TnJ 070 (5/28/09)

-HOUR ONE-

NEKO CASE – John Saw That Number (2006 Fox Confessor Brings the Flood)
CALEXICO – El Gatillo (Trigger Revisited) (2008 Carried to Dust)
THE WAYBACKS – The River (2008 Loaded)
LEVON HELM BAND – Ophelia (4/26/08 Merlefest) www.festivalink.net
LEVON HELM BAND – It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (same)
THE MYSTIX – I’ve Been Scorned (2009 Down to the Shore)
DEREK TRUCKS BAND – Get What You Deserve (2009 Already Free)
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND – You Don’t Love Me / Soul Serenade (1989 “Dreams” box set, 8/26/71 WPLJ Broadcast)

-HOUR TWO-

THE FLATLANDERS – Neon of Nashville (2004 Wheels of Fortune)
INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS – Cluck Ol’ Hen (12/6/08 Morse Theater, Chicago, IL)
DARRELL SCOTT – Hank Williams’ Ghost (2006 The Invisible Man)
WILCO – Sunken Treasure (1996 Being There)
MAX ALLEN – Unionize (2009 Uphill) www.homegrownmusic.net
RUSTED ROOT – Dance in the Middle (2009 Stereo Rodeo)
THE MACPODZ – Architeuthis (2007 Genius Food for Super Heroes)
THE JMC PROJECT – Ride the Wave (2009 Making a Statement)
UMPHREY’s McGEE – Ringo (12/31/04 Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL)

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FROGFEST 4 THIS SATURDAY

The place to be this weekend - C U there (^_^)

For details, visit FROGVILLE

(See the poster much larger by clicking on the thumbnail)

TnJ 069 (5/21/09)

-HOUR ONE-

LEO KOTTKE / MIKE GORDON – Living in the Country (2005 Sixty Six Steps)
DIXIE DREGS – Goin’ to Town (1994 Full Circle)
CASEY DRIESSEN – Lunar Cages (2009 Oog)
TOAST – Fro Sho (2009 The Mad Science)
BLACKALICIOUS – Powers (2005 The Craft)
The GumboProject – L’aissez les Bon Temps Rouler (2009 Roux)
THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS BAND – Man Smart (Woman Smarter) / Iko Iko (2008 Live! in Aspen)
PIGMENT – Veteran (2008 Pigment)

-HOUR TWO-

TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS – Breakdown (1985 Pack Up the Plantation – Live!)
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE – Section 12 (Hold Me Now) (2004 Together We’re Heavy)
WHITE ROSES – Spark the Chain (2009 Spark the Chain)
MY MORNING JACKET – Honest Man (2001 At Dawn)
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW – My Good Gal (2006 Big Iron World)
NEIL YOUNG – Helpless (2007 Live at Massey Hall 1971)
PHISH – Fluffhead (2009 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA 3/6/09) livephish.com

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CORNMEAL show review

Though sparsely attended, I hear the Cornmeal show at SF Brewing was smokin'. Based on this review from Lael Eccard (drummer of local jamband Pigment), I'ma hafta make sure I show up for Cornmeal's next visit (^_^) TOAST

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CORNMEAL 4/23/09 Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe, NM

Being the musician and jamband music fan that I am I knew I had to attend the Cornmeal gig at the Santa Fe Brewing Co. this past Thursday. Boy was I impressed. They started off with that very familiar banjo and stand up bass driven southern bluegrass feel. Boom chick, boom chick goes the drummer with viola and acoustic guitar playing steady rhythms. Just then a voice takes the limelight with that wonderful twangy, nasally sound that is all too indicative of bluegrass. This is just the calm before the storm. These guys kick bluegrass is the ass! With a couple hits of his pedals Kris Nowak has taken flight. Instantly there is this mean sounding guitar that demands attention as he fiddles the upper register...morphing the song into a psychadelic jam that made me grin from ear to ear! If these guys come through Santa Fe again...do not miss them. Thank you to the band and to David "Wavey" for a brief chat outside the venue. My hat is off to you!

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Thanks, Lael! And, since one good turn deserves another:

Up and coming PIGMENT shows:

May 23rd
Bull O the Woods Saloon,
Red River, NM, Bike Weekend
4-8pm...outdoor stage

May 24th
Vietnam Memorial Amphetheater
Benefit Concert, (Donation to benefit the memorial)
1-3pm

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INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS show review

I hung onto this for a long while hoping it would get printed, but the editor told me in the end it was too long for his needs, so I'll share it with you now. BTW, The Infamous Stringdusters return to SF Brewing Co this July. See you there (^_^) TOAST

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THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS 2/21/09 Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe, NM

How to speak about my recent -- and first -- live concert experience with The Infamous Stringdusters without stealing previous writers’ hyperbole may be difficult, but I’m gonna give it a try:

These guys are IT.

I’d managed to divert them to KBAC-FM (98.1 Radio Free Santa Fe) on their way to soundcheck for the closing night of their soon-to-be (pardon the pun) infamous Ski Tour 2009 long enough to interview them and get them to play a few songs live on the air.

I’ve interviewed many bands, but never before has a 6-piece acoustic band arrived early with smiles on, got tuned, and hit the airwaves with a live jam right at the previously agreed-upon show time. I guess when you’re only 3 ½ years into your run, have already won a platoon of awards, shared the stage with living legends of your root genre (in this case, bluegrass, for those not yet hip to their thing), and book some 130 shows a year, a certain level of professionalism is to be expected, but these guys are like clockwork.

This is not to say they don’t jam. It’s just not a lazy, aimless, meandering kind of jamming. They don’t noodle – they PLAY.

They seemed a little stunned when I asked how they felt about the being called a more progressive kind of jamgrass or newgrass, as though no one’s ever labeled them that before (they have), but new kid Andy Falco – who replaced founding guitarist Chris “Critter” Eldridge, now playing with Chris Thile in the almost excessively baroque Punch Brothers – stepped in to fill the void with a humble, “Cool, yeah, thanks.”

I came to realize this band is almost reverently aware of their roots, but are nevertheless taking what has gone before and doing something new with it. My mom would call it “taking the scenic route” on interminably long car trips in the summer. This band likes the side roads. Yes, Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Railroad Earth, New Monsoon, Yonder Mountain String Band and Hot Buttered Rum have blazed similar trails, but The Infamous Stringdusters have an almost transcendent songsmanship (if I may coin that term) usually missing from the typical jamgrass stew.

Maybe it’s because they cut their teeth on the demanding Nashville scene, paying their dues if you will, playing as sidemen for names that are bigger than theirs might ever be (though I’m certainly rooting for them to prove me wrong there). Maybe it was just a matter of right place, right time, when they realized what chemistry they had and decided to devote themselves to it full time. Whatever cosmic alignment of arcane tides formed such a band, we are all enriched because of it.

On to the show:

Stupendous.

The Santa Fe Brewing company wasn’t yet full-to-bursting on this Saturday night, but after the warm-up on the radio earlier, we were ready for a SHOW, by cracky. Opener was “Travelin’ Teardrop Blues,” a gem from also-Nashville-based Shawn Camp, segueing into “Three Days in July” – a song from the new IS release penned by Jon Weisberger and Mark Simos, both of whom seem to have been around the block; both somehow having managed to avoid widespread fame thus far. The Infamous Stringdusters seem intent on spelunking the furthest, unexplored reaches of the talent pool they have access to, both in Nashville and on obscure nuggets from their record collections.

During the interview I asked if there was anyone who tops their dream list of people to someday work with. Having already shared the stage and/or the production studio with legends in the field like David Grisman, Del McCoury, and Tim O’Brien, they all agreed next on the list would be Tony Rice. On the air as well as at this show they pulled out Rice’s cover of Jerry Reed’s “Likes of Me,” which comes from a Tony Rice album called “Cold on the Shoulder,” released in 1984, back when a whole lotta not-many-folks were buying bluegrass records.

But they’re not just historians, archaeologists, or curators of the unusual. They’ve got an impressive repertoire of originals. I’m guessing some of the songs we heard tonight might be new songs-a-brewin’ – they hinted at recording a new album (their third as a combo) this spring. Personally, I can’t wait. Two Travis Book numbers from the second album – “Won’t Be Coming Back” and “You Can’t Handle the Truth” – highlighted the first set, showcasing the bittersweet and the wryly lively sides of Book’s talent, and proved he’s got what it takes to hold up his end of the lead vocal duties.

IS have 3 lead vocalists if you’re keeping score at home but, true to bluegrass tradition, excel at vocal harmony and interplay, and use them often. This is definitely a group effort, greater than the sum of its parts, as proved by the first set’s closing two-fer: “Lovin’ You,” written by Sarah Siskind (recently on tour with critic’s darling Bon Iver), from the current album, and the wistful “Dream You Back,” one of IS fiddler Jeremy Garrett’s from their debut. “Dreambacks,” as it’s referred to on the hand-written setlist, is the kind of contemporary bluegrass number that feels immediately familiar, like an old pair of slippers you can’t bring yourself to throw out because their comfort far outweighs their antiquity. And I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think their recording of “Lovin’ You” is absolutely the best single of 2008, regardless of genre. Every time they perform it, it’s a little different. I caught Book and Garrett leaning into the studio monitors earlier at the radio station while I spun a live version of “Lovin’ You” from the Fox Theater in Boulder, CO (4/15/08). It had never occurred to me that performers like this wouldn’t be just constantly revisiting past performances like a star ball player might review old plays on “tape,” or whatever passes for tape these days. But they were listening to the jam on this recording with big old smiles on their faces and nodding their heads in approval, much like I probably did the first time I heard that show (it’s amazing). Tonight’s “Lovin’ You” was perfect during the verses, and completely original and amazing during the extended jam which always seems to follow. It’s as if any-and-every jam conceivable with a 6-piece acoustic combo can, has, or will be explored during this song’s stagelife, long may it be.

At this point, I’d already witnessed the most rousing newgrass set in years and we all adjourned briefly to the patio to discuss its merits with an entire second set yet to be experienced. One thing we talked about was the instrumentals.

The Infamous Stringdusters have more than a few outstanding instrumental numbers. My last question to them during the interview was how they settled on some of said instrumental’s names. I will recount them for you now, in case you’re the sort who also finds such minutiae interesting:

“Glass Elevator” was named after banjo picker Chris Pandolfi had apparently watched Willy Wonka. I neglected to ask which version, but here’s hoping it wasn’t Tim Burton’s “more accurate” atrocity.

Pandolfi’s “Moon Man” makes reference to a colorful fellow in Georgia they took a “shine” to. Shine as in what them Duke Boys ran. Yep.

Dobro player Andy Hall’s “No Resolution” was dubbed thusly by one Kitsy Kuykendall – wife of Bluegrass Unlimited’s editor, and board member of the International Bluegrass Museum – apparently due to the song’s unpredictable, open-ended nature (which of course means it’s a great one to jam on).

“Black Rock” was the instrumental title I had wondered the most about prior to the interview. My bet was on some kind of Burning Man Festival connection, though I also thought it might be a super-obscure reference to the very old, yet amazingly preserved, derelict galleon on the best science-fiction show ever to air, “Lost.” Nope. Turns out Hall was surfing Google Earth one day, looking at islands near the coast of Maine and “Bam!” there it was. Now you know.

Jesse Cobb’s “40 West” – named for, you guessed it, US Interstate 40 West, opened the second set. And what a set it would be.

A Bill Monroe tune called “Blue Night” was an early 2nd set highlight for me. I had heard they performed it once with David Grisman in San Francisco, but this was my first listen. You know when the old timers say “they just don’t write ‘em like that anymore”? This is one of those. Pristine and gorgeous, you’re almost afraid of listening too closely for fear of accidentally breaking the damn thing.

“Poor Boy’s Delight” is always one of mine. You can’t beat a line like “The Devil would die if you danced one with me.” Credited to Benny Galloway, perpetually nearly-famous Colorado folkster with a list of finely crafted songs a mile long, this is one of the most memorable songs on the first album – heartfelt, exquisite. And, surprise! They pulled Galloway himself from the crowd for a quick run through “Sugartown” halfway through the second set, and the now-capacity crowd really started getting into it.

Oh, but The Infamous Stringdusters weren’t done with us yet. In fact, though they’d certainly managed to give everyone their money’s worth at this point, I got the feeling they were just getting started. Something Falco said earlier on the radio replayed itself in my mind: “We really like to play, so we tend to play as long as possible.” They didn’t mention they were going for the world record. Almost 2 hours and counting – land sakes!

“Fork in the Road,” an award-winning track from their debut, still sounded lively and fresh. If they’ve played it a thousand times and are sick to death of it, none of that showed tonight.

By the time they made it through the aforementioned instrumental “No Resolution,” I was sure they must be winding down.

But no! Special guest #2 took the stage – Bob Heminger from Pagosa Springs, CO, and get this: he brought a sax. Yes! A sax in a bluegrass combo. Who’da thunk it? You know what happens when you throw a sax into a bluegrass combo? You get the funkiest reading of “Get It While You Can (a Danny Barnes tune from 2003’s ‘Dirt on the Angel’)” y’ever did hear. Heminger admitted afterwards it’s very difficult to coax the sax into playing something that meshes with bluegrass, but he managed to work it through several numbers, and stayed with them through to the end, possibly because it’s nearly impossible to get off the SFB stage once the crowd has filled in – most concert stages have an area accessible to the performers but not to the audience, usually dubbed “backstage” or, in theater, “The Green Room.”

Well, right about here the official setlist runs out, but either because the SFB has no backstage or the IS were having such a good time, Andy Hall announced they would simply launch right into the encore. These included Jeremy Garrett’s heartbreakingly beautiful “Starry Night” and Travis Book taking front and center for John Hartford/New Grass Revival’s “Steam Powered Aero Plane,” as well as at least 2 extended instrumental jams, but I was so into it at this point I failed to keep track. Seriously, the encore was as long as a traditional bluegrass combo’s entire set.

The weird thing about the show was this: I’m pretty sure some or all of the IS had smiles on their faces the whole time. Sure, when Jesse Cobb or Andy Hall were in the middle of a particularly blazing solo, they may have temporarily adopted a concentrative look, but mostly they were smiling. Right down to clowning around with a cardboard cutout of Roy Rogers I never was really sure if they had brought in as a mascot or if it was always part of the SFB stage props. When I thought about it, I realized I was probably smiling the whole time too. We all were smiling for some 3 hours straight.

A nice couple let us share their portable fire pit in the lot afterward. They were a little older, and their fifth wheel and camping gear implied they’d traveled to a lot of festivals. They’d seen the IS several times before, but were quick to point out that this time the whole band really seemed to be enjoying themselves. As Steve Martin once said, “you can't play a sad song on the banjo - it always comes out so cheerful.” I know I had certainly come out cheerful.

If you’ve seen the IS before, or listened to their formative shows, as I have, you know they’ve always had something extra special. But, as the lot couple observed, maybe they’re just now really hitting their stride. Or maybe this is just one of several plateaus in what will hopefully be a long and storied career.

Regardless, when they come to a venue near you, you must check out the Infamous Stringdusters. Bring your party hat and be ready to dance, clap, stomp, whistle, and sing. But mostly, be ready to smile.

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Check out The Infamous Stringdusters’ official site here.

And listen to the entire KBAC IS interview/performance here.

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TnJ 068 (5/14/09) w/Jen Dodge (formerly O'Connor)

Thanks to Jen for taking time out of her busy schedule of HAVING A BABY to bust out these tasty nugs for everyone (^_^)

BTW, it has come to my attention that the streaming signal was weak during the live broadcast, so for all Jen's friends and fans who wanted to listen in, GO HERE


-HOUR ONE-

THE DEAD – The Music Never Stopped (6/18/04 Red Rocks, Morrison, CO)
ERIC McFADDEN TRIO – Devil Moon (10/6/05 Go-West T-Shirt Co, Ft. Collins, CO)
JERRY JOSEPH & the JACKMORMONS – Light Is Like Water (7/20/01 Lobero Theater, Santa Barbara, CA)
PHISH – Ghost (3/7/09 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA)

-HOUR TWO-

WIDESPREAD PANIC – Stir It Up (6/29/08 Red Rocks, Morrison, CO)
WIDESPREAD PANIC – Smoking Factory (10/11/07 Dee Events Center, Ogden, UT)
WIDESPREAD PANIC – Holden Oversoul > Life During Wartime* (9/27/07 Paramount Theater, Oakland, CA) * with Jerry Harrison on keyboards/vocals

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JEN the Original JAM

Yep, for one night only, Jen Dodge (formerly Jen O'Connor) will once again light up the airwaves with TOAST for a couple of heapin' hefty, heavy sets. Tune in at 98-1 Radio Free Santa Fe, or stream it online at kbac.com Thursday, May 14, 2009 (^_^)

Tony Furtado coming to Albuquerque

I can't think of a single reason we shouldn't ALL be at this show. This guy's the real deal. I could go on and on about how great Tony Furtado is, but I'll let the official press release do the talking (^_^) TOAST

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PRESS RELEASE

HISTORIC EL REY THEATER

May 7, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Where: ALBUQUERQUE:
The Historic El Rey Theater
622 Central Ave., S. W.
(Downtown 7th and Central)

When: Friday, June 5, 2009

Time: Doors: 8:00 P.M.
Show: 8:30 P.M.

Price: $12 in Advance
(Advance tickets on sale at Bookworks,
Encore Music, Birdland, 1-866-I-GET-TIX
and GetTix.net)
$16 at the Door

Age Restriction: 21+


PUCCINI PRODUCTIONS

Presents

Slide-guitar Virtuoso

TONY FURTADO


Prodigious instrumentalist turned singer/songwriter TONY FURTADO will be returning to Albuquerque, this time with his band for his unique brand of folk at the Historic El Rey Theater.

“A talented multi-instrumentalist, cross-pollinating rambler … TONY FURTADO is an eclectic musician with a knack for mining musical gold from the American folk tradition while also incorporating the best of contemporary rock music.”
- Jambase.com

Furtado, who grew up in Pleasanton, CA, took up the banjo at 12 after constructing a banjo to fulfill a school assignment. He studied art and music at Cal State University in Hayward, CA. When he was 19, he won the Grand National Banjo Championship at the renowned Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Furtado is also a two-time winner of the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship in Winfield, Kansas (1987 and 1991).

"As a banjo virtuoso, Furtado is well-known for his envelope-pushing, progressive bluegrass stylings. His picking is rapid-fire quick, sharp and clear, and puts him in the school of Béla Fleck and David Grisman."[7]
- Katie Klingsporn, Telluride Daily Planet

As he was cementing his reputation as a banjoist extraordinaire, Furtado was also developing himself into an equally virtuosic slide guitarist. He inked a deal with Rounder Records and put out his debut release, “Swamped,” in 1992.

By the time of his second release, “Within Reach,” he was playing and recording with such luminaries as Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss and Stuart Duncan. The release of “Full Circle” in 1994 marked a change in Furtado’s sound, which now began reflecting his passion for the acoustic blues and slide guitar of musical influences like Ry Cooder and Blind Willie. The revamped sound continued with 1997's “Roll My Blues Away.”

“He mixes bluegrass roots with a mainstream pop streak, easily holding the spotlight, thanks to his restrained virtuosity on acoustic and slide guitar and a warmly engaging voice reminiscent of T Bone Burnett, sans preachiness.” - PASTE Magazine

Furtado’s latest album, “Deep Water”, comes entirely from Tony’s heart, with tunes that embrace his love of slide guitar, his prowess as a banjo player, and his ability to write a song that elicits deep emotion. Produced by Sean Slade (The Pixies, Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr., Dresden Dolls), Deep Water wanders through a wide array of sentiment; from joy and love, to despair and hopelessness.

“TONY FURTADO once more demonstrates that he is not only a jack of all trades, but is also their master.” - Vintage Guitar

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TnJ 067 (5/7/09)

-HOUR ONE-

MUDDY WATERS – Thirteen Highway (2009 Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Fillmore Auditorium – San Francisco Nov 04-06 1966)
THE BLACK KEYS – The Breaks (2005 Bonnaroo Music Festival 2004)
JAMES BROWN – Super Bad Pts. 1 & 2 (1970 King single, A-side)
SHEMEKIA COPELAND – Never Going Back to Memphis (2009 Never Going Back)
IAN MOORE BAND – Pay No Mind (1994 Live from Austin)
TR3 – Kabbalah (2009 Radiance)
COL. BRUCE HAMPTON & the AQUARIUM RESCUE UNIT – Intro > Fixin’ to Die (1992 Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit)
FRANK ZAPPA – Watermelon in Easter Hay (10/31/80 Palladium, NYC)

-HOUR TWO-

DREW EMMITT BAND – Country Blues (1/15/05 Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO)
DEL McCOURY – I Feel the Blues Movin’ In (2008 The Best of Del McCoury: the Groovegrass Years)
BOUGEOIS GYPSIES – Unsquare Dance (2008 Faulty Fairytales)
DeVotchKa – Sunrise on Cicero (2000 Supermelodrama)
ALISON BROWN – Forky in the Water (2008 The Company You Keep)
THE DRUNK STUNTMEN – Silver City (2008 State Fair)
GRATEFUL DEAD – Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away > Revolution (1997 Capital Centre, Landover, MD 3/15/90)

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TnJ 066 (4/30/09)

Sorry to take so long getting this one posted, y'all. Moving sucks, what can I say? At least the new house rocks (^_^) THX, Geri!!!

-HOUR ONE-

GRATEFUL DEAD – Ramble On Rose (2004 Dick’s Picks 32, 8/7/82 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, Troy, WI)
GRATEFUL DEAD – The Wheel > Playing in the Band > Morning Dew > One More Saturday Night (same source as above)
THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS – Sunny Side of the Mountain (9/13/08, Normal, IL) livedownloads.com
YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND – Coo Coo’s Nest (2004 Mountain Tracks Vol. 3, 9/12/03 Lyons, CO)

-HOUR TWO-

BLIND MELON – Car Seat (God’s Presents) (1995 Soup)
JEFF BUJAK – Nomadd (2009 Alive Like the Spine)
THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS – The Minx (2005 This Is What We Do)
LYRICS BORN – Hot Bizness (2003 Later That Day…)
THE NEW BIRTH – Comin’ From All Ends (1975 Comin’ From All Ends)
JOHN BROWN’S BODY – The Gold (2008 Amplify)
OZOMATLI – City of Angels (2007 Don’t Mess with the Dragon)
THE RACONTEURS – Level (2006 Broken Boy Soldiers)
GOV’T MULE – Blind Man in the Dark (2005 Bonnaroo Music Festival 2004)

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