GOTV Seaside Park Bridgeport 7/19-22/12

What can I say, another year, another vibes. Camped in Boardie-land thanks to Sneaky Jack and crew for securing the real estate. With the Pleasuredome assembled we started the dance known as GOTV.
   Thursday 7/19: Lucid starts us out with some funky jamminess hailing from Plattsburgh. George Porter Jr. and the Runnin Pardners brought some nawlins style had a good cover of Billy Preston's Round in Circles.  Main stage puts up Yonder Mountain String Band. Colorado product plays great slam grass could have used a jammy Snow On the Pines, but good set overall. Dark Star Orchestra's signature Thurs night slot suits them. The show was culled from Alpine Valley in the mid-80s and had all kinds of grateful gold. Late-night was the Royal Family Ball featuring Soulive and Lettuce. Not as smoking at Lettuce a few years back, somebody could have spiked Kras' lemonade to kick it up a notch.
   Friday 7/20: Start off with Vermont offering Twiddle who play a jammy mixture of Zappa-esque prog. After a dip in the sound, we see 7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann and more George Porter and Papa Mali giving us a bluesy swamp-thing. Second stage had the rocking outfit Bad Rabbits with a stellar frontman. Who said Karl Denson wasn't with the Greyboy Allstars? Veteran sax-flute man Denson delivered an Allstar set with this signature seminal jam group. Local group Kung Fu scorched the second stage with their full-on rock show. This band is ready for the main stage. Bob Weir with Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis give a fairly tame jam-lite short offering, seems like these guys are showing their age. After Bobby, Phil and Friends take the main stage. As usual, Jackie Greene owns this stage. Late-night shows Conspirator with the Gigantic Underground Conspiracy. Members of the Disco Biscuits and the Motet drum and bass the night away.
   Saturday 7/21: Dweezil Zappa mines his father's catalog for some St Alfonso type Frank fix. Local duo Mates of State did not seem out of place at this festival. Go for a swim and back for Mickey Hart Band. Global drum group with nice front woman vocals made up for Weir' lackluster Dead offering. Skip the Strangefolk reunion and make it back for Primus. Les Claypool made more friends since last time at the vibes, could be their new release Green Naugahyde. Weak Floyd tribute The Machine could have used a better light show. Late-late night showed excellent jam group Papadosio who played the 4-5Am slot.....that's right, I said 4-5AM slot.
   Sunday 7/22: My favorite, Keller Williams blisters an early Sunday slot. Skip the mid-day festivities to break down camp. Ended the day with a bang with ALO on the second stage. Over to the main stage for a Sunday dose of reggae with Steel Pulse who rolled through Hansworth Revolution and other hits. Was really looking forward to Toubab Krewe a global mashup of afro-appalachian grooves, they were great! Ended the day with one of my faces the Avett Brothers. Seth and Scott added some other members to create a fuller sound. Always a success, GOTV is a go to event of the summer. Peace to all involved

Green River Festival 7/14/12 Greenfield MA

Always a spot on my calendar for Green River. The Saturday lineup slightly (and only slightly!) trumped the Sunday bill. Ok so here goes: Park in the Emu line and make it to field before the music starts. Mainstage has Sara Lee Guthrie and husband Johnny Irion, standard folkie set gearing up for Woody's 100th birthday celebration closer. Dance tent had Rebirth Brass Band steamin up a set of Nawlins funk, good cover of All Over Now by the Stones.  Made it back to the main stage for David Wax Museum's finale Maria (see Fall 2011 entry at Bar).  Saw poppy Brooklynites Lake Street Dive who have matured recently. My man Chuck Prophet kicked it: Storm Across the Sea, Temple Beautiful, Left Hand-Right Hand, Friend To You (for Alejandro E), Summertime Thing, Who Put The Bomp closed out. This crowd had a real treat to see Chuck in all his smartass glory. I know I saw him a few months ago at the Nine, but he is always great. Caught the end of Pokey Lafarge, no relation to Gumby, sometimes the old timey gets too old timey which can be a problem. Back up to the main stage for Charles Bradley and the Extraordinaires who was a James Brown disciple captured by Daptone records and got the Sharon Jones treatment. Must have been hot in his mustard velour suit.  JD McPherson, from Oklahoma has been getting much buzz from critics. He had some Jerry Lee Lewis mannerisms and great songwriting, he rocked the sweltering dance tent with his old-turned-new style. Spanglish Fly was next in the dance tent. Brooklyn-latin boogaloo fronted by this sequined sultry front woman they had a song with the refrain "get up off your butt and ride your bike". Mainstage featured Los Lobos, I was thinking that the lineup, except drummer, was the same as I saw in a parking lot at URI in 1982. Will the Wolf Survive, Don't Worry Baby, In the Neighborhood, Kiko, Saint Behind The Glass, and all the deadheads were bopping to their reading of West LA Fadeaway. Show closed with the Guthrie family reunion, with Arlo leading the charge. Airline to Heaven, Show and Tell, Shit makes the Flowers Grow. Excellent day!

Wye Oak w/ Other Colors 7/5/12 The Space Hamden CT

Other Colors, from Baltimore was a pop trio. Drums, bass, 8-string looping guitar and vocals. Tight song structure but these guys were young. Many songs in the high vocal register will a problem as these lads age, but good for them for living in the moment. Wye Oak are a duo. Guy on drums,synths, and sometimes bass. Girl on looping 12-string and vocals. These two got a lot of noise out, but the songs seemed repetitive. Sing, shred, sing again was their m.o. I liked their newer material. They got a "request" for an older song that sounded....old, like before they got good. I give them props, no a/c at the Space makes a July event with a capacity crowd a sweatbox they did well to not melt before our eyes.

Brother Jocephus 6/21/12 Arts and Ideas Festival New Haven Green

New Orleans style brass, funk, girl backup singers, funny shades, a green trumpet. BroJo takes the stage for the Thurs. A/I slot. While abbreviated, this Brooklyn collective, and Brooklyn Bowl mainstays were smoking on this sultry evening. Good covers of We Are the Champions, and Sublime's What I Got were nice. City life is nice when you can saddle up the Townie, buy a big beer at the Wine Thief, and make it to the green for some down home Nawlins funk

Les Rhinoceros w/ Steve Assett 6/12/12 Cafe Nine

Opener Steve played bass clarinet and theremin looked like a substitute teacher, hipster dudes on uke and standup bass, and a dead ringer for Sun Ra on percussion. Odd combination for an avant jazz group, always good to see a theremin in use. When I say Sun Ra dude on percussion, I mean percussion. This guy played an altoids box, dog squish toys, a lucky bean, all while growling into a can! Headliner Les Rhinoceros from D.C. is also on John Zorn's Tzadik label (see previous review of Many Arms). The Rhino lineup had mini-electric violin and processed samples, guitar , dubby bass, and fierce drumming. Drumming and violin were the highlight, this band sounded like Jean Luc-Ponty fronting Firehose. Beatles and Sketches of Spain tease were welcome. Rhinos were en route to a date at the out-jazz fest Suoni Per Il Popolo in Montreal late June.

Eef Barzelay 6/4/12 Outer Space Hamden

Let's say you were a left-handed uke playing frontman of the band Clem Snide. Throw in an entire recording of Journey covers, spice with stories of being an american music cultural ambassador to Ecuador. Top with parents who are kind enough to name you Eef Barzelay.....and I'm in. This guy was the real deal on a low-key evening in Outer Space. Having been in and around the music business since the 90s, Eef had the cynical charm of a veteran. Songs like That Nick Drake Tape, and Stuck Inside Wallingford with the Hamden Blues Again (sic) were great. Ended the show with a great version of Train Train. Don't Stop Believing indeed!

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express 5/23/12 Cafe Nine

Chuck Prophet is amazing. San Francisco native, Chuck led the band Green On Red in the 80s before embarking on a career of solid recordings. "No Other Love" ranks as one of my favorite recordings of all time. Rocking a sold out crowd at the Nine, Chuck played tracks from his new recording, sprinkled with blasts from the past. Chuck had two mics, one had a distortion quality that allowed him scramble some choruses for extra power. Female cohort Stephanie Finch sang a couple tunes. Prophet live brings out his smart-ass inter song banter which is always a treat. Summertime Thing, and Who Put the Bomp were standouts. He played a Flamin Groovies tune which he labelled as the SF national anthem