As we’ve previously mentioned, 2012 marks the 15th anniversary of venerable indie-rock label Yep Roc, who will mark this milestone with a three-night celebration at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro from October 11 – 13, aptly dubbed Yep Roc 15. The label-centric fest is set to feature performances from Nick Lowe, John Wesley Harding, Fountains of Wayne, Josh Rouse, Jukebox The Ghost, The Sadies and more.

Yesterday the Haw River, North Carolina-based label announced the YR15 Minutes of Fame contest, where they are asking fans to submit cover songs of their favorite Yep Roc artist performing at the festival and upload them to YouTube, with the grand prize of two tickets, airfare and a hotel room for all three nights of the Yep Roc Records’ 15th Anniversary blowout.

Here’s some more details courtesy of John Wesley Harding…

Fans are encouraged to submit cover songs of their favorite Yep Roc artist performing at the festival and upload them to YouTube. The top 3 videos with the most “likes” on YouTube will make it to the final round where a panel of Yep Roc artists will pick the Grand Prize Winner and runner-ups. Their panel of judges, which include Yep Roc-ers Eleni Mandell, Django Haskins of the Old Ceremony, and the boys from Jukebox the Ghost, will pick a grand prize winner to be announced on September 24.

The grand prize includes 2 tickets, airfare, and a hotel room for all three nights of the Yep Roc Records’ 15th Anniversary blowout.

• List Time: 13 Songs That Have A Filmmaker In The Title
• Silversun Pickups doesn’t want Mitt Romney using their song at campaign stops
• Cover Alert: Eddie Vedder tackles Cat Power
• Pete Townshend’s autobiography Who I Am to be released on October 8
• Download This: Patterson Hood & the Downtown Ramblers – Bell House – 2012-07-23
• Stereogum takes a look at Bright Eye’s Lifted, Or The Story Is In The Soil…

Finally, in a day and age where concert footage gets uploaded to YouTube on the very same night that a show happens, it’s odd to find out that there has been footage of Jimi Hendrix that has been unseen for over 40 years. A recent eBay auction touted just that, as the seller reportedly had four never-before-seen 16mm color film reels that contained close-ups and clips from three different Hendrix shows, with the fourth reel containing unreleased footage from Monterey Pop in 1967. The reels which sold for a staggering $10,000 to an undisclosed buyer, came with the guarantee that “the film has not been copied, it’s a one-of-a-kind film, and will run with ‘no flaking’ or ‘cracking.’”

The members of Widespread Panic promised they would return after an “indefinite hiatus” kept the band on the sidelines throughout most of this year. Today we’ve got confirmation as Cloud 9 Adventures have just announced the destination event Panic En La Playa Dos in which the jam titans will play four full shows over four nights on the sandy beaches of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on January 27 – 31, 2013.

Earlier this year Cloud 9 hosted the first installment of Panic En La Playa which was held on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. The second edition of the event will be held at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Resort & Casino, a rock-themed location that sports “breathtaking beaches & pools, an award-winning spa, full service casino & sports book, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and more.”

Here’s more details from a press release…

A truly intimate concert experience, Panic en la Playa is limited to those guests booked through Cloud 9 at the Hard Rock Resort & Casino. Caribbean Suites start at $1299 per person and various room types are available including One Bedroom Presidential Suites with a separate living room and two bathrooms, and Two Bedroom Presidential Suites which accommodate 2 couples and includes 2 bedrooms, a shared living room with dining room and mini kitchen, plus a lanai that extends across the entire suite totaling nearly 2500 square feet.

A pre-sale will take place on the 22nd and 23rd before the general on-sale on Aug. 24 at Noon ET. Head over to PanicEnLaPlaya.com for more details.

Yes, we know the focus should be on the incredible 45-minute Rock and Roll > Ghost segment from last night’s Phish tour-opener in Long Beach, but we couldn’t help but be intrigued by pop star Justin Bieber and his nearly-as-famous girlfriend Selena Gomez taking in their first Phish show.

Biebs is far from the only celebrity Phish fan as for this week’s B List we’ll detail nine others.

1. Justin Bieber

GREAT SHOW last night #withdankanter. @dankanter @phish

Thursday, August 16, 2012 1:11 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@justinbieber

Justin Bieber

Last night Bieber attended his first Phish show after years of hearing about the band’s greatness from Dan Kanter, the 18-year-old’s guitarist and musical director. Kanter is a longtime fan and struck up a friendship with bassist Mike Gordon. Dan finally convinced his boss to check out a show and from the looks of the tweet above he enjoyed it.

2. January Jones

The Man Men star told GQ that she was a fan of the band in her younger years…

“I hung out with dudes in high school,” she says. “We were the hippies—into the Dead, Zeppelin, Phish. I was a lifeguard at the water park, and I remember the day Jerry died. Over the loudspeaker, it said: ‘Jerry Garcia has died. Everybody meet in the parking lot.’ I probably shouldn’t say that—we were saving lives! But that was definitely a sit-in-the-chair-with-sunglasses afternoon.”

3. Travie McCoy

The Gym Class Heroes singer attended a Phish show at the War Memorial in Syracuse back in 2009 and raved about it on Twitter.  “These dudes are BEASTS! Such a dick for never giving this band an honest chance. Such a great show,Trey is a shredder,” and “most devoted fans Ive ever seen,not a single soul standig (sic) still in the entire place. My hat is off to these guys yo.”

4. Bill Hader

In 2009 the Saturday Night Live star told Entertainment Weekly that he saw 12 Phish shows during his high school days.

The person or band you’ve seen most often in concert?

There was a time in high school when I was at a lot of Phish shows. I didn’t follow them, but I saw them maybe 12 times. I’ve been to about10 Radiohead shows. It’s between them.

5. Danny Tamberelli

Perhaps the most devoted Phish fan on this list, the Pete & Pete star has been seeing the band for well over a decade and still catches Phish shows when he’s not busy as the bassist and vocalist in scene fixtures Jounce.

6. Fred Savage

Another longtime fan, the Wonder Years star struck up a friendship with Phish and even mentioned them during an appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. Just today Savage mentioned his experience at Phish’s New Year’s Eve performance at MSG on December 31, 1998.

@motorbikematt great show!! 1999 opener and runaway jim took us to midnight.

Thursday, August 16, 2012 2:47 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@thefredsavage

Fred Savage

7. Sean Avery

This controversial NHLer considers Trey Anastasio amongst his friends and has attended a handful of shows since Phish returned in 2009. Avery even brought Big Red to the locker room after a Rangers game in 2009 and used Tweezer Reprise as music on his website.

8. Todd Snider

Singer-songwriter Todd Snider listed Joy and Phish’s version of Exile On Main Street among his top albums of 2009. Anastasio is a fan of Snider’s as mentioned in a 2009 interview with Time Out.

9. Bill Walton

While this basketball Hall of Fame is best known as a Deadhead who saw over 600 shows, he’s also a Phish fan who tries to catch the band when he can. His first show took place at Madison Square Garden on December 31, 2002 when the band came back from a hiatus. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that took place after his first show, Walton raved about the experience.

10. Adam Levine

I had a dream that I got to sing purple rain with Phish in Vermont and we killed it. The dream was epic enough to be reality...

Saturday, October 8, 2011 3:50 am via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@adamlevine

Adam Levine

The Maroon 5 lead singer has never hid his love for Phish going so far as to tell Rolling Stone that one show “changed his life,” saying he was “physically torn apart and spiritually moved by the experience.” More recently, he tweeted about a dream he had involving the band.

More Celebrity Phish Fans: Danny Devito, Aron Rolston, Conan O’Brien, Fran Drescher, Peter Gammons, Matisyahu, Ben & Jerry and Paul Dano.

Who did we miss? Leave a comment below to let us know.

Latin funk-rockers Ozomatli blend world sounds with hip-hop and you can catch them live from Denver’s Ogden Theatre on Saturday night at 11:30PM ET on cable network AXS TV.

Friday, August 17 [All Times ET]

• Casio Kids on Indie NYC [MSG 11PM]
• Allen Stone on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• The Offspring on Jay Leno [NBC 11:35PM]
• Amir Bar-Lev on Carson Daly [NBC 1:35AM]

Saturday, August 18

• Allen Toussaint on Austin City Limits [PBS]
• INXS: Live Baby Live [VH1 Classic 3PM]
• Jason Derulo on World Stage [Palladia 9PM]
• Ozomatli – Live at the Ogden [AXS TV 11:30PM]

Sunday, August 19

• Phish / Flaming Lips – Austin City Limits 2010 [Palladia 10AM]
• Jimi Hendrix/ Santana – Woodstock [VH1 Classic 4PM]
• Cheap Trick – Latest Live at SXSW [AXS TV 5:45PM]
• Jimmy Cliff – Live at the Ogden [AXS TV 8PM]

Album Week continued last night at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads venue in San Rafael, Calif. where the Grateful Dead / Furthur bassist and a bunch of his musical comrades spent the first set covering Gram Parsons’ Grievous Angel and the second set jamming on tunes from the Grateful Dead repertoire. During the second set, Lesh welcomed out Phish bassist Mike Gordon as a second bassist. Gordon had the night off from Phish tour which continues tonight at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

[Photo by Benjy Eisen]

After covering Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks on Wednesday night, Lesh and his band – which included sons Grahame and Brian as well as guitarist Mark Karan, multi-instrumentalist Ross James, keyboardist Conor O’Sullivan, drummer Scott Paden and vocalist Elliott Peck – went a more obscure route last night by tackling the Flying Burrito Brothers member’s second solo album from 1973.

Gordon emerged at the start of the second set and stuck around for the whole closing stanza. The set began with a bass duet between Lesh and Cactus and continued with The Wheel. Uncle John’s Band, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, I Know You Rider, Loser and Franklin’s Tower made up the rest of the set. Take a listen to Franklin’s Tower via this recording from Z-Man…

And here’s audio of the bass duel that started the second set…

If you’re a Wilco fan, the name Bill Fay will likely sound familiar, as the both Jeff Tweedy and the band have covered the UK-based singer-songwriter’s tune Be Not So Fearful in concert a number of times dating all the way back to 2001. In fact, Tweedy’s solo acoustic take on the song was included their must-see documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. As for Fay, his story could be filed alongside the likes of Rodriguez, Gary Higgins and Juddee Sill as another artist whose work gained a fervent cult following among musicians and music collectors, but whose two studio albums were largely ignored when they were originally released.

Thanks to folks like Tweedy, Nick Cave and Jim O’Rourke, who sang his praises, Fay is now getting a well deserved second shot at a recording career, as next Tuesday, Fay will release Life Is People via venerable indie-label Dead Oceans. The 12-track record, his first in over 40 years, includes not only a a plaintive and moving cover of Wilco’s Jesus, Etc., but also features Jeff Tweedy contributing vocals for the track This World. Let’s give it a listen…

Bill Fay – This World (featuring Jeff Tweedy)

Iconic guitarist Frank Zappa embarked on a lengthy world tour in 1988 backed by the self-proclaimed “Best Band You’ve Never Heard In Your Life” which included Ike Willis, Mike Keneally, Scott Thunes, Chad Wackerman, Ed Mann, Bobby Martin, Bruce Fowler, Walt Fowler, Paul Carman, Albert Wing and Kurt McGettric. On May 17, 1988, about halfway through the European leg of the tour, Zappa and his band played at Palacio de los Deportes in Barcelona, Spain for a show that was broadcast on Spanish Public TV station RTVE and subsequently re-broadcast a number of times.

This performance has been bootlegged many times but has never been officially released. It features many classic Zappa tunes such as Black Napkins, Watermelon In Easter Hay and Illinois Enema Bandit as well as a few choice covers, namely Whipping Post and I am The Walrus. Thanks to YouTuber brainphreaky we can watch over two glorious hours of FZ and Co. in action…

Frank Zappa – Barcelona 1988

Songs: Pre-Concert Documentary, Black Page, Packard Goose, Sharleena, Bamboozled by Love, Black Napkins, When the Lie’s so Big, Planet of the Baritone Women, Any Kind of Pain, Jesus Thinks You Are a Jerk, Sofa, Find Her Finer, Big Swifty/Synclavier Instrumental, Ain’t Got No Heart, Love of my Life, Torture Never Stops/Cowboy Burt, Bolero, Watermelon in Easter Hey, Whipping Post, I Am the Walrus, Illinois Enema Bandit, Strictly Genteel (cut from broadcast)

Cable network AXS TV, the channel formerly known as HDNet, will broadcast the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s upcoming Red Rocks concert live from the iconic venue on Thursday, August 30th. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 11:45PM ET. The Grammy-winning band features husband-and-wife band leaders Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks fronting an 11-piece ensemble.

Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Oracle Arena – August 14, 2012

Photos: Lee Fenyves

Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Red Hot Chili Peppers brought their seemingly endless tour to the Bay Area this week for a pair of sold-out shows at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Tuesday’s performance focused on newer material including five tunes from 2011′s I’m With You and two off of 2006′s Stadium Arcadium. Fans were treated to plenty of older hits such as Give It Away, Under The Bridge and Californication as well as the band’s cover of Higher Ground.

[All Photos by Lee Fenyves]

Edit this setlist | More Red Hot Chili Peppers setlists

Here’s a full gallery of Red Hot Chili Peppers photos from Lee Fenyves…

God Street Wine @ Gramercy Theatre, August 16

If you’re a band that tours regularly, having the word “nostalgia” attached to your concerts isn’t a compliment. But in the case of God Street Wine, an act that called it quits in 1999 and has only played a handful of shows since, it’s a good thing. Last night at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City the band took the stage for only the 10th time since 2001 and acted as a musical time machine for a sold-out audience of mostly fervent followers who appreciated the opportunity to relive the band’s glory days at the first of three shows that brings this latest reunion to a close.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

God Street Wine had multiple types of crowd members to please: the die-hards who want to see songs the group hadn’t played the last time around in 2010, those familiar with their best-known material and those who never saw the band before but wanted to see what the hub-bub was about. By delivering two lengthy sets filled with classics, rarities and choice covers; the band did their part in satiating all three types of Winos and potential Winos.

Setlist…

Set One: Nightingale, Vanity Street, Mile By Mile > 615, Ballroom, Electrocute, Stranger, Weird Dream > Imogene

Set Two: Molly, Hungry Again, Stupid Hat, Wendy, Silver, Cheap Utah Blues, Hellfire > Strange as it Seems, Warm in Here, Bring Back The News

Encore: Without You* > Twin Peaks Theme > Upside Down-Inside Out-> Crosseyed and Painless, Get On the Train

* – First Time Played, Harry Nilsson Cover

When the audience entered they noticed more setups than original band members. For the majority of last night’s performance the five-piece was augmented by multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby (a former member of the band who played with them last week in California), vocalist Lizzy Friel and percussionist John Woody. This “God Street Wine Orchestra” added depth to the tunes, though at times it was hard to pick out Woody and Friel’s contributions. GSW opened with perhaps their most well-known song, and certainly their most catchy original, Nightingale. While the energy in the room was nowhere near the frenzied response to the NYC based band’s return after nine years on July 9, 2010 there were still plenty of hugs, high-fives and knowing glances exchanged when the reality of the situation kicked in. Just three years ago Winos never thought they’d see this day, let alone for a tenth time.

Unlike the 2010 shows, where it was tough to find any flubs, it took the band more time to warm up this time around. Meshing all the vocals didn’t come easy during the first set, though by the end of the night they were firing on all cylinders. The first set focused mainly on material from GSW’s early days such as Vanity Street, Weird Dream, Imogene and Electrocute. Unlike many of their jam brethren, the songs are more of the focus for God Street Wine than improvisation. That said, both Imogene and Electrocute saw the band break free of the tunes’ normal structure with impressive results. The rhythm section of bassist Dan Pifer and drummer Tom “Tomo” Osander caressed the bottom end leaving guitarists Lo Faber and Aaron Maxwell ample opportunity to dig into their solos. $1.99 Romances classics Mile By Mile and The Ballroom broke up the string of super oldies and garnered the most hearty responses from the near-capacity crowd.

This latest reunion not only gave the band members a chance to reconnect, it also gave the fans the same opportunity. During setbreak you heard one conversation after another about how much the return of God Street Wine has meant as fans from across the country gathered for this weekend’s shows. There were also plenty of stories bandied about of past performances and talk of what an incredible opportunity this was to relieve the past.

For the second set the original five-piece took the stage by themselves and opened up with an unusual arrangement of Molly featuring Faber on acoustic that was first played at last week’s TRI Studios webcast. Molly is a perfect example of the God Street Wine formula of mixing elements of Steely Dan, Zappa and the Grateful Dead with a bit of pop to create their own signature sound that was ahead of its time in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The oldie Hungry Again came next followed by Stupid Hat and Wendy. Towards the end of Wendy, the other three musicians made their way back to the stage leading to a frentic duel between Faber and Crosby that served as one of the evening’s highlights. Silver, a tune that showed the progression and maturity of GSW’s sound as the late ’90s rolled around, led into an extremely tight version of the blues-based romp Cheap Utah Blues.

Hellfire turned the focus on the keys duo of Jon Bevo and Jason Crosby, who weaved in and out of the tight funk groove held down by the rhythm section. As the clock passed midnight on a school night, some of the crowd headed for the doors which gave those who stayed much-appreciated extra space. Despite the smaller audience the reaction to second set closer Bring Back The News was the most emotional of the night as fans screamed the quirky “when you walk into the dawn, you must put your slippers on” refrain right along with the band – a stirring moment to say the least.

God Street Wine has always peppered their encores with covers and that trend has been exacerbated during these reunion shows. To kick off the encore, Maxwell strode to the mic and sang a ballad it took many in the crowd a few moments to recognize. It was in fact Without You, a song originally performed by Badfinger which Harry Nilsson took to #1 on the U.S. Charts in 1971 that was also a hit for Mariah Carey. Aaron’s earnest delivery made this cover a keeper. But was happened next was so incredibly out-of-left-field it was thrilling – GSW worked their version of Without You into the theme from Twin Peaks. Angelo Badalamenti’s instrumental composition worked as the perfect bridge to Upside Down-Inside Out, an original dependent on sparkling harmonies that sounded as good as it ever has. UDIO segued into a frenzied take on Crosseyed and Painless by Talking Heads that stayed true to the original. The marathon show ended with a Get On The Train that gave the band and the audience one last chance to get their ya yas out.

For many God Street Wine fans the band’s tenure represented a special time in our lives and these shows have allowed us to escape from our present reality for a few hours to celebrate the good old days. Getting to hear these songs we grew up with, played well, in the perfect room for the occasion, is an opportunity that no one is taking for granted. God Street Wine returns to the Gramercy Theatre tonight and tomorrow.

Phish returned to Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood tonight following two summers in which they made Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta their Atlanta area stop. Before this evening Phish had played eight shows at the venue originally known as Lakewood Ampitheatre dating back to a June 15th, 1995 performance and including a memorable two-night stand in 1999.

Over the course of the tour’s first leg Phish played 208 distinct songs, but new-to-2012 tunes have been hard to come by on this second leg. Only one song was added to that total leading into tonight (The Ballad of Curtis Loew), but the counter nudged up immediately after the show started when Phish opened with the first Cars Trucks Buses of 2012. Wolfman’s Brother came next and gave guitarist Trey Anastasio a chance to burn up the fretboard and burn it up he did. The old school start to the show continued with standard, ripping takes on Runaway Jim and Ya Mar. Alaska, replete with its Grateful Dead-esque “jam,” broke a streak of 35 songs in a row from the 20th Century as the first song from the 2000′s since Backwards Down The Number Line back on Wednesday in Kansas City. Clifton Chenier’s My Soul was followed by a typically blazing Maze. When Roses Are Free began fans were hoping the quartet would jam ala the Worcester version earlier this summer, but it wasn’t to be as the Ween cover clocked in at five minutes and then segued into Backwards Down The Number Line. Another first set filled with heavy-rotation staples came to a close with Character Zero.

Setlist…

Set 1: Cars Trucks Buses, Wolfman’s Brother, Runaway Jim, Ya Mar, Alaska, My Soul, Wilson, Maze,Roses Are Free > Backwards Down the Number Line > Character Zero

Set 2: Kill Devil Falls > Golden Age > Free > Light > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Chalk Dust Torture^[1]> What’s the Use? > Joy > Run Like an Antelope

Encore: A Day in the Life

[1] Unfinished.

Notes: Chalk Dust was unfinished.

[via Phish.net]

The quartet hinted at breaking from the structure of Kill Devil Falls, the second set opener, yet it was the Golden Age that followed which featured the evening’s initial burst of full-band improvisation. Bassist Mike Gordon kicked on his Lovetone Meatball envelope filter just as the jam was starting up and his band mates quickly followed his lead. Off Phish went on an exploratory journey with dark and ominous overtones. Keyboardist Page McConnell powered Light with delicate electric piano work, though this take on the improvisational springboard from 2009′s Joy LP didn’t quite reach the heights of the year’s previous versions and melted into Wading In The Velvet Sea fairly quickly. The 400th Chalk Dust Torture ever came after the ballad and saw McConnell and Anastasio connect on a divine major key pattern that they worked for a few wonderful minutes. From there, the band changed direction, and took their time exploring, a more evil territory making for one of the best versions of Chalk Dust in recent memory. The majestic Chalk Dust jam segued into What’s The Use? which was debuted at this venue back in 1999. Run Like An Antelope has been on a hot streak of late and tonight’s scorching second-set closer was no exception as Phish built the pace of the straight-forward but smoking jam with workman-like precision. An encore of The Beatles’ A Day In The Life capped off a memorable evening in Atlanta. Phish visits Charlotte tomorrow.

Here’s The Skinny from Phish’s return to Lakewood…

• Venue Capacity / Attendance / Type: 19,000 / 19,000 / Outdoor Ampitheatre
• Previous Shows at Venue: 8 Shows – 06/15/1995, 07/23/1997, 08/06/1998, 07/03/1999, 07/04/1999, 06/23/2000, 06/24/2000, 07/26/2003
• Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 11 / 7:46PM – 9:04 (78 Minutes)
• Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 10 / 9:31PM – 10:55PM (84 Minutes)
• Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 21 / 5 / 16
• Biggest Bustout: Cars Trucks Buses – 48 Shows [LTP - 06/18/2011]
• Average Song Vintage: 1998
• Debuts: N/A
• Weather: 80° and Partly Cloudy at Show Time
• Wardrobe: Trey – Green and Black Checkered Long-Sleeve Button-Down Shirt and Jeans / Mike – Black Short-Sleeve Polo and Slacks / Page – Blue Button-Down Short-Sleeve Shirt + Jeans / Fish – Dress
• Average Song Gap: 8.05
• The Spread: Lawn Boy – 1, Picture of Nectar – 1, Rift – 1, Hoist – 1, Billy Breathes – 3, Story of the Ghost – 1, Siket Disc – 1, Joy – 4, Misc. – 3, Covers – 5,
• Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Kill Devil Falls and Antelope 11:22 / Wilson 5:04
• Audio: Live Phish

Poster…

Yes, we know we just posted a video on Friday from A.V. Club’s Undercover 2012 Series, in which an artist picks a cover to perform from a pre-determined list, but if they keep bringing the goods in these clips we’ll keep posting them. And the video we’re presenting today is among our favorites as HT faves The Wood Brothers stray far from their comfort zone with an amazing cover of Michael Jackson’s Thriller classic P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).

Wood Brothers – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

[via A.V. Club]

We’ve passed the halfway mark of the second leg of Phish Summer Tour 2012 which tonight found the band at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte, North Carolina. Phish first visited the venue on July 7, 1999, returned to the shed on July 25, 2003 and again the past two summers. The fun-loving quartet focused on older material during tonight’s historic performance.

[CC-BY-SA-2.0 / benuski]

The first half of the leg has found Phish pulling from a much smaller rotation of songs than on the bustout-filled June/July tour. That trend continued throughout tonight’s well-played, high-energy opening stanza. During Fluffhead drummer Jon Fishman urged the crowd to singalong to the “Bundle Full of Joy” section leading up to the typically powerful Trey Anastasio-led “Fluff’s Arrival” climax. The fun continued throughout the Alumni Blues that followed with Fishman bantering about not having a degree. Anastasio clarified that Fishman did indeed have a degree but registered the “lowest grade point average ever recorded at the University of Vermont for a non-fraternity student” – .0036. Trey then mentioned that Page brought the guitarist and the drummer to Goddard College and received a total of $100 for recruiting the pair. Big Red finished by saying he took some lyrics from his roommate’s (Fishman) journal and turned them into song and that they were now going to play one of those tunes for the crowd before starting Tube.

The banter continued post-Tube when Trey said they would perform another song from the Jon Fishman song book titled My Sweet One. Anastasio added “count the number of times ‘you’ appears in this song” and was about to tell the origin of the tune when Fishman finally started My Sweet One.

[Nice Work Sarah and Justin]

Phish returned for the second set by opening with a cover of Talking Heads’ Crosseyed and Painless. Crosseyed featured a heated, albeit straight-forward, jam segment unlike the masterful San Francisco take from a week prior. The spotlight turned to McConnell for McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters and the keyboardist shared his solo with the rest of his band mates making for another stellar rendition of the Gamehendge classic. Then, the Mike’s, Bouncing Around The Room pairing that was dusted off last Wednesday in Kansas City surfaced again.

Tweezer contained a gorgeous, major-key butter jam containing impressive contributions from all four members of the band that they patiently developed and explored – a version you should check out as soon as you can. Unbelievably, tonight was the only time Tweezer has also appeared in the middle of a Mike’s Groove. From there, Tweezer segued into Harry Hood for the first time and only time since a May 15th, 1990 performance at Hamilton College. The historic sequence was also notable as the first Hood in the middle of a Mike’s Groove since the December 6th, 1996 show that was immortalized as the Vegas ’96 release. Horse > Silent gave the crowd a breather before standard romps through Weekapaug and Suzy Greenberg ended the set.

Phish dug deep for the encore delivering their first Big Black Furry Creatures From Mars in the slot since April 8, 1994; coupled with the obligatory Tweezer Reprise. In a run of shows that have focused on material from the beginning of Phish’s career, tonight’s performance was the most old school of them all with an Average Song Vintage (found by adding the year each song was debuted and dividing by the total number of songs) of 1990. All in all, the quartet only played four songs the entire night that were debuted after 1992.

Setlist…

[via Phish.net]

Here’s The Skinny from Phish’s return to Charlotte…

• Venue Capacity / Attendance / Type: 18,700 / Forthcoming / Outdoor Ampitheatre
• Previous Shows at Venue: 4 Shows – 07/07/1999, 07/25/2003, 07/02/2010 and 6/17/2011
• Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 12 / 7:42PM – 9:08PM (86 Minutes)
• Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 13 / 9:37PM – 11:03PM (86 Minutes)
• Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 25 / 2 / 23
• Biggest Bustout: My Sweet One – 24 Shows [LTP - 06/15/2012]
• Average Song Vintage: 1990
• Debuts: N/A
• Weather: 80° and Mostly Clear at Show Time
• Wardrobe: Trey – Dark Blue and Light Blue Checkered Long-Sleeve Button-Down Shirt and Jeans / Mike – Gray Polo and Jeans / Page – Navy Blue Short-Sleeve Button-Down Shirt and Jeans / Fish – Dress
• Average Song Gap: 6.44
• The Spread: Junta – 2, Lawn Boy – 3, Picture of Nectar – 2, Rift – 2, Story of the Ghost – 1, Farmhouse – 1, Joy – 1, Misc. – 11, Covers – 2
• Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Fluffhead 13:56 / Letter To Jimmy Page :31
• Audio: Live Phish

Poster…

Given their significant musical impact, it’s hard to believe that The Basement Tapes were never really intended for commercial release. The sessions, which took place in the spring and summer of 1967, were responsible for not only a shift in direction Bob Dylan’s music, but also in the official formation of The Band. While the double-album didn’t hit stores until 1975, fragments had been circulating for years on an unofficial release known as the Great White Wonder (which is credited as the first notable rock bootleg), and  bands like The Byrds, Peter Paul & Mary and Fairport Convention all recording tunes that would later appear on the official release.

On September 25, Down In The Flood, a new documentary about the making of The Basement Tapes, will be released on DVD. The 114-minute film chronicles the story of the circumstances that led to Dylan and The Band recording together, and features interviews with Garth Hudson, Ronnie Hawkins, producer John Simon and Dylan guitarist Charlie McCoy. Let’s check out the trailer…

Down In The Flood Trailer

Little Feat @ Beekman Beer Garden – August 22

Words: Sam Rosenberg

For the 3rd year, CEG Presents and Nolafunk brought the Annual Nola Funk Jazzfest to the South Street Seaport waterfront with Little Feat and supporting acts Papa Grows Funk and Stooges Brass Band. The Nolafunk Summer Jazzfest in past years featured Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Rebirth Brass Band, John Cleary, Joscephus & the Love Revival Orchestra and many more.

Little Feat is one of the most underexposed blues/bayou classic rock bands of all time. They represent American music to its core as a band that seamlessly blends different styles and genres into something all their own. These under-the-radar fathers of jam music encompass a beautiful blend of everything from funk to jazz and continue to stay relevant today.

Apart from their incredibly popular 1973 album Dixie Chicken, Little Feat hasn’t received much attention from the mainstream yet they’ve cultivated a legion of loyal followers. Their 1978 release Waiting for Columbus is arguably one of the greatest live albums of all time; an album that Phish covered as their musical costume on Halloween in 2010 at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

Even with multiple lineup changes since their founding, a funky soul unites Little Feat. Original member Bill Payne (vocals and keyboard) has an amazing musical family in Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Paul Barrere (guitar and vocals), and Ken Gradney (bass) who have been involved with the band for over 40 years. The incredibly talented Fred Tackett (guitar, trumpet, mandolin, vocals) joined in 1987. Those who question whether this band can still keep the folks movin’ after the death of founding drummer Richie Hayward in 2010 should see this band with Gabe Ford. He is remarkably sturdy and really breathes unique life into the tempo of Little Feat.

Their catalog spans more than 40 years. though some say there is simply not enough of the original lineup to get them going. However, the easygoing and packed crowd at the Beekman Beer Garden happily shook their behinds to this gracefully aging and still evolving band.

After Papa Grows Funk and Stooges Brass Band successfully warmed up the crowd with two driving sets, Little Feat took the stage to a warmed-up crowd ready for more. The music was a steady and solid mix of fast and slow tunes and while there was nothing overly awe-inspiring about the performance as a whole, the musicianship and skills shined in every song. People were content just to be bopping along to old favorites; this is music anyone can connect with in a superficial or deep manner depending on the mood. Some used it as background music to catch up with old friends while others screamed every lyric back at the band.

[Beekman Beer Garden Publicity Shot]

A reason attendees could do both with such ease was the unique venue. Upon entering the Beekman Beer Garden, the bar and stage are easily accessible and viewable. Past a maze of people, you find couches, sand and a beautiful view of the water. While aesthetically pleasing, the sound in the front was loud to the point of annoyance and the comfortable back lounge area was far too chatty to hear anything musical. As it became more crowded, navigating the venue was difficult and the best place to hear a decent mix of the band appeared to be a small spot behind the soundboard and taper mics. It was well worth sacrificing the view for better sound.

One noticeable and amazing aspect of this show was the female presence. Most concerts, especially classic rock and jam shows, are overwhelmingly filled with dudes. It was awesome to see how much women enthusiastically flock to the funk and even more refreshing to see them dancing just as hard as any guy in there.

Despite complaints about the sound, plenty of fans enjoyed Little Feat, especially the new material. They played a bunch of tunes from their new album Rooster Rag. It is the first studio album with drummer Gabe Ford and the band seemed to have a lot of fun playing One Breath at a Time, Rag Top Down and Rooster Rag.

A nostalgic sing-along to Willin’ and Don’t Bogart That Joint along with a slow and stretched Dixie Chicken to end the set sealed the deal for an excellent evening. To break up the song, the band threw in a stellar bass jam followed by a keys and drum jam; it all mixed in beautifully. The quality of their playing and soul behind it all made the crowd appreciate the instrumentals as much as the opportunity to sing the words to an old favorite.

It’s easy enough to get six talented musicians together, it’s quite another to build a chemistry that makes moving through complex and fruitful musical excursions seem like second-nature. Little Feat is more than just a collection of six good musicians, they are an incredible band who have mastered the skill of making it look easy and shared that with all of us last Wednesday night.

Setlist:

Set: Voodoo Jam > All That You Dream, Spanish Moon, One breath at a Time, Fat Man in the Bathtub > Abba Zaba > Fat Man in the Bathtub, Rag Top Down, Rooster Rag, Church Falling Down, Willin’ > Don’t Bogard That Joint > Willin’, Way Down Under, Dixie Chicken > Bass Jam > Key/Drum Jam > Dixie Chicken

Husband-and-wife duo Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi and the Tedeschi Trucks Band will play Red Rocks for the first time on Thursday night and AXS will broadcast the show live at 11:45PM ET.

Monday, August 27 [All Times Eastern]

• Silversun Pickups on Conan [TBS 11PM]
• Neon Trees on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• Joshua Radin on Jay Leno [NBC 11:35PM]
• Green Day: Bullet in a Bible [Palladia 2AM]

Tuesday, August 28

• The Doors: The Doors on Classic Albums [VH1 Classic 2PM]
• Alanis Morissette on Chelsea Lately [E! 11PM]
• Hacienda on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• Owl City w/Carly Rae Jepsen on Jay Leno [NBC 11:35PM]
• White Denim on Carson Daly [NBC 1:35AM]

Wednesday, August 29

• Robert Cray Band: Cookin’ in Mobile [AXS 8:30AM]
• Norah Jones: Live at St. Anne’s Warehouse [AXS 10PM]
• Owl City w/Carly Rae Jepsen on Conan [TBS 11PM]
• The Chevin on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• Wilco on Jimmy Fallon [NBC 12:35AM]

Thursday, August 30

• Lenny Kravitz: Live at V Fest 2008 [Palladia 6AM]
• Hall & Oates: Live at the Troubadour [AXS 8:30AM]
• Metallica: Behind the Music Remastered [VH1 Classic 8PM]
• The Heavy on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• Tedeschi Trucks Band: Live From Red Rocks [AXS 11:45PM]

Some members of HT faves Umphrey’s McGee will sing the 7th Inning Stretch at Wrigley Field in their hometown of Chicago for the first time on Wednesday, August 29th when the Cubs take on the Milwaukee Brewers. Following the performance, during the bottom of the 7th, one member of the band will sit-in on the CSN+ broadcast with Bob Brenly and Len Kasper. UM last appeared at the historic stadium back in 2010, when former LD Adam Budney and manager Vince Iwinski sat-in for members of the group who couldn’t make it to sing the National Anthem.

[Umphreys.com via The Barn Presents]

The second leg of Phish Summer Tour 2012 comes to a close this weekend with three performances at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park near Denver. For those that can’t attend what looks to be the last Phish shows until December, you can watch the action live from Colorado via a LivePhish.com webcast.

Three-day packages are available for $39.99 while you can also purchase each show for $14.99 a piece. You can watch the shows live or on demand starting approximately 72 hours after each performance. Video On Demand streams will be available only for those who purchase the webcasts

HT faves Yonder Mountain String Band have announced a four-night New Year’s Run at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado that’s set to take place from December 28 – 31.

A pre-sale will begin next Wednesday, September 5th, with the general on-sale set to take place Saturday, September 8th. VIP and travel packages, four-show ticket options and more details about the home-state Yonder run will be revealed soon.

Let’s face it, the last few weeks, for the most part, have been a barren wasteland for new music, but that will all change in the coming weeks as September is loaded with a large number of new studio albums that we can’t wait to get our hands on. Among the bumper crop of releases we’re eyeing up is State Hospital, the new EP from Frightened Rabbit, which hits shelves on September 24. The five-song effort from the Scottish indie-rock act (which you can read about in length here) serves as a precursor to their next full length album, which is slated to be released sometime in early 2013.

Last week, the band released this cinematic and emotionally wrought video for the EP’s title track.

Frightened Rabbit – State Hospital

Frightened Rabbit kicks off a North American club tour at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia on Oct. 12.