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Quactus performs “Brass Monkey” Tribute to Adam “MCA” Yaunch from the Beastie Boys

Sometimes in a musician’s life, the perfect moment happens when inspiration, tribute and just dumb luck all collide.  This happened last May when Southern California jamband, Quactus, were on their way to perform at the first Freako de Mayo Festival in Las Vegas, NV.  En route to Vegas from Los Angeles, the band learns of the passing of Adam “MCA” Yaunch of the Beastie Boys.  A huge inspiration to Quactus’ lead singer, Seth Gordon.  Seth comments before they begin the second set, “One of my big inspirations growing up.  I love the Beastie Boys.  I had one music poster in my life in my room and it was a Beastie Boys poster.  It’s still there at my parents house.”

Without any Beastie Boys songs in their set list, they quickly decided on Brass Monkey.  It didn’t take them long to learn it and you can see in the video that Gordon, as not to screw up the complicated lyrics, reads them from his iPhone.  By chance they knew a sax player in town and it all came together “most definitely” as MCA would say.  Quactus has just begun releasing videos from that show at the Las Vegas Country Saloon.  This was one of the first.

Released on the one year anniversary of Yaunch’s death and performed on the day he died, check out Quactus’ version of “Brass Monkey”.

For more videos from that show, check out Quactus’ youtube page.

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Memorial Event Celebrating the Life of Richie Havens At City Winery New York on Monday, April 29

April 26, 2013 No comments

Memorial Event Celebrating the Life of Richie Havens
At City Winery New York on Monday, April 29

Memorial plans to celebrate the life of Richie Havens were announced today. This coming Monday, April 29 at City Winery New York the public is invited to gather in memory of the beloved folk icon.

A post by Richie’s family on Richie’s official Facebook page reads:

Heartfelt thanks for the worldwide showing of love and respect for Richie. This is a very difficult time for everyone and knowing you’re all right here with us is tremendously moving. As per his very specific wishes, Richie was cremated on Tuesday and his ashes were placed in a beautiful stone pyramid urn. Later in the summer they will be scattered across the field where the Woodstock festival took place in 1969 ~Max Yasgur’s farm, now Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Knowing Richie wanted a party rather than a somber memorial, we have decided to schedule a few public events because, as you all know, Richie considered the world his family, and each and every one of you his friends. We think he’d be just fine with one last tour.

This coming Monday, April 29th, there will be a viewing in New York City at City Winery, located at 155 Varick Street (ph 212 608-0555). This is an informal and unticketed event, however we do ask that you rsvp through City Winery at reservations@citywinery.com if you plan to attend. Any and all are welcome to come say goodbye to Richie. Doors will open at 8pm.

Plans for a memorial concert are also underway, and we will make a few more announcements in the coming days. This will be the only viewing in NYC. We hope you’ll join us.

Richie Havens died on April 22, 2013. He was 72.

www.richiehavens.com

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Country Legend, George Jones, Dies at 81

April 26, 2013 No comments

Among the list of names of “Legends” in the country music genre, George Jones has to be near the top of the list.  Performing his last concert in November of 2012, Jones passed away early in the morning on April 26, 2013 in Nashville, TN.  He had been hospitalized since April 18, 2013, at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville with fever and irregular blood pressure.

While his journey has ended, the footprints he left behind will forever be walked in but the shoes can never be filled.  Rest in Peace, George Jones.

Video credit

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Video of Bob Weir Falling on Stage at Capitol Theater 4/25/2013

April 26, 2013 No comments

Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and now Furthur shocked fans across the world on Thursday night at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY when during the song Unbroken Chain he faded out and ultimately took a header into guitarist John Kadlecik’s pedal board.  Weir, who appeared slightly out of it during the first set, did not return to the stage following the incident and ultimately was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for observation.  Phil Lesh, the bands bass player and Weir’s fellow Grateful Dead member, reports that Bobby hurt his shoulder during a work out and had received medication.  Without speculation or making assumptions about what happened, we’ll keep our ears open for updates on Wier’s condition.  The band is scheduled to appear in Atlantic City on 4/27.

Kadlecik reported today on his Facebook page about the incident:

“1st reaction: holy shit, man down!  Then, I see several crew racing to help, going to be by his side faster than I can put my guitar down…

Next thought: what is Phil going to do? He’s playing on… Bobby had help at this point, so the next person in need of support was Phil…

Pretty f*d up moment… but Bobby wanted to finish the show!  Sometimes the rock n roll life is not all rainbows & fairy dust…”

Thanks to YouTuber GratefulSunshine, we can bring you this video of the incident.  Get well soon, Bobby!

An announcement was made that night following the show that the bar at the Capitol Theater was being re-named for Jerry Garcia and will forever be known as Garcia’s.  Garcia’s daughter, Trixie Garcia, was in attendance to accept in her father’s honor.  While this is exciting news, it was obviously overshadowed by Weir’s incident and health.

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GrooveSession “Groovenaut Banner Friend-Fest” Threatened Young and Old With A Good Time

April 23, 2013 No comments

Groovenaut Banner Friend-Fest Group Shot (bottom), GrooveSession (top)

Ontario, CA based groove-rock power trio, GrooveSession, took a rare weekend off touring to host a party in the Southern California mountains for family and friends of the band who have supported them and their music on 4/19 & 4/20 in the hills above the town of Julian, CA.  I had the pleasure of providing the lighting for their stage.  Here’s my take on the weekend.

First off, after driving the 2.5 hours into the mountains on a Friday evening, I had no idea what to expect.  I had never been to this location and while I know the band and their music, the long and winding road that led me there was seemingly endless.  I arrived on Friday night about 7 pm.  They planned on kicking off the music at 7:30 pm with Barrel Fever Trio, an Orange County based bluegrass trio.  Rolling in with 30 min to spare due to the insatiable Friday night traffic, I quickly began assembling the lighting rig.  An hour later, all was ready to rock and first notes filled the air around 8pm.

Barrel Fever Trio with Sarven Manguiat

Barrel Fever Trio w/ special guest, Sarven Manguiat of GrooveSession

Barrel Fever Trio got the crowd warmed up with a little over an hour set bringing the young kids out to the stage to kick up some dust to some bluegrass music.  Now was time for GrooveSession.  They lit up night with their infectious music right around 9:30 pm and three songs into the set an elderly resident of the canyon made an appearance in front of the stage yelling “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP THIS NOISE!!”.  Of course, her rants were handled most eloquently by GrooveSession’s guitarist, Sarven Manguiat, and her demand for immediate silence was extended to 11:30pm.  I was dumbfounded at how quickly her tirade turned to agreement.  Time to keep rockin’!  But first, Manny Sanchez, the drummer and captain of the SS GrooveSession took a moment to recognize the one year anniversary of the passing of Band drummer and Manny look-a-like, Levon Helm, leading into a GS version of a Band song.  Can’t recall what tune but I remember it was a good one.

With a, now, shortened evening, GrooveSession pushed headlong into a fat set of music delivering a great first night of a two day camp-out.  There was a full day ahead of them on Saturday and hopes that our fun-killer wouldn’t return for a second night.

GrooveSession (L-R: Sarven Manguiat, Ronnie Sanchez, Manny Sanchez)

Day two.  Waking up to hot coffee, bagels and scrambled eggs from Chef Ron Sanchez, the father of two of the three members of GrooveSession, set the tone for a great day in So. Cal.  Kids climbed and hiked the nearby hills, the babbling brook that flowed through the campground hosted a chorus of frogs and lizards and everyone was ready for three sets from GrooveSession.  The plan was to start early as to not annoy our previous evening’s visitor again and so around 3pm we began rebuilding the sound system and light rig.  A few hours later all was ready to kick off and a 4/20 inspired set leaning heavy on the reggae beat began.  Second set took a dive into the deep end with heavy electronic effects from Sarven, hard thumping bass lines from Ronnie Sanchez and a plethora of vintage GrooveSession tunes that the die hard family in attendance we thrilled to hear.  The whole evening wrapped up around 11:30 again which led to an improvised jam around the campfire led by Manguiat which included a delicious version of the Beatles “Blackbird” and a host of Stevie Ray Vaughan tunes and the Jimmie Hendrix song “Little Wing.”  Sarven stretched his musical wings around the fire appeasing the late night crowd until well after 3 am.  The presumed presence of a Sasquatch was your authors cue to retreat to the confines of the ShakedownNews-Mobile.

GrooveSession says they plan on making this an annual affair and inviting more bands next year.  It will also be open to more people as they plan on moving locations to a 15 acre property nearby.  I certainly hope so.  This was a great camp-out full of great people and great music.  The perfect formula to get threatened with a good time!

GrooveSession hits the road this week heading to Colorado:

4/24 – Gunnison, CO
4/25 – Denver, CO
4/27 – Durango, CO
4/28 – Denver, CO
4/30 – Aspen, CO

For more details visit:  GrooveSession’s Facebook Page

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Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and TRI Studios to Produce Musical “Precipice”

April 4, 2013 No comments

While the Grateful Dead have always been their own form of musical theater, guitarist and founder of TRI Studios, Bob Weir, has taken on the daunting task of executive producer of a Broadway worthy musical titled “Precipice”.  Described as a dark fairy tale wrapped into an album, a story and a performance about two women, Precipice is the brainchild of Miranda Ferriss Jones with musical direction by Furthur’s Jeff Chimenti.  The music is being recorded at Weir’s TRI Studios in San Rafael, CA.

Help fund the completion of the musical and contribute to the arts!

CLICK HERE to visit their KickStarter Page to find out how you can be part of the project.

From the Precipice KickStarter Page:

The Spectacle: The Precipice is a theatrical ménage a trois between Cirque-du-Soleil, Alvin Ailey, and Wicked, with a jazz twist. A genre-defying collaborative spectacle, The Precipice merges multiple forms of storytelling on stage: each of the main characters is embodied by a singer and a dancer; the magical world of the Dreamweavers is brought to life by aerialists spinning silks above; high society is satirized through stylized masks, at once comical and grotesque. Video projection lends a contemporary texture to the genre of classical fairytales, and a live jazz band keeps heads bopping and souls hopping throughout the show. The Precipice is at the cutting-edge of interdisciplinary live performance and features the collective talent of an outstanding group of local Bay Area artists.

The Story: An original dark fairytale, The Precipice explores the role of dreams in a repressed society, the manufacturing of mass psychosis, the vilification of the other, and the nuances of female friendship, sexuality, and identity. The story follows two girls from different worlds: Iris, destined to be a debutante, and Polly, ordained an outcast. Seeking to preserve each girl’s inner light despite her repressive circumstances, the dreamweaving goddess Lady Midnight spins their fates together in an uncommon bond of sisterhood born among the stars yet forbidden in daylight. As they come of age, Iris and Polly must navigate their friendship in a world designed to keep them apart, where difference is persecuted, independence is stifled, and young women must toss their desires to the wind in order to avoid going up in flames. The Precipice challenges us to shatter the myths we’re told about who we are and what we’re capable of so that we might weave our own destinies. Sexy, dark, violent, magical and provocative, The Precipice delights, disturbs, and dumbfounds with its beautiful, tragic tale.

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Electric Forest Festival “Plug In” Fan Engagement Program

March 26, 2013 No comments

ELECTRIC FOREST’S “PLUG IN” FAN ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM BLURS LINES BETWEEN ORGANIZERS AND ATTENDEES

ELECTRIC FOREST CHOSEN AS ONE OF “THE WORLD’S BEST MUSIC FESTIVALS” BY JETSETTER

2013 LINEUP INCLUDES THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT, PRETTY LIGHTS, PASSION PIT, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, KNIFE PARTY, DISPATCH, BENNY BENASSI, YEASAYER, A-TRAK, GRIMES, RAILROAD EARTH, TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE, FEMI KUTI & THE POSITIVE FORCE, MADEON, HEADHUNTERZ, BAAUER, DANNY BROWN, GREENSKY BLUEGRASS AND MANY OTHERS

This festival season, Electric Forest returns to the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan on June 27- June 30, 2013. Today, Electric Forest’s “Plug In” Program – the festival’s innovative fan engagement platform – is in full swing. With many unique participation opportunities and several winners already announced, thousands of Electric Forest fans have been showing off – and sharing – their creativity, talent, and loyalty to the fest. Check out these stories submitted for the “Electric Moment” contest, the winners for Timeline Photo contest and Instrumental Forester competition, and the top submissions for the ongoing Chari-T Shirt Design contest. Visit www.electricforestfestival.com for details on all of the Plug In opportunities, including the hugely popular Hoop Troupe contest launching tomorrow (Wednesday March 27). Additional contests still to be announced.

Known for fully embracing the possibilities of an engaged festival community, Electric Forest’s Plug In Program deliberately blurs the line between event organizers and attendees. With this truly unique “open source” approach, the festival is able to harness the creativity and passion of its community members, offering real and tangible ways for fans to participate in and ultimately help shape the Electric Forest experience. This is a big deal, since for Electric Forest – experience trumps all.

Through these ever-evolving participation programs, Electric Forest has “reinvented the sense of unity [that can happen at a music event], insisting that mainstream festivals can be so much more for people than just a party. Rather an artistic playground for…young adults to communicate their innovative ideas and art-works through any means fathomable.” (The Untz)

Recently chosen as one of “the world’s ten best music festivals” by Jetsetter, Electric Forest is widely recognized for propelling the U.S. festival scene into a brave new era of music and camping festivals.

The reasons for this stellar reputation are many. Undeniably known for delivering “the ultimate festival experience,” (IMF Magazine), Electric Forest offers incomparable VIP accommodations, unique on-site features and amenities, astonishing and unparalleled integration of music and art, and a vibe so thick with “camaraderie and freedom…it must be experienced to be appreciated.” (Consequence Of Sound)

Hailed for its deep, diverse, and often unexpected lineup curation, Electric Forest 2013 features performances by live music pioneers The String Cheese Incident (3 performances), Pretty Lights, Passion Pit, Empire of the Sun, Knife Party, Dispatch, Benny Benassi, Yeasayer, A-Trak, Grimes, Railroad Earth, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, FEMI KUTI & The Positive Force, Madeon, Headhunterz, Baauer, Danny Brown, Greensky Bluegrass and many more. The complete list of currently confirmed performers is available at www.electricforestfestival.com, with additional artists still to be announced.

At the heart of Electric Forest, the beloved Sherwood Forest is “with no exaggeration at all, the most well produced and artistically inspired area…ever seen at a music festival” (Magnetic Magazine). Showered with state-of-the-art, jaw-dropping light displays, intricate and earthy artful touches, and everything in between, in 2013 the Sherwood Forest is expanding in size for the first time ever. Fans can look forward to more to discover, wonder and wow.

Also in 2013, Electric Forest’s unrivaled GOOD LIFE VIP experience promises even more stellar amenities and perks. From camping and RV spots, to log cabins and homes, to resort hotel-style suites – all located directly on the festival grounds – The GOOD LIFE has something for all budgets and tastes. The festival’s exclusive site – hailed as “THE best place to hold a music festival” (Magnetic Magazine) – offers trails, forests, fields, lakes and beachfronts, and even on-site bars and eateries. In addition, Electric Forest patrons can take advantage of the resort’s many amenities including a 60,000 square foot indoor water park, an 18-hole championship golf course, swimming pools, horseback riding, and more. Visit www.electricforestfestival.com for GOOD LIFE options and details.

For ongoing updates:
www.electricforestfestival.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElectricForest
Twitter: @Electric_Forest
You Tube: www.youtube.com/user/TheElectricForest

Tickets on sale now at www.electricforestfestival.com and at 1-888- 512-SHOW (Open Mon-Sat 9am-9pm CST).

Electric Forest is produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac.

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Family of Ken Kesey Launch Campaign to Restore FURTHUR Bus

March 15, 2013 No comments

Furthur Bus

The psychedelic 60s were a pivotal time in the culture of music and the awakening of a generation.  Ken Kesey and the “Merry Pranksters” were an influential group of forward thinking hippies in Northern California/Oregon who, along with their bus FURTHUR, attempted to create not just ripples but a full on tsunami of cultural change.  The bus was featured in Tom Wolfe’s book “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”.

Kesey, author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, passed away in 2001 and left behind a legacy that his son Zane has picked up and ran with.  The bus restoration, a project started by Stephanie Kesey (wife of Ken’s son Zane), needs your help to restore FURTHUR to it’s former 1960s glory.

Infamous hippie clown Wavy Gravy had this to say about the bus restoration project: “THANK YOU TO EVERYONE HELPING— Keep in mind that the Kesey’s are donating the bus to YOU, the people. The Furthur Down The Road Foundation will OWN the bus…no money is going to the Kesey’s! It is up to the PEOPLE to raise the money and take care of this “Icon of History“!

Here’s the text from the funding page:

The Furthur Bus is rusting away and needs to be saved and restored!
Any donation amount, no matter how small, will help us help Furthur.
Ken Kesey’s Furthur Bus, featured in Tom Wolfe’s popular 1968 book, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, is one of the seminal cultural icons of the 20th Century and a project that Kesey considered one of his “best works,” along with his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. The bus played a huge role as a symbol of the counterculture movement of the 1960s. It was the “prime mover” for Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, and can even be said to have had a role in the launch of the Grateful Dead, perhaps the greatest band to have grown out of that era.

Founded by Stephanie Kesey, the Furthur Down the Road Foundation is an Oregon 501c3 nonprofit corporation established to “restore the original Furthur Bus to it’s 1960s condition, and to promote and preserve the legacy of author Ken Kesey.” The bus is currently rusting away and we’re in danger of losing this important artifact forever.

The Foundation was founded in 2012 and is in need of seed funding to help with start-up costs so we can raise the money to tackle this huge project. We estimate that it will take several million dollars to restore the bus, pictured above, to it’s original splendor by a team of artists, automotive restorers and other experts. We aim to involve the original Pranksters in the effort and have the support and involvement of the Kesey family, including Zane and Stephanie (Ken’s son and daughter-in-law), Caleb (his grandson), and Faye (Ken’s widow), who all have roles on the board of Furthur Down the Road.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE DONATE PAGE AND HELP THE CAUSE!

We’ve already completed our corporate filings, filed for tax-exempt status with the IRS, and are building a website. These things cost money, but they’re absolutely necessary to do this project right. Won’t you help us raise this first $10,000 for this important effort and become one of the first “Neo-Pranksters” to get “on the bus”?

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE DONATE PAGE AND HELP THE CAUSE!

Even $5 will help us reach this first $10,000 goal to get things moving. Donate $25, $100, or $250 to get special recognition from Zane and the Foundation.

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Grateful Deads, Bob Weir, Tells Talking Fan to STFU

March 5, 2013 No comments

We’ve all been in the audience at a show and there’s that guy/girl who just simply won’t shut the fuck up when the band is playing.  Well, at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA when Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir was performing, he heard the loud talker from the stage and took this as his cue to make a point.  He yells to the guy from the stage, “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”  See the video below show by DjinnPhonic.

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WIDESPREAD PANIC ANNOUNCES 2013 SUMMER TOUR DATES

March 1, 2013 No comments

WIDESPREAD PANIC ANNOUNCES SUMMER TOUR DATES

Widespread Panic Press Photo

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE
FOUR NIGHTS AT RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE

The indomitable Widespread Panic has announced dates for their highly anticipated 2013 Summer Tour. After a year-long hiatus Widespread Panic returns for their summer trek, which has become an annual pilgrimage for thousands of fans.

The tour kicks off June 1st at the Wakarusa Festival in Ozark, AR before routing towards the West where the band will headline four consecutive nights (a Panic first) at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Widespread Panic holds the record for sold out performances at Red Rocks with 38 (three nights in 2011 sold out in seven minutes). The 24-date tour will also include stops in Knoxville, TN, Vienna, VA, Hunter, NY, Raleigh, NC, Lincoln, NE, Alta, WY, Missoula, MT, Boise, ID, Las Vegas, Flagstaff, AZ and Grand Prairie, TX before concluding at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre outside of Birmingham, AL.

The band’s most recent release is a special edition 3LP boxed set and double live cd entitled Wood.  Wood featured entirely acoustic live performances recorded at four select intimate venues in 2012 and were very well received by both the press and fans.

Widespread Panic is known as a national touring force and continues to hold attendance records at major venues across the country including Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Birmingham, AL and Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA.  They are a mainstay at many major U.S. festivals, having headlined 10 nights on the main stage at Bonnaroo. This year Widespread Panic will be making stops at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Wakarusa in Ozark, AK and Mountain Jam in Hunter, NY.  The band still holds the single one-day attendance record for New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – 63,000 in 1999.

For over ten years Widespread Panic has been dedicated to making their concerts “food drive events.”  Since Summer 2008 the charity Feeding People Through Music has raised over $50,000 in monetary donations and over 6,000 pounds of food.  Since each dollar donated is worth seven meals, these events have bought over 350,000 meals.

WIDESPREAD PANIC 2013 SUMMER TOUR DATES

June 1 – Ozark, AR – Wakarusa Festival

June 3-4 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre

June 5 – Vienna, VA – The Filene Center @ Wolf Trap

June 7 – Hunter, NY – Mountain Jam Festival

June 8-9 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater

June 21 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater

June 22 – Kansas City, MO – The Starlight Theatre

June 27-30 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

July 4-6 – Alta, WY – Grand Targhee Resort Amphitheater

July 9 – Missoula, MT – Big Sky Brewing Company

July 10 – Boise, ID – Idaho Botanical Garden

July 12-13 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint At Hard Rock

July 14 – Flagstaff, AZ – Pepsi Amphitheater @ Fort Tuthill Park

July 17 – Grand Prairie, TX – Verizon Theatre @ Grand Prairie

July 19-20 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre

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