Song & Dance

Hellooo 2010!!!

2010-01-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

What the heck is happening up in here, blogspot.com? I transferred my blog over to WordPress.com in December. I have total appreciation for blogger, I really do, but I have to admit that WordPress feels more "adult", and I don't say that just because they asked me what my "Gravatar" rating is (G, PG, R, X!)

I'm including a pic of my fun new friend Otis, whom I miss so so much! I had the privilege of hanging w Otis while his ?Dad? went away for the holidays. Got some serious, solid bro' time with Otis. I learned, on one of the first days walking him, that the Grateful Dead had a puppy/dog in their family named Otis. Apparently Bob Weir had a pooch named Otis and you can do a lil internetting to find out more about it.

Well, I'd like to make it official, that any bloggy-type posts will be made on my wordpress blog at: http://wonderpiece.wordpress.com/ Who knows what the flip will happen in 2010. Really looking forward to something being diff' about this year.

Big Light Tourdates

2010-01-19T22:21:00.001-08:00

Big Light Tourdates

Posted using ShareThis

"Just Like Crazy Otto..."

2009-11-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

I figured this is as good of a place as any, to chat up my computer screen. It's a nice, newer friends birthday today. She's a deadhead so instead of just posting "happy birthday" to her on her FB wall, I dug up a Ramble On Rose.

I had also brewed up some DELICIOUS loose "Redwood Chai" along w some mango black tea (ultimately love the organic mango black tea but I haven't been able to find it in the city...only at Way of Life down in Santa Cruz. I used some honey in it that a dear friend gave me from the Santa Cruz area, as well: Pacific Crest Apiaries Raw Wildflower Honey. MAJOR YUM!

Got my haircut yesterday. A newer friend who I feel I've known for years has been doing my hair for the last year. It's always a ridiculous scene going to see him, because I'm trying to grow my hair back out, except he loves cutting short haircuts, and frankly, I love getting my hair cut short! So, it's really kinda stupid. Anyways, it had been forevz since he cut my hair, so it was def getting long...well, he was telling me how this haircut he was giving me was sorta like a "Joan Jett" cut...and I was like...alright. That's fine. He went on to tell me that he cut a Joan Jett wig for someone at Halloween, and also a David Bowie wig, too. By the time our cut was done, he said, about my hair, "Well, it's kinda in between the Joan Jett AND the Dave Bowie cuts!" WHAT?!!! Whatever, it's actually really cute. And the whole reason behind telling you this hair story is cuz with all the 80's energy swirling from getting my haircut, I'm now going to see KISS tonight!!! Again...WHAT?!!! Cracks me up...

Emerald Triangle - NorCal run

2009-11-06T17:39:00.001-08:00

so i got word that neal casal was playing bass w some of his friends at the independent in SF...on monday, november 02. the only issue with this was that i was JUST going to be returning from my epic dash to the desert where phish pummeled me with EIGHT sets of music, including the set of a lifetime playing the rolling stones exile on main street. needless to say, i wasn't quite sure i would exactly be in the kind of shape to return and hit another show. but it was neal's birthday, so rallied and WOW! i was happy i did! the music of those 6 dudes was INCREDIBLE! just my style, of relaxed psychedelic alt-rock/country/jam type of songs. i loved it. plus, new young singer songwriter lauren shera opened the show, so that was nice, too. even though i could barely stand at the end of the night, the music DEF made my re-entry from phish's halloween festival bearable. read this review from SF Weekly here, since they say what i would if i could muster it out!

Reinvented, Redefined :: Phish 8

2009-11-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

there were SO many choice moments during 8, mainly (pun intended) the HUGE highlight of phish + sharon jones & dapkings impeccably performing the rolling stones album 'exile on main street' in its entirety. jeez, i have so many favorite songs on that album, it was just too hard for me to pick my fave that they played that night (the list is something like: sweet black angel, sweet virginia, torn and freyed, LET IT LOOSE, shine a light, loving cup...see what i mean?!!!) so instead of picking one of those epic songs to youtube here, i'm throwing out the dark horse curveball fave "UNDERMIND". holy shit!!! i danced so hard w some newer friends...check this shit out!!!

Inara George - new release!

2009-10-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

Inara George
"Accidental" (mp3)
from "Accidental Experimental"
(Everloving)

More On This Album

I discovered Inara George at the suggestion of a major music industry person in 2006, so I fell in love with All Rise. Inara George is the daughter of Lowell George, who may be familiar to you because of his classic (in every sense of the word) band, Little Feat. Inara George's new release is due out on Tuesday. I like her tunes. Inara George Oh yeah. She is also in that totally indie pop group, The Bird and the Bee, whom I also really like.

current trey interview

2009-09-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

classic trey chatter about halloween, britney, & staying off the internet (his phone voice is pretty cute):

An Acoustic Evening with Tim Bluhm, Neal Casal & Fred Torphy :: October 8

2009-09-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Tim Bluhm is affectionately known in San Francisco for his major role in the California Soul rock band, The Mother Hips.

Neal Casal has charmed many in the U.K, Europe, & Japan regularly over the last two decades with his solo work, and has recently gained U.S. recognition with his role touring with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals.

Fred Torphy just wrapped Outside Lands & Wanderlust fronting his SF-based band Big Light.

These three exceptional singer-songwriters bring their solo tunes to the Make-Out Room for one special evening of acoustic music. Thank you for helping make it a night of music to remember.

$12, doors open at 7p, music begins at 7:30p sharp & will conclude by 9:30p.

About reapandsow>presents:
reapandsow>presents is a division of San Francisco-based digital music distribution company, reapandsow, inc. We book, produce and promote events in the SF bay area and beyond, including the Annual Golden Gate Gramble and the reapandsow Artist Showcase at South by Southwest 2009.

Big Rock Candy Mountain

2009-09-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Big Rock Candy Mountain
"Hey Kid Give Me Your Money" (mp3)
from "Big Rock Candy Mountain"
(reapandsow, Inc.)

More On This Album

definitely driving & rocking. we're pretty excited about this at reapandsow. check it out!

Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers

2009-08-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Nicki Bluhm
"Keep It Loose" (mp3)
from "Toby's Song"
(reapandsow, Inc.)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

if you download this song "keep it loose", i think you will be humming it happily when you least expect it. if you like what you hear, you can purchase the whole album from any of the above links.

pretty nicki will be kickin down the grooves with the gramblers at the Great American Music Hall opening for Hot Buttered Rum on saturday, september 12 here in SF. photo cred to jay blakesberg.

New Radiohead

2009-08-13T08:50:00.001-07:00

credit goes to NPR for the nudge on this alleged new Radiohead song (sounds like them, just hasn't been yet confirmed that its actually them)

phish-centric

2009-08-11T01:50:00.000-07:00

can't help myself from posting some favorite phish pix of recent. credits go to a particularly vibrant & lucky phishhead, jeff kravitz. love these shots from the gorge, quincy, WA!

Oh! Sweet Nuthin'

2009-08-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

easily the highlight of the show, phish throws a major bust-out into the second set at shoreline in mountain view on wednesday to save a rather mediocre show. don't get me wrong, it was amazing to be with so many friends all at one show (a tad overwhelming, frankly), but i was relatively uninspired until "stealing time from a faulty plan" which came late in the first set. its okay. it's not like i'm bailing on phish being one of my "go-to" bands. i def enjoyed most of the second set (wasn't thrilled with maze, but i'm not a maze fan in gen). either way, this vid is solid.

just for phun, thought i'd throw in the original cover, the only other time the band played this tune, over 10 years ago (WEIRD) in vegas for halloween. my girl & i dressed up as sammy sosa and mark mcguire that year. talk about PHUN* i love the line "...just like a cat she landed on her feet..."

Sonic Youth @ the Independent, SF, CA

2009-08-04T08:57:00.001-07:00

this picture may not reflect how incredibly AWESOME sonic youth were last night at the independent. funny, i was flipping through this blog recently, since i've been posting more again on it, and saw the beck post that i made after seeing him last august at the independent, one of my favorite places to see music in SF. the intimacy of this 500 person club for these major performers is so incredibly seductive.

last night thurston moore shimmy'd out to an equipment case that was an extension of the stage during one song, and kim gordon was just RAWKING a gorgeous blue bass right in the faces of those in the front row. i was happily checking the show from upstairs. it was a stellar situation to walk into...knew about the gig, wanted to go, didn't get tix, forgot about the gig, then was reminded of it while at yoshi's, checking out "wild magnolia" from new orleans. yoshi's sf was cool, and i'm BEYOND excited to see everest there sept. 01. BEYOND!

i don't know the names of many sonic youth songs. but i WAS that typical fan that new the "hit" they saved for the middle encore, exprssway to yr skull. thx again to the people at another planet entertainment, and the kind folks at the indy. very grateful!

Phish Red Rocks 8.01.09 MOUND

2009-08-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

wow

neal casal at pleasure point paradise spot

2009-08-01T01:17:00.000-07:00

neat treat for the santa cruz locals in the newly renovated women's surf shop right off 41st avenue, paradise surf shop. pretty trippy seeing music in there, but the set up was great, and the sound didn't suck at all. ashley lloyd started the evening, neal belted out a GREAT set, complete with all his fancy, subtle guitar mastery and epic songwriting, followed by a passionate performance by carey ott. suffice it to say that i could not be happier that neal feels at home at The Point in santa cruz. its music to my ears!

Elbow on KCRW

2009-07-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

i LOVE this band. from the brief intro, this is an incredible treat. can't believe they've been together for 18 years! that's not nothing!

hiss golden messenger...again

2009-07-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

i'm so into this HGM album & i urge you to buy it from this link that i'm providing to the iTunes store. i wrote a geeky review for the sucker on iTunes (i've NEVER done that) and this is what i said:

not easy to review this complex yet simple sounding album. i keep coming up w all these polar opposite ways of describing it: timeless but contemporary, vintage yet current, seemingly "less is more"-sounding but full at the same time. i find myself enjoying this album more every time i hear it. love when that happens.

and i'll officially use that as a great intro to my new gig doing Artist Relations at reapandsow.com, a digital music distribution company based here in SF. i may never have heard this album if i wasn't working at reapandsow. or maybe it just would have taken me a longer time. either way, i'm beyond excited at this new opportunity to work so congruently with what has obviously been a passion of mine for as long as i can remember. i almost credit peter gabriel, back in 1993, when i saw him on the US tour. or secret world. or whatever it was called. that show blew me away. it wasn't long after that i started seeing ekoostik hookah in tiny little bars on the east side of cleveland, followed by phish, then the grateful dead...so that was really my trajectory. then lots more hookah and phish...until i smashed head first into ryan adams music...but i digress.

reapandsow is an awesome organization filled with passionate people who commit their lives to music. now i'm one of them. thx for being patient as my transition from being a Fashion Jewelry Designer sales rep clunkily landed me doing what i want to be doing: serving a purpose to both artists and fans by connecting the two. not unlike what i was doing before just a switch of atmosphere. yay!

hope you get to follow your dreams today...

Hiss Golden Messenger

2009-07-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

GREAT album, great band, great tune...peep it!

"Hiss Golden Messenger, who dip a twig down into ontological anthills, nibbling at the crawling wisdom they pull up and spitting it out with sticky, effervescent insight. Born from under-sung S.F. great The Court and Spark, this now bicoastal aggregate is like a blue-eyed answer to Niyabinghi music, observing, "The truth is that we're here and then we're gone," yet still knotting their talented fingers into something celestial, folkloric and deep paired with a sparkling, enormously easy to like musical feel that draws freely from '60s English folk, Meddle era Pink Floyd, Jamaican strains, Winwood-esque pastoral jazz-rock and more."

Dennis Cook - 2009 -

Hiss Golden Messenger
"Watch Out for the Cannonball" (mp3)
from "Country Hai East Cotton"
(reapandsow, Inc.)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

choice phish youtubes

2009-06-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

i fell in love with phish in the fall of 1994. or maybe it was before that. i guess it was spring of 94, when i saw my first phish show. being in love with phish has been a roller coaster, to say the least. i don't know if its especially because i am beside myself to get to my first show in almost 5 years or if its because the way they are playing (based on the recordings i've heard) sounds pretty epic, or if its just a vibrational thing (i think its prob the latter) but i got inspired to poke around on youtube for phish 1994. i found this incredible documentary that has had me SMILING ear to ear while i've been watching it. i'm reminded of that fall tour that i saw many of these bluegrass acoustic songs for the first time, and the spirit and energy was just completely transformational!

i can't possibly describe the way i've been feeling lately about phish. i guess i've never quite been able to articulate it...me and every other phishhead that feels phish as a life-path. i'm newly inspired to love phish again. its time. so i punched in a favorite combo into the youtube search tonight: phish 1994. this is what i found...SO FUCKING GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

spirit of a music festie

2009-05-31T22:08:00.001-07:00

recent

2009-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

last night i went to this astrology lecture in SF. it was titled, "astrology and the art of healing". it was offered through the SF Astrology Society, a group that meets once a month at fort mason.

the content of the lecture was pretty interesting. it discussed astrology from the perspective of conception and gestation, and how all the planets were influencing your chart AND of course, your mother, thus making the period of gestation and the MOMENT of conception actually quite relevant, astrologically.

the dude's name was Tad Mann. he's written 20 books so far. you can check him out here.

wednesday night, i attended a "social media mixer" hosted by my web designer's company, hyperarts. seriously, if you need a PRO website, contact them. my website is pretty barren since i closed my biz, but you can still find it here, just for kicks.

back to the social media part, we were a group of professionals that decided we wanted to hear more about other professional's thoughts on the subject. there was a surgeon from UCSF that shared how having youtube video's on a website separate from the general UCSF website led to better relationships with patients. trippy! what else...hyperarts launched a brand new website, specific to the social media conversation. pretty cool!

lastly, i saw ben harper at the fillmore the other night. he was with his new group "relentless 7". i've never been one of the ben harper-heads, but i went to hang out with an old friend. the music was good. i watched myself trailing off during parts where other people were "finding god" and it reminded me how lucky we all are to like what we like. he did a cool cover of Queen's "under pressure", which of course at first sounded like "ice ice baby" at the beginning...admittedly, this was the song that struck me more than any of the night. it wasn't a new song, but i'd never heard it. struck me.

everything about me you like...its already gone

2009-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

When Will You Come Back Home -...

dusted off this old 2005 chestnut. f*ck, that was four years ago! ridic.

There's something in the way she eases my mind
And lays me across the bed till I close my eyes
Stirs me in the morning till I can ever be satisfied
I leave Carolina every night in my dreams
Like the girls that try to love me that I only leave
Rock me like a baby doll and hold me to your chest
But I'm always moving too fast

If I could find my way back home, where would I go?
When everything about me, I used to be,
Shivers in the sheets and the blankets of snow
Lost out in the woods were you're looking for me

When, when will you come back home
No one leave the lights on in a house
Where nobody lives anymore
Loaded like the boxes up in the bedroom
Coming off the hinges like the door
The shadows dancing up in the window
They're not who we are but who we were
And I'm not gonna break, but if I do
I'm gonna shatter like the glass I turned your heart into
I'm broken like the windos in the house where I used to live
And If I could find my way back home, where would I go?
When everything about me, I used to be,
Shivers in the sheets and the blankets of snow
I'm lost out in the woods looking for you
When, when will you come back home
No one leave the lights on in a house
Where nobody lives anymore
Everything about me you liked is already gone
Everything about me you loved is gone
When, when will you come back home

information super pipeline love affair!

2009-05-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

its may. 2009. what? how did that happen?

i'm a bit splintered in regards to what to make this post about...

guess i'll just spit it out~ i think i saw (one of) my favorite show(s) of 2009 a couple w/ends ago. it was (drumroll...)

THE MOTHER HIPS w special guest on keyboards JACKIE GREENE!!!

i know i get carried away with the things i love. i hear that it is part of my charm (supposedly). i mean, aren't most of our strengths also our weaknesses? so the fact that i can get so bat-shit crazy about some stuff, well, my passion for music that is harmonic, slightly complicated yet direct, earnest, ROCKIN'...these are all things that the mother hips music embodies, in my mind.

how do you all listen to music these days? i got tipped off about a new web dealio called "LaLa". apparently, it lets you listen to any song ONCE for free. i linked to (one of) my favorite 'hips album, just cuz, but you can cruz around on the site from there.

here's a MAJOR favorite 'hips song...learning how to embed this here...

Tired Wings - The Mother Hips

alongside being GEEKED on the mother hips music, i'm currently fascinated with SOCIAL MEDIA. it seems my eyeballs keep landing on those two words that appear back to back regularly now. i think seth godin, who you guys know i'm a fan of, pointed me towards this blog: the art of nonconformity, where this dude talks about how he became a real live writer in less than one year. so i'm reading that. also, someone tweeted about this site the other day on twitter: social media today, a blog about just that.

anyways, i see some of you faithful people come here even when i don't bother to say new stuff. i think that's just really cool. THANK YOU! i don't know what to say sometimes cuz i wanna say so many things at once, so i just say nothing. that's horse shit. you folks who KNOW ME know me KNOW how much i have to say...sometimes i get shy, yes. its true! yet, i'm the one who decided to start this freaky blog...i think it needs an update. even though blogger is easy, i like the fresh look of some of the other blog sites. need to deal w that. stay tuned!

if you take the time to listen to the track i posted here, tired wings, you'll hear why i named this post what i did!!! EPIC!!! around 2min 40sec...LOVE

request

2009-04-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

shoot~ i meant to post this in the last post, but i guess its becoming its own...

i'm thinking of switching blog sites. i like blogspot okay i guess, but thinking the wordpress scene is a little cleaner and more i dunno just tighter or somethin'. or typepad...just feelin' a change might be nice, even though this is DEF easy n stuff.

if any of you reading this has an opinion or feedback on that idea, please hit me up here with a comment or shout at me directly. thx!!!

post vipassana, april 2009

2009-04-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

...another one of those posts that i don't really know where to begin. i'll attempt to be systematic, to get as much as i can out, as succinctly as possible, while remaining true to my usual attempts at undercover quips & vernacular.
sunrise easter sunday morning, first morning of "noble chatter",
north fork, CA

recapping my first vipassana course is in order. my experience with 10 days of noble silence was a remarkable one. the irony of the noble silence part, at least ironic in the face of quieting the mind, is that it gets HELLA rowdy right before the quiet. like, the darkest hour of the night is right before dawn type of deal. so while i was working towards that peace, i was cracking myself up whenever i could. seriously. it was intense, hard work. like they said at the meditation course, set in north fork, california, a town which consider themselves to be the EXACT center of california, we were performing the deepest surgery possible on our minds, to purify them. whew!

the results, in general, have so far brought me a sort of calm to my daily life. and when i say "calm", i mean, i got to keep all the "regular" parts of who i am. i don't know how i may have been under the impression that those may disappear. nonetheless, i got to dig deep and scroll thru many scenarios in my mind, both past and future, which eventually led me to a present that was quite dynamic.

needless to say, i'd love to do the vipassana course again someday, and i'm grateful for the insight that motivated me to go in the first place.

and go figure, i came out with a vengeance! okay, not REALLY, but i did decide to drive to yosemite the day after we broke our noble silence. my first trip there FINALLY after living in california for nearly 14 years. and go figure, i proceeded to get my first speeding ticket in over FIVE years INSIDE this epic national park. as frustrating and annoying as it was to break that seal after so long, i laugh at THAT irony too. i mean, who comes out of a 10 day meditation course to get a SPEEDING TICKET thru yosemite? i do =) at least i got the money shot!

i have more to say...lots more...its continuing to percolate, brewing something i'm still not quite sure of, and the best part is i'm okay with that more than i ever have been. stay tuned! and if you've read this far, and been kind enough to nudge me a reminder to update here, thx for the patience, and sorry to say that my attempt at brevity may be back at north fork. after all, i've been saving it all up to spill here, and wasn't sure when i would. thought it would have been sooner than this, especially since i fantasized DAILY about making a "TOP 25 SONGS I WANT TO HEAR FIRST IMMEDIATELY AFTER VIPASSANA" list. maybe i'll still get to that...honorable mention, which surprised me too, was juice newton's queen of hearts, posted here for your entertainment XOXOXOXOXOXO

"on my hands & my knees, i will roll roll roll"

2009-03-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

vid is a little rough, but well worth the 3m 41s:

vipassana

2009-03-29T23:16:00.001-07:00

on wednesday, i'll be heading to a town south of yosemite, north of fresno called north fork. in that town is a vipassana center. i'll begin a 10 day silent meditation, a method that aims to eradicate suffering, and to see things as they are. here is a link to check it out. if you scroll to the bottom, you can go to the homepage to read more of the ins and outs. vipassana

i didn't go to hampton (phish). however you slice it and dice it, it wasn't something i was "supposed" to be a part of it. painful reality for me. on the first night of the three night run, i applied to be on the wait list for vipassana. i was, in my mind, so unnecessarily tortured by not being at hampton, by my attachment to "just a band" that i literally surrendered to MY flow and chose to embark on this meditation journey.

i know, it sounds really silly. all i can attest to is that the music of phish, and soon after they ended, ryan adams, has moved me so deeply that IT HURT not to be a part of the phish comeback celebration. at first, i wasn't ready to buy into all the hype of them coming back. by the time i realized how bad i wanted to be there, it was too late for me to make it happen. thus, vipassana was calling my name. i don't know what or how that will end up going, but at this point in my life, THAT is what i need. a reset button.

i would then go on thru the month of march to find my mind up against yet another "DO NOT MISS" friggin concert: the fox theater ryan adams/cardinals final show. again, just couldn't really rally for it. the month of march has been me facing my attachments and the struggle i have with them. this is more sharing than normal for me, here, and some people think, "its just music, its just a concert", and rightly so, IT IS. but i've got this unique opportunity to really dig deep, about why i NEED to be a part of it. there is something DEEP in my heart that NEEDS that connection when live music is occurring. i can't even care enough to try to type stupid words that would never justify it enough anyways.

and this vipassana is not NEARLY at all about missing some dumb concerts. my attachment to phish/cardinals/ryan/live music is just a vehicle i'm choosing to bring me nearer to acting from my heart. aligned with my heart.

i just ended my EIGHT year venture being self-employed. i haven't decided what i want to do next. i am going to vipassana with an open mind, an open heart, and thoughts of healing whatever wounds that are keeping me from living the life that has me fully expressed and in love again. wish me luck!

feb recap

2009-03-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

i've gotten really behind on this blog. i've seen some amazing music in the last couple months. at the same rate, there were some really mammoth shows that i didn't see, painstakingly enough. i'll do a quickie little recap, if not for my own little self-indulgence that i happen to share on the WWW. some "expected" great shows, some unexpected...

eagles of death metal, fillmore in early feb. didn't realized i would enjoy that one as much as i did. mingled with that camp thru a friend i met during the 2007 ryan adams/cardinals tour who was tour managing the EODM. they were a very sweet bunch of people, who have all known each other for years, and i felt grateful to be included for a night of their mayhem. major family vibe.

michael franti & ALO fox theater in oakland, during its opening weekend. that theater is poised to see some seriously epicly life-altering music, i reckon. believe it or not, i get kinda bored with michael franti lately. i feel ashamed of that, to a certain extent. but hey, i love SO much music that for me, it feels good to know what i like, at least. and its not that i don't like it. i dance, and my friends are there n stuff. it all just starts sounding the same to me at a certain point. whatevz really, i thought the part i caught of ALO was REALLY good. can't say enough about how good i think dan lebowitz (guitar for ALO) is. SICK!

the white thighs, connecticut yankee: valentine's day found me babysitting for my dear friends, then busting a move out to see my big light friends play w their original band the white thighs. it was a super silly fun time.

ALO & big light, the mystic in petaluma: my virgin run of the mystic. local faves both big light AND alo B R O U G H T I T. a stormy massively rainy drive up from the city north to petaluma brought a super fun night of music. GREAT way for me to see my first gig at that neato venue.

jackie greene band + phil lesh, bob weir, great american music hall (night one): i LOVE jackie's music. LOVE. this show was two sets of his original tunes, with an acoustic set by jackie/bobby/phil. um, HELL YES. the middle acoustic set on night one was a little rusty, but who cared? it was still REALLY good.

jackie greene band + phil lesh, bob weir, GAMH (night two): LOVED night 2 much better than night one. third set was KOOKOO! sorry, can't deal w the details right now, but that third set was FUN~ whew! couldn't mingle too much after cuz i had an ER-ER-EARLY flight the next morning to catch my last cardinals shows...

the cardinals plus ryan adams, new haven: LONG day for me, espesh having just ROCKED out at the jackie shows two nights prior, but this new haven show was good. the music was GREAT, but i was pooped from my travel day and ryan was kinda annoying me, prolly cuz i was tyty. nonetheless, GREAT music and i was happy to skip boston so i could be fresh for MONTCLAIR!

the cardinals plus ryan adams, wellmont theater: as it stands, this would turn out to be my "last" cardinals gig. it was a worthy show for me to bid farewell (for now) to my mighty friends who play that heavenly music. this show was just ON. had some of my SERIOUSLY best friends at the gig, and couldn't have asked for a better night of music/fun/mischief. just AWESOME. i can't even deal with putting the link to the show here cuz if i don't keep typing to get thru my recap, it will not happen.

again, this is all more for me than anyone, cuz i'm amused when i actually read some of this stuff back. i could try to put pix up n stuff along w it all but i don't have the energy. sorrs.

scarlet begonias 4.27.77 YUM

2009-03-22T03:44:00.000-07:00

happy sunday w jerry+ co...YAY!

okay. for the jonesers to see whats next, here's this. just wow

asteroids crash!

2009-03-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

briefly, i have some MAJOR catching up to do here. in lieu of that, my girl DB tipped me off to this sweet little vid that you may enjoy...i'll be back around soon, hopefully, to hash over what music i've caught (or didn't catch)~ cheers! this vid originally was posted on THIS blog but i found it at THIS blog...

jerry & bob on letterman 4.13.82 AWESOME

2009-02-18T00:26:00.000-08:00

i ADORE this little vid that a friend recently turned me onto...

Dark Was The Night

2009-02-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

A super awesome compilation is going to be available on feb. 17 and you will DEF want to pick this up. A total of thirty-two exclusive tracks have been recorded for the compilation, which will be available as a double cd, triple vinyl and download album, with profits benefiting the Red Hot Organization - an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.

Check out this site for more info.

The complete list of artists (in alphabetical order) that recorded tracks for this release are:
Andrew Bird
Antony + Bryce Dessner
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Beirut
Blonde Redhead + Devastations
Bon Iver
Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner
The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
The Decemberists
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Kevin Drew
Feist + Ben Gibbard
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear + Feist
Iron & Wine
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Kronos Quartet
Stuart Murdoch
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
The National
The New Pornographers
Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
Riceboy Sleeps
Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio)
Spoon
Sufjan Stevens
Yeasayer
Yo La Tengo

beirut

2009-02-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

i've never heard beirut before now, but i decided to pop over to IODApromonet to see what's new. i forget that i have access to that site. i looked up "Pre-Releases", and this came up. coming out feb. 17. i liked this track, and you can DL it free AND legally here, thanks to the folks over at IODA:

Beirut
"My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille" (mp3)
from "March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland"
(Pompeii Records)

More On This Album

NEAL CASAL: roots & wings

2009-01-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

super excited for the release of the super kind & sweet album from neal casal, roots & wings. please go check it out at his BRAND NEW awesome new website HERE...poke around there~ you can listen to some songs on the new deal, then buy it right from his site!!!

sososo stoked for him~ would LOVE to see him tour behind this album next...

****edit: forgot to mention my favorite track on the new album is "A YEAR AND A DAY"~ andy goessling from railroad earth plucks away on the banjo~ LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

Did You Know?

2009-01-26T19:30:00.001-08:00

tonight!!!

2009-01-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

ooh ooh ooh...i'm so excited!!!

i'm going to see big light open for the mother hips tonight in fairfax!!!

yes yes~ can't wait!!!

cool documentary ish on the 'hips

Let Go Of The Worry

2009-01-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

in case you folks out there haven't seen this, its the announcement of ryan's current decision to bail from the cardinals. its been a long time coming...the constant struggle to be in his skin was often lubed by his band of brothers, those angels called the cardinals, and now, ryan is finally feeling like fleeing the nest, to fly into skies of the unknown, without the safety net that the cardinals provided.

hopefully we'll hear from him before too, too long. otherwise, its been amazing and a privilege to be a part of this incredible ride~ i really hope to catch some of this last tour, on a wing and a prayer...

announcement
"final" tour dates

Much Gratitude for The Cardinals & Ryan Adams

2009-01-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

Goodnight Rose
We're going to win
Put your troubles behind you
And go on to bed
Let go of the worry
There's so much nobody understands
Don't live your life in such a hurry
Life goes by us all so fast
And the sun will come up again
And I will be here
If you get scared just hold my hand
Tomorrow is yours and who knows
Maybe we'll win the whole shabang
Goodnight Rose, goodnight, goodnight Rose
Good morning sunshine
A new day begins
And the hustle and bustle of the traffic greets you kindly,
I can tell because you're smiling
C'mon give 'em everything that the winning demands
Just one more ribbon Rose
Before the mantle place caves in
And the sun will come up again
And I will be here Rose
If you get scared just hold my hand
Get out of that dress
Go on to bed
The bar is closed...
Goodnight Rose, goodnight, goodnight Rose
Goodnight Rose, goodnight, goodnight Rose

Phish Summer 2009

2009-01-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

Phish Summer 2009

just finally saw this today...i love how it takes me a whole week after the announcement to actually go to their website...pretty sweet little vid, actually~ most of you have prob already seen this, but in case you haven't, well, here ya go.

p.s. i LOVE punch you in the eye

DEAL WITH IT

2009-01-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

GREAT vid!!! i love that i got inspired to find some music of my roots recently, with this youtube of (mini) ekoostik hookah. found this song all too fitting, for my personal climate~ good time to remember the only thing constant is change...right?

(chorus): You can't run from your trouble
You can't hide from the truth
You can't fight getting older
You can't stay in your youth

When I was young
I hadn't a care
Drinkin' beer and chasin' women
Goin' home to smoke up in my easy chair.

Daddy said I wouldn't amount to nothin'
I said that I was only havin' fun
Mama said you better settle down, boy
before one of them women has a bun,
in the oven, that is

Chorus

Then I met Annie
Willin' and Wild
Seems like mama wasn't jokin'
Nine months later we was having us a child

Annie said I wouldn't amount to nothin'
I said that I was only having fun
She said you better stop that messin' around, boy
now I got to be your only one
But I didn't care

Chorus

My old lady up and left me
Me and my son workin' hard and makin' money
And I can't find me any time to have no fun
Now I'm trying hard to amount to something
Living a life that's all too real
Sometimes I wish I had a chance to do it over
Now I've got no choice but to deal with it.

Chorus

SO FAR PAST SAD I'M CRAZY~~~>

2009-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

that 8.23.08 fillmore ryan and the cardinals show finally surfaced!!! pretty exciting reliving this incredible night of music again. major gratitude especially to the r.a. camp for being so fucking cool about taping. major major thx*

here's a link to the torrent for that show.

to listen immediately, go here and stream it.

either way, exciting!!! also, here's a link to my review from back when the show happened.

let it go

2009-01-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

greetings in 2009.

lagg-o-rama on getting this happy new year post out, but still. here's a tiny sliver of goodness from the 2008 pie of music that just filled me up to the rim.

i saw some GREAT GREAT GREAT cardinals shows this year (thank god~~~> it really is the best medicine for my heart & soul). ironically i DIDN'T see this dublin show that i am posting, and also these pix are NOT from dublin, i just love them (and took them). i really do find this dublin show to be my favorite cardinals recording of 2008. which is why i'm finally posting it, in my first post of 2009. hope you enjoy it. find a way to make 2009 your favorite year!!!

ryan adams and the cardinals from dublin: 11.08.08

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

i'm just sliding in, under the gun to get this christmas/kwanzaa/channukah/holiday message in before the buzzer.

i've been hard pressed to come up with some top 5 or top 10 list of shows or albums or whatevz. i'm not sure its possible. i mean, i guess if i got "serious", i could do it...with the caveat FOR SURE that i would prob amend it, and/or change it at whim, or ya know...amend & change being one and the same, of course.

fuck. january and february of 2008 seem like millions of years ago, right? its a good thing i have this blog cuz i would never remember what the eff i did this year!!!

off the cuff, since this is a remote report from the back shack, and i don't actually have my own computer at my fingertips for pix or whatevz or my itunes to see what i actually listened to the most, i'll say that there were some artists that made a HUGE impression on me this year, mostly thru live performances here or there, in and around the bay area. i feel like this is saying the sorta obvious, like saying the unsaid, but i realize that people check in from other places. and if you don't live in our town, i HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend checking these artists out sooner than later.

BIG LIGHT: click here to listen
mother hips: website
jackie greene: oh god, so hard to get me started on this, but go ahead...start here, for easy access!

i could get all micro about it. i still might before the end of the year. after all, there are a few days left to get down to the REAL nitty gritty. until then, hope your holidays are just the way you want them!!!

and, here's the instant gratification youtube vid, to round out this christmas post. (note: vid IS from 2006)

no no no yeah yeah yeah

2008-12-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

i just shake my head...here's one from the archives...hadn't watched this in quite some time, and found it just too (______) not to post~ enjoy!

Sensations & Big Light in Novato, CA

2008-12-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

sensations are another very cool "california soul" type of band, consisting of half of the mother hips (greg loiacono & paul hoaglin) + former drummer of cake, todd roper. i caught a super rad, groovy norcal show of theirs on friday night, along with the SF darling band BIG LIGHT opening (who sound better than ever).

below, you can download a sensations track, thanks to iodapromonet, and also be directed to various places to buy the LP.

we are also VERY excited to see big light opening for the mother hips on saturday night, december 20 at the great american music hall. VERY excited!!!

Sensations
"Slow To Show" (mp3)
from "Listen To My Shapes"
(reapandsow, Inc.)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Puppycam update

2008-12-13T23:37:00.000-08:00

i haven't written anything on the blog in a bit. just sorta coasting, i guess. i read something "newsworthy" tonight, so i thought i would share it here.

this puppycam has gotten 15 millions views for over 773 years worth of time. is that just nutso or what?!! here's some more stats, as well as the webcam itself.

(i just spent some time trying to embed it here, and the cyber spirits denied me~ sad but true...)

talk about cheap thrills!!! i just watched one get up, go to the water bowl, drink water, come back to the pile, yawn, scratch its head, then crash back out!!! brilliant!!!

Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter

2008-12-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

so pretty~ "your eyes told"

special ed

2008-12-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

MIDLAKE

2008-12-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

just got turned onto this band~ GREAT tunes...

so grateful

2008-11-27T22:56:00.000-08:00

truly a gift, enjoy this heartwarming 6 min, 34 seconds...

All I Ask...Don't Tell Anybody The Secrets...

2008-11-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

it had been almost 10 years since i'd seen lucinda williams. right around the time car wheels on a gravel road came out (GREAT GREAT GREAT album~ go buy it, if you are slightly interested in lucinda).

it was just never really in my flow to catch her since that one night at the catalyst in santa cruz, nearly ten years ago...until this past monday at the fillmore.

she started the show with a delicate solo acoustic guitar song, "passionate kisses". it was adorable. and the words "delicate" and "adorable" don't normally go with "lucinda williams" but that night, it was just that.

i was surprised by so many songs off car wheels...so i was super happy! and the songs i didn't know were amazing as well.

another great surprise was watching chuck prophet SHRED on guitar for the encore. damn, he is NO JOKE> my first time seeing him play. i'd heard his name, but had never seen in him action. SERIOUS!!! super stoked i went to the show!!!
here's a link to her profile on the lost highway website

"Be On My Side...I'll Be On Your Side"

2008-11-16T17:54:00.001-08:00

such ridiculousness

Traveling On A High Frequency~ again!

2008-11-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

robert plant, t-bone burnett (w/ his lovely wife), and elvis costello are posing with jay blakesberg's TRAVELING ON A HIGH FREQUENCY book, back in early October, when they were all here for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. robert plant was freaking out about a moby grape pic that was in the book. (photo above also snapped by jay)

last night was jay's SF book release party at the Independent. the scene was bubbling & loud & excited!!! by the time i arrived, there were probably about 150 people milling about the room, or sitting at tables w candles, watching a screen with a slideshow of shots all from TOAHF. it was hard to take your eyes of it, frankly!!! UNREAL. over 300 people clocked in throughout the event.

i've been fortunate enough to see this project from the very wee early stages of it, and to see it all POP last night was so satisfying!!! jay is one of the hardest working people i've ever known. AND NICE!!! and he LOVES his music. i'm so thrilled for him, and my best wish to him is to continue Traveling On A High Frequency!!! you are really doin' it, jay!!!

order TOAHF here, which also comes in limited edition (i wouldn't be surprised if those sell out by next week, the NYC book release party) here's the invite to that~ tell whoever you know in NYC to go!!!
(here's a link to my previous post about the book).

EVERGREEN

2008-11-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

happy birthday neal!!!

2008-11-11T08:44:00.000-08:00

the stars aligned, and made it possible for me to catch this awesome night of music at the nokia theater...turns out neal casal was sitting in with phil & friends on the saturday night after his halloween gig at the apollo theater, and also the night before he left for cardinals tour/promo stuff in the UK.

AND it was the eve of neal's 40th birthday!!! wow!!! seriously, what a way to close out a decade and ring in a new one!!!

the show was great, neal was amazing, and i was very very happy to see phil & friends back at their annual residency of the nokia theater. as sterile and futuristic as some think that place is, i actually really love it.

neal sang lead vocals on he's gone and ship of fools~ check it out here, on LMA.

major thanks to i.Gene Dulyn for the photos! contact i.Gene at: photoplus@frontiernet.net for more info.

cardinals, apollo theater, 10/31/08

2008-11-11T08:02:00.001-08:00

great gig. very clean night of music from the cardinals, much like 2007's halloween, but not quite as jammy, believe it or not. i adored that 2007 halloween show.

the apollo theater was cool~ the lighting on this night was particularly LOVELY (thanks dee!!!) it really was. i wish i had a good pic of it, but the staff was pretty intense about no photography.

i was sorta trying to get my groove on from so many diff spots, because these days its so hard to DANCE in these lovely "uptight" seeming theaters, with so many in the crowd conflicted by, "i wanna dance but no one else is, now i'm pissed someone else is standing in front of me" vibe...

favorite parts of the show: last 5 songs in the first set, jam in freeway, & crossed out name. GREAT stuff.

my first time seeing ryan play using that enormous amp~ it was so cartoon!!!

The Clinch Mob, 10/30/08

2008-11-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

awesome night of music in the bowery, at the R BAR...

i thought i was going to see a danny clinch photo exhibit. when i realized it was his band, i was stoked! walked in and ran into my friend pete levin, who was playing keyboards that night with danny. we got properly adjusted, and the show started.

smokin'! they were rockin'! i run downstairs to use the ladies room, and on my way back up, i tripped UP the stairs~ boy was that embarrassing, but much to my surprise, i sorta ran right into phil lesh, who was carrying his bass!!! i was like, "woah, things are about to get freaky in here!!!"

so yeah, phil started playing...then jackie greene showed up...they sat in for about 15-20 minutes...probably about 100 people in the VERY groovy, not TOO hip place...it was a blast~ GO PETE!!!

Crossed Out Name vid

2008-10-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

Cardinology streaming

2008-10-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

HERE
photo by neal casal

Lurk or Lead?

2008-10-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

seriously, if you are: an employee, an employer, self-employed, unemployed, IMploding, or EXploding, in my "heretic", wholehearted way, i fully think that each human can be better off after hearing this info than you were before you heard it.

right now, you can download it for free simply by registering at this audible.com website~ easy breezy. & the knowledge this guy, seth godin, drops is priceless. its sorta the obvious, but its chunked down in a very inspiring way.

oh. and it doesn't hurt that he's adamant about stating deadheads & jerry garcia to be at the forefront of contemporary tribes and leaders =) happy listening!

Tribes for Free here

Can You Really Make Money Doing What You Love?

2008-10-16T00:22:00.001-07:00

post by seth godin (my first time using digg to repost or whatevz):

"Do your art. But don't wreck your art if it doesn't lend itself to paying the bills. That would be a tragedy. And the twist, because there is always a twist, is that as soon as you focus on your art and leave the money behind, you may just discover that this focus turns out to be the secret of actually breaking through and making money."

i highly recommend reading the rest of this!!!

read more | digg story

Thank You, JamBase!!!

2008-10-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

everything happened really fast, but the short version of THIS particular story, is that JamBase just carved out a piece of their server space for this here wonderpiece's (sorta sterile) story about some recent shows!!! unreal...such a funny thing. and to think, because i wanted to come onto this site a wee bit ago, this blog-space to get a little frisky w my words, that i'd put words together well enough for someone ELSE to post them. cute, neat, cool~ FUN!!!

here's a link to my review from the phil & friends sweetwater shows.

major props out to RR & RS for being my advocates, or just planting the seed even.

PEACEFUL SONG

2008-10-05T04:51:00.000-07:00

thanks to JS for kicking this down the pike.

blistering peaceful valley by cardinals, from last night!!!!! st. louis, fox theater. long live the cardinals!!! love those guys to the maxxxxx

now this is what i call peace of mind.

FREE HUGS campaign

2008-10-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

in my futile attempt at breaking my string of posts about ryan adams and/or the cardinals, i googled youtube to find a sick jerry/GD vid to share. instead, this fascinating FREE HUGS vid came up. 32 million people have watched it, so i sat my ADD ass down, and watched the whole thing. and it made me warm.

i'm basically a hugger. more a hugger than not, at least. i'm not like a RELENTLESS hugger, but i'm more inclined to hug than not. i dunno. so much heinous stuff goin' on, well, hugs are underrated. hope you get one today. for that matter, hope I get one!!!

full tilt hilarity

2008-09-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

*edit* 10.08.08 welp, the fickle blogger strikes in the video realm once again. dunno if i need to fickle blog and delete this post or just leave it up with my own fickle addition~ so i guess, fickle is contagious! i'll leave this big empty blob there, and fill it in, if that crack up puts it back up.
*edit #2* 12.15.08 found it on youtube!!!!

pretty sure this was recorded earlier in 2008. there is NOTHING funnier to me than watching someone crack themselves up. as always, thanks ryan!

Rock=tember

2008-09-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

pic by jay blakesberg...

i can't possibly review the MMJ berkeley greek theater show better than dennis cook did @ jambase, so here's a link to his (always) stellar review...

meanwhile, as if i didn't get dropped on my head enough at MMJ, i've had the distinct privilege of seeing phil & friends @ the sweetwater this week. go figure, i sorta freaked out when they starting playing ryan adams "let it ride" on monday night, and "easy plateau" on tuesday night. do i hear a "cold roses" on the horizon for tonight? so funny, going to ryan shows (in the past) hoping to hear a dead cover, and now @ phil shows, hoping for a ryan cover!!! ahhh, the world works in mysterious ways...this pic taken @ phil & friends show from the greek theater last fall.

thanks to you for giving a shit enough to check in here. life is precious, folks~ sometimes tragic for no reason. give yourself a hug*

it's offish' (sorta)

2008-09-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

i can't tell you how happy i am to finally get it straight. ryan blogged today about finally signing a paper that says he can be a member of the cardinals!!!!!!!! its been sorta driving me nuts, not knowing what the EFF to call my most favorite music in the world...i mean, it really doesn't matter much either way, but just for the sake of sakeness (not to be confused with sake that you drink or sake that you eat if you eat salmon that is sushi)...here are some great links to read some very clear distinctions (for now) about my favorite band in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!

neal casal speaks on current cardinalocity
ryan speaks on newly reborn foggy

Multi-Message Jesture

2008-09-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

DMB played @ the greek theater in berkeley recently. i caught the 3rd night, a special night of music: last night of DMB tour, last night of 3 night run @ the greek, & last but not least, Leroi Moore's birthday, the founding member of DMB who passed away in August. there was a slide show played in his honor. touching. also, dave took the time to say that the last time they played there was right after "mr. jerry garcia" passed away...needless to say, it was a great show, & i was honored to be there. leroi tribute photo by danny clinch, 2003.

specifically posting this as i prep to get "aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhed" to high heaven tomorrow @ the greek, when My Morning Jacket begins their second leg of the U.S. tour supporting Evil Urges. SUPER EXCITED.

also caught another RIDICulous show recently: the mother hips @ cafe du nord. here's a clip of theirs off the AMAZING album, KISS THE CRYSTAL FLAKE. wow. couldn't help but notice that tim bluhm was wearing his Dark Side of the Moon shirt @ du nord, just a few short days before Richard Wright, co-author of DSOTM, passed on...

REST IN PEACE, Richard Wright & Leroi Moore. Thank you for your art & inspiration.

More Than A Feeling~ Boston

2008-09-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

not only is boston captured here @ giants stadium (albeit nearly empty) in 1979, performing their anthem of guitars, they happen to capture a sentiment that fits perfectly around the MFC right now!!!

the cardinals (featuring ryan adams) seemingly communicated some seriously "more than a feeling" feelings in BOSTON on Sunday night, @ boston pavilion. hard not to notice the multiple lead/harmonizing guitars on the boston youtube vid without comparing them to the scorpio brothers, ryan adams & neal casal.

RIP, brad delp who passed in early 2007. ironically, there was a tribute concert played for him in August 2007 at the same pavilion the cardinals just played.

i dunno. i grew up listening to boston. it was some of the first music i remember being REALLY into. around the time third stage came out.

after watching BOSTON rock out on that youtube vid, have a listen to the cards show from 09/07/08, if you feel like staring at your speakers for awhile. cobwebs, magick, fix it, sinking ship, & color of pain are insane brand new tunes. look here to stream the show (i attempted to embed the thing here, but failed :(

the good & the good!!!!

2008-09-07T02:59:00.000-07:00

so yeah, phish played togeths for the first time in awhile...yeah. true story.

also true story. this sicko cardinals & ryan adams show got released from 2006 and it is sickness to the Nth degree, only upon hearing the first notes. but i get it. its a really fucking sick night for the cards. check here if you are torrent friendly and here to stream the show from LMA

*upon first listen, this blue hotel is worth the price of admission. hope you hear it*

"Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
October 23, 2006
The Savoy
Cork, Ireland

Disc I
01. Free Spirit (jam) >
02. What Sin Replaces Love >
03. Dear Chicago >
04. Blue Hotel >
05. Face Opera (jam) >
06. Arkham Asylum >
07. Egyptology (jam) >
08. Tears Of Gold >
09. Bartering Lines >
10. Freeway To The Canyon >
11. Expressway To Yr. Skull >
12. The End >
13. Ryan Takes Off Hoody (jam) >
14. Cold Roses >
15. Strange (jam) >
16. Mockingbird (w/ DJ Reggie Rap) >
17. Please Do Not Let Me Go >
18. Beautiful Sorta >
19. Peaceful Valley >
20. Disco Duck Rap

Disc II
21. Intergalatic Ducks
22. To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)

Encore
23. Dear John
24. Games
25. Judy Garland
26. New York, New York
27. A Kiss Before I Go
28. Meadowlake Street
29. Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) >
30. Shakedown On 9th Street
31. Willow Jane
32. I See Monsters

Ryan Adams (Vocals / Guitar)
Neal Casal (Guitar / Background Vocals)
Chris Feinstein (Bass / Background Vocals)
Jon Graboff (Pedal Steel / Guitar / Background Vocals)
Brad Pemberton (Drums)

FOH: Jon Carter
Taped: John Carlin and Jon Carter
Mastering: Joel Swaney
Source: SBD Matrix (w/ 2 onstage mics)
Lineage: SBD > DAT > CDR > EAC > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CD Wave > FLAC(8)

Thanks to Ryan Adams and everyong else you made this recording possible.

Please give support by purchasing official merchandise.

THIS RECORDING IS NOT FOR SALE - DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!
DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE IN A LOSSY FORMAT - KEEP THE RECORDING PURE!"

sunshine daydream!

2008-09-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

i'd never seen a show at fort mason, but yesterday was your quintessential san francisco day of outdoor music (minus the fog!!!) phil & friends played a rad set during a hot, warm, sunny EPICLY picturesque situation. honest to goodness, this was just too good to be true if you like the music of the grateful dead. the golden gate bridge was delicately placed in the backdrop, along with the overly beautiful marin headlands.

& for realz, the music was spot on!!! thxx to MM for this pic below*

Back to Beck

2008-09-01T11:23:00.001-07:00

by divine intervention, i saw beck perform at a super sold out 500 person club in SF last night. i'm so excited i was there, because i couldn't make it to the outside lands set, AND it was pretty much full tilt off the richter GREAT!!!

i've gone on and off with liking beck's shows. and the show i saw last night @ the independent FULLY FULLY FULLY got me back to really being way into him.

pretty sure he opened with devil's haircut, and then just RAWKED the place. thoroughly enjoyed myself. by the time he was closing the set with the GORGEOUS erie "chemtrails" off the new album, i was just so stoked. i couldn't really tell you all the ins and outs (setlist) of tunes he played, but it was solid.

this pic snapped by autumn de wilde~ don't know when, but beck's hair must grow fast cuz it seemed really long last night!!!

thanks to everyone at the independent for being so rad =)

"...Sleep In The Stars..."

2008-08-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

a very pleasant & especially lovely 9 minutes and 49 seconds:

cardinals: heartmending @ the fillmore

2008-08-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

its no secret, there really is no music more favorite to me than the cardinals & ryan adams. you people who personally know me or check in here often accept my unabashed subjectivity towards their music, and for that, i appreciate you (for other things, too, but i'll start with that)!!!

i knew the gig was gonna start around 10p or 10:30p, so when the house lights went down at 10:20p, for some reason, i was still not prepared for how i was going to feel when the cardinals started their set.

the opener, magnolia mountain started off really solid. they used the bridge from most of the 07 shows, which despite my not loving it, i was fine with hearing, as i was just sort of loosening up to the whole idea of a cardinals show taking place.

i was struck with the "it is what it is" feeling. i mean, i'm @ my hometown venue, i'm surrounded by many of my closest friends, i've got my favorite band playing...by the time Mag Mt. ended, i was READY.

the bartering lines>goodnight rose was gorgeous. let it ride was really pretty, esp in that room, with the chandeliers. i was personally happy with this tune selection because so many of my friends who were there are not necessarily hard core r.a./cards regulars (some DEF are), and the cards made those first few tunes very accessible and beautiful.

then comes the first new tune of the night. i'll need to hear this song again to truly comment, other than to say, it was nice to hear something debut.

the everybody knows was SMOKIN'. yes. SMOKIN'.

wonderwall: soft & tender, of course, and really moody. amazing to hear in that room.

why do they leave: amazing, per UJ. started with harmonica, so that's neat. cuz sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.

peaceful valley: this was rad. the intro was minus the meandering frolic that they played in 07. i always enjoyed that frolic, but they just got right to the nitty gritty with this PV. it was heavy right off the bat. like it used to be. so that was rad. towards the end jam I SWEAR i heard a trouble on wheels tease. did anyone else hear this? i was sure they were going into it. then they peeled off and went into...

beautiful sorta, which was fine. admittedly, i was a little disappointed for a SPLIT second (just cuz i LOVE trouble on wheels, which is rarely played & i SWEAR i heard a tease), though i do LOVE beautiful sorta and i was just absorbing the whole thing perfectly fine.
"i'm buzzing like a jar full of lightning bugs!!!" pretty much, yep. i was.

GO EASY: this is by far my favorite new song. maybe because i can use someone telling me that more often than not. and the sound of neal and ryan singing this together, "go easy...go easy on yourself", well, okay guys! thanks for the advice!!! it really is an "instant classic", hands down.

off broadway: was excited to hear this because a friend who is a new cardinals fan was there, and he REALLY loves this song. so i was especially stoked for him. not to mention, it just sounded great!

long ramble...ya know...most of the time the stories are pretty hilarious. this one was no exception. it had to do with ryan being @ a danzig show and how they had nuns dressed as strippers (but he didn't come right out and say "strippers" and it was cute how he was having a hard time spitting that word out) so yeah, ryan was going on & on about how only danzig could pull something like that off and that he didnt remember staying for the encore. or something.

cold roses: they RIPPED into this, esp after a fairly long break with no music during the danzig/stripper story & they really did shred this song. i give it an 8 (out of 10) as far as versions of cold roses i've seen, so that's pretty good. maybe even an 8.5. or really a 8.75. yeah. almost a 9. def decent. & just to give you a gauge, i'd give the cold roses from halloween an 11, as well as the one from seattle earlier this year (can't remember the date) an 11, as well.

shakedown on 9th: i was distracted looking for friends during this song, but it gave me a great soundtrack to track them down...

i see monsters: yum.

Set 1 (1:30)
~~~~~~
Maggie Mountain->
Bartering Lines->
Goodnite Rose
Let It Ride
*New Song "I Fix It"
Everybody Knows
Wonderwall
Why Do They Leave
Peaceful Valley->
Beautiful Sorta
*New Song "Go Easy"
Off Broadway
(Long Ramble About Danzig)
Cold Roses
Shakedown On 9th Street
I See Monsters

interestingly enough, just in reviewing this show, i'm sorta puckered out after the first set. it was def a long, AWESOME first set. i was in the poster room when i realized the second set had started, and of course, panicked. i'll list the second set here now, with the encore, then write how the songs went for me...

Set 2 (1:10)
~~~~~~
Rescue Blues
Dear John
Mockingbird
* New Song "Windowpane" ("Like Yesterday" is the name I've seen written)
Elizabeth
Pearls On A String
A Kiss Before I Go
Games
When The Stars Go Blue
Please Do Not Let Me Go
*New Song "Evergreen" (confirmed name as I've seen it written)
Two
Easy Plateau

rescue blues: great hearing the slyder (jon graboff) on the axe for this.

dear john: lovely & had a sicko neal solo.

mockingbird: omg. go easy is going to give mockingbird a run for its $$$ being my favorite tune, but i will ALWAYS always always love hearing this mantra of "Don't Give Up On Love". there was a new arrangement, as well, and it sounded THICK and ridiculous. esp for the first time hearing it. LOVE. nothing too diff or flashy, sorta subtly diff, but def diff. towards the end.

new track: can't really say, other than i did love all the new songs. some stuck with me more than others, i guess...there wasn't a new song that i was like, "Oooh, i don't like this..." but as always, there will be some that i like more than others and so far, i only know that i love GO EASY, evergreen, and cobwebs are fine. the other 2 are prob fine, too, i just can't remember them as well.

elizabeth: there was something interesting about this version...though i can't remember what it was! omg. it was either that there was no intro or no outro or something like that. silly me, it was a long show!!!

pearls on a string: a first-timer, whom i'd given easy tiger as a gift to, has a daughter named pearl, so i was excited they were playing this!

a kiss before i go: honestly, the fillmore was like a bliss bubble for me...i was just so happy to have that music in that room and to be there for it. cute!

games: i had wandered to the front left by now, and though this song is not normally a fave, i enjoyed the heck out of it @ the fillmore. "high & mellow, slow & steady..." ohh yeah...

when the stars go blue: pretty.

please do not let me go: at this point, the set had been super mellow for a bit, and was seeming to wind down, which was fine for me. again, pretty.

evergreen: i really love this new tune. good stuff.

two: loved this new version. a fave of one of my bestie's who was in town from the east coast, i was thrilled they were playing this.

easy plateau: what started as a fun romp, ended with a purging-style, hypnotic pleading ryan adams..."I want an easy plateau..." it was seriously so intense, not unlike the chicago HOB "What Sin" ending that happened in jan 07. it was almost a pain transfer, hearing him sing/scream this, but somehow, it falling on my ears with no judgment made me realize, that i too, want an easy plateau. sometimes exactly the way he was asking for it, even though it might not come out quite like that. thanks, ryan, for taking it to that level...it was almost shamanic. wild. i dunno. INTENSE.

Encore: (20 min)
Sweet Lil Gal
(Improv Song)
Nightbirds
*New Song "Catch Me" ("Cobwebs" is the name I've seen written)

sweet lil gal: amazing.

improv song: silly, something about asking the band to come back out.

nightbirds: i'll never forget this part of the show for as long as i live. i had a moment with a friend that ended in me on the ground, laughing so hard i could barely stand up. it was so weird, during this serious song...but i did enjoy it to pieces, and apparently, i really needed a good laugh.

cobwebs: "if i fall will you catch me?" ending with a new song~ bold move. good for them!!! what a long show...to go along with this long review!!!

oh yeah. i noticed right off the bat ryan has a new guitar. i don't know anything about guitars other than i'd never seen the one he had...and he used it often.

couple things to note: they used the backdrop from the summer/fall 07 tour, the starry night backdrop, which was GORGEOUS in the fillmore. the lights looked awesome, and there really was that float-y, twinkle in the air, bouncing off the chandeliers

as always, huge amts of gratitude to the cardinals & the cardinals crew, esp the fillmore, for hosting such a sweet night of music.

thanks to la cienega/katie for shootin' the vids*

setlist: courtesy of ryan adams archive
pixx courtesy of: To Be Young forum, (VIA Ryan Adams Archive)

"It's Alive"

2008-08-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

thanks to ryan & his sweet sweet cohorts for making san francisco a shiny place to be this weekend*

THIS IS IT...

2008-08-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Spacewolf's first Cardinals show!!! Anaheim HOB, 9.08.06

Let me sing a song for you
That's never been sung before
All the words were meant for you
And never been said before
She kisses when she sleeps
She kisses when she's sleeping
Let me sing a song for you
A song that's worth the dreaming

Don't waste my time
This is it
This is really happening

What's the use in marigolds
These flowers are for you
All the lights go after burn
The sky it splits in two
I kiss her on her teeth
I kiss her on her teeth, hmm
Let me sing a song for you that alters your belief

Don't waste my time
This is it
This is really happening

July recap

2008-08-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

I snapped this pic on a street wandering in venice beach.

I feel I sorta ended up doing a poor job recapping my July on here. Really, it was just so FULL. Briefly, from where I left off...

July 12: Big Light and Surprise Me Mr. Davis @ cafe du nord. got there for the last song of Big Light cuz I had popped in at the independent for a little New Mastersounds, but the Big Light song I heard was really cute. It was Gillian Welch's "Wrecking Ball", which they learned I guess earlier that day, cuz they were in Santa Cruz, which is referenced in the song.

The SMMD portion of the show was ridic, per UJ. Can't say enough great things about their shows, and songs. Seriously. When their new album comes out, you will not be able to get me to shut up about them. Hey...smoke 'em if you got 'em...

July 13: Big Light and Surprise Me Mr. Davis...AGAIN!!! This was your quintessential hippie Sunday afternoon party. So awesome. Seriously.

July 16: The Police @ Concord Pavilion...missed Elvis Costello (I know, shame on me) but had to get my bearings. This show LARGELY exceeded my expectations in a big way. It was AWESOME. I was so pleasantly surprised!!! Had heard the 07 shows weren't that great, so figured this wouldn't be either. But it was!!! Had the pleasure of making Mr. Copeland's acquaintance and he was really, really groovy. Great human, great drummer.

July 18: Big Light and The Mother Hips in Redwood City...FUN. Really cool room, the Little Fox. Big Light sounded great, and I sound like a broken record but I don't care, The Mother Hips are A M A Z I N G.

July 19: Download Festival @ Shoreline Amphitheater~ saw lots of new music that I enjoyed: The Whigs, Cut Copy (whom I had remembered from Coachella), Mute Math...those were the stand outs for me. Each of whom were REALLY great.

July 21: N*E*R*D @ the Fillmore...my friend Matt Iarrobino was doing lights for them, and WOW! He was really good at it!!! I hadn't really clued into the music before the show, so didn't know what to expect, and was very stoked I was there. The crowd was PUMPED!!! On a Monday night!!! Great show.

July 31: Chuck Gonzalez & Stereo Glitter opened for Big Light @ 12 Galaxies~ per UJ, yeah, Big Light AGAIN. Whatever, they are our local band and I LOVE their songs.

And thank Goddess, that wraps up July. Don't make me pick a fave*

symptoms/cause=SICK 'SAND'!!!

2008-08-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

thanks to hidden track!!! that hour at APW is gonna fly by

Hidden Track - Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB: Sand from Hidden Track on Vimeo.

Hurts so bad, I guess

2008-08-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

Bob Lefsetz is up to his old trixx. He just has no shame spewing whatever he feels like about the music industry. NO SHAME!!! No one is safe. I find it hilarious, somehow. I have his blog in my Google Reader, along with about 20 other blogs that I glance at every other day.

So when I read this particular post, and realized that John Mellencamp retorted about Lefsetz's comment, the whole thing just cracked me up. It sure is 2008!!!

link to original post:

LEFSETZ says:

"22. John Mellencamp "Life Death Love and Freedom:

Sales this week: 18,885
Percentage change: -30
Weeks on: 3
Cume: 102,219

Why does he look twelve on the cover?

Act your age. Unless you think you’re really gonna get Top Forty airplay and the little kids will understand. You want to be PART of your audience, not miles away. Mellencamp should be showing every line in his face, his history, just like his audience.

If your career is based on credibility, and Mellencamp’s was, don’t do a commercial. It undercuts your cred.

The star here is T-Bone Burnett. He should have his own label."

Comment by John Mellencamp | 2008/08/07 at 17:51:39

"I thought that you were a fan of music. Seems that a man of your age would have learned not to judge a book by the cover. Listen to the music, it shows every line and every scar.

As far as credibility goes, 23 albums, millions sold, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, etc. etc. etc…..35 years in the business. and for commercials, you mean no "cred" like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, & U2?

You choose to sit behind your computer and have the illusion that you have an answer….leave your house sometime and get in the real world, the world of struggle, survival and longevity. Nothing is as it seems.

You are either for music or against it. So much negativity, how is that helping?

In the words of the great rock journalist, Timothy White "in the accomplishments of anyone there is real promise for everyone."

PS The one thing you have gotten right is that T Bone Burnett is a wonderful producer and gentleman."

I don't find either of them particularly right or wrong here. I'm just innocently amused by this for some reason. Carry on. I was even gonna put in a YOUTUBE, but every single one says "disabled by request". That's annoying, Mr. Mellencamp's camp.

Big Light

2008-08-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

thanks to IODA PROMONET for kicking down the legal MP3's for you to have. this band, Big Light, has been the highlight of my summer. enjoy this track, then go buy the EP from somewhere or go see a show!!!
www.myspace.com/biglightband

Big Light
"Hard Knocks" (mp3)
from "Big Light"
(reapandsow, Inc.)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

Desire

2008-08-01T16:38:00.001-07:00

Song is from Ryan Adams 2002 album Demolition
Written by Ryan Adams
Performed here by The Cardinals, summer 2007, BBC4 (or somethin)

Lyrics:

Two hearts fading, like a flower.
And all this waiting, for the power.
For some answer, to this fire.
Sinking slowly. The water's higher.
Desire

With no secrets. No obsession.
This time I'm speeding with no direction.
Without a reason. What is this fire?
Burning slowly. My one and only.
Desire

You know me. You know my way in.
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me,
You're running and never tire.
Desire

new Cardinals dates

2008-07-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

courtesy of www.ryanadamsarchive.com

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

September 25, 2008 - Proctor's Theater - Schenectady, NY
Presale starts Wed, 07/30/08 at 10:00 AM EST and are ONLY available via phone. Call 518-473-1845 and reference the password SPACEWOLF
Public tickets go on sale to Sat, 08/02/08 10:00 AM EST. Can also order by calling 518-473-1845

September 26, 2008 - Landmark Theater - Syracuse, NY
Presale tickets available Thu, 07/31/08 10:00 AM EDT Password: SPACEWOLF
Public tickets on sale Fri, 08/01/08 10:00 AM EDT

September 27, 2008 - Auditorium Theater - Rochester, NY
Presale tickets available Thu, 07/31/08 10:00 AM EDT Password: SPACEWOLF
Public tickets on sale Fri, 08/01/08 10:00 AM EDT

September 29, 2008 - Palace Theatre - Columbus, OH
Presale tickets available Thu, 07/31/08 10:00 AM EDT Password: SPACEWOLF
Public tickets on sale Fri, 08/08/08 09:00 AM EDT

September 30, 2008 - Playhouse Square - Cleveland, OH
Presale tickets available Thu, 07/31/08 10:00 AM EDT Password: SPACEWOLF
Public tickets on sale Fri, 08/01/08 11:00 AM EDT

October 2, 2008 - Murat Theatre - Indianapolis, IN
Presale tickets available Thu, 07/31/08 10:00 AM EDT Password: SPACEWOLF
Public tickets on sale Fri, 08/15/08 10:00 AM EDT

October 3, 2008 - Fox Theater - St. Louis, MO
Presale tickets available Thu, 07/31/08 10:00 AM CST Password: SPACEWOLF
Public tickets on sale Fri, 08/08/08 10:00 AM CST

October 5, 2008 - Overture Hall - Madison, WI
Presale tickets available Thu, 07/31/08 10:00 AM CST Password: SPACEWOLF
Public tickets on sale Fri, 08/22/08 at 05:00 PM CST. Can also order by calling 608-258-4141

Beyond Beyond Excited

2008-07-27T10:12:00.001-07:00

I'm just completely beside myself that Ryan Adams & The Cardinals are coming to SF again. And at the Fillmore, no less, a second home of sorts for me. It was at that last R.A. Fillmore show that the deal got sealed for me, so it's just gonna be really full circle to see him there again, with this ridiculously talented line up.

So that's it really. I've been on such a rampage lately, that I don't even know where to begin. So I'll begin with what I'm just fully pumped to the maxx about: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals at the Fillmore. Gosh, I hope these next few weeks FLY by, which they no doubt will...

pic by Jay Blakesberg, Herbst Theater, right around a year ago.

NER*D @ the Fillmore

2008-07-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

didn't know anything about them. got super schooled. hot show.

Traveling On A High Frequency

2008-07-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Jay Blakesberg's studio one day in May. What I found was his latest project's progress: a massive book, Traveling On A High Frequency, archiving the last 30 years of Jay's concert/musician photography. For this book, he compiled a smattering of over 1200 photos beginning in 1978. My favorite statistic is that only about 45 were shot with his digi. I find that fascinating.

Seeing 300 or so pages of said book laid out on the floor of Jay's studio (amidst his finalizing the order they are now published in), I was *shocked* into taking this pic of him. Guess that's one interpretation of Traveling On A High Frequency. Wonder what the others are?

Here's the cover (Flaming Lips). There will be a book release party at The Independent in SF on November 11 for the west coasters. The east coast should get one on November 17, a night off during "The Other New York City Marathon", aka 2 week Phil and Friends Nokia run.

After seeing the mock-book that did end up going to production, the word of 2008 fully becomes present: WOW. You won't believe it when you see it. Major amts of High Frequency comin' outta that sucker. HERE for latest news

July 10: Gov't Mule and Ratdog

2008-07-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

First time at the Performing Arts Center in San Jose, and it was nice! Sounded great in that room. Had never been to Mt. Winery in Saratoga, where the show was rescheduled from, but this was a very respectable second. I think. How would I really know?

July 11 and 12: The New Mastersounds in SF

2008-07-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

Super fun nights of music at the Independent last weekend. NMS did back to back sold out shows and it was GOOD. Cool to see these guys after hearing so much about them. Groovetown, fo' sho'.

Looks as if they'll be coming back over for a couple dates at the end of the year, as well. Check their myspace page for current-ish stuff.

High Sierra 2008: Sat and Sun

2008-07-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

in the interest of feeling like there is so much to catch up on, i'll breeze thru the rest of my high sierra, as its already feeling like ages ago. I DO feel a sense of completismistic-ness about finishing the rest of the fest, so easy breezy, here it goes:

Saturday:

The Slip: first show of the day for me. easily one of my favorite bands to see. hands down.

Rotary Downs: these delightful folks from New Orleans can seriously hold it down. A real pleasure to see these faces all weekend long~ come back!

Buckethead: pretty ripping, actually. Wasn't sure what to think, but he sorta ripped! He was doing nunchucks on stage at one pt. Crazy.

Surprise Me Mr. Davis (SMMD): God bless these guys. The spirit of this band is such a gift. Happy to have them on my path, and they on mine. I will go out of my way to see this music at almost any opp.

BLVD: next to the Friday night late night set of SMMD Friday night at Camp Harry (aka CHAT), this late night show of BLVD's was the most and hardest I danced all weekend. It was so inspiring and so exciting and so fucking good. And the disc is great, too. Check them out at: www.blvdsource.com. I'm totally hooked.

Sunday:

Phix: I'm cracking up, looking at the schedule, to realize this is the first band I finally made it out to see on this day. (I did go to a playhouse afternoon set that was cool, but don't have any deets to give on it). This was my first "PHIX" set and admittedly, I danced pretty hard. It was odd and strange. Different than seeing DSO or something, even...can't really put my finger on it. Wasn't BAD...was sorta good, but just sorta stung a little.

And that's the tale called Michele's 2008 High Sierra Music Festival. Honestly, this exercise of this blog is turning into what it was intended for, I think. Crazy.

High Sierra 2008: Friday

2008-07-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Big Light: rallied bigtime to catch some of this set. Good for them for rallying, too!!! With a 10:45a slot, who knew so many people would be up groovin'. And with good reason. One of my two favorite new bands of the fest. Go see them, if you can (pictured here at Shady Grove stage, snapped by Kevin Runde).

The Weather Underground: good stuff. Caught part of this set and it was what I was thinking it was: REALLY GOOD.

For most of the rest of the afternoon, I was cackling with my girls, laughing harder than I have in years, to the point of tears, several times. I couldn't even drag myself out to music, we had our own little entertainment going. I missed some really good music (Akron/Family, SMMD), but what I gained in the giggles, was...well...worth it.

Mike Gordon: finally pulled myself together, and walked out to the mainstage. GREAT GREAT sound from Mike. Seriously. I was mega impressed. Go MIKE!!!

The Mother Hips: cruised over to the Hips stage, then headed back to camp where we could hear their set, so I was dancing and listening, and loving it, of course.

BLVD and MC SoulEye: this is my other new favorite "band"/artist of the fest. I was dancing so hard to this, super unexpectedly. It's like electronic hip hop that flows better than anything I've ever heard. Think Sound Tribe Sector Nine meets a hippie version of eminem but BETTER! Love love love them.

James Hunter: I could hear this from where I was mingling, and it sounded great. Def a great groove.

What happened after the official sets were done for the day was a set of music by High Sierra favorites, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, which is The Slip featuring Nathan Moore. This late night set at Camp Harry was to turn into the highlight of the festival (for me), with a very special influence taking over the whole camp. The music was, well, pretty much amazing, and the faces and mingling, and dancing and groovin' had a soundtrack that included a couple precious covers, like the Violent Femmes Blister in the Sun, and the Jackson Five's ABC, not to mention the regular epic grooves of SMMD and The Slip. DAMN!!! If I could rewind time, I would pause and go slow-mo thru that night over and over and over. EPIC!!!

High Sierra 2008 recap: Thursday

2008-07-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Thought I would do a brief recap of my highlights of High Sierra Music Festival, which happened this last weekend in Quincy, CA. There were many (highlights), and some of them were totally unrelated to the tunes (the biggest one having my 17 year old Goddaughter/cousin with me from Belgium).

THURSDAY:

The Weather Underground: cool start (pictured above on Big Meadow Stage). It was before I set up my camp, so I was sorta preoccupied, but still, was curious about them and knew I would hear them again.

Langhorne Slim: I think I heard this from my camp. Didn't go to the stage, but pretty sure I heard this and thought it was good.

Built To Spill: I loved these guys at the Fillmore in SF, and wandered out to the main stage to catch their set. My crew was only mildly interested, and our attn span thinned after 3 or 4 songs. I would've stayed, but needed to stay with my girls, on my Goddaughter's first night at the "hippie" festival. She'd been to Euro/electronic/huge festivals, but I was just getting my bearings with wandering with her.

Emmitt-Nershi Band: I could hear this from my camp (again, did not go over to the stage), but it was sorta cute to hear some SCI songs. I'm sure people were stoked. Sounded all right to me.

The Slip: finally, one of the sets I was most looking forward to...this band has a really special thing going on. I'm just really into how they can make that big sound with just three dudes. Guess each of them just really packs a punch =)

The Mother Hips: again, another set I was super excited about. It was a late night show, so I caught a good bit of it after The Slip show. I just love the Mother Hips. Not much more to say about that.

I desperately need to wrap this up for now, but thought since it had been so long without a post, that I would rally to get this up. More to come for sure...

Keep On Keepin' On

2008-06-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

compliments of one seriously cool cat, hb, i'm posting this on a sunday morning, for all those who believe in havin' a good dose of jerry on their sunday, like me! enjoy! oh. and those glasses melvin is wearing?! all time...

PERF!!!

2008-06-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

from phish.com

A LETTER FROM PAGE 06.26.08

Given the volume of speculation and rumors that have bubbled up recently, I have been asked to make a statement…Here goes.

For me, the last four years have been great. I’ve spent quality time with my family and have watched my daughter grow. I took great pleasure and pride in writing and recording an album. I’m living a healthy lifestyle. I travel as little as possible and I sleep in my own bed. It took a couple of years after the break up to begin talking to my old band mates, but once the conversations began to flow it wasn’t long before the friendships were rekindled. And I can honestly say that I’m closer with all of them now then I’ve ever been in our 20-year relationship.

Recently the conversations have turned toward the possibility of spending some time together. Currently many of us have plans and projects already in the works, most notably Mike, who made a great album and is about to hit the road in support of it. Given that I might not even see some of the guys for the next six months, I would say that the announcement of a reunion is premature. However, later this year we hope to spend some time together and take a look at what possible futures we might enjoy. In fact the only real decision that has been made is that when we do get together, it will only be the four of us, hopefully with no distractions. I am really looking forward to that.

I want to say just a few more things. The prospect of Phish reuniting is something I consider very seriously, and I think about it a lot. And lastly, as always, there is plenty of misinformation floating around. Try not to focus too much on secondhand sources and random gossip. If there is anything real to announce, it will come from the four of us as a group.

Until then,
Page

OMG. I sooooo hope this means no reunion in '08. Fingers crossed there are no surprises. Happy to hear this very very healthy update from Page...until then, I'll be Wading in the Velvet Sea, my phriends =) sick pic from jeff kravitz, gorge 98.

Catching Up

2008-06-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Gosh, before much more time goes by, I wanted to post about some pretty fun events I dropped in on over the past almost few weeks.

JGB featuring Melvin Seals at Dox Quixote's in Felton, May 31. Presented by friends at The Wheel Company, this was a true blue hippie haven up in the Santa Cruz mountains. No bells and whistles or fancy antics here, it was just your good old fashioned Jerry Garcia inspired grooves. Stu Allen, playing the role of Jerry Garcia, could not be a better fit for the group. His voice, his playing...such a sweet Santa Cruz mountain welcome to a friend just settling in to the zone. FUN!

John Varvatos San Francisco Opening Benefit, June 11. This event benefited The Guardsmen, an organization that supports Bay-area at risk youth. Renown concert photographers Jim Marshall, Danny Clinch, and Mick Rock donated prints of artists like Iggy Pop, Neil Young, Queen, and Jimi Hendrix for an auction. At one point, I was taking a pic with my dinky little digital camera, and it was almost mistaken for a bid~ woah!!! That was embarrassing!!! The prints were incredible, and even more incredible were the proceeds being donated to that awesome organization.

The auction was followed by a set by Los Lonely Boys, which was LOUD, but cool. The evening was sweet, and of course, the new JV store is gorgeous.

And last, but DEF not least, the Mother Hips at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz, a short couple weeks ago. It's just silly how much I love seeing these guys play. If you like California psychedelic rock, RUN to a Mother Hips show. So much fun. I took a bunch of pix that all turned out fair. Here's a fave, because it shows all four of the 'Hips, plus their special guest Matt Butler of the Everyone Orchestra. Very, very, VERY fun show.

MMJ-mania

2008-06-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

hard to stop making posts about these guys

"Song & Dance"

2008-06-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking hard about a new name for my blog. This one, "Song & Dance" might not be it either, but I'm ready to try it out. I've been thinking "What Shall We Say, Shall We Call It By A Name?", while in my weird way of thinking is sorta clever, is just entirely too long. That, BTW, came from the Weather Report Suite from the Grateful Dead. That line is an exclamatory moment of that favorite song. Still, too long!

I was on the phone with a friend, and he blurted out, "...song and dance..." and I was like, "Wow! That's it!" Though, I've had other ideas lately, too: Lightning Bugs, Extro/Intro, Fingers Crossed,...Song & Dance just made the most sense. So, without a Song & Dance, for now, it'll be "Song & Dance". I'm amused by that. Ridic.

MMJ Bonnaroo 2008 Download

2008-06-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

just got permission from the awesome taper to "do whatever with the files" from the three disc bonnaroo set. since i packaged them up pretty for another friend, i thought i would link them here. so much gratitude for all involved for getting this all the way from the pouring rains in TN to our little ears wherever you may be! photo is by autumn de wilde. oh. and i LOVE LOVE LOVE MMJ!!!

if you are looking for a lossless copy, you can download it from here.

and aNOTHER thing, here's a link to the official MMJ website. buy official merch and stuff.

MP3's:
DISC 1/3
DISC 2/3
DISC 3/3

def let me know if somethin' gets weird w/ these links. not sure of the shelf life or how many times they can be DL'ed. bye. have fun.

*edit 6.26.08* seems there is a new source for the MMJ 'Roo set, perhaps better. Check this site for up to date info, as this cat seems to be THE super MMJ blog, with downloads and stuff. Cheers!

Smoke from a Distant Fire

2008-06-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

This was song #18 on a birthday mix CD that my Dad made for me this year. The whole mix CD was incredible (Hall and Oates, John Lennon, Huey Lewis, ABBA, etc...), but this song particularly has been getting my attn. It was funny, too, because my Dad kept asking me, "Have you played 'Smoke on a Distant Fire' yet?" I wasn't really sure why he was so persistent about me hearing it, but after one listen, I was like, WOAH...my Dad DOES really know what he is talking about when it comes to tunes!!! Special dedication to the people in the santa cruz mts that have been dealing with the blazes. Also, had a chance to see some of the midnight special DVD's and they are really somethin. Classic, in every sense of the word...

gettin' geeky with pearl jam

2008-06-11T11:58:00.001-07:00

i just read a trippy article about a new verizon wireless and pearl jam concept. apparently, after each show of this pearl jam tour that starts today in florida, there will be songs from the show that get mastered and made available for VW customers. here's the article, so you can read just how geeky this is.

here's the scoop from the PJ peeps themselves: www.pearljam.com

also, here's a shout out to my girl amanda who is out on tour with them, rallying the troops with a righteous organization: headcount. i am sure she will be making the most of this most excellent work/play opp!!! rock it, sister!!!

the plot thickens

2008-06-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

yesterday, an article with tom marshall, phish's longtime lyricist, confirmed that the phish reunion is not just a figment of our imagination, it IS def looming in the not super far off distant future. woah.

on a slightly related note, trey and "classic TAB" just got added to All Points West fest, August 8-10, the east coast's sister festival to the west coasts Outside Lands fest happening in Golden Gate Park August 22-24. i'm guessing "classic TAB" implies horns and lots of peeps on stage VS. the two acoustic gigs already lined up for summer. wow.

i'm excited for trey to be getting back out there. i am.