Transformer Man

Somehow Neil Young manages more than seems humanly possible. As if his outpouring of new music and the releases of his archive material isn't enough, he embarks on one of the coolest projects I've read about recently. Neil drove his 1959 Lincoln across the country to a guy named Jonathan Goodwin, who is transforming the behemoth from a 9 mpg guzzler to something that will ultimately get 80-100 mpg. The technology is intriguing to say the least. Basically, the ethanol fuel in a small engine powers a generator that charges the huge pack of batteries in the trunk, which runs the car's electric motor. The goal is for the ethanol to be used like we now use oil in our cars, creating something close to a vehicle that barely requires refueling. Neil drove to Wichita on Route 66, filmed the trip, and before his winter tour was hanging out in the guy's garage helping out and writing the occasional song. Oh, and when they achieve 100mpg Neil plans to race it cross-country for a $10 million prize. How cool is this guy?! It makes you wonder how much the auto industry (and big oil) is holding back on alternate fuel technology.

LincVolt



The 1959 Lincoln, by the way, is amazing automobile. The Lincoln is a prime example of the excess of the jet age, when cars had fins and chrome to make them look like rockets. The '59 Cadillac Eldorado is considered the epitome of the style, but the Lincoln, with its crazy front and rear grilles, is pretty sweet.

Black Cab Sessions

On of the coolest things on the Net these days is the Black Cab Sessions, which are impromptu performances in the back seat of London cabs by various indie artists. This concept of course is inconceivable without the instant access of digital video and the YouTube mentality. 99 percent of uploaded video on the Net is either porn or useless nonsense. This series is something worthwhile. Check this clip by My Morning Jacket and you will see this is a great idea.

Robert & Alison

One of my favorite albums of 2007 is the basis of a highly anticipated tour this summer. Last weekend Robert Plant and Alison Krauss kicked off their highly anticipated tour in Louisville to rave reviews.

Although some Zeppelin fans will probably blame this tour for delaying a dream Zep reunion tour, the Plant-Krauss collaboration is so good that it would be a crying shame not to hear it live. One would guess that a few of acoustic Zep tunes might find their way into the set, and Plant did not disappoint, bringing out Black Country Woman, The Battle of Evermore and an acoustic version of Black Dog. Other setlist reports include Hey Hey What Can I Do and the blues classic When The Levee Breaks, redone famously by Zeppelin in 1971. This bodes well for the tour, and I'll report later this summer when they hit the Chicago area.

I'll be on the lookout for some live recordings to share.

Cover Who?

Paste Magazine reports that the Who (or the Two, as they are now sometimes called) is planning a covers album for their next release. I have a mixed reaction to this news. A covers album is often perceived as the easy way out, a way to inject new product into the market without the burden of songwriting. I can't imagine Pete Townshend resorting to such tactics, although he has admitted difficulty in writing new 'Who' material in recent years. Pete is such a superb songwriter that I'd rather have a disc full of Pete throwaways than half-assed versions of old R&B tunes. On the other hand, the Who cut their teeth on R&B, and Pete doesn't do anything half-assed. This might be an interesting way for things to come full circle. Either way, it's a new Who record in the works, so let's be grateful for that.

Dinosaurs in the News

If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow….Recently NME reported that Led Zeppelin are in talks to reunite for a one-night only performance in honor of the recently departed Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records. Behind the drum kit for this performance will be John Bonham’s son Jason. This is the reunion that all Zeppelin fans have dreamed about for years. Rumors then started to fly about a 2008 tour if things go well. Plant has subsequently denied the rumors, but I'm not convinced that this is the end of it. This year’s reunion tours by the Police and Genesis will pale in comparison to the hype and anticipation that a Page-Plant-Jones reunion would generate. I'm sure these guys are well aware of the massive income potential of a reunion tour, and I think it's coming. There’s only one reunion that could possibly top it, and that of course is Pink Floyd. Stay tuned.

Ever since I was a young boy…. During the height of my Who mania last fall, I had a dream that video footage of the Who’s legendary performance at Leeds University in 1970 was miraculously unearthed. A few years ago I also held out hope that the DVD reissue of the Kids Are Alright would include loads of ‘newly discovered footage.’ I just can’t get enough of this stuff, and I am comforted by the idea that rock music archeology is an infinite pursuit. Well good news: Coming soon to a theatre near you… a new documentary by Murray Lerner called Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who. Lerner spent two years searching bootleg networks, soliciting fans and plundering archives around the world, finding all sorts of unseen footage, including very early film from 1964 and yes, footage from Leeds, found by a guy who was a Leeds student at the time. The film will hit theaters this fall. As someone who has seen the Kids are Alright probably 50 times, I’m a little geeked up over this news. My only question at this point is why I didn’t think of this.

The Roundup

A lot of blogs gather news bits and random notes for easy consumption. I've avoided that approach to this point, but thought I'd offer up some recent items that may interest you. We'll call it the Roundup:

Pete Opens Lifehouse (from Billboard)

Pete Townshend's decades-old vision of creating musical portraits through technology has come to fruition. On April 25th Pete unveiled his music creation, now dubbed the Lifehouse Method, to a small gathering of journalists in London.

The Method is an Internet-based software program that enables the user -- or "sitter" -- to generate music from unique, inputted data. The sitter can upload four strands of personal information into the system, consisting of a digital photo, a rhythm, a sound and a voice.

Townhend explained that the project was the culmination of an idea which had percolated since his art school days in the 1960s. The concept was first introduced in the early 1970s via music intended for the Townshend-penned "Lifehouse" song cycle and planned concept album, which eventually morphed into the Who's "Who's Next" album. More here

Raconteurs Recording Again (from Billboard)

Jack White is a busy man. The Raconteurs are in Nashville working on the follow-up to their 2006 debut "Broken Boy Soldiers" and hope to have a new album out sometime next year.

The group, which features White, Brendan Benson, and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes, has been recording at Blackbird Studio in Nashville and currently has 12 songs written.

The group is attempting to get as much of the as yet unnamed sophomore album done before the White Stripes start touring in support of their next album, "Icky Thump," due June 19 on Third Man Records/Warner Bros. Records. That outing also is slated to begin in June.

Dylan is Tireless

Now that James Brown is gone, Bob Dylan maybe the the hardest working man in the business. Dylan is in the midst of a European tour, and will hit the road in the States beginning with a June 22-23 stand at the Borgata in Atlantic City, and running through July 28, including festival appearances in Canada. He also has a new song, "Huck's Tune," on the just-released "Lucky You" soundtrack (Columbia) and will return to his excellent XM Satellite Radio show, "Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour," in September.

Here are Dylan's Summer North American tour dates. The bad news for me, nothing really near Chicago. The good news is that Bob has been playing the guitar on stage again for the first time in a few years. Hmmm. Maybe a trip to the Toledo Zoo is in order....

June 22-23: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata)
June 24: Hershey, Pa. (Hersheypark Stadium)
June 26: Northampton, Mass. (Pines Theater)
June 27: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun)
June 29: Wantagh, N.Y. (Jones Beach)
June 30: Bethel, N.Y. (Bethel Woods Center)
July 1: Essex Junction, Vt. (Champlain Valley Expo)
July 3: Quebec City, Quebec (Colisee Pepsi)
July 4: Montreal (Festival Intn'l de Jazz)
July 5: Ottawa, Ontario (Cisco Systems Bluesfest)
July 7-8: Rama, Ontario (Casino Rama)
July 10: Interlochen, Mich. (Kresge Auditorium)
July 11: Sterling Heights, Mich. (Freedom Hill Amphitheatre)
July 12: Toledo, Ohio (Toledo Zoo)
July 14: Cleveland (Plain Dealer Pavilion)
July 15: Indianapolis (The Lawn at White River)
July 16: Kansas City, Mo. (Starlight Theatre)
July 26: Costa Mesa, Calif. (Pacific Amphitheatre)
July 27: Paso Robles, Calif. (Mid-State Fair Grandstand)
July 28: Kelseyville, Calif. (Konocti Field Amphitheatre)

U2 and Marvel Team-Up

Marvel Studios is working on a Broadway musical starring the Spider-Man, which will be directed by Tony winner Julie Taymor, with U2's Bono and the Edge creating new music and lyrics for the project. Maybe Bono will reprise his role as Mephisto or the muscle dude from the ill-fated Popmart Tour.

mp3: Mofo, a U2 song you may have overlooked

Wilco Weebles

We've got action figures of Hendrix and Cobain, but I never would have expected little toy figurines of my favorite alt-country/impressionist rock band. Thanks to Portland based company UNKL, these little guys will be available soon. I must admit in browsing this site some of this stuff is kind of fun.

Signs of the Apocalypse

And finally, the Chicago Tribune recently reported that a 13-year old girl in Pennsylvania claims to send nearly 8,000 text messages a month on her cell phone, and in a contest was able to text "supercalifragilisticexpealadocious" (from Mary Poppins) in 15 seconds. For her efforts, she won $15,000. Oh my gawd......

Pete at SXSW

I was just telling a friend about my thoughts on what the rock's elder statesmen should be doing. Massive tours for the faithful are one thing, but I'd like to see them act as mentors, taking young artists under their wing. The benefits are mutual, as all musicians, young and old can draw from such collaboration. Seems like Pete Townshend is on the right track. From Billboard News:

Earlier in the evening [March 16th], Pete Townshend and his girlfriend, Rachel Fuller, presented a more subdued but even more ambitious series of collaborations with a special edition of their Attic Jam concert series at La Zona Rosa. With fellow big names like R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and Robyn Hitchcock looking on, the duo worked with a collection of younger artists -- including Martha Wainwright, Massachusetts troubadour Willy Mason, new British sensation Mika, British singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch and Joe Purdy, a Los Angeles artist with whom Townshend performed a duet version of his solo hit Let My Love Open The Door.

Townshend, along with Fuller -- who likened the show to "a hootenanny" -- served generously as a sideman for portions of each artist's set, happily playing a support role even though his mere physical presence eclipsed anyone else on stage. For his own performances, Townshend dipped into the Who songbook, launching the evening with a solo acoustic rendition of "Drowned" from the Quadrophenia album. He then closed the show with a spare voice-and-piano version of In The Ether from the Who's latest album, Endless Wire, and I Can't Reach You, a Who chestnut from the '60s that he told the crowd, "not only have I never played in public, nobody I know has played this song in public."

Pete also took the stage by surprise during the Fratellis set (the upcoming Glasgow band known for the music behind the latest ipod commercial). The band has also recorded as part of Townshend/Fuller's In the Attic project. This is what I'm talking about, people. Imagine the thrill of this young band and the stunned audience at a barbecue joint in Austin when Townshend took the stage. and by all accounts, Pete is relishing every moment and drawing more energy from his participation. Hopefully, more news of this nature to come.

Reunited and it feels so good.....

Tickets for the Police reunion tour are selling like wildfire, according to tour organizers. 2-night gigs at MSG and Fenway Park sold out in minutes; six shows across Canada are also sellouts, with second shows in the works. It’s shaping up to be the tour of the summer, as many insiders predicted.

Meanwhile, the Van Halen reunion tour has apparently crashed and burned before it even took off. Reports from Pollstar indicate that the tour has been postponed indefinitely. The VH camp claims the press hype had things much further along than they really were, meaning that it will take some lengthy rehearsal time for a band consisting of an aging vocalist whose last two gigs were ambulance driver and dj, a frazzled egomaniacal guitarist and a 15-year old bassist with no tour experience…..

Also at Pollstar, two-thirds of the Jam is planning to reunite. Trouble here is that the third that is missing is Paul Weller. Weller recently trotted out some classic Jam tunes at a solo gig for the first time in years, but apparently is unwilling to join fellow Jammers Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. A great, overlooked band, but the Jam without Paul Weller is like the Stones without Mick. It’s not a reunion, but a Jam tribute band.

Now, enjoy the Jam performing the old Who favorite, Disguises

Reunion Fever

Plenty of news these days on several major band reunions in the works for 2007. It seems that reunion fever is spreading. The question is what might be motivating these acts. Most reunions seem to be perfectly timed for a money-grubbing summer tour. Is that all we can expect here, and will any of it be any fun? Here’s my take:

The Police – Scheduled for an inaugural performance at the upcoming Grammy Awards, rumor is Sting, Stewart and Andy are planning a tour. A few years ago, I remember watching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, where the Police temporarily regrouped for a few songs. I remember being truly impressed with their sharp playing and, dare I say it, synchronicity. Let’s face it; these guys are accomplished musicians and great songwriters. Stewart Copeland is simply one of the best living drummers. Just listen to the records. As long as Sting’s ego is kept in check, this reunion has promise.

Van Halen – We’ve all waited and waited for the inevitable reconciliation of Eddie and Diamond Dave. Lots of questions here, foremost being whether or not Dave still has the chops. I wonder if he’s got the stamina, judging from recent pictures. And at the Rock and Roll HOF ceremony, who’s going to play bass? You may have heard that Eddie fired founding bassist Michael Anthony and replaced him with his own 15-year old son Wolfgang. This should be interesting. The tour has the potential of being a real blast, or a quick and messy implosion.

Genesis – When I heard that Genesis was reuniting, I was excited, until I heard that Peter Gabriel was not taking part. Seriously, what else can he be doing? We haven’t really heard from him in any meaningful way since the So album, and that was 1986. It’s only the basic trio of Collins, Rutherford and Banks, and while they are formidable, if this tour features only the pop-Genesis version of Abacab and Invisible Touch, count me out. A full blown original line-up, playing their prog-rock classics is much more interesting to me, but alas, much less marketable. I think it would be fascinating to see Gabriel play with these guys again, and lend his style to the good post-Gabriel material before they wandered down Collin’s syrupy pop path.

Also:

REM - Expected to regroup with original drummer Bill Berry only for the RRHOF ceremony. Stipe and company have been unable to coax Berry out of retirement (he’s a raspberry farmer now, I think) for anything more. REM was never a great live band in my opinion, but I’d pay to see the full band play again.

Smashing Pumpkins: Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain only, with a band that reportedly can do justice to the old material. Corgan is finding life as a solo artist pretty difficult, and his ego can’t bear the apathy. Frankly, I couldn’t care less.

The Stooges – Working on their first studio album since 1973, this reunion might be the only one that’s not financially motivated. Although they’ve played a few festivals and one-off events in the last few years, a tour this year may be in the works. The youngsters won’t believe how these guys can rock. The new album is being produced by Steve Albini and Jack White. Call this one a renaissance, not a reunion.

Still waiting for word on the Pink Floyd reunion. I’m crossing my fingers.

Miami Blues

It's not a good sign when your hometown team is in the Super Bowl, but all that impressed you was the half time show. Yes, Da Bears really made a mess of things last night, and Prince stole the show. I had high expectations for this performance, as I think Prince is a consummate showman and a superb guitarist, but I must admit he really blew me away. It's hilarious that only a few years after Janet's Nipplegate, this year's show ended with a larger than life shadow of the Symbol with positively satanic and phallic imagery (see photo below). How he managed to play through the rain is a bit of a mystery, but there was no lip-synching that I could detect. Who could have guessed he'd play more covers than his own material, including a Dylan/Foo Fighters medley in the middle. What I was really expecting, if anything, was a nod to James Brown. I guess in many ways Prince's whole thing owes a lot to Brown. The bluesy All Along the Watchtower was terrific, so I had to do some surfing today and track it down for you. The bar has officially been raised for future half time shows. As for the Bears, let's hope it's not another 21 years for a repeat appearance.

All Along The Watchtower/Best of You - Prince 2-4-07

Clap For The Wolfgang

For an obsessive music fan like me, the recent on-line streaming of concert recordings on Wolfgang’s Concert Vault is like a gold miner hitting the mother lode. Wolfgang’s Vault is a rock memorabilia site, selling T-shirts, posters and vintage items from a vast collection amassed by legendary promoter Bill Graham. Graham was a bit of an obsessive, and made soundboard recordings of most of the shows he produced. The archive contains about 5,000 recordings, and over 300 are already streaming on the site, which is run by a San Francisco entrepreneur named Bill Sagan. Drooling yet? There are unbelievably good recordings by David Bowie, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, The Who, to name just a few. New shows are released weekly, and everything I’ve listened too has been surprisingly good quality. The streaming is intended to increase the traffic, and ultimately sales, at Wolfgang’s Vault.

Of course, it didn’t take long for debates to surface over the legality of this endeavor. Some of the artists are considering legal action, claiming ownership to these recordings, while others seem to accept the idea as the sharing of historically important music. Artists claim that although Sagan owns the recordings, the rights to distribute belong to the artist’s label. The most interesting development is the streaming of Neil Young and Crazy Horse from March 1970, performances that were finally released commercially by Neil’s label just a few weeks ago. The vault started streaming it four days before the release. I can’t imagine that the suits at Reprise are pleased at this moment. However, Sagan stated that he pays songwriter’s royalties for all the music that’s streamed, and considers the site no different than an Internet radio station. I’m interested in what, if anything, the artists signed prior to the performances. They must have known that Graham was rolling tape.

All I can say at this point is to register and start streaming, before the lawyers get involved. This has to be the greatest collection of rock music concert recordings anywhere. A lot of this material has been buried for 30 years. How long would it take for the labels to release these recordings commercially, if ever? There is just too much here to be ignored. As an example, there is recording of the Who from 1968, pre-Tommy, that is superb. This is an important recording, as Townshend has said he destroyed all of the tapes from the 1969 tour, citing dissatisfaction with the quality. Until last Friday, I had never heard a pre-1970 concert recording of the Who, except for snippets in The Kids Are Alright, Monterey Pop, and some Woodstock footage. For a Who fan, this recording is revelatory. Zeppelin? How about a screaming version of Train Kept A Rollin’ to start a blistering set from 1969? There’s the 1975 one-off of Dylan, Young and the Band from a 1975 benefit show, and Springsteen’s 1978 tour de force at Winterland. I could go on and on, as this is just 4 of 316 shows currently on-line.

A lot of the material probably doesn’t have wide commercial appeal, and I would think that hard-core fans already own bootleg copies of some of these shows. As a rule, live recordings are generally not great sellers, typically targeted for the converted fans (Frampton and Cheap Trick aside). I see no harm in this site, only pleasure. In my opinion,pull any recording that has been commercially released, and let us fanatics have our fun with the rest. If the lawyers pull the plug on these treasures, we may never hear them again.

Buy Neil Young and Crazy Horse Live At The Fillmore

The Boss at Wembley

Springsteen is still on tour with the Seeger Sessions band, playing some pretty interesting sets. Of special interest to me are the reworkings of his own tunes with this large ensemble. On Nov 12 Bruce opened with Blinded by the Light, followed by Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? both from his 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park. He also played The River in this set, from the self titled 1980 album, and Johnny 99, from Nebraska. The previous night, Growin' Up, also from 1973. Check out these versions. Blinded almost sounds like klezmer music, and The River is downright gorgeous.


Blinded By The Light

Johnny 99

The River

Broadband killed the radio star

By now you’ve noticed the proliferation of internet radio and on-line playlist experiments here at wild mercury. I’ve realized that I almost never listen to music on the radio anymore. In the car it’s the ipod or occasionally sportstalk. At home it’s the ipod. At work, where I’m able to listen while I noodle away at my desk, it’s music via the internet, and this is where the action is. Here are some reviews of the current sites I’ve been using:

Radio Paradise is by far the best station I’ve found. It’s totally listener supported, with a variety of listening options based on your setup. It seems to work well with Winamp. The selection of music is varied and high quality, and to be honest it’s where I’ve discovered most of the new artists that have caught my ear. It also has active listener community with forums and other nice interactive features. You can listen for free, but I like it so much I’ve pledged a few bucks each month. Like most sites, you can directly link to itunes or Amazon to purchase what you like.

Pandora: I wrote about this one a few months ago. Create your own stations based on musical genes. Pick a few songs and Pandora will build a station around them, picking similar artists and songs. After a few months, I’m finding I delete at least half of what they suggest, and it repeats songs too often, but the concept is great and it’s worth exploring. Free.

Finetune: I just found this playlist site and it’s a really good one. It’s still in the ‘beta’ stage (meaning there are some bugs to work out), but the song selection is great, and you can listen to other members playlists. Another great way to introduce yourself to some new music. Also Free. Check out my first playlist, Songs for September, which should also appear in the sidebar.

If you spend a lot of time at the computer, you will enjoy all these sites.

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WHO News: This may be another reason to invest in satellite radio. The Who Channel will debut on Sirius, containing concert webcasts, backstage banter from Pete and unreleased archival material.

Read more about the Who Channel and see the track list for their upcoming CD

Set list for the North American tour opener in Philly, September 12: I Can't Explain, The Seeker, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, Real Good Looking Boy, Sound Round, Pick Up The Peace, Unholy Trinity, Endless Wire, We Got A Hit, They Made My Dreams Come True, Mirror Door, Relay, You Better You Bet, Who Are You, Man In The Purple Dress, Black Widow Eyes, Fragments, My Generation, Cry If You Want, Won't Get Fooled Again, Substitute, Pinball Wizard, Amazing Journey, Sparks, See Me Feel Me, T And Theatre

11 songs I've never heard before. I'll be seeing them 9/25. Never been to a show where I was unfamilar with so much of the material. This should be interesting....

On The Road In Dublin

After the rousing success at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, Bruce takes the whole show on a European tour. On this tour we can expect a pretty regular set list from the Seeger Sessions material with a few slots throughout the show for his own material. The May 5 show in Dublin included Adam Raised A Cain, a perfect choice for this folk/gospel inflected band. A favorite from the Darkness on the Edge of Town album, Bruce opened a few shows on the 2003 tour with a blistering version of this song, including August 13, where yours truly was luckily in attendance.

May 5 Setlist: O Mary Don't You Weep/John Henry/Johnny 99/Old Dan Tucker/Eyes on the Prize/Jesse James/Adam Raised a Cain/Erie Canal/My Oklahoma Home/Mrs. McGrath/How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?/Jacob's Ladder/We Shall Overcome/Open All Night/Pay Me My Money Down
Encore: My City of Ruins/Buffalo Gals/You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)/When the Saints Go Marching In

I'll be on the lookout for some audio, in the meantime here's How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? from the Jazz Fest show. It's a depression era song with additional lyrics by Bruce.

Buy the Seeger Sessions

[Correction: In my last post I guessed that Bruce had not played You Can Look since the River Tour. Doh! He played it on his solo acoustic tour a few times last fall. 1,000 pardons!]

17-7, Meat Puppets and Gravy

White Sox stomp on opposition...

Multiple thoughts to share today…

After the first month of the season, my beloved White Sox are 17-7 and own the best record in the major leagues. I must admit I feared a letdown after the way they cruised through the post-season last fall and then dropped a few games to the lowly Royals at the beginning of this season. Sox fans are in uncharted waters here; a championship team that seems to have improved in the off-season and appear to be headed right back to October baseball at this rate. This is just about where they were at the end of April 2005. So this is what it feels like to be a baseball fan in New York and Boston?

Oh, and a message to Mike Scioscia, Kelvim Escobar and the Angels: Take your bush league beanballs and go pound sand. Plunking A.J. on Saturday was clearly pre-meditated and reeked of frustration. Escobar was on the mound in the World Series when A.J. ran to first after the dropped third strike fiasco, and again when he tried to tag him with his glove while holding the ball in his other hand. His dislike of A.J. is well-known. Too bad Escobar never has to step into the batter’s box.

Next issue: The Meat Puppets are reuniting, plan to record new music and possibly tour. Neat trick, I first thought, since I was sure one of the Kirkwood Brothers was dead (turns out it was just a drug dealing incarceration). This could be interesting. The Pups sloppy country-punk was a little scary at first, but once they learned how to sing and play their instruments, they made some remarkable music. A huge influence on Kurt Cobain, this band was always underappreciated, in my opinion.

This news came via Billboard, which, by the way, is a great site for breaking music news. You’d think they would only cover chart topping drivel, but it’s surprisingly diverse.

Plateau from Meat Puppets II

Eyeball from No Joke!

Finally, GRAVY, a band you most likely have never heard of. My friend’s college roommate is moonlighting as a manager for this LA band, and put together this electronic press kit. To my ears, they sound like a mix of Phish and 70’s rock, and probably sound great in a small club on a Friday night after a few longnecks. I’m not sure istudio reflects how this band really sounds (which is course is a problem for many jam bands), and the lyrics need some work (also a Phish problem), but the songs grows on you. Three free mp3s in the press kit; give them a listen, or if you live in LA, check them out.