King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard hit its stride three shows into their March tour of Europe and the U.K. The band fed off the energy of a mosh-happy, metal-thirsty Dutch crowd that was rewarded with the debut of “Gila Monster.”
Read MoreKing Gizzard's 'Magma' melts former gas storage facility in Amsterdam
King Gizzard continued their European tour in Amsterdam on March 3, at circular former gas storage facility that has a beautiful second life as a concert venue. Part of the crowd at Amsterdam’s Gashouder sat down and “rowed the boat” when the band teased “Dripping Tap,” during “Mr. Beat.”
Read MoreKing Gizzard launches tour at Paris Zenith-La Villette
PARIS — King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard opened their March tour of Europe with “Rattlesnake,” at the Zenith on March 2.
Read MoreMINNEAPOLIS: Buffalo Galaxy gets opening nod for Dogs in a Pile
N.J.-based Dogs in a Pile is on tour, with Midwest, Northeast and Colorado dates scheduled, as well as an opening slot for the Disco Biscuits at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, N.Y. Minneapolis string band Buffalo Galaxy opens for them when they hit Minneapolis March 3.
Read MoreCircles Around The Sun kicks off 9-show Midwest tour March 8 in Cleveland
I’ll never forget the first time I saw this band play in person — a Phish after party in Chicago, following the Saturday show of Phish’s 2017 Northerly Island run. Casal had a way of stretching out an idea in such a tasteful and exploratory way, and the band used its spacey, soul-driven instrumentals to express emotions with notes instead of words.
Read MoreRamblings on Phish's summer tour schedule
WARNING: This post is written by a Phish nerd, taking a closer look at the band’s recently announced summer tour schedule. That includes a few words on the band’s 7-night run at Madison Square Garden, where as many as 16 shows were rumored (to one-up Harry Styles’ 15 sellouts last summer, or so that wicked rumor went).
Read MoreJon Sullivan Band and Kind Country Band combine for powerful night at Hook & Ladder
In a co-headlined bill, singer Jon Sullivan delivered Max Graham’s vocals for Kind Country Band, keeping the memory of the late mandolinist alive, before taking the stage with his own band at the Hook & Ladder Theater in Minneapolis Feb. 10.
Read MoreInaugural Ice Dance heats up cold Wisconsin resort
It’s taken me a couple of days to recover from what was the first Ice Dance Music Festival at Heidel House Hotel & Conference Center in Green Lake, Wis.
Would do again.
Up here in the cold, frozen tundra, we’re always looking for fun shit to do come late winter that doesn’t necessarily involve plane tickets south (one day, Phish Mexico, one day).
Read MoreBilly Strings shows up at Denver after party, shreds
After his Saturday night show (the third and final show of a three-night run at 1st Bank Center), Billy showed up unannounced at Knew Conscious, an intimate 450-person music venue/art gallery/club to sit in with a lineup billed with guitarist Ross James (Terrapin Family Band) and banjoist Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon and their Electric Dead Grass project featuring bass player Garrett Sayers (The Motet) and drummer Mark Levy (Circles Around the Sun). They jammed until about 4 in the morning — the stuff of my dreams.
Read MoreWelcome
The main goal of this page is to share the best music – old and new – I’ve come across over the last several decades, and tell the stories around the music. I’ve nourished my musical understanding by collecting wax LPs and attending live shows. I played several instruments as a kid, still dabble with several, but I’m more of a fan. A love for the jazz fusion era naturally led me to jam music, which I love as much for its range in style as the improvisation it inspires. Warning: I’m a sucker for 30-minute Phish jams, especially ones where the notes tell stories and transport listeners through space and time. I’ll review both live shows from both far and near to my Twin Cities home. There’ll be news and features about bands, musicians, and people in and around the music scene, stories about people connecting with wilderness or just being outside (something we can’t seem to get enough of these days), and links to my writing published elsewhere. Look for tour news as well as info on couch tour (aka live music streams) for several bands I’ll be following.
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