Dave Matthews Band Fosters Sustainability
In the July issue of Relix magazine, Dave Matthews explained the lyrics to “Dive In,” an apocalyptic warning from the band’s month-old Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: “It’s talking about the future of our planet, but in a very lilting, light hearted way,” Matthews said. “The gravity of the topic sort of sneaks up…
Michael Jackson 1958-2009
Other than the occasional rumor about Phish performing Thriller some Halloween or other, the late Michael Jackson never made much of an impact on the improv-rock scene. His tightly knit arrangements and intricately choreographed stage presence never quite fit improv-rock’s looser and bluesier bent. But, man, could that cat – and his four brothers –…
Jimmy Buffet’s Politics for Parrotheads
I’ve never been the world’s biggest (or smallest) Jimmy Buffett fan. But I certainly respect his respect for his fans as well as his unabashedly hedonistic outlook. Surprisingly, Buffett comes out swinging against the powers that be on “A Lot to Drink About,” an unrecorded new song he did not perform at Bonnaroo last week…
The Talibanned Sounds of Young Pakistan
In November 2001, the sounds of rubabs, dutars, and other musical instruments were heard in the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, for the first time since the Taliban’s draconian regulations were installed in 1996. The Taliban, through its Ministry of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, had been arresting musicians, destroying instruments, shredding tapes, smashing VCRs, and…
Festy Food Review: The Search for Healthy Bonnafood
By Lisa Shanken Finding healthy vegetarian food at Bonnaroo is like finding a clean Porta-Potty. It’s there, but you have to look for it. This year marked my first Bonnaroo experience, and I had very high expectations given all the rave reviews I’ve heard from friends. Being a vegetarian and a nutritionist, I’m always a…
Phish 3.0: Even Carl Sagan Can’t Shine My Shoes
By Andy Gadiel As I rode the bus home from work last week, watching a live Phish show streamed via someone’s iPhone on my laptop connected to mobile Wi-Fi, I couldn’t help but think of how far we’ve come from the days of people running to lobby pay phones at set break to call me…
Dave Matthews Band’s Wild New York Week
The Dave Matthews Band’s emotional June 1 album-release show at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre was merely a pit stop – well, a three-hour pit stop – on a long journey. During the week of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King‘s release, the band played two shows at Boston’s Fenway Park before flying into New York. There…
STS9 Releases Remix Album to Help Rebuild in New Orleans
Today Sound Tribe Sector 9 releases Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes. All proceeds will go toward building a house in New Orleans through the Make It Right Foundation. The album features tracks from 30 artists, including Pretty Lights, the Glitch Mob, Count Bass D, Richard Devine, Eskmo, and Alex B., Ronald Jenkees….
Single Mom Hit For $80,000/Track in RIAA Suit
Jammie Thomas-Rasset might not seem like the recording industry’s arch-nemesis. She is a single mother of four children who works for an Indian tribe in Minnesota. Yet this week she was slammed in court with a staggering $1.92 million fine for illegally downloading 24 songs – or $80,000 per track – in a suit brought…
PETA Requests Phish Change Name to ‘Sea Kitten’
. Betting that people would consume fewer fish if they were known by the cuddlier name of “sea kittens,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has requested that Phish temporarily change its name to Sea Kitten for tonight’s and tomorrow’s shows at Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley Music Theater. “We felt that fish needed an…