Music concerts and events for 2013 summer and spring

[crank]

Just got back from Mountain Jam. Had a great time. Really enjoyed the vibe and I have never hung out in that part of the world for anything other than skiing beg=fore. Went hiking, played disc golf on the mountain and enjoyed the music. We were going to bring mountain bikes but left them home because we figured the trails would be too wet and muddy. Would have been OK by Sunday. Lots of good music but no band really stands out in my mind as great.

Warren Haynes is probably my favorite living guitarist and I had never seen Govt. Mule before. I enjoyed them but they are a bit heavier, musically speaking, than I like. I thought Phil and Friends were good with some caveats, First, I liked John Scofiel's playing, but did not love his tone and thought he played a lot of inappropriate things at inopportune times. Second, there was a lot more space jamming than is necessary, ever. Third, Warren was using an octave effect for much of the show and while it's OK here and there, and maybe he was going for a JG sound, his normal tone is much better IMO. Also IMO effects like that should be used more sparingly.

Having said all that I really enjoyed the show. High points were Jeff Chimate's killer keyboard solos in Franklin's Tower and again when he cut loose in the second set. Also loved the covers of the Beatles He Said She Said and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

 

[catskillman]

agree totally about the jamming - overkill to the max!!!! I watched Widespread Panic on line. Shocked at how many stood in that driving rain to hear the jam go on and on and on.

 

[dmc]

Primus on friday in the mellow rain was INCREDIBLE!!!! i was surpised at the amount of people there.. I was figuring a couple hundred with the rain... But there was a couple thousand out there.... BOOOOOYA!!!
King fu in the lodge that night was SICK(new favorite band)..

Widespread Panic in the DRIVING rain was awesome!!! I have a new appreciation for them... Herring is a shredmaster.. Dave Schools is a GREAT bass player... Loved the setlist... Dug the groove and howthe set was laid out...

Mule on Saturday - no rain!!! Dried out up front by the stage.. Great set!!! Love MULE!!! Nice and exploratory... And trippy!!
Soullive late night outside was perfect - LOVE this band... Especially with the horns..

Jackie Greene... CRUSHED IT!!!
Phil Lesh was superb!! Scofield and Warren were awesome together... Trading licks back and forth... Sco was getting into some trippy loops that Phil just loved - flashing big smiles his way all night..!!! Improve isn't easy and there will be issues.. Sco brings the improve... The high moments blew away the low...
Chimate is the perfect foil to them.. That set was by far the most improved and exploratory I've seen in a long time.. Russo on drums.... Well... I love that guy...

Awesome weekend...

 

[crank]

Funny how different folks like different strokes. I though Jackie Green was just meh. Scofield kept trying to do call and response over Haynes and it was cool at times but just way too much. let the dude play for pete's sake. Big disappointment for me was that i was too tired to stay up for Soullive. I have been wanting to see them live for a few years now and thought this was my chance. Would have traded them for jackie Green's slot in a heartbeat. Improv ain't that hard; it's what these guys do every day.

 

[dmc]

Anyone can improve... But doing it in a band is whats tough...

I've been to Scofields master classes... I get what he was trying to do...
These guys were obviously unrehearsed.. But the jams were great.. I was up close and Warren was psyched at Sco's playing.. I don't think he minded stepping back to let Sco go.... I fukcing love Scofield... If you couldn't tell.. haha

Again - to me... That was the best Phil show I've seen in a while... I harkened back to original days of Phil and Friends...

I'd rather have Soullive on a night when we can funk out in the dirty dark and get crazy and dance around.....

 

[crank]

It was obvious, I agree, that they were unrehearsed. And I think they did a good job...Scofield did have some nice jazzy runs. He also shows a lot of patience in his solos which many guitarists lack.I actually preferred the only other Phil and friends show I have seen which was last year's Vibes with Jackie Green and Larry Campbell. I was hoping Campbell would be in the mix last night as he is local and Phil played the ramble Saturday. I get what you are saying about Soullive...just that I really wanted to catch them but couldn't hang that late. Getting old I guess.

 

[dmc]

I love Phil... Every type of Phil..
From dropping bombs with the Grateful Dead or getting exploratory with Warren to jamming with his boys at Levon's...
The GOTV show was great!!! Love Jackie and Larry and Teresa... So good...

Next month I go see him at the Capitol..
Russo - JK and JOHN MEDESKI and SCOFIELD... You may want to miss that one... Medeski and Sco together will be really improved and crazy... .

 

[dmc]

agree totally about the jamming - overkill to the max!!!! I watched Widespread Panic on line. Shocked at how many stood in that driving rain to hear the jam go on and on and on.

Bummer for you - to some of us - it was heaven...
We're skiers.. We can handle a little weather.. All my Hunter crew was out and raging!!!!! So much fun..

 

[crank]

I just saw Further at the Cap a few weeks back. (Pre Bob Weir's fainting spell) After Mtn. Jam I am getting burnt on Dead bands and will gladly wait until the Vibes for another dose.

Friday's rain definitely cut down the amount of time I spend at the festival. Did not rush out to get on the road Friday morning... but the rain was not as bad as it looked on the webcast.

 

[dmc]

After seeing Furthur at the Cap - the night before Bobby took the dive - I doubt I'll be rushing to see them again anytime soon..
It's good - but - there's nothing there that challenges my musical sense...

It's tough for me to turn down a Phil show... he's my hero...

 

[crank]

After seeing Furthur at the Cap - the night before Bobby took the dive - I doubt I'll be rushing to see them again anytime soon..
It's good - but - there's nothing there that challenges my musical sense...

It's tough for me to turn down a Phil show... he's my hero...

I thought you were a drummer? How can you have a bassist for a hero if you are a drummer.

 

[dmc]

I thought you were a drummer? How can you have a bassist for a hero if you are a drummer.

You don't know a lot about drummers...
We are connected to bass players at a very deep level....

A good bass player makes a drummer better... I love my bass players...

 

[crank]

I do know a lot about drummers and a lot about bass players. I know the importance of the connection between bassist and drummer, (though as a guitarist I live more on the snare than the kick) it's just odd (to me) that you don't have a drummer as your musical hero is all. I play guitar and have been in a bunch of bands; there are some bassists I will never play with again, some of those players are considered to be quite good but their style just does not work for me. There are bass players I love playing with and listening to. However, my musical heroes are guitarists.

 

[dmc]

I'm hero instrument agnostic.. I'm less about drumming and more about the ensemble..

I've always love Phil... He speaks to me musically - like Jerry did..
My other big hero is Chris Wood(MMW) - dude changed my style of playing more than a couple lessons with Billy Martin ever did..

Joe Russo is certainly one of my heros..
Levon is/was a hero too..
Billy Martin is a mentor of mine... and a hero...

Someone told me once - if you want a good lesson for learning drums take one from a horn(sax) player...
And they were right.. Although I've been getting lessons to re visit things like hand and body position - there's not a lot about my style that will change with that.. I get my new influences from a number of different players now. And they make me a more musical drummer..
My playing has changed drastically for the better since I've started that path..

 

[crank]

Good points. I learned a lot about soloing and improv from listening to Miles Davis. I've also learned a lot about guitar playing from listening to guys who's style does not really mesh with mine. I learned a lot about percussive playing from Neil Young and how to drive a rhythm from a guy who plays acoustic guitar in Irish Bands named John Doyle.

 

[dmc]

Perfect... Lets jam...

I learn a lot about phrasing from Miles...
Pure genius...

 

[catskillman]

Bummer for you - to some of us - it was heaven...
We're skiers.. We can handle a little weather.. All my Hunter crew was out and raging!!!!! So much fun..

We ski too, and in the rain. But standing in the rain and mud after surgery is not a smart thing to do.

 

[dmc]

We ski too, and in the rain. But standing in the rain and mud after surgery is not a smart thing to do.

For us healthy folks(sorry about your surgery) it's a very smart thing to do...
Assuming you like the band.. And own Gortex...

It really wasn't that bad.. I get weter snowboarding in the rain...

 

[180]

Mountain Jam was amazing once again! Rain or shine.

 

[dmc]

Mountain Jam was amazing once again! Rain or shine.

180 !!! Rockin the MJam field!!!