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Summer Camp Music Festival: MP3 Sampler

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Summer Camp Music Festival

This summer, we’re sending a GLONO crew to camp out and cover at least three music festivals. The first will be the 12th annual Summer Camp Music Festival, in Chillicothe, IL over Memorial Day Weekend (All Good and Hoxeyville are also on the list).

The line up for Summer Camp is really exciting. Over 100 bands over three days, across five different stages. Jane’s Addiction and Common are the two artists I’m most excited about. Unfortunately, neither artist currently lets their fans tape shows and upload them to the Live Music Archive (LMA). However, a lot of other bands playing at Summer Camp do let their fans tape shows and upload them to the LMA. In honor of Summer Camp, we’ve selected 13 songs – a baker’s dozen – from the LMA by these artists for your enjoyment. Each song is another reason you should consider going to Summer Camp (if you haven’t signed up already…). So bake away, my friends. Bake away, and give the tracks below a listen.

1. Cornmeal – “Slip Slidin’ Away”. Great Paul Simon song. “I know a man / He lives in my home town / He wears his passion for his woman like a thorny crown.” I’ve always loved that verse. Full show: March 14, 2012 – WOW Hall, Eugene, OR

2. Fareed Haque & MathGames (Feat. Ray White) – “City of Tiny Lights”. This is a great audience recording of a smoking version of “City of Tiny Lights”. Ray White used to sing this song with the Zappa band, and reprises that role here. His vocals are still amazing. They do “Pusherman” at this show, too, with White on vocals. Full show: April 8, 2011 – Quixote’s True Blue, Denver, CO

3. G. Love & Special Sauce – “Back of the Bus”. I remember these guys from back in the day, when I was a kid, and their hot-at-the-time single, “Cold Beverage”. It looks like they’ve continued recording since then, and have become a staple on the festival circuit. And G. Love is down with the Live Music Archive. Full show: February 29, 2012 – Domino Room, Bend, OR

4. Greensky Bluegrass – “Handguns”. I’ve linked to covers by Greensky before. This is the first original I’ve linked to, which is also the title track to their latest record, Handguns. Full show: March 31, 2012 – Asheville Music Hall, Asheville, NC

5. JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound – “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”. A really interesting interpretation of this Wilco track. The rest of show is good, too. Very excited about seeing these guys (full disclosure: bass player is the brother of a good friend). Full show: March 27, 2012 – The Mint, Los Angeles, CA

6. Keller Williams – “Uncle Disney”. Keller is like no other. Always a great set from Keller when I see him. Full show: April 7, 2012 – Gondola Plaza, Steamboat Springs, CO

7. Lotus – “Disappear in a Blood Red Sky”. Wow. Really digging this band. Excited to see them play. Full show: March 16, 2012 – Melkweg, Amsterdam, NL

8. Michael Franti & Spearhead – “Hello Bonjour”. This track is from their 2006 record Yell Fire. It’s one of the better quality Franti audience recordings I came across, too. Full show: June 4, 2011 – Mountain Jam VII, Hunter, NY

9. moe. – “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin'”. Interesting cover of this Rolling Stone classic. moe. will be playing three shows at the festvial. Full show: March 25, 2012 – La Salumeria della Musica, Milan, IT

10. The Ragbirds – “Romanian Train Song”. These guys are from Ann Arbor. They’re like gypsy rock or something. A unique sound. They just released their 4th album early this year, and we’ll be seeing them at Hoxeyville this summer, too. March 23, 2012 – The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI

11. Sierra Leone’s Refugee Allstars – “I’m Not a Fool”. Never heard of these guys before, but based on this song alone, they should play a great set. This song is from one of the three shows they have on Live Music Archive right now. Coincidentally, it’s from 4/20 last year. Full show: April 20, 2011 – Crosstown Station, Kansas City, MO

12. Umphrey’s McGee – “Reelin’ in the Years”. One of my all time favorite songs, by one of my all time favorite bands. Have Fagen and Becker ever written/released a bad song? Answer: No. Umphrey’s will also be doing three shows at the festival. Full show: January 7, 2012 – Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale, FL

13. Yonder Mountain String Band – “After Midnight”. Yes, that “After Midnight”. The one written by J.J. Cale, and made famous by Eric Clapton. Bluegrassified here without losing its edge. Full Show: April 4, 2012 – The Lyric, Oxford, MS

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Greensky Bluegrass at The Loft

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Greensky Bluegrass at The Loft in Lansing, April 12, 2012

Greensky Bluegrass at The Loft
Lansing, MI
Thursday, April 12, 2012

The thing that struck me the most about this Greensky Bluegrass show was the crowd. By the time they stepped on stage, The Loft was packed with people. The excitement and anticipation in the air was electric. During the show, almost everyone was dancing – to music that lacked a traditional drummer or percussionist of any kind. Just the percussive banjo playing of Michael Arlen Bont, which drives the beat and the feet on dance floor. Lansing, young and old, clearly loves Greensky Bluegrass.

I got there early enough to see all the opening bands – Whiskey Riders, Flashing Blue Lights, and Josh Davis (playing solo, a Stepping in It veteran). Up until Davis started playing, The Loft was pretty quiet. Josh Davis – who Paul Hoffman (Greensky’s mandolin player, vocalist, songwriter) called the greatest songwriter he knows – took the stage with just a few guitars perched behind him. He completely engaged the crowd and got them excited about Greensky coming up. He also played a song he wrote that will stick with me called “The Ghost of Richard Manuel”. Speaking with him after the set, it turns out Davis is a huge fan of The Band. Richard Manuel – piano player, singer, songwriter – was an important part of the Band’s mix, and the song was a highlight for me.

Once they took the stage, Greensky Bluegrass moved through a solid set of originals and covers, breaking out Talking Head’s “Road to Nowhere”, The Beatles “Help”, and Bob Marley’s “Small Axe” (my personal favorite of the night). They played some tracks from their latest album, Handguns, and a few off their earlier recordings, too. Occasionally, the band would move relatively quickly through a given song. More often, they took some time exploring the outer edges of the song, with some focus on Paul Hoffman’s mandolin soloing and Anders Beck‘s trippy dobro playing.

The light show was impressive, too. I hadn’t seen them include that before, and it was a fairly sophisticated digital set up. You can see it in the photos from the show. The same streams of light from their digital lighting doodads contained multiple colors, projecting light around the venue in unison with the music. During the show I was lucky enough to meet Buddy, Greensky’s light guy, who has been working with the band for years. He seemed to have a strong rapport with the guys in the band, and I thought that was reflected in the light show.

These guys, it seems to me, grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, U2, Talking Heads, etc. Yes, they’re a bluegrass band, but they’re a bluegrass band put together by musicians with a solid footing in good old rock n’ roll. You can hear it in their originals, and their cover choices, which reflect the tastes of people growing up in the 80s and 90s, as opposed to, say, the Grateful Dead, whose covers are mostly older blues, folk, and country tunes. Stuff they heard when they were growing up.

If you go over to the Greensky Bluegrass page on the Live Music Archive and give a few shows a listen, you’ll see what I mean. You might even start by checking out the recording for their sold out show at Bell’s Brewery, which was almost exclusively covers. This is all thanks to the intrepid show tapers out there. At The Loft, I met Craig Hanger, who was taping this particular show. He’s a plumber by day, and a fearless taper by night. He tapes shows with a sophisticated set up. Four microphones mounted on an adjustable pole (gotta get above the crowd), and some sort of supercomputer in a big bag that looks like an over-sized lunch cooler. The evolution of portable taping equipment is amazing. With a not insignificant investment in equipment, though, and a commitment to the work required to convert raw recordings into something mere mortals can consume – MP3s, FLAC – anyone could do it. Which is one of the things I like about taping. With some dedication, anyone can help spread their love of music to others over the digital airwaves.

If you haven’t seen Greensky Bluegrass yet this year, don’t worry. You will have lots of opportunity this summer. In addition to a variety of other gigs, they will be playing both the Summer Camp and All Good music festivals, which GLONO will be covering this year. Stay tuned. And go see Greensky Bluegrass when you can.

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Dr. John – Locked Down

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Dr. John – Locked Down (Nonesuch Records)

I first read about the new Dr. John record in Rolling Stone a few months back. I’ve always been a fan of Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John), so I was intrigued. Rebennack has been on the scene since the late 60s, and with over 20 albums under his belt his influence is widespread.

With Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys producing, I knew it was going to be interesting. Then NPR Music streamed the first single from the album, “Bigshot”. Rolling Stone streamed “Revolution” soon after.  Both these songs opened my ears to what an Auerbach/Rebennack pairing could produce. All of this got me pretty excited about the album.

Fortune had it that my copy arrived at lunch on a sunny, early spring afternoon. I took it for a spin in the car, listening to the first half of the record on my way back to the office. It was swampy, funky, and gritty, and it rocked. It’s the most rock and roll album I’ve heard from Dr. John. Auerbach’s music nerd sensibility combined with Dr. John’s New Orleans gumbo makes for an amazing listen.

You can get a sense of why by checking out the promo video for the album, “Dr. John – Locked Down [Teaser].” It shows Rebennack in the studio, working with Auerbach and the rest of the band at the heart of Locked Down – another guitar player, Ben Olive, plus a drummer and a bass player.  Just a small, tight band working closely together in a small studio environment. Bringing a brilliant batch of Dr. John songs to life in a way that I haven’t heard before.

I don’t think the rock and roll edge to the record would be there if Dan Auerbach didn’t produce the record, and if he didn’t have Rebennack’s complete trust. It’s an example of how a great producer can really help pull great musical ideas out of the artist and present the artist’s work in a fresh and vital way.

Rebennack is playing vintage equipment throughout – real, old school electric pianos and organs. You can hear an electric piano power “Getaway”, a big rocker with a huge guitar solo in the middle of the album. “Kingdom of Izzness” has a Farfisa combo organ. The band steps through a range of other genres, too. “Ice Age” starts with an Afrobeat guitar riff, and keeps the theme going through the song. “Eleggua” is straight up Funkadelic-style funk with a hint of that voodoo flair you hear in early Dr. John material. “God’s Sure Good” is a big, joyous gospel tune that ends the album, a sort of thank you from Dr. John for the good fortune he has had as a musician and songwriter.

So when I first started reviewing albums for Glorious Noise, I asked myself, what would constitute a perfect rating of five out of five stars for a record? I decided that the first criteria for me would be that each song on the album must be good, meaning that it could stand up under repeated listening and still remain enjoyable. And some of them would have to be great – songs that somehow just got better after repeated listenings, and beg to be played loudly. The second criteria is that the album has to retain that luster over time. If it’s five star worthy, it can’t sound dated in five years.

Which means any brand new album isn’t going to attain five star status from me upon initial release. But Locked Down does meet the first criterion. All the songs are good, and a whole bunch of them are great. I can’t say if it will stand the test of time and move from four to five, but I can say this: Locked Down will be getting a lot of airplay in my car and at my barbecues this summer. I think you’ll like it.

Stream: Dr. John – “Revolution”

Video: Dr. John – Locked Down [Teaser]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxAmqxTyxe4&w=560&h=315]

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Gov’t Mule – Mighty High

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Gov’t Mule – Mighty High (ATO Records)

Back when I was in the eighth grade, I checked out Legend, a Bob Marley compilation, from my local public library. I still remember the entire experience. It was a transformative moment for me, musically, even culturally. The album totally captured my imagination. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever heard before. This was early in the 80s, and reggae wasn’t really known in the circles I ran in. I had no idea what reggae was.

I remember where they kept the records in the library. Yes, vinyl records. In thick, see through plastic sleeves, each with a sticker with a complicated library record stamped on it. Something about those dreads, those eyes, and the whole ambience of the cover compelled me to check it out. I remember listening to it in the room off my parent’s bedroom, where there was a TV and a stereo, and a gas fired stove. It was spring, so that wasn’t lit. And this album was blowing my mind.

That was the first time I remember that happening with music I encountered through the library, but it wasn’t the last. My Z-Ro obsession, documented on Glorious Noise in this review of Z-Ro’s record Heroin, was because I checked that album out while I was gobbling up all the hip hop I could when I re-embraced the genre a few years ago.

And it just happened again. I’m gearing up for my first festival of the year – Summer Camp in Chillicothe, IL over Memorial Day Weekend. A GLONO team, including myself, is gearing up to cover it, and I’m doing some advance research. I was searching the library catalog for Michael Franti CDs, since I don’t know his work that well, and he’s one of the headliners at Summer Camp. I put everything that I pulled up on hold, and that included Gov’t Mule’s Mighty High. Franti is featured on a couple of tracks. And the cover, being all reggae-esque, got my attention. Gov’t Mule? Doing reggae? And they cover songs by The Band, The Rolling Stones, and Otis Redding? What’s not to like?

Well, I ended up liking it even better than I thought I would. A lot more, in fact. I’m a Gov’t Mule fan, but most of their studio work doesn’t do much for me. It’s their live stuff that really gets me going. Warren Haynes is a brilliant guitar player, and he has endless amounts of musical energy. They do interesting covers, and really rock them out. This is a heavy, heavy group. Like Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath kind of heavy.

This record offers a very different profile of the band. It’s reggae and dub driven, with layers of heavy rock adding an interesting flavor to the orignal genres. It starts with an inventive take on Al Green‘s “I’m a Ram”. There’s a keyboard sound in it, and a few other songs on the record, that I only remember hearing in early Bob Marley and the Wailers records. The song feels like funk meets reggae meets heavy rock. Because who says a rock band can’t play funk!? Haynes’ soloing here is awesome. According to the liner notes, it’s one take. One take they thought would be a practice, but there was an electrical fire or something at the end, and it melted some circuits or what not.

The album basically splits into two parts. The first is full of rambling rock/reggae tracks, with vocals, choruses, etc. This is up through “Hard to Handle”, with the exception of the song “Horseflies”, which is pretty dub-ish.

The cover of The Band’s brilliant “The Shape I’m In” begins and ends with what sounds like a Fender Rhodes electric piano filtered through a phase shifter pedal, like on “No Quarter” by Led Zeppelin. It’s got a bit of a funky drummer beat to it. Toots Hibbert is great on “Hard to Handle”. It’s culled from a Beacon Theater show, with audience chatter edited out, remixed, dubbed up, etc. It was better than I expected. Generally, if it’s not Otis or Pigpen singing it, I don’t care for “Hard to Handle” covers. But this one is great, with the reggae dub angle, and Toots vocals.

The second half of the record is all dub, beginning with brilliantly named “Hard to Dubya”. If the dub genre is unfamiliar to you, it’s basically an approach to reggae that uses the mixing board as an instrument, remixing and sampling standard reggae songs into sometimes danceable, often spacey beat heavy songs.

It started in the 60s with producers like Lee “Scratch” Perry. His Arkology album is a great documentation of the genre. Drum and bass draws heavily from dub’s use of heavy beats and loud repetitive bass lines. Gov’t Mule takes the same approach here, bringing more rock guitar to the genre than is typical, and mixing in live recordings as well, like the one I reference above.

I liked this record enough that I decided I needed to get my own copy for car. Picked it up the other day. It will be great for long drives. And since I became a fan of Bob Marley in the 8th grade, I’ve spent a lot of money on his music. Vinyl, CD. I think I even bought a poster once. I have purchased at least a half dozen Z-Ro records, too. All of this because of the library. Go socialism.

Check out this live rendition of “I’m A Ram”:

Video: Gov’t Mule – “I’m A Ram”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCKPpRptdxA&w=640&h=480]

Compare that to the original version by the great Al Green. There is almost no resemblance between the two.

Video: Al Green – “I’m A Ram”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFtA9VWuwg0&w=640&h=480]

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Five From the Archive: Ween in 2011

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We’ve covered Ween on Glorious Noise before, back when they played the Royal Oak Music Theater in 2010…

1. Ween – “Roses Are Free”. A great song in its own right, but also noteworthy as the Ween cover Phish rolls out pretty regularly. It’s from the classic 1994 album Chocolate and Cheese. Full show: April 14, 2011 – War Memorial, Nashville, TN

2. Ween – “The Mollusk”. Some seriously ELP style keyboard action going on in this one. He’s using a wheel or similar mechanism on the keyboard to bend notes. In an appropriately cheesy prog rock seventies kind of way. There’s a bit of a psychedelic meltdown in the middle, too. Then the clouds clear, and it’s smooth sailing to the end. Full Show: January 26, 2011 – Crystal Ball Room, Portland, OR

3. Ween – “A Tear for Eddie”. Tribute to Eddie Hazel. Full show: July 3, 2011 – High Sierra Music Festival, Quincy, CA

4. Ween – “Bananas and Blow”. The title says it all. Except it doesn’t mention the steel drums. Full show: July 2, 20011 – Les Schwab Ampitheater, Bend, OR

5. Ween – “Flutes of the Chi”. This is from their album White Pepper. From a short acoustic set during the second night of a three night New Year’s run. Full show: December 30, 2011 – Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO

While I was trawling through the 2011 selection of Ween shows on the Live Music Archive, I saw a lot of interesting cover choices. More variety than I remember seeing in earlier years, too. So we’ll probably be back with another Ween post sometime soon, with just covers this time around. MP3s courtesy of the Live Music Archive, Ween’s liberal taping policy, and the intrepid tapers who put their lives on the line to bring us the raw, uncut stuff.

Photo of Ween was taken by Mike Vasquez in 2010  at The Royal Oak Music Theater in Detroit, MI.

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Five From the Archive: Warren Zevon in 1976

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Well, it’s that time again. Time for another Five From the Archive post featuring the legendary Warren Zevon. We’ve looked at his work before, first a batch of songs from 1978, then a batch from his 2000 solo acoustic tour. This time around, we are looking at selections from 1976, the year his first record, Warren Zevon, was released. And the first year of live recordings documented in the Live Music Archive.

1. Warren Zevon – “Sleep When I’m Dead”. The first song from the show at The Main Point. A bit of crowd noise and an introduction before the band kicks in. Someone is playing a harmonica, too. Must be Warren? Full show: June 20, 1976 – The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA

2. Warren Zevon – “Werewolves of London”. Full band for this show. It’s the earliest live version of this song I’ve heard. Full show: June 20, 1976 – The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA

3. Warren Zevon – “Desperados Under The Eaves”. “This is an important song to me – it’s one of my favorites,” he says, at the beginning of the song. Lyrically, it’s glorious. “All the salty margaritas in Los Angeles, I’m going to drink them up.” Every line rings like that. Sound quality is outstanding. Full show: October 13, 1976 – WMMS Studio, Cleveland, OH

4. Warren Zevon – “Frank and Jesse James”. In a studio in Holland. Jackson Browne does back up vocals on this one. Full show: December 8, 1976 – VPRO Studio, Hilversum, Holland

5. Warren Zevon – “Carmelita”. Jackson Browne lends a hand on this one, too, playing guitar and adding back up vocals on the choruses. Full show: December 8, 1976 – VPRO Studio, Hilversum, Holland

Image of Warren Zevon in 1976 courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. 

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The Levon Helm Band at The Michigan Theater

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The Levon Helm Band at The Michigan Theater
Ann Arbor, MI, March 19, 2012

Me and Levon go way back. Waaaay back. All the way back to… 1985 or so. I was in my early teens, the Bob Dylan box set Biograph had just come out, and I was listening to that a lot. My dad’s copy of Dylan and The Band‘s Before The Flood was getting a lot of airplay, too. It documents their 1974 American tour together, and includes Dylan songs and songs by The Band. Double album. Gatefold. I’d also seen Scorcese’s The Last Waltz a couple of times, which documents The Band’s “farewell concert appearance.”

Collectively, these were some of the most formative rock and roll recordings for me. Just starting high school at the time, I became a bit of a Dylan freak for a while. The Band was still part of the picture, but I didn’t get crazy obsessed with them until 2000, when Capitol re-released the first part of their catalog, all re-mastered with bonus tracks. I scooped those up, and listened to them repeatedly. They were like brand new discoveries. I also read a few books about The Band, including Levon’s autobiography. I was steeped in it.

Living in Brooklyn at the time, my then wife and I had already decided to take a long weekend to visit Woodstock. It’s a quaint, beautiful town in upstate New York, whose name everyone knows from the music festival that was almost there. It also happens to be where Bob Dylan and The Band created some of the most amazing and lasting music that any American artist has ever created, then or since. There are interesting, musically historic spots all over the Woodstock area, including the house where The Band wrote the songs for their first record, Music From Big Pink, and where they recorded The Basement Tapes with Dylan. That’s the one I wanted to see. The house. Big Pink.

I found a Web page with some directions written out. It involved unmarked roads and warned against trespassing. Local people had gotten tired of the Dylan freaks. The hunt for the house did send us down a number of unmarked roads with lots of no trespassing signs along the way, but we did eventually find it. It was underwhelming. And why wouldn’t it be? Just an old house in the middle of nowhere. Some really big things happened here, yes, but they aren’t reflected in the structure itself. I dashed off a few photos with my camera, and we got back in the car. There wasn’t anyone around, but it still felt like we shouldn’t be there. It was time to go.

So you might understand how excited I was when I saw the Levon Helm Band was coming to Ann Arbor, just a few miles from me at The Michigan Theater. Levon Helm. The most recognizable voice in The Band. The only Southerner in the bunch — the only American (the rest were… Canadians!). Throat cancer survivor, road warrior, and three time Grammy winner. Drummer extraordinaire. Bringing his well seasoned 13 piece band (yes, that’s thirteen) to town. I had to go.

And it was great. What we saw wasn’t a run through a selection of The Band’s greatest hits (which everyone would have loved, by the way, myself included). It was a journey through the rich and varied landscape of American roots music — the music that forms the bedrock of rock and roll.

Which isn’t to say that there weren’t any songs by The Band in the setlist. The show started with “This Wheel’s On Fire”, followed a few songs later by “Ophelia”. Later there was a fantastic “Chest Fever”, starting with a guitar-driven “Genetic Method” from bandleader Larry Campbell. The finale was “The Weight” with Joe Pug (opener) and his bandmates.

In the spaces sandwiched between these classics by The Band, we heard country, bluegrass, folk, R&B, and more. A kind of late 60s heavy rock number, too. With two drummers, three multi-instrumental vocalists, a guitar player, keyboard/vocalist, bass player/vocalist, and a five piece horn section, the band was able to traverse any musical territory it wanted. On a few occasions, the horn section stepped off stage for a song or two. On other songs they were featured — like in their strut around stage during the cover of Wild Tchoupitoulas‘ “Meet the Boys on the Battlefront”. The crowd went nuts for it.

By contrast, another song, “Little Birds,” featured just one guitar, a mandolin, fiddle, upright bass, and two vocalists. Still another changed the configuration to an an accordion, 3 guitars, bass, two drummers. And, of course, a trombone, for the trombone solo.

Larry Campbell is the bandleader, a well respected multi-instrumentalist who sings and mostly plays guitar, with some fiddle and mandolin thrown in. Teresa Williams, his wife, and Amy Helm, Levon’s daughter, are both artists in their own right, bringing amazing vocals and more multi-instrumental awesomeness to the band. Brian Mitchell, the keyboard player, brings a New Orleans flare to the band, singing all the Cajun influenced tracks, including “Meet the Boys on the Battlefront.”

The five person horn section was the largest of any band I’ve seen. Those guys are awesome. One of them — Howard Johnson — played in the horn section The Band used for The Last Waltz. He’s a legendary tuba and baritone sax player. We were treated to a tuba solo in “The Weight.”

So the concert was absolutely fantastic. I didn’t know most of the non-Band songs they played, but each one really grabbed me. All for different reasons. Larry, Teresa, and Amy all have tremendous stage presence and the entire band has great chemistry on stage. They weren’t only fun to listen to — they were fun to watch (see the 2010 audience recording of “The Weight” below).

Unfortunately, I was also reminded of why I generally don’t get excited about rock shows at The Michigan Theater (except the Earth moving ones like this one). It’s a great place to see a movie with my kid, but a pretty stifling atmosphere for a rock and roll concert. The seats are bolted into the ground, and rows run all the way up to the stage. Standing up in your seat is generally frowned upon and there’s no where to stand up and dance. Sound is generally good, though, and site lines are pretty good wherever you are. Still, there’s just no rocking out. Despite that, the show really did blow me away.

The one thing that leaves me scratching my head is, why no tapers at the show? And why no option to buy a recording of the concert? Why not sell copies? There’s gold in them hills! They’re already taping the shows, I imagine. Run off some copies, sell them at $25 a pop. Instant memories for the fans. A little extra cash for the band. The band would benefit if they let tapers record and upload recordings to the Live Music Archive. It builds exposure, rewards the fans, and preserves their live work for future generations to hear.

Since I can’t link to any MP3s on the Live Music Archive, you’re going to have to see the Levon Helm Band for yourself. Which you should do anyway. It’s a great show, and you’ll probably get caught up in the energy of it. Check out this audience recording from 2010 to see what I mean.

The Levon Helm Band – “The Weight”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD8ZABTt0Cg&w=560&h=315]

Photos by Mike Vasquez. See more here.

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Five From the Archive: Umphrey’s McGee in 2012

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About two and a half years ago, we ran our first “Five From the Archive” piece. We called it “Top Five Covers by Umphrey’s McGee”, predating the official series name, since we only decided to make it a more regular item after we saw how much interest the Umphrey’s McGee covers generated. Since we’ll be sending a team to cover Summer Camp Music Festival over Memorial Day weekend, and Umphrey’s McGee will be playing each night of the festival, we decided it was a good time to revisit and see what other brilliant covers we could highlight.

1. Umphrey’s McGee – “Burnin’ For You”: Have some Blue Oyster Cult with your Wheaties today. This is the first time they played this one. Anyone remember the video from early MTV? I was around 12 or so when I first saw that and “Don’t Fear The Reaper.” Great memories. In this version, Cinninger has got the licks down pat, and delivers a smoking little solo in the midst of this B.O.C. celebration. Full show: February 17, 2012 – LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH

2. Umphrey’s McGee – “Dear Prudence”: A pretty straightforward cover of a classic Beatles track. It’s not a jam-a-lot version, like you might hear from the Jerry Garcia Band, Furthur, and other post-Grateful Dead bands that cover it. But it hits all the right notes. A quick four and a half minute jaunt into Beatles space. Full show: February 16, 2012 – The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC

3. Umphrey’s McGee – “The National Anthem”: Great Radiohead cover. An appropriately spacey exploration of the song, always grounded by the unstoppable, anthemic bass line. Full show: February 9, 2012 – Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY

4. Umphrey’s McGee – “Hollywood Nights”: Man, these guys just nail this one! It’s my favorite of the bunch –  a great all American, Midwest rock and roll song from Ann Arbor’s own Bob Seger. From 1978’s Stranger In Town, which was like some sort of Midwestern rock anthem hit factory (also included “Old Time Rock n Roll”). The vocals are on fire. Cinneger rips some hot licks. Full show: January 21, 2012 – Best Buy Theater, New York, NY

5. Umphrey’s McGee – “Cheap Sunglasses”: This is from the first of two pre-party Jam Cruise X shows by Umphrey’s McGee, both of which were at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. Another pretty straightforward cover, with some nice soloing by Cinninger in the middle again. Full show: January 8, 2012 – Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale, FL

On Jake Cinninger, lead guitarist and one of the vocalists in Umphrey’s McGee: Is there anybody out there playing better than him? With the range and depth of ability? I ask the question. I don’t know the answer, but I’m leaning towards no, there isn’t.

Photo of Umphrey’s McGee taken by Mike Vasquez at the All Good Music Festival in 2010.

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Five From the Archive: Greensky Bluegrass

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Greensky Bluegrass is a local Michigan band done good. Coming out of Kalamazoo, they hit a soft spot for me right away, since that’s where I (and some other GLONO folks) went to college. And they have done a lot of shows at a place I know well: Bell’s Brewery. I was drinking their beer when they were still putting it in wine bottles. And I look forward to summer mostly because that’s when Solsun Oberon is available.

More importantly, these guys have put together a great band. Their originals are fantastic, and they incorporate a lot of different bluegrassified rock covers. I don’t know what your conception of bluegrass might be, but I can tell you that Greensky’s music is joyous.  Something about the banjo playing just drives the band’s music forward with a bounce, the same way it did in Neil Young’s International Harvesters.

I’ve spent some time this week going through their 2012 shows and pulling out noteworthy covers. Below are five of the most enjoyable.

1. Greensky Bluegrass – “Atlantic City”. This may be my all time favorite Bruce Springsteen song. These guys give it the treatment it deserves. It’s like the middle ground between Bruce’s version and The Band’s version. To top it off, they end this particular show with an 11 minute “Small Axe” cover. Full show: February 8, 2012 – Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO

2. Greensky Bluegrass – “Don’t Stop Believing”. This cover pretty much speaks for itself. Journey, baby! Of course, most of the audience knew the lyrics and sang along. Full show: February 4, 2012 – Bell’s Back Room, Kalamazoo, MI

3. Greensky Bluegrass – “Time/Breathe Reprise”. This may be my favorite of the bunch. It’s got a jaunty bluegrass step to it that masks the morbid rumination in the lyrics. “The Sun is the same in a relative way, but you’re older, shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.” How about that banjo, though? Snappy and upbeat. Full show: January 26, 2012 – Canopy Club, Urbana, IL

4. Greensky Bluegrass – “Ain’t No Sunshine”. This is from their New Year’s Eve show at the Majestic Theater in Detroit. Somehow, these guys have managed to turn this song about love and heartache into a murder ballad. About love and heartache after the song’s protagonist has killed his beloved in a fit of angry passion. At least, that’s how it felt to me. And  it’s fucking fantastic. Full show: December 31, 2011 – Majestic Theater, Detroit, MI

5. Greensky Bluegrass – “Road to Nowhere”. They also played this when I saw them at the All Good Music Festival in 2010 (coverage here, here, and here). Full show: January 20, 2012 – Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA

If you like what you hear, and want to explore more, intrepid tapers have been uploading full shows to the Live Music Archive for years. They’re also currently on their Spring tour – with some upcoming dates in Michigan. Check out the tour dates here and go see them if you get a chance.

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Five From the Archive: Elliott Smith’s Best Covers

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Elliott Smith always picked interesting songs to cover. Some that were well known, some that were more obscure. But they were all good. They certainly hit my musical sweet spot. These five selections are just a sampling — he was a serial covererist — and you can find more just browsing through the shows available on the Internet Music Archive.

1. Elliott Smith – “Harvest Moon”. I’ll be honest. I’m a huge Neil fan, but not that big a fan of this song. Or the album it comes from. But this is a really tender cover of the song, and I think Elliott brings out the best in the song. I think I prefer this version over Neil’s. Full show:  April 5, 1999 – Ludlow’s, Columbus, OH

2. Elliott Smith – “Jealous Guy”. He played this a lot in 1998. His whistling is a little weak in this version — which is why he usually asked the audience to whistle with him — but the sound quality is outstanding. Soundboard recording. Full show: April 17, 1998 – Black Cat, Washington, DC

3. Elliott Smith – “Ballad of a Thin Man”. “Something is happening, but you don’t know what it is… do you, Mr. Jones?” When it starts, just Elliott playing his guitar, you can hear the telltale rustle of the snare as he strums. It’s about to get loud in there. Full show: October 11, 1998 – 400 Club, Minneapolis, MN

4. Elliott Smith – “Isn’t It a Pity”. “Isn’t it a pity? Isn’t it a shame? How we break each other’s hearts, and cause each other pain?” Lyrically, it’s a perfect cover choice for Elliott. Heartbreaking vocals accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. A soundboard recording. Full show: August 12, 1998 – Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ

5. Elliott Smith – “Out on the Weekend”. This is the poorest quality recording of the bunch. It’s still going to blow your mind. It wraps up with about two minutes of mumbling into the microphone, but I can’t understand what he’s saying… From: December 21, 2001 – Showbox, Seattle, WA