What are you listening to right now?

[bradm]

http://www.archive.org/details/craigpedersenquartet2010-11-03.oktava.flac16

The Craig Pedersen Quartet - (live recording) 2010-11-03, Cafe Nostalgica, Ottawa, ON

Aloha,

Brad

[Esau.]

[bradm]

Mike Essoudry's Mash Potato Mashers - (live recording) 2011-02-14, The Manx, Ottawa, ON

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Brad

[bradm]

The Barr Brothers - (live recording) 2010-11-13, La Sala Rossa, Montreal, QC

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Brad

[NewRider]

[bradm]

Mike Essoudry's Mash Potato Mashers - (live recording) 2011-05-14, Le Petit Chicago, Gatineau, QC

Aloha,

Brad

[Kanada Kev]

http://bit.ly/npnWS2

Phish - UIC, Chicago, IL 2011 (3-Night Run)

Here are the last three Phish shows of a fantastic Summer ‘11 run (that still has a few more gigs in Colorado at the beginning of September). This is definitely one of the best 3-night runs in recent Phish history. Enjoy.

Phish: Mon, Aug 15, 2011

UIC Pavilion, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Set 1: Back on the Train, Rift > Guelah Papyrus, Scent of a Mule, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Wolfman’s Brother, Anything But Me, Babylon Baby[1], Reba, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues

Set 2: Sand > Light > Dirt, Waves-> Undermind[2] > Steam > Fire

E: Camel walk, Guyute, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Hood

[1] Phish debut.

[2] Page on theramin

Notes: This show marked the Phish debut of Babylon Baby.

Phish: Tue, Aug 16, 2011

UIC Pavilion, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Set 1: Dinner and a Movie, Ha Ha Ha > Chalk Dust Torture, Mexican Cousin, Walls of the Cave, Runaway Jim > Foam, I Didn’t Know, Ocelot, Ginseng Sullivan, Wedge, Limb by Limb, Let It Loose

Set 2: Down with Disease[1] -> Twist > Backwards Down the Number Line > Theme From the Bottom > Golden Age -> A Day in the Life > You Enjoy Myself [2]

E: Heavy Things > Slave to the Traffic Light > Rocky Top

[1] Unfinished.

[2] Walk This Way teases.

Phish: Wed, Aug 17, 2011

UIC Pavilion, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Set 1: Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Gumbo, Possum, Weigh > The Divided Sky, Alaska, Bathtub Gin, Maze, Cavern, First Tube

Set 2: Crosseyed and Painless -> No Quarter > Timber (Jerry)[1] -> Tweezer > Prince Caspian > Piper[2] > Ghost > Makisupa Policeman[3] > Sleep > Buffalo Bill > Golgi Apparatus > Character Zero[1] > Run Like an Antelope [4]

Encore: Funky Bitch > Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise[5]

[1] Crosseyed teases and quotes.

[2] Crosseyed teases and quotes and Timber tease from Fish.

[3] Lyrics referenced Trey’s favorite music (“Dank Sinatra,†“Nat King Bowl†Harry Chronic, Jr.,†“Herby Hancock,†and “Van Inhalin’â€), as well as Page’s House and Mike’s House

[4] Makisupa teases and alternate lyrics referencing Fish’s House

[5] Crosseyed quotes

Notes: This show featured the first Forbin’s opener since November 3, 1989 (1,249 shows).

Sleep was played for the first time since August 7, 2009 (105 shows).

http://bit.ly/npnWS2

Edited August 18, 2011 by Guest

[bradm]

http://www.archive.org/details/beneventotrio2010-01-10.superlux.flac16

Marco Benevento Trio - (live recording) 2010-01-10, Le Divan Orange, Montreal, QC

Aloha,

Brad

[Kanada Kev]

http://bit.ly/n45rqB

Warren Zevon - The Wind

In late August of 2002, Warren Zevon was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a virulent and inoperable form of lung cancer; with his life expectancy expected to be no more than a few months, Zevon focused his dwindling energies on completing a final album, and The Wind, released a year after Zevon learned of his condition, was the result. With a back story like that, it’s all but impossible to ignore the subtext of Zevon’s mortality while listening to The Wind, though, thankfully, he’s opted not to make an album about illness or death (ironically, he already did that with 2000’s Life’ll Kill Ya) or create a musical last will and testament. While The Wind occasionally and obliquely touches on Zevon’s illness — most notably the mournful “Keep Me in Your Heart†and the dirty blues raunch of “Rub Me Raw†— in many ways it sounds like a fairly typical Warren Zevon album, though of course this time out the caustic wit cuts a bit deeper, the screeds against a world gone mad sound more woeful, and the love songs suggest higher emotional stakes than before. The Wind also lays in a higher compliment of celebrity guest stars than usual, and while obviously a lot of these folks are old friends wanting to help a pal in need, in some cases the ringers help to carry the weight for Zevon, who, while in good voice, can’t summon up the power he did in his salad days. And remarkably, the trick works on several cuts; Bruce Springsteen’s rollicking guest vocal on “Disorder in the House†offers just the kick the tune needed, Tom Petty’s laid-back smirk brings a sleazy undertow to “The Rest of the Night,†and Dwight Yoakam’s harmonies on “Dirty Life and Times†are the perfect touch for the tune. In terms of material, The Wind isn’t a great Zevon album, but it’s a pretty good one; “El Amour de Mi Vida†is a simple but affecting look at lost love, “Prison Grove†is a superior character piece about life behind bars, and “Numb as a Statue,†“Disorder in the House,†and “Dirty Life and Times†prove the prospect of imminent death hasn’t alleviated Zevon’s cynicism in the least. (It’s hard to say if he’s being sincere or darkly witty with his cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,†though he manages to make it work both ways.) And the assembled musicians — among them Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, and Jim Keltner — serve up their best licks without taking the show away from Zevon, who, despite his obvious weakness, firmly commands the spotlight. The Wind feels less like a grand final statement of Warren Zevon’s career than one last walk around the field, with the star nodding to his pals, offering a last look at what he does best, and quietly but firmly leaving listeners convinced that he exits the game with no shame and no regrets. Which, all in all, is a pretty good way to remember the guy. - allmusic

mp3@256CBR

Track List

1. “Dirty Life and Times†(Zevon) – 3:15

2. “Disorder in the House†(Jorge Calderón, Zevon) – 4:36

3. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door†(Bob Dylan) – 4:05

4. “Numb as a Statue†(Calderón, Zevon) – 4:08

5. “She’s Too Good for Me†(Zevon) – 3:12

6. “Prison Grove†(Calderón, Zevon) – 4:51

7. “El Amor de Mi Vida†(Calderón, Zevon) – 3:34

8. “The Rest of the Night†(Calderón, Zevon) – 4:41

9. “Please Stay†(Zevon) – 3:34

10. “Rub Me Raw†(Calderón, Zevon) – 5:44

11. “Keep Me in Your Heart†(Calderón, Zevon) – 3:28

Personnel

* Warren Zevon - acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals

* Gil Bernal - saxophone

* Jackson Browne - background vocals in “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door†and “Prison Groveâ€

* T-Bone Burnett - background vocals in “Prison Groveâ€

* Jorge Calderón - acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, maracas, background vocals, tres, Spanish vocals

* Mike Campbell - electric guitar

* Luis Conte - percussion, bongos, conga, drums, maracas

* Ry Cooder - slide guitar in “Dirty Life and Times†and “Prison Groveâ€

* Brad Davis - electric guitar, background vocals

* Steve Gorman - drums in “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Doorâ€

* Reggie Hamilton - upright bass

* Emmylou Harris - background vocals in “Please Stayâ€

* Don Henley - drums in “Dirty Life and Times†and “She’s Too Good for Meâ€

* Jim Keltner - drums

* David Lindley - background vocals, lap steel guitar, electric saz

* Randy Mitchell - background vocals, slide guitar

* Tom Petty - background vocals in “The Rest of the Nightâ€

* James Raymond - piano

* Timothy B. Schmit - background vocals in “She’s Too Good for Meâ€

* Tommy Shaw - background vocals, 12 string acoustic guitar

* Bruce Springsteen - background vocals and electric guitar in “Disorder in the Houseâ€, electric guitar in “Prison Groveâ€

* Billy Bob Thornton - background vocals in “Dirty Life and Times†and “Prison Groveâ€

* John Waite - background vocals

* Joe Walsh - slide guitar in “Rub me Rawâ€

* Dwight Yoakam - background vocals

* Jordan Zevon - background vocals

Disorder in the House is such a pure rocker of a song! It really needs to be cranked up. Just listen to what Springsteen adds to this track with his vocals and PARTICULARLY his guitar solo.

Keep Me In Your Heart This track chokes me up every time I hear it. To watch the video is even harder …. Enjoy every sandwich …..

http://bit.ly/n45rqB

[Esau.]

[Kanada Kev]

http://bit.ly/q7w1Xw

Betty Davis - Betty Davis

She was the first Madonna, but Madonna is more like Marie Osmond compared to Betty Davis. Betty was a real ferocious Black Panther woman. You couldn’t tame Betty Davis.

There is one testimonial about Betty Davis that is universal: she was a woman ahead of her time. In our contemporary moment, this may not be as self-evident as it was thirty years ago – we live in an age that’s been profoundly changed by flamboyant flaunting of female sexuality: from Parlet to Madonna, Lil Kim to Kelis. Yet, back in 1973 when Betty Davis first showed up in her silver go-go boots, dazzling smile and towering Afro, who could you possibly have compared her to? Marva Whitney had the voice but not the independence. Labelle wouldn’t get sexy with their “Lady Marmalade†for another year while Millie Jackson wasn’t “Feelin’ Bitchy†until 1977. Even Tina Turner, the most obvious predecessor to Betty’s fierce style wasn’t completely out of Ike’s shadow until later in the decade.

Ms. Davis’s unique story, still sadly mostly unknown, is unlike any other in popular music. Betty wrote the song “Uptown†for the Chambers Brothers before marrying Miles Davis in the late ‘60s, Betty’s impact on the immortal jazz trumpeter was tremendous. Her cutting-edge musical tastes and incomparable sense of style were too much for Miles to resist. A self-righteous 23-year old model, Betty conquered the man twice her age with a potent mixture of youth, beauty, and sex. Within a year, she had completely remade Miles in her own youthful image. As she poured herself into him, his playing grew younger, his outlook fresh. She ripped through his closets, tossing out the elegant suits he had worn for years. This was the late ’60s, revolution was in the air, and suits were the uniforms of the Establishment. The time had come to get hip, and Betty pointed the way, influencing him with psychedelic rock, and introducing him to Jimi Hendrix — personally inspiring the classic album ’Bitches Brew.’

The influence of Hendrix and especially Sly Stone on Miles Davis was obvious on the album Bitches Brew, which ushered in the era of jazz fusion. The origin of the album’s title is unknown, but some believe Miles was subtly paying tribute to the woman whose intersecting relationships helped spur the album’s genesis. In fact, it is said that he originally wanted to call the album Witches’ Brew — it was Betty who convinced him to change it.

It is believed that Hendrix and Betty Davis had an affair that hastened the end of her marriage to Miles Davis, but Betty denies this. What’s more, Hendrix and Miles stayed close after the divorce, planning to record until Hendrix’s death.

Her taste and style were cutting edge and her songwriting ability was way ahead of its time as well. Betty not only wrote every song she ever recorded and produced every album after her first, but the young woman penned the tunes that got The Commodores signed to Motown. The Detroit label soon came calling, pitching a Motown songwriting deal, which Betty turned down. Motown wanted to own everything. Heading to the UK, Marc Bolan of T. Rex urged the creative dynamo to start writing for herself. A common thread throughout Betty’s career would be her unbending Do-It-Yourself ethic, which made her quickly turn down anyone who didn’t fit with the vision. She would eventually say no to Eric Clapton as her album producer, seeing him as too banal.

In 1973, Davis would finally kick off her cosmic career with an amazingly progressive hard funk and sweet soul self-titled debut. Davis showcased her fiercely unique talent and features such gems as “If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up†and “Game Is My Middle Name.†The album Betty Davis was recorded with Sly & The Family Stone’s rhythm section, sharply produced by Sly Stone drummer Greg Errico (however this was to be the last album produced by anyone other than herself.), and featured backing vocals from Sylvester and the Pointer Sisters.

Davis released two more studio albums, They Say I’m Different and her major label debut on Island Records Nasty Gal. None of the three albums was a commercial success. Davis remained a cult figure as a singer, due in part to her open sexual attitude, which was controversial for the time. Some of her shows were boycotted and her songs were not played on the radio due to pressure by religious groups. However, with the passage of time her records have become highly regarded by collectors of soul and funk music and have been sampled by Ice Cube, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Godfather Don and Talib Kweli…just to name a few. - shelikes12inches

mp3@320CBR

Track List

1. If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up

2. Walkin Up the Road

3. Anti Love Song

4. Your Man My Man

5. Ooh Yeah

6. Steppin In Her I. Miller Shoes

7. Game Is My Middle Name

8. In the Meantime

Bonus Tracks

9. Come Take Me (Previously Unreleased, 1974)

10. You Won’t See Me In the Morning (Previously Unreleased, 1974)

11. I Will Take That Ride (Previously Unreleased, 1974)

http://bit.ly/q7w1Xw

[bradm]

http://www.archive.org/details/mrss2006-11-24.oktava.shnf

Mr. Something Something - (live recording) 2006-11-24, The Rainbow Bistro, Ottawa, ON

Aloha,

Brad

[Esau.]

[hamilton]

Steve Miller Band, Sailor.

[Kanada Kev]

http://bit.ly/puqWmp

Little Feat - Feats Don’t Fail Me Now

If Dixie Chicken represented a pinnacle of Lowell George as a songwriter and band leader, its sequel Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is the pinnacle of Little Feat as a group, showcasing each member at their finest. Not coincidentally, it’s the moment where George begins to recede from the spotlight, leaving the band as a true democracy. These observations are only clear in hindsight, since if Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is just taken as a record, it’s nothing more than a damn good rock & roll record. That’s not meant as a dismissal, either, since it’s hard to make a rock & roll record as seemingly effortless and infectious as this. Though it effectively builds on the Southern-fried funkiness of Dixie Chicken, it’s hardly as mellow as that record - there’s a lot of grit, tougher rhythms, lots of guitar and organ. It’s as supple as Chicken, though, which means that it’s the sound of a touring band at their peak. As it happens, the band is on the top of their writing game as well, with Bill Payne contributing the rollicking “Oh Atlanta†and Paul Barrere turning in one of his best songs, the jazzy funk of “Skin it Back.†Each has a co-writing credit with George — Payne on the unreleased Little Feat-era nugget “The Fan†and Barrere (plus Fred Martin) on the infectious title track — who also has a couple of classics with “Rock and Roll Doctor†and the great “Spanish Moon.†Feats peters out toward the end, as the group delves into a 10-minute medley of two Sailin’ Shoes songs, but that doesn’t hurt one of the best albums Little Feat ever cut. It’s so good, the group used it as the template for the rest of their career. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

mp3@320CBR

Track List

1. “Rock & Roll Doctor†(Lowell George, Fred Martin) – 2:57

2. “Oh, Atlanta†(Bill Payne) – 3:26

3. “Skin It Back†(Paul Barrère) – 4:11

4. “Down the Road†(George) – 3:46

5. “Spanish Moon†(George) – 3:01

6. “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now†(Barrère, George, Martin Kibbee) – 2:27

7. “The Fan†(George, Payne) – 4:30

8. “Medley: Cold Cold Cold/Tripe Face Boogie†(George/Richie Hayward, Payne) – 10:00

http://bit.ly/puqWmp

[hamilton]

Billy Bragg, Workers Playtime.

[Kanada Kev]

http://bit.ly/pyKko6

Little Feat - Dixie Chicken

Following Roy Estrada’s departure during the supporting tour for Sailin’ Shoes, Lowell George became infatuated with New Orleans R&B and mellow jamming, all of which came to a head on their third album, 1973’s Dixie Chicken. Although George is firmly in charge - he dominates the record, writing or co-writing seven of the 10 songs - this is the point where Little Feat found its signature sound as a band, and no album they would cut from this point on was too different from this seductive, laid-back, funky record. But no album would be quite as good, either, since Dixie Chicken still had much of the charming lyrical eccentricities of the first two albums, plus what is arguably George’s best-ever set of songs. Partially due to the New Orleans infatuation, the album holds together better than Sailin’ Shoes and George takes full advantage of the band’s increased musical palette, writing songs that sound easy but are quite sophisticated, such as the rolling “Two Trains,†the gorgeous, shimmering “Juliette,†the deeply soulful and funny “Fat Man in the Bathtub†and the country-funk of the title track, which was covered nearly as frequently as “Willin’.†In addition to “Walkin’ All Night,†a loose bluesy jam by Barrere and Bill Payne, the band also hauls out two covers which fit George’s vibe perfectly: Allan Toussaint’s slow burner “On Your Way Down†and “Fool Yourself,†which was written by Fred Tackett, who later joined a reunited Feat in the ’80s. It all adds up to a nearly irresistible record, filled with great songwriting, sultry grooves, and virtuosic performances that never are flashy. Little Feat, along with many jam bands that followed, tried to top this album, but they never managed to make a record this understated, appealing and fine. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

mp3@320CBR

Track List

1. “Dixie Chicken†(Lowell George, Fred Martin) – 3:55

2. “Two Trains†(George) – 3:06

3. “Roll Um Easy†(George) – 2:30

4. “On Your Way Down†(Allen Toussaint) – 5:31

5. “Kiss It Off†(George) – 2:56

6. “Fool Yourself†(Fred Tackett) – 3:10

7. “Walkin’ All Night†(Paul Barrère, Bill Payne) – 3:35

8. “Fat Man In The Bathtub†(George) – 4:29

9. “Juliette†(George) – 3:20

10. “Lafayette Railroad†(George, Payne) – 3:40

http://bit.ly/pyKko6

[bradm]

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=547879

Surprise Me Mr. Davis - (live recording) 2011-08-23, La Sala Rossa, Montreal, QC

Aloha,

Brad

[Esau.]

[bradm]

Surprise Me Mr. Davis - That Man Eats Morning For Breakfast

Aloha,

Brad

[bradm]

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=537641

Powerhouse Sound - (live recording) 2010-08-05, The Drake Underground, Toronto, ON

Aloha,

Brad

[Jay Funk Dawg]

Featurecast - It's Showtime! Promo Mix by Featurecast

Featurecast comes to Toronto on Oct. 1

[bagochips]

Bright Eyes The People's Key

[bradm]

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=537643

Powerhouse Sound - (live recording) 2010-08-06, La Sala Rossa, Montreal, QC

Aloha,

Brad

[djmelbatoast]

Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest