Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Alright so I haven't been doing this nearly as much as I would like. However, I have been working on uploading some music. So here it is.

This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while. Well here is the first show I have uploaded. It is JGB 1989-08-26. This seems to be a first come first seve basis. First 10 get it. Also this is the show with Jimmy Cliff singing Harder They Come.

http://rapidshare.com/files/213943394/jgb89-08-26.fob-nak700.reutelhuber-miller.21789.sbeok.shnf.rar.html

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DPLCJK5Y (this one should be around for a while as opposed to the rapidshare one)

I might have forgot the text file in the .rar so here it is:
8/26/89 - Jerry Garcia Band

Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA

University of California Berkeley



Recording Info:

(FOB/Split/Hat) Nakamichi 700/CP701 ->

Reutelhuber P/S ->

dbx 221e type II Encoder ->

Cassette Master (Sony TCD5m)

Set One:

d1t01 - Tuning

d1t02 - Cats Under The Stars

d1t03 - They Love Each Other

d1t04 - Forever Young

d1t05 - Band Intros

d1t06 - Run For The Roses

d1t07 - Mission In The Rain

d1t08 - Harder They Come*

d1t09 - Deal



Set Two:

d2t01 - How Sweet It Is

d2t02 - Stop That Train

d2t03 - Waiting For A Miracle

d2t04 - Think

d2t05 - My Sisters And Brothers

d2t06 - That Lucky Old Sun

d2t07 - Midnight Moonlight



Lineup:

Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals

John Kahn - bass

Melvin Seals - keyboards

David Kemper - drums

Jaclyn LaBranch - backing vocals

Gloria Jones - backing vocals

* with Jimmy Cliff On Vocals


My next installment is going to be a 1973 Old and In The Way show. This is for Gopher and DeadheadDave in their quest for bluegrass.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N76WSOD3 1973-06-06

Alright guys, here is some Jerry SOLO. The only solo shows he ever did as discussed elsewhere on here. They are two concerts an Early and a Late show.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=02Y8SBEY Early Show
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GG5TL3VG Late Show

Happy late Valentine's Day. 2-14-76
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CHEGN3CT set 1
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LL8IQ5DW set 2

Jerry Garcia- Not Fade Away
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=P6GC4FLM
This is not a concert but an internet radio station tribute to Garcia right after he died. This includes some interviews with Jerry and people that knew him. Also included is some Grateful Dead songs (most officially released) also some JGB and some stuff with Merl Saunders. This is in a radio format just as a warning for anyone expecting a concert. Still I think everyone should have this.

Reconstruction 1979-06-22 Keystone,Palo Alto
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CX25MQTX

I think this band and Garcia/Wales are my favorite side projects. Too bad both were short lived.


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FWV7JCP6

This is a Keith and Donna Band show 1975-08-20 Great American Music Hall. Sadly this is only the first set. Check out the instrumentals. Blistering Garcia work.

The Keith and Donna Band, on 20 August 1975, comprised:

Keith Godchaux - keyboards, backing vocals
Donna Godchaux - vocals
Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
Matt Kelly - harmonica
Mike Larsheid - bass
Steve Schuster - saxophone
Ray Scott - drums
Bill Kreutzmann - drums

Set 1
Disk 1
01. Tough Mama
02. My Love For You
03. Straight Life
04. Tuning
05. Come See About Me

Disk 2
01. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
02. Showboat
03. Instrumental
04. Tuning
05. Sweet Baby
06. Tuning
07. Instrumental


This is the first of a few non Garcia projects I plan to upload. Since this was a Jerry birthday show I figured it would make sense to do this one first.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Dead Symphony:A Symphonic Tribute to the Grateful Dead
8/1/08
Joseph Meyeroff Symphony Hall

source:Neumann SKM 140->Lunatec V2->Sony SBM1->Tascam DAP1

01.Finniculi Finnicula
02.Saint Stephen
03.Here Comes Sunshine->
04.Mountains on the Moon
05.Blues for Allah
06.Sugar Magnolia
07.To Lay Me Down
08.If I Had the World To Give
09.Stella Blue->Jam->
10.Bird Song
11.China Doll
12.Finniculi Finnicula
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T646VDAF

Monday, March 23, 2009

It's Been A While

Lately I have been pretty busy. Almost everyday has been a new disc golf experience. I lost a disc on Thursday in the bottom of a swamp. That wasn't too cool. On Friday I saw a band called The Malah. They are based in Greenville, SC but are a regional band. This was the first time I have seen this band as a 3 piece. Every other time I have seen them they have played with 4 people in the band. They are very much like Sound Tribe Sector Nine. Which in my opinion is a good thing. I also saw the movie Last House On The Left. For those that do not know this is a remake of a Wes Craven film. Can't they make a new horror movie that is good without remaking all the old ones.(Halloween,Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine)

Also I have begun one of the most ambitious Grateful Dead listening projects I have ever done. I am planning on listening to every Dark Star ever performed(that was recorded). That is 231 Dark Stars.I am posting my reviews over at Lost Sailor Pub. So go and check that out.

In other news I have been listening to some amazing Garcia and Grissman stuff that I grabbed over at Grateful Breed. Then Inspiration Move Me Brightly has some amazing and not so amazing Bob Weir stuff that I have been listening to. Oh, also I got some of Robert Hunters albums. They aren't bad for what they are. The highlight would be Terrapin from Jack O Roses. This is the lyrically complete version.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

BoomBox @ Gottrocks

Last night I saw BoomBox at Gottrocks. BoomBox is a band featuring Keith and Donna Godchaux's son Zion. His music is interesting and fun. It consists of a Zion on guitar and vocals and someone else (can't remember his name) on drum machines and DJing. The highlight of the show was Shakedown Street(Grateful Dead)>I Want You(the Beatles). If these guys come to your town go and see them. It will be an all night dance party.



BoomBox Live at Wakarusa Music Festival on 2007-06-07 (June 7, 2007)
Source: 4 track post-mix: {AKG c452eb/vr-1/ck22 (~ 8' high, 3' separation, directly front of SBD) -> Apogee MiniMe @ 24bit/48khz -> AES/EBU + SBD L/R (tape outputs)} -> Busman W/T Mod. R-4 Pro @ 24bit/48khz (4x Mono)
Lineage: PowerBook G4/AudioDesk 2.04 (import tracks; set 4 track mix; Bounce to Disc w/ plug-ins on master fader: Dynamics v3.0.2 (light compression); ParaEQ v4.0.2; Trim (normalize)); split tracks; resample/dither to 16bit/44.1khz) -> .aiff -> xACT v1.58 -> FLAC (level 8)
Taped by: James Bartoli
1. Right Around 2 ->
2. After a While/Space
3. Midnight on the Run ->
4. Couldn’t Get It Right
5. intro ->
6. She’s So Heavy – Want You ->
7. Montereo ->
8. Superman

Alright now that I got the music done, let me tell you all about adventure driving. My windshield wipers have died on me recently. Well today is the first day it rained since that happened. Rainx is great but everything looked a bit mosaic to me. Thank god that my work is only 12 minutes away and I could drive on mainly back roads. This was a fun yet very uncalming drive to and fro. I would never suggest anyone to do this, at the same time it is a blast. Who needs safety?

As an added bonus to today's blog I am posting my friend JugglingZombie's review of Between the Buried and Me's album Colors.
Colors review
Here, I wrote a review of Colors :D


Between the Buried and Me - Colors

In order to give this review some context I would like to get a few quick things out of the way. First, I am not a music reviewer or even a writer. Second, I am of the opinion that this is one of the best albums ever made. Third, I understand that this is just my opinion and that others may not agree that it is as good an album as I say it is. Fourth, it is perfectly fine to have differing opinions on any form of art. Music is largely a matter of personal taste which makes it difficult to describe without making comparisons to other forms of music or art. The reason for making these comparisons is not to say that the music is the same. The reason I make comparisons to other music is because it is easier to do (as I said I am not a writer.)

Colors is one of those albums that must be listened to as a whole quite a few times before the concept settles into your brain like a warm blanket. Raging highs and slow numbing lows flow back and fourth like waves crashing on the shore. The album feels as complete as any you will ever hear in its 63 minutes. I will review each of the 8 tracks individually but I wouldn't recommend listening to any one song by itself. Colors is BTBAM's third full album of original songs although they also have "The Anatomy Of," an album of only cover songs. The Anatomy Of has covers from bands ranging from Pink Floyd and Queen to Pantera and Soundgarden. This gives you an idea of the broad range of influences that BTBAM use to create Colors. BTBAM have evolved from their hardcore and death metal roots into a style of music that defines the term "progressive" and Colors is the peak of that evolution to date.

The album starts off with "Foam Born (A) The Backtrack," a hell of an introduction only 2 minutes and 15 seconds in length making it the shortest song on the album. Keyboards and Queen style vocals immediately take you in and give you something to wrap your mind around. The lyrics are obscure but begin the theme of openness, being alone, evolution, human nature, and deep understanding that is repeated throughout the entire album. The song stays heavy on keys throughout but speeds up in tempo quickly. Distorted guitars and frantic drums slide in nearly undetected until you suddenly feel that you aren't listening to Queen and that this isn't a normal album.

The next track titled "Foam Born (B) The Decade of Statues," picks up right where the first track leaves off with no pause in between. The song starts fast and heavy and keeps it going with amazing metal and hardcore guitar work that will blow your mind over and over. The keyboard sounds stay in the background and the vocals explore both BTBAM's angry and peaceful sides in a short period of time but move back and fourth seamlessly. The track is 5 minutes and 22 seconds long, making it one of the shorter songs on the album. The song moves from the best core and metal to intricate jam style music before you can even grasp what is happening. Small guitar solos litter the song and move in and out on top of each other without being overpowering. The lyrics are hard to understand at first because they come quickly and there is alot of them as compared to the other tracks. Over time they start to form in your mind and give you a feeling of importance by themselves but work even better in context with the rest of the album.

The following track, "Informal Gluttony," is a little longer at 6 minutes 49 seconds but has less lyrics than the previous song. Like the first two there is no pause and the tracks bleed into each other. With the same theme of anger in the direction of society and the mundane this track floods the senses. The song begins with drums and bass that sound quite like a TooL intro that is complex in it's simplicity. It has a tribal feel that will peak your interest right away and builds on itself gaining momentum. The vocals start powerful and change the pace quickly to aggressive and fast. It moves from this frantic pace back to a slow chorus of "Feed me fear" that never feels the same way twice. The slower parts of the song will remind you again of Queen and TooL while the faster parts feel like Dillenger Escape Plan in their rabidness.

From there the album moves to the 11 minute track "Sun of Nothing." Again no pause and the album switches quickly to angry with lyrics reminding you that you are alone in the world with people all around you. The song has a good amount of lyrics but they repeat often. Grinding through, the song slows down and speeds up a few times as with most BTBAM songs. The guitar work in this song and the amazing vocals make this one of my favorite songs of all time. Near the middle of the song it gets a little silly with a keyboard heavy breakdown and then comes right back in with some amazing 2 guitar and bass work with off-time drumming. The music at this point reminds me of Dream Theater. After a few more slow-downs and speed-ups the Queen influence shows itself again and its momentum begins going backward for a good chunk of the song. At points it has an almost Phish style with soothing vocals and happy guitar and keyboard sounds. The lyrics "A spaceman, thats what they say I am" stick out in your mind, and there is a very slow and peaceful build that makes you happy to be alive. "I am floating torwards the sun, the sun of nothing" reprises a few times and the music gives you just that feeling. Then it builds and builds until the song ends on a fast pace.

At this point the album has filled out and in only three songs explored what seems to be every kind of music possible for a North Carolina "hardcore" band to play. But then you have the 13 minute and 12 second "Ants of the Sky." This song seems to criticize you for judging the music and moves you into a Metallica style 2 guitar solo that in its short life makes you turn your head. This leads into a keyboard heavy section of the song that uses an organ style effect that has a Doors sound (at least the keys do). Breakdown after breakdown keep you on your toes, and just when you think you have a feel for what is happening it goes somewhere else. All of the sudden you find yourself hearing a soulful guitar solo that seems to come straight from a Pink Floyd concert. The keys never let up and merge with the rest of the music so much that you almost forget to listen to them. More 2 guitar mini-solos keep you guessing until you seem to near the end of the song when suddenly it breaks into something you would never expect, what can only be described as a jam session with more Floyd style soul followed by a short bluegrass style section that emerges with the sound of a redneck bar in the background throws you for a loop. The song ends on more amazing guitar work and you are not sure if you just heard one song or fifteen.

After that epic track the last thing you would expect is another super complex mega-track so that is what you get. The 8 minute and 38 second "Prequel to the Sequel" has some fantastic bass lines that really stand out over time. The song is at times so complex that you have to hear it many times to appreciate what each instrument is doing. BTBAM keep the flow going from some of the softest lullabies to some of the heaviest death metal and merge it while you are left trying to take it all in. Keeping with the rest of the album there are lots of little 1 and 2 guitar and bass solos, double bass drumming with off-time beats, keys that burst fourth only when you don't expect it. About three quarters of the way through you get thrown into a slow breakdown with a polka sound, yes POLKA thats right POLKA. A guest vocalist (Adam Fisher of Fear Before the March of Flames) blends perfectly and the song gets as heavy as anything you will ever hear. Then as with most of the song on the album it goes back and fourth and ends where the next track begins.

"Viridian" isn't so much of a song but an opener for the last track. By itself it is an extremely mellow bass heavy solo with a soulful feeling. Any bass player should listen to this 2 minute 53 second song to hear some amazing technique. It works perfectly to pace the album and get you ready for one of the most mind blowing tracks you will ever hear. In the spirit of TooL's Parabol and Parabola Viridian goes into White Walls as a single unit.

Ahhh "White Walls"... In any given day, this 14 minute 13 second EPIC song will be the best part of that day. Beginning with a TooLesque intro it moves into spastic "mathcore" section that you will hear different parts of even if you listen to the track fifty times in a row. Extreme drumming keeps the pace jumping all over the place and the vocals fit perfectly. The music at this point becomes as complicated as any I have heard. This particular song makes me wonder how much jazz BTBAM's members listen to. The song stays pretty intense for a few minutes beating your eardrums to a pulp while you love every second of it. Then like the rest of the album it softens up at just the breaking point and you start to relax. Every instrument slows down and creates a peaceful atmosphere that you forgot existed during the past few minutes of badass metal you just heard. Some ambient sounds keep you listening as you don't know what to expect. The lyrics "This is all we have, when we die, it's what left of us when we die, we will be remembered for this," are true for the song and the album as a whole. Interviews with the band members show that it is as simple as it sounds, and that this song is about the music itself. It is about being human, making mistakes, and about exploration. The music "jams out" as well as any I have ever heard with some of the best guitar sweeps ever recorded. The 2 guitar work will literally melt your face. As it chugs along you get the meaning of the word "progressive" displayed for you on a silver platter. This is what progressive music should be, true brilliance. The song makes you feel every emotion possible and makes you understand that you are special. It moves around like a living being and you feel scared that you know it has to end. BTBAM could easily turn this 14 minute long song into a 60 minute long one and they let you know it. But, as they always do, they take you where you don't expect to go but you are glad they did. The piano outro leads you right back into the first track of the album, and if you are anything like me you are ready to listen again.

Now for yet another added bonus Colors performed live.












And for more BTBAM here is something to throw you off after watching the previous videos.
BTBAM-Bicycle Race

BTBAM- Us and Them

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Lazy Day

Today seemed rather incomplete to me. I went to work and we were slow. I came home with the intentions of cleaning. Although there is still a little time left to get some of that done, I am rather tired. Instead of being productive I ended up watching Street Kings on HBO. This was a great Charles Bronson Death Wish kind of movie. It starred Keanu Reeves and Forrest Whitaker. I almost forgot, the actor that plays House on TV was in it as well.

Another Good Day

Today I played disc golf again. I ended up going to the same park I was complaining about in an earlier post. When my friend and I made it the tenth tee we searched for the hole for at least 15 minutes. This is a open practice football field we are walking through looking in the woods for a yellow basket. When we found it, we realized what kind of disc golf hi-jinks were in front of us. The distance of this hole is 800+ feet. Not only that but there is a weird almost 90 degree angle once you make it through the football field. I am pretty sure I have improved since last time i played. Practice makes perfect right? Well after I played a good game of golf I got in the car and Sugaree came a blasting through my speakers. Which leads to the concert of the day. Here is a good Charlie Miller tape of 12/28/79. This has in my opinion the mother of all Sugaree's.



Source: Sennheiser 421 -> Cassette Master (Sony TC-158/Maxell UDXL-II90)
Lineage: Cassette Master (Nakamichi DR-1) -> Sound Devices 744T (24bit/96k) -> Samplitude Professional v9.12 -> FLAC/16
Taped by: Joani Walker
Transferred by: Charlie Miller

Set 1:
d1t01 - Tuning
d1t02 - Sugaree
d1t03 - Mama Tried ->
d1t04 - Mexicali Blues
d1t05 - Row Jimmy
d1t06 - It's All Over Now
d1t07 - High Time
d1t08 - The Music Never Stopped

Set 2:
d2t01 - Tuning
d2t02 - Alabama Getaway ->
d2t03 - Greatest Story Ever Told
d2t04 - Terrapin Station ->
d2t05 - Playing In The Band ->
d2t06 - Drums ->
d3t01 - Space ->
d3t02 - Uncle John's Band ->
d3t03 - I Need A Miracle ->
d3t04 - Bertha ->
d3t05 - Good Lovin'

Encore:
d3t06 - Casey Jones
d3t07 - One More Saturday Night

Also I HAVE to talk about the new Tarantino flick. This is the war movie he started working on before Kill Bill. That is 3 movies that he has finished and released before this movie. There is finally a preview for Inglorious Basterds. I dig WWII films already, but I think this will be the mother of them all. In violence at least. I could talk about this film, but since there is only a preview you can watch it.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Today

Ok. Now I am pissed. I just saw a commercial for Visa with the Smashing Pumpkins' song Today. I have accepted that there are a commercials with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Styx etc. The thing that angered me about this Smashing Pumpkins commercial was the fact that they had denied the song in the 90s for a Levi commercial. What was it that changed Mr. Corgan's mind? Perhaps Levi wasn't offering enough money or perhaps he doesn't have the money like he did in the 90s. This of course would explain why there is a band called the Smashing Pumpkins on tour and releasing albums, when its really just a disguised Billy Corgan solo project. Here is a quote I found about from the man himself. "Last year, I was offered heavy, heavy money to license ["Today"]. I actually turned down two huge, huge, seven-figure-plus deals last year for two songs.... At this point in my life, I don't feel comfortable. Those songs are the reason I'm alive. If your music is not sacred to the point where it's a really, really, really heavy decision about whether or not you would allow somebody else to exploit it, then what's not for sale?" -- Billy Corgan, 2004


Well today's concert will be from Smashing Pumpkins. Trying to remember better days of that band. 1995-10-23

DISC I

01. Tonight, Tonight
02. Jellybelly
03. Zero (take one)
04. (power failure)
05. Zero (take two)
06. Today
07. Disarm
08. Fuck You
09. Thru the Eyes of Ruby
10. Geek U.S.A.
11. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans

DISC II

01. Bullet with Butterfly Wings
02. Cherub Rock
03. Mayonaise
04. X.Y.U.
05. Baby Loves to Rock [with Cheap Trick]
06. If You Want My Love [with Cheap Trick]
07. Auf Wiedersehen [with Cheap Trick]

Monday, March 9, 2009

Horror Movies and Frisbee

Last night I saw Friday the 13th. This was NOT a remake like I was expecting. The killing seemed predictable at times, like the previous films. The acting was about equal to any other Jason film. The writers added more "depth" to Jason's violent habits. Gave him more of a purpose for the killing, rather trying to refresh the franchise. After all they took Jason to space and put him up against Freddy Krueger. They needed to make him "real" again.

Yesterday I started playing disc golf again. I love this sport. I walked around the woods for about an hour and threw frisbee. My only complaints of my golfing experience was the holes and tees were not marked. I literally stumbled upon the ninth tee by accident. I had to skip the tenth hole and 13th hole. Next time I go I plan on going to another course, hoping for a better experience.

The concert of the day comes from Phish once again. After I listened to the last weekends concerts I put on 12/30/97 MSG. You can get this concert from nugs.net.
http://stash.nugs.net/phish/971230_mp3.asp?artist=2&show=321&cmd=shows
The highlights from this concert were mainly in the second set. Harpua takes you on a weird long journey that includes a cover of 500 Miles. Also make sure you check out AC/DC Bag, this is a 25 minute monster that will leave you satisfied.

The Revolution Will Be Blogicized

I am not sure if that is even a word or even if its spelled right. This is my new internet home getting away from the nonsense of Myspace.

So over the past few nights Phish has played three concerts in Virgina at the now myth filled Hampton. Sunday's concert looked to be the most fulfilling setlist of the the three night stand. Phish being the nice guys that I hope they are, are giving away free mp3 downloads. www.LivePhish.com
All you have to is register and download them.


It is kind of sad that after the election I have pretty much stopped watching the news. I think the reason for that is simple. OVER EXPOSURE. Like all things in life, people are bound to get tired of things. After such an exhaustive election season (can we still call it a season since it was over 2 years?) I just stopped caring. When I do turn on the news I can't say things have changed too much. We are still at war, still in economic free fall. One way to get out of debt would be to tax every person 1 dollar until the debt is gone. This could work but as we are collecting all those dead president trading cards we continue to spend money. So that leads me to another idea. STOP spending money. Or we could just legalize some things. I will let you figure out what I am referencing. All I am saying is the American public wouldn't care about certain products being taxed highly. Hey, people still smoke cigarettes right?

In the future I will try my best to keep up my concert blogs and hopefully even start uploading concerts as time permits. Also you can start to expect some movie reviews. I think the new Witch Mountain movie comes out this week. Yeah, I know. Cheesy Disney movie, but it looks like a nice update to a pretty cool sci-fi idea.

This weekend was also highlighted by the discovery of a new favorite drink. An ice cold Guiness and a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey poured into it. This makes a great sipping drink. This is also a great chugging drink. Believe me, I know.