April 26, 2004
Interview: Robert Randolph
JamBase | ROBERT RANDOLPH: PLAYING FROM ABOVE
Solid interview with Robert Randolph...master of the pedal steel. He's been getting a ton of press this past year...played at the Grammy's, toured with Clapton.....but he's staying true to his roots.
He's also a really nice guy - I met him after one of his first shows at the Stanhope House in NJ...before he even had an album out.
May 07, 2003
Answerguru Plays a little Banjo
The added a new forum over at BanjoHangout.org for folks to upload banjo clips of them playing / practicing / whatever. So, I added mine.
Take a listen to:
Eight More Miles to Louisville
Each one is only 30 seconds or so long, just the melody line once or twice through. Played on my GoldTone BG-250F that I purchased a few months ago - a good investment that I found necessary after renting my first instrument last October.
Link to the Banjo Forum post to see the feedback I've gotten.
"It ain't bluegrass if it ain't got banjo."
March 07, 2003
Railroad Earth: Great Band, New Interview
As referenced in one of my previous logs, this band is phenomenal and is touring the country again this summer.
This is a nice interview with Todd, the bands leader and main vocalist / guitarist. I also happen to be friends with John Skehan, the mandolin player, who I played in the jazz band with in high school. Hadn't seen him in years until I recognized him on stage at one of the first RRE gigs.
February 10, 2003
Jam Bands: Live Shows from Across America
n u g s . n e t | phish mp3, grateful dead mp3, phil and friends, download mp3, nugs.net
Definitely a worthwhile website....stream some tremendous shows from festivals around the US over the past few years. Tons of great bands:
Bluegrass Sessions
Derek Trucks
Grateful Dead
Jack Johnson
Leftover Salmon
MMW
Phish
String Cheese Incident
Widespread Panic
Yonder Mountain String Band
and more....
December 21, 2002
Looking for new Music, Books, Movies, etc?
Gnod - The global network of dreams
Gnod (and their affiliated sites, like Gnoosic) will help you find related titles of entertainment based upon what you already like. Just type in bands of music you already listen to and it will return a list of other bands that are good potentials....very cool.
Apparently when the website was first started, there were no entries in the database. Then from user input and rankings, it built a database capable of suggesting new items based upon your input....
November 19, 2002
new music
good new cds:
*coldplay, "a rush of blood to the head"
*the flaming lips, "yoshimi battles the pink robots"
*underworld, "a hundred days off"
*the rolling stones, "forty licks" (i'm gonna have to pick this one up soon)
find and listen!
November 15, 2002
Dave Murphy: Chasing Ghosts
As most of you know, Dave Murphy is a good friend of mine and a great musician. He's recently released a new CD titled Chasing Ghosts which really brings out some of Dave's new songs with a great acoustic feel.
Dave Murphy's Official Website
With his new LP, Chasing Ghosts, Murphy again takes the indie approach, sculpting every song his way, with the help of co-producer and New Jersey native, Marc Muller. A gifted multi-instrumentalist and performer, Muller has been a member of the Shania Twain Band since 1995 and was a member of the popular, New York based band, The Surreal McCoy's. Over the course of his career, Muller has worked with the likes of Spencer Davis, Branford Marsalis and Tommy Shaw.
On Chasing Ghosts, Murphy brings twelve new songs to the table, and presents them the only way he knows how - simply and honestly, with a whole lot of heart. Muller crafts a sonic masterpiece, instilling Murphy's songs with a new energy and dimension. The duo also enlists the talents and contributions of top-notch musicians, including guitar wizard David Hamburger (Freedy Johnston, Chuck Brodsky, Jack Hardy), drummer-percussionist Graham Hawthorne (Paul Simon), and veteran troubadour Steve Forbert, who lends his voice to a guest appearance on Murphy's song "Quarter Moon Missing".
Some quotes about Dave's music:
About Under the Lights (his debut album):
Performing Songwriter selected Under the Lights as one of its prestigious “Top 12 Picks” in its December 1999 issue. Neil Fagan, of Performing Songwriter, describes Murphy’s work as eloquent and illuminating.
Chris Smith, of Twin Cities Revue (April 29, 1999), called Under the Lights “a tight, focused album that delivers everything it promises” and dubbing Murphy “a musical Raymond Carver”. Smith adds that, “Murphy taps the raw nerve so many struggling songwriters can’t seem to find . . .”
Railroad Earth
One of my current favorite bands -- and they're from NJ. A super blend of bluegrass and acoustic rock...these guys really know how to bring it all together.
If they're ever in your neck of the woods, you should definitely check them out.
Railroad Earth Official Website
Bird in a House - the latest CD by Railroad Earth
The Black Bear Sessions the debut release by Railroad Earth