Larkin Poe – the GRAMMY® Award-nominated duo of Georgia-bred, Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell – have shared “Blood Harmony,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Blood Harmony arrives via Larkin Poe’s own Tricki-Woo Records on Friday, November 11. Pre-orders are available now, including limited edition magenta colored vinyl, CD, cassette, and more.
Rebecca Lovell talks directly about the track, stating:
“‘Blood Harmony’ came together after Megan and our mom and I all read Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, which is about the ways we perceive the passage of time. There was just something about the sweetness of all three of us reading the same book, and then being able to talk about how it related to our love for each other and our love for music. Of all the songs I’ve ever written, I’m particularly proud of this one; I cannot wait to sing it loudly with all of our chosen family out on the road.”
On The Romance of Being is the second solo album from the South African artist Desire Marea as he uses his spiritual singing powers in front of a thirteen-piece experimental big band. Marea and crew go for it all throughout the album, at times things are too overloaded, at times too sparse and aimless, and other times just right.
The record opens strongly as "Ezulwini" taking the listener on a journey, building dramatically, then receding with grace before a big rock beat returns the energy as Marea repetitively sings that he wants to "See you Levitate"; it is a rewarding track. As is "Be Free" which starts with frantic bass work, moving to a modern afrobeat vibe while Marea sings in the Zulu language. A huge rock/fuzz/ electro passage kicks down the door before strings sooth to wrap up a highlight offering.
Sexuality pulses throughout "Makhukhu" as pianos, tense strings and fluttering trumpet set the scene. As the album progresses, layers of sound wash over the listener in sensual fashion. While "Mfula" uses driving drums and rock guitars, Marea's odd, throaty vocals take away from the tune while the shorter "Arrival" is clouded with odd electro blasts.
The albums centerpiece is "Rah (feat. Zoë Modiga)" yet the tune meanders in drawn out fashion, never fully coalescing even while ending on a high note with Modiga's operatic like vocals. Better is "Skhathi" which slowly swells and flows like a soothing river around the extended sounds as the spiritual healer enlivens the listener.
The album wraps up on a fever dream titled "Banzi", a nine-and-a-half minute workout that allows Marea and crew stretch out beyond the breaking point. Starting with unsettling strings and electronics the experimental offering continues to add sounds as rumbling drums push it forward and Marea experiments with all different vocalizations. The crashing horns, strings and cymbals swirl into a chaotic free jazz blend that works well to close an album that lays it all out there for the listener to experience as Desire Marea's On The Romance of Being searches, while exploring the soul.
Australian indie-folk artists The Paper Kites release their newest single "June's Stolen Car" ahead of the full length release this Friday of their newest live album, At The Roadhouse.
Check out the tune below and the album on Friday when it is released:
RtBE was never a huge fan of them back in the day, but we did see them a few times during their initial run. We caught them again recently when they opened forJack White in Brooklyn. This album is solid and the high points are really worth revisiting.
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 Nick Adduci playing "Subterranean Homesick Blues".
One of the most iconic songs from Dylan's most famous period and a very early showing of how powerful a music video could be. Dylan nods to beat poetry, current events, Chuck Berry's "No More Monkey Business", paranoia, and the Vietnam War all in around two minutes of linked lyrics over one of his earliest electric recordings. There is also the sly sense of humor which Dylan never gets enough credit for, while raging against the proverbial machine. A classic '60's tune in all respects and one non-Dylan fans usually love as well.
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist:
This is the first time RtBE has come across Nick Aducci, a singer songwriter based in Youngstown, OH.
Thoughts on Cover:
A fun upbeat cover that gets a bit bluesy with Nick rattling off the song with energy and abandon.
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...Mastodon!
Festival's galore this summer, here is Mastodon from Roskilde Fest back in 2015.
Pro shot, pro sound, full setlist below:
This is Mastodon's performance at Roskilde Festival 2015 at Arena Stage on Thursday 2nd of July. The show experienced some sound diffculties but it is an awesome performance nonetheless, enjoy :-)
We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 and beyond era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.
Today is: Phish Live from SPAC Tomorrow and Saturday.
Phish is playing two fundraising show up in Saratoga, NY this weekend and you can stream them both over at Livephish.com. Please donate if you can.
To get in the mood, here is some recent live Phish.
During the pandemic Altın Gün where forced to record remotely with the bands members scattered all around Europe. The resulting Yol released in 2021 was a sleek, synth drenched, dance-leaning pop effort. Now with restrictions removed and the band all present Aşk, was recorded almost like a live album on vintage equipment, returning more to their roots with a 70's Anatolian folk-rock inspired sound
Starting with the pulsing "Badi Sabah Olmadan" the ominous textures come out as the band, Merve Daşdemir – vocals and keyboards Erdinç Ecevit – vocals, saz and keyboards Thijs Elzinga – guitar Jasper Verhulst – bass Daniel Smienk – drums Chris Bruining - percussion, state their intentions. All ten tracks are new readings of traditional Turkish folk tunes as the band digs into their countries sound and heritage, interpreting it for a new generation.
The grooving "Su Sızıyor" has light touches of reggae while the hard funk rock of "Çıt Çıt Çedene" lays down some chunky lines and swirls gloriously with electro keys and head bopping swagger. The band hasn't completely left their recent synth past behind as "Dere Geliyor" uses the layers of electro keys to revamp the Turkish folk tune.
The album highlight is "Leylim Ley" which warbles with distortion as snaking guitars and synths, lay down layers of sounds. The tempo and tone shifts throughout, keeping the listener on edge in winning fashion.
Less successful is the overloaded "Canım Oy" which tries to cram in to many musical ideas during the short tracks run time and "Kalk Gidelim" goes the opposite direction by sticking around to long without delivering any real punch. Album closer "Doktor Civanım" harkens back to Yol with mixed results as the icy electro dance party is a cool change of pace but not as funky, or dance floor inspiring as other outings presented here.
Better is the other album highlight, the spaghetti western tinged, deep bass bombing, hand drum laden, "Rakıya Su Katamam" which pumps up the energy and overarching sense of doom around the corner with almost head banging power.
Perhaps some of the lively energy and slick dance vibe has been lost as the band moves back to their roots, but the groovy, funky, rolling, Turkish folk-rock sounds keep flowing in a positive manner throughout Altın Gün’sAşk.
One of RtBE's favorites, Black Pumas have announced a new album and released a new single.
Black Pumas, photo by Jody Domingue
As it’s more than four years since their breakthrough self-titled album, Black Pumas are back with album number two, Chronicles of a Diamond. The Austin duo push their distinctive artistry with their new single, “More Than A Love Song (below). More Than A Love Song” is the first track to be unveiled from the Austin duo’s highly anticipated sophomore effort, Chronicles of a Diamond, set for release on October 27th on ATO Records. Pre-order the album HERE.
Co-written by singer/songwriter/producer Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada, “More Than A Love Song,” was produced by Quesada and co-produced by Burton, with additional production by Grammy-winning John Congleton. Explaining the lyrical content, Burton comments, “’More Than a Love Song’ is a message I borrowed from my Uncle Steve. As a songwriter and caregiver, he’d listen to me write songs from afar and if I were lucky he’d have a pointer or two for me. ‘Life is more than a love song.’
It is of the newest Jon Batiste release World Music Radio.
Coming on the heels of the Grammy winning WE ARE, which we rated fairly highly, this is even more of a pop move, shooting for huge mainstream success. To these ears it doesn't quite get there, but can't blame the man for trying.
This was the original final paragraph of the review that was edited out:
Back in the early 2000’s Michael Franti and Spearhead wrote a song titled “Taxi Radio” with the intention that everyone on earth could ideally sing along to those two widely known words. While that wouldn't exactly be the case, it was an admirable effort. Jon Batiste feels the same way, while at times he can play it a bit safe, his heart, mind, and the music is certainly in the right place, trying to unite instead of divide throughout World Music Radio.
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's it is Zimmy Van Zandt performing a live cover of "Most of the Time"
Thoughts on Dylan Original From our first cover take on this tune: One of the best songs in Dylan's repertoire from any of his era's and also one of the most important, "Most Of The Time" proved Dylan was far from done as an artist. Showing up on the return to form album Oh Mercy, "Most Of The Time" is a revelation with it's descending bass line and powerfully stark lyrics. There is a palpable sense of desperation, longing, sadness, a nervous sense of things are falling apart around me; this tune touches a nerve and makes you stand up and take notice.
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist: This is the first time we have heard Zimmy Van Zandt who is a singer-songwriter who focuses on covers.
Thoughts on Cover:
A heartfelt, if slightly disjointed cover of a good Dylan song. While RtBE are never fans of the nasal Dylan impressions, Zimmy doesn't do it all song. His tempo, singing and strums start and stop a bit which is fine. The harmonica is a nice touch.
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...Beastie Boys!
The last show the legendary NYC based outfit ever played. Bonnaroo 2009.
Pro shot, pro sound, set list below. Enjoy!
One more for the ride home, lads... Credit goes to @kash12 for most of this setlist stuff.
Morning clip ft. Triumph: 0:00 Mix Master Mike intro: 1:03 Time For Livin': 3:43 Super Disco Breakin' 5:32 Sure Shot: 7:23 No Sleep Til' Brooklyn: 10:51 Shake Your Rump: 13:55 Gratitude: 17:41 Sabrosa: 21:21 Egg Raid On Mojo: 25:19 Body Movin': 26:41 Pass The Mic: 28:56 Root Down: 32:33 Too Many Rappers w/ Nasty Nas: 36:52 Paul Revere: 41:39 Ricky's Theme: 45:05 Something's Got To Give: 49:01 Tough Guy: 53:32 Remote Control: 55:21 So What'cha Want: 58:10 ENCORE Intergalactic: 1:05:13 Three MC's and One DJ (Opening Act): 1:08:58 thumbnail shot: 1:09:12 Three MC's and One DJ: 1:09:23 Heart Attack Man (Unplugged): 1:12:48 Heart Attack Man: 1:13:33 ENCORE Sabotage (false start): 1:16:46 Sabotage: 1:17:42 the end: 1:20:59
The Los Angeles, California based, multi-talented artist Lola Blanc has a new song out, "Trust Me".
Here is Blanc's statement on the song:
“Trust Me” is a song about anxiety. I wrote it after I'd had my first panic attack and went through a period of severe anxiety--anxiety about anxiety--that kind of came out of nowhere, and eventually led to me getting treated for OCD. And while I was still learning the skills in therapy, I was struggling with which thoughts and feelings were "real" and which ones were my anxiety misfiring, and I was just exhausted and feeling foggy all the time, which I now know is just derealization. But it really felt like I was broken. Like my body had betrayed me. So the song came when I'd started doing a lot of work on accepting some uncertainty, and becoming okay with the idea that I wasn't always going to do it right, shit was just gonna feel weird sometimes, and I needed to build trust in myself, trust that I could handle it, even if I did my recovery "wrong." Even if my worst case scenario happened. The song was basically a pep talk to myself that I could do this, and I was gonna be okay.
The fifth full length album from St. Paul and the Broken Bones was inspired by the impending fatherhood of front man Paul Janeway as lyrics speak directly to a child. The Birmingham, Alabama based outfit deliver their sounds with a mix of hope and fear as Angels In Science Fiction flows out around excellent production from Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price)
Recorded at Sam Phillips Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee the band continues their move away from the retro soul of their debut and luxuriate in any sounds possible, expanding things, while also moving more to the middle of the road. There is no doubting Janeway's passion in falsetto vocals, but musically the band can come off as bland at times this go around.
Bookended with the piano ballads to his unborn daughter Janeway sets the scene and dominates as his vocals rise and soften with theatrical touches and flair. Both opener "Chelsea" and closer "Marigold" are simple odes to a child with strings and ivories twinkling. Things pick up on the funky swelling of "City Federal Building" as the orchestration swells and the thick, rich bass keeps things bumping.
The funky drumming and keys highlight "Sea Star" and "Wolf In Rabbit Clothes" has a distorted disco feel that works incredibly well, but the highlight of the album is "Magnolia Trees". The falsetto singing and slow soul, lead to a triumphant break through as Janeway jubilantly sings ""It won't last, but today I feel like a warm breeze through the magnolia trees". This joyous tune is the peak for the band on Angels In Science Fiction.
Outside of these efforts, things feel a bit restrained. The acoustic ditty "Lonely Love Song", the warbling guitar of the sparse "South Dakota" and the out of place ominous strings of "Heat Lighting" are all fairly forgettable. The orchestration gets overdone on the building title track and "Easter Bunny" is a rising pop song that could use a bit of a freak-out. All of these efforts are fine, but never hit home as particularly memorable.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones has been moving in this direction for a few albums now, starting with the excellent Sea of Noise and continuing with the strong Young Sick Camelliaand the scatteredThe Alien Coast. Angels In Science Fiction turns out to be the least adventurous musically, but perhaps the most emotional lyrically as Janeway in particular has found inspiration with new life.
The Argentine bagpiper and flutist Santiago Molina has released a new single "£50 Cashback" based on is a jig composed by Scottish bagpiper Fraser Shaw.
The NYC based guitar legend Mike Stern brought his band to the Bitter End stage on a summer Tuesday night as the crowd packed into the Greenwich Village long running room down on Bleecker street. Stern has only played the club a few times and mentioned before the start of the set what a fun place it is to play.
Backed by four other artists, Leni Stern (guitar/n'goni/vocals) Bob Franceschini (sax) and two Warren's (whose last names I missed) on bass and drums, Stern was beaming throughout the night, clearly having a ball with the band and the fans.
The quintet opened with "Like A Thief" as Leni sang the tune and played n'goni wonderfully. The track had a soft Caribbean feel as it breezed through the club with Stern's delicate runs up and down the scales as Franceschini's sax soothed. The opening number was a good way to ease into the night but the follow up was what blew out the night.
Stern's original "Tumble Home" was next and the highlight of the whole show. Stern opened the effort with delicate jazz guitar to start, the most impressive thing with Stern is how soft he can play understated while still moving all over the place, and this really was on display to start. Then Stern turned up the volume and crunched out harder rock sounds as his long solo work weaved around. The song then dropped into a blues vamp as Franceschini's sax was the focus before each artist got a solo spotlight in this same vein as the tune wrapped up after an almost half hour of majesty.
After loud cheers the band started up "Ave B" which again starts with soft Stern solo's before delving into a cool hypnotic groove. The circular track had a downtown vibe with darkness lurking around the edges, this was juxtaposed with the follow up newer song that was upbeat and filled with sunshine as Stern added melodic vocal impressions.
At this point Stern stopped giving the song titles and the tunes moved more into a funky vibe with solos and grooves taking center stage as the restrained tone, yet fiery playing, coexisted on the Bitter End stage as the group got loose. The funky rock with jazz solo break dominated before the hour and a half set wrapped up with "Chromazone" which kept the same vibe pumping with heavy drumming pushing the band forward as the group dropped some hard breaks around the grooves and solos.
The sold out house gave cheers to wrap up the night as the band mingled with the crowd post show as Stern and company delivered the jazz rock goods on this evening.
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Support the artists, peep some video below from his last show at The Bitter End with a different band. I will update this if videos surface from this show:
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 Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra of the Dylan tune "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)"
Thoughts on Original: From the first time we talked about this tune: A layered and moving song, the real highlight on a mixed up Dylan album (Street Legal), "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)" is musically riveting and lyrically haunting. Acoustic plucking, rolling drums and a forlorn trumpet color the tune musically while some straight ahead lyrics mix with the surreal and backup singers add "Oooh and Aaaah" behind the nasal delivery of the Bard. Looking at the "Painted Wagon" and smelling the "Tail of the Dragon" are just two examples of bizarre lyrics that could pertain to nuclear war or something else entirely, making it all even more enchanting. A gorgeous music background with perplexing lyrics and a strong vocal performance...yup, I dig this one a ton.
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist: RtBE is new to Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra. A group of bluegrass lovers based in Norway. Thoughts on Cover:
As a youtube commenter states:
A Bob Dylan song with a Bluegrass arrangement, played by a Band from Norway! The world never ceases to amaze me!! Kudos to Hayde Bluegrass...
Kudos indeed! These type of interpretations are the reason we continue to do this series week after week.
We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.
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...Kool and the Gang!
To Disney World this week, where Kool and the Gang performed last year. Fan shot, but quality video and sound.
The Greenville, OH based Americana outfit Shannon Clark & the Sugarreleased a new single, "Like The Stars", from their upcoming album This Old World out September 8th.
The Austin, TX based trio Being Dead's debut full length release is a oddball mix of different sounds that starts bright and whimsical before things turn darker and stranger as the record progresses, just as their band name and forbidding album title When Horses Would Run suggests.
The trio of Falcon B*tch, Gumball, and Ricky Moto have crafted a collage of sounds that don't always fit together but manage to convey an over arching feeling of artistic searching. Falcon B*tch and Gumball will switch between various instruments and vocal duties while Moto plays bass. Everything and anything can make it into these wooly tunes.
The record wisely starts off with the most polished efforts. Opener "The Great American Picnic" is a surf psychedelia combo that channels both Dick Dale and The Mamas and the Papas while injecting a dusty Texas tilt to a very cool song. The galloping "Last Living Buffalo" rides the plains before a crashing distorted lash out triggers action, then returns to the musical theme and "Muriel's Big Day Off" has a shimmering slice of 60's era garage pop before moving to a jazzy interlude, delivering a really neat ride all around.
After that things get a bit more experimental. "Come On" uses punk power drumming and digital bleeps and blasts, "Daydream" gets by on dreamy la-la-la's and the stripped down duet of "God vs. Bible" is only harmonies and handclaps. "Treeland" feels like a sonic tree hugging journey as the group deploy banging drums to start the punky duet before spacing out in hippy fashion, then shift back to the punk vibe, the overall tune is drawn out and interesting throughout.
Not everything is as successful, the albums title track is wandering and never comes truly into focus, but the bands quirky theme song is cute and brief. The fuzzy pop of "Holy Team" shifts gears into an underwater sounding drug trip that floats into the ominous and bleak "Misery Lane" while "Livin' Easy" sounds anything but that, until it grows defiant to close.
Being Dead's full length debut, When Horses Would Run, is like a patchwork quilt stitched by a first timer, it can be warm and comforting but look odd and lumpy at times.
RtBE was lucky enough to attend 4 of the 7 shows Phish played recently at MSG. The band is clearly in love with the venue and the venue loves them, as sell out crowds and a joyous atmosphere is felt by all any time the Vermont jamband legends come to town. Each night, Saturday July 29th, Sunday July 30th, Tuesday August 1st and Saturday August 5th were enjoyable shows with highs and lows as the band continue to play with a free wheeling abandon that is intoxicating.
Back in December we did a top ten list of the New Years Run. To celebrate the four shows we caught at MSG this summer, here are four points we would like to expand upon. RtBE has lots more thoughts on the band, but for now these will be the four we touch on and they may overlap a bit.
1) "There've been times when I wander..."
As we stated after the New Years Run (point #8) the group still likes to let it all hang out and "jam", maybe more than they ever have. This run however it seemed that certain jams/exploratory operations missed their mark as well. This is a pleasant fact though as the band truly plays without a net and not everything always works.
The final nights "Tweezer" moments were more OK than world beating, the elongated "Sample In a Jar" would have packed more of a punch with a tighter version and the thirty odd minute "Fuego" took about half of that run time to really get going to these ears. Much better was the pumping "Kill Devil Falls > Golden Age" combo and a great "Light" which had real energetic moments. "2001" seemed to be ready to take off when they abruptly shifted gears into Jon Fishman silliness with "Cracklin Rosie", that is the epitome of Phish.
2) "And the light is growing brighter now..."
Kuroda. CK5 is just simply amazing. Watching the band from three distinct vantage points in the Garden (the first two nights were the same seats) allows one to just marvel at the work Kuroda does. The light program works with the band to create such special visuals that are almost as intoxicating as the music.
None of the shows we caught we full on burners the whole night, the band were trying out too many things for everything to click, however, each first set seemed to shine brighter than the second set every night we saw.
The best was the old school jaunt of Sunday which didn't have a song written after '94. Each song was excellent and worth hearing, yet none truly exploded. Tuesday may have had the better highpoints as "Wolfman's Brother" and "The Walrus" were top notch while "Timber (Jerry)" was the best version I can remember hearing live.
The final Saturday started amazingly with "Loving Cup" a blissful "Divided Sky" and "Prince Caspian" which was the highlight of the whole night. The first Saturday's climax was also at the start as "Get Back On The Train" > "Down With Disease" were electric while "Moondog Matinee" closed strong.
The second sets lent themselves to a bit too much wandering at times as mentioned, but the band was ready to go each night at MSG from the first notes.
4) "And many subtle sounds..."
Speaking of the venue, it needs to be noted that the arena sound at MSG is truly phenomenal. Kudos to Phish team and the Garden itself as speakers are everywhere. RtBE sat in the 100's 200' and 300's and each location was perfect when it comes to the audio quality at the Garden for Phish.
There is a clear love affair between venue, the fans, and band, odds are everyone will be back in December and RtBE will be back to partake in the flow as well.
The weather was stifling hot, NYC was in the midst of summer heat wave on Thursday night July 27th as Joe Russo's Almost Dead played a hometown show on the rooftop of Pier 17. Arriving as the sun was setting, but the heat was still sticking around, band leader Joe Russo commented that we all should drink a lot of water, because it was going to be a hot one.
He was correct on a few levels as the band, Russo on drums, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton on guitar and vocals, came out on fire to begin the night of music. For those unfamiliar with JRAD, the group plays mostly Grateful Dead music in varying arraignments, with great energy and passion.
They opened this night in mid-set form with a wandering jam that quickly took on the attributes of "Playin' In The Band" as the group applied this framework and ran with it. After the vocals of the song, the musicians spaced out with jazz vibes even more, before a large crescendo and a nice exit into a barroom like version of "Mississippi Half-Step" easily floated along in soothing fashion.
The group displayed some inspiring musical transitions throughout the evening and none was more impressive than their switch from "Mississippi Half-Step" into "The Music Never Stopped". Hamilton and Metzger climbed scales and Russo followed with pounding drums as "The Music Never Stopped" exploded, pumping forward before a mid-song spacey break and another huge build; a highlight version all around.
The group kept the swirling sweaty cauldron of tunes moving, as Russo kept the pace banging for an upbeat "Bertha" that found Benevento doing work on the baby grand. The band finally took a breather after delivering an opening forty five minutes of straight goodness. It was brief though as a deep Bob Dylan cut, "Tell Me, Momma", pushed out dueling, scratchy guitar work in roadhouse blues manner. The dynamite first set wrapped up with the unique pairing of "Scarlett Begonias > Touch of Grey" which featured another excellent transition from the group and high energy all around.
The second set was not as fiery as the first, the heat seemed to have zapped the band. The crowd also was certainly drained as the night air brought no relief from the heat while the packed in, sold-out crowd, left little space for air to flow.
That said, JRAD still gave it a go, opening with the blues of "Hard To Handle" which never truly took off. Better was the laid back fluidity of "Here Comes Sunshine" which was mellow before kicking up the energy half way through and moving into the focal point of the set, a huge "Throwing Stones". Russo set the tone with heavy drumming as the band shifted and soared through various jams, prog like and pulsing at times, all out rocking at others; the song was a beast feeling influenced by The Who's "Eminence Front" at times, filtered through a Phish lens.
Both the flowing "Wharf Rat" and game "Truckin'" (complete with all out ending) were noble efforts but things seemed a bit wandering with the heat and humidity still present. However, business picked up again for "St. Stephen" as everyone was energized around the massive bass work from Dreiwitz. The fan favorite got speedy, spacey, and gnarly throughout the excellent version that contained a bluesy jam, all lead by the ferocious drumming of the bands leader.
JRAD then got it's trippiest as they slowly rolled out their take on Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamonds" with guest Stuart Bogie joining and dominating the song on saxophone as the music was fluid and soaring. More was planned, but mere seconds into "Not Fade Away" the venue abruptly ended the show because there was dangerous lightning and storms in the area as Pier 17 was quickly cleared as fans left via emergency staircases.
While some may have been disappointed at the quick wrap up, nothing can take away from the dynamic interpretations of JRAD as they manage to up the ante on the Dead's classic catalog, allowing new generations and old Heads to enjoy reworkings of their favorite tunes. Pier 17's show was just another excellent outing in this exciting bands lifespan.
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by Waylon Jennings playing " Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
Thought's on Original: From the first time we reviewed a cover of this tune: This song is so iconic and flat out awesome, even people who dislike Dylan have to enjoy this tune right? Biting and yet not bitter, a toss off of the grandest proportions, "Don' Think Twice, It's All Right" is epic and yet so straight forwardly simple. It easily ranks as one of the bard's best works, truly a classic and has been covered by so many people in so many ways. Cover:
...That said, this is from an earlier part of his career when he was fairly straight, and he delivers a straight version of the tune. Yet, covering Dylan in 1964 for a country artist could be outlaw-ish. A fun little countrified ditty to start off the work week.
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... Social Distortion!
Back to 2022 for Hellfest and Social Distortion.
Pro Shot, Pro Sound, Setlist below:
SETLIST : Road zombie 0:00 Bad luck 2:54 So far away 7:41 I wasn't born to follow 12:26 Sick boys 15:55 Machine gun blues 19:20 Prison bound 23:41 Gotta know the rules 29:25 Don't drag me down 32:56 Tonight (new song) 37:35 Dear lover 42:45 Story of my life 48:43 Ring of fire 54:34
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