Don’t Wake the Scarecrow

Photo gallery and video links are at the end of the review

The show was bound to be an awesome night from the moment it was announced as an A.A. Bondy and Willy Mason show. It came as quite a pleasant surpise that Simone Felice’s new group The Duke and the King were announced as another opening act. We got to the Bowery Ballroom early on December 9th, 2009, first on line before the doors opened. Minutes before the doors opened we got glimpses of everyone exiting and doing some last minute city-walking. First The Deacon, Nowell Haskins headed out the doors, followed soon after by Simone Felice.



I brought up that I went to the City Winery show and talked to him, reminded him that he signed my books. He thanked us for coming and assured us we were in for a treat by saying “Oh we’ve had a lot of shows since then….it should be a special show tonight”. When I mentioned how I heard the Midnight Ramble show (at Levon Helm’s) went well he sounded so happy that Levon asked him to sing with his band. They left to pack up some stuff and after seeing Willy Mason leave and AA Bondy and Macey Taylor (his bass player, also in Mystic Valley Band) entering, we were let in.

Willy had a nice opening set of 10 to 12 songs, and knows how to hold the audience’s attention while alone on stage. Nice mellow set that included some chatting with the audience. The crowd ate up everything that the young guitar player sang and the place was very crowded towards the end of Willy’s set.

Once Willy finished up we got to see The Duke and the King do what they do best. Play from the heart and make everything just feel so natural. There was a small bit of technical difficulties when starting the first song. Simone’s guitar was plugged in but it didn’t seem to be working. They switched it up and the show quickly got under way.

They ran through a pretty normal setlist that they’ve been known to play. I was sad because they didn’t play “This Place We Call a Home” but we did get a bunch of the classics. Songs included were Union Street, Don’t Wake the Scarecrow, The Devil is Real, If you Ever Get Famous, Morning that I get to Hell, Helpless, One More American Song among others. They played Suzanne which I was glad to see…….I love it when Chicken steps up to the mic to take over. Simone stepped behind the drum kit for Suzanne and it was just magical watching him banging away while his head was thrashing back and forth with a big smile on his face. Simi and Chicken had a little one on one section at the end of the song. The band looked very happy on stage and seemed to be having an amazing time.

Finally, the headlining act came out. AA Bondy, Macey Taylor (bass) and Ben Lester (drums, slide guitar) took to the stage. Bondy was amazing in his ability to go from heavy, feedback-filled swampy jamming to soft, melodic finger picking. His between-song banter was hilarious as always. Before the song “Oh The Vampire” Bondy began saying “Fuck Twilight…..that stuff is bullshit. I wrote this song before all that Twilight, True Blood bullshit. Here’s a song called Oh the Frankenstein”.

We also got to hear him talk about how he has a funny job and that he’s glad for it. One of my favorite talking points was “Fuck Scrappy Doo. I never like Scrappy Doo, Scooby was way better. Sometimes when I’m watching it i’ll say Oh sweet Scooby Doo is on…..then I can tell by the animation that he’ll be there and then I see Scrappy and say ahhh shit.” He also mentioned liking Scooby’s cousin Scooby Don’t.

Stage banter aside….the show was awesome. He was joined on stage by an extra drummer and trombonist (apparently members of Elvis Perkins in Dearland) for a feedback-filled version of Killed Myself When I Was Young. Bondy performed the hell out of tunes from both of his albums, as well as beautiful covers of My Funny Valentine and I’m So Lonesome I could Cry where Bondy was on stage alone for some intimate music that was dedicated to different people. He finished up the night to a chorus of cheers and laughter, and left the stage to heaps of applause.

The Duke and The King - Photos | Videos
A.A. Bondy - Photos | Videos

Here’s a review from our good friend Digger from Take This Bread. He recently attended a Daniel Johnston show and here are his thoughts:

The Mercury Lounge was packed in so tight that trying to move around surely would have gotten dirty looks from your neighbors. The max occupancy is supposed to be 196 people but who knows how many people were there for the Portugal. The Man show on August 5th, 2009. People began filtering in more and more after an energetic opening set by Hesta Prynn in Civil Shepherd which is an act that has a power trio of guys fronted by two females, one a lead singer, the other a backup who worked on soundscapes and tambourine. As we could feel the room filling up, we made our way to the front of the crowd for The Love Language. Knowing nothing about them before heading in, we were surprised to see the stage filled to the brim with players. 3 guitarists, 2 keyboardists, a Bass guitar and a drum set were the makings of the Love Language, and although seeing it at first gave the impression of overkill, the band members each played their role well and led the audience on a sing along journey. A lot of fans of this band attended the show, so the mood was just perfect. By the time they left the stage the back room of the Mercury Lounge was crammed. Portugal. The Man’s guitar tech begin setting up their equipment as the band would slowly take the stage to fine-tune their gear, to a chorus of cheers and name yells.
The headliners of the night were ready to go. The lights were dimmed and the only way to see was from the slight glow of a couple of redspotlights. The Approaching AIRballoons started the night off with a massive medley that included Church Mouth and One is the Loneliest Number that then segued right into Lay Me Back Down. The ability of this band to seamlessly go from song to song while also adding a special twist to their tunes in the live setting is one reason why they should be on the top of your “Must See” concert list.
The members who make up the band are all stellar at what they do. Jason Sechrist on drums sets the tone and plays off of Zach Carothers on bass so perfectly. Zach is in another world of his own in terms of bass playing, using effects to their full potential at points, slapping the instrument and invoking a fascinating and chaotic sound. Ryan Neighbors sits behind the stockpile of keyboards and bounces from one to the other with ease, adding an eerie vibe to the darker songs, but also complimenting John Gourely’s voice on the softer parts of songs like “Lay Me Back Down”. The talent found in the group is unmistakeable. I felt like I could listen to the singing from Zoe Manville and John Gourely all night.
Speaking of Gourley, this guy can make a guitar speak like no other. As the front man for the group he has captivated the audience all over the place, and along with Zach Carothers (who are the original founding members of the band) he has crafted some of the most original and alluring rock anthems of the past few years. Throughout the show at the Mercury Lounge the group played through a good amount of songs from their newest release “The Satanic Satanist” including People Say, The Sun, Everyone is Golden, and Do You. These performances had the audience eating out of the palm of their hands, following whatever they would play and loving every minute of it.
I had my first taste of Portugal. The Man’s stage show at this year’s Bonnaroo Music festival and they did not disappoint. They exceeded expectations and won over many fans that night. Seeing them again at the Mercury Lounge was a different type of show, a smaller and more intimate setting with a lot more people who were already fans and knew the songs they were in store for that night. It was great to see the crowd at both concerts having the same type of positive energy and the same kind of experience that can only occur through live music. Portugal. The Man are a band that have no genre. I want to call them a Jam band but they are so much heavier than that. They are just pure rock and soul. Lots of playing straight from the heart and just doing their best to put on a top-quality show.

To see my photos from the show, click here.

Watch videos from the show by clicking here

For Portugal. The Man tour dates click here.

Toad’s Place in New Haven, Connecticut has an illustrious history and rightfully so, considering the bands who have passed through this small venue. The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, U2, Billy Joel….the list of artists goes on and on. One of the newest groups to join the list of bands that have played Toad’s is Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. The former Bright Eyes front man led his new group of 6 to an energetic and engaging night of music on the night of July 3rd, 2009.

All of the expectations I had going into the show were greatly exceeded, as Conor and the MVB played tracks from their two albums. It’s always nice to see a band that takes a recorded piece of work and turn it into something even better at live shows. Songs like “Cape Canaveral” and “Souled Out” were given unique twists, with “Cape” receiving an extended finger-picking jam from guitarist Taylor Hollingsworth (click here for video).

Being from Alabama, it’s hard not to notice Taylor’s twangy voice that fills the air during the songs “Air Mattress” and the spectacular “Snake Hill”. I was blown away by his guitar playing so much that when looking for some non MVB material online I was pleased to find that he’s been playing “Snake Hill” for years at solo performances. When it came time to record Outer South, the band’s second album, Conor was looking to his bandmates to see what kinds of songs they’ve written and I’m glad that Taylor chose to include “Snake Hill” in his submissions. It’s a memorable song that finds the narrator discussing life away from his home and why his mother warned him against leaving his place of origin (click here to see a solo performance of Snake Hill).

Conor was center stage for most of the show, taking some time to saunter over to other band members during certain songs. It seemed to increase the energy in the room each time he would be pushing his band members to rock harder. There was a small amount of stage banter, but tonight was mostly about the music. The tightly packed crowd enjoyed the fast and slow songs alike….with one standout being “Lenders In the Temple” that featured just Conor and Nate Walcott on stage, with Nate adding an ominous melody on the organ (click here for video). It was easy to see the chemistry between the two artists who have played together for years in the band Bright Eyes.

The night was capped off with a powerful version of “I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital)” that brought the two opening acts to the stage to join in the craziness. The band stretched this one out for a while with Conor doing a little bit of talking and interacting with the different people on stage. Overall, my first show at Toad’s was extremely memorable. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band have created two amazing albums and perform at their shows the way you expect good musicians to - by playing from their heart.

Click here to see photos from this show.
Click here to see videos from this show.

Bonnaroo 2009 was a great time this year……..one of our friends, danbird, posted up a detailed review with many awesome photos and videos from his experience on his blog. He had a press pass and got the chance to interview an up and coming band, Portugal. The Man. This band put on an amazing show on the first night of the festival and have a new album coming out soon. Anyway be sure to check out the review and interview:

So it’s been a little over a week since I left Bonnaroo, or what I affectionately call The Farm. This was my fourth Bonnaroo and it ranks up there with 2006 as the best I’ve been to, so far. Such an eclectic line-up, with one of my favorite bands (Phish) getting two sets on Friday and Sunday nights. I was also blessed with a media pass this year, for the first time. It was great to see the artist press conferences and to stumble upon many artists back in the press area. It’s nice back there with plenty of shade and picnic tables and AC and water to go around. It was a great place to go to escape the maddening masses. Anyhow, here’s the rundown.

THURSDAY
After a long and wet trek to set up camp in tent only, and after a bit of relaxing, I headed into Centeroo for the first time. The first artist I was blessed to see was Janelle Monae. I’ve never heard her before Bonnaroo, and I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across her show in The Other Tent. She’s a mix of R&B, funk, punk, sci-fi and good old rock n’ roll. The crowd seemed very excited to have such a wildly entertaining performer kicking off theirs and my Bonnaroo. It was a bit on the stormy side of things all day on Thursday and most everyone was trying to dodge the downpours as much as possible.

Next up was Alberta Cross. I caught the end of their set in That Tent. They were good, but I wasn’t really there for them. I was waiting for what I thought was Delta Spirit, up next, but they were delayed and their set was pushed back. The next band was Portugal. The Man. These guys, let me tell you, they’re going places. They have a new album out next month and I’m sure, much more touring ahead. If you get a chance to see these guys, don’t hesitate. Their show was one of the best of the weekend for me. The crowd was pumped, the band was pumped, it was just all around enjoyable.

Click here to head to read the rest of the review (and check out awesome photos/videos)

Portugal. The Man interview:

Just got a review from Inforoo member baconus66 of a Lucinda Williams show.  Enjoy

Lucinda Williams - Rialto Theatre at Tuscon, AZ 5/29/09
This was my third time seeing Lucinda and a really good show overall. Even though I got there a little later than I was hoping I was able to get on the rail far house right, which worked out perfect because Rialto had setup some monitors on the sides of the stages helping with the sound quality issues that sometimes occur near the front.

The show started of strong with the new Buick 6, for all those reading the negative reviews about the new band all I can say is reserve judgment until you see them. They are different then they were with Doug but they are still a great band and Eric does a great job and most importantly is seeming to fit in with the band and have a lot of fun. The band is a little less country/blues and a little more psychedelic/surfer but the still get down on all the old tunes too.

There were some issues with “Metal Firecracker” due to a misread capo position, but once they figured it out the song worked fine. “Steal Your Love” was a major highlight for me, it was the first time I’ve seen it live and had a really cool vibe. “Side Of The Road” was another highlight for me and it worked really well with just acoustic and electric guitar.

At some point around “Little Rock Star” a women 7 or 8 people to the left of me passed out or something. Her boyfriend/husband didn’t want to leave and tried propping her up for a few songs which distracted Lucinda during the beginning of “Little Rock Star” prompting her asking if everyone was alright. Eventually, during “Essence”, the man decided that he had to get off the rail and took his sleeping girlfriend with him. Once they were gone Lucinda commented it was nice to see everybody in front was alive and it was very distracting to see this women and it caused a few slip ups. See included some hilarious mime of the women being propped up and falling back down and concluded she should be more of a Ann Coulter and called the man out right away. She used her anger from this incident to create an exceptionally angry “Come On” which was when the show started to really get rocking. Every song after this point was as good as it gets. Unfortunately, as always as always at Rialto the crowd rushed out the doors after the first encore meaning “Angel” was scratched.

After the show I was lucky enough to get Eric’s setlist, which I have included. When I got it the security guy told me if I sold it in the parking lot I could probably get $50 for it, but I would never do that.

Overall great show and I am excited to see her again tonight in Phoenix. I am really hoping to get “Can’t Let Go” and maybe “Angel” if the crowd sticks around tonight, but I am happy with anything. 

If you’ve got any show reviews from ANY artist and would like to share them please e-mail them to dontwakethescarecrow@gmail.com.

Here’s a great review from our friend Digger over at Takethisbread.blogspot.com. He caught Simone Felice’s new project The Duke & The King at Union Hall in NYC. 

Faith Rewarded: The Duke & The King - Union Hall 5/20/09
About 100 or so hardcore fans, friends and family of the Duke and the King watched the debut performance of the band at Union Hall in Brooklyn. They came to the show, mostly, without having any idea what the band would sound like, what kind of songs they would play. The fans came mostly, because they had faith in the artist. The Duke and the King did not dissapoint. For those who worried that the music might take on too much of a melancholy live show, there is nothing to fear.

This band, while still playing some beautiful ballads, rocked the house. They opened with one of Simone Felice’s finest songs, “Dont’ Wake the Scarecrow”. The rendition was probably the best i have heard yet. Simone introduced it as a “Hudson River Song” , and delivered a searing performance, which was capped off by a shocking vocal coda by Robert “Chicken” Burke, which raised a few eyebrows in the Hall for those who had never heard his amazing voice. They followed that with their new single “If You Ever Get Famous” , which was pretty faithful to the version on the record. Simone then introduced the next song by bringing the audience back to the very early days of the Felice Brothers, when they played the Subways of New York City. He explained that “we sucked” and that there were songs that they learned to get people to stop and sing a long and hopefully, give some money. There were others, like “Waterspider”and “Going Going Gone”, that people just walked on by as they played it. He said they wrote Water Spider for Harriet Tubbman (which he has said before) and also about Ghandi, and John Lennon, and Martin Luther King, and laughing he said “prince” and “Mike Tyson”. Very nice version and great interplay with the crowd.

The King, Chicken Burke, then left the drum kit for the only time all night for lead vocal on the funky slow jam, “Suzanne”, Chicken had a nice little breakdown in the middle of this song in which he talked about how loneliness is a big part of the rock and roll life . Simone followed with a long meandering spoken word rap about “Beware of the Beast called Man” which had the audience hanging on his every word and then just at its most anxious moment he called out “Pharoah, My Pharoah, my girlfriend is dead….” of “The Devil is Real” . Some artists sing songs, some paint great landscapes , and some rare individuals, emote art through every pore of their skin.

Simone Felice, like John Lennon, is totally incapable of being uninteresting. What he says you may or may not understand or agree with, but you will be entertained. There are no bathroom breaks, cause you never know what you might miss, what he might say, because his filters are off and his words are like James Dean’s car careening recklessly down a winding road. This version of “Devil” was outstanding. They followed that with “Union St”, a reminiscence of perhaps a simpler America. “Lose Myself” had a nice speech in the middle by Simone, about a sinful world, and how we all gotta use love and music and each other to find shelter from the bad world as he referenced Bob Marley and Eminem. An excellent live number with an excellent drum fill at the end by Chicken Burke. Simone then called the King “a Bad Motherfucker” in the “Country of Stank” and said the next song “Your Belly in My Arms” “Me, Ian and James recorded this song when we first started to play, and it was ah..a fictional song then, and well, its taken on a whole different meaning now”. Very intense performance with nice harmonies by the King. One of my favorite lines is “Woke up with the driver crying “Birmingham” , kinda transports you to that place.

Simone then told a story about the early days of the Felice Brothers when James wanted to buy a keyboard, but was told by Simone and Ian, “fuck you, every thing has got to be made out of dirt and wood and meat and barbeque” but he said they finally relented, and then explained why they used a electronic beats for “The Morning that i Get to Hell” . There was a lot of singing along in the crowd for this new song. “Mercy” followed, perhaps the best ever version of this song as it ended with two shots of heavy metal thunder.

The band proved to be very tight for a new outfit and a big part of that was Chicken Burke driving the show skillfully through the set. After Mercy came crashing back to Earth, Simone gave a heartfelt tribute to his brother Ian, with stories of listening to music, dreaming and writing poetry together, with “American Song” about down on their luck characters in the post Gulf War Bush Years. Radio Song was improved with Burke’s Charlie Watts channeled beat, making it sound like garage rock from the Stones Tattoo You era. Burke again went Van Morrison vocally on “Annabelle, You Blow My Mind” on the outro to Radio Song.They ended the show with a rousing rendition of the Beatles “Don’t Let Me Down” complete with Simone Felice hurling himself into the fray of the audience, twisting his legs and swinging his Fender around dissapearing amongst the fans then to crawl back to the stage and deliver the lyrics with every morsel of strength he could muster.

When fans of the Felice Brothers see this show they will no longer be sad that Simone is not touring with the band. They will see an artist of this ability needs more leg room to display his considerable talent, and fans get a lot more out of it.

Not surprisingly, Simone greeted fans after the show with hug and kisses and many met Chicken Burke for the first time and he is a very charming fellow.

The Duke and The King-Belly In My Arms

This past Sunday a legend turned 90 years old. He chose to celebrate it with friends and fans doing what he loves - playing live music. The singer-songwriter has written many influential and popular songs and been associated with some of the top acts in music history. There’s no doubt that he had a lot of impact on the folk scene, and music in general. To show appreciation for him a concert was held featuring some big names like Richie Havens, Bruce Springsteen, and Eddie Vedder. The full list of artists who attended is astounding and was reportedly quite the experience. While I couldn’t attend myself….I bring you some of the reviews found on the internet. If you want to read the full review just click the link that follows the excerpt.

Pete Seeger has always maintained that his greatest joy as a performer is to lead others in sing-alongs. At his 90th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden last night he must have been ecstatic since for nearly four and a half hours he and 51 other artists transformed the massive arena into an intimate campfire sing-along, where toddlers, senior citizens and everyone in between belted “Michael Row the Boat Ashore,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Turn Turn Turn” and many others songs Seeger wrote or popularized over his seven-decade career. “There is no such thing as a wrong note,” Seeger said after leading a group rendition of “Amazing Grace” midway through the show, “just as long as you’re singing along.”

from RollingStone.com

Many of those paying homage last night hailed from the early stages of Seeger’s influence, including Joan Baez, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Tom Paxton and Richie Havens. Also strongly represented were stars who made it big in the ’70s like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Emmylou Harris and Kris Kristofferson.

Sunday night’s event - whose profits went toward Seeger’s long-running pet cause to clean up the Hudson River - also brought out some ’90s stars, including ex-Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, Rufus Wainwright and Teddy Thompson.

From NY Daily News

Mr. Seeger led the crowd in “Amazing Grace,” calling out lines in a spooky, hole-filled, appealingly weathered voice. It was one of several brawny, moving exercises in mass vocalizing: “We Shall Overcome,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Well May the World Go,” “This Little Light of Mine.” (No “Kumbaya,” though — something of a relief.) Ninety years after Mr. Seeger’s birth, 50 or so years after the height of the folk music movement, 40 years after the civil rights movement, and 104 days after the swearing-in of the country’s first black president, those songs no longer sound defiant or expectant, but instead matter-of-fact.

From NYTimes

There was an appropriate egalitarianism on display Sunday at the 90th birthday tribute concert to Pete Seeger at Madison Square Garden. Superstars including Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp received no more stage time than such veteran acts as Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Richie Havens and many others. The 4 1/2-hour show, thankfully filmed for broadcast on PBS in the summer, paid suitable tribute to the folk music legend and tireless political activist.

From The Hollywood Reporter

Sounds like a great show. I’ll try to get some videos/audio up if I can find any.

Having seen The Felice Brothers two times before, I had an idea for what I was in for. The band that hails from the Catskills played a headlining show at Webster Hall in New York City on Friday, April 17th 2009. They are currently touring to support their new album Yonder is the Clock, the second on the Team Love record label and fourth album overall. It’s always a treat to see the energy and soul that the brothers bring to the stage when playing a live show.

As a friend and I arrived early, I was happy to see James Felice mingling with the crowd members. Just about every time I’ve seen the band, I’ve also seen James among the audience members before or after the show. That’s one reason to see this band live - their connection with the audience. Not only do they captivate with their lyrics and intensity, but they entertain with their comments and chemistry.

After getting a poster signed by James and purchasing the new album (on CD only….no vinyl release yet), we went to get a beer and secure a spot close to the stage. Webster Hall was a decent sized venue, with a lot of good bands that have swung through there. Apparently there are other floors and sections of the bar/club but we didn’t get to see them. We were planted in the main concert hall watching Willie Mason play a short acoustic set before The Felice Brothers took the stage.

The opener had some fine tunes, but it was clear that the growing audience was awaiting for the headliners. The band members began to slowly take the stage, one by one each playing a slow jam. Christmas, on bass came out and was joined by a different drummer than I was used to. Simone Felice, one of the brothers, usually filled that role but news of a solo project that he was going to focus a little more time and energy on created the opportunity for Jeremy Backofen to take over behind the drum kit. Jeremy, also known as “The Searcher”, produced the Felice Brothers albums and has worked with Simone on drums so he was more than a suitable replacement.

Christmas and the Searcher were then joined by James and Ian Felice, each tuning up and beginning to form the opening song. The crowd cheered when Simone then emerged from the back, banging on a big bass drum and theatrically walking around the stage. While he wouldn’t be on drums the whole night, he was here to support his brothers and everyone was more than glad for it.

They launched into “The Big Surprise”, the opening song from the new album. The video is included below:

The show that followed just kept getting better and better. They mixed in new tunes like “Cooperstown”, “Run Chicken Run”, and “Chicken Wire” and also played some of their older ballads like “Ballad of Lou the Welterweight” and “Goddamn you Jim”. The floor felt like it was going to fall out from under us because of the foot-stomping that was going on. The band played what felt like an endless encore set….mainly because after every song they would announce “We’ve got one more song to play” that drove the audience wild each time. The show ended with violin/washboard player Farley launching himself into the drumset and joining the band for a final bow.

If you haven’t seen the Felice Brothers live…do yourself a favor and buy a ticket to the closest show near you. They won’t disappoint.

More videos will be added…..photos are located in the shows section.

Some of you may have heard of this band….but chances are that they’ve flown under your radar. After touring with the likes of Dr. Dog and Cold War Kids, they’ve finally begun doing shows where they are the headliner and not the opening act. This soulful group of rockers originally from San Diego, California have a solid debut album that was released in 2008, and hopefully many more to come.

It seemed like it would be hard to live up to the energy and intimacy of their album, “Ode to Sunshine”, but on a chilly February evening in New York City the band lived up to all the hype (that I had built in my head). Knowing most of the tunes they would play ahead of time made for a special evening that included stage dives, instrument swapping, and bangin’ on a trash can (a “Doug” reference that may be lost on some).

Matthew Vasquez, lead singer and guitar player, has a special quality that made it hard to watch the other members of the band. The lyrics they’ve written took on a new life at this event, with heartfelt delivery and the sense that they were having the time of their lives.