Haynes XMas Jam Photo Gallery & Streaming Audio

Title on this kinda says it all, don't you think? Courtesy of our bud Dave Oppenheimer of Performance Impressions.

Check it all out here.

Smooth Kentucky's Bluegrass Bobby Dylan

Ok, so I know this is three posts in less than 20 minutes and I swear I was done, but then Dave from Smooth Kentucky e-mailed an achingly beautiful bluegrass rendition of Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me". I have to share it. Download it here.

Oh, and buy their kick-ass debut cd here.

A Maniacally Ambient William Burroughs Christmas?

You really have to hear how Flowers of Doom have turned the classic Christmas carol "Do You Hear What I Hear" into a Leonard Cohen-esque funeral march and "O Holy Night" into a condensed but soaring electronic ditty. Listen to both, and DL "All I Want for Christmas is You" here.

These guys are the shit. Their debut album, featuring vocals from ex-Simian Simon Lord is coming soon!

Catapulting Christmas with the Jews...Really

Elizabeth and The Catapults, that quirky and jazzy pop outfit from New York, has embraced the holiday spirit with a new song and video; "Christmas with the Jews". Watch it here.

Bluegrass Stairway To Heaven

Charlie Louvin's Steps To Heaven has been nominated by the Grammy folks for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel. DL "Precious Lord, Take My Hand".

The Radiators: 30 Years of Jams and Loving It

City Limits

Delray Beach, Fl

November 28-29, 2008

The best thing about going to see the Radiators play live is that you are guaranteed to be shakin' your stuff from start to finish. In the 27 years I've been catching the band, never once have I been disappointed. Tell me -what other band can you say that about? And like fine wine, the Radiators keep getting better as time goes on. For those who witnessed the shows last weekend at City Limits in Delray Beach, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

City Limits is more and more becoming the venue of choice for those of us up in the 561. And why not - the place is chill. There's plenty of room to dance, the sound is excellent, staff is friendly, and it's a step away from Downtown Delray, where there is always something to do before and after showtime. The floor is more or less wide open, with a couple of cocktail tables scattered towards the back. Upstairs there are couches to relax on, and 2 bars which are easily accessible. Nice setup. Comfortable. But we don't go see this band for 'comfort', so let's get right to it.

The Radiators are Ed Volker (organ, vocals), Dave Malone (guitar/lead vocals), Camile Baudoin (guitar/backing vocals), Reggie Scanlan (bass) and Frank Bua (drums). They serve up a smorgasbord of musical styles including, but not limited to - Blues, R&B, Funk, Soul, Swing, Zydeco, Cajun, Jazz and, of course, Rock 'n' Roll. We would have the good fortune of experience all these genres over the course of these 2 magical nights.

Friday Night
First set highlights: 'River Run' thru 'Give Me a Rainbow', with Dylan's 'You Aint Going Nowhere' and 'Daniel in the Lions Den' sounding especially sweet. I love Volker's playing and vocals on 'Lion's Den'. And you could tell they were just getting warmed up, with each passing song offering a little more improvisation and energy than the one before it. With 'Wild and Free' and The Dead's 'Morning Dew' closing out the set, we got a taste of what was to come. The 'Dew' really showcased what Camile and Dave bring to the table, trading licks as if they were baseball cards, back and forth, louder and stronger, with each passing verse. Camile couldn't bend his strings any more than he did, often glancing over at Dave, challenging him to take it further as the jam moved forward. The crescendo was huge, and the crowd seemed more than satisfied as the set came to a close. Nicely done!

Second set opened a little quiet with 'Dreaming Out Loud', a nice, melodic tune from their same-titled record, but you could tell the audience was ready, really ready, to shake their collective asses. Good thing is, we wouldn't have to wait long. Creedence Clearwater's 'Green River' came next, and just like that, the show took off - and mean OFF!! Segueing nicely into 'Blue Monkey' then 'Bitch', the band was firing on all cylanders. Volker's vocals were hypnotic, Frank's drumming consistently brilliant, and Reggie's bass lines were making me very happy. Probably my favorite part of the show was the melody beginning with Lucinda', segueing nicely into the 'Theme from the Magnificent Seven', and finally right into The Meters' Sissy Strut' - that was worth the price of admission itself. Frank's playing really stood out during 'Lucinda', with the rest of the band following suit as they moved through 'Seven', with a nasty, balls-to-the wall jam during 'Sissy Strut'. Must be a NOLA thing - that tune rips! A rockin' 'Fishead Man' closed out the set nicely, with The Impressions' People Get Ready' and the jam-laden 'Rosie' offered as encores. One down, one to go.

Saturday Night
For some reason expectations are always much higher for a Saturday night show, as bands always want to leave the city they're playing with a lasting impression and the fans want that same impression to last long after the show has ended. With 'One Monkey Don't Stop No Show' and 'Every Dog's Got Its Day' opening up the set, the band returned to its roots and got the crowd into it from the first note they played. Reggie's bass on 'Dog' was loud, much louder than the previous night, as we could feel the floor vibrating next to the speaker. Dave and Camile's leads were just screaming, and the band, as a whole, seemed much more animated than the previous night.

After a beautiful rendidtion of 'Ooh La La', they picked it up with a couple of my favorite tunes: 'Where Was You At', 'Ace in the Hole', and 'Stealin' a Feelin'. Is there a better "feel-good" song than 'Ace'? For some reason, you just want to dance you ass off when they break that out - quintessential Rads!! The set closer was off the chain, as they went all out with a 9 minute medley: You Can't Take It With You When You Go>There's Something Fishy Goin'On>Go to New Orleans>Land of 1000 Dances>Can't Take It With You When You Go. Again, back to their roots, showing why they've lasted for as long as they have. Good stuff!

Wars' Low Rider opened up the 2nd set, and there were nothing but smiles all around. Frank set the beat, and the boys galdly followed suit and delivered the funk. It was nice to hear Peter Musso on the harmonica, as he really added alot to the jam. Again, the band seemed highly animated as they moved through the song, with Camile bending every which way as he layed down the nastiest riffs of the weekend. Man, can he play guitar or what?

Other highlights: The Talking Heads 'Burning Down the House', 'Total Evaporation' and the rockin' trilogy of Looka Py Py>Jump into the Fire> Looka Py Py . 'House' got everybody into the mix, even the people who were there by accident. And as Ed's keys led into 'Like Dreamers Do', it felt like we had come full circle, the band and the crowd, united as one, feeling pretty good about one another, that we both had a purpose coming in to the weekend and we both accomplished what we set out to. Then Dave started to sing, and we lost ourselves in all that is the Radiators. One of their most recognized songs, 'Dreamers' always puts everyone in a great mood - it's just one of those tunes...and the band took it as far as they could, naturally.

After exiting briefly, they came back out and did 'Blackjack >Got to Find Somebody to Treat Me Right', which was downright nasty, followed by Muddy Waters' Got My Mojo Workin'. A perfect ending to an incredible weekend.

Both nights featured not only exceptional musicianship, but also showed the band to be really enjoying themselves as performers. And with their recent release of "Wild and Free", they show no signs of slowing down, even after 30 years of hardcore touring. Amazing? Sure. But not surprising, as we've come to expect the unexpected throughout this long journey the band has taken us on. And the best thing is, there's is no end in sight - only beginnings.

It was Frank's birthday Saturday, so "Happy Birthday, Frank", and thanks to the rest of the band for two great nights of exceptional music and good times. And with Monkeyball just around the corner, S. Florida should be counting its blessings. We'll see you in January. Until then...

Stream and download the first night
Stream and download the second night
Video of Low Rider from Saturday night

The Radiators Official Website
The Radiators on My Space

Grateful Dead out with New Road Trips & Audio Stream

Check out the new Grateful Dead Road Trips Volume 2 #1 Listening Party, from the band's epic 6-show run at Madison Square Garden in September 1990. "Uncle John's Band", "Truckin" and especially "Let it Grow" are mind-bendingly powerful. And when they segue from the "Let it Grow Jam" into "Dark Star" at the beginning of disc two...wow...hold onto your seat, headphones, iPod or whatever else is nearby.

Stream the entire Road Trips here

Read More and Order A Copy of Road Trips

Holiday Jam 2008

Get in the holiday spirit as Hoodathunk Entertainment presents the 4th anual Holiday Jam taking place Wednesday Dec. 17 at the Blue Cafe in downtown Long Beach, CA.
A complete evening of festive decor, fun music and very merry fans.
Headlining the night will be the new-grass rootsicana sound of S. Lake Tahoe's Blue Turtle Seduction who recently held their own festival in California, "Las Tortugas" featuring other acts such as Melvin Seals with JGB, ALO, Tea Leaf Green and Delta Nove to name a few.
Getting things warmed up will be a special drumming performance by Long Beach's own Delta Nove, guaranteed to get your ass shaking and make you lose a couple of those extra pounds put on this time of year.
Also performing is the always all-around fun time of Mojow and the Vibration Army featuring John Whoolilurie along with his wife Moriah.
If you have ever attended a festival in the west you probably have seen John and his red Radio Flyer wagon with looping pedals attached to his waist, a saxophone strapped around his neck, and a microphone in hand, along with Moriah and her platform shoes and funky dance moves parading around the grounds.
Opening the show will be Delta Nove's drummer Dominic Feedam on guitar performing his solo looping side project.
Music starts at 8pm, so please plan to arrive early. Festive attire is encouraged, admission only $10.
For more info on this show and other Hoodathunk events please visit www.myspace.com/hoodathunkentertainment
Holiday Jam 2008
Wednesday 12/17 at The Blue Cafe
210 The Promenade
Long Beach, CA 90802
doors: 7pm show: 8pm
21+ $10

by Greg Lake

Widespread Panic 2009

Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz, percussionist, has put the rumors of Widespread Panic taking significant time off in 2009 to rest.

"Q: Word on the street is the band is taking most of next year off. Why is it time for a break?
A: There are rumors out there that we are going to take the year off, but that is not true. We're really excited about next year. We are going to tour. We usually wait to start until April or May and then hit the amphitheatres in the summer."

by Greg Lake