March 2010

She & Him @ Bowery Ballrom – March 29

The dreary rain that swept across NYC on Monday seemed the perfect precursor to the first of She & Him’s two sold out gigs at the cozy Bowery Ballroom. While their music isn’t necessarily reflective of a rainy day, their mellow mood approach is the perfect elixir after sloshing around in puddles.

It was also especially appropriate for me since the last time I saw She & Him was at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival after a torrential downpour.

The duo, comprised of actress Zooey Deschanel and singer/songwriter/Monster of Folk M Ward, recently released their second retro-pop offering, Volume Two, two years after Volume One arrived on the scene and established them as one of the music scene’s most unique acts.

Accompanied by four other solid musicians, including a pair of talented singers crushing the backing vocals in the best possible all way all night, Ward and Deschanel put on an almost mystical performance in front of a packed house at Bowery from the openings notes of Riding in My Car to the final notes of Sweet Darlin’. READ ON for more from Luke on She & Him…

The emails are starting to flow out from Music Today letting Phish fans know whether they’ve scored tickets to this summer’s shows through the presale lottery. How did you do?

Wilco fans who can’t make it to the Boston show on Tuesday will be pleased to know that they can still enjoy a webcast from the show as it happens

Jam In The Dam 2010 – Amsterdam – Day One – March 21

There really is nothing quite like a destination music festival. Why stay in a tent when you can stay in a hotel room? Why be a gross, dirty hippie when you can shower daily? Why stay in a hot field when you can explore a resort or world-class city during the day? Whether you are on a cruise ship, a tropical island, or in one of Europe’s most amazing cities, one thing is certain; events such as these sit in a class of their own. A true fan of live music and traveling owes it to themselves to try and attend a destination music festival at some point in their life.

Events like this one are truly unique for so many ways, but what immediately stands out is the size. There are few opportunities to see bands with such sizable fan bases in such intimate settings for three nights in a row. It is made all the better by the fact that you are raging with the same people for the entire duration. You meet some people on the first night, and by the end you are saying goodbye to dozens of new friends and future tour buddies. There is no experience like a destination music festival, and no live music event quite like Jam in the Dam. Where else can a wookie make a steamroller out of his cardboard poster tube, and walk back and forth from stage to stage begging the bands to smoke it, and in some cases jumping on the stage to instruct?

The festival hit the ground running with an improv-heavy set from Umphrey’s McGee. Umphrey’s is the only band that really brought a significantly sized group of their fan base overseas, so it made sense to have them get things going. Their set was highlighted by a Ringo > White Man’s Moccasins > Ringo Segment that really allowed bassist Ryan Stasik to shine as he took the lead with some incredibly technical slapping. As the crowd filled into the Melkweg and the night got into full swing, the band finished things off with a perfectly placed and executed 40’s theme. The stage was set for a great evening, and the energy continued through Les Claypool’s set right up until he left the stage for a 20+ minute bathroom break drum-solo.

READ ON for more of Jason’s Jam In The Dam review and photos…

At some point during its five year run, The Wire evolved from a lowly rated & unwanted show about the City of Baltimore, to arguably one of the greatest shows