Sunday, November 24, 2013

David Rawlings' a Machine

The Dave Rawlings Machine fall tour only has four shows left. This Machine; Dave, Gillian, John Paul Jones, yes that John Paul Jones, Willie Watson (formerly of Old Crow) and Paul Kowert of the Punch Brothers on upright bass, has delivered some serious sound to treasure. The current ensemble has ventured into the songbooks of Dylan, Neil Young, Woody Guthrie, Bright Eyes and the Band. Those in attendance at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville were treated to the sounds of Led Zeppelin. "Going To California," has probably garnered the most praise/audience uproar from the tour thus far. What's not to like about David Rawlings going all Robert Plant, while John Paul seduces the notes on mandolin? And having Gillian as your back-up singer never hurts. The tour stops in Carrboro, NC tonight (it's sold out). Surely the Cat's Cradle will be primed. On Monday they hit Charlotte, before moving onto Athens on Tuesday and Birmingham on Wednesday. Here's a glimpse of what went down in Tennessee. Maybe this splendid cast of characters will embark on a one week west coast journey.



eightychoices.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

30 Days of Dead

Grateful Dead | 2013
November signals many things, one of the more obscure happenings during this month, is the release of thirty Dead songs over thirty days. A month worth of vintage, unreleased tracks from from their vault, on the web for free. Sweet.

The Grateful Dead will supply your daily sample (at dead.net). There are plenty of new found treasures to be listened to. If you're one who likes to get ahead of the curve, each track, as released by archivist, David Lemieux, will be offered up initially as a quiz. If you're able to guess the correct date, along with the venue, you will be eligible to win the grand prize - all of 2013's music releases, merchandise & more.

Some of my favorites thus far are, Shakedown Street, Sugaree & West LA Fade Away.
Today's rarity, Loose Lucy, is awesome. Jerry sounds good, "I got jumped come'n home last night."

eightychoices.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Vault into the Holidays


Welcome to the holiday season. Sometime in the near future, if you haven't started already, we will begin to assemble the lists of goodies that loved ones long for. With that in mind I offer you the Vault, as curated by Jack White, via his Third Man Records. The Vault is a record club subscription that allows its members the opportunity to receive live and rare vinyl, along with limited edition collectibles. This could be quite the surprise for that special someone who's an audiophile, assuming they dig the plethora of records Third Man is compiling. Special guests, collaborations, rare tracks & live performances are what's waiting, should you chose to indulge.

The Vault is currently offering package #18. A deluxe cornucopia of Jack White's other bands, The Raconteurs & The Dead Weather. In it are two 12" LP's re-visiting the Raconteurs 2011 performance at the Ryman. One is on rawhide & tobacco colored vinyl while the other is pressed onto gold & oil. The next gem is a studio recording of the Dead Weather, on yellow jacket vinyl. This 7" houses two new tracks. Last up in this treat pack is a DVD of the previously mentioned Raconteurs show at the Ryman.



Each Vault subscription is quarterly, with no added pressure to renew. There are two options, the platinum subscription ($60) and the gold ($20). I recommend the platinum, it gives you far more bang for the buck. If your curiosity gets the best of you, you may also want to check out the new Paramount Records set, volume 1 (1917-1932). It's quite possibly the most aesthetically pleasing compilation of vinyl ever.

Subsequently, Third Man is teaming with the Nashville Rescue Mission in an effort to help those less fortunate during the holidays. No good deed goes unnoticed. Enjoy the festive times of fall and winter.

eightychoices.