Umphrey’s McGee Makes ‘Storytellers’ Performance Available For Streaming
Back in January, Umphrey’s McGee played a very special, intimate performance for hardcore fans at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, CO. The New Year’s Day show saw the band playing two sets: set one was a film, the movie that went on to become the now-released documentary Reel to Real, and set two was a very special “Storytellers” performance, with the band giving tons of background on their songwriting processes and lyrics, while also sharing some stories and jokes from the band’s past.Now, Umphrey’s has announced that their Storytellers set is available for the viewing pleasure of all subscribers of the Qello Concerts streaming service. The band also announced that their 7/3/2015 Red Rocks show and their 2006 concert Live at the Soundstage are also now available for streaming, and they will continue to add content in the coming weeks. Fear not, non-subscribers, as the service offers a free seven-day trial that should give you plenty of time to watch everything your Umphrey’s-loving heart desires.
Ten years ago, the world lost one of its most talented songwriters in Syd Barrett. The lost leader of Pink Floyd slowly lost his grip on reality, eventually being forced to leave the band after giving the world Piper At The Gates Of Dawn in 1967. While Pink Floyd led a thoroughly successful career without Syd Barrett, their entire ethos was inspired by him. As they grew in popularity, they eventually retraced their roots and put out Wish You Were Here, an ode to their former champion.As the story goes, the band had not seen Syd Barrett since the 1960s, but they were working on a new album in 1975 that subtly paid tribute to him and his legacy. While they were recording the song “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” Barrett himself made an impromptu appearance in the studio with a completely shaven head and eyebrows. He was almost unrecognizable, and his unintelligible conversation drove Roger Waters to tears.This story becomes relevant, as Barrett unfortunately passed away in July of 2006. Naturally, the music world was hit hard by the loss, as Barrett was the spiritual foundation for all psychedelic art rock. The String Cheese Incident would pay tribute to the late great Barrett in a performance at the Radio City Music Hall in NYC, played on this date exactly ten years ago. There, with saxophonist Kenny Brooks, the band broke out into a tremendous version of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” The crazy diamond, of course, was Syd Barrett, and his legacy did indeed shine on that night.Listen to the whole show recording, which also includes a crazy “I Know You Rider” featuring all of Ratdog, streaming below. Audio is provided courtesy of taper Tony S.
The Sounds Like A Party tour is off and running, fueled by the funky fires of Lettuce. The six-piece ensemble has been laying down some thick funky grooves, thoroughly impressing with ever opportunity. The band’s 2015 release Crush only pushed the band’s sound further into the realms of psychedelic funk, and that energy has bubbled over into astounding live shows.The band’s fall tour started off at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT last Tuesday, September 20th, with the band letting loose in a great performance. The show featured a cover of Tears for Fears’ classic “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” and saw Nigel Hall sit in on keys and vocals for the whole performance. Of course, the band’s original music was on full display, with tracks like “Blaze,” “By Any Shmeeans Necessary,” “Phyllis” and more!Fortunately, there’s a tape of the full performance available. Check out the audio recording below, courtesy of taper Keith Antaya.Lettuce will continue to Crush on their fall tour, which continues tonight in Buffalo, NY. Check out the tour schedule below!Lettuce Sounds Like A Party Tour Schedule9.20 – New Haven, CT9.21 – Providence, RI9.22 – Buffalo, NY9.23 – Pittsburgh, PA9.24 – Lakewood, PA9.28 – Charlotte, NC9.29 – Birmingham, AL9.30 – New Orleans, LA10.1 – New Orleans, LA10.4 – Memphis, TN10.5 – Knoxville, TN10.6 – Columbia, SC10.7 – Corolla, NC10.8 – Wilmington, NC10.11 – Lafayette, IN10.12 – Urbana, IL10.13 – St. Louis, MO10.14 – Kansas City, MO10.15 – Denver, CO10.26 – Baltimore, MD10.27 – Charlottesville, VA10.28 – Asheville, NC10.29 – Live Oak, FL11.2 – San Antonio, TX11.3 – Houston, TX11.4 – Dallas, TX11.5 – Austin, TX11.6 – Tulsa, OK11.9 – Louisville, KY11.11 – New York, NY11.12 – New York, NY11.26 – San Francisco, CA12.1 – Pantanal, Dominican Republic12.30 – Portland, ME12.31 – Boston, MAYou can also catch members of Lettuce, including drummer Adam Deitch, bassist Jesus Coomes, guitarist Adam Smirnoff, keyboardist Neal Evans, trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom, and saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, at the second annual Brooklyn Comes Alive on October 22nd. With 50+ musicians including members of Dead & Co., The Disco Biscuits, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, The String Cheese Incident, Dopapod, and more, fans will have the opportunity to see their favorite musicians play in completely new, unique collaborations alongside some of the greatest. More details here.
And here’s the key for the artwork: Looking back on 2016….honestly, do we even want to? It was a tough one, for many reasons, especially for the music community at large, with the loss of some of its biggest stars. Using the album cover for The Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, replacing images from the original artwork, Twitter user Christhebarker created an illustration featuring the various artists, actors, and icons that were all lost in 2016.You can see the image below: Nobody would deny that this has been an extremely tough year for the music world. Beginning with the death of David Bowie back in January, the hits kept coming and just never let seemed to let up. Not even for one second. Many of us would argue that the sad state of affairs started in December, 2015, with the deaths of Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland and Motörhead bassist Lemmy Kilmister. 2016 did not start off on a good note, and once it did, our heads didn’t stop spinning.Following the news of Bowie’s demise was Eagles singer/guitarist Glenn Frey, into famous Beatles producer George Martin, then Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer in March came soon after, and country legend Merle Haggard. As if that wasn’t enough right there, when the shocking news that Prince had met his fate was announced, the world went into a deep and somber state of mourning.Bernie Worrell, the Master of the Moog himself, left us in June after a long battle with cancer, and RatDog’s Rob Wasserman right after that. The list goes on and on….Leonard Cohen (who almost prophesied his end)….Sharon Jones….Greg Lake (the 2nd member of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer in one year). And this was all just within the music community. 2017 can’t come soon enough. It has to be better than 2016, right? We certainly need it to be.
It’s been two long months since The String Cheese Incident last took the stage, as the Colorado-based band has been hard at work in their Sound Lab creating a new studio album due out in the spring. Though the band hasn’t played much in the second half of 2016, their time spent working together has clearly paid off, as Cheese was firing on all cylinders during the first of their three night New Year’s run at the 1stBANK Center in Broomfield, CO. Without a doubt, Cheese was back in action.The first show featured a special collaborative performance with the famed livetronica duo Big Gigantic, with saxophonist Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken sitting in with Cheese for the entire second set. The extended Big Gigantic Incident set was a welcomed addition to kick the run into high gear on night one, as the eight man band powered through a number of Cheesey classics and more.Of course, the show was rocking from the very first notes, as String Cheese opened the run with a great take on “Round the Wheel” followed by a “Lost” that segued into “Black Clouds.” Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster” brought some funk to the table, while “Sweet Spot” kept the fans dancing with the band’s lighthearted tune. A classic “Miss Brown’s Teahouse” followed, and the first set ultimately closed out with a fun jam on “Rollover.”Watch a pro-shot video of “Round the Wheel” below, courtesy of The String Cheese Incident.The second set was the Big Gigantic Incident, and this is a collaboration that we can’t get enough of! Check out these great videos of “Bam!”, and then one of “Jellyfish” and “BollyMunster”, to see what it’s all about.The encore featured some more great work from Cheese, bringing out “Rosie,” “Touch The Sky” and “Desert Dawn” to send fans home packing with a smile. There’s two more nights of The String Cheese Incident ahead, so don’t go anywhere! You can see the setlist below.Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | 1stBANK Center | Broomfield, CO | 12/29/16Set 1: Round The Wheel, Lost > Black Clouds, Master Blaster, Sweet Spot, Miss Brown’s Teahouse > RolloverSet 2: Bam!, Joyful Sound, Black Market > Can’t Wait Another Day, Jellyfish > C’Mon > Jellyfish, BollyMunster, I’ve Gotta Know > BollyMunsterEncore: Rosie > Touch the Sky > Desert DawnNotes: Entire second set with Big Gigantic[All images provided by Rios Photos] Load remaining images
Last night, Tedeschi Trucks Band made their way to the Saenger Theatre in Mobile, AL for their first gig of the new year. In addition to an opening set by The Outsiders, the band fronted by San Francisco Giants ace and Mobile native son Jake Peavy.Following The Outsiders, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and company took the stage for what proved to be an incredible show, featuring TTB favorites, Taj Mahal, Santana, and David Bowie covers, and a sit-in by pedal steel master Roosevelt Collier on “Bound For Glory” from TTB’s 2011 LP Revelator.Below, you can watch fan-shot footage of Tedeschi crushing the vocals on Bowie’s “It Ain’t Easy” (off Ziggy Stardust) before being joined by Collier for “Bound For Glory” (courtesy of Facebook user Joey Shaling):The gig served as a warm-up for TTB’s Sunshine Music Festival, set to take place tonight and tomorrow (January 14th and 15th) in St. Petersburg and Boca Raton, FL, respectively. The even will feature sets from Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Bruce Hornsby, Mavis Staples, Dave Mason, Railroad Earth and more. For more info on Sunshine Music Festival and other upcoming Tedeschi Trucks Band shows, visit the band’s website.[h/t – JamBase]
The Phoffman/Beck Quartet finished up their Colorado run on yesterday at Denver’s Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, a fitting end to a successful four-night mini-tour spanning across the Colorado Front Range. The Quartet, consisting of Greensky Bluegrass’s mandolinist Paul Hoffman and dobro player Anders Beck in addition to guitarist Billy Strings and bassist Samson Grisman, and supporting act Grant Farm drew quite the crowd on Saturday night, packing the Ballroom and leaving many eager fans outside with fingers in the air.Keeping up with the theme of the run, the Quartet’s performance was a high-energy affair, with a setlist that incorporated Greensky favorites along with choice covers and teases sprinkled throughout. One of the highlights of the first set was a sit-in by Tyler Grant on guitar during “Lumpy, Beanpole, and Dirt” and “Fixin’ To Ruin,” with Grant adding some electric flair to the Bad Livers cover and Greensky track off Shouted, Written Down, & Quoted toward the end of the first set. The first set culminated with a cover of Leftover Salmon’s “Breaking Through,” a cover initially debuted during the Boulder performance on Wednesday but that was perfected this second-time around.To kick off the second set, Happy Birthday was sung to Andrew Lincoln, Greensky’s stellar lighting tech, before moving into the rest of the set, though this celebratory spirit never let up. The energy of the second set built steadily, eventually culminating in a fiery and tease-heavy “Broke Mountain Breakdown” featuring tastes of Juvenile’s “Back That Ass Up,” the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” and a return to “Bustin’ Loose” that smoothly transitioned into the Stanley Brothers’ “How Mountain Girls Can Love” as a high-note to end on.However, it became apparent that the Quartet saved the best for last, closing out their four-day run and the show with a non-stop, jaw-dropping encore. “Meet Me At The Creek” segued into “Them Changes,” recalling Wednesday’s Fox Theatre performance when it moved again into “Don’t Lie.” Rather than housing “Them Changes” in a “Don’t Lie” sandwich, the band placed “Born To Be Wild” in the sandwich’s center, then returned to “Meet Me At The Creek.” Perhaps needless to say, but the “Tweeprise” tease during “Meet Me” was well received. To close out the show, the Phoffman / Beck Quartet returned once more to “Don’t Lie” as the final number of an exciting run.You can check out the setlist from the Denver performance below, courtesy of Lucas White of Camp Greensky. You can also check out photos from the Quartet’s Saturday performance in the gallery below, courtesy of Gary Sheer.Setlist: Phoffman/Beck Quartet with Billy Strings and Samson Grisman | Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom | Denver, CO | 4/8/2017Set One: Takin’ A Slow Train, For Sure Uh Huh, Different Days, Burn Them 》Turmoil & Tinfoil (1), While I’m Waiting Here, Lumpy Beanpole and Dirt (2), Fixin’ to Ruin (2), Reverend, Stop That Train (3), Breaking ThruSet Two: Happy Birthday (4), Why Do You Do Me Like You Do, Frederico, All Four, Dust in a Baggie, I’d Probably Kill You, A Letter to Seymour (5), The Four (6), Broke Mountain Breakdown (7)(1)(8) 》How Mountain Girls Can LoveEncore: Meet Me at the Creek (9) 》Them Changes 》Don’t Lie (1) 》Born to Be Wild 》Don’t Lie 》Meet Me at the Creek (10) 》Don’t Lie(1) “Bustin’ Loose” teases, (2) With Tyler Grant, (3) “China Cat Sunflower” tease, (4) For Andrew Lincoln, (5) “Streets of Cairo” tease, (6) “Walk on the Wild Side” quotes, (7) “Back that Ass Up” quotes, (8) “Shakedown Street” tease, (9) “Kerosene” tease, (10) “Tweezer Reprise” tease Load remaining images
Photo: Keith Griner – Phierce Photo Summer Camp Music Festival continued on Saturday following a massive Thursday pre-party featuring Twiddle, Spafford, Nahko and Medicine For The People, Aqueous, Keller Williams, The Marcus King Band and more, and a muddy Friday with performances by Primus, Umphrey’s McGee, Mike Gordon, and a host of other talented acts.Early in the afternoon, news of Gregg Allman‘s passing reverberated throughout the Chillicothe, IL festival grounds. While the many seasoned musicians on the day’s lineup knew that “the show must go on,” emotions nevertheless ran high all day for fans and musicians alike all evening, lending a surreal atmosphere to the day’s proceedings.One of the first bands to play the Starshine Stage for the day was bluegrass outfit Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. They included some high energy covers like Pink Floyd’s “Time” and Talking Heads‘ “This Must Be the Place.” They also slowed things down with their own originals like “Wisconsin Waters” for a solid set that featuring plenty of great music and Pabst Blue Ribbon consumed onstage.The bluegrass continued with the Infamous Stringdusters on the main stage. They may have been one of the first bands to give the nod to Allman, as they opened their set with the Allman Brothers’ classic instrumental “Jessica.” Things got a little more funky in the VIP tent with Kyle Hollingsworth Band, who got all of the “very important people” dancing with the Cheese tune “Can’t Wait Another Day.”Perhaps the most emotional part of the day came with the Gov’t Mule set. By the time Warren Haynes and company hit the Moonshine Stage, everyone had heard the news of Gregg’s passing. Haynes played with Gregg in the Allman Brothers Band from their 1989 reunion through their final show in 2014, and gave a poignant speech about how much Allman had positively affected his life when he stepped onstage. Haynes then led Mule into a “Traveling Tune” opener, off the band’s upcoming album Revolution Come… Revolution Go. The tune’s lyrics about life on the road seemed fitting for the man who spent his life on the road sharing the music of the Allman Brothers. Mule continued with a cover of “Dreams” featuring moe. members Vinnie Amico, Chuck Garvey, and Jim Loughlin. Emotions once again ran high with their set-closing and absolutely scorching version of the Allman’s seminal jam vehicle “Whipping Post.” Once again, Mule invited others to help pay their respects to the fallen Allman, this time welcoming Al Schnier and Umphrey’s percussionists Kris Myers and Andy Farag to cap what was easily one of the weekends best sets so far.Pretty Lights and his live band graced the Sunshine Stage as the sun began to dip behind the horizon. Despite his massive lighting rig, the best lights in his set were cast by a brilliant sunset to the west. With the Sunshine Stage packed to the brim in each corner of viewing areas, Pretty Lights got the masses moving with his uniquely enthralling beats. The remarkably large crowd delighted in his remix of “Hot Like Sauce” that got things started, and once again went nuts for “Shining Bright Despite the Plight” from 2010’s Glowing In The Darkest Night.Aqueous performed just a stage over, and thrilled their fans with a raging version of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” Finding new bands that unexpectedly surprise you is always a bonus of music festivals, and on Saturday Ifdakar‘s rock and roll livetronic sound took home that prize. Don’t sleep on these guys, they’re worth a listen.The end of the night belonged to Umphrey’s McGee and moe. The two jam scene stalwarts always own the Sunshine and Moonshine stages as the festival’s co-headliners. The sets played by moe. were fantastic. In addition to a strong “Kyle’s Song,” their first set’s highlights included a rousing rendition of The Band’s “Ophelia” with help from the Turkuaz horns. Their second set was exploratory and fun, as all the members took the stage dressed entirely in white and delivered a superb “Seat of My Pants,” among other notable jams.Umphrey’s sets equally impressed the Summer Camp faithful. Their first round was highlighted by a monster “Higgins” featuring a solid improvisational segment. Their second set included the band’s own unique tribute to Allman, as their “1348” jam bled into a reggae/dub version of “Jessica.”While the day was marked by sad news, Summer Camp 2017’s Saturday transformed into a massive celebration of the life, music, and legacy of Gregg Allman, a moving day of remembrance for one of rock and roll’s most legendary characters.Summer Camp wraps up today with sets from Umphrey’s, moe., Trey Anastasio Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, Gramatik, Railroad Earth, Reed Mathis and Electric Beethoven, Disco Biscuits, and many more.You can see a gallery of photos from Summer Camp Saturday below, courtesy of Phierce Photo by Keith G. Summer Camp Music Festival | Saturday, 5/27/17 | Photos via Phierce Photo by Keith Griner Load remaining images
Load remaining images As has basically become a yearly ritual, Summer Camp Music Festival transformed into mud central on Friday. An afternoon deluge of rain created a giant mud pit covering almost every inch of the park. Nonetheless, the music continued and what ensued was a remarkable and memorable Friday.With the day starting off cooler and cloudier than Thursday, music started around noon. One of the first acts on the main stage was The Larry Keel Experience, getting some twang from Larry on guitar, wife/bassist Jenny Keel on upright bass, and Jared Pool on mandolin. During their set that brought some energetic fastgrass, it began to sprinkle a refreshing pace of rain. Appropriately, the band took it as a sign to play “Picking in the Rain” and got some Garcia numbers in there with “Russian Lullaby” during their Larry does Jerry segment. Later, they brought out Keller Williams and reprised some Keller and the Keels moments. It wasn’t long after they finished the set that the storm clouds were inching ever closer to the festival grounds. First came the announcement that music would be delayed for twenty minutes. Patrons were advised to seek shelter. As if on cue, immediately after the announcer left the Moonshine Stage, lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a massively loud crackle of thunder. Then, the rain fell, and it fell hard. It was one of those rain storms that no matter how many tarps you put around your canopy tent, you’re going to get wet regardless.The rainstorm didn’t last longer than an hour, but it was long and strong enough to cancel sets from bands such as moe., The Main Squeeze, and others, (though The Main Squeeze performed a surprise pop-up show later in the night). The festival organizers spared no effort to get the grounds back in working form. At the main stage, workers were using massive outdoor vacuums to suck up large pools of water in between the stage and the soundboard. Upon finishing, Mike Gordon was one of the first acts to resume the music.With the sun now shining brightly, Gordon’s set spanned his solo career, opening with “Face” and playing other songs like “Say Something,” “Let’s Go,” and closing with “How Many People Are You?” Gordon yielded a backlit, neon blue bass guitar. It was a fun set from the Phish bassist.Setlist: Mike Gordon | Summer Camp |Chillicothe, IL | 5/26/17Face > Traveled Too Far, Say Something, Crazy Sometimes > Peel, Let’s Go, Jones (Max Creek cover) > Tiny Little World, How Many People Are You?On the other side of the grounds, TAUK began their set. Featuring mostly newer tunes, they did invite almost all the members from the Main Squeeze on stage to help them with Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.”Sloshing on, Umphrey’s McGee brought it for their two sets. Their first set included a segment of “Utopian Fir” and Mantis,” which both had some extended jamming. They then busted out “Abacab” by Genesis, a cover that hasn’t been played since 2011. Their second set had a very dancey “In the Kitchen” that engaged the crowd in an epic mud dance party. The band encored with a double Pink Floyd cover, with “In The Flesh” and “Another Brick In The Wall” to close the set.Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | Summer Camp |Chillicothe, IL | 5/26/17I: There’s No Crying In Mexico, 40’s Theme, Utopian Fir, Mantis, Abacab (Genesis cover), Make It Right, Remind MeII: In the Kitchen, Believe the Lie, Der Bluten Kat > Cut The Cable > Der Bluten Kat reprise, Similar Skin, Much Obliged, UpwardE: In The Flesh, Another Brick In The WallIf getting darker, dirtier, and grittier was preferred, Les Claypool and Primus was doing his thing over on the Moonshine Stage. He brought his brand of weirdness and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed it. Showing the oddest of images on the screen as they played, Primus highlighted their unique and indescribable sound. The crowd went absolutely crazy when they began to play “My Name Is Mud.” It was an epic moment.Friday was an absolute blast, also featuring stand-out sets from Run The Jewels, Twiddle, Manic Focus, Dumpstaphunk, and Dookie, featuring members of Umphrey’s and Aqueous performing the music of Green Day’s Dookie and other rock music.Music and mud mixed for a great time and there is plenty more of both in store for today and Sunday. You can check out photos from Friday’s festivities below, courtesy of Phierce Photo.Summer Camp | Friday | Photos by Keith Griner 
Greensky Bluegrass recently announced an exciting new show at the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk on August 3rd. With Marco Benevento as a special guest, this show is sure to be a doozy. On a Thursday between Phish shows, smack-dab in the middle of the jam juggernauts’ Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Gardens, fans will come together to celebrate twenty years of Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation. The WaterWheel Foundation was created in 1997 to oversee Phish’s charitable activities. The foundation chooses from a diverse smattering of non-profits to benefit charities focused on social services for women and children, food banks, urban gardening, clean water access, and land conservation, to name a few. Thanks to the generosity of the fans, since its creation, the WaterWheel’s Touring Division has donated over $1,000,000 to more than 425 groups.Greensky Bluegrass and Marco Benevento are both tenured acts in the scene that have been tapped to celebrate this charitable foundation’s 20th anniversary and the great work they have done over the years. For more than a decade and a half, the members of Greensky Bluegrass have created their own version of bluegrass music, mixing the acoustic stomp of a string band with the rule-breaking spirit of rock & roll. The group redefined their sound once again with their sixth album, Shouted, Written Down & Quoted. Rock out to that here. Marco Benevento has been amassing an extensive body of work for almost as much time as these bluegrass all-stars. Anybody who’s seen Marco Benevento perform will attest that he’s a satellite to the muse, with his eyes closed, smile wide across his face and fingers free-flowing across the keys. Listen to his 2016 The Story of Fred Short here.Tickets to Greensky Bluegrass with special guest Marco Benevento are now on sale. $1 from every ticket will go to The WaterWheel Foundation. Tickets available here.Enter to win a pair of VIP tickets below:L4LM Baker’s Dozen Late Nights: [Cover Photo by Jeremy Scott]