Alton Kelley — RIP
We know this may seem like a tardy tribute, but because we just launched the last week we wanted to honor Alton Kelley, one of San Fransisco’s premiere psychedelic artists from the ’60s. Here’s his San Fransisco Chronicle obituary.
Alton Kelley, one of the founding members of the ’60s San Francisco rock scene, died Sunday at his home in Petaluma after a long illness. He was 67.
Mr. Kelley will be remembered as the creator (with his artistic partner, Stanley Mouse) of hundreds of classic psychedelic rock posters, such as the famed “skull and roses” poster for a Grateful Dead show at the Avalon Ballroom. Mr. Kelley and Mouse created 26 posters for just the first year of the Avalon’s operation.
“He had the most impeccable taste of anybody I knew,” said Mouse, “He would do the layouts, and I would do the drawing.”
They worked together steadily for 15 years and on and off thereafter. Their Mouse Studios was located in a converted Lower Haight firehouse where Janis Joplin first rehearsed with Big Brother and the Holding Company. They also opened a store called Pacific Ocean Trading Company (POT Co.), one of the first head shops in Haight-Ashbury. Recently, the two collaborated on the cover to the program for this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction dinner.
Mouse said they could work for hours in silence. “We knew what to do,” he said. “We didn’t have to talk.”
“We were just having fun making posters,” said Mouse. “There was no time to think about what we were doing. It was a furious time, but I think most great art is created in a furious moment.”
Mr. Kelley continued to make posters all his life, although his artwork in the recent past concentrated on his air-brushed paintings of hot rods and custom cars that was both sold as fine art and reproduced on T-shirts.
He is survived by his wife, Marguerite Trousdale Kelley, and their children: Patty of San Diego, Yosarian of Seattle and China of Sacramento; two grandchildren; and his mother and sister.
Mick Jagger — Birthday Week
Not everyone appreciates you and your group’s music, Mick, like we do.
Be sure to watch all the way to the end (it’s a short song). Rumor is that Mick and the boys were so mad when they heard about Dean’s expressions that they didn’t stick around to sing the second song in the show, as scheduled.
David Byrne/Brian Eno
From Jambase.com: David Byrne and Brian Eno have finished their first collaboration in almost 30 years. The “electronic gospel” album is called Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The majority of the album features Eno on the music and Byrne focusing on words and singing. Byrne says, “It’s familiar but completely new as well. We’re pretty excited.” On August 4, the song “Strange Overtones” will be offered as a free download on www.everythingthathappens.com and on August 18 the full album will be available for purchase as both a download and in physical formats as well as free streaming.
In September Byrne will begin a tour in support of the release. He will be playing music from the new album as well as music from he and Eno’s previous collaborations – three Talking Heads albums, Bush of Ghosts, etc. To keep up to date on the tour and album, sign up for the mailing list at www.everythingthathappens.com.
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Track List:
1. Home
2. My Big Nurse
3. I Feel My Stuff
4. Everything That Happens
5. Life Is Long
6. The River
7. Strange Overtones
8. Wanted for Life
9. One Fine Day
10. Poor Boy
11. The Lighthouse
“David Byrne, Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno” tour:
09.18 Newport News, VA – Ferguson Center for the Arts
09.20 Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
09.26 Austin, TX – Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival)
09.30 Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre
10.02 San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
10.04 Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre
More dates are expected to be announced soon.
Jerry Garcia — Birthday Week
He’s Gone from April 17, 1972:
Keller Williams — New Live Album, DVD & Tour
From Keller Williams:
On Live (September 16, 2008 / SCI Fidelity Records), Keller taps into the world-class talent of Keith Moseley (bass – The String Cheese Incident), Gibb Droll (guitar – Marc Broussard, Brandi Carlile), and Jeff Sipe (drums – Aquarium Rescue Unit, Leftover Salmon). The musical horsepower of four friends playing together on stage proves stronger than even Keller had dreamed.
Recorded at select live shows during a winter 2007-2008 tour, and featuring seventeen tracks that span Keller’s career, Live is a testament to how a band, with the right chemistry and chops, can take a song to places even the writer couldn’t have imagined.
Bob Dylan — Unreleased recordings released in October
On October 7, Bob Dylan will release Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8. The two-CD, 27-song set contains previously unreleased studio recordings, demos, alternate takes, live tracks and rarities spanning 1989 to 2006. The “Exclusive Deluxe Edition” is a limited edition four-LP set.
Disc One
“Mississippi” (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)
“Most of the Time” (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
“Dignity” (Piano demo, Oh Mercy)
“Someday Baby” (Alternate version, Modern Times)
“Red River Shore” (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)
“Tell ‘Ole Bill” (Alternate version, North Country Soundtrack)
“Born in Time” (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
“Can’t Wait” (Alternate version, Time Out Of Mind)
“Everything is Broken” (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
“Dreamin’ of You” (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)
“Huck’s Tune” (From Lucky You soundtrack)
“Marching to the City” (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)
“High Water (For Charley Patton)” (Live, Niagara, 2003)
Disc Two
“Mississippi” (Unreleased version #2, Time Out Of Mind)
“32-20 Blues” (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)
“Series of Dreams” (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
“God Knows” (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
“Can’t Escape From You” (Unreleased, December 2005)
“Dignity” (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)
“Ring Them Bells” (Live at the Supper Club, 1993)
“Cocaine Blues” (Live, Vienna, Virginia, 1997)
“Ain’t Talkin’” (Alternate version, Modern Times)
“The Girl On The Greenbriar Shore” (Live, 1992)
“Lonesome Day Blues” (Live, Sunrise, Florida, 2002)
“Miss the Mississippi” (Unreleased, 1992)
“The Lonesome River” (With Ralph Stanley, from Clinch Mountain Country)
“‘Cross The Green Mountain” (From Gods And Generals soundtrack)
Disc Three
“Duncan And Brady” (Unreleased, 1992)
“Cold Irons Bound” (Live, Bonnaroo, June 2004)
“Mississippi” (Unreleased version #3, Time Out Of Mind)
“Most Of The Time” (Alternate version #2, Oh Mercy)
“Ring Them Bells” (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)
“Things Have Changed” (Live, Portland, Oregon, 2000)
“Red River Shore” (Unreleased version #2, Time Out Of Mind)
“Born In Time” (Unreleased version #2, Oh Mercy)
“Tryin’ To Get To Heaven” (Live, London, England, 2000)
“Marchin’ To The City” (Unreleased version #2, Time Out Of Mind)
“Can’t Wait” (Alternate version #2, Time Out Of Mind)
“Mary And The Soldier” (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)
Stormy Mondays — Hidden Track
Just a download here folks that was assembled by Glide Magazine’s, Hidden Track folks. Here’s the details:
Now that we’re in the thick of the summer, it’s time to kick back with some good old rock and roll. This week’s Stormy Monday begins with The Stones doing a nice You Can’t Always Get What You Want back in 1989 in Philly, followed by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band getting down on Come to Poppa. That one comes from my very first rock concert back in August of 1986 at SPAC. Ah the memories.
Staying in the same frame of mind, the new school of Gov’t Mule offers a hard hitting Going Out West with Dave Schools on bass, followed by The Doors with a ripping Peace Frog Jam > Blue Sunday from 1968. To close, Mr. Anastasio covers Wind Cries Mary and Ooh Child from his first (and best) solo tour back in ‘99 at The Palace Theater. It’s even better than Freedom Rock, so turn it up!
Jerry Garcia — Birthday Week
Link to interview from July 10, 1981
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Sharing our love of good music, one post at a time…
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And thank you for all of the comments and feedback. Please continue to let us know what you like or don’t like about the site and what else you’d like to see in future posts. We love hearing from you and it’s encouraging to know that there are a lot of like-minded music fans out there with very eclectic taste.
Jerry Garcia — Birthday Week
From The Tom Snyder show in 1981 with Ken Kesey.
STS9 — Peaceblaster
New album from STS9.
From Jambase: The members of Sound Tribe Sector 9 have always proudly proclaimed their political, social and cultural consciousness and activism, but their newest album is probably their most direct embodiment of that philosophy. A natural extension of Artifact, the band’s mercurial 2005 album, Peaceblaster echoes and expands upon the darker moments of the former, creating a mood of introspective cynicism that reflects our current political and cultural atmosphere.
“America is this beautiful, incredible place, but it has a dark underbelly,” says bassist David Murphy on the STS9 website. “And even on Peaceblaster‘s most ethereal songs, there’s a darkness that reflects what’s going on in society – it ain’t all bad, but it ain’t all good.” It’s those moments of ethereal beauty, the well-placed flourishes of optimism, that lend Peaceblaster (released July 8 on 1320 Records) a sense of equilibrium that Artifact – though an arresting album in its own right – lacked.
Along with Murphy, guitarist Hunter Brown, drummer Zach Velmer, percussionist Jeffree Lerner and keyboardist David Phipps have assembled a rangy but coherent collection of post-rock–influenced electronica (Tortoise fans should enjoy this album, especially the second half). The companion pieces “Peaceblaster ’68″ and “Peaceblaster ’08″ open the album, setting an explosively foreboding tone similar to MMW‘s End of the World Party (Just in Case). “Music measures the temperature of the people,” says Brown, echoing Murphy’s statement. “Consumerism and the corporate media have taken us all down the path of cynicism, apathy and nihilism. If the message on the new record is anything, it’s to blast that shit.” The twin opening tracks do just that, pulsing with the barely contained energy of a DJ Harry track featuring ragged tuba accents that perfectly complement the beat.
“Metameme,” one of the album’s highlights, opens with a slurred, hazy loop below the melody – a favorite tool of STS9 – and the song cycles through a few separate sections before resolving into “Shock Doctrine,” a good fit for a horror or alien sci-fi soundtrack. Laced with a variety of veiled echo effects in the background, the song seemingly ends around the three-minute mark, but quickly changes directions as the final two minutes reverberate with some truly ghostly, disembodied human voices.
After the intense first four tracks, “The Spectacle” is a refreshing dawn, lightening the previously heavy mood and ushering in the next movement. “Regeneration,” two broadcast samples looped over each other, is a short, stark denunciation of consumerism and media saturation, and “Beyond Right Now” is driven by a simple, repeating guitar figure, displaying elements of Radiohead’s electronics-augmented rock.
“Hidden Hand, Hidden Fast” is probably the most intriguing song on Peaceblaster. If STS9 had been around to contribute to the soundtrack for The NeverEnding Story, this may have been the result. The opening synth swell bears a striking resemblance to the accompaniment to Atreyu’s journey through the Swamps of Sadness, and the bulk of the track, ripe for sampling by any number of avant-garde rappers, would have been the perfect musical backing for Bastian’s climactic ride on Falkor across Fantasia.
Sandwiched by two minutes of lackluster material on either side, the middle section of “Empires” reflects the initial energy of the “Peaceblaster” tracks, tying the second half of the album back to the first. The last few songs – “The New Soma,” “Oh Little Brain,” “Late for Work,” “Squishface” – are somewhat unremarkable, noteworthy mainly for their indebtedness to post-rockers like Tortoise, Mogwai and late-era Talk Talk. As such, they should appeal to a specific brand of electronic-music fan.
Though top-heavy, Peaceblaster is a timely instrumental statement in mood and tone, a treat for STS9 fans and a suitable entrée to the band for more open-minded, experimental indie fans. In conjunction with the album’s release, the band has launched www.peaceblaster.com, which they describe as “an informational website where fans will find copies of the Bill of Rights, speeches by Dwight Eisenhower and Martin Luther King, and links to alternative media outlets.”
Eric Liebetrau
Phish — 5 Years Ago Today
07/29/03 Post Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
Set I: Daniel1, Camel Walk, Gotta Jibboo, Cool it Down, Scent of a Mule, Fee> Timber> When the Circus Comes to Town, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Golgi Apparatus
Set II: Crosseyed and Painless> Thunderhead, Brother, Harpua2> Bittersweet Motel, Harpua2, I Fooled Around and Fell in Love3 4 5> HYHU> Harpua2, David Bowie
Encore: Farmhouse
1 Not played since 2/23/97 or 281 shows
2 Not played since 11/2/98 or 167 shows
3 First time played
4 Fishman on vocals
5 with vacuum solo
Charlie Hunter — Just Closer Walk With Thee
Check out Charlie’s playing and his beautiful 8 string guitar.
Jerry Garcia — Happy 66th Birthday
As stated before, we are celebrating the life of Mr. Jerome John Garcia this week. Ole ‘Jer would’ve been 66 on Friday. Here’s The Grateful Dead playing “Ripple” acoustically from 1980.
String Cheese Incident — Black Or White
Performed at Austin City Limits.
Mick Jagger — Officially a senior citizen
Mick Jagger turned 65 this weekend (July 26) and under British law, that means he’s now considered a senior citizen! The two-time Grammy winner is now entitled to a free bus pass, discounted movie tickets and £87 a week from the state.
But he shows no signs of fading away any time soon. Here is he singing that classic, Not Fade Away, in 1964.
And for something a little more recent…
David Harris & Hugh McCrystal — Terrapin Station
Enjoy more of David and Hugh’s videos here: Myspace and Youtube.
Widespread Panic — Halloween in New Orleans
From Jambands.com:
After wrapping up its summer tour in North Carolina Saturday, Widespread Panic has finalized its fall tour. The group will kick things off at Austin, TX’s The Backyard from October 10-11, before hitting markets throughout the South and Midwest through its three-night stand at Milwaukee, WI’s Riverside Theater from November 7-9. Along the way, the group will celebrate Halloween with a two-night run at New Orleans’ UNO Lakefront Arena from October 31-November 1. These shows mark the group’s return to New Orleans for Halloween after a six-year absence. Widespread Panic performed in the Big Easy on or around Halloween each fall from 1997-2002.
Other notable stops on Widespread Panic’s tour include appearances at Atlanta’s Lakewood Amphitheatre (10/17-18), Charleston, SC’s North Charleston Coliseum (10/24-25) and Miami, FL’s The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater (10/29-30). The group will also appear at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music Festival on August 24 and headline Snowmass, CO’s Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival from August 28-29.
Frank Sinatra — Healing Powers?
We all know that Sinatra possessed seductive powers in the 40′s and 50′s, but is that all he is limited to? The Daily Express claims otherwise:
THE silky smooth voice of the legendary Frank Sinatra is recognised the world over.
Listening to the iconic crooner’s voice has helped the ill pups to relax and stay calm while being treated at the Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary.
But now the soulful sound that changed the face of American pop forever has been revealed as having the ability to do more than set a romantic mood – it also has secret healing powers.
Animal care workers at a sea life sanctuary in Norfolk have discovered that playing Frank Sinatra’s tunes to sick seal pups has helped them get better.
ALO — Lady Loop
Very, very catchy tune from ALO.
