TONIGHT: Lettuce At Minglewood Hall + After Party

Tonight begins an absolutely incredible weekend of live music in Memphis, Tennessee. First, at Minglewood Hall, the funk jamband giant Lettuce will be throwing a Friday night rager, with Late Night Radio opening things up. Following the show, Whitney Production Company will be throwing an after party at Young Avenue Deli with Nashville's funk outlet Backup Planet providing the tunage til bar close. All of these acts are must-see and should account for one of the best nights of music in Memphis for the year.

Saturday and Sunday we have Widespread Panic rockin' the Orpheum Theatre, and Backup Planet will be throwing another after party on Saturday at The Brass Door.

See you guys out there, and happy ragin'!

Ragin' Randy - New Developments

Well, it's been 2 weeks since my last post, and what a hell of a 2 weeks it's been! First off, and most importantly, I am now the official Business Representative for my good friends and favorite local Memphis band Agori Tribe! I am beyond excited to be working with them, and we've already begun to set some big things in motion. Agori Tribe is my first official music client, so it is a learning experience for me, and they have never had a manager or anything like that, so it is a learning experience for them as well.

Aside from that, I have also begun working with Whitney Production Company, formed by my good friend Stephen Whitney. WPC is stepping into the Memphis music scene and participating in artist management, booking, promotion, publicity and event planning. My position with WPC for the time being is primarily the company's Publicist. I'll be putting together press releases for events, tours, albums, etc. My first big shot at the press releases was just sent out to media outlets this morning for some of the events discussed below.

I have also had another review published. This one was a review of Greensky Bluegrass at the 1884 Lounge in Memphis, and it was by far the best GSBG show I've ever seen! The next night, I got to meet the Dead Winter Carpenters at the grand reopening of Lafayette's Music Room, which was a great experience!

COMING UP, I will have perhaps the busiest music weekend I've ever had this weekend, October 17-19. Friday, October 17, Lettuce will be performing at Minglewood Hall, which I will be reviewing for Live Music Daily. Afterwards, Whitney Production Company is presenting an after party with Nashville experimental funk quartet Backup Planet at Young Avenue Deli. Saturday, October 18, Widespread Panic begins a 2-night run at the Orpheum Theatre, which I'll be reviewing for Grateful Music. WPC will again be presenting an after party with Backup Planet, but this time it is the OFFICIAL after party for the show, and it will be downtown at The Brass Door. Finally, Sunday, October 19, is Night 2 of WSP at the Orpheum.

Following those reviews, I have one more live concert review at the beginning of November, and then I will be slowing down on the concert reviews in order to concentrate on my new positions with Agori Tribe and Whitney Production Company. I will still be writing album reviews and other articles when I have time for Grateful Music and Live Music Daily. Here's to the next steps forward! Thanks so much to everyone for all the love and support.

Preview: Greensky Bluegrass at 1884 Lounge, Memphis, TN 10/01/14

Greensky Bluegrass has relentlessly worked their way up to the top of the live music scene. Touring practically nonstop and improving every step of the way, the band has carved itself a niche in the jamgrass scene. Greensky's unique take on improvisation leads audiences down a hypnotic path and leaves them mesmerized. Fresh off of the release of their brand new album, If Sorrows Swim, and still riding the wave of their successful opening set for Railroad Earth at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Greensky Bluegrass hits the 1884 Lounge at Minglewood Plaza tonight in Memphis, Tennessee. This show is a must-see for all live music lovers.

Check out If Sorrows Swim below, as well as my review of the album on Grateful Music.

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood - Juice Debuts At No. 1 on Billboard Jazz Album Chart

"The jazz guitarist John Scofield has never met a groove he couldn't finesse, and in his on-and-off alliance with Medeski Martin & Wood he has pliable partners as fully in the moment as he is." - New York Times

"Mixing originals with covers of '60s classics, this group just kicks ass." - Magnet

"…an overall ‘60s Brit-jazz feel that, happily, could not sound fresher or brighter in 2014…compelling stuff." - Yahoo Music

"This is genre-bending, improvisational, funky freak jazz for people who want to step beyond the hook-laden pop nonsense that permeates the airwaves." - Esquire

"MSMW sound so loose and relaxed, we should consider ourselves lucky they even remembered to hit “record” and preserve this extended in-studio throw-down." - Relix

"...the simplicity of the approach at the heart of Juice camouflages its intricate balance. But like all truly great albums, successive listenings reveal the wealth of nuance within and, in turn, compel repeated playings." - Glide Magazine

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood released their latest album Juice via their label imprint Indirecto Records on September 16. The recording has subsequently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Album Chart this week.

Additionally, the band premiered its video for the song "Juicy Lucy" with Esquire.com: 

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/medeski-scofield-martin-wood-juicy-lucy. Directed by MSMW drummer Billy Martin, it features his 81-year old mother, a former Radio City Rockette, dancing to the Cuban boogaloo-inspired tune. Watch and share the video for "Juicy Lucy" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUpdvDF36vQ&

Juice—a ten-track effort and the fourth recording between the four musicians in seventeen years of performing together—showcases what Paste Magazine recently described as "the group's penchant for tight grooves and purposeful rambling." In addition to six original compositions, MSMW offer a romp through legendary jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris' "Sham Time," a dubbed-out deconstruction of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love," a playful post-bop reading of The Doors' "Light My Fire" and the gorgeous hymn-like album closer, Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

"We love the unexplainable magic that comes from our collaboration with John Scofield on every level, from the hang to the playing," says John Medeski. "This is a band with a personality and dynamics all its own that we feel we've captured like never before on this latest album. And it will only continue to evolve over these shows this winter."

"Reacting to each other is really what it's about," continues John Scofield. "That's what makes this music work. We've gotten to the point where we can come together and make something that is identifiable and organic, yet it's growing and changing all the time."

In December, MSMW will launch a 10-date U.S. tour, while they'll perform 15-shows throughout Europe in November.

TOUR DATES

December 4 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

December 5 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer

December 6 - Westhampton Beach, NY - Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center

December 7 - Boston, MA - House of Blues

December 8 - Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre

December 9 - Atlanta, GA - Symphony Hall

December 11 - New York, NY - Terminal 5

December 12 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall

December 13 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre

December 14 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

Dopapod To Release Fourth Studio Album

Dopapod is thrilled to announce the independent release of their next full-length record Never Odd Or Even, dropping November 11.  So that all can hear the latest effort, the band is now offering signups to access free digital downloads of the disc upon its release.  To get a copy, fans can visit the band’s official website at www.dopapod.com and sign up on the email list to be sent a link to download a free digital version of the album the day of its release on 11/11.  While at the site, fans can stream the debut track, ‘Picture in Picture’, and pre-order special merchandise bundles including lossless digital versions, physical copies of the CD, and more. 

The band’s fourth album is the quartet’s most fully realized work to date as the new songs embody the energy and cohesion the members of Dopapod have developed from playing live as well as an increasing comfort and familiarity while in the studio.  

Coming a long way from their college basement roots, Dopapod is earning high praise from Huffington Post, Jambase and Relix, while staying true to their ever-expanding fanbase. The past four years have individually held the weight of about 150 shows, including numerous festival appearances like Wakarusa, Summer Camp, Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, Peach Fest, and Gathering Of the Vibes. All of this time on stage together gives the band the opportunity to explore the wide variety of influences that has impacted them to be the players they are today. 

"The Never Odd or Even sessions cultivated a serious growth in the band's creativity,” explains guitarist Rob Compa. “Each person stepped up to the plate and put out great creativity and passionate playing, while inspiring everybody else involved in the project to do the same. We really feel that the material this time around represented a big leap forward, not just in the way we’ve been interacting as a band, but in the way our focus has become sharper in paying attention to things like melody, theme, lyrical imagery, and structure - all the elements that make a great song.” 

Determined to have that maturity translate in the studio, the band enlisted friend and producer Jason “Jocko” Randall to both engineer and produce the record.  

“We lived at his studio for about a month for these sessions and it just clicked right away,” says keyboardist Eli Winderman. “With Jocko’s attitude and approach to the recording process, we were able to really dial in the sounds we wanted, get those perfect takes we were aiming for, and have a blast the whole way through.” 

This considered production value compliments the dynamically adventurous album, giving the band the chance to take advantage of every available resource in a studio setting, while capturing the energy of the live experience.

Dropping on November 11 in the midst of an extensive Fall Tour, Never Odd Or Even is the spark that the band plans to ignite while in full stride of capping off an exciting year and launching them into the next. 

Dopapod is Eli Winderman (keyboards), Rob Compa (guitar), Chuck Jones (bass) and Scotty Zwang (drums).

Upcoming Ragin' Randy Schedule

Good afternoon fellow music lovers! I have had a wonderful month off from shows to spend time with my wife, but I am ready to get back out their and catch some live music. I've got some big ones coming up in October and early November! Here's what I've got so far:

Oct 01     Greensky Bluegrass - 1884 Lounge, Memphis, TN

Oct 02     Dead Winter Carpenters - Lafayette's Music Room (Grand Re-Opening), Memphis, TN

Oct 17     Lettuce - Minglewood Hall, Memphis, TN

Oct 18     Widespread Panic - Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, TN

Oct 19     Widespread Panic - Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, TN

Nov 02    STS9 - The Lyric Theatre, Oxford, MS

Remembering Jaco Pastorius (Dec 1, 1951 - Sep 21, 1987)

Today, we remember Jaco Pastorius. Any modern bass guitarist owes their talents and opportunities to this gentlemen. Originally a drummer, Mr. Pastorius injured his wrist at age 13, rendering him unable to play the drums anymore. That is when he picked up a bass to fill an open slot in his band at the time. 

Mr. Pastorius would go on to teach bass guitar at the University of Miami, where he met and recorded with Pat Metheny. Mr. Pastorius' debut self-titled album featured Herbie Hancock, David Sanborn (Official), Lenny White and other jazz heavyweights and was highly acclaimed as one of the finest bass albums ever recorded. 

Mr. Pastorius joined Weather Report that same year, becoming an integral part of the band during his five years as a member. 

After leaving Weather Report in 1981, Mr. Pastorius would go on to have an extremely successful solo career until his death on September 21, 1987 due to a massive brain hemorrhagic, which resulted from a violent confrontation with a club bouncer. 

Mr. Pastorius' discography consists of 14 solo albums, 8 albums with Weather Report and 15 collaborative albums, and he appears on numerous other acclaimed records. Rest in peace Jaco!