. The group is fantastic live and always worth seeing so settle in for a fun show this week.  

Pro Shot, Pro Sound, Setlist and Information Below, Enjoy:

Set 1: 3:55 Do I Look Worried 9:57 Just as Strange 14:24 Until You Remember 19:52 Key to the Highway (Charles Segar cover) 28:47 Don't Miss Me (Derek Trucks Band cover) 36:57 Alabama (Neil Young cover) 41:00 Talking About (Susan Tedeschi cover) 46:40 Idle Wind Set 2: 1:40:22 Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell cover) 1:49:50 Part of Me 1:54:25 It's So Heavy 1:58:45 drum space 2:02:10 Let Me Get By 2:13:46 Right on Time 2:18:31 Goin' Down Slow (St. Louis Jimmy Oden cover) 2:26:50 band intro 2:27:13 Made Up Mind 2:32:53 How Blue Can You Get? (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover) 2:40:14 I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Billy Taylor cover) Encore: 2:54:06 You Don't Know How It Feels (Tom Petty cover) 2:58:08 Laugh About It