Real Gone Music presents: Grateful Dead Dick's Picks Vol Seven September 1974 - New release review

I just received the latest release from Grateful Dead's Dick's Picks, Vol Seven and it's a strong set. Opening with Scarlet Begonias the Dead wastes no time whatsoever getting the groove going. Western flavored Mexicali Blues has a great feel and Weir's vocals are strong and clear. Row Jimmy is a nice change up and Garcia plays some shimmery guitar riffs that are actually chilling. Very cool! On Black-ThroatedWind the Dead's blues influences are particularly strong. Lesh's contribution on bass are vital on this track. A cool little (extended) ditty, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo has a real nice swagger and clean guitar solos. Garcia's vocals are spot on and fine! Beat It On Down The Line is of course one of the band's rockers and has great drive. Keith Godchaux lays down some nice piano work on this track and Donna Jean adds nice vocal harmonies. Tennessee Jed has just the right groove and Garcia leads it perfectly. Keith, Jerry, Bob and Phil really get a solid footing on this track held tight by Bill Kreutzmann for my favorite track on disc one. Band hit, Playing In The Band wraps side one in classic style with a 23 plus minute jam.

 Opening disc two is Weather Report Suite, opening with it's classical nature but evolving into a rowdy Dead western rocker with Weir and Donna Jean taking the vocal lead. Stella Blue is a classic Dead blues ballad and finds Garcia in some of his best vocals for my own personal preference in a long time. Jack Straw has a particularly cohesive feel with tight overlayed guitar and bass work. Brown-Eyed Women is as straight up crowd pleaser with no extraneous jams as I've heard the band perform. It is well received and clear. Big River has a hard driving feel and Weir coupled with Keith really gets it going on this one. Of course there is plenty of guitar to go around but the boys keep it reeled in and tight. Classic Dead track, Truckin' is a very short 10 plus minute version of one of their mist popular tracks ever. Nice! Blending straight into Wood Green Jam the band get creatively loose and although cohesive, more expressive. Wrapping disc 2 is Wharf Rat. Compelling vocals by Garcia as well as bass work by Lesh, piano by Keith and tight rhythms by Bill give this track real texture.

Western flavored Me and My Uncle is a great opener for disc 3 featuring Weir on vocal and fast paced soloing. This is a great toe tapper and gives Garcia a real opening to play some of his best riffs on the release. Just the opening of Not Fade Away elicits a crowd roar. Weir and Garcia sing in tandem as Lesh and Bill drive the rhythm train. Melodic soloing by Jerry and Lesh gets this track flying and it doesn't land for over 16 minutes. Clocking in at over 24 minutes, Dark Star pushes the envelope for free form jamming, with a solid melody falling out of the mist a times but only briefly. A continuation of the jam, Spam Jam, is much more wide open and experimental although a really cool jazz formation does appear. Interesting. Morning Dew is wound way down from Spam Jam with cohesive bass lines from Lesh driving Jerry vocally. Nice tight piano work from Keith leads to some frenzied guitar work and nicely woven solo lines between Weir and Garcia. Wrapping the release is U.S. Blues, an all time favorite with ideal framing and strong closing capabilities. Tight and powerful, the Dead crushes it.

   

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

West coast blues-rocker David Gogo set to release 'Vicksburg Call'

West coast blues-rocker David Gogo set to release 'Vicksburg Call' September 4th on Cordova Bay Records   Pre-order link: www.davidgogo.com/shop Pre-Order now and instantly get downloads of “Cuts Me To The Bone” and “Our Last Goodbye" View “Cuts Me To The Bone” promo here For immediate release August 14, 2015 (Victoria, BC) - For over two decades David Gogo has been recording and performing all over the world, bringing his magnetic and accessible groove-fueled blend of blues and rock to audiences of all ages.  The British Columbia based guitarist and vocalist's name has become synonymous with the Canadian blues scene, and with good reason.  Vicksburg Call (September 4) is Gogo’s 14th release and is poised to add even more acclaim to an already impressive inventory.  He’s earned numerous accolades, including five JUNO nominations and multiple Maple Blues Awards.  He has thousands of tour miles under his belt and has played on stage with B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Bo Diddley and Otis Rush as well as opened for ZZ Top, Buddy Guy, Charles Bradley and many others. Undoubtedly a rockin’ blues album, Vicksburg Call was recorded in a studio with a live, intimate atmosphere, which yielded an overall grittier sound with lots of feeling.  "I wanted this album to have more of a “band” feel to it, rather than just going into the studio and basically dictating the parts to the musicians", says Gogo.  "I also wanted as many songs as possible to have a very live feel and be easily transferrable to the stage." With the help of his backing band consisting of Bill Hicks on drums and Jay Stevens on bass, each of the tracks on Vicksburg Call are replete with the grooves, emotion and soulful delivery that David Gogo is known for. From the opening rocker “Cuts Me To The Bone”, the  bluesy “Fooling Myself”, featuring Kim Simmonds and the haunting “There’s A Hole”  with a guest appearance from Shawn Hall of The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer.  Vicksburg Call also highlights Gogo’s aptitude for selecting cover songs that one would not expect to hear on a blues album including Neil Young’s “The Loner”, Stephen Stills’ “Jet Set (Sigh)”, and Annie Lennox’s “Why”. “In the time that has passed since the last album, there has been a lot of loss in my life with the passing of friends and colleagues in the world of music. There were many sad days, but also tears of joy when I think back at fond memories from my time on the road”, Gogo recalls. “Relationships can also have their ups and downs as the years pass by, and many of my new songs deal with this. I tried to write from many viewpoints of love and loss, reconciliation, regret, acceptance and hope for new horizons.” Gogo’s passion for blues and his extraordinary, virtuosic guitar talents are laid bare alongside his emotions on this album - a combination that grabs you from the opening bars and keeps you hooked through all 10 tracks. davidgogo.com  /DavidGogoBlues  @DavidGogoBlues                              Photo by Scott Doubt Track Listing 1. Cuts Me To The Bone (3:19) 2. Fooling Myself (4:12) 3. The Loner (3:55) 4. There’s A Hole (3:26) 5. Jet Set (Sigh) (4:16) 6. What’s Not To Like? (3:01) 7. Our Last Goodbye (6:21) 8. Vicksburg Call (5:06) 9. Coulda Shoulda Woulda (2:37) 10. Why (5:29) Upcoming Tour Dates: August 14 - Class Axe Calabogie Blues & Ribfest, Calabogie, ON August 21 - Moose Hall, Nanaimo BC August 29 - Woofstock Music Festival, Prince George BC August 30 - PNE Mosaic Concert Series, Vancouver BC September 5 - Fascinating Rhythm, Nanaimo BC *in-store appearance September 11 - Waverly Hotel, Cumberland BC September 19 - The Bassment, Kamloops BC *solo September 25 - Ghost Town Blues - Maple Creek SK *solo October 1 - Ironwood Stage And Grill, Calgary AB October 3 - B Street Bar, Edmonton AB October 4 - Fratter’s Speakeasy, Red Deer AB October 10 - Tally Ho Sports Bar, Victoria BC October 16 - Canal Bank Shuffle, Thorold ON October 30 - Duncan Showroom, Duncan BC November 28 - De Flint, Amersfoort Netherlands December 4 - Theater De Molenburg, Delfzijl Netherlands December 5 - L’Esprit, Rotterdam Netherlands

The Fab Faux celebrate JOHN ONO LENNON 75TH - 10/24 at The Beacon -

• NYC, THE BEACON THEATRE

JOHN ONO LENNON 75TH - 10/24

"This show will feature music from John Lennon's entire career - both Beatles and Solo - including his best known greatest hits, as well as a couple of eclectic "deep cuts."   The Fab Faux will be augmented by the 4-piece Hogshead Horns, the Creme Tangerine Strings, guest musicians Jim Boggia and Erin Hill, and the 6-member Nutopia choir - allowing them to perform every facet of Lennon - from the most intimate numbers to full-out 19 piece Wall of Sound."


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2015 - 8 p.m.
MANHATTAN, NY
THE BEACON THEATRE - 2124 BROADWAY
Fab Faux Celebrate A Life In Songs:
John Ono Lennon 75th
featuring The Hogshead Horns, The Crème Tangerine Strings,
Erin Hill, Jim Boggia and The Nutopia Choir
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1D004EA6A6FA236A



The Wall Street Journal articulated what sets The Fab Faux apart: “The Fab Faux…are not interested in nostalgia – they are a musical ensemble, and, unlike any other Beatles recreation that I have seen, they play the Beatles canon like it was, well, music.  They don’t dress up in Beatles outfits or don fake mustaches and Sgt. Pepper suits – no more than Leonard Bernstein felt compelled to wear a powdered wig when he conducted Mozart.” Read the full story, here: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/10/26/the-fab-faux-go-beyond-beatlemania/ <http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/10/26/the-fab-faux-go-beyond-beatlemania/>


For those of us who never got to see The Beatles in concert, we're fortunate to have The Fab Faux dedicate themselves to faithfully recreating some of the most extraordinary music ever written. The band commemorated the 43rd Anniversary of The Beatles' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show with an appearance Late Show with David Letterman. Check out their fantastic recreation of ‘I Am The Walrus’ here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lknCpGbsJc <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lknCpGbsJc>





The Fab Faux brings together the talents of five of New York's most respected musicians: Will Lee of Late Show with David Letterman, who released a solo album last year which Rolling Stone Magazine praised as “hitting an intersection of the Average White Band and solo Paul McCartney,” Jimmy Vivino, band leader of the ‘Conan’ Show, Rich Pagano, who has performed with Rosanne Cash, Ray Davies and released a solo effort Blurt Magazine described as “one of the best albums of 2009,” Jack Petruzzelli, who has toured and recorded with Joan Osborne, Patti Smith and Rufus Wainwright (and co-wrote and co-produced Osborne's latest album, "Love and Hate," which came out in April,) and Frank Agnello, whose musical credits include Phoebe Snow, Marshall Crenshaw and Joey Molland of Badfinger.

Watch this live, in-studio performance of The Fab Faux recreating ‘Abbey Road’, side two: http://www.vimeo.com/11237479 <http://www.vimeo.com/11237479>

Watch The Fab Faux 60 Second Teaser (OFFICIAL VIDEO):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZoxzNkdhVY <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZoxzNkdhVY>

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE named the band as #18 on a list of the “40 reasons to get excited about music.” Rolling Stone also praised: “sometimes a tribute band sounds better than the original.” In a live concert review, THE WASHINGTON POST’s John Kelly blogged that the band had tackled “the task of reverse engineering the Beatles' late catalogue, obsessively learning every guitar figure, every drum fill, every lush harmony, every tap of the cowbell and shake of the tambourine, until the songs could be played in concert.” THE HUFFINGTON POST raved: “They do the one thing, no amount of officially sanctioned Beatles merchandise can do... bring The Beatles music back to life.”

Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, New Yorker ‘On the Horizon’, WFUV, The NY POST Fall Arts Preview, Time Out NY, RELIX Magazine, USA TODAY, Metro NY and other key outlets weighed in on The Fab Faux, as Radio City Music Hall became the setting for an epic three-hour concert --‘A Night In The Life - A John Lennon 70th Birthday Celebration.’ The 2010 event featured two sets of John Lennon’s greatest music from The Beatles and his solo career. A portion of the evening's proceeds benefited 'Spirit Foundation' - a charitable foundation set up by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Prior to the show, the band was honored to receive a personal note and bouquet of flowers from Yoko Ono.

>

NY POST: http://nypost.com/2013/12/29/the-fab-faux-is-the-ultimate-beatles-cover-band/ <http://nypost.com/2013/12/29/the-fab-faux-is-the-ultimate-beatles-cover-band/>
HUFFINGTON POST - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/holly-cara-price/george-harrisons-musical_b_4142867.html <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/holly-cara-price/george-harrisons-musical_b_4142867.html>
ELMORE PART 1 - http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2013/10/news/the-fab-faux-roll-out-george-harrison-tribute <http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2013/10/news/the-fab-faux-roll-out-george-harrison-tribute>
ELMORE PART 2 : http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2013/10/news/the-fab-faux-roll-out-george-harrison-tribute-part-2 <http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2013/10/news/the-fab-faux-roll-out-george-harrison-tribute-part-2>

SOMETHINGELSEREVIEWS: http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/10/16/a-mark-that-no-one-will-ever-make-again-the-fab-faux-return-with-tributes-to-the-beatles-george-harrison/ <http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/10/16/a-mark-that-no-one-will-ever-make-again-the-fab-faux-return-with-tributes-to-the-beatles-george-harrison/>

ROLLING STONE  - Concert Review
Alternate Take Blog, by David Fricke, 9/27/10
Every Twist of Lennon: The Fab Faux Meet the Quarrymen at New York Tribute Show

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/david-fricke/blogs/DavidFricke_May2010/210806/38726 <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/david-fricke/blogs/DavidFricke_May2010/210806/38726>


THE HUFFINGTON POST –interview feature   By Holly Cara Price, 9/16/10
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/holly-cara-price/the-fab-faux-celebrate-jo_b_719296.html <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/holly-cara-price/the-fab-faux-celebrate-jo_b_719296.html>

THE WASHINGTON POST – ‘CLICK TRACK’ POP MUSIC BLOG – LIVE CONCERT REVIEW
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/clicktrack/2010/05/in_concert_the_fab_faux_at_lis.html#more <http://blog.washingtonpost.com/clicktrack/2010/05/in_concert_the_fab_faux_at_lis.html#more>

Recent interviews: The Fab Faux keeps Beatlemania alive and prospering:
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/movies/the-fab-faux-keeps-beatlemania-alive-and-prospering <http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/movies/the-fab-faux-keeps-beatlemania-alive-and-prospering>

Fab Faux bring Beatles tunes to New Brunswick
East Brunswick native Jack Petruzzelli plays keyboards & guitar
http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2009/0930/front_page/011.html <http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2009/0930/front_page/011.html>
The Fab Faux’s Jack Petruzzelli appeared live on FOX-TV in Washington, D.C. to discuss the band’s approach to recreating the albums of The Beatles, note-for-note.

The John Lennon 70th Birthday concert, mentioned above, marked The Fab Faux’s return to Radio City Music Hall, following their sold-out 10th Anniversary event, during which they delivered a 36-song marathon performance that began with 'Magical Mystery Tour' and ended three hours later with 'Hey Jude' -- with the audience of more than 6,000 people on its feet. Their 10th Anniversary 'Psychedelia!' concert was The Fab Faux's largest headlining concert ever, their largest-ever sold out concert, and their largest NY concert-to-date as well.

The Fab Faux are now in a league of their own, consistently performing music that The Beatles themselves never played live. Beginning with a pair of concerts at Webster Hall in late ‘07, the band has reached a new level of fan support as well as media awareness, with growing coverage including ABC-TV World News Tonight with Charles Gibson, NPR, Rolling Stone, Associated Press, Reuters Newswire, NY-1 News, The New York Times, NY Post, New Yorker, NY Sun, Hollywood Reporter, Time Out NY, The Nation and much more. An NPR Morning Edition segment
(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18342562 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18342562> ) praised the group as a "Collective that's about attention to detail." A Front Page feature in The Hollywood Reporter noted: “After nearly 10 years together, (they) find themselves in the midst of a surprising leap from club fringe to center stage...” Critics have weighed in, and have described the band as nothing less than "Brilliant" (AP).  A live concert review in THE NATION.com described their show as “Almost magical.” Read Will Lee’s interview with GLIDE MAGAZINE here:
http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/interview-will-lee-of-the-fab-faux/ <http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/interview-will-lee-of-the-fab-faux/>


ABOUT THE FAB FAUX:
With a commitment to the accurate reproduction of The Beatles' repertoire, The Fab Faux treat the seminal music with unwavering respect, and are known for their painstaking recreations of the songs (with emphasis on the later works never performed live by the Beatles).  Far beyond a cover band, they play the music of The Beatles so impeccably that one must experience it to believe it. Imagine hearing complex material like "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "I Am the Walrus" performed in complete part-perfect renditions; or such harmony-driven songs as "Because", "Nowhere Man", and "Paperback Writer", reproduced not only note-for-note, but with extra vocalists to achieve a double-tracked effect.

The musical virtuosity of The Fab Faux – in actuality five of the hardest working musicians in NYC – completely up-ends the concept of a Beatles tribute band. Far beyond being extended sets of cover versions, their astounding shows are an inspired re-discovery of the Beatles’ musical magic, as The Fab Faux tackles the group’s most demanding material live onstage in a way that has to be experienced to be believed.

Calling them, “the greatest Beatles cover band – without the wigs,” Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke wrote, “the Faux invigorate the artistry of even the Beatles’ most intricate studio masterpieces with top chops and Beatlemaniac glee.” Approaching the songs with the intent of playing them live as accurately in musical reading and in spirit as possible, The Faux’s breathtaking performances tend to dispel all concertgoers’ previous notions of a Beatles tribute act.

The Fab Faux are a labor of love that was born in 1998 when neighbors Jimmy Vivino,
bandleader/guitarist for Conan O’Brien's new show, 'Conan,' and Will Lee (who’s played with all 4 Beatles), bassist for Paul Shaffer’s CBS Orchestra on the Late Show With
David Letterman kicked around the idea during an elevator ride in their NYC building. Rounding out the line-up are lead-singing drummer/producer Rich Pagano (Rosanne Cash, Patti Smith, sugarCane cups, etc.), guitarist Frank Agnello (Marshall Crenshaw, Phoebe Snow, etc.) and ace keyboardist/guitarist Jack Petruzzelli (Joan Osborne Band, Rufus Wainwright). All five principals contribute vocals, making the Faux’s soaring harmonies as resonant as their multi-instrumental chops, which are further enhanced by the four-piece Hogshead Horns (with Blues Brothers, Blood, Sweat & Tears and SNL band alums) and Creme Tangerine Strings.

The Faux’s high energy shows have generated serious buzz not only at top NYC venues including The Beacon Theater, Hammerstein Ballroom, and Webster Hall – with Beatles fans, movie stars and world class musicians in attendance – but at major dates in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Park City, Utah (Sundance), Philadelphia and Toronto, among other locales. They’ve headlined 4 of the last 5 years at Liverpool’s annual Beatle Week, playing before 35,000 Beatle fanatics – while in England, they had the rare honor of recording an original song at Abbey Road Studios – and also delighted the masses performing live on the Howard Stern Show. Benefit and corporate dates have included events for JVC, the N.B.A. and the Michael J. Fox Parkinsons Research Foundation.

“It's not just a cover band,” says the Faux’s Pagano. “This is the greatest Pop music ever written, and we're such freaks for it.” Imagine the instrumental complexities of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “A Day in the Life” performed part-perfect with an orchestra. The lush, multi-layered harmonies of “Because,” and “Eleanor Rigby” sung note-for-note. The adrenaline rush of “Helter Skelter” and “Paperback Writer,” delivered spot on…