Dave Matthews Featured In New Musical-Themed Nature Program On Discovery Channel
A new Discovery Channel show is mixing the nature and music worlds, as the six-part series will use specific music from six prominent recording artists to tell various stories of the wild. All six musicians have a keen love for nature, and the themed episodes will be an engaging way to tell these animal stories.The six musicians featured include Usher, Christina Aguliera, Joan Jett, Ellie Goulding, Steven Tyler and Dave Matthews. Rich Ross, group president of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel, told The Hollywood Reporter, “All of these artists bring a powerful love for wildlife and the environment, and we cannot wait to share these films with families across the world… As we’re faced daily with news and information about the declining state of our natural world, this series brings a hopeful message that bridges generations to inspire conservationists of any age.”Matthews’ episode in particular will be focused on the song “Save Me,” and will feature three animals – rhinos, spadefoot toads and manatees – searching for fresh water that they depend on for life. Other episodes include Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” with animals who get bad raps, Goulding’s “Something In The Way You Move” with animals on the quest to find mates, and Usher’s “Stronger” with the resiliency of a sea turtle and red fox.The show is titled Hello World!, and is set to premiere on Discovery on July 9th. Presented in association with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), this should be a great series that nature lovers of all ages can enjoy.Just imagine “Save Me” as the soundtrack to a nature show! We’ll let you listen below…
Last Monday, May 23rd, Dead & Company performed a free show at the historic Fillmore venue in San Francisco, CA. A hotspot for Grateful Dead concerts in the sixties, Dead & Company filled the 1,150-person room with both eager fans and beautiful music. For those who couldn’t make it, the band has another free gift in store. Thanks to a partnership with Nugs.net, the band is offering a full stream from the performance for free. Not only that, but the group has promised to share high quality audio recordings from each of their stops on the summer tour, allowing for unprecedented access to Dead & Company show recordings. We recently spoke to bassist Oteil Burbridge and asked how excited he was for the tour to begin. “Excited like you can’t imagine,” said Burbridge. Last year was so much fun but I can tell the band is in a new place this year. Having the support from the fans really frees you to not think so much and just be responsive to the moment.” The band’s tour starts on June 10th.You can listen to the free stream on the Nugs.net app, which can be found here.
Update 7:00 PM: Full video has emerged of this great set! Tune in below.After a five year hiatus, 2016 has been a celebratory year for fans of the band Ween. The group is sounding tighter and more enthusiastic than ever, and their performances in Colorado, New York, and more have only solidified their triumphant return. Last night, the band played to their biggest 2016 audience, playing at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival for the fifth time in their career (2002, 2004, 2007, 2010).The set featured a number of Ween classics, opening with “Transdermal Celebration” and bringing out “Roses Are Free,” “The Stallion Pt. 3,” and “Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)” to start the show. The set kept rocking with one hit after the next!Thanks to Boognish Monster’s capture of the SiriusXM Jam On stream, we have full audio from this great Bonnaroo set. Check it out below, and use the top left icon to navigate between songs.Setlist: Ween at Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN – 6/12/16Set: Transdermal Celebration, Roses Are Free, The Stallion pt 3, Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down), Happy Colored Marbles, Buckingham Green, Your Party, The Grobe, Nan, Take Me Away, Touch My Tooter, Ocean Man, Did You See Me?, The Mollusk[Setlist via Brownbase, Photo via Boognish Monster]
Last night, Dead & Company rocked Clarkston, MI for another night along their summer tour. In a similar vein as how “Deer Creek,” is more affectionately known, Pine Knob (also known as DTE Energy Music Theatre) was a great venue to see Dead & Company. Nestled amongst many trees and a couple of manmade creeks and mini-waterfalls, Bob, Billy, Mickey, John, Oteil, and Jeff all brought the best for a very special Thursday night.The first set brought the band’s standard excellence with some great moments. The show began with some jamming that eventually led into the opening notes of “Jack Straw.” Always a great opener, this version was unique in that it had an uncharacteristic reggae jam before the final chorus. And after this mellow rhythm, the rocking “Jack Straw from Wichita cut his buddy down!” sounded even more powerful than usual. It was a great way to start the show. Other stellar moments of the first set included a nice “Friend of the Devil” and a “Sugaree” that made for a great sing-a-long, as well as the band’s debut cover of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” By the time “Sugaree” was played, most fans had finally overcome the massively long lines to enter and were in the venue, filling the lawn and leaving no blade of grass untrodden. Thus, the sing-a-long was fun. “Don’t Ease Me In” closed out the set, and the set itself wasn’t too unfamiliar of a first set the Grateful Dead could have played twenty-five years ago at this same venue.Where the first set was fun and could have been termed pedestrian, the second set took the music to another level. Opening with “Playin’ in the Band,” it didn’t take long for Bob Weir to give the nod to the rest of the musicians signaling improvisation to follow. The jamming was dark before going into “Estimated Prophet.” It was a great rendition, and although it appeared Bobby’s head was about to fall off his shoulders the way he was shaking his head during the tune, all the musical glory goes to John Mayer. Mayer did a great job of hitting some powerful chords at the beginning of the song to denote its beginning. As the song progressed and all the lyrics faded, it was Mayer who was leading the foray into improvisational space, only to be cut short by Weir.It sounded like they would play “Eyes of the World,” but instead a fun “Cumberland Blues” followed. It was during the short jam that I first noticed how salient bassist Oteil Burbridge was by adding some very dark bass lines to the song. It was cool. The next song was “Truckin’,” and the band played a great version of the national treasure of the United States Congress followed. A brief return to “Playin’ in the Band” then led to “Drums” which was very short but interesting because Burbridge and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti joined drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart on the various percussion instruments. It was certainly a fun moment.“Space” had some cool reverb effects from Mayer, who was sitting in front of his amplifier making some crazy sounds and noises with his guitar. From “Space” they went into “The Wheel.” A fun version that had some reggae influences at the end (in the way that Weir has done before with Ratdog), they went into a choice cover with The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence.” The set culminated with a rocking “Casey Jones.” Finally, the band played a quick “Johnny B. Goode,” and with no encore, that was the end of the night.All things considered, the show was fantastic. The venue was beautiful, the Deadheads were congenial, and most importantly the music was Dead. The band will hit up Alpine Valley in Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, and Fenway Park in Boston before heading out West. Be sure to catch Dead and Company if they come around your area. Or better yet, road trip to somewhere they are playing!Check out full audio recording of the performance, courtesy of taper Jeff Frank.Check out the full setlist below, as well as video highlights and a gallery from Ojeda Photography.Edit this setlist | More Dead & Company setlists Load remaining images
String Cheese Incident will make their way to the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY for a two-night stand at the breathtaking venue, August 13-14. What’s not to be excited for? Not only is the band locked in at the moment, but they are still writing new music that translates seamlessly into the live setting. Arguably the most stylistically diverse of all the jam acts, SCI is still building momentum as they near their 25th year of existence.With their new formula of releasing singles as they are written and recorded from their recently built Sound Lab, as opposed to sitting on the tunes or playing them out in the live setting before ever being released in the standard album format, we’re tasting some seriously sharp Cheese lately.The recently restored Kings Theatre in Flatbush is nothing short of majestic, with a history dating back to 1929. Originally designed as one of the five ‘Loew’s Wonder Theatres’ in the NY/NJ area, with an interior inspired by the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House, the theatre was a beloved Brooklyn neighborhood destination. Several notable entertainers, including Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler, worked as ushers at the famous venue.With the band playing more on point than ever, situated in such a historic venue, these shows are a no-brainer.Tickets are available here, or enter to win them below.
A little over a week ago, BIG Something descended on Mebane, NC for their annual The BIG What? Festival. The up and coming jam rockers always know how to throw a good time, and this year was no exception. The band not only hosted great musicians like The Werks, Turkuaz, Zach Deputy, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and more, but they also brought a number of great performances to their own festival. The crowd could not have been happier!Among the many sets performed was a particularly moving Saturday night performance, where the band took a moment to honor a number of the musicians lost during the last year. The end of 2015 into 2016 has been a tough time for the music community, and BIG Something played the music of Prince, Merl Haggard, Lemmy Kilmister, Phife Dawg, Maurice White, David Bowie, and Bernie Worrell in their first set as a tribute to all of them. All of the covers, except Bowie’s “Fame,” were debuts for BIG Something.Thanks to taper Marty Loving, we can listen to the full performance below. There’s also a full setlist from the show printed below, provided by BIG Something’s Nick MacDaniels. Enjoy.Setlist: BIG Something at The BIG What? Festival, Mebane, NC – 7/23/16Sirens >Let’s Go Crazy* (Prince)My Volcano >I think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink* (Merle Haggard)Grey MatterAce of Spades* (Motorhead)WavesElectric Relaxation* (Tribe Called Quest)Song for UsShining Star* (Earth Wind and Fire)A Simple Vision Fame (David Bowie)Flashlight*^ (Parliament) In the Middle >Untitled** >Love GeneratorVibrations Al Al Jam***It Comes Around >EWI 4000Passenger >TumbleweedThe Curse of Julia BrownAmanda Lynn^^E1: What Is Love* (Haddaway) >Megalodon^^E2: The Devil Went Down to Georgia^^ (Charlie Daniels Band)Wake Up (Rage Against The Machine)Notes:1st set featured a tribute to musical icons Prince, Merle Haggard, Lemme, Phife Dawg, Maurice White, David Bowie, and Bernie Worrell who all passed away within the last year. Photos of each artist appeared on the visual screen throughout the set* first time played^ w/ Spiritual Rez members Quinn Carson (Trombone) & Mohamed Araki (Keytar)** foundation for a new unfinished song still in progress*** Improv Jam w/ Al Al Ingram (Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band) on bass^^ w/ Dani Jaye (Come Back Alice) on violin[Cover photo via Roger Gupta]
Umphrey’s McGee continued their summer tour domination last night, playing a scorching show at the F Shed in Syracuse, NY. With opening support from Brownout, fans were primed and ready for some serious musical power for Umphrey’s McGee. The band delivered a walloping performance, delving deep into their catalog and pulling out some serious home runs.The band opened up with a big “Walletsworth,” before bringing classic tunes “Der Bluten Kat” and “Anchor Drops” together for a jam sandwich. The “DBK” > “Anchor” > “DBK” kept the first set rolling, before jumping into 2016 favorite “Turn & Run.” “#5” came next, before the third-ever performance of the classic Squeeze song “Tempted.” Finally, “The Floor” closed out the first set in its awesome fashion.The second set saw the band get even tighter with their jamming, playing a six-song improvisational masterpiece. The set started with “The Crooked One,” stretching it out for a good 12 minutes before dropping into “Remind Me.” They stretched that song out as well, and cruised into “Miami Virtue” for another big time jam. After 13 minutes, the band segued into “The Bottom Half,” working their magic before delivering the final combination of “Uncle Wally” into “Mulche’s Odyssey.” What a set!The encore saw the band bring out “Much Obliged,” before ending the night with their second cover selection: “I Am The Walrus” by The Beatles. Goo goo g’joob.Watch some highlights from the show below, courtesy of Dancintank on YouTube: Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee at F Shed, Syracuse, NY – 8/14/16Set 1: Walletsworth, Der Bluten Kat > Anchor Drops > Der Bluten Kat, Turn and Run, #5, Tempted, The FloorSet 2: The Crooked One > Remind Me, Miami Virtue > The Bottom Half, Uncle Wally > Mulche’s OdysseyEncore: Much Obliged > I Am The Walrus
In 8 short days, Phish will settle in at Madison Square Garden for their traditional end-of-the-year run. Phish is no stranger to the Garden, having now played the famed venue in the heart of New York City 35 times over the course of their career. From their MSG debut in 1994 to their most recent appearances at the very beginning of 2016, the storied room has played host to some of the most treasured shows in the band’s history. As we inch closer to this year’s New Year’s Run, we will be bringing you our 12 Days Of Phishmas series, highlighting a different milestone MSG Phish show each day until we all head back to the Garden on the 28th. It wasn’t easy narrowing 35 down to 12, but we think you’ll be pleased with these classics from the Phish catalog. Enjoy! On the fifth day of Phishmas, we head to December 29th, 1997. ’97 was, of course, a landmark year for Phish. After successful European tours in the Winter and Spring and The Great Went festival in August, the band absolutely crushed their 21-date Fall tour in November and December, remembered fondly by fans as the time that Phish Destroyed America. It’s one of the best tours of their career, as they showcased their new groove-oriented style of jamming known as “cow-funk”. The tour was a wild success, finishing up on December 13th in Albany, ultimately giving Phish a mere 15 days off before their traditional New Year’s run began. The band performed one show at USAir Arena in Landover, MD on 12/28 before heading to New York for a three-night New Year’s Eve run at Madison Square Garden. They kicked off the run with a blistering show on December 29th that featured a second set for the ages, as Phish played an exciting and improv-heavy five-song run.The first set had its merits, with a bust out of Robert Johnson‘s “Crossroads” and an awesome “Theme From The Bottom” into “Fluffhead”. Yet, the second set is what truly stands out from 12/29/1997, It all started with “Down With Disease”. The band had tons of energy as they launched into the “DWD” jam, with Trey Anastasio showing off his speed and confidence right out of the gate. He was strong throughout the 23-minute version of the song. After 10 minutes of straight forward jamming, the band dissolved into their cow-funk style, with Page using his clavinet to full effect. The band would bring that jam to a huge peak before transitioning into “David Bowie”.“Bowie” had an intro jam with crazy ambient playing, with Jon Fishman contributing a unique, hi-hat led drum beat. The “Bowie” jam saw Anastasio and Page McConnell linking up for an extended improv section, chasing each other’s musical tails around the stage. They eventually locked back in with Fishman and Mike Gordon on a section that got more and more intense as Anastasio’s explosive playing pushed the whole band. Finally, they returned to complete the song with the zany energy that only Phish can produce.Right as it felt like they would bring “Bowie” to its natural peak, they dropped into “Possum”. “Possum” featured a jam based around Otis Redding‘s “I Can’t Turn You Loose”, which McConnell started and the full band eventually picked up. This made for a unique version of “Possum”, as the band remained on the theme before for a bit before finishing up the song. The band returned to “Can’t Turn You Loose” again at the end of the song as well for a quick reprise.A cow-funk-heavy “Tube” was perfect for blowing off some steam after the blistering opening hour of the set. Anastasio used his looping pedal to create some interesting sounds, while McConnell took the lead on what turned out to be a keyboard-heavy jam. Page teased “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King, which the band links up on for a moment before they completed the 10-minute “Tube”.“You Enjoy Myself” capped off the set. “YEM” clocked in around 18 minutes long, and served as the ultimate cap to the excellent five-song set. It featured another short cow-funk jam that saw McConnell reprise his “Can’t Turn You Loose” tease, and the vocal jam came right out of an ambient dissolve at the end of the jam.In the end, those five songs totaled 82 minutes, showing just how much they stretched things over the course of this Madison Square Garden classic. It was a wild set filled with highlights, as the band continued to push each other into new musical directions. The band returned to the stage and encored with Led Zeppelin‘s “Good Times Bad times” to bring the show to its conclusion. Of course, this was only the beginning of their famed 1997 New Years Eve run at MSG, as the band had several tricks still left up their sleeves.Watch the full second set from 12/29/1997, courtesy of YouTube user The Phish Jams, below.Setlist: Phish | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 12/29/1997Set 1: NICU > Golgi Apparatus > Crossroads, Cars Trucks Buses, Train Song, Theme From the Bottom > Fluffhead, Dirt, Run Like an AntelopeSet 2: Down with Disease [1] -> David Bowie [2] > Possum, Tube, You Enjoy MyselfEncore: Good Times Bad TimesDisease was unfinished. Bowie included Antelope-esque jamming and a tease from Mike of the Theme from James Bond. Possum contained a Can’t Turn You Loose jam, which was briefly reprised after the song and teased by Page in YEM. Tube featured an I Feel the Earth Move tease. The soundcheck’s Funky Bitch featured Trey on vocals. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.[1] Unfinished.[2] Antelope-esque jamming. James Bond Theme tease from Mike.Stay tuned over the coming days for more Phishmas! ‘Tis the season!On the fifth day of Phishmas, a Phish phan played for me…a Five Song Second Set (12/29/97)Four Light Year Jams (12/29/98)Three Phishy Decades (12/31/13)Two Sitting Legends (10/22/96) and The Gamehendge Time Factory (12/31/95)!If you’re attending the run, there are plenty of things to do in between shows. For fans of the jam, head to any of these concerts in the area for a guaranteed good time!12/28: Aqueous + Mungion @ DROM (Phish After-Party) – tickets12/30: Phan Art w/ Formula 5 @ American Beauty (Phish Pre-Party) – FREE SHOW12/30-31: Spafford & Magic Beans @ American Beauty (Phish After-Party) – tickets
You may recognize Drew Soule from his concert-going adventures throughout the Midwest. Drew, like the rest of us, loves to travel and see music; but unlike most of us, is physically unable to do so without extreme assistance. Drew is confined to a powerchair as a result of his spinal muscular atrophy. This rare genetic disease involves the loss of neuron cells in the spinal cord, resulting in the lack of muscular growth. The only way for him to pursue his passion for concert-going is through the aid of his 2005 wheelchair-accessible Chrysler Town and Country minivan, which is nearly extinct. Drew desperately needs a new car, and you can help him by donating right here.The 23-year-old St. Charles, IL native discovered his love for music and festivals after traveling cross country during his teenage years with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a national group raising awareness for muscular dystrophy and atrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. This taste of wanderlust gave him the courage to travel beyond speaking tours and to make moves based on his passion for music and shared community.“Being able to travel for music allows me to immerse myself in other cultures, see new and unfamiliar land, and most importantly network with other humans,” Drew tells us. “By traveling, I am able to meet many people who are also inspired and motivated by the music that makes us dance. There’s something about shared musical experiences that unites us and connects people of vastly different backgrounds and we look past our differences and see each other for what we really are, human.”With these hardships, Soule is still as motivated as ever. He hopes to go to grad school and get into a human resources program, with the ultimate goal of working HR in a corporate setting on the west coast. However, his disabilities make it impossible for Soule to fly, given his powerchair and physical demands, making the application process that much more difficult to succeed in.In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he explains, “For me, to go anywhere, I have to plan on driving,” explains Soule. “That kind of puts the dependability factor on the vehicle extremely high.”Beyond these realistic needs, like visiting his parents from school at the University of Illinois, where he majors in political science and minors in sociology and environmental studies, Soule depends on his current vehicle to do just about everything. Beyond a mode of transportation, this car is a vehicle to his freedom.Soule’s favorite artists are STS9, the String Cheese Incident, GRiZ, Lettuce, and Bassnectar, and he’s attended festivals like Wakarusa, Summer Camp, and Electric Forest. Understandably, the powerchair-confined young man says that these musical interactions are a boost in confidence that drive him to keep on going, show after show.“For me, traveling has helped me realize that no matter what I want to do in life, if I work at it, I know that I can make it happen, and I know I can do it,” he explains. “Before I started traveling, I know I wasn’t confident enough in setting out what I wanted to do.” Now, his goal is more clear than ever and there’s a chance for us to help.Donate Here to help Drew Soule reach his goal to buy a new wheelchair-accessible minivan.Road Life is a breeding environment for new experiences, and therefore, opportunities for a person to grow. Every element feeds into an adventurous merry-go-round of whimsical decisions and life lessons that, in the end, become cornerstones of your very own character. Read more about why you should always travel to go see music here.Here are some photos of Drew with some of his favorite artists and friends he’s made along the journey:
The Heavy Pets and Brothers Gow just wrapped their combined two-week tour of the West coast, which hit eleven cities from San Deigo to Seattle in twelve days. Across the eleven nights, the performance at The Domino Room in Bend, OR, on January 20th stands out as a tour highlight. To transition from The Heavy Pets’ set to Brothers Gow, both bands coordinated an epic transition, which involved members of Brothers Gow coming out and switching with individual members of The Heavy Pets one at a time until the full line-up of Brothers Gow was on stage and ready to shred. Not holding anything back once their full band was on-stage, Brothers Gow then busted out “Squirrel Jam,” a track which hasn’t been seen live in over three years.You can check out video of the transition between the two bands and Brother Gow’s “Squirrel Jam” below, courtesy of Brothers Gow.If you like what you see, you can catch more of Brothers Gow as support for the West-Coast leg of The Werks’ recently announced tour, dates for which can be found below. Tickets are available via Brothers Gow’s website.