Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in Las Vegas Dec 10 2009

Below is a Photo Story/Movie of Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at Planet Hollywood un Las Vegas, this video contain over 200 photos from the Dec 10, 2009 show as well as superb live audio recording from the same show by taper John Koch.

Below is a photo collage I made for a hardcore Dave Matthews fan, Matt, who assisted me in locating the audio recordings from this show. You can get the full size version for use as a desktop wallpaper from my Flickr site here: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/4189535984_115f1d7ceb_b.jpg

For a truely excellent review of all three nights see http://digg.com/d31Crft

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One time shy bar tender and long time super star, David John Matthews first performed with Tim Reynolds back in 1997 at  The Wetlands in New York. Tonight, nearly 20 years later, at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, they played again, this time they are older, wiser, better looking and have a much deeper library of past work to play through.  You could see the bliss in Dave’s face and you could hear it in his voice as he sat comfortably along side his long time friend, mentor, collaborator and band mate Time Reynolds. This was a show to remember, absolutely flawless. 

This was the first of three shows scheduled for the wekend, all three shows were SOLD OUT.

The venue for these shows in an intimate 7,000 seat theater, the Theatre for The Performing Arts in Las Vegas located in the Plant Hollywood Complex. The venue is  beautiful and spacious, the seats are up scale and the persons near the front are literally sitting less than 20 feet from the performers, the low stage makes for eye to eye contact with the performers, pretty unusual these days, most stages tend to be at least 6-7 feet above the front row seating. The low stage meant that I had to kneel down to shoot to the show, which is extremely painful for my whacked knees but the magic was in the air and I didn’t even think of my knees once, not until I tried to stand up.

Lights went down about 8:45 and Dave and Time came on stage to a really cool light setup with fog effect. There was a harsh side white light that revealed their silhouettes to go along with these cool blue panels that lit up.

The lighting at the front of the stage was very bright and took a bit of adjusting to get the exposure under control, can you say “PANIC”, shooting Dave, trying to get lots of good shots, and suddenly intense lights from EVERY direction! It caught me off guard I thought this was going to be some mellow fire side show, glad its not, the lights were stunning.

A couple quick crowd shots as I shuffled across the front of the stage on my knees in order to get out from in front of the brutally bright stage lights. The crowd was super into the show.

I finally made it around to the other side of the stage but the ubiquitous white retina burring stage lights continued to make for “challenging” shooting conditions, who cares, the music could not have been better, the sound was perfect in this theater.

Below are a shots from that night, if you want a poster size version please send me an email at lewis@gonzoshots.com. YOu can click on any photo to enlarge and also start a slide show.

This show had an excellent mix of songs from his earliest work right up through his current Grammy nominated Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Dave and Tim were feeding off the energy of the fans and the fans digging on this rare opportunity to witness music magic at its finest. What’s not to love, two old friends who just happen to be musical giants, one intimate acoustic setting and three guitars, and there you have it, see the stage set below, looked more like your living room than any stage show .

You know how older couples can finish each other’s sentences? Well that’s exactly what is like to watch Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds jam acoustically, only they finish each other’s riffs instead of sentences, dynamically adjusting to each other’s nuances, no words spoken, maybe not even eye contact, simply pure musical intuition, the kind that comes effortlessly when you have played music together for many years.

Dave mentioned that one of his favorite things in the world to do is to watch Tim play guitar, this comment seemed to embarrass the reserved guitarist and caused him to utter the only words he spoke that evening. I cannot tell you what Tim said in reply to Dave’s comment, but I can tell you that the crowd howled with laughter. and that the words started with Mother and ended six letters later with the letter R. Its a musicians way of saying, “Why thank you Dave for such a kind comment, I love you too!”

Dave Matthews fans are an interesting bunch, very intense, maybe a bit too cerebral but fun none the less. I spoke with many of these diehard fans before the show and was amazed at how many have been to not one or two but dozens of his shows, one woman was celebrating her birthday by attending her 31st Dave Matthews show, one young man had just flown in from New York had seen Dave over 50 times! One middle aged couple had flown in from Germany just for the show.

Dave seemed very relaxed and joked continuously with the crowd though out the show, he quipped that he is at least a few years off from doing his first Christmas album and then launched into a wonderful version of ” Have Your Self A Merry Little Christmas” one of the very few songs sung that night that did not have the majority of the 7,000 + fans singing and hanging on every word. Dave went on to explain the difference between Las Vegas crazy and New Orleans crazy, there is, he insisted, a significant difference, he explained that New Orleans crazy is like, the real thing, real crazy and Las Vegas crazy is more like … temporary Disneyland kinda crazy.

For a complete set of photos of this performance see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gonzoshots/sets/72157622870853931/

For the Denver Post post with my photos see: http://blogs.denverpost.com/reverb/2009/12/14/live-review-dave-matthews-and-tim-reynolds-planet-hollywood/

Below is a wonderful blow by blow by one Dave’s fan’s who posted this account hours after the show, I have added a few of my comments as well;

So Damn Lucky: Expected funny, so this definitely surprised me. Dave improved some lyrics before he went into the song, but they passed by too quickly so I didn’t get a chance to recognize them. The outro was really well done, not dragged out or anything which I’ve felt it started to be lately. Good start to the show.
Stay or Leave: God I love this song, so solid. This is when I knew that Dave’s voice was really going to be on tonight, and it was.

Funny the Way It Is: Very, very good D&T. This song just works live on all stages and tonight was no different. Awesome version. LCC – Dave mentioned what we had all been talking about, this odd odor inside the venue, maybe caused by the massive fog machine that must have been on for hours prior tot he show since the whole venue was kinda misty and the odor, well Dave just laid it right out there, “It smells like farts!” The first of many frank Dave Talks for this evening.

Bartender: WHAT?!?! Caught me off guard completely. I thought this would open N2 or 3, but we get it midset?! Dave went to town on this one and stretched the vocals out a little bit, the crowd was loving it!

Old Dirt Hill: Time to slow things down with some ODH. At the beginning Dave said “I have no idea how this will turn out..” so when they started ODH I thought it would be faked into Why I Am, but to no avail. Nonetheless, Tim got SO dirty on this version, he was playing some crazy slap guitar and Dave was into it. You could tell this song just sounded so much more fresh after taking a rest for a year, they had a good time with it.

Crush: Awesome, awesome, awesome. Another one I didn’t expect to come out tonight, but I’m glad it did. The crowd got really fired up and this got the night started if it wasn’t already.

 Shake Me: One of the most surprising points of the night. Dave mentioned that there was some question on how this would turn out, but they absolutely nailed it. I was pleasantly surprised, check that, I was amazed at how good this song sounded with the 2 of them. Dave mentioned that he was a little shaky on this one, but Tim wasn’t, so he’d be alright.

Tim solo: Didn’t recognize this one but it was damn good. I HATE the fact that people use Tim’s solo as a bathroom break, pretty disrespectful IMO.

Little Red Bird: Cool story by Dave beforehand, and then they broke into this. Dave nailed the vocals and Tim had a really nice solo during the breakdown of it as well. LLC – Dave told about being in the middle of the Indian Ocean on vacation and becoming attached to a little one legged bird, love Dave’s stories ie. DaveTalk

Alligator Pie: Hot damn this was another highlight, really well done. Dave played it on the raised B guitar (sister, oh, etc.) and it sounded spot on. Dave’s voice was still in prime shape at this point in the show. LCC – Familiar intro about Stella (his daughter) asking “Daddy when you gonna put me in a song….”

Eh Hee: Another one that sounded really fresh after a year off, they were into it and the crowd was digging it.

Can’t Find My Way Home: I recognized this as soon as they started it. Dave nailed the vocals and it was a short and sweet rendition of this great Clapton tune. The crowd had a nice response to it as well. LCC – Actually a Blind Faith song, but Clapton was in Blind Faith when it was recorded.

Spaceman: I love this song. That is all. LCC – If he gets it wrong as much as he gets it right, this night he definitely got it right!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Some guy and girl were dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus, so Dave broke into a little Christmas jingle and then commented on how he “has a few years before he releases his Christmas album” , This was a goofy, campy, and beautifully impromptu song sung as only Dave could. Below is a shot of my “assistant” Max with Santa.

Oh: I really like this little song, it’s just a happy, simple love song.

The Maker: One of my favorite D&T tunes, great Tim solo and Dave does a little extended outro like they do full band. The crowd once again loved this one, one fan asked “How is it that Dave, who sure seems to be agnostic, gets so much feeling into this song?” This song just stirs up emotions and was sure a highlight for night one.

Tim solo: I really recognized this one too, but couldn’t put my finger on it. This one was way better than the first one, a real bluesy/jazzy sort of groove from Tim. Standing ovation for him after he got done which was much appreciated.

#41: This guy had been yelling for it the entire show and Dave had just got done calling him a douchebag at about the same time he struck the first chord of #41. Crowd got real wild during this one and it fed the energy into the end of the set. LCC – Dave went on a little dialog about being happy that the word Douche Bag has regained popularity as of late, also he liked the fact that the same thing has happened to the phrase “going ape shit” “I called the guy a douche bag and he went ape shit on me!”

Gravedigger: Love this song minus Willie LCC – The highlight of the evening for me, one guy next to me said “ this song always makes me so sad, his girl friend told him to just shut and listen, my sentiments exactly.

Dancing Nancies: This version alone is worth the download. Daves intro was insane and the jam was awesome, but really Dave’s intro was cool as shit. A great a high-energy ending to the set!

Encore:

Time Bomb: Interesting choice for E1, and I was questioning how it’d sound, but it rocked. The outro was really well done by Tim and Dave once again nailed the vocals. As hard hitting as it was all year long.

Two Step: Great ending to a great show, you couldn’t have scripted it better. Tim was into it, Dave was into it, and the crowd was just feeding off of that energy.

—– End of Set Summary —-

I won’t deny it, I am a hug fan of Dave Matthews, I have everything CD this man has made since Under The Table and Dreaming in 1994. That being said his tours just never seemed to coincide with my life schedule. Just last fall I was issued a photo pass to shoot him and his entire band in Slat Lake City, I was so exited and was walking out the door when I decided to double check the venue only to find out that he had cancelled.

But late last week I was given the opportunity to shoot him in Las Vegas of all places, I dislike the town but could not pass up a chance to see my musical hero in action. Even an eight hour drive and the chance of hitting a winter storm across any one of the several mountain passes did not stop me from getting to the show.

As best I could tell this is what Dave used on this night:

• Taylor 914c 6-String Acoustic Guitar w/Venetian Cutaway
• Taylor 914c 6-String Acoustic Guitar w/Florentine Cutaway

Dave Matthews Band’s Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King received Grammy nominations for Best Rock Album and Album of the Year! The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled to air live from Los Angeles on CBS on January 31, 2010.

Early life

In case you are not up on Dave Matthews here is a little history lesson;

David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967)  is a South African-American Grammy Award-winning musician.He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band.

David John Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the third of four children born to John and Valerie Matthews. At two years old, Matthews’ family immigrated to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York, where his father, a physicist, started working for IBM.

In 1974, the family moved to Cambridge, England, for a year before returning to New York, where his father died from lung cancer in 1977. Biographer Nevin Martell argues that Dave’s father’s death may be an impetus for his “carpe diem” lyrics. At some point while residing in New York, Matthews attended his first concert when his mother took him to a performance by Pete Seeger. The family moved back to Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1977.

Upon Matthews’ graduation from St Stithians College high school, he was faced with conscription into the South African military just as civil disobedience to the practice was becoming widespread.A Quaker (and consequently pacifist), Matthews left South Africa to avoid service.

Matthews moved to New York in 1986 where he worked for I.B.M. for a short time,then joined his mother in Charlottesville, Virginia the same year, a town Matthews’ family had lived in before he was born.^[6] It was in Charlottesville that he became part of the local music community. Pursuing various interests, Matthews acted in various local productions. Although Matthews had started playing the guitar at the age of 9, it was only in Charlottesville that he started performing publicly. From time to time local star (and future collaborator) Tim Reynolds had Matthews join him on stage, and another friend, Ross Hoffman, persuaded Matthews to record some of his own songs. This eventually led to his first professional musical gig at a modern dance performance by the Miki Liszt Dance Company, based at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, singing “Meaningful Love”, composed by John D’earth and Dawn Thompson. In 1991 he hatched the idea to form his own band.

The death of Dave’s sister had a drastic effect on Matthews’ outlook on life. On January 29, 1994, he performed with Tim Reynolds at The Wetlands in New York where he dedicated that performance “to her memory”. Dave Matthews Band’s Under the Table and Dreaming, released later that year, was dedicated to her. Anne Matthews was survived by her two children who, upon her death, traveled to America, where Dave and his younger sister Jane took responsibility for their upbringing.

Formation of Dave Matthews Band

Matthews had originally envisioned someone else singing his songs, but instead decided to use his own vocals. After writing his first few songs, including “I’ll Back You Up”, “The Song that Jane Likes” and “Recently”, he began to consider starting his own band. Matthews formed Dave Matthews Band in early 1991 with Boyd Tinsley, LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, and Peter Griesar (who left the band in 1993) while working at Miller’s. The band’s first show was on April 20, 1991, at the Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville.

History

Songwriter David John Matthews, working in Charlottesville Virginia as a bartender at Miller’s bar in November 1990, made friends with a lawyer named Ross Hoffman. Hoffman convinced Matthews, usually reserved and scared of playing in front of people, to lay down a demo of the few songs he had written. Hoffman hoped Matthews could shop the songs in order to find other musicians to perform on some studio work with him. Hoffman encouraged Matthews to approach Carter Beauford, a local drummer on the Charlottesville music scene. Beauford had been in several bands and was then playing on a jazz show on BET. After hearing the demo, Carter agreed to spend some time playing the drums, both inside and outside the studio.

Matthews also approached LeRoi Moore, another local jazz musician who often performed with the John D’earth Quintet to join them. Moore skeptically listened to the demo, but liked what he heard and decided that he too would give the young South African a chance. These three began working on Matthews’ songs in 1991. Matthews recollects that, “…the reason I went to Carter was not because I needed a drummer, but because I thought he was the baddest thing I’d ever seen and Leroi, it wasn’t because I desperately wanted a saxophone, it was because this guy just blew my mind. At this jazz place I used to bartend at [Miller's], I would just sit back and watch him. I would be serving the musicians fat whiskeys and they’d be getting more and more hosed, but no matter how much, he used to still blow my mind. And it was the sense that everyone played from their heart. And when we got together and they asked, ‘What do you want the music to sound like?’ I said, ‘I know this is a song I wrote and I like what you guys play, so I want you to play the way you react to my song.’ There was a lot of breaking of our inhibitions.”

Matthews later said in an interview with Michael Krugman,^[7] “In a way, initially it was just the three of us and I approached them with this tape and they said ‘Sure,’ cause they had time on their hands. They were both working on other things, but they had some afternoon time.”^[7] The beginning stages of this new band was, in the words of Morgan Delancey, “a time of trial and incubation.”^[8] Beauford would later recall that, “It started out as a three-piece thing with Dave and Leroi…working on some of Dave’s songs. He only had four songs at the time..And it didn’t work out with the three of us.”^[8] Matthews said, “The first time we played together…we were awful. Not just kind of bad, I mean heinously bad. We tried a couple of different songs and they were all terrible…Sometimes it amazes me that we ever had a second rehearsal.”

Miller’s Bar on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville

Their limited instrumentals, however, did not provide the full sound they desired; more musicians were needed. Secrets was a former jazz fusion band based in Richmond, Virginia most notable for having LeRoi Moore and Carter Beauford as members before forming the Dave Matthews Band. Moore’s former bandmate, John D’earth, conductor of the University of Virginia Orchestra and local musician, taught music at the Tandem Friends School. Stefan Lessard, a junior bassist at the time, was under his guidance in the student jazz combo, Yabanci Jazzites. On the recommendation of John D’earth, the 16-year-old Lessard was asked to join in the studio to help complete the demo. While the partnership was never intended to continue beyond the studio, the four liked the sound and decided to continue together for live performances as well. Consequently, regular practices began in the basement of Carter Beauford’s and Matthews’ mother’s home.

Peter Griesar was a bartender at Miller’s beginning in 1989, and in August 1991, during Miller’s annual respite for inventory, Matthews, Beauford, Moore and Lessard used the empty bar for rehearsing. Griesar heard them rehearsing and decided to stop working for a while, pulled out his harmonica, and started playing with them. After a few songs, he was invited to perform with them. He immediately accepted, becoming the band’s first keyboardist. Griesar’s last show with the band was March 23, 1993.

Boyd Tinsley was the last member to join the band. Although he had performed on the demo with Matthews, Moore, Beauford and Lessard, he was busy with a couple of other bands at the time (Boyd Tinsley Band and Down Boy Down) and did not want to commit to a group of musicians that were only together in the studio at the time. He didn’t become a full-time member until the middle of 1992. Matthews later admitted,^[7] “We had no plans of adding a violinist. We just wanted some fiddle tracked on this one song “Tripping Billies“, and Boyd was a friend of Leroi. He came in and it just clicked. That completely solidified the band, gave it a lot more power.”

The Bands Early years

The band’s first in-studio demo was recorded in February or March 1991, and consisted of “The Song That Jane Likes,” “Recently,” and “Tripping Billies” prior to Tinsley joining as a full-time bandmember. Tinsley only performed on “Tripping Billies.”

Their first public show was at the city’s 1991 Earth Day Festival.^[8] Local weekly appearances soon followed, and within a short time word of the band’s sound spread.

They still did not have a name for the band. One name that was thrown around was Dumela (which is the Tswana word for “hello”,^[11]) but no real enthusiasm was ever felt, and they dropped it.^[12] One story is that Moore reportedly telephoned a place they were booked and said to just write ‘Dave Matthews.’ The person receiving the call just wrote ‘band’ after the name, and the name stayed Dave Matthews Band from that point on.^[8] Matthews told Robert Trott of AP, “Boyd [Tinsley], if memory serves, wrote ‘Dave Matthews Band [on this flyer for the show]. There was no time when we said, ‘Let’s call this band the Dave Matthews Band.’ It just became that, and it sort of was too late to change when we started thinking that this could focus unfairly on me. People sort of made that association, but it’s really not like that.”

Beauford seemed to agree with Matthews’ analysis of the band name when he said to Modern Drummer magazine that, “As a matter of fact, that’s one of the things about this band that everybody likes: There isn’t a leader. Each one of us can express ourselves musically without being choked by a leader. Everybody can offer what they feel is gonna enhance the music. So yeah, that’s the main thing that all the guys — especially me — feel make this band happen. It’s the freedom that we have to speak with our instruments.

By the summer of 1991, they were playing at Eastern Standard with Charles Newman as their manager for a brief time.^[13] They were also playing a regular Tuesday night show at the popular Charlottesville club Trax. Tapings of shows at Trax are some of the most widely shared among DMB fans. After Newman, Coran Capshaw, owner of the Flood Zone where the band often played, took the helm of The Dave Matthews Band.

For a variety reasons, like sensing that the band was on the verge of making it big, not wanting to have his life ruled by the grueling schedule that touring musicians often face, difficulties communicating with Matthews, and maintaining the mortgage on his new home, Peter Griesar decided to leave the band after a show at Trax nightclub on March 23, 1993, a night known as “Big League Chew”.

On November 9, 1993, DMB released its first album, Remember Two Things, on its Bama Rags label,^[16] later re released by RCA in 1997.^[17] Live songs on the album were recorded at The Flood Zone in Richmond, Virginia on August 10, 1993, and The Muse Music Club on Nantucket Island on August 16-18, 1993.^{[citation needed]} The album debuted on college charts as the highest independent entry, and went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA in 2002 ^[18] — a significant accomplishment for an independent album. Meanwhile, the band kept touring and its fan base continued to grow. By allowing fans to tape shows for their personal use, DMB created a highly interactive community that continues to this day. Only recently has the band had to take legal action against some bootleggers who sell recordings of their concerts at a profit — something the DMB trading community also abhors.

Matthews focused primarily on his work with Dave Matthews Band from 1990 to 2003. Since that period, he has occasionally ventured outside the band in various .

Matthews sang on the track “Sing Along” on Blue Man Group‘s second album The Complex in 2003.^[14] Later that year he released a solo album, “Some Devil“, which went platinum; its single, “Gravedigger”, won a Grammy Award in 2004.^[15] To support the album, Matthews toured with a group of musicians (most of whom performed on “Some Devil”) under the name Dave Matthews & Friends.

Matthews is also a close friend of Béla Fleck.^{[citation needed]} Matthews appears as a guest vocalist on Béla Fleck and the Flecktones‘ 1998 release Left of Cool and both Fleck and Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten have made numerous appearances both live and studio with DMB (e.g. Wooten soloed in the second part of The Maker, and also in #41 on the 1998 live album Live in Chicago). The Flecktones also opened for DMB on several tours.^[17] Matthews performed a duet with Emmylou Harris on “My Antonia” on her 2000 album, Red Dirt Girl.^[18] They also appeared together on the musical television show CMT Crossroads,^[19] where the two performed Matthews’ “Gravedigger” and the folk song “Long Black Veil.

Twitter chatter from December 10 Concert

• red bird?? oh man. really dave? 10:51 PM Dec 10th from web

@spacebetween41 heyyyy and I you 10:23 PM Dec 10th from web in reply to spacebetween41

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Rob Drabkin

Rob Drabkin warmed up for Trevor Hall at the Fox Theater in Boulder Colorado on August 15, 2009 and within seconds of hitting the stage had the packed house in the palm of his hand. There are way too many comparisons of who Rob is like but for the benefit of those who have not heard this incredibly talented artists first hand lets just say…

he is a cross between Jack Johnson, Dave Mathews and Jackie Green, does that help, probably not. Just do yourself a favor and go to his website by clicking on his name above and find out where he is playing next and check him out. Then you can be one of the lucky ones that can say I say Rob Drabkin before he blew out of Denver like a shooting star. He won the Westword Music Showcase and the write in vote to get to play the prestigious Mile High Music Festival 2009.

Here are what others are saying about him:

“The surprise of the night was the middle act, Denver’s Rob Drabkin. Taking the stage armed with an acoustic guitar, a djembe (small acoustic drum) player and an afro that would have made a Will It Go Round In Circles-era Billy Preston proud, Drabkin lit into the first of many short stories told with guitar and drum….His intricate finger picking method and character driven songs got our attention. With a voice and song structure not too far from Dave Matthews, just this side of Jack Johnson, Drabkin won me over… By the end of his set, I was a fan, bringing his cd home for closer inspection.” – A.J. Crandall, KINK FM Radio. Show Review Oct 6th, 2008.

“Drabkin did it again.
This time, he added a viola, a saxophone, an upright bass and background vocals to his already charming voice. Drabkin’s five-songE.P. is a pleasant release to tide fans over. For a while.
The Denver resident has been exploding in the local scene for the past couple of years. His afro, coupled with his guitar and serene voice, is all the singer/songwriter really needs to make our town go round.

“Rob Drabkin somewhat mirrors Jack Johnson. Not so much in a musical way, but in a singer/songwriter way that will shoot him from MySpace to MTV faster than he can cut his distinctive hair. People were obsessing about Jack Johnson in 1997 when he appeared on Napster and now, almost 10 years later, his name is as common as a hipster drinking a PBR and riding a Vespa. If he keeps this up, he will shoot out of the local scene faster than The Fray”
–The Colorado Daily.

Many people choose music, but for others music chooses them. Rob began playing the electric guitar at age 11, learning note-for-note solos of every Metallica and Guns ‘N Roses tune he could find. He moved from metal to jazz when he enrolled in his school’s jazz ensemble. Here he was exposed to an array of new artists, rhythms, chords, and most importantly, the beauty of improvisation. Noticing his natural talent for the instrument, guitar virtuoso Ted Reece took Rob on as a private student. Reece introduced him to the acoustic guitar while helping him develop his ear and strengthen his playing. After high school Rob attended Trinity University in San Antonio. Throughout college, Rob maintained music only as a hobby and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Spanish.

His academic aspirations suddenly halted one evening in New York City when it dawned on him he also wanted to sing. Having never sung a note in his life, Rob began spending six to eight hours a day, developing his voice and songwriting skills. With a unique voice, an incredible guitar style, and a handful of original tunes, Rob stormed onto Denver’s local music scene, leaving audiences impressed. Within a mere week of open stages, he was offered his first gig at Arvada’s D-Note. Shortly thereafter, he was playing to full crowds at Boulder’s legendary Fox Theatre and in March 2007 they invited Rob as the main support for their sold-out 15th anniversary show with The John Butler Trio.

Over the past three years, Rob has toured across the country supporting long time Dave Matthews collaborator, Tim Reynolds and British band, Back Door Slam. Rob has performed for former President Bill Clinton, Senators Ken Salazar and Bob Hernandez, and Congressman John Salazar and to crowds at The Democratic National Convention in August 2008. His music has been in rotation on Sirius Channel 30: The Coffee House, 93.3 KTCL, 102.3 KCUV and 99.5 The Mountain, and 101.5 The Independent Alternative. 97.3 KBCO has invited Rob to perform in its world renowned Studio C twice.

In his three years on the music scene, Rob has shared the stage with many amazing and talented artists including: Colin Hay, Matthew Moon, Raul Midon, Reed Foehl, The Wood Brothers, Back Door Slam, Katie Herzig, Kevin Mileski, Jim Bianco, Rebecca Folsom, Kate Nash, Nina Storey, Kinetix, Leon Russell, Gregory Alan Isakov, Jessica Sonner, Lucy Kaplansky, Tim Reynolds, Jonah Werner, Vonnegut, The John Butler Trio, Dan Craig, Trace Bundy, Aaron Espe, and The Flobots.

A Rob Drabkin show can range from a small club, him on stage solo with his Martin, to a venue such as Boulder’s Fox Theatre packed with 300 people, him on stage with a full band, complete with bass, drum kit, keys, tenor saxophone, cellos, a violin, and the occasional accordion. Regardless of the venue or fellow performers, Rob can hold an audience captive, playing a variety of songs from sappy ballads to drinking songs, tossed together with the occasional cover that ranges from Disney to Paul Simon to Nelly. Any Rob Drabkin show is entertaining and his career consistently advances as he gains fans and recognition wherever he plays.
Rob recently released a full band studio album recorded in late 2008.

“What sets Drabkin apart is his sizable talent as both a singer and guitarist. Lots of people can sing, and lots of people can play guitar, but very few people can blow an audience away with both at the same time. Those that can are now household names – John Mayer, Damien Rice, Dave Matthews. Drabkin is on this level. His crisp voice smoothly blankets his audience with an attentive comfort, and his ability to simultaneously execute complicated guitar riffs is enough to impress the most seasoned musician.“
- Jesse Walker of The Flobots, Colorado Music Buzz -View Website

For a complete set of photos from this performance see the Flickr set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30893898@N08/sets/72157622034541121/

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The eagerly awaited collection – the band’s sixth studio outing and follow-up to 2006′s breakthrough HOW WE OPERATE – arrives in stores and at all online retailers on March 31 st .
A NEW TIDE marks a return to the always-freewheeling British band’s more experimental roots, with songs like “Win Park Slope” and “Airstream Driver” evincing a spirit born of boundless imagination and a longstanding collaborative relationship.

With the band members now scattered across two continents, from Brooklyn to Brighton, England, early tracks were written and recorded individually and then merged online. The process allowed for an open and adaptive songwriting approach, the material taking on its ultimate shape when Gomez officially convened in studios in Chicago and Charlottesville, VA, with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine, Counting Crows).

As ever, a wide range of styles is incorporated into Gomez’s matchless musical brew. Flavors of Delta blues, psychedelia, and Krautrock all come into play, resulting in a musically mischievous and remarkably forward-thinking collection. In short, A NEW TIDE is Gomez at their inimitable, incomparable best.

A NEW TIDE also sees Gomez accompanied by a number of illustrious guest musicians, including vocalist Amy Milan (of Stars/Broken Social Scene fame), bassist Josh Abrams (The Roots, Sam Prekop, Godspeed You Black Emperor!), cellist Oliver Krauss (David Gray, Paul Weller, Beth Orton), and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie of Brooklyn’s world renowned Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.
Gomez has stood apart from their very beginning just over a decade ago, earning critical praise and an ever-growing fanbase for their eclectic and ambitious musical tack.

HOW WE OPERATE – Gomez’s ATO Records debut – proved the venerable band’s biggest popular success thus far, debuting at #1 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” chart upon its May 2006 release. The album’s title track – prominently featured on the 2006 season finale of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy – drew major airplay at multi-format radio outlets nationwide, including Triple A and Modern Rock. The second single, “See The World,” was later featured on a 2007 episode of Fox’s House M.D. , and included on the series’ “Original Television Soundtrack” album release.

Gomez toured extensively surrounding the album’s release, as both headliner and a variety of high profile opening slots, not to mention performances at such annual gatherings as the Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Sasquatch!, Vegoose, Summerfest, and the UK’s V Festival. The band also made a number of national TV appearances, including performances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno , Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and A&E’s Breakfast with the Arts .

 
In October 2008, Gomez celebrated the 10 th anniversary of their Mercury Music Prize-winning debut, “BRING IT ON,” with a special one-off performance of the album at Chicago’s Vic Theatre. The concert was highlighted by a second set which included the live premiere of many of the new songs featured on A NEW TIDE.

In addition, the band’s Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball have each performed multiple solo tours in both the US and the UK. Gomez will be touring in support of A NEW TIDE throughout 2009.

Ben Ottewell – Vocals/Guitar

Ian Ball – Vocals/Guitar/Bass

Tom Gray – Vocals/Guitar/Bass/Keyboards

Paul “Blackie” Blackburn – Bass/Guitar

Olly Peacock – Drums/Percussion

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Joe Pug

I was bleary eyed and exhausted from the marathon photo shoot the day before, 14 hours of non stop walking and shooting bands at Denver’s Mile High Music Festival. Photography and music are my passions but even I was a bit burned and didn’t even feel like getting up and getting back to the venue that Sunday morning, but I did, for one reason alone. I had an interview with Joe Pug.

I had been listening to his new album Nation of Heat for a week now and every listen confirmed my initial reaction of “this really might be the next Bob Dylan”, he struck a chord in me that few musicians do, M. Ward was the last to do so and before that Jackie Green, and before that Van Morrison but very few do.

Check out these lyrics from Hymn #101 form his album, if this isn’t genius I’m not sure what is;

And I’ve come to meet the legendary takers
I’ve only come to ask them for a lot
Oh they say I come with less
than I should rightfully posses
I say the more I buy the more I’m bought
And the more I’m bought the less I cost
And I’ve come to take their servants and their surplus
And I’ve come to take their raincoats and their speed
I’ve come to get my fill
To ransack and spill
I’ve come to take the harvest for the seed
I’ve come to take the harvest for the seed

 
Below is a video of this song, I dare you to watch it, and you tell me if it doesn’t put chills down your spine.
Joe Pug – “Hymn 101″

 

Now those are lyrics, epic lyrics not found very often these days and the passion and intensity of his voice combine to draw you in hard. I had to keep reminding myself to take photos, I would just be stunned by what I was hearing, trying hard to be present, be in the moment, truly let the music flow over me, into me and change me at least for a while.

Joe told a great anecdote about playing at a festival a few weeks prior where he was in one tent playing and Kiss was in another, he said there was no one in my tent, then laughed and said “I gotta hand it to to Kiss though, their pyrotechnics were far better than mine”.

After his show I mentioned I had arranged an interview and we spoke briefly but he was late for his next gig and had a plane to catch, which was good news to my ears since I had missed every interview I had lined up the day before and now at least I had a valid reason for missing this one. He did chat with a few fans, and pose for a few mug shots with them as well. I will be seeing him again on August 15th at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival in Lyon’s Colorado and can’t wait to get another good listen.

Here is video from his webiste and one I shot at the Mile High Music Festival.

Joe Pug – Not So Sure from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

I’ve been raving now for several paragraphs but if you don’t believe me check out what others are saying about Joe:

“While most singer/songwriters are content to warble out a few semi-clever turns of phrase, Pug’s scorching poetry and soulful, ‘every phrase could be my last’ voice will stop you cold. If you want to read the actual endorsement, touch the braille stretching up my arms. Twenty years from now, lazy journalists will compare every halfway decent songwriter to Joe Pug. Mark my words.” –Jason Killingsworth, Deputy Editor, Paste Magazine

“One of the most surprising facts about singer-songwriter Joe Pug is that he’s only 23 years old. Not only does Chicago-based singer have a beautifully mature voice, but the lyrics on Pug’s debut EP, Nation of Heat, possess wisdom seemingly beyond his age.” – NPR

“Even if the words singer-songwriter make you groan and cringe, I dare you to come to the Hideout to see Joe Pug and not develop goosebumps…His star is rising so catch him while you can.” –Time Out Chicago

“Fans of quality songwriting need to hunt down a copy of Nation of Heat.” –My Old Kentucky Blog

“In Pug’s hard plucking, exaggerated choruses, and lyrical vignettes you can draw a pretty straight line from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan to Johnny Cash to Bruce Springsteen to Steve Earle to Josh Ritter. Like all of them, Pug is a populist at heart, a singer who can’t help but talk about all of us when he sings about himself and can’t help but sing about himself when he’s talking about all of us……”Hymn 101″ is full of lines that will fill you with both heartbreak and euphoria. It’s good to be reminded that that’s why we listen to music in the first place. –3Hive

“Every word here is just amazingly beautiful…packed with symbolism and pure poetry…..Let Joe Pug give you back faith in folk music and truly marvelous singer-songwriters.” –Delusions of Adequacy

“Pug is the real deal. The kid’s got that weariness in his delivery that you can’t smoke or drink your way to because it comes from somewhere deeper than the vocal chords. It’s the same gritty, spirited voice that made Hank I, Kurt Cobain, and Bob Dylan iconic….We as Chicagoans will be privileged enough to watch the kid develop from precocious youngster to out and out star.” –Chicagoist

“One of the most unfathomably masterful debuts I’ve heard in recent memory.” –Captain Obvious

“I found it hard to make it past the first track, “Hymn 101,” just because it is so damn good. After taking that song off repeat and listening to the rest of Nation of Heat, I knew I’d be addicted….the album has still not left my player. It will be one of the best EP’s of 2008.” –Hear Ya

“Staggering in its courage and rich in its symbolism” –Twang Nation

Below is Joe’s Bio:

The day before his senior year as a playwright student at the University of North Carolina, Joe Pug sat down for a cup of coffee and had the clearest thought of his life: I am profoundly unhappy here. Then came the second clearest.

Pug packed up his belongings and drove the longest route possible to Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day, the 23 year-old Pug spent nights playing the guitar he hadn’t picked up since his teenage years. Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing called “Austin Fish,” Pug began creating the sublime lyrical masterpiece that would become the Nation of Heat EP.
The songs were recorded fast and fervently at a Chicago studio where a friend snuck him in to late night slots other musicians had canceled. He was short on money, but his bare-boned sincerity didn’t require much more than a microphone and it dripped off of each note he sang.

In May of 2008, Pug played the first headlining slot of his young career to a sold out crowd at Chicago’s storied Schubas Tavern. Two weeks later he released the Nation of Heat EP, which has garnered near-universal critical acclaim and established him as one of the most respected songwriters of his generation. Pug has since played shows with Todd Snider, Susan Tedeschi, Kasey Chambers, and James Hunter. He plans to release his debut full length record in 2009.

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Jakob Dylan

Jakob Dylan and his band the Wallflowers played to a sold out show at Denver’s Botanical Garden Tuesday night. Jakob played an excellent mix of songs from his more recent albums as well as the ubiquitous hit One Head Light. Standing mostly still in a fine black suit, tan fedora and his trusty Martin guitar Jakob presented a beautiful stoic, almost iconic figure for his adoring fans. To say there is a resemblance to his father is an understatement, his cold blue stare, his rigid stance on stage, his unique voice and excellent wordsmanship all combine to give those of us that are too young to have seen Bob Dylan in his prime a complete reincarnation experience. The current Wallflower line up includes Greg Richling on bass, Fred Eltringham on drums, guitarist Stuart Mathis and co-producer and keyboardist  Bill Appleberry.Before the show I wandered around the stage checking out his equipment layout and gear, Jakob plays a couple of beautiful Martin guitars and his guitar tech said he won’t let him change the strings, “They are completely black” he said in mock disgust. I replied “That’s how you get a signature tone” we both laughed. It was a great show until the road manager pulled my photo pass after only a couple songs saying that the Denver Post had not contacted him so no pro shots, bummer for sure.

Jakob Dylan is the youngest of four children born to singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and ex-wife Sara Dylan on December 8, 1969. He married his childhood sweetheart, Nicole Paige Denny (now former actress Paige Dylan),^[1] in a ceremony at Sara Dylan‘s house in 1992. Dylan and his family reside in Los Angeles. They have four sons. ^[2] Dylan is very private about his family to the extent that there are very few images of his children or wife available.

The Wallflowers

The Wallflowers started out playing alongside other aspiring rockers at Canter’s delicatessen in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles in 1989. The band signed to Virgin Records and made a self-titled album, the cover of which had a picture of all the band members’ feet, and drummer Peter Yanowitz‘s dog.

The debut sold poorly however, and after they were released from Virgin Records, the band regrouped. They toured with 10,000 Maniacs, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Cracker, and The Spin Doctors, and gained and lost several band members along the way. With the help of their manager Andrew Slater, the band secured a new major label record deal with Interscope Records.

Their 1996 album Bringing Down the Horse, recorded with producer T-Bone Burnett (and including collaborations with Michael Penn, Adam Duritz, Mike Campbell, Don Heffington of Lone Justice, and Sam Phillips), yielded several singles, including “6th Avenue Heartache” and “One Headlight“. The album sold over six million copies worldwide, three times as many as his father’s album Blood on the Tracks sold in over 20 years. Burnett stated at the time: “As far as Jakob is concerned, I can’t imagine having larger footsteps to follow in. But Jakob’s character is clearly defined and he handles success with grace, which also says a lot about Bob as a father.” Burnett went on to state that the success of Bringing Down the Horse had nothing to do with the family name: “I don’t think Jakob sold a single record because he is Bob’s son. I think he sold a lot of records because “One Headlight” is a very good song. I wonder how many Wallflowers fans even know who Bob Dylan is.”^[3] The Wallflowers won two Grammy Awards, for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Rock Song. “One Headlight” also won the VH-1 Video of the Year for 1997.

As of 2007, The Wallflowers have recorded five albums.

In the fall of 2007 The Wallflowers performed live for the first time in more than two years. They did a brief tour including dates on the East Coast in October and the midwest in November. This tour included Jakob Dylan (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Stuart Mathis (lead guitar), Greg Richling (Bass), and Fred Eltringham (drums). In September 2007 the band announced on their official website^[4] that band member Rami Jaffee had left the group. The band played additional dates in southern California in February 2008, some east coast shows in April 2008, and several festival shows in the summer 2008 (OC Fair, South Carolina Balloon Festival, Deadwood Jam, among others). In some of these shows, they played as a three-some, in other shows multi-instrumentalist Ben Peeler joined The Wallflowers.

Solo career

On September 20, 2006 it was announced by Billboard that Dylan had signed a new recording contract with Columbia Records.^[5] The Wallflowers’ current situation has remained unknown since their recording contract with Interscope Records ended in 2005.

Dylan wrote and recorded “Here Comes Now” as the theme song for the U.S. television show Six Degrees, which premiered on September 21, 2006. His song “Stardust Universe” premiered on Jericho on October 25, 2006.

A cover of The Band‘s “Whispering Pines” appears on the tribute CD Endless Highway  — The music of The Band, which was released late January 2007. Dylan also contributed backing vocals to the track, “Black Haired Girl,” on Jesse Malin‘s 2007 album, Glitter in the Gutter.

Dylan collaborated with Dhani Harrison on the John Lennon song, “Gimme Some Truth,” for the Lennon’s tribute album, “Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur“, which was released on June 12, 2007.^[6] As of early 2007, Jakob Dylan had performed with his father only once, at a corporate gig for semiconductor company Applied Materials on November 14, 1997,^[7][8] although they played the same show, they did not play together.

In early September 2007, The New York Times reported Dylan was working on his first solo album in a house in Hollywood Hills owned by famed record producer Rick Rubin.^[9] Rubin is also listed as the producer of the album. The album is called Seeing Things and was released on June 10, 2008. The mostly acoustic album contains 10 tracks.

In the spring of 2008 a series of tour announcements were made that Dylan would be performing with his touring band The Gold Mountain Rebels at Bonnaroo, at the new Rothbury Music Festival, in Rothbury, Michigan, Summerfest in Milwaukee, the Newport Folk Festival, and the Austin City Limits Festival. A number of tour dates in the south, east, and midwest were also confirmed. He played on the Letterman show in June 2008, Leno in July 2008, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in August 2008, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien in September 2008, and taped performances for a number of folk radio programs that aired throughout the summer. On the Conan performance, Dylan performed “War Is Kind” with Norah Jones. Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels did a 10-day tour in Europe opening for Eric Clapton in mid-August, and some shows in August and September opening for Willie Nelson at FarmAid in the U.S. In October he did a ten day tour in Europe playing shows in Germany and the U.K.^[10] On October 21, he appeared in the UK on BBC2‘s Later… with Jools Holland. During the show he sang “Evil Is Alive And Well” and “Something Good This Way Comes”. This was the first time that Dylan performed solo on television. During the week of October 25, Dylan appeared with the Gold Mountain Rebels on PBS’ Austin City Limits.^[11]

On the show NCIS Jakob does a song called “No Matter What”! It’s featured on NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack

In June 2009 Vanity Fair included Jakob in their poll asking readers to choose The Most Handsome Man in the World. Jakob was one of eighteen men selected including George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp.

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