The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, nearly five years removed from their debut album and initial lineup, seem to be following the Grateful Dead’s career arc more than ever. At year five, the Grateful Dead were smack in the middle of their most fruitful creative period; transitioning from danceable, psychedelic torchbearers of the San Francisco sound to… Continue reading Chris Robinson Brotherhood | Ogden Theatre | 2/2/17
“If you book them, they will come,” says the fictionalized, desert dwelling Jim Morrison in “Wayne’s World 2.” Pretty sound advice when you’re booking top end talent like Aerosmith circa 1993 for an inaugural festival, but what about a band that’s never performed together? Fresh off the high seas of Jam Cruise, The Motet‘s Dave… Continue reading SuperJam | Cervantes Other Side | Review
It may seem as if the 40th anniversary of The Band‘s Last Waltz has been going on forever, with various combinations of musicians paying homage to that seminal 1976 concert in a variety of ways. The latest iteration is Warren Haynes‘ The Last Waltz 40 Tour, which grew out of what was originally a one-off… Continue reading The Last Waltz 40 Tour | Orpheum Theatre
A raging storm blew through southern California on a cold and rainy Sunday night, January 22, but that didn’t stop ardent fans from braving the lefts to come out to the Canyon Club for an electrifying concert by Tony Levin‘s Stick Men. The band started as a solo project for Levin with the releases of… Continue reading Stick Men | Canyon Club | 1/22/17 | Review
On the night before New Year’s Eve with so many good musical choices in the area, there was no place I would have rather been than in the cozy confines of the ornate Boulder Theater seeing one of the best bluegrass bands of our generation. It is always a hometown New Year’s Eve run for… Continue reading Yonder Mountain String Band Plucks in the New Year @ Home
While cold rainy storms pound Northern California, things are heating up inside The Yolo Brewery as The New Up take the stage. The band is on tour and tonight’s stop is in West Sacramento. The subtle mouthwatering aroma of craft beer fills the cozy venue, while vibrant lights and lasers illuminate the stage. Surrounded by… Continue reading The New Up | The Yolo Brewery | Review
Normally, being in or around my state’s capital during the precipice of such a divided political event is something I never thought I would do… Taking such great strides out of my comfort zone for the sole purpose of watching a billionaire open for classic rock legend Don Henley, is another, very uncharacteristic decision. However,… Continue reading Don Henley & JD and The Straight Shot
What an honor it was to see one of my favorite bands in one of my very favorite cities, and with some of my very favorite people. This year I traveled my way three hours to Chicago by car then by train to get to the Aragon Ballroom on December 30th, 2016 to see one… Continue reading Umphrey's McGee | 12/30/16 | Review
Let me just say, “Dr. Feel Good’s Traveling Medicine Show” by Great American Taxi sounds just like what I would expect from such a band performing an album with such a name. This is not to say that the album is bad or bland—very far from it—but that this is a “feel good” show that… Continue reading Great American Taxi | "Dr. Feel Good's Traveling Medicine Show"
There is something undeniably appealing about music that evokes the desert landscapes of the American West. The imagery of sun-soaked plains of dust beneath a never-ending blue sky has pulled at my heartstrings since I first heard the Dead’s “Jack Straw.” This landscape has had a clear influence on psychedelic and improvisational music and provides… Continue reading BIG Something | "Tumbleweed" | Review
