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Chad BerndtsonReviewsPhish: 4 June 2009 / 6 June 2009 - Wantagh, NY and Mansfield, MAIt's good to have 'em back, warts and all. [26 June 2009] Arc Angels: 8 May 2009 - New YorkFrom Arc Angels, it didn't feel like a return, however, it felt like a reunion -- a few hellos, a few slapped backs, and plenty of look-what-we-still-can-do emotion. [16 June 2009] 
Various Artists: Man of Somebody’s Dreams: A Tribute to Chris GaffneyTribute albums this enriching -- this destined for longevity beyond the lark of their release -- rarely arrive more than once every few years. [2 June 2009] Los LobosShowmen to the end, Los Lobos remain humble and exciting and, most importantly, still committed to being unpretentious and immensely professional entertainers. [27 April 2009] The Allman Brothers BandThat's how you execute a 40th Anniversary: As proudly, as loudly, and as heavenly as possible [20 April 2009] Bettye LaVetteBettye LaVette invests more of herself in single lyrics than most other singers do in entire songs [10 April 2009] Leonard CohenThe Leonard Cohen who sounded so meek and reserved in his past few albums -- so withdrawn from a level, at least vocally, that would make for a compelling concert -- instead gave way to a Cohen who was almost effortlessly charming, grateful for the adoration, and thorough in proffering the jewels of his massive song and poetry catalog. [16 March 2009] 
O’Death: Broken Hymns, Limbs and SkinO'Death has now demonstrated an ability to bottle some of its live lightning and create a studio document worthy of its burgeoning legend. [25 February 2009] Andrew BirdAndrew Bird sings his songs like he expects to find newness in them every time. [23 February 2009] Fucked Up + Pissed Jeans + Vivian GirlsWas it a great night of music? I don't know; it felt more like assault and overstimulation than a rich musical experience. Was it a hell of a concert? Bet your pirate beard and startlingly pronounced gut, amigo. [9 February 2009] Glasvegas + Angela McCluskeyGlasvegas was somewhat mechanical and delivered a B-level set featuring B-level versions of A-level material. [3 February 2009] Yo La Tengo + OneidaYo La Tengo, Hanukkah 2008, Night One, the Twitter version: Janet Weiss for the whole show on second drumkit, Spoon's Britt Daniel for the encore, opening acts Oneida (music) and Paul F. Tompkins (comedy), Aesop Rock behind the music collection, and all proceeds to the Jubilee Center. [19 January 2009] Neil Young + Wilco + EverestNeil Young's final triumph? Rocking hard enough and with high enough drama to make one of the premier live bands of the decade sound like a lightweight opening act. [12 January 2009] Jenny Scheinman GroupWhen Jenny Scheinman plays her eyes flicker, close, narrow, widen, and radiate in line with whatever musical expression she's drawn from her celestial violin talents. [1 December 2008] 
Ry Cooder: The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has LandedListening to UFO as a whole over a steady period reveals its final strength: It's definitely an album, not just a sturdy hodgepodge. [19 November 2008] Lykke Li + Friendly FiresLive, Lykke Li is a show of force, and during an hour of mesmerizing, artfully arranged originals and a few covers, she confirmed there's plenty of teeth behind her tweeness -- and piquancy, too. [17 November 2008] Dead Confederate + Catfish HavenThe tension and desperation hinted at on Dead Confederate’s September release, Wrecking Ball, felt magnified in almost every selection offered during this one-hour set. [30 October 2008] Shannon McArdleIf you were among the modest, but enthusiastic audience gathered for Shannon McArdle’s CD release party, and didn't know any better, you wouldn't have immediately pegged her for someone who'd just put out an album of wrenching, tough-minded confessionals. [16 September 2008] The Lee BoysThe Lee Boys wear constant smiles, throwing glances around the stage as each man toys with the groove, intensifying it and backing off, working the jab to see who's going to solo. [8 September 2008] Eddie VedderBasing the performance around seven songs from his quietly intense soundtrack to the movie Into the Wild, Eddie Vedder’s solo show drew on central themes of determination, regret, and wanderlust. [18 August 2008] Phil Lesh & Friends + The Levon Helm BandThese Friends comprise a band intimately aware of its greatest strengths; a command of the early ‘70s folk, country, and roots aspects of the Grateful Dead catalog as well as the R&B, the rollicking rock 'n' roll, and occasionally, the harder blues. [6 August 2008] The Black AngelsFor all the doom and gloom and visions of burning worlds and people done wrong and other snatches of terror, the Black Angels revel in their own interplay and are in love with how corrosive noise can be controlled (if never crisply shaped) to maximize dramatic effect [23 July 2008] 
Wetlands PreservedA wondrous collection of musicians, club employees, bartenders, talent buyers and various unsavory characters all with touching and/or hilarious memories. [17 July 2008] 
Rachid Taha: Rock El Casbah: The Best OfLike Joe Strummer, Taha's gift is how he radiates -- that charisma, that persuasion, that force. [2 July 2008] Squirrel Nut ZippersWhile other ‘90s swing revivalists are now comfortably nestled into crowds of saddle-shoe and wingtip-clad swing lovers tossing each other through the air, the Zippers will still attempt to wake the dead and then buy them a drink. [27 June 2008] FilterThe key to Filter, then as in now, is that Patrick remains a consummate frontman, and that the change in his lifestyle that bridges the eras -- i.e., he's sober now -- hasn't filed down any of his edges or muted his angst. [12 June 2008] 
Taylor Eigsti: Let It Come to YouAnything he touches feels balanced, no matter how sparkling a progression, jostling an idea, or accommodating a guest. [10 June 2008] 
David Jacobs-Strain: Liar’s DayHis best and most completely realized yet, marking the point where the songwriter's written strengths have caught up to his extraordinary guitar dexterity. [5 June 2008] 
EOTO: RazedIt's a tasty collection of head nodders and slippery beats -- no more, no less. [23 May 2008] 
Rustic Overtones: Light at the EndIt feels cobbled together from the ideas of individual band members and not quite a full group statement. [22 May 2008] |
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