One could argue that everything KISS produced after 1985 was overlooked. I’m looking at a period when they ruled the world. They had so many albums between 1974 and 1980. Many of the songs that were staples then have fallen out of the repertoire, but at least they had their moment in the sun. I went looking for songs that I love that never really got any traction at the time of their release or since.
The first two albums are loaded with classic tunes that have since disappeared from the live set. Tracks like “Got to Choose,” “Let Me Go, Rock n Roll,” “She,” “Parasite,” “Watchin’ You,” “Rock Bottom,” “C’mon and Love Me,” “Let Me Know,” and “100,00 Years” don’t get played too much anymore, but can’t be considered overlooked. The songs such as “Strutter,” “Deuce,” “Firehouse,” “Black Diamond,” and “Hotter Than Hell” are still relevant and find their way into the setlist. The first song on the list is “Mainline” (I was tempted to go with “Strange Ways” because of its classic 70s rock feel) featuring Peter on vocals. Peter and Ace songs stand out more over time than some of the popular Gene and Paul songs. “Mainline” might have made the setlist in 1975, but it is hard to find many live versions of the song anywhere. The tune embraces the sort of 60s rock vibe that inspired KISS to begin with:
Following Destroyer (well the release of the single, “Beth”) KISS took over the planet. It would be hard to say anything on the late 70s albums was ignored, but “Do You Love Me” is so cool and never seems to make any favorite lists and I rarely see live footage of it. The opening anthemic drum line is what got me into the drums:
Another mega-album, 1977′s Rock ‘n Roll Over features what might be my favorite KISS song of all time. “Mr. Speed” just kicks ass. Although another brightly colored feather in their misogyny cap, it is just so damn cool and catchy with its T-Rex riffage that I’d expect to hear it more on satellite radio or even commercials. “Cause you ain’t enough lady / to keep the master satisfied” – now that’s some macho dick swinger-y right there:
“New York Groove” performed by Ace isn’t unknown either, but to me, it’s a big, big song. It’s actually a cover originally written by Brit rockers, Hello. It’s just more sincere coming a Bronx native. This is another one that should be in films and commercials more often. It’s the rock ‘n roll version of the love letter to New York City that Sinatra’s “New York, New York” is:
OK, I guess I’m not digging to deep with these, but I have to feature “Shandi” from 1980′s Unmasked. This is a single so it had support, but I think rock fans were so disillusioned and disgusted by the disco embrace of Dynasty that following it up with yet another disco-y, sugar-coated power pop groove had most everyone tune the fuck out. ‘Shandi” is equally lame as it is great. This will probably never get played again, but I can’t help but love the fact that it captures the late 70s so well and could easily be snuck into the soundtrack for Xanadu or Grease (maybe Grease 2) or something:
The Saturday Giant will be performing at Natura Coffee & Tea, this Friday, July 26 at 9pm
Who are you and where do you come from?
I’m Philip Cogley, born in Mississippi, partially raised in northwestern Pennsylvania—but since the age of 8, I’ve been an Ohio boy.
Mississippi!?
OK, so I have to ask; name? Saturday Giant. The Saturday Giant. Do tell …
It’s a bastardized translation of the name of this incredible Mexican variety show, Sabado Gigante. It’s like the Lawrence Welk show , if everyone involved were on acid. When I got the idea to do a solo project, I knew that I wanted it to incorporate a lot of different genres, and since that show incorporates so many genres of television in a very bizarre, almost psychedelic way, it seemed appropriate. Literally, the name of the show in English would be “Gigantic Saturday,” but I think “The Saturday Giant” sounds cooler. It’s also funny (to me) because I’m short.
Now – I was introduced to your music through the YouTube video you posted. It was “The Fix” on SpoonfeedTV. The thing I noticed is that your drummer is a total dick. The rest of the guys are OK – but that drummer, man. No – honestly, it’s the obvious – the fact that YOU are Saturday Giant. You’re doin’ this solo. And you’re building these layers of rhythms and riffs and melody one-by-one by yourself. It’s really incredible to watch.
Haha the drummer is totally a dick! But man, thank you for saying that. I tweeted the video to you on a whim; I’m really glad you took a moment to watch it and you enjoyed it so well. Where did you begin, musically? What instrument? What age?
I started playing the guitar when my parents got me lessons for Valentine’s Day in 5th grade. I think I was always interested in music, though. When I was very young, an old friend of my parents apparently told my mother, “you could teach Philip anything if you put it to music.” At what point did you say, “You know what? I’m just going to make this shit my way. I’m fucking playing everything!”
It happened about 3 years ago. I’d written a record and recruited some good friends of mine in Columbus to play the songs out with me for a few months. I knew that I wanted to tour, and I was in the process of putting a trio together to do that (my friends were either in other bands or lacked the flexibility to tour as aggressively as I wanted), but I was having a hard time finding a bass player who clicked. Then the guy I had lined up to play drums was diagnosed with heart palpitations. Obviously, the touring lifestyle is high stress and not recommended for folks with that condition, so it was back to square one. I was really frustrated—the entire rationale for writing and recording an album on my own was not to be reliant on other people!—and here I was stuck, unable to do what I wanted to do for that very reason. So I vowed to figure things out so I would never be in that position again.
I’m an idiot, but to me, it seems the practice it would take to manipulate the myriad instruments before you as well as the sampling equipment would be like learning to play another instrument in and of itself.
I suppose it is a bit like that. Certainly the first time I experimented with looping/live sampling/whatever you want to call it, it did not go well. I said to myself, “wow. I may not be cut out for this.” But I spent a lot of time woodshedding in my basement, and I got a bit better. I don’t think it got really seamless though until I started touring. Playing in different rooms with different acoustics every night really has a way of locking things in.
Would you ultimately like to build a band around Saturday Giant?
The only way I would do that is if suddenly I were working with a label that wanted to offer some big time tour support, or if I knew I was going to be selling a lot of tickets that would enable me to properly compensate the other musicians. But even then, I’m not sure I would do it. At this point, the one-man band aspect of the project is a big part of what makes The Saturday Giant, The Saturday Giant.
What music inspires you? What do you draw from?
I hear a sort of elegant melancholy – and kind of hear touches of Modest Mouse and Death Cab and maybe something like Manchester Orchestra, Mimicking Birds??
I certainly went through phases in which I listened to plenty of Modest Mouse and Death Cab, although I think the former probably has more to do with my songwriting than the latter. I was obsessed with Radiohead for a long time when I was younger, so I’m sure that influence is there. I was (and am) a big fan of late 90s/early aughts post-rock—big, expansive stuff like Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think, etc.
I also love hip hop and hip hop production, from mainstream stuff like Kanye to indie stuff like Why? Probably the simplicity I tend to favor when it comes to beats and basslines comes from there.
Where can people find more info and hear some music?
thesaturdaygiant.com is the online portal for The Saturday Giant experience – Haha!
What’s your favorite TV show? And if you fucking say, “I don’t watch TV,” I’m going to fucking freak.
Uh oh. Well, I really don’t watch much TV.
Ahhhhhhh!!!!
<ducks tomato> However, my all-time favorite show is Arrested Development. The writing on that show (especially on the original 3 seasons) is just unreal.
If I hit play on your iPod right now, what would I hear? You have to be honest. You can’t say Dirty Mind or Something Blue or something else cool. If it’s En Vogue you better fucking say it’s En Vogue!
You’d be most likely to hear audiobooks of A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones)! Haha. That’s the only way I stay sane on longer drives. (And if you drop any spoilers in this article, I will murder you.)
Haha – no spoilers. I’ve really gotten into podcasts and audio books myself as of late.
Just for fun, I hit shuffle on my phone and here are the first 5 songs that came up:
Nirvana – “Dumb”
Ronu Majumdar – “African Queen”
Manu Chao – “Por el Suelo”
Baroness – “Blackpowder Orchard”
Weezer – “Buddy Holly”
I apologize if that’s not sufficiently embarrassing. No. It’s just music snobbish enough to know you’re serious …
Who’s blowin’ up in Columbus right now? Who do you see breaking away or what is some music we should pay attention to should they stop by Orlando?
Well, Saintseneca just signed with ANTI-, which is a pretty huge freakin’ deal. I think everyone in the Cbus community is pretty stoked about that; it’s like external validation for a scene we’ve known is kick ass for a long time.
I was hanging with some kids in Gainesville the other night and I played them some stuff by Cbus-expat, Dane Terry. They freaked. Dane is a good friend and a truly incredible pianist, performer and songwriter. Way Yes and Dolfish are also good buds of mine from Ohio making really interesting, rewarding music.
I really encourage anyone to dig deep into the Columbus scene, there’s so much good stuff people are working on.
Well, thanks for not pullin’ a Beyonce or some shit and boycotting Florida. Now have you heard about the Treyvon case? It’s big news ya know? Did the fact that you are playing Orlando trouble any friends or loved ones? You know you might not make it out of here. It’s like the Wild West.
Man, that case is such an enormous bummer. I don’t blame Beyonce for boycotting, to be honest, though I don’t think her doing that helps to address the underlying issues. Floridians ought to know, though, that their state is a real object of derision pretty much everywhere else right now (at least, the places I’ve been on this tour). It’s not fair, but that’s the reality. The incident and its aftermath have been a pretty big black eye.
My point of view is that there are decent people everywhere. I’ve certainly encountered plenty of them thus far in Florida. And really, what happened in that case would not have been possible without some very serious systematic flaws, and those flaws exist pretty much everywhere in this country. Though I must say that Stand Your Ground seems like a really great way to encourage people to assault each other, and that’s specific to Florida.
If I’ve offended any of your readers with my opinion on the subject, I encourage them to come discuss it with me after the show. Please don’t bring a gun.
Have you been to Orlando as a musician? A tourist?
This is my first time! I’m looking forward. I always thought the Magic had really dope uniforms.
You know you’re playing over by UCF. -Sooo many hot chics- Where and when are you playing?
Haha, that’s good to know. The show is at a place called Natura, The address is 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL 32817, and the show starts shortly after 9 PM.
You should freak everyone out and just blow the fucking doors of Natura! Just do a death metal version of your show with fucking screeching 5-minute guitar solos, smash a guitar and light your pants on fire. That would be rad.
Thanks for ruining the surprise, dick.
Hahahahaha
It will be interesting to see how it goes. I’ve been playing an extremely wide variety of venues on this tour. I don’t necessarily see coffee shops as my ideal sort of venue, but I’m pretty good at adjusting my set to the room I’m in. That said, if we can pack some kids in, I’ll totally stand on a table and take my pants off.
You heard it here first ladies. Let’s hold him to it …
Is When Death Comes your latest release? What inspired the title? What’s got you musing on such dark topics?
Yep, that’s the latest one. The making of that EP happened to coincide with a pretty trying time in my life. I lost a grandmother, a 19 year-old cousin and a dear friend, all within a year. I was also dealing with the death of a romantic relationship. So I was thinking a lot about losing people, both physically and emotionally, and each of the songs address those issues in a different way.
Man! That’s tough, but it is also the inspiration for so much great music.
The title track is actually a riff on this poem called “Death Be Not Proud” by a 17th-century poet named John Donne. In his poem, Donne personifies death in order to diminish his power, and that’s what I attempt to do in the song.
I’m on tour through August 17, then I’m home for a couple of weeks before heading back out for most of September. Then I’m home again for much of October before hitting the road again for most of November. I’m doing some short runs in October and December as well.
Amidst all that, I’m trying to finish my first LP. I would love for it to come out this fall, but it can be tough to make progress with all the time and responsibilities of the road. We’ll see. But basically, I’m going to be making records and touring a ton for the foreseeable future.
The UCF area is in for a big treat. Besides performing pantless, The Saturday Giant will be bringing some very interesting, heartfelt indie rock to Natura Coffee and Tea by UCF. Check it out. Do it!
Marilyn Manson is not what he used to be. I think the first time I went to see Manson was at the 2003 VooDoo Fest in New Orleans. On the Halloween weekend, this was Manson’s time and he delivered. A loud, aggressive festival pleaser, his set was monstrous and full of energy and elaborate props. He sealed the deal when he jammed the microphone into the ass (a fake ass) of a masked stripper and sang into her presenting rear end. I saw him a year later at the Tabernacle in Atlanta where he eviscerated yet again.
Fast forward to 2007 and his tour with Slayer, which was a mismatch to begin with. Nobody can hang with Slayer. Marilyn didn’t help matters by playing a short, weak set while out of his mind on coke. I’m assuming he was diggin’ into the boogie because after every song he left the stage, walking straight out the back to the loading dock for 3-5 minutes. Every song! He didn’t seem engaged at all and the band seemed off. Following the show the consensus was that Slayer blew him off the stage.
When I saw that Manson was playing at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando I said, “Fuck it, I’ll give him one more chance.” I feel the time is right for a character like MM to make a statement. He was bloated around the middle in a very unhealthy way; like he has some hormonal condition or his adrenals are shot from years of amphetamines. The stage set was chintzy, the show was short – maybe an hour and 15 minutes, the band wasn’t as good as earlier incarnations, and again, one of the best front men in the business was not engaging – even being in his home state. It seems to be the same abbreviated set he is doing opening for Alice Cooper.
He might have been sick and not on drugs (that wouldn’t be as cool, but also explain the constant snot rockets), but seeing him like this and with Slayer makes it look like he’s phoning it in now. I gave the new album, Born Villian, a listen for a few days and I liked its more stripped down, straightforward hard-rock approach. I thought he might be back. He wasn’t.
The great thing about Manson is he still knows how to make an entrance:
He still has all of his grotesqueries; the insane, grim facial contortions and jagged body postures inspired by The Evil Dead as you can see in “Antichrist Superstar”, but his presence is less intense. Even the things that once shocked now seemed contrived. The shredding of bibles and licking of Twiggy’s body just seem like he’s hitting stage marks. I see nastier stuff on Bravo. The shock and awe he once delivered is mainstream – thanks to him – so now it seems tired. He’s really smart and probably has a lot to say about our current state of affairs. I just don’t hear it.
It took about two days after the show for me to realize it was the AmericanaramA Fest and not the Americana Fest. It’s like my mind refused to acknowledge the last four letters. The people that run the Americana Music Fest, an acoustic festival in Virginia City, were probably really tired of my irrelevant tweets and @-metions. I will pretty much see My Morning Jacket and Wilco any time, anywhere. Throw in the fact that it’s the legendary B-Dizzle’s show and I will definitely be there. I’ve never seen Dylan in my life. I can’t say I’ve taken the time to get to know all of his work, but I’m well aware of the history and myth that surround Bob Dylan as well as what his impact on modern music is. Actually two of the supporting bands owe a lot to him.
Bob Weir kicked off the evening’s vibe fest with a solo, acoustic set.
My Morning Jacket was next and despite their lower station on the bill and a setlist that was just over an hour, they killed it. They always do. Here, was a slightly folkier set opening with “Circuital,” dusting off the folk-epic “The Bear” and busting out “Dear Prudence” with Bob Weir.
Wilco was positively awe-inspiring. Like MMJ, the busted out a flawless gem of a set.
“Impossible Germany”
I didn’t see many traditional hippies or Dead-heads considering the line-up. That is until Wilco and Weir whipped out “Friend of the Devil” and I would swear the hippies repelled down from the ceilings. The aisles and walkways were instantly clogged sandal-clad dancers groovin’ the way only white people can.
Dylan played a set that was light on legendary hits and more focused on deeper cuts and recent music. He wasn’t the warbling, unintelligible feeb I thought he would be. He voice was craggy, jagged, angry and aggressive. It seemed more like Tom Waits with a fiery backup band than the godfather of folk.
I’ve been on a little bit of a bluegrass kick for the last few years and it appears Steve Martin was too. We’re like kindred spirits. He’s become an authority on the banjo and his touring band, The Steep Canyon Rangers, are the real deal. A viciously adept group, this band can stand toe-to-toe with the best. They possess the ability to move between lighthearted, Appalachian-infused comedy tracks and true soulful bluegrass to Alison Krauss style bluegrass/pop hybrids and all with authentic musicianship and spot-on style. Mr. Martin ties all of this together with a steady stream of jokes and amusing anecdotes. There is something to be said for having a legendary, world-renowned actor/comedian as your frontman. Throw in post-hippy soul nymph, Edie Brickell, and you have an incredibly interesting entertainment experience.
“Jubilation Day” is an example of serious bluegrass chops and a touch of signature Steve Martin humor coming together in a song no one else could pull off:
Every member of The Steep Canyon Rangers is a bluegrass heavy hitter. Here, they honor Flatt & Scruggs (sort of) with a fiddle and banjo tune that builds one instrument at a time:
All the musicians in this troupe are stand-outs; the banjos shred with Steve and Graham Sharp dueling, Charles Humphrey on bass, Mike Guggino on mandolin, and Woody Platt (what an awesome bluegrass name) on guitar and vocals. They all seemed excellent, on par with one another until they let fiddler, Nicky Sanders out of his cage at the end of the first set and he went absolutely apeshit:
The second set was devoted to the band’s work with Edie Brickell on their latest album, Love Has Come for You:
When I first heard Sir Paul McCartney was kicking off his Out There tour at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL my response was, “meh.” Then I was was like, “wait, this isn’t Sting. This isn’t going to be the adult contemporary mom party I think it’s going to be. It’s a fucking Beatle!” I have to see a Beatle before they call it quits, right? Paul McCartney’s post-Beatle catalog is staggering and songs like, “Baby, I’m Amazed” and “Band on the Run” are near perfect songs in themselves, but the chance to see rock ‘n roll history is one that shouldn’t be missed. I will never stop kicking myself for missing James Brown at the House of Blues in Orlando. Actually, that is one of the biggest motivating factors to see Sir Paul. This is a lead figure in the best – if not, most influential – rock band in human history.
They opened with “Eight Days a Week” and I teared up a little. The fucking guy that wrote “Eight Days a Week” is playing it in front of me. When will I get that chance again? I wasn’t sure what to expect with McCartney’s performance. I thought it would be a big production, but it was basically four guys with a fifth guy filling in as a multi-instrumentalist. This gave the show even more punch as it was basically a straightforward, amped up rock show.
“Ob-la-di Ob-la-da”
Paul was charming and funny, regaling the audience with bits of rock history and insight from the Beatles and his years on the road. It gave me chills similar to Bob Wooten’s banter during the Tennessee 3 show in Orlando. It’s just awe-inspiring for me to hear the stories of rock legend told by the people that lived through them. Bob told tales of walking into Sam Phillips studio with Johnny Cash and McCartney would tell stories like the time Hendrix performed “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” only two days after the album was released and how he needed Eric Clapton to tune his guitar after. This is pure gold for a rock fan or any student of the humanities really.
He paid homage to the other Beatles through story and song like he did with this sweet ukelele version of George’s “Something.”
The Pumpkins broke from their world tour dates in Florida to join the roster at a few festivals including the Funshine Music Fest at Ax Gary Amphitheater in Tampa. Here, they do a paired down festival set aimed at a broader audience. In this instance an audience that includes fans of Train and Phillip Phillips. Who the fuck is Phillip Phillips btw? Not for nothin’ pal, but your parents are dickheads. Phillip Phillips. While those monsters of rock played in the giant amphitheater, SP played a side hall that was better suited for a rodeo or a livestock competition. With the tropical shit storm that sat on Florida for nearly a week it was actually way better that they played inside. The hall was rather big too with about 3,000 in attendance that caught the opening “Cherub Rock” and “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” then bee-lined to Train leaving about 1,500 SP fans to enjoy the rest of the show that was a modified version of the full shows in Melbourne and St. Augustine.
They were mercilessly loud. Mike Byrne is playing his heart out, Nicole Fiorentino looks and sounds wonderful, Jeff Schroeder is absolutely killing it and even picking up more lead duties, and Billy appears to be having a great time. The Smashing Pumpkins are a force in concert. Seeing Anthrax, Rush, the Smashing Pumpkins 3 times, and The Black Crowes twice in less than a month along with the release of new Queens of the Stone Age material has got my dick hard for rock. It’s making me realize just how tired I am of two-man laptop bands and “indie” dog shit.
“Zero” with a cool melodic intro
“XYU”
As is customary with SP stops in SW Central Florida, William Corgan Sr. makes an appearance.
“United States” a song that should be a rallying cry for a people that is having their way of life hijacked by a corporatized, criminal government
First, a Class 3 Killstorm swallowed much of Central Florida. Driving to the St. Augustine Amphitheater from Orlando was a delicate situation as tropical storm-like rains drove down in sheets. And the rain never let up. It was actually worse when the show ended.
Second, the old person-friendly venue was irritating. Now I love the St. Augustine Amphitheater and have proclaimed that before, but it has some serious flaws. The show was set to start at 7:45. It did despite the awful traffic snarl out front that was mostly caused by the venues poor management of the parking situation to begin with. So as people parked miles from the park (for some reason there isn’t enough parking to support the capacity of the amphitheater), waited in lines getting drenched to the bone, and rode school buses over, the band started. When the show ended, venue employees were inches away from using cattle prods to get people off the property. The rain was of biblical proportions but there was no quarter to be found on the property. Yes it is a state park and it closes, but you invited thousands of people and the weather was foreboding to say the least.
Finally, the show itself was wrought with technical issues brought on by the rain. The covered amphitheater was drenched as rain came in through the sides and seams of the tarp. The stage appeared to have at least an inch of standing water in places. Reports from the floor said there was absolutely no sound as the venue monitors above projected past the floor and the ones flanking the stage were pushed out far, possibly because of the rain. The volume was deafening in the stands though. During the apocalyptic “And through the eyes of a jackal!” climax of “XYU” Billy was experiencing an outage with his amp or effects board. Hunched and poised for the scream, he began tapping then punching and kneeing his guitar. Techs scrambled as Corgan giggled and goaded the audience. The crowd was forgiving and roared along with him. At one point during “The Chimera” a transformer blew. The sky went red and purple then everything but the stage amps went out. The colossal lighted pyramid, the mics, the drum mics, the stage lighting, and the venue monitors all went out, but the band charged on garage style for a minute or two until one-by-one parts of the stage and rigging whirred back to life.
“The Chimera”proves to be excellent live, but since I heard that in Melbourne I was hoping for another song from the 1-2-3 face punch that rounds out Oceania. That includes “The Chimera,” “Glissandra,” and “Inkless.” I really wanted to hear “Inkless” that night. To my dismay, Billy has departed from the deep-cuts setlist that had the tendency to break out into 30 minute prog-metals space jams from ’07-’08 in favor of a leaner, meaner, more paced setlist a la 2010. The concerts have gone from the Billy and Jimmy garage jam to more of a cohesive, straight-forward band effort. This seems to delight audiences as shows since 2010 are mostly sold out and have an enormously positive response from the crowd. I think the jammy SP would have played an unplanned “Transformer” when the power went out or even “Raindrops and Sunshowers” because of the weather (even though the crowd that waited for them outside at the Hard Rock Live free show in 2008 during an actual tropical storm didn’t get a special nod either), but this show ran like clockwork and ended on time with a rocking version of “Today” that was dedicated to Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman who died earlier that day. And no, no impromptu “Angel of Death” for Jeff.
Always adding value and unique expereinces for fans, he Pumpkins are doing VIP pre-shows for those with more disposable cash than myself. Here they played “Ugly” a Mellon Collie b-side or Aeroplane Flies High track. They also open the floor up for Q&A with Pumpkin heads.
The answer here gets pretty interesting when he brings it around to his working relationship with Jimmy Chamberlin.
The Black Crowes bring two kinds of shows these days; the long-form 3 hour smack down and the tighter, 2 hour rock show. Their 2010 tour featured an acoustic set, a set break, and an electric set that created all sorts of room for the band to stretch out around old and new songs. The Lay Down with Number 13 tour is the two hour variety. This would be plenty for most bands, but with the Crowes it seems like light duty. The setlist continues to morph from night to night and highlights at the HOB included opening with a one-two punch of “Twice as Hard” and “Sting Me” (not quite as strong as the 1-2-3 in St. Pete of “Jealous Again,” “Thick n Thin,” and “Hotel Illness”) and the true to Amorica “Ballad in Urgency / Wiser Times” power jam. In St. Pete, Jackie brought out the banjo for “Garden Gate” and last night he busted out the mandolin for “Whoa Mule.” They closed much stronger than they did at The Mahffey Theater in St. Pete with the “Hard to Handle / Hush” medley. It really feels like this is a test run to get Jackie Greene’s sea legs, but it’s great to hear.
The band came across laid back, not slow, but relaxed as Steve kept the tempos from speeding up in concert, creating a comfy little pocket to nestle up in all night.
The Black Crowes are back for the Lay Down with Number 13 Tour, a tour that came seemingly out of nowhere. The last thing I heard was Crowes’ drummer, Steve Gorman, on Mohr Stories saying that the band was on an indefinite hiatus. So sometime between the release of Jay’s podcast at the end of 2012 and March of 2013 the band recruited lead guitarist Jackie Greene (taking over the role of Luther Dickinson) and trained him up to play a Crowes tour which usually involves an extensive list of songs.
I was eager to see this new fella play considering the long line of greats he was replacing. He did not disappoint. Jackie may not be at 100% integration just yet but he took the Black Crowes catalog on head first. His playing seems more melodic and falls somewhere in between the ethereal Marc Ford and the heavier Luther Dickinson.
A good gauge of the Crowes is where they take “Wiser Times.” The guitar interplay, the harmonized vocals, and the song’s epic highs and lows turned into a monster in concert.
“Wiser Times”
This was also my first time at The Mahaffey Theater and besides the early start time and the obnoxious “fans” in the upper section that spent more time screaming at people to sit down than actually watching the show it was a really great venue.
KISS is at the Amway Center in Orlando tonight!
