With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
Washington State has been hit hard with Covid-19 and like previousstate held benefits, they are having a fund raiser tonight with some RtBE favorites including Pearl Jam and Sleater-Kinney
With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
Today we highlight: J Mascis
One of RtBE's Favorites, J Mascis will be live tonight 8pm est:
It is the debut full length release from Bananagun titled, The True Story of Bananagun.
Can never judge a book by it's cover, or a band by it's name. Bananagun are a dynamic group from Australia and they released one of the best records of the year so far with their debut. Calling to mind the best of Fela Kuti, Jorge Ben and a ton of Beatles is high praise to these ears.
With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
The 34th selection of the Dave's Picks series of Grateful Dead live releases has already seen the shows most famous part released previously, but there are other aspects of the full 6/23/74 show from Jai-Alai Fronton in Miami, FL that are certainly worth experiencing, starting with the dynamic cover art.
1974 saw the Dead break out the Oswley designed Wall of Sound speaker system and the fidelity of this release is amazing as each player can clearly be heard; audiophiles will swoon at the sound captured here. The Wall did occasionally deliver virtual bleeps and glitches (even outside of the "Seastones" experiments captured between sets) and that was evident during the opening "Ramble On Rose" but the crisp capturing can be astounding in different passages such as the skittering guitar, drums, bass and keys delivered throughout "Jack Straw".
The band was in it's one drummer, jazz rock phase with a lineup of: Jerry Garcia – lead guitar, vocals Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, vocals Phil Lesh – bass guitar, vocals Donna Godchaux – vocals Keith Godchaux – keyboards Bill Kreutzmann – drums. While a tune like "Cumberland Blues" is usually played with an upbeat folk country pacing, this version drifts more into much slower styling around Garcia's lines.
The first set contains a few rarities but the Garcia lead numbers like "Let It Rock", "To Lay Me Down" and "China Doll" are more sluggish than effective. The Weir sang efforts like "El Paso" and especially the experimental version of "The Weather Report Suite" allowed Garcia to focus on his enchanting playing, and throughout this set that is what he did best. The early highlight effort is an all-time version of "Black Throated Wind" as Kreutzman's drum work leads the band while Weir sings with restrained style over the sashaying lines from Garcia and Godchaux.
The second set starts with the band just noodling around (the way Lesh incorporated into his Phil and Friends shows in the 2000's) and the looseness here benefits the cool version of "Ship of Fools" which sails out of the jamming. Keith's electric keyboard work shines brightest on this version as the slow languid playing is a precursor to the 1976 style the band would move towards.
Unfortunately that slow pace kills "Black Peter" before Weir tries to energize things with a mid set "Around and Around". Garcia then opens the notes of a famous "Dark Star" whose transitions and free form flow were released on career spanning So Many Roads box set. The song threatens to drift off into the ether but Bill and Phil direct the band directly into a "Spanish Jam" based on Miles Davis Sketches of Spain's "Solea".
This is the jolt the players needed as they seamlessly work out one of the best versions of "U.S. Blues" the band ever played, ending an impressive half hour musical journey. Things aren't over though as a very sweet "Uncle John's Band" contains dynamite solos from Garcia, a joyous "One More Saturday Night" and a ragged encore of "Casey Jones" to wrap up a wide ranging night of tunes from the band.
Fans may have had copies of this popular show already, but a Bonus Disk was also included in the release from a lesser known show, the previous night. The selections and the sound again is excellent, with particular highlights on Bill's drumming and Keith's keyboard work.
The opening expansive "Playing In The Band" wanders and is long on jazz interplay for almost a half hour displaying an excellent group dynamic. That syncopation keeps flowing on the "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" combo which just may be the highlight of this whole release, an all-time version of this historic pairing that is adventurous, loose, and magical.
Godchaux and Lesh work out a solid "Eyes Of The World" before "Wharf Rat" finds Weir clanging through the Wall of Sound with rhythm guitar slams before a transition to "Sugar Magnolia" wraps up the bonus effort. This bonus disk is a joy and a great addition to the already great full show, possibly even topping the focused release.
Dave's Picks never disappoints and volume thirty four raises the quality of a much loved show from the bands Wall of Sound era. While not an unknown gem, 6/23/74 gives the listener the best seat in the house from a summer night exactly 46 years ago today.
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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below:
(Not official audio)
In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artists, Marianne Faithful performing a cover of "Visions of Johanna"
Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:
One of the clear high points in Dylan's poetic songwriting, "Visions of Johanna" is a complete stunner, especially the first time you encounter it. Now (on a personal note) if that first encounter just happens to be a hot sweaty night, in the heart of the urban village which Dylan roamed about 30 years before and you happened to be doing the same god damn thing, then so be it. Even if your personal take is different it is hard to wrap your brain around the lyrics and the more you listen the more the mystery deepens. It is elusive, bright, cunning, dismissive, iconic, ironic and tossed off all at once. It is mega and it is nothing...and I can't be more vague than that. Musically he couldn't get it right until he went down to Nashville and it says something that he stuck with this song (unlike say..."She Belongs To Me") and got a version that is magical musically as well, just listen to that bass line throughout from Joe South...a crowning success all around.
The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up.
Cover:
Thoughts on Cover Artist: RtBE is not a huge fan of Marianne Faithful, but she has been at the center of a lot of interesting rock and roll history. Thoughts on Cover:
A solid straight ahead acoustic cover version that stays true to Marianne's strengths. Not much to it, just voice, guitar and amazing lyrics.
With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
Today we highlight: 'Round Midnight Presents: Preservation Hall & Guests
Tonight is a stellar show centered around the institution themselves, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, but also including a wide ranging collection of A-Listers:
With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. 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...JRAD!
Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artists, years, venues, festivals or some combo of it all. This month we are showcasing bands that cover other artists.
This week it is Joe Russo's Almost Dead at Levitate Music & Arts Festival 2019
One of the best cover band's playing the scene, J-Rad bring energy and excitement to their Grateful Dead based cover sets. Here is their set from the Levitate Music & Arts Festival last summer.
With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
Today we highlight: Light From Lockn'
Lockin' is hosting a virtual festival this weekend.
Bandcamp is one of RtBE's favorite sites on the internet. Our Bandcamp Tag aggregates all of our posts we use on the site over the years and as of today there are over 295.
Over the last few months with the Covid-19 Pandemic, Bandcamp have been doing even more for the artists who use their site. Today they are donating all of their shares of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
It is a great site, go on it and find some music, support the artists and help contribute to a worthy cause as RtBE fully supports Black Lives Matter and all the work that the NAACP Legal Defense Fund is doing.
