Everything kind of came together for this one (wind aside, more on that below) - amazing venue, great folks, two new favorite bands that I hadn’t had the chance to see, and most definitely the nicest day of the year in what had been a pretty lousy spring in Michigan.

I was super excited to see both bands, and left very happy. Both Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society’s 2017 release, Simultonality, and Gunn-Truscinski’s, Bay Head were among my favorite records last year. Both remain in heavy rotation. It was ridiculous to see both bands on the same bill - check out their records!

The recordings came out mostly pretty good. I did have a little wind to deal with, and you can hear it show up from time to time - it’s a bummer. But I think I mitigated it for the most part in post-production, and the performance shines through.

Thanks to Michael & Penny for being such swell hosts - it was a really amazing day & I look forward to getting back to future shows!

Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society

FLAC: http://www.mediafire.com/file/q8pp6bg1gldnlvg/ja2018-04-22.detroitlightning.2448.cm33.zip

Mp3: http://www.mediafire.com/file/4z0lbj80s1tp53n/ja2018-04-22.detroitlightning.2448.cm33_-_mp3.zip

Gunn-Truscinski Duo

FLAC: https://mega.nz/#!hKIQCYiY!KiFd0SmrPpCJrzSToTba97JuOahRPJjzwWO15RI-ghY

I first became aware of 75 Dollar Bill after their killer 2016 record, WOOD​/​METAL​/​PLASTIC​/​PATTERN​/​RHYTHM​/​ROCK - and have dug into everything I could find by them ever since. 

So, it was pretty exciting to have this date pop-up in Detroit last fall. The full, And Friends, lineup made their rhythmic and angular sounds that much deeper and meditative. Among the many highlights was their loose and free take on Ornette Coleman’s Friends and Neighbors. For a few minutes last September, 75 Dollar Bill took Ornette’s message to the people, and momentarily lifted Detroit from the earth. So glad they made it, and will welcome their return any time.

Thanks to the folks @ Third Man Records, and to the band for being cool with taping.

The whole show rips - check it out, and buy their records!

2/5 Update - I left a track off of the MP3 version, and made a correction to the info file. Both filesets are now updated

FLAC: http://www.mediafire.com/file/aesyn58i5xghdiu/75DollarBill2017-09-24.detroitlightning.CM33.2448%20Flac.zip

Some heavy vibes & sounds from Japan, via a cozy bar in Detroit’s New Center area. Just a stones throw from the Motown museum. 

I was pretty stoked for this show, and still left completely blown away. A number of influences (Primal Dead, Krautrock, Allman Brothers Band (!?), Swedish Psychedelia) neatly formed into it’s own, new, beautiful thing. 

I thought the recording came out pretty nicely - hope you dig it. Any help with the track names (or corrections) is appreciated!

Check out there tunes, including their new EP Stone Garden, at their bandcamp page 

Hit this tour if you can!

Downloads FLAC MP3

So lucky to have seen this show in such a laid back, intimate environment. 

Many thanks to the band for allowing taping, and for putting on such a great show. Same goes to the folks at Third Man Records - such welcoming hosts. 

Musicians  Ben Chasny - Guitar & Vocals Elisa Ambrogio - Guitar & Vocals Donovan Quinn - Guitar & Vocals

Found myself in Austin this weekend trip to see family, so I decided to drag them to a show (as one does...)

This was my 2nd time seeing Bobby & The Campfire Band (also caught the Nashville show last fall, including his sit-in with Phish the night before!) Good times.

Despite this being early in this short run of shows, I found that the Band had evolved quite a bit since the fall. The first set was pretty much in line with what I heard @ the Ryman, However, the second set was waaaaay more…well…heady. In particular, Steve Kimock was allowed to do his thing. Overall it was a lot more of what you would expect in a second set featuring Dead tunes.

Recording notes - this was one of the first times I’ve used the zoom h2n all in one recorder. While the audio quality certainly isn’t as good as my regular setup, I was pretty happy with the result. I’m sure better tapes will surface, but for now, dig it.

Update - Get it on the archive! 

As a regular follower of this blog, you know that this is a big Ethan Miller house. I’ve been digging (and taping) his various projects for years now, most recently with last December when Heron Oblivion came to town. As Neil Young famously said, “It’s all one song”, which is true to some extent in the Miller-verse, in that I - dig them all. But Howlin Rain has always been my favorite of his bands, and one of my favorite bands period.

The new Howlin Rain record, Alligator Bride, is one of the best he’s ever made -and the songs explode live. I’ve seen several versions of Howlin Rain live, and I think this current lineup may be the best. It was a swirling brew of heady jams, spiraling guitars, and raw power - the kind of stuff you want to hit the road and follow around. Alas, I was happy with getting a set at a favorite Detroit venue (on a smoking bill with Mountain Movers & Mapache - stay tuned for those sets)!

I think this is one of the best tapes I’ve ever made - thanks to engineer Alex for a board feed, I think this recording captures some of the brilliant force of Howlin Rain live. Dig it, and go see them if you can.

Pick up their records here > https://silvercurrent.bandcamp.com/

I’m partial to this 2012 boot from San Diego with my AUD recording in the mix :) 

Part of the magic of seeing live music is the energy that is shared between the band and the crowd, and last Sunday night @ the Magic Bag was a great example of this. One of my favorite bands, The Mother Hips, were on a rare North American tour promoting their great new album Chorus. The Hips don’t play outside of California, let alone the West Coast very often, so it was a special thing to catch them 5 minutes from my house.

The show started kind of as I thought it might - well played songs, but the crowd was a bit sleepy on a Sunday night. But as the show went on, the dance floor got a bit more crowded. By the end of the night, everybody was on their feet - giving all the energy right back to the band. It was a pretty special thing to be a part of. 

The music was great! It was a nice mix of new tunes, and songs going back to their first record. I had a pretty nice spot to record, and think it sounds great (a few moments of chomping aside).

Many thanks to the Hips, and tour manager Chad for clearing me to tape!

Dig it.

Download / Stream on the Archive!