Feedburner

Keller Williams - Stage

kw9.jpg
Despite his age, on stage and in life, Keller Williams is a child at heart, and his new live release, Stage, is a youthful romp through his playground. For those who have completely outgrown their kindergarten days, the double disc set will be an interesting novelty, sparking enough interest for one or two listens but eventually falling to the forgotten bottom corner of the toybox with all the other outgrown playthings. For the less jaded listener, however, Williams will become the friendly kid next door, always willing to share and never tiring of friendly company.

Phish - Undermind

phish14.jpg
Have you heard that Phish is calling it quits? Of course you have. Did you hear the new musical confirmation that this is a good thing? No? Then get Undermind and you'll understand.

Snake Oil Medicine Show - Bluegrasstafari

soms5.jpg
The slaphappy mountaineers of Snake Oil Medicine Show return with a new cd full of glimmering, gallivanting world music. The band’s recent travels in Jamaica have infused their old-time melodies with a new-age populism, unleashing a hybrid of bluegrass, reggae and jazz. They call it Bluegrass Tafar I. These Boone, NC natives have traveled the country for years showcasing their wide-ranging sound. Their live shows bounce between musical styles like a wild bull charging through a record store. Their colorful costumes blend perfectly with Phil Cheney’s canvases, which are painted in real time behind the band as they tear along.

T.J. Kirk - Talking Only Makes Things Worse

tjkirk.jpg
Who’s T.J. Kirk? Not a man but a band with a plan, the neo-legendary San Francisco instrumental four-piece existed to reinvent classic jazz and soul through their six-string talismans (and one with eight strings.) They reconvened for a few concerts at the end of 2003, but their new live cd Talking Only Makes it Worse is from a 1997 show in Santa Cruz, CA. Charlie Hunter’s 8-string guitar covers everything from the bass lines to the keyboard comps, all at the same time of course. Will Bernard and John Schott add their own guitars, and Scott Amendola rounds out the quartet on drums. They took their name from the initials of the only three musicians whose music they would play: jazz pianist & composer “T”helonious Monk, funky showman “J”ames Brown, and infamous jazz hornman Rahsaan Roland “Kirk.”

Trey Anastasio - Seis De Mayo

trey3.gif
Phish frontman Trey Anastasio’s third official solo release finds him in an orchestral mood, offering up dramatic re-workings of Phish songs and new originals. He plays on only two of the album’s seven tracks, preferring instead to focus on writing, arranging and conducting the classical musicians at his disposal. His last two records, 2001’s Trey Anastasio and 2003’s double-live Plasma, were deep funk explorations recorded with his powerhouse solo band. This fully instrumental cd explores his music in an entirely different setting, and despite clocking in at only 29 minutes, each moment is infused with his singular musical vision.

Various Artists - Grassroots Stages

grassrootsdvd.jpg
Filmmaker Michael O’Connell has crafted a touching and heartfelt portrayal of the music and people behind the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival in Trumansburg, NY. The annual non-profit four-day festival has been raising money for the fight against AIDS for 15 years, and recently expanded to create the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in Silk Hope, NC. Not just a concert film, O’Connell concentrates heavily on the people behind the music, including extensive interviews with festival organizers Jordan and Jeb Puryear among others. Jeb is one of the lead singers and guitarists for Donna the Buffalo, making them the quasi-host band of the festival.

Larry Keel - Beautiful Thing

lkdvd.jpg
On a budget of $7000, director James Ryan Gielen and his company, Brownpenny Films, have created a documentary that is as unpretentious and rough around the edges as its subject. Beautiful Thing is a stark, black-and-white look at the travels and trials of acoustic guitar genius Larry Keel during 2002. If you have ever met Larry, it is hard to imagine him as the impetus for this project, and by the time the show is over it becomes clear that Gielen was the brains behind the thing. Keel’s salty, hilltopping tunes are treated with the utmost respect and the viewer feels his vision throughout.

Jupiter Coyote - The Hillary Step

jup8.jpg
According to Jupiter Coyote co-founder Matthew Mayes, their eighth release is named for Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb to the top of Mount Everest. The "step" is the final 200 feet of the climb, where it is said one either gives up and turns back, dies, or makes it to the summit. With "The Hillary Step," this five-piece Brevard-based band is set to enjoy a fantastic view from the top of the mountain, while the modern music world of American Idol pan-flashes and Janet Jackson body-flashes keeps falling down around them.

Toots & The Maytals - True Love

toots.jpg
One of the most recognizable names in entertainment, Toots Hibbert is considered a founding artist of reggae music. Returning to the studio with his legendary band The Maytals, Hibbert reminds listeners of his influential musical life on the new album True Love. While some may view this album's cavalcade of special guests as an attempt by the aging Hibbert to cash in on star power, it is far from an anomaly. Hibbert has always been as much of a collaborator as he has been a force of his own. With that in mind, it is impossible not to salivate at the list of performers on True Love. It is easy to see that everyone who participates here has been influenced by Hibbert. Also included are tracks with some of his past collaborators.

Soul Coughing - Live Releases

soulcough2.jpg
Soul Coughing, the now-defunct NYC band whose career was far too short, found an awful lot of music during their brief time together. There are not enough adjectives in the human vocabulary to describe their sound. With only three (spectacular) album releases to their credit and one “best of” compilation on the shelves, the band unintentionally left their fan base without much to remember them by. The band members have gone on to other things, but the yearn that a Soul Coughing fan feels for the band is similar to that of a Phish fan during hiatus. Various live recordings have surfaced recently, along with a handful of front man Mike Doughty’s solo adventures, and the community was briefly satisfied with the small cache of bootlegs that circulate.

Pages

Subscribe to Leeway's Home Grown Music Network