Following their tradition of “continuing the Grateful Dead concert experience,” Dark Star Orchestra is back on the road, making a short stop at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater on December 1st.
For anyone who knows this 7 member tribute band extraordinaire, listening to their limited discography is just not enough to achieve the full DSO experience. They’ve extensively toured since their start in 1997, hitting up venues across the globe with the hopes of sharing the energetic spirit and fresh improvisational musicality that the Grateful Dead started so many years ago. It is this experience that breaks DSO apart from the cover band realm, giving them the musical flexibility and large following they have today.
While fans that attend a DSO should certainly be prepared to rock out to extensive Grateful Dead repertoire, DSO has a way of throwing in some surprises here and there, attributing to the Beatles and sometimes, Bob Marley. One thing I can say for sure is, you will not leave this concert on a sad note.
Make sure you head over to the Westcott around 7pm, and purchase your tickets online or at the door for $25. Make sure you follow DSO’s updates on their website and Facebook page, and come channel your inner dancing bear to kickoff this December!
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is a name you are going to be hearing a lot of in the near future. Their latest album I’m In Your Mind Fuzz is out now and is a 42 minute psychedelic journey of proportions not seen in many years. All ten tracks seep right into one another without letting you catch your breath for more than a second, if you are even given a second. All seven members of the band meld into a beautiful creation on I’m In Your Mind Fuzz with no one member sticking out, making it a true group effort.
Although the band hails from Australia, they recorded much of the record at Daptone Studios in Brooklyn and in Hunter Mountain, New York. When I spoke to the band at a recent show in New York during their time here for the CMJ festival, they loved being in New York and recording in two different parts of the state. They especially liked Upstate New York and the openness of it all compared to New York City. The spaciness in parts of the record can most likely be attributed to the wide open land of Hunter Mountain.
The first four tracks come at you like a bullet. These 13 minutes are some of the tightest on the record and feel like one straight thought that the band decided to break up and name four separate things. Right off the bat the drums and distorted guitars of “I’m In You Mind” get your head moving along. Once the fuzzy vocals and harmonica come into the picture, you’re already hooked. The four tracks are straight out of the psychedelic sounds of bands like The 13th Floor Elevators. The music continues that way through the last seconds of “I’m In Your Mind Fuzz” before transitioning into “Empty” which slows down the proceedings slightly, but not enough for you to want to stop bopping along with what the Australians are producing for your ears and mind to take in.
The next highlight on the album is “Hot Water” that sounds as if it could be a Jethro Tull outtake, from the flute to the vocal delivery it is a spot on tribute to the great band. A brief respite of the beginning 40 seconds of “Am I In Heaven” gives you one more moment to catch your breath before the full punk and psychedelic sounds roar right back into your mind. “Slow Jam 1” and “Satan Speeds Up” bring the album to a slowed down dream like state. Beautiful vocal work and otherworldly effects on the guitar shine of these two tracks before the closing eight minute epic of “Her & I (Slow Jam II) bring it all home for the record. The band is at their most classic rock moment with this song, giving a performance reminiscent of The Doors or a jam from early Santana, and gives the listener a sense of accomplishment of completing the record on such a high note after everything that has been thrown at them.
King Gizzard picked the perfect name for this album as you feel in the beginning as if you are losing your mind with the sounds that are coming at you at such a rapid pace. As the record goes on though you go into a fuzz, along with the band, as you have no idea what will be thrown at you next. To have the band end the album with such a long track that could be played on any radio station in the world, despite it’s length, shows how confident this band is in their music. Run to your nearest record store, or your I-Tunes account, and get this album immediately and hope the band comes back to the states to play some live shows again soon, they are not to be missed.
Key Tracks: I’m In Your Mind, Cellophane, Her & I (Slow Jam II)
The hustle and bustle of Times Square was weaving in and around 42nd and 8th as usual for a Saturday night as The Bronx invaded Midtown at one floor below street level for a night filled with the heartiest crock of Irish rock around. New York City’s Black 47 pulled out all the stops at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill on November 15 for their final performance ever, marking over 2,400 shows for the band’s 25-year career (that’s more shows than the Grateful Dead played in 30 years). The band wouldn’t let the last guitar chord ring without first thanking their fans with a performance that would help bring proper closure to what has meant a lot to many of them over the years.
In one way, the night was like any other Black 47 show – good friends, intimate venue, pints flowing, and plenty of happy dancing feet. Surely the band could have sold out a larger venue but that would have taken away from the experience of a Black 47 show (and for the record, this show sold out early in September, more than two months beforehand). As frontman Larry Kirwan told early in the fall, he sees the band’s legacy as being known for doing what they want and as a band for the moment. They kept true to their style and flow by having a fantastic music club bursting at the seams with friends and memories rather than a concert hall where people wouldn’t be as connected with each other.
Larry Kirwan
Speaking of friends, many of Black 47’s guest musicians from over the years and past band members joined them on stage throughout the evening. Mary Courtney, a traditional Irish singer and musician, appeared early in the evening. Joining the band later was Bronx-based musician and long-time member of the Saturday Night Live band Christine “The Beehive Queen” Ohlman (who, after singing on “Blood Wedding,” had to beeline back to the SNL set for the show’s taping). To much applause Larry Kirwan’s partner in crime in the founding of Black 47, Chris Byrne (who left the band in 2000 to focus on other music projects) came back to the stage twice to sing with the band. Also joining the band on stage throughout the night were Rory Kirwan (Larry’s son), Irish dancer Jake James, substitute piper Andrew Sharp (who filled in for Mulvanerty on some weeknight gigs), Rob “The Ginz” Graziano, good friend and occasional fill-in bass player. Even two of the band’s dedicated behind-the-scenes guys “Staten Island” Tom Marlow and P2 joined the band on stage for a few choruses of “Gloria” during the encore – more on that shortly.
It seems that after 25 years it must be one heck of a mind-bender to plan the final, ultimate set list. Regardless of whatever roshambo and coin-tossing that may have gone on to cut songs or leave songs on the set list (even right up until the show with last-minute changes), the final selection was solid and well-suited for the over two-hour sendoff and captured a bit of every flavor of the band’s catalog.
For those familiar with Black 47, they know that the live experience with the band is hard to top, especially with the musicianship on stage. This shone strong through the entire set as the band flaunted its talent even more so than usual for this final show; the guys took the opportunity to stretch their arms as a group one last time. The core of the band was solid as always and the horns/pipes were as on top of their game as they could be. While there is a lot more that can be said about this, two particular crowd-invoking moments came from Geoff Blythe’s soaring notes on the ballads “Fanatic Heart” and “Mychal,” a song honoring FDNY chaplain Mychal Judge who lost his life in the 9/11 attacks.
Then there were moments that were just plain fun. A lot of dancing was had throughout the night, particularly during a set of reels early on (something the band does live and only has recorded on their Live In New York City album, bootlegs aside.) During “Rockin’ the Bronx” Joe “Bearclaw” Burcaw turned his bass amp up a little to pound out some licks rivaling that of Stanley Clarke as Fred Parcells (trombone), Geoffrey Blythe (sax), Joseph Mulvanerty (uilleann pipes) and Tom Hamlin (drums) joined in for a free-form jam before Kirwan returned to the stage to get the audience singing along with one more chorus on the song. Like a midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show with rice thrown during the wedding scene, cigarettes rained on the stage during the opening of “40 Shades of Blue” at the line of selling a soul for a cigarette outside of CBGB. Not to mention the band’s sense of humor between songs which kept spirits high.
A lot of Black 47’s music has carried at least some sort of wide range of emotions with it. Perhaps the most profound moment was during the band’s powerful political song “James Connolly,” a repertoire-defining song about the great Irish labor organizer. The passionate crowd raised fists of solidarity in the air as a banner of Connolly unfurled on stage next to a Starry Plough flag. A few people in the audience were so eager to raise a flag of their own that they passed it up on stage to be held up. Other moments commanded respect during the songs, such as “Mychal,” as the room fell near dead silent – a scene that seems to be witnessed less and less frequently at shows these days.
Before it was all over, the set was closed with “Funky Céili,” the band’s song that got extended MTV airplay in 1993 and opened the encore with “Maria’s Wedding,” the song Black 47 played on their first network TV appearance with David Letterman in the same year. Finally, the flood gates opened for an all-out jam on “Gloria” leading into a chorus of “I Fought The Law” with just about everyone in the place singing along. All of the guests who could stick around to the end of the gig came back out for one more old-fashioned rock ‘n roll jam. Thought they did not end the show with their own material, it was certainly a positive, high energy rock ‘n roll way to wrap up 25 years.
As a last tip of the hat to the crowd, Bearclaw, Mulvanerty, and Graziano sang an a capella “Happy Trails” while friends in the audience shared one last hug over Black 47 some others quickly flocked to a line to say hello to Kirwan after the show. It was a bittersweet moment as the stage went silent and the din of the crowd was all that remained.
Many fans have taken to the “25 Years of Black 47” fan-run group on Facebook sharing memories about their first Black 47 shows and have been sharing numerous photos and videos from their final few shows.
The gigs may be over, but the music lives on. Long live Black 47!
Setlist: Green Suede Shoes, The Big Fellah, Livin’ In America (with Mary Courtney, vocals, and Jake James), The Reels (with Jake James), Three Little Birds / Desperate, Danny Boy, Culchie Prince, Fanatic Heart, Rockin’ the Bronx, Five Points (with Andrew Sharp, flute, and Jake James), Fire of Freedom (with Rory Kirwan, vocals), Mychal, Walk All The Days (with Chris Byrne, vocals), Blood Wedding (with Christine Ohlmann, vocals), James Connolly (with Jake James, bodhrán), 40 Shades of Blue, Funky Céili
Encore: Maria’s Wedding, Gloria / I Fought The Law
*links are to full-length video from the show
Be sure to follow Black 47’s YouTube page for more full-length videos from their final performances as they are posted.
(Video Credits: Lee Harwig for “Gloria” and Rory’s rap during “Fire of Freedom”; Mike O’Connor for “Funky Céili” and “40 Shades of Blue;” and Joey “Knobs” Juntunen/Dan “Bojo” Boujoulian for “Livin’ In America,” “Fire of Freedom,” and “Walk All The Days.” )
Gov’t Mule closed out their twentieth anniversary fall tour at the State Theatre in Ithaca on November 15, pulling out all of the stops and in the words of Warren Haynes regarding the last show of the tour, making sure, ‘Anything Goes!’ Indeed this fact was true as the Mule blasted out a career spanning set that featured multiple and extended instrumental interludes and definitive renditions of multiple Mule jam vehicles.
The band hit the stage at 8:20 with late-comers still stumbling their way to their seats as the group developed a spacey swell. Haynes used some deft manipulations of feedback immediately before dropping coin into slot with the twisted groove of ‘Bad Man Walkin’. The hallmark of this introductory set is not only the expected holographic Haynes guitar explorations, but the dirty sock funk laid down by the sturdy rhythm section. ‘Inside Outside Woman Blues’ continues this trend with the first ‘big’ jam of the evening, culminating in a knotted guitar/bass battle between bassist Carlsson and Haynes. Keyboardist Danny Louis is also a major proponent of the grooves being developed on the evening lending spongy Rhodes asides and Moogy colorizations.
A jam then constructed with hammer and nails resulted in the shady chugging introduction of ‘Broke Down on the Brazos’ from Mule’s 2009 LP, By A Thread. Haynes deconstructed the outro jam in a blue flurry of quotes, smoothly revealing obscured melodies with every quote. ‘Brazos’ fell perfectly into a sprawling ‘Tributary Jam’ allowing Louis to explore his sonic stamp collection while exchanging licks across stage with Haynes.
‘Whisper in Your Soul’ followed and was dedicated to Grace Potter by Haynes. The shimmering track is the appropriate cool down period for the set even though it splashes into watery wah-wah’s guitars by its conclusion. Haynes and Mule standard, ‘Banks of the Deep End’, made a welcome appearance keeping the damper down and did not stray from the theme of cultivating funky blues rhythms that had been developed over the evening.
Following a restful duo of tracks, Haynes donned the slide for the first time the evening during the show highlight, ‘Devil Likes It Slow’, surpassing 13 minutes. A plethora of thematic snapshots are examined while Carlsson forgoes the steps and heads straight for the stars with his bass virtuosity. The composition becomes elastic when Louis steps forward for a Herbie Hancock impression while Haynes lays back with jazzy interjections. Musical summits are reached and then left behind for greater things. Inspiring musicianship is the hallmark for the Mule and this particular jam leaves no doubt.
‘Thorazine Shuffle’ then closes the powerful set while also sandwiching the punchy smirk of 2013’s ‘Funny Little Tragedy’. This is a runaway train of a jam that careens around corners before peaking and leaving the excited crowd anticipating the second set. It’s hard to believe the band could follow the previous jamming on ‘Devil’ with anything, but again they come up in spades by topping themselves yet again.
The tight quarters and cramped bathrooms of the historic State Theatre were no match for the camaraderie enjoyed over the break due to the Mule’s superior and joyful playing. After such a well jammed out first set, the second set was sure to be brimming with musical surprises. As to not blow the roof off of the place after the incendiary close of the first set, the Mule eased it in with the slick guitar buoyancy and undulating bass of ‘Done Got Wise’ followed by the refreshing Reggae drift of ‘Scared To Live’, both found on 2013’s Shout!.
Properly warmed up and ready to kick, the band jumped into a funktified reading of the Betts/Haynes composition ‘Kind of Bird’, a song built for musical madness and a song performed by Mule since their inception. Here it is given a moody long distance reading with a full on ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’ jam as well as a quote from the Turtles, ‘Happy Together’. ‘King of Bird’ spotlights stellar playing, seamless segues and stratospheric playing by the entire band. The venue gathers a late night haze, the temperature rose in the balcony and the Mule turned the assembled crowd to putty. Bird calls glided over rolling thunder, before coagulating into a massive scrubbing froth of swelling musical foam. Multifaceted and dynamic jams are lead by Haynes but given momentum by Louis and Carlsson who came in for a slamming landing at the only natural resting place, the expansive mine field of a Matt Abts drum solo. Woah.
‘I Think You Know What I Mean’ slinked through the bar room door, the influence of its distinctive drum beat reflected in the version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ that it envelops. Haynes slipped the slide on his finger again for this song suite, bringing much of the collected crowd to its feet. The natural progression between songs is hand in glove as Haynes weaves the band between compositional boxcars. Two more song pairs combine to culminate the evening in a way that only the Mule can. The kinetic cowbell driven ‘Bad Little Doggie’ is a crowd favorite and defiantly breaks its lead to act as a prelude to the evenings second Zeppelin reference, a floor stomping ‘How Many More Years’. Played with the Zeppelin arrangement but dictated in the classic Howlin’ Wolf fashion. Rising and falling like the seasonal waves on Cayuga Lake the song disintegrates into a crowd clapping conglomerate before reprising intensely.
The band returns to ecstatic applause for their encore and responded in kind by playing a pair of Mule standards road tested, recognizable and as comfortable as dependable winter gloves. Undeniable proof of who is still one of the finest live bands in the land. ‘Mule’ and ‘Soulshine’ close the evening paired fittingly in what is a celebration of a great band, touched by tragedy, luck, respect, talent, change, stability and undeniable abilities. Lets raise our glasses to another twenty for Gov’t Mule, Warren, Matt and Allen’s original vision, unchanged and still kickin.
North Carolina’s BIG Something made the trek to Albany’s Parish Public House formally known as Red Square, for a night of alternative rock with some original groove. The Capital District was greeted with the first sight of snow that night on the 13th as BIG Something prepared to heat up Broadway. The 6 piece band began the night with some Pink Floyd and a Edgar Winter “Frankenstein”, definitely a solid start.
The BIG Something has a bigger than life sound, as they rock out loud with a fusion improv of funk, jazz and hip hop. Casey Cranford is a double threat with his captivating EWI (electronic wind instrument) as well as saxophone playing. Josh Kagel has an ear for hitting all the right notes whether it’s alternating reality on his keyboard/synth or on trumpet. Jesse Hensley surges vibrating psychedelic rifts as Doug Marshall’s steady bass notes heighten the trip.
After a wide and diverse sampling of their musical influences, BIG Something performed some of their original work off their latest album, Truth Serum which was released at the beginning of the month. Click here to listen and download the album. “Megalodon” a slamming funk of a hip hop song with collaborations from DJ logic on their latest album had high voltage guitar, blaring horns and ear catching album scratching. “Capt. D” is like discovering a heavy punk rock club with a tropical Caribbean theme, refreshingly rebellious and alarmingly inviting. “Sirens” had each instrument screaming for attention with psychedelic echoes coming from all angles. The evening ended with their amped up rock rendition of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” followed by an all-out jamgrass encore of “Amanda Lynn” with front man, Nick MacDaniels strumming the life out of a mandolin. BIG Something is the next big thing! As BIG Something continues to spread their highly energetic unique sound, be on the lookout for tour dates and their 4th annual festival, The BIG What?! June 25-27th in North Carolina.
Setlist: Welcome to the Machine > Saturday Night Zombie > Frankenstein > Pinky’s Ride, UFOs are Real, A Simple Vision > Mr. Roboto, Megalodon, Capt. D Sirens > Love Generator > Baba O’Riley Encore: Amanda Lynn
Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule returned to the Palace Theatre Friday, Nov. 14 amid their 20th anniversary tour. “World Boss” opened the show on a strong note, seguing into “Steppin’ Lightly”, a song of pure heartache. “Gameface” stretched into a jam of “Mountain Jam”, a nod to the fest Warren lent his name on for many years. A deep rocker emerged in “Which Way Do We Run” followed by the highlight of the set, “I’m a Ram”, full of Haynes turning his vocals up to 11. Danny Louis played the keys with the sound of a second guitar, a latter day Ray Manzarek. The set ended with “Railroad Boy”, which makes for good fightin’ music.
(Before Set 2 started, a proud grandparent mentioned to me that this show was his grandson’s first concert ever. Grandpa picked a good one too. Hope you enjoyed the show Chris!)
A spooky wind machine sound preceded the Set 2 opener, “Fearless”, by Pink Floyd, with Danny Louis joining on second guitar. Mule will release an album of Floyd covers, Dark Side of the Mule, on Dec. 9. “Beautifully Broken” let loose a cover of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown”, jammed out quite nicely before returning to “Beautifully Broken”. A Doors cover, “People are Strange” roused the crowd once again as the set ended on a high note, closing with “Soulshine” and “Slackjaw Jezebel”. The encore “Bring on the Music” off 2013’s Shout! capped a solid rock performance from veterans Gov’t Mule who blended rock and jam perfectly – not too much rock and not too little jam.
Set 1: World Boss > Steppin’ Lightly, Gameface, Which way do we Run, I’m a Ram, Child of the Earth, Stratus, Railroad Boy
Set 2:Fearless > Stoop So Low, Beautifully Broken > Breakdown > Beautifully Broken, Larger Than Life > Drums, People Are Strange, Soulshine, Slackjaw Jezebel
London’s Bush took the grunge world by storm in 1994 with the wildly successful Sixteen Stone and it’s successor Razorblade Suitcase which debuted at number one on Billboard. After an extended break up between 2002 and 2010 Bush came back with a revamped lineup and an extensive world tour. Now, having just released their 6th album Man on the Run (Oct 21) – it’s time to get back on the road.
New York sees two opportunities to catch Gavin Rossdale and crew – Feb 24 at The Best Buy Theatre in NYC and Feb 27 at Rochester’s Main Street Armory. Info on tickets as well as “meet and greet” and other VIP packages can be found here.
Bush 2014-2015 Tour
12/1/2014 Brady Theater Tulsa, OK
12/2/2014 The Pageant St. Louis St Louis, MO
12/3/2014 The Cubby Bear Chicago, IL
12/4/2014 The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI
12/5/2014 War Memorial Auditorium Nashville, TN
12/8/2014 W Hotel Hollywood Hollywood, CA
12/9/2014 Fulton 55 Fresno, CA
12/10/2014 Sleep Train Arena Sacramento, CA
12/12/2014 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
12/13/2014 The Forum Inglewood, CA
12/15/2014 The Fillmore Charlotte, NC
1/30/2015 Nob Hill Masonic Center San Francisco, CA
1/31/2015 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA
2/2/2015 Municipal Auditorium Riverside, CA
2/3/2015 Marquee Theatre Tempe, AZ
2/5/2015 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
2/7/2015 Arvest Bank Theater Kansas City, MO
2/8/2015 Paramount Theatre Cedar Rapids, IA
2/10/2015 Myth St. Paul, MN
2/11/2015 Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
2/14/2015 Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN
2/15/2015 Communities Pavilion Columbus, OH
2/17/2015 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA
2/18/2015 The Sound Academy Toronto, Canada
2/20/2015 Oakdale Theatre Wallingford, CT
2/21/2015 Androscoggin Bank Colisee Lewiston, ME
2/23/2015 House of Blues Boston, MA
2/24/2015 Best Buy Theater New York, NY
2/27/2015 Main Street Armory Rochester, NY
2/28/2015 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
3/1/2015 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, PA
3/3/2015 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD
3/4/2015 Ritz Theater Raleigh, NC
3/6/2015 House of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
3/10/2015 Diamond Ballroom Oklahoma City, OK
3/11/2015 South Side Ballroom Dallas, TX
3/13/2015 Bayou Music Center Houston, TX
3/14/2015 Majestic Theatre San Antonio, TX
That’s right, Ween is getting a head start on the gift giving season by giving away a free download of rarities, outtakes and B-sides from the group’s first four studio albums.
The folks working on Boongish Rising, a documentary film being produced on Ween’s early years, released a statement on the film’s Facebook page this past week with the following announcement:
Hello Ween fans,
Today’s your lucky day… it’s time for the Boognish Rising Thanksgiving 2014 Sampler CD! We have a full length CD made up of demos and b-sides from their first 4 records. All the tapes were transferred here at Boognish Rising HQ so even if there’s a couple songs you’ve heard someplace else… these versions sound a good deal better. A lot better in fact thanks to JWB who was kind enough to lightly remaster everything and make the CD flow nicely. He also threw in some pretty artwork that’s available in the dropbox folder.
Download the .aiff files from my dropbox link here which should drag easily into iTunes with the correct titles and sequence. It will also be available in FLAC format for download at Browntracker.net. Huge thanks to the generous Mike Miller who supplied the tape most of the songs came off of.
Last but not least thank you to Gene & Dean who both kindly gave their permission and corrected my track titles for this holiday treat. Tracks transferred and compiled by ChrisB.
While the download has expired, please check out this additional collection of Ween rarities.
Track List
01.Wayne’s Pet Youngin’
02. Marble Tulip Juicy Tree
03. Big Baboons
04. I’m So Tired
05. Birthday Boy
06. Seconds (Pod 4-track)
07. Only The Good Will Be Absent of Greed
08. Numb To The Lung
09. Chairman of my Own Destiny
10. Wonderful Tonight
11. Big Fat Lady
12. Good Time Rhymin’ Song
13. No More Tears
14. Love Will Conquer All
15. That’s Poppycock!
16. Close My Eyes Forever
17. Stonehenge
18. Shalom Absalom
19. The Waxy Dribble Song
20. Spinal Meningitis
21. Baby Bitch
22. The Rift
23. Buckingham
After a contentious break-up in 2009, a two-year hiatus (through 2011), a skeptically received announcement about a new lead singer (in 2012), and then another two years waiting for new music, LIVE has finally delivered a new album. Officially released on October 28, The Turn contains almost 50 minutes of sound that’s similar enough to old-school LIVE to satisfy the faithful, but with an edge that’s sure to win over new fans.
LIVE’s signature sound in the 1990s was a unique blend of spiritually inspired lyrics with alternative rock sound. Now, focusing less on the faith, love, and water that seem to constantly flow through the old albums, The Turn digs up a darker, harder twist — and also includes a few references to fire. “Siren’s Call,” focusing on the torment of losing oneself to another, seems to be in direct opposition to “Dance with You” (1999) which presents getting lost in love as a graceful experience.
The harder side of LIVE isn’t necessarily a new thing; earlier songs such as “White, Discussion” from Throwing Copper (1994) or “Lakini’s Juice” from Secret Samadhi (1997) both have a darker feel with a sound best described as “hollow.” Songs from The Turn, such as “6310 Rodgerton Dr” could be seen as progressions of those earlier sounds.
The lengthy delay following the departure of original frontman, Ed Kowalczyk, and the addition of Chris Schinn allowed time to thoughtfully redefine LIVE. The time was well spent. The Turn presents a good balance between LIVE’s original personality and the new chemistry produced by Schinn, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer, and Chad Gracey, the other founding members of the group.
Offering up 11 tracks, The Turn is a great comeback album. “Natural Born Killers” in particular tells a good story; “The Way Around Is Through” offers good advice and “The Strength to Hold On” will hopefully someday be performed by LIVE with the support of an orchestra.
Key Tracks: Natural Born Killers, The Way Around Is Through, The Strength to Hold On
Farewell was bid on October 29, 2014 to Mötley Crüe as they made their farewell appearance here locally at the Oncenter Event Center in Syracuse, NY. One of the smallest venues they played across the nation, Syracuse was super psyched and honored to be on the list of cities they were visiting.
As the smallest venue they were playing, they were unable to construct the amazing roller coaster drum kit assembly that allowed Tommy Lee to fly through the air upside down from one side of the arena to the other while playing, but even without that, their light show and pyrotechnics were one of the most amazing spectacles to see and they entertained the packed crowd.
Having signed a contract that this truly was their final tour, I was super pumped to see that they were coming through the area and making a stop locally. One of only three media passes for the evening I was honored they trusted me to capture their night here. I’m certain over the years they have accumulated photo after photo depicting their life on the road, so when granted access to photograph them from the sound board for the first song, I was up to challenge to capture something usable to share with NYS Music readers. After all, they had no idea how many photos this gal could capture in a three minute time frame. I so had this covered. Bring it guys. This would be my first and only attempt to capture a memorable photo of them, and when I arrived at the soundboard and saw that the only thing in between myself and the band was 100 feet distance, and 800 fans with large hair and rocking hands holding cell phones and beers in the air, my challenge increased. Standing precariously on the back of a folding chair that kept moving, I inched my way over the top of the 6 foot 5 inch hard rocking biker dude and his leather clad girlfriend to capture these moments. Unfortunate for me, Vince Neil wouldn’t stand still and Tommy Lee was incased in a haze of fog, but fortunately for me as accident prone as I am, I didn’t fall and break my camera equipment. Always must save the equipment. Thank goodness Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars were stationary. Thank you guys, as you were my targets for the night. It didn’t matter if I had an $8,000 lens or a $100 lens, the shots were not happening for me. I left deflated and discouraged. I had met my match. The Crüe had triumphed over me and my journey to capture them on tour. Well played guys, well played.
As I left the arena, I was disappointed. I felt as though I had let down my readers and let down the venue. Thinking to myself, why wouldn’t they want these moments captured…why wouldn’t they want Syracuse to remember them in the best possible light? Those in the pit could take blurry cell phone images and videos to plaster all over social media, depicting them randomly and in only as good a light as pixelly possible, however those trained in capturing moments and publishing in the best possible way were shut out. I’m sure it’s most likely because,… yeah sorry can’t figure it out. They were not camera shy with reality shows, viral videos, and magazine after magazines covering them over the years. So I pose this question to them, why not let your public relive your final moments time and time again in the best possible light by allowing me to be in the pit getting some mind blowing photos you could flashback to after the tour was over? Whatever the reason was, I could not succeed on this particular challenge. So as a disclaimer, although the shots are usable, I really could have done so much better. Crüe, if you are reading this, give me another chance to put me back in the game. I can do it coach. Put me in the pit, and see what you get!
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The highlights of my evening came from the opening acts. Alice Cooper and The Raskins made my night. You guys truly rock. Shooting the first few songs from the pit, they played to the cameras, and gave us a show to share with the readers. Find below a few moments of the evening capturing their amazing sets, costuming, and rocking moments. Loved every last second in the pit. Crüe I truly can do better. Just try me! Give me a “Crüe” over!
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For anyone who knows this 7 member tribute band extraordinaire, listening to their limited discography is just not enough to achieve the full DSO experience. They’ve extensively toured since their start in 1997, hitting up venues across the globe with the hopes of sharing the energetic spirit and fresh improvisational musicality that the Grateful Dead started so many years ago. It is this experience that breaks DSO apart from the cover band realm, giving them the musical flexibility and large following they have today.
The BIG Something has a bigger than life sound, as they rock out loud with a fusion improv of funk, jazz and hip hop. Casey Cranford is a double threat with his captivating EWI (electronic wind instrument) as well as saxophone playing. Josh Kagel has an ear for hitting all the right notes whether it’s alternating reality on his keyboard/synth or on trumpet. Jesse Hensley surges vibrating psychedelic rifts as Doug Marshall’s steady bass notes heighten the trip.
(Before Set 2 started, a proud grandparent mentioned to me that this show was his grandson’s first concert ever. Grandpa picked a good one too. Hope you enjoyed the show Chris!)
