On Friday June 12, at around 9:25 I walked into Ashkenaz on San Pablo Ave, in Berkeley, to the sounds of the Dead Guise playing their opening set of acoustic Grateful Dead covers, in a style similar to the Grateful Dead’s early 80’s acoustic albums Reckoning and Dead Set. The members of Dead Guise include… Continue reading Live Dead & Dead Guise Jam Into the Night At Ashkenaz
It sounds like the soundtrack to life’s meaningful pilgrimages and spiritual awakenings. The tripified, glitchy melodic beats that Shpongle produces also could easily be, what I would imagine, fills the brain of artist Alex Grey on a daily basis. On Friday, the Fox appeared like a pre-Burning Man Ritual— where furry boot refugees from the… Continue reading Utterly Shpongled in Boulder
Festival season started early this year. Well, early for Colorado. Last Saturday The Disco Biscuits and a cavalcade of friends and like-minded musicians brought the ruckus to Red Rocks Amphitheater for an all-night non-stop mini-festival of epic proportions. If that sounds like an overstatement, perhaps it is. Although technically not a festival – the word… Continue reading Red Rocks Burns in the Bisco Inferno
Spring is in the air, and its time to get outside. The outdoor music scene is just starting to kick in to high gear. If you’re anything like me, your calendar is filling up fast with festival dates, bar-b-ques, and all manner of fun-in-the-sun distractions. You’ve already called in sick to about half the summer… Continue reading Bisco Inferno to light up the Rocks this weekend!
They weren’t the biggest band back in the late 60’s and 70’s, yet Grand Funk Railroad did meet their prime with top singles such as “We’re an American Band” and “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home.” Forty years later the band still comes through town on the occasional tour, but as Saturday’s concert at Elitch Gardens… Continue reading Grand Funk Railroad Running Out of Track but Continue to Rock Summer Family Fun
It’s a curious sight; the art on the cover is by Stanley Mouse. The liner notes include songs written by David Nelson and Robert Hunter. The first song clocks in at nearly eight minutes. When I opened the envelope that contained “Where I Come From” I admit I was a bit puzzled. Surely this had… Continue reading NRPS | Where I Come From | Review & Interview
Are you a fan of Delta Blues, Rock, or Jam? Do you have an affinity for Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and a good live show? If by now you haven’t heard of the North Mississippi All-Stars, please emerge from your cave this instant. Perhaps one of the hottest bands (in this writer’s opinion) to emerge from… Continue reading North Mississippi All-Stars: On Tour
You might still think this was 1973. I did for a second, as I watched the tie-dye clad Deadheads trekking through wheat-colored fields, on a pilgrimage to Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on Sunday evening to catch the band now known as The Dead. I was sitting in my car in the line of traffic,… Continue reading 'The Dead' at Shoreline | Review
Keepers of the flame. Revivers of the vibe. The ultimate players in the game of cover band glory.—Whatever title you pin on Dark Star Orchestra, doesn’t nearly encapsulate their dedication, precision and drive. Getting everything right, even the simple sounds of instrumental tuning, is something that they take very seriously. Catapulting the essence of imitation… Continue reading Dark Star Orchestra | Boulder Theater | 3/27/09 | Review
On a cool Berkeley evening I walked into The Starry Plough to catch The Grateful Dead cover band Live Dead. The Plough was once again packed with young and old local “Dead Head” hippies, sporting heavy beards and tie-dye shirts. Others danced wildly by the stage, as Live Dead opened their first set a little… Continue reading Live Dead at The Starry Plough, May 2
