BOT Blog

Sorry things have been so quiet around here lately, but we just moved shop and are waiting for our internet to be installed. We will be back in full force this week as we take Austin by storm for SXSW, so stay tuned for tons of coverage in the coming days.

Smack dab in the middle of their famed run at New York's newly refurbished Beacon Theatre, the Allman Brothers Band invited a few choice guests to perform with them throughout the night. The first guest spot came from classic blues legend Buddy Guy, who took the stage with the already stellar guitar section of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks to perform through the Brother's hits "The Sky Is Crying" and "You Don't Love Me." Soon, the stage became a bit more crowded when Phish's Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell emerged from the wings for a nasty version of "Southbound." The second set found Anastasio and McConnell returning to the stage for the classic jam traditional "I Know You Rider" as well as "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" before leaving the band to finish out the rest of their set guest free. We found a few videos from the night posted on the front page of our friends over at Coventry Music Blog that we thought you all might like to check out.

The initial lineup for the 2009 edition of the Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival has officially been announced. The lineup is bigger than ever for the three-day festival that's set to take place August 13-15 at the campgrounds of Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR. Topping this year's bill is a strong bluegrass contingent that includes the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, the Avett Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Railroad Earth. Several other non-bluegrass acts will also be stopping by the fall event, including Squirrel Nut Zippers, Lotus and Tea Leaf Green.

Check out the full line-up after the jump

Mulberry Mountain Harvest Festival 2008

Photo by C. Taylor Crothers from the official Phish Flickr account
It's finally over, kids. The highly anticipated reunion of Vermont quartet Phish, took place this weekend, resulting in several thousand fans taking up every bed and floor space for miles surrounding Hampton, Virginia. According to reports, Trey, Page, Mike and John were on point throughout the three-night run, bringing tight jams to the masses. Clocking in at over four hours, the first of three nights featured several of their classic tunes, including opener "Fluffhead," as well as "Harry Hood" and "You Enjoy Myself." Night two had Phish opening with the appropriate "Back on the Train," which led them into another night of favorites including "Reba," "Run Like an Antelope" and "Mike's Groove." The final night, during which my good friend graciously held the phone up so I could hear some of the tunes, served as a good way to round out the weekend by playing most of the rest of their hits including "Wilson," "Bathtub Gin," "Silent in the Morning" and "Contact." Choosing to step outside of their catalog several times during the run, choice covers came in the form of The Rolling Stones' "Loving Cup," The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" and Beatles tunes "A Day In The Life" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

We will have more in the next few days, including an experience report from that same friend who let me listen to them jam over the phone. For now, check out the setlists and a few videos that have popped up over the past few days, and also download the free mp3s from all three nights after the jump.

Songwriters have always held a special place in my heart. I attribute much of this to musical influences from my parents in my younger years, for which I am quite thankful. To me, it says something about an artist if they can stand in front of a packed out audience armed with nothing but a guitar and their voice, and keep everyone interested. Throw in a little bit of storytelling, and it sounds like you’ve got an evening of it. Tuesday, March 3rd was just that at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, NE. The sold out venue, which was seated for the first time I’ve seen, was jazzed up for an intimate night with newcomer Jonny Burke and the classic Todd Snider.

Todd Snider

More pictures and a review on the evening after the jump.

Swedish folksters Loney, Dear made their way through Houston, where they entertained a mostly seated crowd of about 50 upstairs at Rudyard's. Mixing well-penned lyrics with crafty musicianship, this fivesome proved to be quite entertaining both musically and comedically from start to finish. Frontman Emil Svanängen, for whom the name Loney, Dear serves as a pseudonym, was very talkative over the hour-plus of music he and his bandmates treated us to. Between each song, Svanängen provided the audience with social commentary about subjects ranging from Reality Bites, Warren G's "Regulate," opening cans of whoop ass and most importantly (to them at least) Stockholm football. The short set was chock full of acoustic guitar-laden folk music, enhanced by each member's quality musicianship on auxiliary instrumentation. "Ignorant Boy," "Violent" and especially the semi-solo version of "I Am John" stood out from the rest of their incredibly solid catalog that was on display that particular Tuesday evening. I hope to catch Loney, Dear again in a few weeks at SXSW, especially since Cereal is kicking herself for missing this show.

I took some pictures and videos from the evening, which you can view after the jump.

The creators and actors behind famed faux rock group Spinal Tap – Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer – are set to hit the road this spring on what's being dubbed the "Unwigged and Unplugged" tour. Hitting most major markets throughout North America – including a stop at Houston's Jones Hall – Guest, Shearer and McKean will be stripping their performances down to an acoustic format, which will include selections from This Is Spinal Tap as well as their other music mock-umentary, A Mighty Wind. On top of being comedic geniuses, each member are accomplished musicians who will not only entertain with their words, but also their instruments.

Check out the full list of dates after the jump

Two nights ago, former drummer Bud Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson, of the famed 90's punk/ska/reggae/etc. group Sublime, reunited with a new singer to perform the songs Bradley Nowell helped make famous before his untimely death in 1996. While I still have mixed feelings on this reunion, sans an original key member, it is most definitely huge news in the world of music. Sublime have influenced so many bands that are currently making rounds on the circuit – Jack Johnson, Slightly Stoopid, Spearhead, No Doubt, G. Love, Blackalicious, Ozomatli, Pennywise and several other groups have been known to cover their songs regularly. Moreover, I was heavily influenced by Sublime – they made me fall in love with many different genres of music and helped me to spread my wings outside of the closed punk and ska box that I was stuck in throughout my early teens. No, it's not Bradley up there belting away his tunes (the new guy's name is Rome), but it is still the original music makers, dusting off their songs and keeping them alive.

Someone posted a few videos of the performance, which unfortunately have horrible sound. Still, for those of you who have read this far and are still excited, I recommend spending the next ten minutes watching these.

Check out the video for "What I Got" after the jump

Houston's Warehouse Live played host to somewhat of a Denver, Colorado showcase, with DeVotchKa, and their friends Crooked Fingers, taking the Studio by storm. Crooked Fingers fused their brand of standard indie rock with touches of gypsy and klezmer music. Throughout their supporting set, they focused on the acoustic stylings of frontman/former Archers Of Loaf singer Eric Bachmann. Throughout the set, DeVotchKa violin player Tom Hagerman added his skills to a number of songs, filling out their sound. Even working as slimmed down trio, Crooked Fingers came through with a complete sound, flooding the scattered room from the stage to the bar.

DeVotchKa never puts on a sub-par performance. Their quirky instrumentation (accordion, theremin, sousaphone, trumpet, bouzouki, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and of course bass, drums and guitar), and even quirkier personalities almost guarantee a good time, even if they don't play a note. Thankfully they did choose to perform, which they did marvelously for almost two hours to an extremely attentive audience. When they performed their Little Miss Sunshine hit "How It Ends," it was so quiet that I was unsure if I was still in Houston. It was a great treat for us to have these two bands stop and play, especially in such a small venue as Warehouse Live's Studio.

I took a bunch of photos and videos from the show that are posted after the jump.

DeVotchKa

Crooked Fingers

I've been listening to LA's Everest for some time now – their excellent debut album Ghost Notes appeared at #12 on my top albums of 2008 list, and "Reloader" was included on my top songs of 2008 post – but it wasn't until recently that I realized just how infatuated I am with this band. Their sound is an ear-friendly blend of Americana and indie rock that lends itself well to a variety of occasions. It's lively enough to throw on while entertaining guests, but also soothing enough to make for great bedtime music. I haven't yet had the opportunity to see these guys live, but after watching a few videos of them on stage, I'm convinced that they would exceed my expectations. I hope they make a stop in my area sometime soon...and if they come through Houston, I'd love to see local Americana/folk craftsmen Buxton open for them – that would be a heavenly pairing indeed.

More Everest videos, info and tour dates after the jump

Full track listing for Causes 2 after the jump