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Primus at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, 1030 15th Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA on Sep 14
Menomena at Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Avenue, Seattle, WA on Sep 10
Ratatat at Riviera Night Club, 4746 North Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL on Sep 10
The Black Keys at Verizon Wireless Music Center, 12880 East 146th Street, Noblesville, IN on Sep 03
Search results for: simchock
Live Show Review: Old Crow Medicine Show at Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA
Old Crow Medicine Show
July 22nd at Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA
As I left suburban New Jersey and made my way across the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the Pocono Mountains, I took in most of the Old Crow Medicine Show three-album catalog on my CD player, eagerly tapping my foot on the car’s floor-board and singing aloud as my cruise control managed my driving. Heading out to the country with the wails of fiddles and banjos filling my car, I soon found myself thinking, “Have I gone country?” Did I really just blurt out in my best attempt at a southern drawl, “Every time I kiss you girl, it tastes like pork and beans.”?
Though I am a rock ‘n’ roller and bluesman at heart, lately it seems that I have been leaning in a new musical direction (leaning south, to be exact) seeing more and more bands with mandolins and cowboy hats than I do with electric guitars and high-watt amps. And, the OCMS performance at the stunning Penn’s Peak venue in Jim Thorpe, PA is no exception to this. Six guys—five sharing lead vocals, three swapping off licks with the banjo, one on a six-string “guit-jo,” an upright bass, no drummer, and yes, three cowboy hats. That’s right, y’all, the Old Crow Medicine Show was in town, and they came to rock the house with their own brand of music Americana. And, this rocker isn’t ashamed to admit that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and upon spending a night in lovely Jim Thorpe, has become a fan of Pennsy’s version of southern hospitality. read more
Live Show Review: Delta Spirit at First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia
Delta Spirit
July 2nd at First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia
In the words of Matt Vasquez, lead vocalist/guitarist of Southern California’s soul rockers Delta Spirit, it was “hot as hell” at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia on Friday night. No doubt the small but passionate young crowd that gathered in the downstairs meeting hall of the church to see the gig could not have agreed more. Anyone who has experienced the thrill of seeing one of their favorite bands in a venue the size of someone’s basement could easily appreciate the excitement in the air. And with only a few ceiling fans to circulate some air, yes, it was hot. It was hot as hell.
After respectable and eclectic opening performances by the Romany Rye and Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, Vasquez (sporting a pair of dark blue pin-striped pajama shorts and a Deer Tick tee) and his four band-mates—Jon Jameson, bass; Brandon Young, percussionist; Sean Walker, guitarist; and Kelly Winrich, multi-instrumentalist—took to the stage. If the warm-up acts didn’t do their jobs in heating things up a bit, it certainly didn’t take long for the headliners to work up a good sweat.
Live Show Review: John Butler Trio at Great Plaza, Phildadelphia
John Butler Trio
June 17 at Great Plaza, Philadelphia
“Get the fuck off the stage!” Sadly, those six words from a few fans are what I remember most about the John Butler Trio performance in Philly on Thursday evening. Fortunately, the fans weren’t directing their orders at the JBT, but at the mob of college kids that rushed the stage halfway through the set as JB invited State Radio (one of the opening acts) to join the headliners for a cover of Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up.”
As one followed another onto the stage, to my disappointment and to the dismay of many other true JBT fans, Butler chose not to have his security detail remove the gang of idiots and permitted them to dance around and crowd the stage. By the time the band was two minutes into Marley’s classic, there were about 25 people on stage completely blocking the view for the rest of the audience. Despite the calls for order from many in the crowd (see my opening statement in this review), Butler allowed things to digress. It was hard not to be disappointed.
Live Show Review: Levon Helm & Friends at Mountain Jam, Hunter, NY
Levon Helm & Friends
June 6th at the Mountain Jam Festival, Hunter, NY
Born on May 26, 1940, Levon Helm just reached the 70 year milestone in his life. And about 10 days later, on Sunday, June 6, 2010 he celebrated this special birthday at the Mountain Jam Festival on the base of Hunter Mountain in Upstate New York. If seven decades were not enough of a build-up to this moment, then why not have the cold and anxious crowd hang on an extra hour before bringing the birthday boy and his gang of ramblers to the stage? So wait they did.
With tornado warnings throughout the day, along with a set-disrupting downpour during Michael Franti’s performance, it wasn’t looking very likely that the festival’s headline act would come out without a significant delay. But finally, at 8:30pm, it appeared that the finale of Mountain Jam VI was about to commence as Warren Haynes, the curator of this year’s event, and Ray LaMontagne (listed on the program as one of Levon’s “friends”) took the stage to perform a pseudo sound-check offering of LaMontagne’s “Shelter”, with both LaMontagne and Haynes neatly swapping off vocals. Great stuff. But still no Levon.
Live Show Review: Citizen Cope at the Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia
Citizen Cope
February 19th at the Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
With four sold-out shows in just three days, available tickets for any of Citizen Cope’s Philadelphia engagements were as rare as sightings of Dick Cheney during a national terror alert. This was Cope’s second performance of the day (his first being at the WXPN Free At Noon gig at World Café Live), and was his second at the TLA in as many days.
Although I had seen Cope perform once before in 2009, it was in a true theatre setting in Montclair, NJ, which certainly didn’t have the SRO “club” ambiance that is on offer at the Theatre of the Living Arts. As an avid listener of WXPN in Philly, I have admired the music of Clarence Greenwood (Cope’s real name) for the past three or four years, but my first live Cope experience in North Jersey left me rather ho-hum about his ability to translate the eclectic vibe of his recorded music on to the stage.
My hopes for tonight were that the buzzing atmosphere of the TLA, in a city that thinks of Citizen Cope as one of its own, would live up to the expectations that I had set prior to seeing him last year in Jersey. To my delight, after a two-and-a-half hour, 24-song performance, I did not leave the TLA at half-past midnight in ho-hum disappointment. I was stoked. Cope and his band treated the Friday night crowd to a balanced mix of acoustic blues and soulful funk that spanned Cope’s four albums.
All Points West Crowd by David J. Simchock
APW Crowd During Yeah Yeah Yeahs Performance
All Points West Music & Arts Festival
Liberty State Park, New Jersey
July 31, 2009
By David J. Simchock
Everything is bigger in New York or, in this case, just across the harbor in New Jersey, as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released a couple of super-sized eyeballs into the crowd. With Lady Liberty as a backdrop, this image got a lot of attention from the festival promoters.
Check out more from David J. Simchock at his concert photography site.
Live Show Review: Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at World Café Live, Philadelphia
Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven
January 13th at World Café Live, Philadelphia
“This is Cracker Soul, it comes so easy…” And easy and enjoyable it did come at World Café Live on Wednesday with David Lowery and his two bands rocking the sold out house for over three hours. Philly locals were treated to a double-dose of Lowery’s crafty lyrics and raspy vocals, along with two very tight ensembles of musicians, each bringing their own touch to the Lowery rock ‘n’ roll projects.
Opening the evening was Lowery’s first effort, Camper Van Beethoven, a formation that was born in 1985, disbanded by 1990, but resurrected in the early part of the millennium after more than a decade-long hiatus. Though Lowery’s distinctive vocals cannot be mistaken in either of his artistic enterprises, Camper undoubtedly has a sound and energy of its own. Standing out in the CVB set was multi-talented Jonathan Segel with his melodic, but sometimes wailing, violin. When Segel wasn’t hitting the high notes on the fiddle, he was contributing on keyboard, guitar, and backing vocals.
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Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes by David J. Simchock
Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes
All Points West Music & Arts Festival
Liberty State Park, New Jersey
July 31, 2009
By David J. Simchock
Though I was somewhat unfamiliar with the Fleet Foxes going into the event, it didn’t take long for their ‘60s vibe to catch my ear, and for Pecknold’s expressive singing to catch my eye. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a flattering e-mail from Pecknold’s parents (who found my work on line), complimenting my captures of their son.
Check out more from David J. Simchock at his concert photography site.
Xavier Rudd by David J. Simchock
Xavier Rudd
All Points West Music & Arts Festival
Liberty State Park, New Jersey
July 31, 2009
By David J. Simchock
Perhaps the most unique artist of the entire weekend, but surprisingly unknown to the APW crowd, Xavier Rudd expanded his usual one-man-band to include a drummer and bassist. Despite the accompaniment, all eyes were on Rudd as he simultaneously mixed guitar with percussion, vocals, harmonica, and of course, a selection of didgeridoos. Simply magical.
Check out more from David J. Simchock at his concert photography site.
Live Show Review: Ray LaMontagne / David Gray at Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden
by: David Simchock
Ray LaMontagne / David Gray / Serena Ryder
August 20th at Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
How often do you get to experience two of your favorite artists performing on the same stage in the same evening? Not often. But such was the case on Friday night when Ray LaMontagne and David Gray passed through south Jersey for a double-bill that would make any fan of today’s singer-songwriter scene salivate. It was a show that I had anxiously been looking forward to since the tour dates were announced earlier in the year, and it didn’t disappoint once it arrived.
The evening opened with a solo performance by Serena Ryder, who I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a couple of times in the past (both solo and band-backed). Tonight’s short but sweet warm-up proved to be a perfect prelude for things to come. Ryder is a hard-working and very talented performer who deserves to be headlining in her own right. My money says it won’t be long before she’s at the next level.
But for tonight, the spotlight would be on two artists who have made it past the “emerging” stage of their careers and have established themselves as leaders in their genre.
LaMontagne, who recently released God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise, took the stage with his new band, the Pariah Dogs, and was met with a warm welcome by the Camden crowd. I had seen Ray earlier in the day at his filled-to-capacity WXPN Free at Noon show in Philly, so there weren’t many surprises for me at his later gig, albeit it was longer and included a few more songs. One thing is for certain, after seeing him twice in one day, LaMontagne is more than a respectable singer/songwriter with a solid following. He deserves all the recognition he gets and will continue to get in the months to come as he plugs his latest effort on the road. read more
by: David Simchock
published: August 26, 2010
in column: It Shows, Reviews, What Goes On
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