Umphrey’s McGee — Kris Myers can’t find what he’s looking for…
Full time drummer and part time crooner/singer of UM, Kris Myers, led the Chicago Mass Choir and the band through U2′s classic 80′s hit “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”.
Tom Marshall — Backwards Down The Line
From Relix.com:
I’VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF MY SONG LYRICS AS HAVING three lives. The first life is when a poem somehow appears in my head from the ether of space and materializes onto paper, or onto my computer screen… in either case as a series of dark symbols on a light expanse, recognizable as words. The combining of these words is often in question. What thinking process formed the idea behind the words I often don’t know myself, and in fact, I am happy when I hear someone else’s interpretation that makes sense. Usually the first such person is Trey. Giving it to someone, or reading it to them, is my affirmation of the first stage of a poem’s life. A poem I emailed to Trey on his birthday last year passed rather quickly into its second life… that is, it became a song. The transformation from a poem on paper to a song is an extremely dramatic event—a two-dimensional entity is suffused with energy and bypasses the third dimension into a realm beyond… the world of song. In the case of “Backwards Down the Number Line,” Trey called me within hours of my hitting the “enter” key to send it to him. He played me a complete song; he had recorded drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and multiple layers of vocals… and it was fantastic. And I finally realized what we had done. We had written the first new Phish song in four years. (more…)
Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck to join forces in Japan
Rolling Stone:
Two former Yardbirds are set to share the stage: Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck have announced they’ll play two shows together at Saitama, Japan’s Super Arena, on February 21st and 22nd. The duo have performed together at album sessions, benefits and festivals in years past, but these concerts mark the first time the pair have ever shared the bill for major arena shows. How mighty are these two axmen? Clapton ranked Number Four on our list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and Beck came in Number 14. If by some chance you’ll find yourself in Japan for this epic exhibition of guitar gods (or you just happen to live in Japan), take note that tickets for these concerts go on sale January 17th. (more…)
Happy Birthday — Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett was born on this date in 1946 and was the main creative force behind early Pink Floyd. Sadly, Syd passed in 2006, but his contributions to psychedelic music is legendary and undeniable. Shine on, you crazy diamond!
Here’s Syd performing “Interstellar Overdrive” in ’66 with PF. (NSFW):
