12/09/10 The David Wax Museum

This was an opening set they did for the Langhorne Slim show. If you like Mexican flavored Americana music, they you will like The David Wax Museum. You have to love any band that utilizes the Jaw Bone to the extent that these guys did. David Wax is a Columbia, MO native, so this was a homecoming show for most of the band. They played a solid set that included some new tracks from the forth coming album and some pretty solid work from their previous releases. They continued the tradition that the Builders and the Butchers strated for bands opening up for Langhorne Slim at mojo's, and played the last two songs off stage in the middle of the audience. I have seen a few videos of them on the internet doing this, so it appears to be a DWM live show standard. I will say that the audience songs worked well, and I got a reasonable recording of those even though I had to stand in the middle of the audience holding my mic stand over my head. Here are the details of the show recording and the setlist. Enjoy the recording.

The David Wax Museum
12/09/10 Mojo's
Columbia, MO
SBD+Aud
Set List:
1) The Persimmon Tree
2) Donkey In My Soul
3) Jalopy Heart
4) Colas
5) Beatrice
7) Carpenter Bird
8) Unfruitful
9) Yes, Maria, Yes
10) Let Me Rest
11) Night Was A Car

12/09/10 Langhorne Slim at Mojo's

Once again Langhorne Slim rolled into Columbia, and threw it down!! The singer-songwriter of the group Sean Scolnick, was in constant motion on stage at time coming into the crowd in the middle of the song with his acoustic guitar. The only problem being that he didn't have a wireless guitar, so his cord got wrapped around mic stands a couple of times, including my mics that I had on stage. That was fun having to plow through the crowd to untangle my mics and set them back up with their guitar tech in the middle of the show. Sean kept the large and appreciative crowd engaged throughout the night with engaging between song banter, sing-a-long moments, intimate slow and frantic danceable songs.

The set was a good mix of classic Langhorne anthems and a few new songs mixed in for good measure. They opened the show with Cinderella, a frantic song with a driving beat. Not the bold statement song that Cut It Down made the last time they played Columbia, but it got the crowd dancing from the first note. The dancing continued with rebel side of heaven. A pleading Colette (partially inspired by a Mojo's bartender) quieted the night down, and gave the dancers respite. The night progressed to a two new songs that were one of the highlights of the night for me. I ain't dead anymore is one of the strongest songs Sean has written in my opinion with the line "when they said I was dead, it wasn't true I was just dead to you, I ain't dead, I ain't dead anymore". What a great breakup screw you line!! Pairing this song with the pleading It's time to love your man, genius. They of course played worries, which you should recognize from the insurance commercial and is a favorite of my kids, to slow the set down and lead into a solo acoustic Take My Hand. Take My Hand ended with Sean moving away from the Mic and singing to the crowd without the assistance of amplification, forcing you to listen to each aching word that flowed from his lips. A great way to make an already attentive crowd to hang on your every word. Take My Hand lead into For A Little While, that started out slow and acoustic and exploded when the full band kicked in. This really punctuated the relationship turmoil that the line "I said I'll be good, girl I'm beggin you, just believe me, for a little while!!" implies. How do you follow this tour de force? By playing a barn stomping Mary and Cut It Down that left the crowd breathless, at least the ones by the stage, and begging for more. During Mary Sean actually hopped off the stage and lifted the stairs that lead to the stage up on the stage. Now it could be that he wanted to get a little taller for the next few songs, or he was having flash backs to the last time he played Columbia and the ladies in the audience invaded the stage during I Love to Dance. Eiher way, it was something I had never seen happen before at a show. They then rolled through Diamonds and Gold and She's gone to finish the main set for the night. The encore started with another solo acoustic number Don't Be Scared flowing into I Love You But Goodbye where he once again sang to the audience without the mic. The night ended with the full band playing I Love to Dance. An amazing show, and if I do say so myself, a great recoding.

Here is the set list and show info for the recording that I have posted on my site.

Langhorne Slim
12/09/10
Mojo's
Columbia, MO
Multichannel+stage mics
1) Cinderalla
2) Rebel Side Of Heaven
3) Colette
4) In The Midnight
5) Be Set Free
6) Honey Pie
7) I ain't Dead Anymore
8) It's Time To Love Your Man (False Start)
9) It's Time To Love Your Man
10) Hello Sunshine
11) Worries
12) Take My Hand
13) For A Little While
14) Mary
15) Cut It Down
16) Diamonds and Gold
17) She's Gone
18) Don't Be Scared
19) I Love You But Goodbye
20) I Love To Dance

12/09/10 Langhorne Slim at Mojo's Set List

Langhorne Slim tore it up at Mojo's for this show. I have posted my recording of the show on my site for download as proof. Here is the setlist for the show. Enjoy

Langhorne Slim
12/09/10 Mojo's
Columbia, MO
1 Intro
2 Cinderella
3 Rebel Side of Heaven
4 Colette
5 In The Midnight
6 Be Set Free
7 Honey Pie
8 I Ain't Dead Anymore
9 It's Time to Love Your Man
10 Hello Sunshine
11 Worries
12 Take My Hand (solo)
13 For A Little While (solo)
14 Mary>
15 Cut it Down
16 Diamonds and Gold
17 She's Gone
18 Don't Be Scared (solo)
19 I Love You But Goodbye (solo)
20 I Love To Dance

10/26/10 Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys

It was time to jump into my wayback machine with Mr. Peabody and Sherman and land myself squarely in the 1950s. That's right it's time to bee-bop with Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys like it was 1955. If you enjoy that amalgamation of western swing and bee-bop rock, then Big Sandy is the man for you. He fills the stage with his larger than life persona leading his band of wayward troubadours through the annals of early American rock music.
The band hit the stage with Joe Perez on drums, Jeff West on upright bass, Ashely Kingman on electric lead, and Big Sandy on acoustic guitar to the delight of a medium sized but enthusiastic crowd. They opened with Little Cabin Home On the Hill and the dancing started. OK that should really be that one couple did some swing dancing and a few women from "the party bus" did that dancing that girls do at rock shows. You know, stick the arm in the air and start gyrating the hips. Sandy kept the mood light and really engaged the crowd as always. He was the picture of the perfect 50's rock star with his guitar hung high on his chest and schtick well in hand. At one point in time during the show the Band took a "request" via text to show that they were thoroughly modern and embracing the new technology. The best crowd moment had to be when the most consistent dancing girl of the night gave Sandy a shot of tequila and they brought her on stage to dance while they played Tequila Calling. It was a great show that also included Jeff West singing Mad in honor of there being family memebers in the audience at the show. The only potential downer for me was the lack of Black Berry Wine in the set, but I guess you can't have everything, and they were a great warm up for Los Straitjackets.
Here is the show info.
Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys
10/26/Mojo's
Columbia, MO
SBD+AUD recording
1) Little Cabin Home On The Hill
2) Hey Lowdown
3) If You Fall Out Of Love With Me
4) Chalk It Up To The Blues
5) The Greatest Story Ever Told
6) Spanish Dagger
7) Mad
8) True Blue Papa
9) Good Bye Little Star
10) Don't Sweetheart Me
11) Tequila Talking
12) My Eyes are Open (But There Ain't Nobody Home)
13) I Thought It Over*
*not sure of this song title if you know it let me know.

09/23/10 Robbie Fulks & Jenny Scheinman Mojo's

This was another great Robbie show at Mojo's. I didn't know what to expect from this show since he was bringing Jenny Scheinman along instead of a band, so I wasn't sure how the set list would go. However, since half the fun of seeing Robbie live is the banter, I wasn't too worried about the songs they were going to play. It turns out I had nothing to worry about because Jenny's songs fit in nicely with Robbie's songs.

For those who don't know, Jenny Scheinman played violin and Robbie played acoustic guitar. During sound check Robbie played banjo, but sadly, it didn't make an appearance during the set. They played 20 songs, but only 18 of those were from the normal catalogue of Robbie and Jenny shows. The musical highlights of the night for me were Cocktails, The Hangman's Reel, and I'll Trade You Money For Wine. I also really enjoyed Moses with Robbie providing a stomping beat to drive the song along.

The Robbie moment of the show had to be the proposal that happened during Little Darling. It turns out that if you need a little help popping the question to your lady, Robbie is your man. Of course his way of helping is by writing you a soliloquy that you read on stage while he plays the song of your choice. It's Romantic Gold, and hilarious! I always learn something at a Robbie show and this show was no exception. Turns out Robbie's kid isn't going to get an Ipad, and Jenny really like New Castle Brown Ale.

If you like Robbie I am sure you will love this show. I imagine this is the kind of show he been putting on at the Hideout or the Old Town School of Chicago. I have heard about these shows and it is nice to get a chance to experience the show in person. If you listen the to show and realize it is nothing like the shows at the Hideout or the Old Town School of Chicago, don't tell me. I like to keep my illusions alive.

Here is the set list and show details:
Robbie and Jenny Scheinman
09/23/10 Mojo's
Columbia, MO
Multi SBD+AUD matrix
1) Bill Cheatham
2) Goodbye Virginia
3) Houston
4) Shanty In The Holler
5) Newspaper Angels
6) Run Run Run
7) Cocktails
8) Waitin On The New Things To Go
9) The Broken Spoke Waltz (Alvin Crow)
10) Brother
11) Little Darling-Proposal (The Diamonds)
12) The Honeymoon Song
13) Hangman's Reel
14) My Old Man
15) Satisfied
16) I'll Trade You Money For Wine
17) Moses
18) The Palms Of Maracaibo (Lionel Belasco)
19) Busy Not Crying
20) Let's Kill Saturday Night

08/10/10 JBM at Mojo's

This is my second JBM opening set this year, which is crazy because I have only been to two shows this year! This was the first stop on the tour he is currently on with AA Bondy, but he seemed more at ease than he did during his opening set for the Rouge Wave show. He played a total of 8 songs, two of which he also played a kick drum and cymbal during. He opened the set witht he first two songs (Years and Cleo's Song) on his new album Not Even In July. Years is an instrumental that flows very nicely into Cleo's Song. After that he flowed through a nice set of music hitting many of the same songs that he played the last time he came around. He did play a song that I can't identify from the album or anything I can find on the web, so if you can help me identify that song in the set I would really appreciate it. He also interacted with the audience this time a little bit syaing hi, thanking AA Bondy for taking him on tour, and telling us about his new CD. He ended this set with one of my favorite songs of his From Me to You and You to Me. The use of looping really expands the songs depth beyond his solo presence on stage. His live show vascilates between a wisper and a scream, and it is worth the time to investigate the wispers while letting the sonic blast flow over your ears. You can download this show from my site, and I hope you take the time to learn about JBM. Here is the set list.

JBM
08/10/10 Mojo's
Columbia, MO
opening for AA Bondy
1) Years>Cloe's Song
2) Going Back Home
3) Winter Ghosts
4) Swallowing Daggers
5) In A Different Time
6) ?
7) From Me To You and You To Me

08/10/10 AA Bondy at Mojo's Set List

I have figured out most of the setlist for the AA Bondy show. Here are the details of the show, and of my recording. If anyone can help with the song I can't ID that would be great. I will not be posting the 24/48 flac files to the site, but will post 16/44 FLAC and MP3 to the site as soon as possible.

AA Bondy
08/10/10 Mojo’s
Columbia, MO

Multi Channel SBD+Mics (Studio Projects C4) On Stage>FA-101>Laptop (Tracktion)>24/48 files>Cool Edit Pro for mixdown etc.>CD WAV to split tracks>FLAC Front End level 6 compression

Track List:
1) To The Morning
2) Low And Slow
3) Another Country
4) Mightiest Of Guns
5) There’s A Reason
6) Black Rain, Black Rain
7) ?
8) When The Devil’s Loose
9) A Slow Parade
10) Of The Sea
11) Killed Myself When I Was Young
12) Encore Start
13) Suicide Doors
14) Oh The Vampyre
15) I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Sr.)

08/10/10 AA bondy and JBM Mojo's Columbia, MO

I went to this show last night, which was the first show of this tour, and it was a good time. I wouldn’t call it a rockin’ good time, but I would call it a moody and sonically layered good time. The show started with JBM, who played a solid set of music that was very similar to the set he played when he opened for Rouge Wave a couple of months ago. He seems to be more comfortable in front of an audience this time around compared to last time, and he actually had a little banter with the crowd. I really enjoyed his set, especially the last song From Me to You and You to Me, during which he does some nice looping (is that what it is called when they record a part of a song on stage and then loop it while they play another part over the top?) work. If you haven’t seen him he for a couple of songs he becomes a one man band playing guitar, kick drum, and cymbal, and it is these songs that really makes me hope he will be able to add a few band members in the future to fill out his songs live. He did have his new album with him, and I hope to pick that up in the near future to see what he does in the studio. This was my first time see AA Bondy live, and didn’t really know what to expect. He is touring as a 3 piece, not sure if that is what he normally does, and he had a drummer that also played steel guitar and a bassist that also played keys. For the show they meandered through a nice set of songs that cycled from whisper quiet to wall of sound. At the end of the show bondy left the stage and out the back door (Mojo’s doesn’t have a backstage, just a back door leading to the parking lot where the band parks the van). While he was outside there was confusion as to whether there was going to be an encore or not, the other two band members didn’t know and neither did the new sound guy, so they actually put on the house music and the sound guy started “undoing the board”, much to the disappointment of the crowd. However, Bondy came back in and the rest of the touring crew scrambled to get ready for the 3 song encore. The final song of the encore was AA Bondy solo doing Hank Williams Sr. I’m So Lonesome I could cry for a girl in the audience. All and all, not a bad way to spend a Tuesday night. Also, this was about the most respectful audience I have seen at Mojo’s for a quieter show like this. The crowd was engrossed in the show, and there was very little chatter, even for JBM. Here is the set list (as written, not full titles) according to the paper I snagged off stage. I will have to confirm with my recording when I get it done, but I am pretty sure these are just the songs they wanted to play, and not the order. I will be posting the recording to my site for free download as soon as they are done.

AA Bondy
Mojo’s
Columbia, MO
Suicide Doors
There’s A Reason
Of The Sea
Devil’s Loose
Jazz Waltz
Low N Slow
Another Country
To TH Morning
Killed Myself
Black Rain
Slow Parade
Pines
Gunz
Motown
Put Out The Light
And for sure played:
I’m So lonesome I could cry (hank sr.)

09/13/2008 Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles

I have finally posted my recording of the 09/13/2008 Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles on my site Lovin' Live Music. This is a multichannel SBD+AUD matrix recording. I don't have a setlist for the show, so if someone can help me out that would be great. Enjoy the recording.

09/13/08 The Builders and The Butchers Setlist and show download

I have posted my recording of the 09/13/2008 The Builders and The Butchers show at Mojo's in Columbia, MO on my site Lovin' Live Music. Here is the setlist for the show:
The Builders and The Butchers
09/13/08
Mojo's
Columbia, MO
Multichannel SBD+AUD matrix
1) Red Hands
2) Short Way Home
3) Bottome Of The Lake
4) Down In This Hole
5) Devil Town
6) Raise Up Them Weary Hands
7) In The Branches
8) Teh Coal Mine Fall
9) Black Dresses
10) When It Rains
11) Bringing Home The Rain

07/29/2008 Dr. Dog Setlist and download

After a long break in the action I am about to start posting some new shows on the site. The first to hit the site is the Dr. Dog show from July.
You can download the show from my site: http://lovinlivemusic.googlepages.com/home
Here is the set list:
Dr. Dog
07/29/2008 Mojo's
Columbia, MO
Set List:
1) The Way The Lazy Do
2) The World May Never Change
3) The Old Days
4) Ain't It Strange
5) The Breeze
6) Oh No
7) Today
8) The Girl
9) From
10) My Old Ways
11) Easy Beat
12) The Rabbit The Bat The Reindeer
13) Livin' A Dream
14) My Friend
15) I Hope There's Love
16) I Know I Tried

09/13/2008 Langhorn Slim with The Builders and The Butchers

This was a fun night of music, and a great way to lead into my 36 Birthday. The night started with The Builders and the Butchers, a five piece out of Portland, OR. They played with a lot of energy and reminded me of a tighter Felice Brothers. The lead singer played acoustic guitar and various tambourine type instruments; there was another acoustic player that also played banjo; a bass player that looked like Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) from Spinal Tap; one percussionist that played a pair of toms with what looked like tambourines attached; and another percussionist that played two bass drums (one laying on the floor that he just pounded), piano, trumpet, harmonium (I think that is what it's called), and mandolin. Obviously they had a lot going on up on the stage, it was like being at a hootenanny and I rather enjoyed the unique percussion section. Interestingly I found that some of their songs had a flamenco-mariachi band flare. There were some obvious fans in the audience that danced and sang each word throughout the set, and the band fed off the energy of the crowd. They ended the show by playing a song unplugged in the middle of the crowd. The passed out various percussion instruments to the crowd and it ended up like a campfire sing-a-long. My recording of this song is crap but I kept it as a record of what happened that night. I would highly recommend seeing these guys if you get a chance.

The B&B set the bar high for Langhorne Slim, but the crowd was primed and ready for the band hit the stage. While The B&B brought a frantic energy to the stage, Langhorne Slim brought more of a swagger. By the by, the show was listed as a Lanhorne Slim show, but I think this would actually be a Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles show since it was a full band. The band consisted of Sean Scolnick (Langhorne Slim) on acoustic and lead vocals, Paul Defiglia on upright bass, and Malachi DeLorenzo on drums. The stage was set up with the drums and bass pushed to the back and right of the stage, giving Sean plenty of room to move about with the music. I would compare the show to perhaps a Johnathan Richman or Chuck Prophet show. It rolled through songs about women and love, and like these artist it is the lead singer that moves the show along and sets the pace. It was interesting to me to see the crowd going wild and dancing like crazy to music that did not match pace of the frantic dancing. However, at least they were having a good time and letting the band know they appreciated the show. I have two highlights of the show, and both were a result of audience interaction. The first was during what I think is honey pie the lyric asks if you like Macy's or JC Penny's, and then a guy yells "I like Target", and Sean sings "Targets Nice Too". Classic off the cuff banter in the middle of a song. The second was during the song about dancing with women when a couple of older (compared to the drunk 20 somethings that were at the show) came up on stage and started dancing unbeknownest to Sean. When he turned around it gave him a jolt and he said it scared the hell out of him. Fun times. Sadly this incident also led to the most pathetic moment of the night as well. One of the drunk 20 somethings came up on stage with the other two dancing ladies, not a problem right, wrong. It turns out that the drunk 20 something felt that because she was on stage and got to talk with Sean, they were establishing some kind or rapport. After the song it took her forever to get off stage, then she came back on stage after the next song to share a shot Sean, and stayed on stage for way to long, even after they started the next song. Finally Sean had to tell her that she needed to disappear for a while. Quite the nice way to say get your ass off the stage and let me work. It's a sad thing when people refuse to respect the sanctity of the stage. All in all it was a great night of music and I got a couple of pretty good recordings from the night. I will post setlists when I finish mixing the shows and get them posted on my site. Tonight I am off the Back Yard Tire Fire, Ha Ha Tonka, and the Avett Brothers. Here's to hoping for another night of great music and great recordings.

Scott H. Biram and Possessed By Paul James live Ready to Download

Hey All-I have finished mixing the shows, and now have them ready to download on my site: http://lovinlivemusic.googlepages.com/home . I have not worked out the set list for these two acts, but will post them on the site as soon as I work them out.

Bob Log III 07/15/2008 Set list

Well I have worked out the set list for the Bob Log III 07/15/2008 show I recorded. Here is the set list. Just go to my site: http://lovinlivemusic.googlepages.com/home to download the show in SHN or MP3 format.

Bob Log III
07/15/2008
Mojo's
Columbia, MO
Multichannel SBD+AUD
1) Six Stringer kicker
2) God Damn That Sounds Good
3) Mr. Sis Boom Bah
4) Bubble Strut
5) Shinkansen Teh
6) Boob Scotch
7) I Want Your Shit On My Leg
8) Look At That

07/15/2008 Bob Log III, Scott H Biram, & Possessed By Paul James

This was a Bluebilly Hillgrass Production featuring threesome of "one-man" bands. The night started with Possessed by Paul James. Possessed By Paul James is the Konrad Wert, A rather high spirited man and the cleanest act of the night. His style of music worked well with Scott H. Biram and Bob Log III, but his lyrics were in stark contrast to the debauchery that followed his set. Normally his music consists of Konrad playing either guitar, banjo, or fiddle while stomping the beat out on a guitar case. However, tonight the banjo broke a string, so we only got the guitar and fiddle songs. His songs centered around love, loss, and the church. He featured snippets of hymnals and redemption. He was an unassuming and modest man and really a pleasure to meet. I really hope he comes back soon.
After Konrad it was time for the dirty old man to take the stage. Scott H. Biram is a dirty dirty country blues man. He packed the stage with amps, sang into 4 mics and stomped the beat out on a peddle that was attached to I have no idea what. I will say that the "drum" part was so commanding that it actually moved my mics around on stage. (I am not sure how the mic feed for this set will sound). He was offensively hilarious all through the set, fans of Mojo Nixon would be happy with the between set banter. Early in the set he did 3 shots of whiskey right in a row, and he really got his groove on as the shots took affect. The between song banter was great, and he played some great slide guitar. The set was loud, the crowd interaction inspired, and the music interesting. If you like your Blues and Country dirty, this is the man for you. He ended the set by striking a note on his guitar and then messing with it using the many peddles that he had up on stage. It was an interesting affect. I did get confronted by Scott after the set because I recorded the show. I forgot to introduce myself when I got to Mojo's, and he was not happy with me because he thought I hadn't asked to record. After I told him I was the guy who e-mailed him for permission to record a couple of days ago all was cool. I am happy that he remember the e-mail, cause that could have ended in a situation.
After Scott brought evil to the house, Bob Log III brought the crazy. There are not words to adequately describe a Bob Log show. To start of with Bob wears a leather jumpsuit on stage with a line of mirrors on the sleeves and legs. He wears a motorcycle helmet with a phone mic attached, so his lyrics are distorted. He plays guitar, a drum with one foot, and a cymbal/tambourine with the other foot. His mic and guitar are wireless so he can move around while playing if he feels the urge. He started playing the guitar to start the show outside of Mojo's and then walked in the back door and proceeded to rip the roof off the place. His music is crunchy, and the vocal are hard to understand at best. So, really you are heading to the show for the feel of the music and the show that is Bob Log, not the content of the lyrics. His between song banter was immodest to say the least, and kept me laughing for the rest of the night. Bob has two big gimmicks during his set. The first is the Boob shot, where he gets a member of the audience to put their boob in a shot of whiskey and then he drinks from the glass. He also dips his boob in a shot of whiskey and passes it around the audience. I wonder how many of the many guys in the audience were there hoping to catch a peek at a boob? The other major one is he plays a song with a girl on each knee. Since the song is I want your shit on my leg, it's a pretty fun moment.
The night ended with me walking out while Konrad Wert was spinning Scott H Biram around on his shoulders. All and all it was a great night of drunken music

06/26/2008 Colourmusic, Witch's Hat, Gentleman Auction House

This was an interesting night of music featuring Colourmusic out of Oklahoma, the Local band Witch's Hat, and the late addition of Gentleman Auction House out of St. Louis. I planned to see the show based on the myspace tracks for Colourmusic, but thought the pairing of Witch's Hat with Colourmusic was a bit odd based on the Colourmusic tracks I had heard. I went to the show expecting Colourmusic to be a gentle pop band, but the first note of the first song proved that impression to be 100% wrong. I will get to that later though.
So the night started out with Gentleman Auction House, and I was very suprised by this band. First of all, I don't think I have think I have seen the stage at Mojo's stuffed with as many people before. They had two drummers, two keyboard, a bassist, an acoustic guitar guy, and a lead guitarist. However, the acoustic guy also played xylophone and did something else, the guy keyboardist also played guitar and trumpet, and the girl keyboardist also played flute. Needless to say they have a lot going on up there on stage, and the music had a very nice complexity to it while somehow having the feel of an old tent revival band. I found the music to be very entertaining and original. It had the Jam band feel based on instrumentation, without the extended instrumental noodling. If you have a chance to check this band out I would highly recommend going to the show. I would also like to note that the female keyboardist played the keys about as brutal and angry as I have ever seen the instrument played.
Next up was the ever entertaining Witch's Hat. This is my second Witch's Hat show, and it was a similar experience from the last one. Great music, entertaining stage show, and lyrics that I have a hard time getting crazy about. Don't get me wrong, the lyrics are clever and well written, I just don't get into fantasy based songs about battles and Knights etc. The highlight for the night for me was their song Lazer. For this song the lead singer uses a Bullhorn instead of the microphone (which really makes it hard to get a good live recording of the song by the way), and during the song he will jump off stage and runs through the audience while singing. He did this last time, and I still find it entertaining. I would say that everyone needs to experience a Witch's Hat show at least once in their lives, but the band is playing their last show on August 8 at Mojo's here in Columbia, MO, so I doubt most people will be able to experience greatness that is the Hat. My only downer for the night was that they didn't play Glodyany 1972, I love that Vampire song. I will say that the guys at Colourmusic loved the show, and actually begged them from the stage not to break up and come to Stillwater to play a show with them in September.
After Witch's Hat, it was Colourmusic's turn to take the stage. The band all wore matching white Clockwork orange outfits and all the instruments and amps were white. That was my first indication that perhaps they had a little more of a stage persona for the show, and that the pairing with Witch's Hat made a little more sense. They opened the show with Put In A Little Gas, and my first impression of the band was shattered. This song assaulted the ear with a tumultuous sonic blast, with the lead singer shouting his lyrics above the cacophony with a thrust of the fist to emphasize his point. This band has been described as a combination of The Flaming Lips and The Polyphonic Spree, and I would have to agree. Like these bands, they put on a show live, and Colourmusic can play the fun me low pop songs, but they have a hard complex edge to most of the music that borders on noise will not lend them to extensive radio play. However, if you are a fan of this style of music, you will love Colourmusic. They put a great show full of complex sonic combinations that ebbs and flows from quite melody to earsplitting assaults. I hope these guys hit Columbia again, because I will be there.

I got good recordings of all of these bands, and I will post set lists and links to download the show after I finish mastering them all.

06/12/2006 Loco Macheen & The DeWayn Brothers

This was a Kansas 2 for 1 show featuring Loco Macheen & The DeWayn Brothers. The great part, they are the same band, mostly. These guys obviously fit into the world of the Jam band, but had a dilemma when they wanted to start a band. What kind of Jam Band do they want to be? On the one side it is a lot of fun to plug in and go electric, but damn that Bluegrass sure is fun with all the murder and the heart ache. It was like Sophie's choice, and when you don't have to make a choice, why do it? (Being from Missouri it would be easy to make a joke about Kansans at this point, but I will digress)
Anyway, I had no idea what to expect when I went to the show. I had never heard of this group of people, but was intrigued by the description on the Mojo's website and was jonesin' for some Bluegrass. I didn't come to the show with high expectations, but I left blown away. Not by the music (though it was well played, well writen, and the show was fun), but by one of the singers. They have one of the best female leads I have had the fortune to stumble upon. Jamie Lee is a fireball with a voice that is powerful and sweet on the ears. She doesn't have what I call a pretty voice, rather it she has a soulful voice that drips emotion. These bands would be worth catching just to listen to her sing, but when you add to the mix that the songs are well writen and the musicianship is solid, you have a great night now matter who they hit the stage as that night.
Now I am not a huge fan of the Jam band scene, so I enjoyed the music of The DeWayne Brothers over Loco Macheen. However, I loved the covers of Loco Macheen, and the Loco Macheen show produced one philosophical question. Can a band cover itself? That's right, Loco Macheen played a song writen as DeWayne Brother's song. So, is this considered a cover, a new arangement, or just a song? I will leave that up to the set list philosophy majors out there to ponder.
At this time I think they are doing more DeWayne Brothers show than Loco Macheen show, at least when they come to Columbia, because they have only returned as the DeWayne Brothers. They always come to town when I can't make the show, so I am hoping that they start asking ME when a good time to come to town will be the next time they make the trip east. I have both shows posted on my site Lovin Live Music so go on over and check them out. Here are the details for both sets.

The DeWayn Brothers
SBD + Aud Matrix
Set List
1) Intro
2) Bacon & Eggs
3) She Lies
4) The Ship
5) Ruthy Lynn
6) Come Over
7) Another Night (Alison Krauss)
8) Right Hand
9) Cousin James
10) Sam & Sal
11) Bastard Son
12) Just To Die
13) Black Eyes
14) Moonshine
15) Pigeon Stew
16) Last Danced
17) Crackhouse
18) Murder One

Loco Macheen
SBD + Aud Matrix
Set List:
1) Give It Up Or Let Me Go (Bonnie Raitt)
2) Want You Gone (DeWayn Brothers)
3) Hell (Squirel Nut Zippers)
4) Brown Water
5) Death Is No Dream
6) GTT
7) Alter Ego
8) Dogtown Grass
9) Finding Treasure
10) Try (Janis Joplin)
11) When At Home & Instrumental
12) Weaszack Crotchbottle
13) Bus Bust
14) Mahatma
15) Right Wing Pigeons (Dead Milmen) >All Day Long
16) Army Of The Ocean
17) Car Wash (Rose Royce)

05/09/2008 The Bluebird Music Festival Benefit Show at Mojo’s

This show was a benefit for the Bluebird Music Festival that they are trying to start here in good old Columbia, MO. It appears to be a SXSW style fest that will include many local and regional acts and occurring in multiple venues around Columbia. Since I liked to idea of supporting a new vehicle for getting good acts in Columbia, and I wanted to catch Casey Reeves, I decided to hit the show. It was a very interesting and diverse line up for the show. The order of the show was Ryan Groff from Elsinore (Champaign, IL), Casey Reeves and Wes Wingate (Columbia, MO), King Thief (St. Louis, MO), and finally Witches Hat (Columbia, MO). The first two acts were singer/song writer solo style shows and were nice and mellow. Then the night took a turn to the rock with King Thief and Witches Hat, but I will get into that in a minute.

The night started out interesting for me. I walk into Mojo’s, and they have a “new” board. It is actually the old monitor board for the Blue Note, but it was a step up from what they used to have. Of course, the problem with a new board is that I have to figure out how to pull the best feed. Since I was the first person trying to record from the board, it took a little doing to figure that out, and I don’t think it was the best option that was settled on in the end. I took what was apparently a tape out feed, but I got clipping out of that feed, so I am going to have to adjust the levels down or try to get the matrix out feeds to work the next time I record at the venue. Also, one final note for anyone that is recording multitrack out of the SBD, the direct out for input 14 does not work. So keep that in mind if you happen to be recording at Mojo’s.

Anyway, as I said the first two acts for the night were solo type performances, and I have to say that I didn’t get to focus on these to acts as much as I would have liked because I was trouble shooting the recording process and adjusting to the new board. However, what I heard of both Ryan Groff from Elsinore and the Casey Reeves and Wes Wingate shows were very interesting. For those of you who don’t know Casey used to be a member of the band Caulfield and The Magic, and Wes has been in The Doxies and The Stingrays. During the set Wes played both guitar and keyboards, and they played a nice set of covers and originals from both singers. When I get done mixing the recording and give the shows a better listen I will comment on the songs etc. I will say that during the set a beer dropped of the amp Casey was using and spilled on the guitar peddles that the guitarist for King Thief used, apparently rendering many of them inoperable. So, I am not to sure how happy King Thief was with the organizers of the evening.

After the quiet part of the show King Thief took the stage. I have never heard of the band, and I am pretty sure that would be because I don’t listen to their style of music much any more. If I had heard them during my early 20’s I would have loved them, and I have a feeling they would have been one of my favorite regional bands. They play a lush and complex brand of hard rock, not fast and furious like metal, but rather a controlled sonic attack. It’s hard to comment on the lyrics at a truly rocking show when you are not familiar with the music already, but what I heard was intriguing, and would have been inspiring to my younger self. I will say that despite the fact that I didn’t enjoy the music, and will more than likely not go to another show, they put on a DAMN good show. The band look, for this night at least, reminded me of mid 80’s era punk/new wave band, and Brooks Bracken, lead singer and song writer, sported a smallish Mohawk that fit in well with the look of the band. The majority of the crowd at the show was there for King Thief, and they played to their fans very well. There were a couple of songs that had crowd interactions involved that the crowd did not require the prompting of the lead singer to perform on cue. The Brooks moved around the stage like a hard rockin veteran working the music and the crowd all at the same time. He had all the poses and moves down, but I am happy to say that it felt neither tired nor contrived the entire time. He walk the fine line between true show man and wanna be rocker very well, and delivered his vocals with style. I was also pleased that the lyrics and the music worked well together. It is hard to listen to hard rock when the lyrics do not interplay with the music at all. Side not from this part of the show, there was this old drunk guy (no not me), who was a little obnoxious and started monopolizing the front stage area (dancing with people he didn’t know etc.), and by the end of the show I think that Brooks was feed up with the guy, because he stood next to him on the speakers that are in front of the stage and then pushed him away from the stage with a kick. The old guy was escorted from the venue after that little incident.

After King Thief left the stage, I think they took all the sincerity with them before Witches Hat took the stage. Now I think they are truly a serious band, but I am not sure much of the act is tongue in cheek. I have a hard time believing that a band playing hard rocking songs about knights and castles and other stereotypical “hard rock” imagery that has been satirized for years by the likes of Spinal Tap and Tenacious D, are not themselves having a laugh in the process. Add to the fact that the lead singer does a great impersonation of Jack Black on stage, and they didn’t appear to be taking themselves seriously the entire time they were on stage, and I have to conclude that they may not be as serious about the music as some other bands. I will say that the show was fun, but for totally different reasons as King Thief. The Withes Hat show had a lot more laugh out loud moments than I was expecting. My favorite moment was when the lead singer, while singing through a bull horn, ran off stage and started singing to the people out on the Mojo’s deck outside the venue. That is just genius.

I am currently working on fixing the shows and will post set lists and links to download the shows as I get them done.

06/03/2006 Cary Hudson at Mojo's

I have posted this classic show on my site for download. This was a great set of music from Cary Hudson. It had a nice mix of new songs, classic Blue Mountain songs, covers, and great Cary Hudson solo material. This set includes two songs I had not heard before, the cover of Freight Train that Cary had done for a tribute album, as well as Just stuff which was a song he wrote in response to hurricane Katrina's devistation of Mississippi. The great thing about seeing Cary solo is that his guitar work is just amazing. He makes the rocking songs like Bloody 98 and 900 miles sound as full and vibrant as when he plays with a full band. Further, I really think that his improvisations solo bring the songs to life.

Set List:
1) Cool Breeze
2) Free State Of Jones
3) Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotton)
4) Things Ain't What They Used To Be
5) What The Old Man Told Me
6) Pray For Peace
7) Poppa
8) Epitaph
9) Bloody 98
10) Little Darlin'
11) Jelly Roll
12) ZZQ
13) Snow In Mississippi
14) Blue Canoe
15) Just Stuff
16) Passin By
17) Rye Whiskey
18) 900 Miles
19) Banks of The Pontchartrain
20) Oh La La (Ronnie Lane)

04/07/08 Bon Iver with The Palisades at Mojo's

Tonight had it's highs and it's lows. Here are the two lows:
1) The Jayhawks won the national championship, WTF!!! I have a feeling that there will be some Memphis guys shooting free throws until next season
2) I did not get to record the Bon Iver set for the night, which is a shame because it was a great, albeit short, set of music.

Alright, now on to the highs. I just wanted to get the standard blog bitching out of the way. The night started out with a set by the Palisades. The members of this band used to be in a called Caulfield and the Magic, an Alt-Country band I discovered last year. However, Caulfield broke up and Casey Reeves went one way and these guys went another. While Caulfield was more of an alt-country band, these guys are more of an alternative-pop-synthesizer type band with a folk feel, and I have to say that I think the style of music better suits the lead singers voice. The band consisted of a drummer, bass/keyboard, guitar/lead singer, and guitar/keyboard. They played a solid set of music, and the songs have a complexity that wasn't there the last time I saw these guys play. They are starting to come into their own as a band, and it is obvious that these guys like each other and are having a good time. I will have to listen to the recording and will post a set list when time permits. Fun fact from the night for the Palisades was that you could get a self burned CD from the lead singer if came up and asked. He only burned 10, so by the time I was able to ask at the end of the night he was all out. I guess I will have to make due with the MP3s on Myspace.
Bon Iver (pronounce like it's french Bon eevair), waited to set up their stage until after the end of regulation time for the NCAA championship game. Then, after a quick sound check they didn't get back on stage until after the end of the OT. It was interesting to watch an entire bar of Mizzou fans react to the fact that KU actually tied the game in the last seconds and then went on to win in OT. Fortunately it did not damper the crowds enthusiasm for the show. Bon Iver hails from northern Wisconsin and is a vehicle for Justin Vernon's music. For those who don't know the story, Justin moved into a cabin for the winter and ended up writing an unplanned and beautiful album. For this tour the band consisted of Justin on guitar and lead vocals, another guitar player, and drummer. Both the other guitar player and the drummer provided harmony vocals, and damn they sounded good together. Justin's vocals are high, similar to say Cold Play (but only in vocal style, these guys are NOTHING like Cold Play), and the interplay in the supporting vocals was actually interesting to watch. They play very stripped down songs, and at times they more construct the song on stage rather than just play music. There were two time during the set that they actually deconstructed the songs letting them degenerate into walls of asynchronous sound. They also utilized interesting samples and loops to build and and texture to the music at times through out the night. The show had many quiet and introspective moments, but it wasn't a quiet night of music. They played a short set of music, perhaps an hour, but it was a solid set, and they were very appreciative of the crowd that had gathered on a Monday night to see them play. If you have the chance to see these guys I would highly recommend the show.