Spotlight On Cactus - Another Phish Mix

As Phish summer tour plans start to take shape over the past week, it's easy to forget that bassist Mike Gordon is currently on his own big tour with his own band, which is getting tighter all the time. Gordo and his band of merry melody makers recently hit up the Northwest for a number of shows, and have been dusting off some old chestnuts in the process. (Mound, anyone?)

Seeing that Mike and his band are lighting it up onstage these days, I thought it an opportune time to dust off an old mix I made back in 2004. It was originally made to trade and share with other fans at the debacle that we know as Coventry. As fate would have it, I was actually able to personally give Mike a copy of this mix when he stopped his golf cart next to me in the concert field. I chatted him up for a couple of minutes before a crowd formed around us, and learned that his all-time favorite Phish show at that time was 6/20/04, at SPAC. I also asked him if the band would ever perform "Mound" again, and he said not likely, as they had forgotten how to play it (they busted it out this past December in Worcester).

From bluegrass to Jewish songs to straight dirty cow funk, these disks showcase some of the best stuff that Mike brings to the band we know as Phish. Enjoy.

Phish - Spotlight On Cactus

Set I:
1. Sneakin' Sally (12/30/97 MSG)
2. Ya Mar (11/27/98 Worcester, MA)
3. Ginseng Sullivan (12/31/93 Worcester, MA)
4. Mound (3/31/93 Portland, OR)
5. Moma Dance (9/17/00 Merriweather Post)
6. Weigh (3/1/97 Germany)
7. Scent of A Mule (6/11/94 Red Rocks)
8. Wolfman's Brother (12/1/03 Albany, NY)
9. I'm So Tired (10/31/94 Glen Falls, NY)
10. Yirushalayim Shel Zachav -> (7/8/94 Great Woods)
11. Avenu Malchenu (4/18/92 Palo Alto, CA)
12. Uncle Pen (2/20/97 Milan, Italy)

Set II:
1. Destiny Unbound (9/22/90 UMass Amherst)
2. Ghost (11/17/97 Denver, CO)
3. My Mind's Got A Mind of Its Own (12/7/97 Dayton, OH)
4. Train Song (11/20/98 Hampton, VA)
5. Round Room (2/28/03 Nassau Coliseum)
6. Mike's Song->
7. Old Home Place->
8. Weekapaug Groove (4/3/98 Nassau Coliseum)
9. E: Contact (1/3/03 Hampton, VA)

Download Links:

Disk One
Disk Two

Cake Review - Glide Magazine

Cake is simply a timeless band. Whatever they do, it is of a consistently high caliber, and is always catchy and fun. For the past 15 years or so, we've always been able to rely on them to deliver their own brand of dry-humored pop-funk-rock-country goodness.

Their sold-out four night run at the Fillmore was proof that everyone still loves Cake, even if they've been off the map recently. And they still deliver live, playing all the songs you loved in your adolescent days that still hold a place in your heart. The show I attended was an ecstatic sing-along affair, and went above and beyond my expectations, mostly due to the outpouring of love which the audience showered upon the band and their music. Cake responded with a fantastic show, which I got to cover on Glide:

Cake :: 02.16.11 :: The Fillmore :: San Francisco, CA

Here's a performance of their recent single, "Long Time." They're as tight as they ever were:



Now compare this to a 1994 cable-access performance of "Jolene," filmed in San Francisco:



They haven't changed much, have they? If anything, they've gotten better with age...

Little Dragon Review - Glide Magazine

The Swedes were recently in town to bring us into their musical world a few weeks ago, and a sold-out crowd at the Independent was there to soak up every second of it. Little Dragon is a strange little band that excels in synthy, detached pop, and though their live show left a bit to be desired, their music as a while is thoroughly unique and worth seeking out.

Amidst all the bloops and bleeps was the soaring voice of Yukimi Nagano, who's melodies soared over the weirdness of the music. At their best, Little Dragon make you feel like you're floating around in a frigid deep space party -- it's funky, but spacious and cold as ice.

Here's the write-up at Glide:

Little Dragon :: 02.04.11 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA

One of their best tunes is "Runabout," and this performance gives a good sense of the unique qualities this band has to offer:



"My Step" included some nice Prince-like synths in there, too:

Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute Review - Jambase.com

Writing about instrumental music ain't easy. Especially exploratory, free-jazz-mind-fuck-fusion. Thus was my challenge when presented with the opportunity to cover and adequately express the music of Spectrum Road on paper. This supergroup of virtuosos has recently come together to pay homage to the inventor of Jazz-Rock, drummer Tony Williams, and the result is astounding.

I caught this band in Oaktown on a Wednesday night, and they proceeded to blow the tiny room away with furious playing, heavy riffage, and cerebral excursions into the outer realms of improv. With this much talent on one stage, it could have easily turned into a battle of egos butting heads together, but the musicians played with sympathy respect for each other's strengths, resulting in a mind-blowing set of agile jazz-rock.

Here's my review of the show over at Jambase:

Spectrum Road :: 02.03.11 :: Yoshi's :: Oakland, CA

This is just a small example of the musical boundaries these guys were pushing all night. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart, or those with ADD...



But the real star of the show was Cindy Blackman-Santana, the goddess drummer in pearls. Here's a good example of what this woman is capable of with two sticks in her hands:

The Budos Band Review - Glide Magazine

The turn of the new year always brings lots and lots of great touring bands to the Bay Area, and there's no better way to dive into twenty-one-one than with a great big heaping slab of FUNK. That is just what Staten Island's The Budos Band brought to the Independent for a two-day run of deep, dark grooves. Equipped with a four-piece percussion section, these Daptone Records recording artists were here to slay, and they dug deep to bring it hard to a sweaty mass of revelers. Who needs vocals when you've got nine dudes deep in the pocket rockin' your socks off?

Here's my take on the relentless party that these guys busted out last Friday night. Glide Magazine has the scoop:

The Budos Band :: 01.15.11 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA

For a little taste of the fires that those who go by Budos are able to conjure up, take a gander at these here moving pictures. Gamin' on ya!

Merry (Acapella Toto) Christmas!

Here's a little cheesy camp for ya on Christmas. I know that I already posted acapella Toto here, but this one is especially appropriate...

The Voice of Keith Richards

With his new impossibly detailed autobiography flying off the shelves over the past month, Keith Richards has been on the top of our collective minds more than ever lately. Having read some of the book (or rather, listened to the audiobook narrated by Johnny Depp), I've found the candor with which Richards describes the depravity of his addict years with The Stones surprising, to say the least. He comes across as totally honest with himself when it comes to his mistakes and shortcomings, and this makes for a read that is endearing and thoroughly enjoyable.

Having learned about some of Keith's more sordid tales straight from the horse's mouth, I was inclines to look back at some lesser-known Stones tracks where Keith takes lead vocals. Typically, this usually happened once or twice an album, and the tracks were often overlooked as filler, serving as a breather in between Sir Mick's ballyhooing rockers. But while much of the Stones' output in the 80's and 90's sounds overly-slick and dated, Keith's tunes from that period really stand the test of time, and are consistent to an incredible degree when put together in a row. Especially in the later years, Keith was knocking off deeply affecting ballads of regret and humility, delivered in his signature off-hand, soulful tenor. The brutal honesty of his writing seems to come from the same place as the bracing truths in his songwriting.

So I made a Keith mix (surprise, surprise). Of particular note are "Too Rude," Keith's surprisingly successful stab at reggae from 1986's Dirty Work, and "How Can I Stop," a well-produced slow-burner from 1998's Bridges to Babylon that features jazz legend Wayne Shorter on a gorgeous outro sax solo. The rest of the tunes range from classic rockers to haunting laments, and they all come together to paint a picture of Keith Richards as one soulful, troubled dude in his own right. Play this on a rainy day, and let Kieth's blues drift you away...

The Rolling Stones, Starring Keith Richards - How Can I Stop

1. Infamy
2. Before They Make Me Run
3. Connection (Live)
4. Too Rude
5. All About You
6. Thief in the Night
7. Coming Down Again
8. Little T&A
9. Sleep Tonight
10. How Can I Stop
11. You Got The Silver (Live)
12. The Worst
13. Thru And Thru
14. This Place Is Empty
15. Losing My Touch

Download Link

Pic of the Day: Happy Thanksgiving!

George: Hullo, Bob. I dig love.
Bob: Greetings and salutations, George. I also believe dat what we need is love, to guide and protect us all.
George: Well that's something we can agree on, brutha.
Bob: United we are in de fight against repression, George.
George: Yes, Bob. Isn't it a pity, how we cause each other pain.
Bob: Fuck it, let's get together and feel alright. One Love.
George: Yes, it's true. All you need is love.

Look at this epic meeting of two cultural giants. Looks like around 1975 or so. Combined, the amount of Love and Happiness these guys inspired in people with their music is just staggering. Brothers in the cause. Monumental.