Posts

,

A Year In Review Like No Other, Really

It was a classic July evening in L.A. as I rolled my camera case the mile or so up to the Greek Theatre from Los Feliz Boulevard. I was excited to be covering one of Neil Young’s two shows at the Greek as part of a brief West Coast solo tour…
,

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Greek Theatre

October 18, 2023 Those who know me, know there are a few particular bands for which I have deep loyalty. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, aka “JRAD", is at a high elevation on that list. I may have been a little late to this party some years…
,

Joni, Jazz Fest and the Continuing Journey – The Year in Review

December 20, 2022 What a difference a year makes, right? Some 12 months ago I wrote I don’t know jack and I still stand by that. Would stadium concerts rule (they did)? Would the world flock to music festivals in huge numbers (they did)?…
,

Reflections on a year of music photography like no other

There is no rewind to this year, nor any fast forward. We are stuck in uncertainty. A year ago, the prospect of live music coming back, let alone shows of major touring scale, was the stuff of pure fantasy in a locked down world. Now, after…

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Greek Theatre

August 16, 2019   If you have ever been into the Dead, and written off JRAD as just a Dead cover band, you are so missing the point. For me, this band goes places I haven't been, fueled by the Dead's musical canon. If you…

NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL 2019, FORT ADAMS, RHODE ISLAND

July 26-28, 2019   As the sun dipped to meet Naragansett Bay a few Sundays back, the 60 years since the first Newport Folk Festival seemingly came full circle. The Fort Stage crowd serenading Rambling Jack Elliott, and the…

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Wiltern Theatre

November 8, 2018 A quick interweb search shows more than 500(!) Dead influenced or tribute bands. Yup, the reach of the Dead is just staggering, whether the generation is golden or newly spawned. To whit, “songs are like fairy tales,”…

Hot Tuna (Electric), El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

September 6, 2018   Birthed of the 60s, the Haight, ingestibles and another time, before jam bands became a thing, there was the Jefferson Airplane. A band I was too young to see live, but burrowed into me, nonetheless. I soared on…

Tedeschi Trucks Band, Orpheum Theatre

November 11, 2017 Spoiler alert - pretty sure this won’t be an objective take on what transpired at the second of two nights with the Tedeschi Trucks Band at the historic Orpheum Theater in DTLA. I flat out think the TTB is one of the best…

Newport Folk Festival, Ft. Adams, Rhode Island

July 29-30, 2017 "These songs are a living language”, Billy Bragg told the crowd early in his Harbor Stage set with Joe Henry at the Newport Folk Festival on Saturday. Six words that pretty much sum up the heart and soul of this legacy…