SOTD: "Slow Train" - Streets of Laredo

Streets Of Laredo will be performing with Delta Spirit at their upcoming Bowery Ballroom show on Weds. 10/1. This will be the band's first date on their fall tour in support of their first full-length album, Volume I & II on Dine Alone Records, out October 7th. For more on the band, including other upcoming tour dates, please visit their website HERE.

Pettyfest 2012: NYC & LA Dates

Pettyfest is almost upon us. Some info from the press release.....




PETTY FEST CONFIRMED FOR WEBSTER HALL OCTOBER 24

PETTY FEST LA CONFIRMED FOR THE EL REY NOVEMBER 14 & 15

- The Best Fest Sponsored by Jameson Takes to New Stages in 2012/ 13 -


New York, NY (October 12, 2012) -- On October 24, Webster Hall will host Petty Fest NYC: A Night To Celebrate Tom Petty. The first ever Petty Fest LA will be held at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on November 14 & 15. The Best Fest is proud to be sponsored by their favorite spirit, Jameson® Irish Whiskey. This new collaboration will help The Fest see its vision of celebrating its musical heroes while giving to those in need come to fruition.

The New York show features special guests Justin Townes Earle, Karen Elson, Father John Misty, Adam Green, Nicole Atkins, Devendra Banhart, Jesse Malin, Delta Spirit, Sammy James Jr. of The Mooney Suzuki, Cory Chisel & Adriel Denae, Steve Schiltz of Hurricane Bells, Ryan Miller of Guster, Har Mar Superstar, Johnny T, Andrew W.K., Matt Sweeney, Danny Clinch & The Tangiers Blues Band, Justin Long, Petter Ericson Stakee of Alberta Cross, Jody Porter of Fountains of Wayne, Caveman and many more surprise guests.

The Los Angeles show features Pat Carney of The Black Keys, Nick Valensi of The Strokes, members of Eagles Of Death Metal, Harper Simon, Nicole Atkins, Har Mar Superstar, Bijou Phillips, Ryan Miller of Guster, Justin Barha, Jenny O., Rodrigo Amarante, Adam Busch with more guests to be announced.

All of the performers will be backed by the legendary Cabin Down Below Band and one hundred percent of ticket sale proceeds will go to benefit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and the Musicians Cancer Fund.

Over the next eight months, The Best Fest and Jameson will produce a series of landmark shows, beginning with Petty Fest NYC on October 24 at New York's Webster Hall, to Petty Fest West in Los Angeles on Nov 14 & 15 at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles and on to San Francisco in 2013.

Over the past decade, The Fest has welcomed global superstars like Kings of Leon, the Black Keys, the Strokes, Norah Jones and the Killers alongside developing artists including Dawes, Delta Spirit, Alberta Cross, the Sheepdogs, Cory Chisel and Nicole Atkins. It has also embraced actors and comedians such as Kristen Wiig, Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis, Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat.

"The Fests are the perfect embodiment of everything a Jameson night should be - great friends coming together to celebrate and raise a glass to our musical heroes. With Jameson already a huge part of the rehearsals and performances, we are truly excited to have their support to grow the Fests nationwide," said Alex Levy, Fest founder. "And for the first time, 100 percent of the ticket proceeds will go to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to help struggling musicians."

"The FESTS started in the same close-knit NYC East Village and Lower East Side bartender/musician community that adopted Jameson as their drink of choice back in the early 90s," said Jeffrey Moran, Vice President, Public Relations, Events and Lifestyle Marketing. "Jameson is looking forward to supporting and preserving this event and ensuring it is taken to more cities, musicians and Jameson fans."

More info: http://www.bestfestever.com/

Newport Folk Festival or Bust......

Just arrived in Newport, RI for the 2012 Newport Folk Festival Weekend (w/ three nights of Deer Tick & Friends at the Newport Blues Cafe). Going to be an epic weekend...... a few pics I took last year to kick off the festivities....

DELTA SPIRIT

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE

DAWES

MAIN STAGE CROWD

MIDDLE BROTHER

HEAD & THE HEART

ME & JOHN McCAULEY (of DEER TICK)

JOHNNY CORNDAWG & THE BOYS

RS @ SXSW: Delta Spirit -"California"

Here's a great clip from Rolling Stone featuring Delta Spirit performing their new single "California" in the back yard of the Spotify House at SXSW.

Delta Spirit Pub Crawl, Album Preview & Public Assembly Show

On Saturday afternoon, a few buddies and I took the short trip over to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to attend the Delta Spirit Album Premiere & Pub Crawl sponsored by Brooklynvegan. I missed the first stop but caught up at the 2nd bar (DBA) where we listened to a bunch of cuts off the new album. We moved on from there to the Lovin' Cup where we heard some more before heading across the street to the show at Public Assembly.

The venue was packed, I'd imagine only a few hundred people fit into the space but the band played a great mix of old and new songs with a ton of energy in the room. It was cool hearing old favorites in such an intimate setting like "St Francis", "Trashcan", and "Bushwick Blues" amongst the new songs off the upcoming album.

Delta Spirit put together a little recap video which you can see below and Rolling Stone is streaming the album which you can listen to HERE.

Newport Folk Festival 2011 Preview

This weekend I'll be heading up to Newport, RI for their annual Folk Festival. If you're unfamiliar with the Festival, you can read about it's extensive history starting all the way back in in 1959 right HERE.

I've been invited by my friend Todd a couple times as he's been a regular attendee but I just haven't been able to pull it off until this year. Some of my friends were able to join him last year and they came back raving about the weekend, I knew I had to make it happen this year.

I'll be heading up with a big crew to take in the weekend at Fort Adams State Park and I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to cover the festival. When I first saw the lineup a few months ago I knew I had to make it up there as it was a great mix of bands I had seen, bands I dug but hadn't yet seen, and some bands I had just read/heard about recently. Add in a great venue on the water and it seems like a perfect weekend to take in some great music.

I figured I'd give some recommendations of bands that I've seen or plan on seeing over the weekend. With so many great options, it's impossible to hit everything but Newport Folk Festival has assembled a tremendous lineup and it's pretty difficult to go wrong at any point this weekend. One word of advice, I'd wear some comfortable shoes because you're going to want to move around quite a bit to see some great acts. Okay, here we go......





SATURDAY

12:35 - TYPHOON (Harbor Stage): Tough call here with Typhoon playing basically the same time slot as The Felice Brothers but I'll be staked out at the Harbor Stage. I first found out about Typhoon early in 2011 when I was sent their EP "A New Kind of House". From the first listen, I thought it was as good as anything I had heard in a long time. I tried researching the band a bit but they weren't on tour and things were pretty quiet at the time. They ended up getting invited to SXSW and the reviews I read said they were fantastic. I've literally been trying to see this 11-piece band for about six months so I'm thrilled to catch them in Newport (and again in NYC next week). Check out "The Honest Truth" below.




1:40 - FREELANCE WHALES (Quad Stage): I've been following these guys for a couple years now and definitely plan on catching their set. Even if you don't think you know them, chances are you've heard the Freelance Whales' song "Generator^First Floor" in a recent Starbucks Ad. Their album "Weathervanes" came out a bit ago and is definitely worth getting, some great songs on there. I finally got to see them at Coachella earlier this year and they were excellent. Here's a video of their song "Hannah" that I recorded at the show.




2:00 - GOGOL BORDELLO (Fort Stage): If you haven't seen these guys (or even if you have), they are a MUST SEE. One of the best live bands I've ever seen. Few bands match the energy of Gogol Bordello in concert, just a really unique experience. I've written a lot about them over the last couple of years, and even met lead singer Eugene Hutz one night in NYC a couple years ago. I'm just a big fan and think that anyone making the trip this weekend should make sure they catch at least part of this set. Here's a clip of "Wonderlust King" I took at Coachella earlier this year.




2:55 - DELTA SPIRIT (Quad Stage): Lead singer Matt Vazquez will be pulling double-duty performing with Delta Spirit along with his other project, Middle Brother. I had heard a bunch of their material and finally got to see them at Coachella this year. Here's a clip of "St Francis" that my buddy Chris took at the festival.




4:15 - TEGAN & SARA (Quad Stage): I'm a fan of these sisters from up north. I first saw them in 2007 out at Neil Young's Bridge School Festival in California. I had friend playing the weekend so I was lucky enough to tag along and meet these ladies and a bunch of other bands. They're extremely talented and I also thought they were just damn nice people, really enjoyed speaking with them and have followed their career since that time. I think they have some great songs, and particularly love their album "The Con". Here's a clip of my favorite song by them, "Dark Comes Soon".... I'd imagine their set will be something like this.




6:05 - THE DECEMBERISTS (Fort Stage): Here's a pretty big band that I have not seen in concert before. I know some of their stuff but honestly haven't listened to them a ton. I know a lot of people that really like them, they seem to have a big following an will be playing one of the headlining slots on Saturday night. Here's one of their songs that I really dig, "Down By The Water" (and I wouldn't be surprised to see Gillian Welch hang around after her set to join these guys).





SUNDAY


11:30 - BROWN BIRD (Harbor Stage): Here's a band I've only recently heard about but I definitely like what I've listened to. They've got one of the first slots on Sunday so it's a great opportunity to get out there and check out some early sets. Take a listen to this track, "Ragged Old Town"




1:40 - TRAMPLED BY TURTLES (Quad Stage): I just started listening to these guys at the end of 2010 so I haven't had a chance to see them yet. Definitely looking forward to seeing them as I really like the songs I've heard. Check out the track, "Wait So Long"




3:00 - JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE (Quad Stage): This is definitely one of the sets I'm most looking forward to over the weekend. I've really gotten into Justin's stuff over the last year and am looking forward to finally catching one of his live sets. My favorite song is probably a tune called, "Midnight at the Movies" but I'm also hoping for some more up-tempo songs, something like "Harlem River Blues".




4:20 - MIDDLE BROTHER (Quad Stage) vs THE HEAD & THE HEART (Harbor Stage): This would be my "steel cage match" of the weekend, two acts I'd really like to see playing at the same exact time. Middle Brother is made up of three lead singers of other bands; John McCauley (Deer Tick), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) & Matt Vazquez (Delta Spirit). I've seen Deer Tick & Dawes numerous times, love both bands and saw Middle Brother perform in Brooklyn earlier this year. Here's a video I took of their song "Blue Eyes".



The Head and The Heart are getting some major buzz. They recently played the Mercury Lounge in NYC and the tickets sold out in the blink of an eye. I think they'll have a big crowd for their set and I'm going to try to swing between the two and hopefully catch a bit of both. These guys have some great songs, one of my favorites is "Down In The Valley".




4:45 - ELVIS COSTELLO (Fort Stage): As if Middle Brother and The Head & The Heart wasn't enough of a tough decision, Elvis Costello takes the stage about half way through their sets. I'm going to do my best to run over and catch the tail end of his set. Regardless, if you like music, you've got some amazing options between 4pm and 6pm, great acts all over the venue. Here's one of my favorite Elvis tunes, "Pump It Up" (still sounds great!)




5:40 - M WARD w/ DAWES (Quad Stage): This should be another great set, M Ward with Dawes as his backing band. I like M Ward's stuff but he's another act that I haven't seen in person yet. I'm also hoping that they find a way to mix in some Dawes tunes, easily one of my favorite new bands from the last couple of years. If you don't have their two albums, go buy them immediately, fantastic albums. Here's a recent clip of "Big Bird" with Dawes backing M Ward.



Well, think that about wraps it up. As you can see, there's a ton of great options that should keep any music lover busy throughout the weekend. There's a bunch of good bands I didn't even get to mention but I have to give a ton of credit to the Festival organizers for putting together such a strong lineup. I'll have some pictures, videos, and hopefully a slew of stories upon my return next week. As always, thanks for reading!

"White Table" - Delta Spirit

Middle Brother SXSW 2011

Just had to share this Middle Brother video, love these guys....

Middle Brother - SXSW 2011 from Miku & Ryan on Vimeo.

Middle Brother @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg - 3/5/11

On Saturday night, I finally had the opportunity to see the new group Middle Brother. If you haven't heard of them (or their music yet), Middle Brother consists of the lead singers from three bands: John McCauley of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes & Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit. This tour also featured Deer Tick and Dawes opening these shows for the new group.

Deer Tick & Dawes have been alternating the opening slot with Middle Brother finishing the show and on this night Deer Tick would take the stage first. I've seen Deer Tick several times but it was cool to hear some songs off their latest album, "The Black Dirt Sessions", which came out last year. John and the guys have a lot of energy so they always put on a good live show but I really enjoyed some songs I haven't heard live like "Twenty Miles" & "Christ Jesus". The closer to the set was "Mange", a song that really lends itself to a powerful live performance, really comes alive in person.

After a short intermission, Dawes took the stage and played a solid mix of some older tunes off their album "North Hills" along with some new songs that will be on their upcoming album (slated for release this year!). I've seen these guys a bunch over the last couple years and I think they just get better and better every show, the older songs have really grown over the last year or so. The new stuff sounded great, at one point Taylor split the crowd in half to sing the chorus (felt like a Ben Folds moment). I especially loved "Peace In The Valley" and "That Western Skyline", two great songs off their debut album.

About half way through the Dawes set, the guys invited Jonny Corndawg on stage to sing a few tunes, the highlight probably being "Trashday", which went out to all the "married people", haha. The whole set was great but the best part was when they played a raucous version of "When My Time Comes" with guest appearances by John McCauley & Matt Vasquez, I filmed video of this one (see below), check out John on the harmonica!



Middle Brother closed the show and played mostly songs off their self-titled album that just came out about a week ago. This album is really solid so definitely pick it up if you don't have it yet. As I usually find, there's always a song that I think is just okay on an album but really impresses me in concert, I give the nod to "Blood and Guts" this time around. Taylor absolutely owned this song, really, really good performance and got me listening to the song all day. I took some footage of another tune, "Blue Eyes", which you can check out below.



All in all a great night out in Brooklyn at one of my favorite venues. You often hear people complain about ticket prices nowadays but for $25, you couldn't get a better 4-hours in my opinion, worth every penny. These guys will be on tour over the next month or so, try to see the show if they're coming your way.

Middle Brother Album Stream

Head over to Spinner.com to get a streaming preview of the new Middle Brother album (lead singers of Delta Sprit, Deer Tick & Dawes). I'll be checking these guys out Saturday night in Brooklyn, should be a great one!

MIDDLE BROTHER STREAM

Middle Brother Album Preview

Head on over to Middle Brother's site HERE to preview their upcoming album.

Middle Brother Download "Me, Me, Me"

You can download the new single from "Middle Brother" (John McCauley of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit) right HERE. The album will be released on March 1st, 2011 but enjoy this until it comes out.

SOTD: "Daydreaming" - Middle Brother

Really excited for this album featuring Lead singers John McCauley of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit.

From the newsletter I got last night, "The band will be playing a one-off show December 20 at the Troubadour in Los Angeles (an Invisible Children benefit). The show will also feature an acoustic McCauley set."

They'll be on a national tour in the Spring 2011 so keep your eyes peeled for that. Enjoy this one!

SOTD: "Bushwick Blues" - Delta Spirit

This one was sent to me by my buddy Chris, gotta like the live version.

MG&V

Got this email last night, sounds awesome, can't wait to hear the material......

"MG&V stands for McCauley, Goldsmith, and Vasquez...More specifically, John McCauley - frontman of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith - frontman of Dawes and Matt Vasquez - frontman of Delta Spirit.

Notoriously adverse to sitting still, John McCauley felt the urge to write and record during some of Deer Tick's recent downtime. Deer Tick chose Dawes to support a leg of their summer 2009 tour, during which McCauley and Goldsmith developed an affinity for each other's songwriting. McCauley decided that Nashville would be the perfect location to write some new songs, and invited Goldsmith to join him. As the project began to take shape, McCauley and Goldsmith decided Matt Vasquez was the man to complete their vision for the project. A few days after tape started rolling, Vasquez arrived in Nashville - never having met McCauley. The three songwriters immediately bonded and proceeded to make a timeless masterpiece. Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith also joined the group to contribute percussion.

MG&V will make their world debut at the Coda Agency SXSW Showcase at the Ale House on Friday, March 19th at 1 AM. "