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Rothbury | 07.02 | Day 1 Photos

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 15:10:00 PST

Images by: Chad Smith

Rothbury Music Festival :: 07.02.09 :: Rothbury, MI


Billy Nershi
Toubab Krewe
Quannum Allstars
Kid Cudi
Cold War Kids
Lotus
Future Rock
Future Rock
The Disco Biscuits
The Disco Biscuits

Continue reading for more pics of Day 1 at Rothbury...

Images by: Dave Vann

Davy Knowles Quannum Allstars Future Rock Cold War Kids Keller Williams & Friends The Disco Biscuits The Disco Biscuits The Disco Biscuits

Check back for lots more from Rothbury...

JamBase | Michigan
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HSMF | 07.02 | Day 1 Photos

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 14:33:00 PST

Images by: Jake Krolick

High Sierra Music Festival :: 07.02.09 :: Quincy, CA

The 2009 High Sierra Music Festival is underway and we've got daily updates from the mountains.

Kayceman's Top 3 From Thursday
1. Dr. Dog - Late night melter set, could be hard to beat this weekend.

2. Everest - Building slow, methodical blow out jams that would explode with emotion, this was a very impressive sundown set.

3. Big Light - Local boys do good and kick off the main stage in style, big rocking set by these young up and comers.


Big Light

Marco Benevento


Dr. Dog
Trevor Garrod - Tea Leaf Green
Umphrey's McGee

Continue reading for more pics of Day 1 at High Sierra...

Images by: Josh Miller

Fred Torphy - Big Light The Gadiels Marco Benevento Dan Lebowitz - ALO John Butler Dr. Dog Josh Clark - Tea Leaf Green Umphrey's McGee

Check back for lots more from High Sierra...

JamBase | California
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Badfish: 4th Garden Grove Fest

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PST

SUBLIME CELEBRATED AT ONE-DAY NEW JERSEY GATHERING

Badfish

With each passing year, the annual Garden Grove Festival continues to grow in size and scope. Hosted by touring powerhouse Badfish: A Tribute To Sublime, the fourth annual installment will be held Saturday, July 25, returning to the 2500+ capacity Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, New Jersey for the second straight year. . In addition to Badfish, other bands confirmed to perform are Scotty Don't (the original alter ego of Badfish), Full Service, Good Question, Barry and The Penetrators, Ballyhoo!, Flights Kool, Almost There, Entelechy and The Ice Picks. The all-ages show will begin at 4 pm and tickets are $20 advance/ $25 day of show.

The first Garden Grove Festival took place in the summer of 2006 at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, and with it was born the idea of an all day annual event to celebrate the music and spirit of Sublime, with Badfish and some of their favorite bands, many of whom were inspired by Sublime. With nearly 1800 people in attendance that first year, Badfish expanded the festival in its second year by moving it to the 3000-capacity outdoor amphitheater Indian Ranch in nearby Webster, MA. It was an all-day, two-stage event featuring Badfish and other bands such as Zox, Scotty Don't, Stealing Jane, Baldi and Suburban Graffiti. Last year, the festival was moved to the Stone Pony, and drew almost 2000 fans. This year, the capacity has been raised from 2100 to 2500, with the tradition of music on two stages lasting long into the night continuing.

Madness: New Album

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 05:37:00 PST

FIRST ORIGINAL STUDIO WORK IN TEN YEARS BY U.K. GREATS

Recently called "great giants of British music" by BBC late night host Jools Holland, 2 Tone/Second Wave ska invasionists Madness have waited nearly a decade to offer the world new songs. On August 18th Yep Roc Records offers the answer with The Liberty of Norton Folgate.

Formed in the fertile underground of 1976 London (along with contemporaries The Specials), Madness is a seven-man musical army hell bent on capturing the colorful influences of the people and cultures of their beloved city. Their dedication to the exploration of musical London as well as countless UK top ten singles/albums have garnered the band household name status in Britain, making the album one of the most anticipated releases of the year in their home country.

Most known in the U.S. for their still ubiquitous #7 Billboard hit "Our House," the band has sustained cult status here in the States, with enthusiastic fans and record store merchants clamoring for another record of originals - it has been a decade since their album Wonderful (1999) [The all-covers album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 was released in 2005].

Described by the band as an "audio guide to the greatest city on earth" and Madness' unique take on the concept album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate moves between elements of burlesque jazz, rock, ska and even polka combining for an effortless lesson in pop song craft. An area outside the city walls of the old city of London, Norton Folgate was one of several original 'liberties' independent of the bureaucracy of the main city government. Founding member Graham McPherson (aka Suggs) describes the area as "a refuge for actors, writers, thinkers, louts, lowlifes and libertines - outsiders and troublemakers all. Sounds like our kind of place does it not?!" Suggs continues, "We'd been kicking around the idea of a concept album about London for a while. We wanted to get the x-ray camera out and shoot down through the crust, past the bullets and bones, the clay pipes and stones, to try and get to the soul of the place. We're all dancing in the moonlight, were all on borrowed ground."

David Byrne | 06.26.09 | Berkeley

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 05:16:00 PST

Words by Nick Boeka | Images by: Josh Miller

David Byrne :: 06.26.09 :: Greek Theatre :: Berkeley, CA

David Byrne :: 06.26 :: The Greek

David Byrne is the kind of visionary artist where a simple label is irrevocably a denial of the character and stature that he has built for himself and embodies. The outspoken and wildly charismatic Talking Heads leader and alum, Byrne has continued his infatuation with the wittier and finer things in life, and has shown attention and passion on an incredible array of projects. However, constant throughout his career has been his excellent songwriting and live prowess. In his latest album and tour, Byrne collaborated again with Brian Eno to deliver Everything That Happens Will Happen Today and a tour, "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno." At Berkeley's Greek Theatre, Byrne promised the crowd, as he approached the mic and took note of his surroundings, that the evening would "be filled with Greek Tragedies - Euripides," and that he would play "some new stuff, some Eno stuff and break the rules a bit with some other things that I did back in the day." He brought the flippy floppy and burnt the house down well before the end of his set for a devoted, appreciative audience that pleaded for more.

David Byrne :: 06.26 :: The Greek

A sunny afternoon in Berkeley provided the perfect backdrop for opener Denver's, Devotchka to remind the Bay Area of their hipster honky-tonk sound. Gaining more notoriety after ten years of playing together, Nick Urata leads the band with vocals that have an eerily hypnotic tone, which is amplified by his infectious strummed chords and the rest of the band's setup. You have Jeanie Schroder switching from upright bass to sousaphone, providing atonal and repeating lines, and Tom Hagerman reaching for his violin and accordion, creating a tremendous amount of sound up front. Then there is Shawn King, who runs around switching between drum kit, trumpet and what I would call "music bin instruments," while also triggering samples and backing tracks. The result is a musical soundscape that makes you feel like a gypsy on your own personal journey, and judging by the crowd's reaction as their set came to a close, they are starting to pick up some new additions to their traveling pack.

As the sun set nicely over the distant horizon and up came the city lights, I was anticipating something great from Byrne. What else could I expect from the person who this year was given the first opportunity to curate his own stage at Bonnaroo, and has hosted Sessions @ West 54th, won countless awards and used his label, Luaka Bop, to introduce the world to incredible artists? The stage was quickly set in a configuration that left much of it open, with a sole microphone front and center for an all-white dressed Bryne. This setup made more sense when opener "Strange Overtones," a track off the new album, unfolded and dancers Lily Baldwin, Natalie Kuhn and Steven Reker appeared, also in all-white, and engaged Byrne throughout the rest of the performance in interpretive dance of the highest form. In fact, for a large part of the evening, the show was more theatrical than most concerts, performed with utmost precision and a delivery that is only achievable with a seasoned and top-flight ensemble of artists. Lighting was minimal, focused and directly complimentary to the placement and bareness of the stage presentation.

Even early on, when the focus was mostly on new material, the crowd was very engaged, and showed so much support that after "Houses in Motion" Byrne quipped, "Wow, I should think about moving the band to out here." Much of the remaining main set seamed like a time warp to early '80s Heads, with fans of Stop Making Sense lapping up hit after hit. And when the band came on for the first two-song encore, I was expecting the show - despite being early - was over.

David Byrne :: 06.26 :: The Greek

As the folks next to me gathered their belongings and the beginnings of a line of exiters started to form, Byrne and the band reemerged. Byrne thanked us again, and queued the Extra Action Marching Band to make their way to the stage. Scantily clad, white hot pants and all, they overtook the stage and helped lead Byrne and company through "Road To Nowhere" and finally "Burning Down the House" accompanied by a white balloon drop.

It may be that this evening marked the last night of the successful U.S. tour and Byrne was looking at a nice break before heading to Europe or perhaps it was the relentless energy the crowd showed, grabbing and throwing balloons around, but Byrne came hustling back to the stage and motioned his tech to return his microphone (which they had already removed). He treated the audience to an acoustic rendition of Everything that Happens's title track. The sound was crisp and the repeating lines of the chorus were left ringing in my head: "Everything that happens will happen today/ Every tomorrow will be yesterday." I think I know what he means, and feel good that I was there to learn it from him.

David Byrne :: 06.26.09 :: Greek Theatre :: Berkeley, CA
Strange Overtones, I Zimbra, One Fine Day, Help Me Somebody, Houses in Motion, My Big Nurse, My Big Hands (Fall through the Cracks), Heaven, The River, Crosseyed and Painless, Life Is Long, Once in a Lifetime, Life During Wartime, I Feel My Stuff
First Encore: Take Me To The River, The Great Curve
Second Encore:Road To Nowhere, Burning Down the House (both with Extra Action Marching Band)
Third Encore: Everything That Happens

David Byrne is on tour now in Europe, dates available here. JamBase | Northern California
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Friday Playlist

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 04:46:00 PST

HIGH ENERGY MUSIC TO FIRE UP YOUR LONG WEEKEND

This week we went for tunes that make ya raise your hands in the air or pound on the steering wheel with unconstrained joy. A good song - and especially a bunch of them - can turn your whole day around. Consider this batch a bit of kindling for a fire hot Fourth of July weekend. And since it's a long one we boosted your dose from a six-pack to a full twelve. Yeah, we love you that much!

We kick off with a hip-hop classic that reminds us that real mic wreckers don't need much more than a beat and a tasty loop. Then onto a Bay Area party anthem from Lateef and Lyrics Born and a newfangled kindred spirit from Oakland's glorious Hottub, who give us a "dance dance revolution in your pants pants." From there it's a spot of summer hedonism from The Stranglers and a salute to personal chemistry from The Fall. With the throttle all the way down now, we charge ahead with punk greats Zero Boys, some groping goodness from Oakland's hard rock secret weapon Drunk Horse and Cheap Trick's cover of The Move's West Coast salute. Then, it's Jackson Browne's giddy end-of-days rocker and a festival season favorite from The Hold Steady before Joe Cocker reminds us we all can fly and a closing number that's probably familiar to Allen Toussaint fans, delivered with fab blue-eyed soul by Brit Frankie Miller.

Enjoy your revels and play safe out there, children!

To hear last week's Friday Playlist with Paul McCartney, Shel Silverstein and Todd Snider pop over here.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: New Album

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 04:44:00 PST

SPEED OF LIFE ARRIVES IN SEPTEMBER

new album

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - the iconic and profoundly influential group often cited as a major Americana and roots music pioneer - have finished work on their first studio album in five years, Speed of Life. The new album, out September 22, finds the band at their laid back, ramshackle best, eschewing their frequent collaborative approach here for a set of songs anchored by the remarkably deft musicianship and diverse songwriting of the core band, which includes Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter and John McEuen.

Recorded in Nashville's Blackbird Studio and produced by legendary recording guru George Massenburg and Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Jon Randall Stewart, Speed of Life kicks off with Jimmie Fadden's blistering harmonica on the opening track "Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble to Me," setting the tone for an album that spans the gamut from the wistful and flawless vocal harmony of "Resurrection" to "Lost In The Pines," John McEuen's evocative banjo showpiece. Speed of Life features 13 tracks, including new tunes penned by the band (with help from a handful of friends) and two covers: the Woodstock classic "Going Up The Country" and "Stuck In The Middle."

Speed of Life Track List:

1. Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble To Me (Shawn Camp / Mark D. Sanders)
2. Brand New Heartache (Jeff Hanna / Donny Lowery)
3. The Resurrection (Matraca Berg / Alice Randall)
4. Somethin' Dangerous (Bob Carpenter / Tom Kell / Phil Soussan)
5. Going Up The Country (Alan Wilson)
6. Jimmy Martin (Phil Madeira / Jimmie Lee Sloas)
7. Lost In The Pines (John McEuen)
8. Speed of Life (Gary Scruggs)
9. Amazing Love (Bob Carpenter / Jeff Hanna / Tom Kell)
10. Stuck In The Middle (Joe Egan / Gerry Rafferty)
11. Earthquake (Bob Carpenter / John McEuen)
12. Tryin' To Try (Jimmie Fadden / Guy Clark)
13. It's Good To Be Alive (Matraca Berg / Troy Verges)

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Tour Dates:
07/03/09 Fri Marin County Fair San Rafael, CA
07/17/09 Fri Rosebud Casino Valentine, NE
07/18/09 Sat Cedar County Fair Hartington, NE
07/21/09 Tue Hide Out Lounge Great Falls, MT
07/22/09 Wed Park County Fair Powell, WY
07/24/09 Fri Teton County Fairgrounds Jackson, WY
07/25/09 Sat Avalon Theatre Grand Junction, CO
07/26/09 Sun Hudson Gardens & Event Center Littleton, CO
07/29/09 Wed Soboba Casino San Jacinto, CA
08/14/09 Fri Mulberry Mountain Harvest Festival Ozark, AR
08/15/09 Sat Grand Ole Opry House Nashville, TN
08/29/09 Sat Prairie Knights Casino Fort Yates, ND
10/03/09 Sat Wheeling Island Casino Wheeling, WV
10/04/09 Sun Sellersville Theater 1894 Sellersville, PA
10/23/09 Fri Mansion America Theater Branson, MO
10/24/09 Sat Rickman Auditorium Arnold, MO

Omar Rodriguez Lopez: Genius Set Free

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 13:41:00 PST

By: Kayceman

Omar Rodriguez Lopez

There will come a time, many many years from now, long after the dust has settled, when we look back at this point in music's vast history, and Omar Rodriguez Lopez will be left standing. There will be others for sure - luminaries like Jack White, Prince, Trent Reznor, Eddie Vedder, OutKast, obviously Radiohead, probably Trey, Jim James, Jeff Tweedy, perhaps Patterson Hood and certainly many more, but none are as prolific as Omar. Consider this, as of July 2 - almost exactly the halfway mark of the year - Omar has released four solo albums (with a fifth already done and scheduled for September) and one Mars Volta record (Octahedron - released June 23 on Warner Bros.). At this clip he's looking at about ten albums for 2009, and that actually puts him right on schedule.

"I do like nine or ten records in between Mars Volta records; and that being a Mars Volta record every year," says Omar over the phone from his new home/recording compound in Zapopan, Mexico. You caught that, right? Ten records a year. What the fuck?

But you know what's even crazier, earlier in our more than two hour talk, as I tried to comprehend how he's able to produce so much high-quality music in such a short period of time, Omar admits that he has "way more material that's unreleased than I actually do have released." So again, how the hell does one man write, record and produce so much music (not to mention the films and photography)? Like all the really big questions in life, there's no easy answer or ingredient list that explains genius of this kind, but it definitely has something to do with kicking junk.

Cedric & Omar by Ross Halfin

Omar and his musical life partner, vocalist/lyricist Cedric Bixler Zavala (the two have been making music together since they were kids growing up around El Paso, TX) had major drug habits about which much has been written. Hard core junkie shit, mostly heroin and crack, but you know how junkies get. They shot bags and made music, primarily as the force behind post-hardcore heroes At The Drive-In (1994-2001). Shit got real nasty and people started dying, most notably close friend and Volta (as well as dub side project De Facto) bandmate Jeremy Ward, who overdosed in 2003. It scared Omar and Cedric straight - so straight in fact they are now hyper-healthy, yoga practicing vegans who don't even drink coffee - and since then the flood gates have burst open.

"It's like a faucet. Things are just coming out all the time and I have nothing else to do except put them down and document them," says Omar. "I'm putting buckets under the sink and it's leaking everywhere and I catch what I can."

Contrary to the popular belief that once rock stars sober up their music sucks, it took getting clean for things to really take off for Omar. "I bought into the great lie of drugs which is, 'You need me in order to be creative. You need me in order to be yourself','" he says. "And once I saw the other side and said, 'Oh, well, not really, actually all that's doing is magnifying things that are already inside of me. So, why can't I be the magnifying glass? Why do I need something?' Once I sort of grabbed onto that thread it's been hard to let go ever since."

Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Omar has pretty much seen it all - and gotten it out of his system - and at 33 he has no interest in any of the rock star bullshit or even the pedantic "normal" socializing of most young men. "I don't really have a life," he says. "I don't do what someone my age normally does, like go out and drink and socialize and those types of things." And if you don't believe him, well, that's a big part of why he recently moved from Los Angeles to Zapopan. Let's just say the L.A. scene wasn't his thing. Mainland Mexico is much more his speed nowadays.

Wise beyond his years and working without the haze of drugs, Omar has transferred the all encompassing time and energy it takes to be a full-time junkie into creating art, and this delicate combination of timing, place, talent and experience has given us one of the most prolific and, as history will likely prove, important artists of our time.

And you'll notice I didn't simply say "important guitarists of our time," because to call Omar a Guitar God is limiting, nay, insulting. Although true, his rapid fire bunches of notes, alien-channeling effects and sonic storms certainly make him one of the most gifted guitar players alive (Rolling Stone lists him in their current "Top Greatest Guitarists of All Time"), but he is so much more. He's a brilliant composer (he writes every single note you hear on a Volta album as well as his solo work), bandleader, producer (he's produced every solo and Volta album since their 2001 debut, which he co-produced with Rick Rubin), label/production company owner of the newly formed Omar Rodriguez Lopez Productions (which grew out of GSL Records when it closed in 2007) and perhaps most important, a visionary.

When he and Cedric broke free of At The Drive-In and formed The Mars Volta in 2001, Omar knew what he wanted. He had a vision and he was finally able to seize his destiny. He would control every aspect of the music, Cedric would handle all lyrics/vocals and he would rule the music with an iron fist.

Continue reading for more on Omar Rodriguez Lopez...

I didn't grow up with rock music. I don't come from that rock sort of mentality... rock music is very limited in its format. It's limited in its music, it's limited in its approach, and it's limited in the way people perceive it. People go to see a rock band, they perceive the singer. He's up front. He must be the leader. He must be the person who does everything. They forget the frontman is there for a reason. He fronts the group. There's someone else, you know, behind the curtain, there's the Wizard of Oz somewhere.

-Omar Rodriguez Lopez

"During the time of At The Drive-In, I was still a drug addict, so I was very much under the spell of not liking yourself and not believing in yourself, hating yourself and trying to destroy yourself at all costs. So, what that did was hinder my true self, to hinder what it is I'm capable of. I was constantly putting myself down and limiting my role," explains Omar. "I think a lot of that came out of fear, out of saying, 'I'm not good enough to... I'm not smart enough to... I couldn't possibly... So I'm just...,' and once I quit doing drugs and once I started The Mars Volta it started flipping and it became the opposite, it became, 'Wait a minute, I can do anything I feel like doing. I'm only limited by my imagination.' And all of a sudden there was this big realization that, 'Wow, that applies to everything in life.' So, if I want to grab control of our business and if I want to grab control and have it be my band and not have it be this fake democracy we had in At The Drive-In then I can do that, too."

Omar Rodriguez Lopez

And that's exactly what he's done. Omar has taken control of everything and it's not just The Mars Volta and all that goes along with it (the producing, writing, touring, etc), he records and tours under a dizzying array of monikers making it difficult for even the dedicated fan to keep track. In addition to The Mars Volta, there's the simple solo recording name Omar Rodriguez Lopez, the Omar Rodriguez Group, Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quintet (which can shift from a quartet to a sextet) and the latest addition, El Grupo Nuevo De Omar Rodriguez Lopez.

Certainly this seems a bit excessive - aren't these all really just Omar side-projects? Well, not so much side-projects but extensions, and like any gifted artist blazing at the peak of his creativity, it's always changing, shifting, pouring over the rim, busting out of the faucet. And when a new project is formed with new musicians playing new/original material, Omar gives them a new name.

"People have to remember, too, I didn't grow up with rock music. I don't come from that rock sort of mentality, like you're in Kiss and that's it. I grew up with salsa music and my heroes were Eddie Palmieri, Willie Col�n and Hector Lavoe. And it's just this whole different thing. These are records like jazz music. These are records where the bandleader, for all you know, is the guy playing the two sticks, you know? Not the singer," he says. "And rock music is very limited in its format. It's limited in its music, it's limited in its approach, and it's limited in the way people perceive it. People go to see a rock band, they perceive the singer. He's up front. He must be the leader. He must be the person who does everything. They forget the frontman is there for a reason. He fronts the group. There's someone else, you know, behind the curtain, there's the Wizard of Oz somewhere."

But this Wizard isn't smoke and mirrors; Omar is the real deal. And this is it, folks, this is perhaps the single defining kernel of what makes Omar's music so "important" - and if you aren't yet willing to go that far, then at least compelling, entertaining and original. He ain't from this part of town, and he didn't grow up on American rock radio. Born September 1, 1975 in Bayom�n, Puerto Rico, Omar came from a house where - like most Latin families - salsa music was a cornerstone of everyday life. He isn't limited by four chords and power moves. Omar is definitely operating on the rock landscape, utilizing such visceral, psychedelic brutality that at times it's often too heavy for new ears, but instead of being rooted in the blues it has grown out of Latin soil, and that changes everything. The rhythms are different, the tempos, the way it flexes, the heart and the soul. By taking all that and plugging deep into heavy psych, post-punk and experimental waters Omar is truly adding pages to the modern rock history book - scratch that - he's adding chapters.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez by Market Felice

The latest additions, the 2009 Chapters if you will, thus far include the Volta album and four solo ones with the majority of the non-Volta work being recorded around 2006 while Omar lived in Amsterdam. It may seem odd that we are just now hearing the stuff recorded in 2006, but this is how the man works. He loves the process. It's about creating music, not creating product. And because of the velocity with which he operates, he's always moving forward, only stopping to actually release albums when the "craving" strikes him.

This process of constantly making music borders on obsessive and you might say it's his new drug, with guitars and sheet music replacing needles and balloons, but there's more to it, a very tangible goal to the proceedings. "Think of it as if I've been running," he says. "I've done enough jogging and running that I'm very fast, or I've been lifting enough weights to where I'm really strong by the time I get to the Mars Volta record."

However, it's not that the solo work is a disposable exercise or the songs are all that different than what eventually makes it onto a Mars Volta album. "When it's actually happening, when the material is being written, there is no separation; I don't ever sit down and go, 'Now I'm writing a Mars Volta song. Now I'm writing a solo song'," he explains. "But that having been said, definitely anything that I do - whether it becomes a solo record or what not - anything I do ends up being an exercise for when I do get to quote-unquote focus on a Mars Volta record."

The material is always broken up after the fact as Omar looks it over and finds groups that work together, the core idea being that he's always refining ideas leading up to his yearly Mars Volta masterpiece. The five to ten solo albums he'll release in a year on his own label are ways of fleshing out ideas so that when the major label (read: big money) production (and we must always remember Omar is the producer as well as guitarist and bandleader) arrives he's 100-percent ready with laser-lock vision.

Continue reading for more on Omar Rodriguez Lopez...

This is my band. You'll be playing my music. If you're not okay with a dictatorship then this is not the place for you.

-Omar Rodriguez Lopez on The Mars Volta

Photo by: Hadas

But before we can get to The Mars Volta main event, we have to do our training. This year's regimen began with the release of the Rodriguez Lopez Production's Megaritual on January 26.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez

"Megaritual was a really fun one," says Omar. "I was living in Amsterdam at the time, and my brother [Marcel Rodriguez Lopez] came to visit me. That one started as just an exercise to be closer to my brother. Because of our age difference I didn't really get to know him because I left home at a very young age. We're eight years apart and I dropped out of school and left home when I was seventeen, so he was very small. When I finally came back to the family structure and made amends then I was always on tour. And so I got to discover my brother by inviting him into the band. It was sort of always the idea that I would bring him into the factory eventually. When I did that's how I got to know him - through being on the road and being on tour. Then when I moved to Holland, I would invite him there to come visit me, so it could be just me and him. And that's what this record was; it was an exercise in just me and him. I went to the studio and I showed him the songs and he played drums, and between me and him we played all the instruments. There was nobody else, so it was just a really nice moment for us."

Next there was Despair, also released on Rodriguez Lopez Productions on January 26.

"Despair was just when I went back to Amsterdam from Israel, and it was sort of my meditation on Israel, Palestine and Syria, and sort of what the experiences I had had there and the things I had brought back with me." Which include the infamous Ouija board purchased from an Israeli flea market which became the catalyst behind the band's "cursed" 2008 release, The Bedlam in Goliath (read more about this from Kayceman's 2008 talk with Omar and Cedric here).

Then there was the January 31 release of Old Money, which was a "meditation" on American corporations and yup, you guessed it, their dirty, stinky, old money. Most recently, the May 5 release of El Grupo Nuevo De Omar Rodriguez Lopez' Cryptomnesia, which in addition to Cedric and bassist Juan Alderete (who is involved in almost everything Omar does - including the Volta), features Hella drummer Zach Hill.

"Cryptomnesia was a meditation on bad manners," sighs Omar. "This drummer that I had for a minute in The Mars Volta was such a bum-out and just had such bad manners in general that this was sort of my little vacation. And I called up Zack Hill, who's an amazing individual and very conscientious and very wonderful to be around and really, really great to work with. I say it's a meditation on bad manners because the conclusion I came to was that it doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't have to be a struggle. It doesn't have to be like pulling teeth."

The obvious question now is, which of the two previous Mars Volta drummers is Omar refereeing to: Jon Theodore or Blake Fleming?

Thomas Pridgen & Cedric Bixler Zavala by Scavo

"Both of them," he says without hesitation. "Jon was in the band for a while and he just�I still don't understand why he was in the band. He didn't seem to like my music. He didn't like me directing him. He didn't like certain people in the band but yet he was in the band, and it was such a strange marriage because I just kept going, 'Ah well, after the next record I'll fire him.' And that turned into two or three records. This is very unlike me. Usually I'm a person who moves on very quickly, and so finally I moved on. Then I made the mistake of giving Blake another chance because I'm a strong believer that people can change."

After the experiment with Fleming blew up Omar started to question himself. "What is a bad attitude? Can I blame the other person or is there a part of me, too?" he asks. What he learned was that "it's just a matter of personality. It's like the progress reports when you're a kid - 'Does not get along well with others.' It's like some people enjoy misery... From this idea was where [Cryptomnesia] was born."

This totally pleasant experience working with Zach Hill provoked Omar to start his search for a new Mars Volta drummer. Hill was and is deeply involved with Hella and Omar had no intention of poaching, so he just manifested a new drummer. "When you meditate on something, when you pray for something, when you give yourself over to something I think the universe or God or whatever it is you believe in always makes room for you," says Omar. "And so the universe delivered Thomas Pridgen to me."

"The addition of Thomas was the missing piece," continues Omar. "Like I said before, I had two really negative drummers and all of us were trying to be on this high, on this wave and believe in what we're doing and believe in my music and believe in Cedric's storytelling, and even if you have seven [bandmates] that are like that, if you have one that is holding you back that's like a ship that's docked with a rope holding it back. Thomas believes wholeheartedly and he's very involved in the band and he always has positive energy, always, even when things get a little weird. He has such a great attitude that I just can't help but think that last piece was in place. All of that at the same time has carried us into this insane wave of energy that's been 2008 and now into 2009."

Continue reading for more on Omar Rodriguez Lopez...

This record is definitely a mellow record. It's a melancholy record. It is not aggressive; it is the opposite of Bedlam. If Bedlam was asphyxiation and claustrophobia and fire and darkness, this is space, water, there's this calmness to it. It's definitely a new chapter, and that for me [is the most important thing] because my biggest fear is repeating myself, having one record sound just like the next one.

-Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Photo by: Julio Mu�oz

This brings us to last week's release of The Mars Volta's fifth full-length, Octahedron. Clipping the lineup from eight to six people, Omar asked "sound manipulator" Paul Hinojos and horn player/multi instrumentalist Adrian Terrazas to leave (which they did amicably) and coincidentally or not, the band has created their most restrained, easily accessible and flat-out different album yet. If they hadn't already won a Grammy ("Best Hard Rock Performance" for 2008's "Wax Simulacra") and weren't already on their way to being one of the biggest bands on the planet, you might say this is their attempt to reach the masses. But, they've already done that, and if we've learned anything about Omar it's that he bends for no one (as he said earlier, "This is my band. You'll be playing my music. If you're not okay with a dictatorship then this is not the place for you") and he certainly isn't catering to any sort of radio play or MTV presence.

Omar & Cedric - The Mars Volta

"This record is definitely a mellow record. It's a melancholy record," says Omar. "It is not aggressive; it is the opposite of Bedlam. If Bedlam was asphyxiation and claustrophobia and fire and darkness, this is space, water, there's this calmness to it. It's definitely a new chapter, and that for me [is the most important thing] because my biggest fear is repeating myself, having one record sound just like the next one."

While Octahedron is receiving high marks precisely because of this change in course many longtime fans of the heavy, never-ending onslaught of their prog past may feel a bit letdown.

"Unfortunately for a certain type of fan that's [inevitably going to happen] - they want to relive whatever record, the second record, the third record, whatever record it was when they fell in love with their girlfriend, whatever record it was when they fell out of love or when they went through this traumatic experience. Whatever it was they latched onto they want to relive that feeling, but from the complete other side, from the creative point of view, it's the exact opposite - you want to have a brand new feeling, you don't want to relive feelings. You want to feel like you've moved on."

Clearly Omar has moved on from the weight of Bedlam, placing more emphasis on eerie, tension-filled ballads over psychedelic cliff hangers (although there are plenty of head-shredding moments), but Octahedron is still very Mars Volta and if you really have been following the band's career it shouldn't be that much of a surprise.

Omar by KJGuch

"I've been talking about making [this kind of record] for years with the people in my group. I've been saying I want to make a record that's just like the mellower sounding stuff like 'Televators' on the first record or 'Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holly Anymore' on the second record, things like that, the really moody stuff that we do. I want a record like that," enthuses Omar. "And I just love it so much. It sounds so fresh and exciting to me, and it's a record I can listen to right now! Normally when I finish a Mars Volta record that's it, I can't hear it again."

But, that's really only half the story. After the writing and recording comes touring, and considering the Volta put on one of the most technically impressive, wildly chaotic, critically acclaimed, fan-worshiped hard rock shows around, the live thing actually supersedes the album.

"The record can never compare, not even close. As much as someone might enjoy the record, it can never come close to what it is we do live," remarks Omar. "Another thing I'm getting into is I want to be able play more songs when I go on tour. We've been playing theses same songs and some of them just go on forever. I love the fact that we'll be able to have mellower stuff in the setlist and mix them in. If you saw us this last year, seeing a Mars Volta show was sort of like being punched in the face the whole time [laughs]. It will be really nice after a year of touring like that, of just fucking boxing every single night, it will be really cool to present a film with dynamics."

Yet as much as Omar is driven by his artistic desires, he's only human and, like all of us, he wants to be liked. There is a distant concern about how longtime fans (who are viewed almost like friends) are going to swallow this mellower stage of the Volta's career. It's a classic scenario for bands, but the great ones never stop pursuing their muse - Screw expectations! Who cares what already works?!? - and Omar knows this. But a little confirmation never hurts, and when I tell him that any real fan of the band as a whole (not one album or one song or one moment in time) will embrace this, and in fact doesn't care what songs the band plays they just want to experience whatever the artist wants to present - Omar is overcome with joy.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez

"Man, you just made my day!" he shouts. "I say that same thing so many times when I'm doing interviews and sometimes they [the interviewer] just has a blank look on their face. I often bring in this point that I'm a fan of music myself. I also like bands. And when I like someone, if I like Blonde Redhead or if I like Radiohead or whoever it is I like, I'm not going because I want to see what I think they should play. I always say exactly what you just finished saying - I want to see where their heads at. I want to see what their experiencing, what they're feeling, because I'm a fan."

And like Radiohead or Blond Redhead, heck, like all of us, Omar is getting older. He's no longer the angry, drugged out young punk, nor is he the 20-something scratching for his piece of meat. He's changing, growing, and just as any person striving to fulfill their potential must constantly evolve, it's critical that artists do the same. The problem is marketing schemes are built on re-packaging hits. They don't count on fans following a band into new terrain. But, it's the artists who flip-off the suits and do whatever the fuck they want as they constantly careen forward that become legends.

"It goes back again to a lot of people who are taught by society to try to relive moments, and then there are those of us who are looking for the next moment," says Omar with a dramatic pause. "Unfortunately, that's the sad the truth - people can't let go of the past, 'Oh remember the summer when... Remember this... Remember when I was young,' and it's why people have a midlife crisis and they end up piercing their ear and getting a Corvette. For me, I'm embracing getting older. I like that there's something new coming. I enjoyed the shit out of when I was younger, and I enjoy the shit out of every single era, but I definitely don't want relive it again. I already went through it. I want to go somewhere new."

The Mars Volta is on tour in Europe now. Dates available here.

For more on The Mars Volta see our 2006 exclusive feature/interview with Cedric here.

Since We've Been Wrong

JamBase | The Future
Go See Live Music!

Younger Brother Tour Adds
Shpongle and Prometheus

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 09:58:00 PST

LIVE BROTHER OUTING GETS SAUCIER

Younger Brother by Dave Vann

Younger Brother LIVE is scheduled to perform three intense performances next week, visiting New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia. After last year's successful West Coast run, the July performances will give East Coast fans the opportunity to see the super-group leading into the band's only confirmed festival appearance at Camp Bisco 8. Legendary Twisted Records artists Shpongle (Simon Posford) and Prometheus (Benji Vaughan) have been added to all three confirmed Younger Brother LIVE appearances. The addition of the world-renowned acts will keep the parties going well into the night.

Simon Posford and Benji Vaughan created the two-man partnership that would become Younger Brother after joining together in 2000 to create a studio track in support of Survival International, a charity that raises money for indigenous peoples worldwide. After producing their 2003 debut album (A Flock of Bleeps), the duo toured using computer equipment to mix the tracks live on stage. As the band moved away from a purely electronic sound for their second album (2007's The Last Days of Gravity) live musicianship became a part of the equation, with Simon and Benji playing the instruments themselves while Ruu Campbell contributed vocals to the now-growing, three-piece.

To support the album, the trio began to tour with an assembled band of musicians. Success brought the band to the United States in 2008 where, with their friend and collaborator Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits) cemented in the bassist's position, they worked to assemble a live band that would go on to deliver four, sold-out U.S. performances.

The stateside live band lineup, which included Tom Hamilton (guitar, Brothers Past and American Babies) and Joe Russo (drums, The Duo) worked out so well that the super-group decided to record the third, as-yet-unnamed Younger Brother album, together, in London, late in 2008. The album is set for release in 2010 on Twisted Records.

Younger Brother LIVE is Simon Posford (Shpongle), Benji Vaughan (Prometheus), Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits), Tom Hamilton (Brothers Past, American Babies), Joe Russo (The Duo), and Ruu Campbell.

The current list of confirmed Younger Brother LIVE dates is as follows:

July 9 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY (Late Show after Umphrey's McGee/Matisyahu at Central Park Summer Stage)
July 10 - The Sonar - Baltimore, MD
July 11 - The Fillmore at the TLA - Philadelphia, PA
July 17 - Camp Bisco 8, Indian Lookout Country Club - Mariaville, NY

Black Star | 05.30 | New York City

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 09:33:00 PST

Words & Images by: JC McIlwaine

Black Star :: 05.30.09 :: Nokia Theatre Times Square :: New York, NY

Black Star :: 05.30 :: NYC

Mos Def and Talib Kweli recently gave the hometown crowd a gift, reuniting as Black Star at Manhattan's Nokia Theatre for two back-to-back shows in one Saturday night. The hip-hop phenoms, both legends in their own right, split a decade ago after one highly-acclaimed and commercially successful album, and have gone on to shine individually in their solo careers. Both are frequently featured on each other's tracks, but the spectacle of the two MCs sharing the same stage is a rarity.

Backed on the turntables by J. Rocc of Beat Junkies fame (not to be confused with J-Rocc the professional wrestler), Mos Def and Talib Kweli dug up many tracks from 1998's self-titled Black Star, but also drew on the breadth of their solo material created since. Black Star. Tracks like "Definition/Re:DEFinition," "Children's Story" and "K.O.S. (Determination)" were interspersed with Mos Def ditties "Sunshine" and "The Panties" and Kweli keepers "Supreme Supreme" and "Move Something."

Even though the pair was touching down for their reunion in Manhattan, Brooklyn was a recurring theme of the night. Mos Def cracked in the first show, "We got love for the whole city but we come out Brooklyn-swinging first and then all y'all is riding with us." His song "Brooklyn" peppered the other songs of the set, as the duo returned to its verses several times throughout the night.

The timing of the show couldn't have been better, as Mos Def's new album, The Ecstatic, was set for a June 9 release. Talib put the question to Mos, "Don't you got an album coming out?" to which Mos responded, "Cuz I'm dope." "What's the name of the album?" prodded Talib. "Cuz I'm dope," replied Mos, continuing the joke, "the new single 'Cuz I'm Dope' from Cuz I'm Dope Records."

Mos Def - Black Star :: 05.30 :: NYC

The crowd, itself ecstatic to see these two back together in action, was treated to a small taste of Mos Def's new material in the form of a song called "History," as both men rapped over a beat made by legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla. The song was a nice tribute to the now deceased co-producer, who died of a blood disease in 2006. At one point J. Rocc paused his turntables long enough for Mos Def to continue a capella: "Every soul got born today/ It's where you been and where you be/ It start then it end/ Then it just go round again." Mos Def and Talib Kweli (who raps on the studio version) went on to run down a list of rap stars dead before their time, including the aforementioned J Dilla, as well as Jam Master Jay, Biggie Smalls, 2Pac and Big Pun.

Respects paid, the two quickly returned to giving props to Brooklyn, with a couple of mentions of their borough of choice thrown into Kweli's hit "Get By." They spun through a quick album-like version of the song before J. Rocc rewound and reloaded to give them a crack at a remix version. "Brooklyn wins again/ It's the Stuy/ It's the Bush/ Ta' Kweli, Mighty Def," rapped Mos on the lead-in to the second go-round.

Between songs, Mos Def joked, "We out here old school, without the cordless mics." Kweli jumped in, "Y'all know about the cordless mics? J. Rocc, play something - it's gonna take some time to figure this shit out." Quicker than expected, the three launched into "Umi Says," a track off of Mos Def's Black on Both Sides, before ending the set with Black Star's "Respiration."

"New York City, we love you!" Mos Def called to the crowd as he, Talib and J. Rocc left the stage. An hour later they would be back with another set for a new set of fans lucky enough to experience what Kweli called "The Black Star Extravaganza."

Continue reading for more pics of Black Star in New York...

JamBase | Brooklyn
Go See Live Music!

Tiny Vipers:
Life On Earth

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 07:18:00 PST

By: Ron Hart

Seattle's Jesy Fortino, who records and performs under the moniker Tiny Vipers, has a beautiful, husky voice that could no doubt earn her some massive exposure if she chose to brighten up her sound and market herself to the music supervisors helming the corporate chick flick machine. However, it seems as though Fortino prefers to keep her unique, dark country songs compatible with films along the lines of No Country For Old Men and Paris, Texas than He's Just Not That Into You.

Initially recorded at her home before relocating the production to an analog recording studio in Austin, TX, the material comprising Tiny Vipers' second full-length is a stark affair, akin to Roseanne Cash pairing up with Rick Rubin to continue her father's American Recordings series or The Cowboy Junkies re-recording The Trinity Sessions with Stephen O'Malley from Sunn o))). Tracks like "Development" and the ten-minute long title cut are both perfect examples of the kind of epic doom country this gal is capable of, sparse sweeping narratives that blow across your stereo like tumbleweeds. It's gonna be very interesting to see what Fortino turns out when she decides to go electric, hints of which can be heard on the atmospheric space-out "Twilight Property," while the album's closing number "Outside" could pass for a long, lost relative of another downer classic in the Sub Pop catalog, Joe Pernice's Chappaquiddick Skyline. Life On Earth (arriving July 7) is a great sophomore effort from one of the Pop's most promising rising stars.

JamBase | Tumbling Along
Go See Live Music!

The Horse's Ha:
Of The Cathmawr Yards

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 07:06:00 PST

By: Dennis Cook

The shaking cry of a slide flowing over guitar strings ushers in somber male-female vocals, emotions further stoked by contemplative cello. That the song in question, "Plumb," begins with a talking woodcut and ends ominously, "They keep their distance til the clocks struck dumb for each new search has depth to plumb," fast cements the appealing strangeness and conscious inquiry of The Horse's Ha, a collaboration with Janet Beveridge Bean (Freakwater, Eleventh Dream Day) and James Elkington (The Zincs), who both break new ground here, tapping hitherto unknown ache and effervescence. Hush is the general rule within these Yards (released June 9 on Hidden Agenda), a contemporized gloss on what The Platters, Julie London and other '50s/'60s notables wrought when quiet things could still be pop. There's no radio station aside from the ones in our iPods that's likely to grab onto this gem, which shifts and changes color as you move it in the fading light. This is ideal listening for out-of-bounds, pre-dawn hours where you've played Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" a few times and want some kindred spirit with new bone-weary observations on heart and humanity to help you finish off the bottle's dregs.

A Few Road Songs

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 06:19:00 PST

SOME HIGHWAY HYMNS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Whether you're packing up the car, heading to the airport or just dreaming about what being away might be like, road songs have a way of taking one away. With the Fourth of July weekend upon us many of JamBase's faithful are headed to Rothbury and High Sierra, others taking advantage of the summer's touring buffet in their home towns, but as music lovers there's much to be enjoyed out there. Go see some live music if you can, maybe put a few miles of asphalt under your wheels, and in the meantime enjoy this small selection of choice road songs to help inspire your own travels�if only in your mind.

Tom Petty is meant for car stereos and white line fevers, and few are better blasted loud with the windows down than this one.

Trust us, you'll be quoting this Buck 65 jewel before you know it.

The road has a way of making one thoughtful, and Cat knows a bit about that.

This one goes out to all the musicians humping it around this weekend, bringing music into our towns and making the world a better freakin' place.

And one more for our touring beloveds.

Sometimes the highway is a scary place and home is a tantalizing oasis that pulls at us with strong gravity. Ol' Bob counts it down for us.

Our travels, say on the back roads of Tennessee or other more rural locales, sometimes has us passing through small, somewhat forgotten little towns. Chatham County Line penned a humdinger about such stretches.

At times it seems there's asphalt in the veins of Tea Leaf Green given how well they encapsulate the pleasures and lures of traveling 'round.

Dream Theater takes Deep Purple's classic rocker for a raucous test drive.

We conclude with a great road ditty from Assembly of Dust's main man that neatly encapsulates the ying-yang of traveling the byways of this great country. Thanks, Reid!

Old Crow Med Show: Live DVD

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 05:34:00 PST

A COUPLE FINE NIGHTS IN DECEMBER CAPTURED FOR POSTERITY

OCMS

Most loved for their infectious live shows, Old Crow Medicine Show (OCMS) will release their first live concert DVD, Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre, on August 18.

Directed by Lee Tucker (who also directed the band's videos for "Wagon Wheel" and "Tell It To Me"), Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre was recorded over two nights last December and features performances of 20 songs - 15 of which are from the band's three studio albums (OCMS, Big Iron World, Tennessee Pusher). The DVD also includes five tracks from their live repertoire not found on their three studio albums: "Wheeling Breakdown," "Raise A Ruckus," "Reuben's Train," "Sally Anne" and "Shack #9."

Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre track listing:

Hard To Love
Down Home Girl
Trials And Troubles
I Hear Them All
Wheeling Breakdown
Raise A Ruckus
Caroline
Mary's Kitchen
Alabama High-Test
Reuben's Train
Hard To Tell
Humdinger
Next Go �Round
Tennessee Pusher
Sally Anne
Wagon Wheel
Tell It To Me
Fall On My Knees
Tell It To Me (reprise)
CC Rider
Shack #9

OCMS, along with Dave Rawlings Machine (featuring Gillian Welch), The Felice Brothers and Justin Townes Earle, also just announced The Big Surprise Tour, a traveling show of epic collaboration and good times that kicks off in Hampton Beach, NH on August 4. Find more details here.

Here's a glimpse at the upcoming DVD.

The Dodos: Album & Tour

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 05:18:00 PST

The Dodos Announce U.S. Fall Tour To Coincide With Third LP

The Dodos

With a title like Time To Die, you might think San Francisco's Dodos' third disc is their "mature album," a deadly serious undertaking punctuated with string sections and synths - but it's not. While indie rock's go-to guy, Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Fleet Foxes, The Shins), hopped behind the boards this time, the Dodos' wildly-percussive style is still centered around two key elements: the punchy percussion of Logan Kroeber and the Fahey-infused finger-picking of frontman Meric Long. Oh sure, you'll hear a horn blast here and there, but it's never enough to distract you from the group's riffs and rolls.

"We were able to keep things simple on this record," says Long, �When your band gets a little popular, there's this tendency to say things like, 'Let's add an orchestra on this one!' That works for some people, but it would detract from this band."

As right as Long may be, Time To Die introduces one major addition to the Dodos' creative core: Keaton Snyder, a 21-year-old music school dropout who plays a mean vibraphone. As Long puts it, "He's a better musician than Logan and I combined. I don't even know what's going on with his music theory ideas half the time."

You'd never know Snyder was the Dodos' third man without looking at the new album's liner notes. Not because he's missing in action half the time; he's just locked in step with Long's steady-handed strumming and Kroeber's cannon-like beats. That, and Snyder's actual sound/physical presence isn't all that different than the visceral elements explored on the Dodos' previous two albums, 2006's Beware of the Maniacs and the band's buzz-stirring breakthrough, 2008's Visiter.

Dodos Tour Dates
07/09/09 Thu Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, ON
07/10/09 Fri Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, ON
07/11/09 Sat Festival International de Jazz de Montreal Montreal, QC
07/17/09 Fri Melt Festival Graefenhainichen, GER
07/18/09 Sat Dour Festival Dour, BEL
07/25/09 Sat Subterranean Chicago, IL
08/08/09 Sat J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles, CA
08/28/09 Fri Outside Lands Festival San Francisco, CA
09/02/09 Wed Thekla Bristol, GB
09/03/09 Thu Bush Hall London, GB
09/04/09 Fri King Tuts Glasgow, GB
09/05/09 Sat Ruby Lounge Manchester, GB
09/10/09 Thu Molotow Hamburg, GER
09/26/09 Sat Henry Miller Memorial Library Big Sur, CA
09/27/09 Sun El Rey Theater Los Angeles, CA
09/28/09 Mon Casbah San Diego, CA
09/29/09 Tue Club Congress Tucson, AZ
09/30/09 Wed Modified Phoenix, AZ
10/02/09 Fri Pontiac Garage @ House of Blues Dallas, TX
10/03/09 Sat Orange Show Houston, TX
10/04/09 Sun Zilker Park Austin, TX
10/06/09 Tue Club Downunder Tallahassee, FL
10/07/09 Wed The Earl Atlanta, GA
10/08/09 Thu Grey Eagle Asheville, NC
10/10/09 Sat Talking Head Club Baltimore, MD
10/12/09 Mon First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
10/13/09 Tue Music Hall Of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
10/14/09 Wed Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
10/15/09 Thu Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, MA
10/16/09 Fri La Sala Rossa Montreal, QC
10/17/09 Sat Lee's Palace Toronto, ON
10/19/09 Mon The Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
10/20/09 Tue Turf Club St. Paul, MN
10/22/09 Thu Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
10/24/09 Sat Neurolux Boise, ID
10/25/09 Sun Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
10/26/09 Mon Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC

JamBase

Rothbury | 07.02 | Day 1 Photos

HSMF | 07.02 | Day 1 Photos

Badfish: 4th Garden Grove Fest

Madness: New Album

David Byrne | 06.26.09 | Berkeley

Friday Playlist

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: New Album

Omar Rodriguez Lopez: Genius Set Free

Younger Brother Tour AddsShpongle and Prometheus

Black Star | 05.30 | New York City

Tiny Vipers:Life On Earth

The Horse's Ha:Of The Cathmawr Yards

A Few Road Songs

Old Crow Med Show: Live DVD

The Dodos: Album & Tour

Younger Brother Tour Adds
Shpongle and Prometheus

Tiny Vipers:
Life On Earth

The Horse's Ha:
Of The Cathmawr Yards