Category: Reviews
Show Review ~ Like Minds Local Music CD Release Party with Max Allen Band, Landon Keller, & Root Hog
Hidden Relic Review by Joey Buttram
Album ~ “Trick or Treat: The Best of SCI” by String Cheese Incident
“The String Cheese Incident unveils their new live release, Trick Or Treat, TODAY! The timing is fitting, considering 2-CD/2-LP set was culled from a variety of epic SCI “Hulaween” shows. From Philadelphia’s Electric Factory (1999), Portland, Maine’s State Theatre (2000), NYC’s Theatre at Madison Square Garden (2001), Sin City’s Cox Pavillion (2003) and the Exhibition Center @ Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin (2004) – Trick or Treat journeys through the years to re-visit some of the band’s most classic Incidents from Halloweens past.
This Best Of set offers seven of SCI’s famous Halloween cover sets including String Cheese performing songs by such artists as the Beatles, KC & The Sunshine Band, Phish, Nelly and many others. Trick or Treat features brand new original artwork from Michael Everett, and will also be available separately as a 9-disc Trick or Treat Deluxe Box Set.”
Disc 1
10/31/ 2000: Portland, ME State Theatre
1. Land s End 10:36
2. Walking on the Moon 08:40
3. Come Together 06:02
4. The Wedge 06:39
5. Get Down Tonight 07:57
10/31/ 2003: Las Vegas, NV Cox Pavilion
6. Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite! 05:29
7. Hot in Herre 10:40
8. War Pigs 09:42
9. Freeker By The Speaker 12:57
Disc 2
10/31/1999: Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
1. Exodus 8:19
2. Under African Skies 7:38
3. Tightrope 4:49
4. LA Woman 10:37
10/31/2004: Madison, WI Exhibition Center @ Alliant Energy Center
5. Peace Train 5:11
6. Rock the Casbah 4:09
10/31 2001: New York, NY The Theatre at Madison Square Garden
7. So What 5:45
10/31/1998: Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
8. Round the Wheel 16:14
10/31/1999: Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
9. Restless Wind 07:45
Websites & Links: StringCheeseIncident.com | Trick or Treat: Best of the String Cheese Incident
Festival Review ~ River City Rock & Roll Festival 2009
Words & Photos by Joey Buttram of Hidden Relic
After Samesoul, Ekoostik Hookah took the stage with a wonderful mix of jammy songs of their ever-growing catalogue. Hookah is always a good headliner, and they sure through down in Madison. Clear Sound and Light did a great job, and I would definitely consider them for future events. Herm Productions also added a nice touch to the stage with their fantastic light work.
About the Album ~ “Blood Of Man” by Mason Jennings
From the Artist“It all kinda started at Christmas when my sons and I were hanging ornaments on the tree. We have an ornament that is a little electric guitar and my six-year-old son was looking at it and asked, “What’s this Dad?” I said, “What??? It’s an electric guitar.” To which he replied, “What’s that?”
Well, I was kinda horrified so I ran downstairs and pulled out an old hollowbody electric (that is my wife’s), an amp and I came upstairs, plugged it in and ripped into “My Generation” by The Who. Well, my one son actually climbed me in point 2 seconds and leaped off my shoulders while the other one looked like I had plugged the lights on the tree into him. They flew around the room dancing for two straight wonderful hours. I got the point.
I grew up playing only electric and it was like remembering how to be free. For many reasons, it was so needed. So I got free. The next week I headed into my studio and recorded “City Of Ghosts” and away I went. I wrote about the war and being a parent in “The Field“, two topics close to my heart. I wrote about being a teenager and how heavy that time can feel and how it can shape the path you take. So, gratitude is in there somewhere. I wrote about doubts and fear, about God and Spirit, and about hope and possibility and things that are elusive and hard to name. I wrote mostly about them, and they came into the room like angels and beasts. This whole time I knew the record would be called Blood Of Man.
I also kept hearing two phrases in my head during recording. Maybe you can decipher them, for I know not where they come from or what they mean exactly: “Do you remember when the world was young?” and “In the beginning there was blood on the lamb.” Whew. I wrote about how hard it is to be 34 and be a parent and sane and married and true and positive and yourself and a man and funny and a decent person and a not decent person and human and in love. I turned the music up so loud so often that my ears rang every night.
I wrote about death, of course. I wrote about life. I wrote about pain and addiction. And I let it flow and left it raw. I worked fast and I let my heart lead. I guess I have come to the point in my life and my art where I just want to make music that I love and not mess with it. If people dig it: cool. If not: cool. I will be making it anyway. I have to. I realized that too. By the grace of god: I have to make music. More importantly: I get to. Also, before anything, I am a music listener.
So, this record has not been messed with in any way. What you have is exactly the music I listen to in my van and the way I have given it to my friends on CD-Rs. My hope is that it can help where help is needed. Music saved my life and I am so grateful for it.
Thank you for listening. Rock.”
Websites & Links: MasonJennings.com | Facebook | Twitter | Myspace | Archive.org
Wuhnurth Recap 2009 at The Waterbowl
I will have to say that this past weekend was probably the most fun weekend I’ve had all summer, from the Pre-Party with Shadyside to a late night dance party with Twin Cats at Wuhnurth! I for sure saw some amazing musicians THROW DOWN this weekend! Wuhnurth Music Festival was a complete success for Hidden Relic. We made new contacts, learned a few things, and most importantly we enjoyed the weekend with kindest family I’ve ever known.
Somewhere between 2,000-3,000 people flooded the Waterbowl to see good music, spread love, and support environmental initiatives. Smiling faces, dancing feet, and blue skies were the highlights of the weekend for me. All the bands were phenomenal, but I will say Pnuma Trio is now in my top 5 favorite bands.
More Reviews and Photos
Unearthed at Wuhnurth Video Documentary
DN Online “Ball State Daily News Online” Review
Wuhnurth Music Festival 2009 on Last.fm
Album ~ “Europe 72, Vol. 2” by The Grateful Dead
Editorial Review from Amazon.com
“Europe ’72 , a triple live album documenting its historic trek across Europe became not only one of the band’s best-selling releases, but also set the gold standard for live Dead. Now the group proves you can never get too much of a good thing when it revisits that legendary collection with Europe ’71 Vol. 2, an essential continuation of the original that includes more than two hours of unreleased performances from that storied tour.
Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux, who produced this 20-track compilation, says he only chose song titles that did not appear on Europe ’72 as a way to complement the original. “I think this album, coupled with Europe ’72, represents a complete overview of the tour in every way,” he says. “In fact, songs like “Beat It On Down The Line,” “Next Time You See Me” and “Sing Me Back Home” were selected by the Grateful Dead for the first set, but were left off because there wasn’t enough room.”
In a nod to the original, Vol. 2 features new cover art by Stanley Mouse, the artist who helped create the iconic artwork from Europe ’72, which features the return of the legendary Ice Cream Kid. “Trouble comes in many flavors. Ice Cream Kid is in hot water. The jury is out. His only defense is love,” says Mouse of the Kid’s return.
Recorded at various locations during the band’s 22-show tour, the collection captures the Dead in white-hot moments of improvisational revelry as the band explores a number of its most enduring songs, like “Bertha,” “Sugaree” and “Playing In the Band,” plus relatively obscure cuts like “Black-Throated Wind” and Pigpen’s “Chinatown Shuffle.”
As a special treat, the set includes an epic hour-plus jam that combines “Dark Star” and “The Other One.” Recorded at the Bickershaw Festival, it was the only show on this tour where the band broke out both of these beloved improvisational showpieces. Vol. 2 also includes “Good Lovin” and “Dire Wolf” from the April 26 show at Jahrhundert Halle in Frankfurt, West Germany. While much of that concert was released on 1995’s Hundred Year Hall, these particular tracks were not included and have remained unreleased until now.
The high-quality sound heard on Vol. 2 stems from painstaking work done by Jeffrey Norman, who has been the primary mixer of the Dead’s archival multi-track material for the past 15 years. For this release, he mixed each show from the original 16-track recordings while two-time Grammy®-winning engineer David Glasser mastered the music to HDCD specs.”
Websites & Links: Dead.net | Europe 72 Vol. 2