Hampton Phish – 2009 Hampton, VA Phish Video and Audio Clips

The New Mastersounds

Greenlife Grocery and AMJam Productions have teamed up again, and the 3rd Annual Asheville Earth Day is set to take play on Saturday, April 17, 2010. The free event for the city of Asheville will once again be held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Downtown Asheville, NC. This year’s event will bring back all of the industry and activism leaders in our community in environmentally conscious practices, and will also feature an amazing international music lineup that will include The New Mastersounds, Acoustic Syndicate, The Afromotive, Salvador Santana, Shane Pruitt Band and many more.

Asheville Earth Day is a day-long, family oriented event featuring a Kid’s Village where children can interact and take part in a “recycled” art project, putting our general waste to better use. The Opening Ceremony will feature a kid’s march led by our Earth Day emcee, and games and activities are welcome in the event field all day. Asheville Earth Day will also feature environmentally conscious businesses and organizations from around our region represented in our Eco-Village to educate the public on how they too can be active in protecting our earth.

The Asheville Earth Day again will include local food from participating vendors, and local beer for sale from some of our very own Asheville breweries, Asheville Brewing Company and Pisgah Brewing. The event is free to the public, and will run from 11a.m.-10p.m. The Official Earth Day After-Parties are set to take place, members of Acoustic Syndicate and Pond Farm Pickers will lead an All-Star jam at Stella Blue, and The New Mastersounds will lead a funk extravaganza at Club 828. More event information and details about the VIP ticket experience can be found at avlearthday.org.

WHAT: 3rd Annual Asheville Earth Day

WHEN: Saturday, April 17th, 2010; 11a.m.-10p.m.

WHERE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, Downtown Asheville, NC

ADMISSION: FREE! – VIP Experience also available online

Words by: Justin Gillett | Images by: Eric Lawson

John Butler Trio :: 02.20.10 :: Great American Music Hall :: San Francisco, CA

Last year John Butler started a new chapter in his storied career with the induction of two new musicians into his Trio. The new lineup signaled a change for Butler, who had been playing with his longtime bandmates bassist Shannon Birchall and drummer Michael Barker since 2003. While changing the dynamics of the band must have been a decision that required a lot of thought on behalf of Butler, the move almost seems like it was necessary to keep the vitality of the Trio alive. The new guns Butler brought aboard, Byron Luiters (bass) and Nicky Bomba (drums), have given the Trio a much needed shot of energy. The different skills Luiters and Bomba bring with them has helped brighten the band’s overall sound and remind people why, years ago, they fell in love with John Butler Trio in the first place.

Considering this was the Australian act’s first North American tour to feature Luiters and Bomba, when they touched down at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall all three musicians seemed intent on proving themselves individually as well as validating the strength of the band’s current incarnation.

It took a few songs for the band to truly lock in, but once they found the sweet spot the Trio was playing as tight as any previous incarnation of the band. Butler wailed on his assortment of guitars – using distorted effects to add an extra push to his acoustic solos – while Bomba kept impressive time on the drum kit. Opting to keep more of a focus on toms rather than cymbals, Bomba’s playing had a distinct tribal quality and further contributed to the Trio’s alternative roots rock sound.

John Butler Trio :: 02.20.10 :: San Francisco, CA

While it was refreshing to see Luiters start off the set with an upright bass (a mainstay of the Trio’s old sound), he quickly changed to an electric four-string Fender Precision. Because the Trio’s erstwhile bass player predominantly used an upright, the changing of instruments caught some people off guard who were not expecting piercing, metallic sounding electric bass tones. But Luiters’ delicate touch and fondness for playing in a song’s pocket worked well with the Trio’s heady sound and furthered the band’s new approach.

Though it was easy it get lost in some of the band’s Afro rhythm melees, focus couldn’t be shifted from Butler and his impressive manipulation of the various instruments he played. While he was positioned stage right, Butler’s commanding demeanor and musical dexterity held the audience rapt as he shifted between six-string acoustic, banjo, 11-string acoustic (which is really just a 12-string model with the high G string removed), six-string electric and lap steel guitar. The way Butler changed guitar tones with his myriad of effects pedals further complimented his range and innovation as an instrumentalist. His intricate, ever changing sound was a testament to Butler’s development since bursting on the scene back in the mid-90s.

As the show concluded it was apparent that Butler is now venturing into unknown territory with his new band and is in the process of truly embarking on a new musical path. He’s come a long ways from busking on the streets in Western Australia, yet somehow Butler’s enduring qualities remain intact. John Butler proved with this San Francisco show that he doesn’t need to turn his back on his roots to grow and evolve as a musician.

Continue reading for more pics…

John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio Tour Dates :: John Butler Trio News :: John Butler Trio Concert Reviews

JamBase | Tuned Up
Go See Live Music!

Surprise Me Mr. Davis

The often elusive American rock and roll band SURPRISE ME MR. DAVIS, comprised by members Nathan Moore, Brad and Andrew Barr, Marc Friedman and Marco Benevento, have announced an April 13 release for their long-awaited EP, THAT MAN EATS MORNING FOR BREAKFAST. On the same day, the band will commence their first shows of 2010 with a five-date Northeast run that begins in Boston, stops in Providence and Albany, and concludes with back to back nights in Brooklyn and New York City. Later in the month, they’ll play two late night shows during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. SMMD also plans three dates in the Northwest at the end of June before heading to California for two sets at High Sierra Music Festival.

THAT MAN EATS MORNING FOR BREAKFAST, also known to fans as the “demo sessions,” took a circuitous route from seed to market. Nathan Moore explains: “I was on my way with Marc Friedman to Montreal where we were going to record in Brad and Andrew Barr’s new studio. Unfortunately, I got turned away at the border. We soon found ourselves back in Burlington, Vermont drinking in a bar. Brett Hughes, a local musician there, was like ‘just come into my barn studio and do it.’ So Brad and Andrew came down this way and we ended up recording there all week at Brett’s house. We got all these tracks done and then we went back into another studio and tried to work them up even bigger, but we started to feel that we were exceeding our initial ideas by trying to make them too big. In the end we reverted back to the original demos. They had the raw spirit and energy we were trying to capture. So now it is finally seeing the light of day.”

The seven song EP will be available at all major digital retailers, including iTunes, Amazon and Emusic, while a limited edition CD release will be sold exclusively at the band’s shows and through their website.

The track listing for THAT MAN EATS MORNING FOR BREAKFAST is:

1. Roses In Bottles

2. Sissyfuss

3. One Sick Knave

4. I’m No Good At All

5. Emily Green

6. Joelle

7. Home Away From Home

Upcoming tour dates are:

April 13 | Club Passim | Boston, MA

April 14 | Red Square | Albany, NY

April 15 | Firehouse 13 | Providence, RI

April 16 | Union Hall | Brooklyn, NY

April 17 | Mercury Lounge | New York, NY*

April 24 | Tipitina’s French Quarter | New Orleans, LA**

April 30 | Hi Ho Lounge | New Orleans, LA

June 24 | Tractor Tavern | Seattle, WA***

June 25 | Doug Fir Lounge | Portland, OR***

June 26 | Axe & Fiddle | Cottage Grove, OR***

July 1 | High Sierra Music Festival | Quincy, CA

July 4 | High Sierra Music Festival | Quincy, CA

July 6 | Cafe Du Nord | San Francisco, CA

July 7 | Moe’s Alley | Santa Cruz, CA

*w/ Yellowbirds

**w/ The Slip & Marco Benevento Trio

***w/ Marco Benevento Trio

Surprise Me Mr. Davis Tour Dates :: Surprise Me Mr. Davis News :: Surprise Me Mr. Davis Concert Reviews