Weekly Vibes: Shows This Weekend 2/25>2/28

Hey now the weekend is almost here.

Here are the shows listed for this weekend in the Baltimore, DC Markets provided by Jambase

Baltimore Shows

DC Shows

Shows of interest this weekend

Umelt (progressive groove) and Stushido (experimental dance) tonight Thursday 2/25 at 8 x 10 tonight in Baltimore

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (New Orleans brass/funk/jam) tonight Thursday 2/25 at The State Theatre in Falls Church

Saturday 2/27 Luther Dickinson guitarist of  The Black Crowes and son of legendary music producer Jim Dickinson, brings his band North Mississippi Allstars back to The State Theatre in Falls Church for a Southern rock/blues/jam throw down . Also get there early for a special Q&A with the band, held by The State. Submit your question on The State Theatre Facebook or Twitter page to win a chance to ask your question directly to the band. I've already submitted mine and won. Stay tuned for my questions, a wrap up of the Q&A, show review and pictures.

Have a great weekend. Go out and support live music:)

2010 Festivals Update

I have been debating for the last week on how to handle all of the festival info that has come out in rapid fire pace. Just about every festival besides Lollapalooza and a few other have announced their line ups and dates in the past two or three weeks. Chances are, by now you've seen or heard about them already. It is just way too much information me to report on all of them as they break and list every line up. You can follow me on twitter @cosmicvibesblog for more up to date info as it breaks or updates from shows and festivals.  I have decided to make a link list of all the festivals that I feel are worthy of checking out. Either because I have attended them, heard great things about them or because I think he line up is worthy.

I do want to point out that the line up for Allgood Festival is once again stellar with headliners Furthur, Widespread Panic and Umphreys Mcgee plus many many more great acts on the mountain top. All Good has never let me down in my 8 year streak, what an amazing festival.  Starscape Baltimore line up is also one that can' be beat with headliners The Disco Biscuits, Lotus and The New Deal and a ton of djs. The 12th annual Starscape is being held at Ft Armistead park under the key bridge. As I said before be prepared for an all nighter at this one.

For more festival line ups and any info please check the link listing on the left side of the page. I will update them as more are announced, and take them away as they culminate.

Thanks for visiting the vibes:)

2010 Festival Update: Del Fest Additions and Academy

This past week has really been an over flow of festival updates and artist announcements. Which truly means spring and summer are right around the corner.

First I want to tell you about  Del Fest celebrating 50 years of McCoury music. To be held memorial day weekend in Cumberland MD. If your grass is blue then you need to get yourself to Del Fest. This years outing will be the third annual and for the second year Del Fest academy will be held Mon-Thursday preceding the festivities.

Here's a little piece of what to expect at Del Fest academy from the Del Fest Academy Page

"We're pleased to once again offer Del Fest Academy prior to the festival - May 24 through May 27. The academy consists of a friendly, encouraging, and intensive three-day learning experience with a group of some of the finest musicians in bluegrass.
The Academy will offer instruction for guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and bass for all experience levels.  We are excited to have the same great group of instructor back for our second year: Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, Alan Bartram on bass, and Ronnie Bowman on guitar."

They have also added some artists including a little bit of funk with The Bridge from Baltimore. For more artist info go HERE. So good it will blow you're mind. I will be in attendance for the entire week as a guest at the academy. I am looking so forward to this opportunity to learn more about bluegrass and it's traditions. Hopefully getting some great pictures of it all going down to bring home to you.
I attended the first Del Fest and it was an opening to a whole new world of music to me. I can definitely say that I learned a lot about bluegrass just by attending the event. Between the McCoury/Bela Fleck workshop and just hanging around with various campers/artists pickin late night after the music was over. Check out my photo album from the 1st annual Del Fest.
I urge you to attend this festival. It is an absolute blast for the whole family. Even Batman made an appearance at the first Del Fest.

Weekly Vibes: Shows This Weekend

Here is a listing of the shows in the DC/Baltimore area this weekend

DC Shows

Baltimore Shows

Featured shows for the weekend

Dan Deacon @ Ottobar in Baltimore 2/19 If you don't have a ticket to this one it's too late they're gone, it's gonna be a hot one.

Brothers Past @ 8 x 10 in Baltimore 2/20 is a great electronic jam band from Philadelphia go check them out. They definitely rock

THE VISIONARY SOLSTICE GATHERING featuring ALEX GREY 2/20 with SEE-I, Telesma @ Sonar Baltimore I went to this show last year and it was off the hook. Alex Grey is an amazing artist. If you like the scene a little bit freaky go check out this show. You won't be let down I promise.

Higher Hands @ Rams Head Savage Mill (Rathskellar) 2/20 great bar, great beer, don't know about the band. Always a good time at the Rathskellar though.

Also next Tuesday check out Justyn with a Y an Indie/folk/punk singer songwriter out of DC. The show will also feature DC post-hardcore quartet the Escape Artist at The Red and Black in the new H st district @ 1212 H st NE.

Enjoy and support live music:)
Happy Weekend

Furthur : Hampton/Fairfax Setlists and Photos

Hampton Coliseum Friday 2/12/10 Set I Shakedown Street >I Need a Miracle, Till the Morning Comes, Memphis Blues, Dire Wolf, Picasso Moon, Big Railroad Blues, Two Djinn Set 2 Scarlet Begonias, West L.A. Fadeaway, Mason’s Children, Dark Star, Dear Mr. Fantasy, King Solomon’s Marbles, Days Between, Viola Lee Blues >Dark Star >GDTRFB Encore: Donor Rap We Bid You Goodnight Here is a link to my  Hampton Show Photo Album including two video clips, 1 of  West LA Fade Away and the other of  King Solomons marbles. Patriot Center George Mason University Fairfax, VA Saturday 2/13/10 Set 1: Playing In The Band, Wang Dang Doodle, Friend Of The Devil, Greatest Story Ever Told, Ship Of Fools, Sittin’ On Top Of The World, Truckin’, New Speedway Boogie Set 2: Help On The Way, Slipknot, Franklin’s Tower, Cassidy, Turn On Your Love Light, St. Stephen, Revolution, The Eleven, So Many Roads, Let it Grow, Playing In the Band reprise #2 Encore: Johnny B. Goode The general consensus after the Fairfax show for people that attended both nights, was that Fairfax was a much better show than the Friday night show at Hampton. Hampton was a great show, but the setlist at Fairfax was awesome and the energy was vibrant. It definitely had a valentines vibe going with lots of pink and red lights, and Bobby playing his pink guitar for at least half the show. The look on John's face for the much of the evening was of complete pride and joy to be up there with his heroes. Taking the place of an iconic legend, which are huge shoes to fill. As I said in my last Furthur article, in my pinion this band sounds more like the Grateful Dead than any other rendition of  Dead related bands since the death of Jerry Garcia. Now that I've witnessed it first hand I still believe that. Many people that I conversed with at and after the show were in complete agreement with me. The sound of John's guitar and voice fill the void that has been missing for 15 years now. The highlight of the night for me was So Many Roads. Not a song you would expect to be a highlight. John just absolutely nailed it. The spotlight bearing down on him as the crowd stared and danced in awe of his similarities to Jerry. It was truly an amazing magical night at Patriot Center.

Here is a link to my Fairfax Show Photo Album I was able to bring my better camera into this show resulting in some great pictures from a very memorable night.

Also check out my photos from our Furthur before/after party/jam with Liquid Lobster and friends near the venue. Share The Ride

Futhur Tour Begins Tonight In Miami

After much anticipation and a hand full of warm up shows. Furthur will kick off it's twenty two night tour tonight in Miami and finish up in Portland OR. on Mar 8th. Dead heads are descending on Miami from all corners for the show tonight at Bay Front Park Amphitheater, for the best line up and closest sound to  " The Grateful Dead" since Jerry Garcia passed in 95 ( in my opinion). I have had the chance to listen to all of the shows they have played since the Oakland shows at Fox Theater last fall. They sound absolutely amazing, John Kadlecik's guitar licks and voice sound eerily like Jerry Garcia. Previous line ups of  Dead related bands were great, don't get me wrong I loved Warren Haynes on guitar. I love Phil and Friends and I love Ratdog, but John is the sound this band needs. They've got their sound back. I've heard and read nothing but great things from people who have attended shows. Other additions include Joe Russo (drums) of Benevento Russo duo, Jay Lane (Drums) Ratdog, Jeff Chimente (Keys) Ratdog. This is going to be a great tour. Stay tuned here as I will be posting setlists, any audio links that come available, and hopefully some great pictures from the show next week in Fairfax VA. You might want to get out to one of these shows while you can. Who knows if they'll do it again.

Share The Ride

Tea Leaf Green 9:30 Club 1/30/2010

Despite six inches of snow, which was only supposed to be a dusting. Fans packed the house for Tea Leaf Green's return to the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. It's starting to be an annual affair, making it back one year and six days since their last stop here in the District. Too long as far as I'm concerned.

Elmwood warmed up the crowd as they came in from the snowy streets. Elmwood a little bit of jam, a little bit of progressive rock, a little bit of funk and I call it a good mix for a throw down. They played for about an hour and I definitely enjoyed every bit of it. I found myself wishing for more, however I really couldn't wait for Tea Leaf to start. I've done a little research on the band and here is a cool Article I found. Here are the photos I was able to get during Elmwoods performance. Also here is a link to a Free Audio Download  for the show from Archives.org

Tea Leaf Green took the stage around 10:30 to a 3/4 full house on a snowy night, not too shabby!  Reed Mathis' was bass thumping hard out of the cabinets in front of the stage. I could feel it on my leg as I leaned up on it to snap some photos. I really don't understand why fans give Reed so much heat on the message boards. I think he's a solid fit for this band. Very funky, and super energetic on stage. He's certainly earned his place in my book. I've heard the argument that he's not "funky enough" Listen to the version of Georgia P and try to tell me that he's not funky enough. During Georgia P is where Josh started to have technical problems with his rig, The rest of the band jammed on while the tech tried to fix the problem. Improvisation at it's best, basically what this band has always been about. Reed constantly coming up with nasty bass fills to fill the missing shreds of Josh's guitar. They worked out the problem to finish out the song.

This is when they took a moment to introduce the Mr T doll and work on the guitar problems. They must have a thing for Mr T. I remember last years show starting off with "I pity the fool" in Mr T's voice as the intro. Trevor Garrod tries to rile up the crowd by telling them that only loud applause will fix the ailing Amplifier, of course the crowd erupts in applause.

Unfortunately the call wasn't enough. As the technical problems continued during Papa's In The Backroom, they continued to work it out professionally and almost unnoticeable by jamming right through it. Eventually Josh had to switch up his Gibson es335 for his beautiful tobacco sunburst Gibson Les Paul. I gave the show a listen today and can clearly tell when this switch up takes place. I don't know why he wouldn't use that guitar all night. It just sounds so crisp and stands out greatly. Finally they get it right or at least satisfactory for Josh and he raised his hands in the air as if to imply "I won". Making for a strong finish with Germinating Seed, then a request from the crowd per Josh's agreement that Truck Stop would fit the bill and then Encore: Garden (Part III)

 Setlist:

1st set:
Relax, Incandescent Devil, Easy To Be Your Lover, Bouncin' Betty, Can't Get High, All Washed Up, Cottonwood Tree, Storm Cloud, Crackers And Cheese (warpigs teaser mid song) Stick To The Shadows, Reservoir

2nd set
Red Ribbons > Looking West, Miss Mae, My Brother, Bastard, Oklahoma Home, Georgia P, Let Us Go, Loony Bin, Papa's In The Backroom, Germinating Seed

Encore: Truck Stop; Garden (Part III)


Here is a link to a Free Audio Download of the show via Archives.org. Eventually the soundboard mp3 from the band will be available if you would prefer the better quality recording.

Big Thanks to the band and road manager Todd for hooking me up with my first vip photo pass. I was able to get some great photos because of that. Below are my photos from the event.

Tea Leaf Green 9:30 Club Photos

Enjoy and hope to see you at the next show:)

Hawk Vs. Squirrel: Wethersfield Connecticut

Recently my girlfriend and I took a weekend trip up to Connecticut to visit family and friends. It was Christa's first time there, as well as her first time meeting my family.
It was beautiful on Saturday 1/23 and we had a few hours to kill. I asked my brother to take us on a sightseeing trip so that I could take some photos with my new camera, and show Christa some of where we grew up.  I especially wanted to get some shots of the Hartford skyline. We decided to head out to Henry Park in Rockville, a spot I was told would give me what I was looking for. It turned out to be awesome. It was a very nice public park with an amazing view. I'm sure it has to be even more awesome in the fall. Here are the Henry Park photos that I was able to get during our brief but rewarding walk in the park. The buildings that you can see off in the distance in a few of the pictures are the Springfield Massachusetts skyline. This visit did not yield any views of Hartford but it did offer a fine alternative of peacefulness and outstanding  views that I did not know existed in my home state. Now we were determined to get those skyline pictures somewhere.

Our next choice was Great River Park in East Hartford directly across the river from the city. Another spot that I had never been to, even though I lived 5 miles from there for 20 years. Another great park. Very quiet, lots of birds and squirrels, we even spotted a couple of  hairy woodpeckers. Also an unbelievable panoramic view of the Hartford skyline which is exactly what I was looking for. Here are the Photos from Great River Park a great place to bird watch, fish, hike, picnic or just chill out and relax for a minute. After this we were running low on time and we had one more stop before heading back home. Which brings me to the next and best part of the story.

On our way to the store to grab a couple things. We were driving down Jordan Lane in Wethersfield CT, a densely populated suburb three miles due south of Hartford. All of a sudden Christa says, did you just see that bird over there? It looked like a hawk! I definitely saw it too. Within two seconds I was doing a u-turn. I knew this was an opportunity that would not present itself again. We got out of the car, and there was a juvenile Red Tailed Hawk pouncing on a squirrel that it had just probably swooped down upon and snatched up. The amazing thing about it was that it let us get right up close without getting scared or moving at all. It just stood there and guarded that squirrel like it hadn't eaten for days. I am a big fan of the outdoors, nature and wild life. This was something else that I had never seen in CT. It is also the first time I have ever seen something in wildlife as cool as this before. Let alone be lucky enough to have my camera in the car with me and get the coolest photos I think I've ever gotten. For the rest of the day we were just amazed at what we had seen, and kept bringing it up and looking on my camera. I couldn't wait to get home just so I could see how the pictures came out. The Red Tailed Hawk is making a comeback in CT and this is not an all an isolated incident. I have done some research and here are a few interesting articles I found on the subject. I'm not positive that this is a Red Tailed Hawk but a friend who is educated on the subject says he thinks it is. Here are the photos I took of the incident. Hawk Vs Squirrel


Red Tailed Hawk No Longer Endangered 

Red Tailed Hawk Crashes Through Screen Door

Red Tailed Hawk Attacks Chihuahua

So out of a two hour, on a whim trip these are the photos I was able to get. It turns out I got way more than I had bargained for, so I thought I would share this fun story with you. Sometimes you can end up having the most fun just being spontaneous and not having any expectations.
 

Enjoy The Vibes:)