Widespread Panic Orpheum Weekend Recap

While I cannot believe it is already November, I can honestly say that October saw me at some of the best shows I've seen all year! After a Lettuce funk rager and an incredible Backup Planet after party, I geared up for two nights of Widespread Panic at the Orpheum Theatre. After Saturday's show, I thought I had seen an historic WSP show, but then Sunday came, and I was mindblown! See my review of the weekend here for full details on why this two-night stand was so incredible. Also, check out the video below to see a taste of the magic from Sunday night!

Also, my good friend Nick Clark's band, The Wave Function, played a stellar after party on Saturday night at Ernestine & Hazel's on Maine Street. See photos below.

Remembering Duane Allman (Nov 20, 1946 - Oct 29, 1971)

The legacy of the Allman Brothers Band, while comprised of and continued by a host of unbelievably talented and motivated musicians, is owed primarily to one man: Duane "Skydog" Allman. While his time with the ABB was short, it was he who set the band up for success. He hand picked every single member of the original six-piece band based on his vision of a band that not only played together, but became a family and even a community. It was not just the band either. The ABB crew members became a part of the family as well. They all traveled together, ate together, partied together and even lived together.

Just two years into what would become a 45 year career for the band, Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident. It was October 29, 1971, and Duane was less than a month away from his 25th birthday. It was a day that will live on in infamy in rock history, especially for ABB fans. Duane was the heart and soul of the band. When nobody else knew what to do or how to handle a situation, Duane did. He was like the big brother of the band, looking out for all of his younger brothers. And of course, he was perhaps the best slide guitar player who has ever lived to this day.

After Duane's death, the ABB went through many more hard times, but the band endured for 45 years with Duane's spirit guiding them and keeping them alive. He was in the music, he was in the fans, and he was continually in the atmosphere surrounding the entire ABB community. I use the term "was" because the Allman Brothers Band played its final show two nights ago. Three of Duane's prized guitars were used in the ABB's final Beacon Theatre run, and on the final night, they were displayed on stage for all to see. While the official date of the band's final show was October 28, 2014, the show ran into the morning of October 29, 2014, the 43rd anniversary of Duane's death. A fitting end to an illustrious career, filled with the ups and downs that can only be compared to those of a family, shared by band members, crew and fans alike. 

Rest in peace Skydog! And thank you to the Allman Brothers Band for the incredible years of music, which will live on in rock & roll history forever!

Duane "Skydog" Allman and brother Gregg Allman

Lettuce - 1884 Lounge Recap

Although the venue made the decision to move the Lettuce show from the main room in Minglewood Hall to the more compact 1884 Lounge, the setting could not have been more perfect. The close proximity created a wild energy like none other, making for an incredibly funky Friday night in Memphis! Along with my photographer, Ellis Jones, I could not stop groovin' as the band tore up the stage. Following the show, we headed to Young Avenue Deli for an after party with Nashville funk quartet Backup Planet, and they absolutely tore it up! All in all, it was a wonderful night. Check out my review of the Lettuce show here on Live Music Daily, and be sure to check out the video I took of the first song of the encore below.

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