Holly Bowling Announces Grateful Dead Solo Piano Album ‘Better Left Unsung’
Pianist Holly Bowling has made quite the splash on the live music scene of late, performing solo piano renditions of the music of Phish. What started as a video of Bowling’s solo piano interpretation of the famed “Tahoe Tweezer” blossomed into a legitimate career, as Bowling soon released her Distillation Of A Dream album and even recently performed alongside Phish’s pianist Page McConnell. A First-Hand Account Of How A Member Of Phish Came To Sit In With TwiddleToday, Bowling has revealed plans for a brand new album! Titled Better Left Unsung, after the famed Garcia/Hunter lyric in “Ripple”, Bowling will interpret the music of the Grateful Dead for this new release. “I grew up listening to the Dead and their music has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember, so this music is very close to my heart,” says Bowling. “It’s been an amazing process to explore this music that I’ve known and loved my entire life in a whole new light.”The album is in the Pledge Music phase, which means that your support will fuel the actual recording and release of Better Left Unsung. To contribute to this campaign, you can head here. The new album will feature two hours of music, including the full “Terrapin Station” suite, as well as the version of “Eyes of the World” from 6/18/74 that Bowling calls “one of [her] favorite versions.” We can’t wait!Holly Bowling is also featured on the recently-announced lineup for Brooklyn Comes Alive, which features 50 artists across 3 venues in one great day of music. Coming on October 22nd to Brooklyn, NY, musicians like Joe Russo, Oteil Burbridge, Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner and more will perform at venues like Brooklyn Bowl, The Hall at MP, and Music Hall of Williamsburg. More information can be found on the official website!
Last weekend, Gregg Allman hosted the Laid Back Festival edition in Atlanta, GA. Allman had cancelled all of his upcoming tour dates just a few months ago after coming down with a severe case of pneumonia, and has been steadily recuperating ever since. He recently returned to the stage with an acoustic performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, but the Laid Back event at the Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood marked Allman’s return to the stage with a full band.The full band show featured a number of favorites from Allman’s career, including classics like “Midnight Rider” and “One Way Out.” The latter track featured Allman, his lead guitarist and musical director Scott Sharrard, and ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons taking things to a whole other level, only adding to the magic of the moment.Check out Gibbons, Allman, and Sharrard shredding it up on “One Way Out” to close out the set, below.“Midnight Rider” can be found here.Allman will head to New York next, where he settles into City Winery for a 10-night residency beginning November 6th. Details here.[Image via @mar
For many months, few musicians campaigned as fiercely for Bernie Sanders than Phish drummer Jon Fishman. Fishman viewed Sanders as an actual hope for positive change, and even donned a Fishman-themed dress on summer tour, which perhaps made Hillary Clinton’s nomination as the Democratic Party nominee that much more heartbreaking for him. Now, with Election Day approaching tomorrow, Fishman has shared his thoughts on the two leading candidates with confidence.In a Facebook post, Fish puts it out forthright that he doesn’t like Clinton, but finds her a significantly better option than her opponent Donald Trump. “Trump really is a fucking sociopath and that’s nothing to trifle with,” says Fishman, encouraging people to vote for Hillary Clinton with him.Read the full message below:Ok, look. We’re all confused sometimes. Lord knows I’ve waffled on all this stuff since Bernie dropped out. I’m not an idiot. I know a vote for Bernie is purely symbolic and is essentially a waste. I also know that either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is going to be our next president, and as disgusted as I am by that choice the reality is we are once again handed the lesser of two evils scenarioIt’s particularly upsetting this time around because I believe we really had a chance to vote for a good candidate in Sanders, and we blew it. It’s just so tough to get that tease of having a candidate who represents real positive change for the most people get yanked away only to throw us back into the pit of painfully slow, incremental change that may or may not occur depending on how much the president is willing to actually work for and do what they say they will, or is even telling the truth in the first place, which in Hillary’s case is probably not much.Who knows what she really stands for, what parts of the Democratic Party platform she’ll actually work to fulfill, just pay lip service to, or flat out ignore? Who knows? It sucks, but that’s the best the DNC was willing to offer.What I do know is this though: As shitty an option as Clinton is, Trump is, as one person put it, “a national emergency and sometimes you don’t have a choice of who you have to get in a life boat with, you just hope they can row”. That sentiment, at the end of the day really hits home for me.Also, The Democratic Party platform, regardless of how much of it Clinton will actually represent, is endlessly, infinitely better than the Republican Party platform which is a straight up “fuck you” to the whole country on so many levels I can’t even get into here. Just go read it for yourself and see if you can get through the first couple parts of the agenda without wanting to puke. It’s a joke.So, regardless of who cares what I think or not, for my own conscience, just in case anyone actually would be influenced by what I say because I’m a rock star, which is the stupidest reason to care, but whatever…just in case, I’m retracting my earlier tirade from a few days ago and confessing that I am going to cast my vote, however disappointedly or reluctantly, for Clinton, because Trump really is a fucking sociopath and that’s nothing to trifle with.If he were to actually become President I would have a harder time knowing that I may have contributed to that in even the tiniest way. That would be harder for me to swallow than even the disappointment and anger I felt over Bernie getting shafted.So, if what I’m saying makes sense to you, vote accordingly. If it doesn’t, vote accordingly. Just vote.Have a good day.[H/T Relix]
UPDATE: According to the Associated Press, medical examination has determined the cause of death as suicide by hanging.It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Chris Cornell has passed away. The 52-year-old musician had just finished up a show at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan with his band Soundgarden before he unexpectedly passed. According to the Associated Press, Detroit police are investigating as a possible suicide. “His wife, Vicky, and family were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing, and they will be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause,” his publicist said in a statement, also asking for fans to respect their privacy.The the lead vocalist, songwriter and guitarist started his famed career with Soundgarden in 1984, defining his artistic range between metal, grunge, alternative rock, and psychedelic rock through 1997. In 1995, Soundgarden won two Grammy awards for “Best Metal Performance” for “Spoonman” and “Best Hard Rock Performance” for “Black Hole Sun.”Soundgarden reunited in 2010 through the present moment, but it was during the interim that Cornell established himself as a solo artist.While still in Soundgarden, Cornell recorded an album in 1991 under the moniker Temple of the Dog with Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, and drummer Dave Krusen, along with Mother Love Bone’s Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, ultimately forming Pearl Jam. The collaborative project came together as a tribute to the band members’ mutual friend and Cornell’s former roommate, Andrew Wood, who had died of a heroin overdose the year prior. Their debut album sold more than a million copies, thanks to the singles “Say Hello 2 Heaven” and “Hunger Strike.”In 2001, Rage Against the Machine disbanded when Zack de la Rocha left the group. Cornell was the first call, as advised by Rick Rubin. While in the midst of recording his second solo album, he accepted the offer and joined Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk to form Audioslave, writing hits like “Be Yourself” and “Out of Exile.”While his musical contributions seemingly never stopped between then and now, Chris Cornell’s most recent work was released in March of 2017 with the single “The Promise.” Watch the lyric video below:
Load remaining images As with places like The Gorge in George, WA, or Red Rocks Amphitheatre, this particular venue should be on any true music lover’s concert bucket list. The Mish provides a certain, special kind of atmosphere that is simply impossible to put into words, and we can’t wait to share in that magic at Canyon Jam this fall!Tickets for Canyon Jam are currently on-sale here. For show updates and additional information, join the Facebook Event page.The Mishawaka also provides round-trip shuttle service for patrons from downtown Fort Collins for $20. Reservations are recommended, as on-site parking is extremely limited. Shuttle tickets and can be purchased here.Canyon Jam Friday Schedule:6pm – Doors8pm – 9pm – Moves at Midnight9:30pm – 10:30pm – Mungion11pm – 1am – Main SqueezeCanyon Jam Saturday Schedule:4pm – Doors6pm – 6:40pm Jus Sayin’7pm – 8pm – Cycles8:30 – 9:30pm – Organ Freeman10 pm – 11:30pm – Aqueous12am – 2am – Spafford– SHOW INFO –Artist/s: Canyon Jam w/ Spafford, The Main Squeeze, Aqueous, Organ Freeman, Mungion, Cycles, Moves At Midnight, Jus’ Sayin’Date/s: Friday, September 8th & Saturday, September 9th, 2017Venue: Mishawaka Amphitheatre (13714 Poudre Canyon Rd, Bellvue, CO 80512)Ages:Doors: 6pm Friday / 4pm SaturdayMusic: 8pm Friday / 6pm SaturdayTickets: $15adv / $20dos / Limited 2-Day passes @ $25 (purchase tickets here)[photo credit to Sunny Side Production] The first-ever Canyon Jam is set to take place in Bellevue, CO from September 8th-9th. With nationally-known touring outfits Spafford, The Main Squeeze, Aqueous, Mungion, Organ Freeman and Colorado-based acts Cycles, Moves at Midnight, and Jus’ Sayin’ on the lineup, the inaugural event promises an unforgettable weekend of funk and jams. But while the red-hot artist roster is surely nothing to scoff at, the true star of the show at Canyon Jam will be the venue itself: the storied Mishawaka Amphitheatre.Founded in 1916, “The Mish” is an iconic outdoor venue that sits along the banks of Colorado’s Cache la Poudre River, offering breathtaking views of its serene surroundings. The river, whose French name translates to English as “hide the powder,” earned its title from an incident in the 1820s when French trappers caught in a snowstorm were forced to bury the gun powder they were carrying with them along the river bank.True to the heritage of its Cache la Poudre River Valley locale, the Mishawaka Amphitheatre has hosted some truly explosive concerts over the years. The 100-year-old venue has seen performances by The String Cheese Incident, The Disco Biscuits, Buckethead, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, George Clinton, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Leon Russell, Joan Baez, and a long list of other iconic artists.While it may be a trek to get to the remote venue, seeing your favorite bands in the middle of the mountains with nothing but nature as far as the eye can see is a truly moving and memorable experience that every music lover should get the chance to enjoy.The natural backdrop of the surrounding mountains and the river–which quite literally flows directly behind the stage–help give shows at The Mish an utterly awe-inspiring vibe. On any given day, you can look across the river and witness big horn sheep, elk and even the occasional bear (a very rare occurrence) meandering through the hills; all while enjoying an incredible musical experience in The Great Outdoors.
The Disco Biscuits‘ annual Camp Bisco is now two-thirds of the way done at Scranton, PA’s Montage Mountain, and fantastic sets from from Turkuaz, Bassnectar, Lotus, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Twiddle, Shpongle, Beats Antique, Griz, Gramatik, Brasstracks, Break Science, The Russ Liquid Test, Emancipator, Jaw Gems, Maddy O’Neal and more are in the books. Of course, the Biscuits have also three headlining sets of their own–one on Thursday and two on Friday–and have taken full advantage of the home court “Camp” setting with a slew of impressive performances.The Disco Biscuits To Webcast Their Camp Bisco Sets For FreeThursday’s single-set performance kicked off with “Astronaut,” which segued into a cover of Pink Floyd‘s “Run Like Hell” before returning to the “Astronaut” theme. The band then skipped the song’s ending, instead steering the ship into “Digital Buddha,” which resolved into a reprise of the “Run Like Hell” jam. From there, the Biscuits delivered a “Reactor” sandwich with an inverted “Portal To An Empty Head” in the middle, before closing the set with “Home Again.”Friday night’s “regular” 2-set show began with “Little Lai,” before a non-stop run of songs including beginning with “Rockafella” and featuring an extended “Munchkin Invasion” sandwich with unfinished, improv-heavy versions of “Orch Theme” and “Voices Insane” and an inverted version of “The Ladies Were The Rest Of The Night” serving as the meat. Set two began with a bust-out of “Solstice” (492 shows) for the first time in over ten years. From there, the band launched into “Spacebirdmatingcall,” which segued into (and back out of) “Gangster.” After the “M.E.M.P.H.I.S” that followed, the band debuted a new cover of Prince‘s “Controversy,” the title track from his 1981 album. Finally, the band closed out their performance with “Bombs,” before the ending portion of “Svenghali” served as a sort of victory lap, in place of the regular encore.Camp Bisco continues today with performances from Pretty Lights Live, Action Bronson, Electric Beethoven, The Floozies, The Werks and more, as well as a special 3-set headlining performance from the Disco Biscuits.7/14/17 (Friday), Set 1:7/14/17 (Friday) Set 2:7/12/17 (Thursday):SETLIST: The Disco Biscuits | Camp Bisco | Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center | Scranton, PA | 7/14/17Set 1: Astronaut> Run Like Hell> Astronaut [1]> Digital Buddha> Run Like Hell, Reactor> Portal To An Empty Head [2]> Reactor, Home Again[1] unfinished[2] inverted versionSETLIST: The Disco Biscuits | Camp Bisco | Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center | Scranton, PA | 7/14/17Set 1: Little Lai, Rockafella [1]> Munchkin Invasion> Orch Theme [1]> Voices Insane [1]> And The Ladies Were The Rest Of The Night [2]> Munchkin InvasionSet 2: Solstice [3]> Spacebirdmatingcall> Gangster> Spacebirdmatingcall, M.E.M.P.H.I.S.> Controversy [4]> Bombs> Svenghali [5][1] unfinished[2] inverted version[3] last played 05/20/2007 (492 shows)[4] first time played (Prince cover); instrumental version[5] ending only[Cover photo via Dave Vann]
In 1976, jazz fusion was flying high as one of the most exciting new genres to cross over into the mainstream. Combining the precision of progressive rock, the free, improvisational spirit of jazz, and a healthy dose of psychedelic rock, the genre blew up over the course of the 70s, with stars like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, and Pat Matheny crossing over from jazz into the new genre to gain a newfound success. Of course, Jazz fusion is synonymous with Chick Corea and Return To Forever, a band that would be on the Mount Rushmore of jazz fusion with groups like the Headhunters and Weather Report.Return To Forever went through several lineup changes after forming in 1972, before Corea struck gold in 1974, as he combined Lenny White‘s tight drumming, Stanley Clarke‘s virtuosic bass playing, and a young Al Di Meola‘s electrifying abilities on the guitar with his incredible synthesizer skills. The band only existed for a short two-year period before Corea replaced Di Meola and White with other musicians, and RTF would continue with varying lineups throughout the 70s and 80s, but the band’s best years came came during Di Meola and White’s era in the band. 1974’s Where Have I Known You Before contained awesome tracks like “Vulcan Worlds” and “Beyond the Seventh Galaxy”, 1975’s No Mystery had the funky “Dayride” and “Sofisifunk”.However, it was 1976’s Romantic Warrior that featured the band at its absolute best, with all six tracks logging in as classics. The album opened with the multi-section masterpiece of “Medievel Overture”, before moving into Lenny White’s masterpiece melodic masterpiece “Sorceress”. “Romantic Warrior” featured the band on acoustic instruments (as opposed to their electric counterparts), but still showcases the band’s precise and progressive arrangements. Stanley Clarke’s psychedelic freak out, “The Magician”, followed, before the eleven-minute masterpiece “Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant”, which closed out the album. It’s a remarkable record, which still remains one of the most well-received and important jazz records of the fusion era.With that in mind, take a look at the premier Return To Forever lineup performing Romantic Warrior live in its entirety. The band stopped by the BBC2 music show The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1976 during their tour in support of the album, and just before Corea would kick White and Di Meola out of the band. The performance is simply incredible, and will leave you in awe as you see the raw improvisational prowess of one of the best jazz bands of all time.Watch Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, & Al Di Meola, aka Return To Forver, playing their classic album “Romantic Warrior”
On November 5th, The Wood Brothers continued their ongoing fall tour with a performance at Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. You can check out photographs from Sunday’s performance below, courtesy of Sam Watson. The Wood Brothers | Sherman Theater | Stroudsburg, PA | 11/5/2017 | Photo: Sam Watson Load remaining images
Tedeschi Trucks Band has announced the dates for their annual residency at the Beacon Theatre. The 12-piece ensemble led by the husband-and-wife duo of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks will hit the Beacon for six shows in early October, on 10/5, 10/6, 10/9, 10/10, 10/12, and 10/13, respectively. The six-night run will mark the eighth consecutive year of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s annual autumn run at the storied New York City theater.As the announcement notes:The autumn residency at the Beacon has become a highly anticipated tradition for TTB’s growing legion of fans, as both NYC area residents and travelers from far and wide mark their calendar to catch several shows each year. While legacy artists such as the Allman Brothers Band and Steely Dan made the Beacon their home for multi-night residencies, Tedeschi Trucks Band represents the next generation and the only contemporary band supporting a six-show run at the theater multiple years running.“The room sounds great and feels like home”, says Trucks. “It’s one of the best spots to really turn the band loose. Everybody comes locked and loaded. … With six shows, we throw the net a little wider, dig deeper into our catalog and work up new arrangements; it’s a different show every night”.The run of shows includes two weekends of two-set “Evening with TTB” performances in addition to a pair of mid-week dates that will feature special opening guests who have yet to be announced [Note: Last we heard, the band was taking fan requests for the Beacon opening slots].Oct. 9th will also mark the 30th time the incredibly talented 12-member ensemble will play the historic venue. The band celebrated their 25th Beacon show during last year’s residency, marking the occasion by welcoming a slew of special guests including Nels Cline, Norah Jones, Jaimoe, Doyle Bramhall II, and more. Tedeschi Trucks Band’s 2017 Beacon Theatre run also saw them welcome Trey Anastasio, The Wood Brothers, Marcus King, John Medeski and more.Adds Trucks, “There’s been a lot of memorable moments with our friends joining us on stage, and there are also nights we intentionally choose to play without guests so we’re able to focus our energy as a band and really stretch out.”[Photo: Marc Millman]Prior to the Beacon run, the group will have a busy spring on the road, a debut appearance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and a summer reprise of their “Wheels of Soul Tour,” now in its fourth installment, featuring The Marcus King Band and Drive-By TruckersThe band is currently working on a fourth studio album, which follows their recent Grammy-nominated live/film release, Live From the Fox Oakland (2017), and their last studio release, 2016’s critically acclaimed Let Me Get By (2016).Tickets for TTB’s 2018 Beacon residency go on sale to the general public Friday, May 4 at Noon ET (view details below). For pre-sale ticket information, visit the band’s website.Tedeschi Trucks Band 2018 Beacon Theatre Residency DatesFri, Oct 5 @ 8pm Evening with TTB – 2 SetsSat, Oct 6 @ 8pm Evening with TTB – 2 SetsTue, Oct 9 @ 7:30pm Opening guest tbaWed, Oct 10 @ 7:30pm Opening guest tbaFri, Oct 12 @ 8pm Evening with TTB – 2 SetsSat, Oct 13 @ 8pm Evening with TTB – 2 Sets
Taylor Swift found herself on the receiving end of the internet’s ire last month when she released a bland and unnecessary cover of Earth, Wind & Fire‘s 1978 disco-funk classic, “September”. On Friday night, one of the song’s co-writers became the latest critic to add her voice to chorus—and she did so in hilarious fashion.Allee Willis, whose resume also includes a Grammy Award for the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, a Tony Award nomination for The Color Purple, and an Emmy Award nomination for the Friends theme “I’ll Be There For You”, made her comments during a performance at the City Theatre in her hometown of Detroit. Billboard reports that the songwriter, who co-wrote “September” with Earth, Wind & Fire’s Al McKay and Maurice White, offered what could at best be described as extremely lukewarm praise of Swift’s rendition.“On the same day things happened in Syria, the FBI broke into Michael Cohen’s office… the worst thing that happened as far as the Internet was concerned on this 449th day of all of our brains feeling like they’ve been hurled back and forth like squash balls, the top-trending topic on Twitter was the Taylor Swift cut of ‘September,’” Willis reportedly said. “I didn’t really think she did a horrible job. Yes, I felt it was as lethargic as a drunk turtle dozing under a sunflower after ingesting a bottle of Valium, and I thought it had all the build of a one-story motel, but, I mean, the girl didn’t kill anybody. She didn’t run over your foot. She just cut a very calm and somewhat boring take of one of the peppiest, happiest, most popular songs in history.”Willis also explained that she originally found out about Swift’s cover a few hours before it was released. At her publicist’s behest, the songwriter released a premature statement complimenting the cover, only to rescind it after giving the tune a listen.“I was thrilled Taylor Swift cut ‘September,’” Willis told the audience. “I’m imagining she’s going to give it a kind of jagged, ‘Shake It Off’ kind of feel and it’s gonna be great. So I got to sleep happy and excited, but by the time I wake up–on Friday the 13th, I might add–the Internet was already a 28-alarm fire.”Still, Willis was honored that Swift chose to cover one of her songs, even if she did have some issues with a few of her lyrical changes.“Everyone has a right to do with a song what they please, so go on with your own bad self, Taylor Swift,” Willis added. “I’m honored you’d choose to do my song and that it meant enough to you that you wanted to personalize it to the goddamn 28th night of September, that you wanted to cover it with banjo… and that you changed the sacred ba-de-ya to the more Caucasian ah-ah-ah and make it sound more like a field of daffodils than a Soul Train line.”Of course, Willis couldn’t share these thoughts without offering up her own version of “September”, which she explained was a song that “has kept this Detroiter shaking it up and off for four fat decades.”Swift recorded her version of “September” for a Spotify Singles release. Give it a listen below and compare it to Earth, Wind & Fire’s original.Taylor Swift – “September” (Earth, Wind & Fire cover)<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span>Earth, Wind & Fire – “September”[H/T – Billboard]