Phil Lesh and Friends video: Help On The Way with the always awesome Joan Osborne

Here is a truncated YouTube video of Phil Lesh and Friends performing at the Warfield in San Francisco in 2006. This incarnation of Phil and Friends includes Phil on bass and vocals, John Scofield (!) and Larry Campbell on guitars, Rob Barraco on keyboards, John Molo on drums and Greg Osby on reeds. Oh yeah, and Joan Osborne, one of my favorite singers and a total Deadhead and awesome Dead interpreter.

One of the best Dead shows I've seen featured her on many vocals...this was a post-Jerry incarnations of the band known as The Dead. I saw them at The Gorge with my perennial show buddies Dave Hokit and Dean Ericksen, and Mary Curran, who I believe was pregnant with twins at the moment. Joan Osborne's joy of performing is always palpable and wonderful. I love this woman! And Phil too.



---o0o---

Old 97's rock the Showbox in Seattle

The Old 97's played a rockin' show Saturday night in Seattle at The Showbox. The bands that opened--Hayes Carll and I Love Math were also Texas bands. I was not such a big fan of either I love math ( the Old 97's drummer is a member) or Hayes Carll's band. Musically they were very good, but neither bands had very good singing chops...especially when you knew what was to follow. But the audience and the ten people I went to the show with all loved them.

This is my 4th Old 97's show (Stubbs in Austin twice, The Gorge at George, Wash., and Seattle), and it is my favorite so far. They played five songs from their new album, Blame It On Gravity, and a lot of songs from previous albums: Lonely Holiday, Question, West Texas Teardrops, Rollerskate Skinny, Up the Devil's Pay, Designs on You, Barrier Reef, Melt Show, Big Brown Eyes, and a bunch more. Rhett Miller was his usual hip swinging, smoldering glancing self, and the girls and women in the front, near the stage treated him like a latter day Tom Jones (although no undergarments were thrown). The band was in fine fettle--great guitar and drumming, outstanding vocals, doing their dance between serious rock and roll and power pop with a tinge of country. It was a 4 1/2 show between all three acts, and then at about 12:40, the band finished up. And then came back for two encores, totalling about eight more songs. We left happy. I love these guys.

---o0o---

An index of rock shows discussed on All This Is That

Favorite Rock And Jazz Shows (1966-Last Weekend) (Part I, discusses, along with Part 2, every rock show I remember seeing)

More Shows I've Seen Over The Years (Part II)

Skanking with The English Beat at Antone's in Austin, Texas

Zappa Plays Zappa at Paramount Northwest

Bumbershoot 2007, a late write-up

The Save Town Lake benefit: Elana James, Bob Schneider, Dale Watson, Stephen Bruton, Jimmy LaFave, and Kinky Friedman

The Willie Nelson Picnic; July 4, 2007 (with the Old 97's, Willie Nelson, Drive By Truckers, and Son Volt)

The Elvis Costello Benefit—Seattle Does Elvis For David Egger's 826 Seattle

Paul Revere And The Raiders - northwest rock pioneers (with video goodness)

Up With. . .Down With People

Music in Austin, Texas this week

Crosby Stills Nash & Young at the White River Amphitheatre July 27th

Rock show of the year (so far):::::::Elvis Costello & The Impostors with Allen Toussaint

The Posies Rock Bumbershoot

The Surprise At The Divorce Crocodile CD Release Party

---o0o---

She Loves You video by the Beatles in Manchester, England, 1963

From a performance in Manchester in 1963 comes this video clip of The Beatles performing "She Loves You" in 1963. This was one of the early songs that sucked me into the vortex. I got to see them live finally, in 1966 at the ripe old age of 13 (tickets: $4). The first couple of times they came, we couldn't afford a ticket. When I did get to see them, it was their next to last show, ever. Go here to read about that...



---o0o---

The best live rock albums (with a few jazz titles thrown in)

The Concert for Bangladesh - George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, et al.
The Woodstock Soundtrack - Various Artists
Live: From Here to Eternity - The Clash
Everybody's In Show Biz - The Kinks
Live At Leeds - The Who
Europe '72 - The Grateful Dead
MTV Unplugged in New York - Nirvana
Four Way Street - Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Miles of Aisles - Joni Mitchell
Time Fades Away - Neil Young
Weld - Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005 - Cream
The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East - The Allman Brothers
Band of Gypsies - Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles
Live at the BBC - The Beatles
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Live - Alison Krauss & Union Station
Roxy and Elsewhere - Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Made In Japan - Deep Purple
Unplugged In New York - Nirvana
The Royal Albert Hall Concert - Bob Dylan
At Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash
Live Dead - Grateful Dead
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life - Frank Zappa
Rockin' The Fillmore - Humble Pie
Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads
Rock of Ages - The Band
The Last Waltz - The Band (and a lot of friends)

Some of my favorite live jazz albums:

Sunday at the Village Vanguard - Bill Evans
The Koln Concert - Keith Jarrett
Mingus at Antibes - Charles Mingus
Live at Carnegie Hall - John Coltrane & Thelonius Monk
Live-Evil - Miles Davis
Live in Seattle - John Coltrane
---o0o---

Video: Dake Wakeling and The English Beat perform "Save It For Later"

The English Beat perform their song "Save It For Later" from their final great album, Special Beat Service. Dave Wakeling and The English Beat are still touring (I saw them two weeks ago in Austin, Texas. . .click here to read that post.).


---o0o---

Video and lyrics: The Kinks' Celluloid Heroes

This is a concert video of one of The Kinks great tunes. I always liked the early Kinks songs, but it was this song and this album that turned me into a late and rabid fan. In my first year in college--1973--this album, along with The Grateful Dead's Europe '72, Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken, a Deep Purple album I can't remember, Humble Pie's Rockin' the fillmore, Yes's Close To The Edge, and the MC5 were in constant rotation.

I was lucky enough to see The Kinks when I lived In New York City--we rented a car and drove out to see them play in Asbury Park, New Jersey (a town with a serious rock patina, thanks to The Boss, Little Steven, and The Asbury Jukes) in 1977...



Celluloid Heroes

Everybody’s a dreamer and everybody’s a star,
And everybody’s in movies, it doesn’t matter who you are.
There are stars in every city,
In every house and on every street,
And if you walk down hollywood boulevard
Their names are written in concrete!

Don’t step on greta garbo as you walk down the boulevard,
She looks so weak and fragile that’s why she tried to be so hard
But they turned her into a princess
And they sat her on a throne,
But she turned her back on stardom,
Because she wanted to be alone.

You can see all the stars as you walk down hollywood boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you’ve hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Rudolph valentino, looks very much alive,
And he looks up ladies’ dresses as they sadly pass him by.
Avoid stepping on bela lugosi
’cos he’s liable to turn and bite,
But stand close by bette davis
Because hers was such a lonely life.
If you covered him with garbage,
George sanders would still have style,
And if you stamped on mickey rooney
He would still turn round and smile,
But please don’t tread on dearest marilyn
’cos she’s not very tough,
She should have been made of iron or steel,
But she was only made of flesh and blood.

You can see all the stars as you walk down hollywood boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you’ve hardly even heard of.
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.

Everybody’s a dreamer and everybody’s a star
And everybody’s in show biz, it doesn’t matter who you are.

And those who are successful,
Be always on your guard,
Success walks hand in hand with failure
Along hollywood boulevard.

I wish my life was a non-stop hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.

You can see all the stars as you walk along hollywood boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you’ve hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.

Oh celluloid heroes never feel any pain
Oh celluloid heroes never really die.

I wish my life was a non-stop hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.
---o0o---

Down With People Rock Again!

My friend Scott Boggan singing with Down With People.
Click to enlarge.

We went to the Sunset Tavern in Ballard once again last week to see Down With People--one of my favorite local bands these days. They played last on a triple bill with The Republic of Chuck (one of the most bizarre musical acts I have ever seen in my life. He made Wesley Willis seem pretty normal). The other act (whose name I am blanking on and cannot find) included Ballard resident Dan Peters, who was/is the drummer for Mudhoney and who was also the drummer for Nirvana in its early years. They played a good set. Their singer was fun to watch, and they cranked out a yeomen's set. Down With People played an rousing set of their mind-expanding psychedelic pop rock (with theremin!).

Down With People are Ron Nine, the former member of the highly-regarded Love Battery, (guitar, theremin, vox), my old workmate and pal, Scott Boggan (bass, vox), and Scott Vanderpool (drums, vox). And. . .Michael Laton who projects an amazing and wonderful light show over and behind the band (and who also happens to be the father of my neighbor Cassady, who is in the band Dear John Letters). Alas, no go go dancers this time! If you ever get the chance, go out to see these guys play. In my booklet, they are one of the most interesting bands in Seattle.
---o0o---

The Posies: Solar Sister Video

A live, acoustic version of Solar Sister. They look so young. . .they look about 20. I also include a 1994 Phoenix live Solar Sister with the full band. The Posies were in their hair band mode.





The Posies' misfire (e.g., not becoming rich and famous) is one of the great puzzlers of rock for me. They put out a passel of exciting, melodic, moving, harmonic power pop albums:

Failure (1988) [a wonderful, chiming, exuberant, youthful album]

Dear 23 (1990) [ a college hit: beautiful, rapidly maturing]

Frosting On The Beater (1993) [their near-hit that got a lot of MTV and college airplay, with many of their greatest tunes]

Amazing Disgrace (1996) [Probably their greatest. A stunning record, and the greatest mystery of all...why this didn't soar to the top of the charts]

Success (1998) [possibly my least favorite album, 'though it is not without merit either]

In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In (2000) [a wonderful and charming live album: great tunes and banter, and The Posies at the height of their power]

Alive Before The Iceberg (2000) [a middling live album, maybe my least listen to Posies CD]

Last, At Least (Box Set) (2000) [rarities etc. for fans. If you love The Posies, you'll love this.]

Dream All Day(Best Of The Posies) (2000) [as with all Best ofs, puzzling for the omissions]

Nice Cheekbones And A PhD(2001) [A knockout EP with two heartbreakingly great songs: Ken's Matinee, and their gorgeous cover of David Crosby/The Byrd's Lady Friend. When The Posies played my birthday party in 2003, the only song I even requested was Matinee. They kncked it out 0f the park.]

Every Kind Of Light (2005) [the revival album...totally respectable, with several songs as good as anything they ever did. Of course, it stiffed].

And then, there is their great work with Big Star:

Columbia - Live At Missouri University 4/25/93 (1993)
Big Star Story (2003)
Big Star In Space (2005)
---o0o---

The Divorce throws in the towel

The Seattle rock band, The Divorce, is throwing in the towel after two CDs, seven years, and hundreds of shows. I have their two CDs (there will be blood tonight, and The Gifted Program) and an EP. I have seen them play at least six times over the last few years (Crocodile 2x, Capitol Hill street party, Easy Street, Mars Hill, Sonic Boom). They will have two final shows on June 30th, at The Crocodile Cafe in Seattle. From The Divorce website:

Friday, May 04, 2007

the final countdown



Friends,


After nearly seven years of glorious ups and grievous downs, we have decided to lay The Divorce to rest. We cannot thank all of you enough for the years of support and encouragement and we wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors. Of course, each of us have plans for subsequent projects, so do keep an ear peeled for those as they are sure to be entertaining and thought-provoking. In the meantime, it would behoove you to mark your calendars for June 30th, as we will be playing two final shows that day at the Crocodile Cafe in downtown Seattle; one will be all-ages and the other, 21+. It goes without saying that these are Not To Be Missed! We sincerely hope you can join is in this terminal blowout celebration of life, and the future. Until then...

Love Always,

The Divorce
---o0o---

The Elvis Costello Benefit—Seattle Does Elvis For David Egger's 826 Seattle

It's taken me two weeks to get around to writing about this benefit. On May 4th, we went to the Sunset Tavern—a few blocks from where I live--to see an Elvis Costello tribute/benefit for the 826 Seattle.

Seattle loves Elvis (and why wouldn't we?). Now that he is a northwesterner (Vancouver division), I was secretly hoping he might actually show up! But no. . .

However, about 19 bands did show up and play. Every band was supposed to play two songs, although a few snuck in an extra song. It was great! If a band sucked, you knew it would only be six or seven minutes until the next one came on. It made it hard to leave, because you suspected the mother lode was just minutes away. It was a lot of fun, and once again drove home the reality that most bands play their instruments better than they sing.

The benefit was held for 826 Seattle, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center dedicated to helping youth, ages six to 18, improve their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

The lineup included the Dept. of Energy, Downpilot, Graig Markel, Shorthand for Epic, Red Jacket Mine, Zera Marvel, Whiting Tennis, Levi Fuller... and a bunch more bands and solo acts. The poster to your right lists some of the other bands.

I only regret the lineup did not include my personal five favorite friends'/local bands: The Divorce, Down With People, The Posies, The Drunks of Hazzard, and The Greenwood All-Stars.
---o0o---

Paul Revere And The Raiders - northwest rock pioneers (with video goodness)

For a short moment, after the British/Liverpool invasion, northwest party band heroes Paul Revere and The Raiders were about the biggest rock band in America. They had a string of 24 hit singles, and various gold records with great pop/rock tunes (Hungry, Kicks, Steppin' Out, Him or Me?, Let Me, I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone, Good Thing, Ups and Downs, among others).

The Raiders had a ridiculously campy stage show (they still do), and absurd and flashy Revolutionary War–era stage costumes. They were all over the TV, and also hosted a daily show on ABC called Where the Action Is. The Raiders were probably the first television age rock band.

Being a northwest band, they played Louie Louie too (and released a single, but another local band, the Wailers made it a hit), as well as their own creation, Crisco Party.





I saw them two or three times at the Seattle Teen Fair and at one of the local battles of the bands. Mark Lindsay was always popular with the girls and women. Paul Revere could have been a baggy pants vaudeville comedian. The stageshow was a strange mixture of slapstick and garage.






---o0o---

Show: The Posies At The Triple Door In Seattle

We saw The Posies Friday night at The Triple door, at the late show. It was an acoustic show. As far as Posies shows go, it was one of my least favorites. Ken was getting sick, and they just didn't seem to have a lot of energy. The song list had a few gems, but it felt like they'd played their favorites at the first show. And then Ken insisted on slamming the U.S. (citizens, not President), as a French expatriate. Ken, that's cool on your blog, but remember you were in Seattle...home of the WTO riot, two female senators and a governor, and a rock-solid blue state. Let's face it: unlike your adopted homeland, Seattle has remained solidly in the blue column. one of the most liberal towns in the country. But Ken's anti-U.S. tirade aside, it is always better to see The Posies than not see The Posies.

Here are a couple of pretty dark videos on YouTube from the show.







---o0o---