Reviews

Not many music ensembles stand the test of time. Most can’t even handle the road… 29 years now, Widespread Panic has been king of the road.  Located in a considerably small municipality, the Arkansas Music Pavilion played host to a smorgasbord of colorful ‘spreadnecks’, some who have been on tour with the band all spring and summer and were more than proud to tell tale of a moment at a previous show.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Greener Grounds “Photosynthesis” EP release party at the 1Up Colfax in Denver, CO. I could sit here and write the typical compliments to an up and coming band that releases some really great music… but I won’t. What I’m going to talk about is something special that is very near and dear to me.

It dawned on me half a year before I boarded a plane to Chicago for the final three Dead shows. The King Sooper’s (Western Union) teller laughed when I told him why I needed seven money orders to purchase, potentially, just three tickets. “So there are different price points for various seating levels.

They were all there. All of the things that make a show great.  Not just the music but the people, the atmosphere, the place, the time. It’s a unique time to be taking part in Musical history. Electronic music rules the club, the theater, TV and everywhere in between.  The era of the D.J. I’ve heard it called. However there is another group of people. Not rebelling against culture, not fighting the times, simply being different for difference sake.

As the years accumulate since the passing of American music icon Jerry Garcia, performance recordings long lost have continued to reemerge. The guitarist, singer and songwriter’s roots were deeper than his rock ‘n’ roll project Grateful Dead. He was known and respected in Palo Alto, California as a folk guru who played regularly with the best of the local scene.

For a band that excels in the live music setting, Umphrey’s McGee have not really released a whole lot of live material in the past, at least not when compared to a lot of their jamband counterparts.  Outside of Live at the Murat and a few Hall of Fame releases, most of their official projects have come out of the studio lately.  Now with the band working to spotlight their standalone streaming platform on the UMLive App released less than a year ago, the demand for live performances has become greater than ever before.

Eugene, Oregon has welcomed, with open and hugging arms, their newest music venue and restaurant, Hi-Fi Music Hall, located in the smack dab middle of downtown. Many locals remember Hi-Fi as the old Rock n’ Rodeo bar, so there is no doubt this venue seeps with musical nostalgia.

Getting to Terrapin: Notes from a northwest corner, where we too sing a rare and different tune....

“Let my inspiration flow in token lines suggesting rhythm that will not forsake me till my tale is told and done....”

Certain bonds never fade away. It has been quite a while since guitar icon Steve Kimock and legendary drummer Greg Anton have performed together as their original band, Zero. They were the originators of “jam band” before that was even coined or acknowledged. Back then there was a variety of genres. Rock, soul, jazz, blues, on and on, Zero encompassed them all.

It’s easy to cringe when somebody asks the music question, “Who is the best [fill-in-the-blank] player ever?” Opinions are opinions. But really, Stanley Clarke was, has been, and will always be the finest jazz bass player. Some would argue in favor of the alternative orchestral brilliance of Charles Mingus or the bewildering fretless arrangements of Jaco Pastorious, but its Clarke’s longevity and vastly diverse ventures as bandleader and sideman put him right up top.

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