FREE MUSIC FROM THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

Fans of the Dave Matthews Band that can't wait for the June 2nd release of the group’s new album, Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, can sample a track for free starting today. Now through April 20, “Funny The Way It Is,” the lead single from the album, will be available for a free download at the band’s website, davematthewsband.com, or by clicking here.

Anyone who pre-orders the new CD at the band's website will also receive the group's upcoming live album, Live Trax 15, for free. Live Trax 15 was recorded at the group's August 9th, 2008 show at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. It was one of the most fan-requested shows for release from last year's summer tour.

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, is the band's first studio album in four years, and the first the group has released since the death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who passed away last August while the group was on tour and midway through making the album.

"We knew that first of all, we had to finish this record that he was already in love with,” Matthews said in a press release. “So all of us went back in with the attitude 'We can't mess around with this one, because this one is an ode.’”

Here’s a video sampler from Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King:



"It's so powerful to have Roi here with us for one last time on an album," adds violin player Boyd Tinsley. Guitarist Tim Reynolds, trumpeter Rashawn Ross, and saxophonist Jeff Coffin also play on the album and will join the band on tour. You can also catch DMB on the morning of Friday, June 5th, when the band performs at New York’s Rockefeller Plaza on NBC's "Today" show. It will mark the first morning television appearance in the band's career.

Dave Matthews Band Tour Dates:

Apr. 14 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Apr. 15 - East Rutherford, NJ - IZOD Center
Apr. 17 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena
Apr. 18 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena
Apr. 20 - Pelham, AL - Verizon Wireless Center
Apr. 22 - Raleigh, NC - TWC Music Pavilion
Apr. 24 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Apr. 25 - Nashville, TN - Vanderbilt Stadium
Apr. 26 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Apr. 28 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
Apr. 29 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
May 1 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
May 2 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
May 5 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
May 6 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion
May 8 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 9 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 27 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
May 29 - Boston, MA - TBA
May 30 - Boston, MA - TBA
June 5 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
June 6 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
Jun. 9 - Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
Jun. 10 - Montreal, QC - Parc Jean Drapeau
Jun. 12 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Jun. 13 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Jun. 16 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Jun. 17 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jun. 19 - Burgettstown, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
Jun. 20 - Burgettstown, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
Jul. 18 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Jul. 19 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Jul. 21 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Jul. 22 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Jul. 24 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
Jul. 25 - Detroit Lakes, MN - 10,000 Lakes Festival
Jul. 28 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Center
Jul. 29 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
Jul. 31 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug. 1 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug. 4 - Syracuse, NY - Alliance Bank Stadium
Aug. 5 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Aug. 7 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
Aug. 8 - Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
Aug. 12 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
Aug. 29 - San Francisco, CA - TBA
Aug. 30 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
Sept. 1 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
Sept. 4 - George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre
Sept. 5 - George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre
Sept. 6 - George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre
Sept. 12 - Chula Vista, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Sept. 13 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Sept. 19 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Sept. 22 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Sept. 23 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Sept. 25 - Des Moines, IA - Principal Park
Sept. 26 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sept. 29 - Little Rock, AR - Dickey-Stephens Park
Sept. 30 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
Oct. 2 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center





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THIN LIZZY: OUT OF THE VAULTS & "STILL DANGEROUS"

With new albums by U2 and alt-country rocker Neko Case grabbing the lion’s share of media attention the week it was released, the “new” album by the Dublin, Ireland-based classic rock band Thin Lizzy – Still Dangerous: Live at the Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977 (VH1 Classic Albums) – flew in a bit under the radar.

True to its somewhat cumbersome but descriptive title, the ten-song collection was compiled from tapes discovered a few years ago “in the vaults” according to Thin Lizzy guitarist and album co-producer Scott Gorham.

“We pulled all these boxes down, and I didn’t even realize how many we had!” Gorham says in a press release. “One of the engineers was cataloging each reel, and one box came up marked `Philadelphia 2.’”

It turns out that the show was recorded for broadcast as part of the “King Biscuit Flower Hour” syndicated radio show. Thin Lizzy – at the time featuring the classic lineup of singer, songwriter, and bassist Phil Lynott, guitarist Brian Robertson, drummer Brian Downey, and Gorham – was touring the U.S. in support of its Bad Reputation album, which had been released a month earlier.

As part of that tour, Thin Lizzy played two consecutive nights at the Tower (which those of us in the Tri-State area know is located in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania - not Philadelphia). The tracks on Still Dangerous were recorded at the first show on October 20, 1977 (ironically the same night three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and their road manager were killed in a tragic plane crash).

My guess is that some of you reading this were in the audience one of those nights (shoot me an email if you were). But even if you weren’t there – even if the only song you know from Thin Lizzy is “The Boys Are Back In Town” – this is a CD you should add to your collection.

Thin Lizzy never found the audience it deserved here in the States. Drug and alcohol abuse among the band members took its toll (Lynott died in 1986 at age 36). But the quality of Lynott’s songwriting, the band’s stellar musicianship, and Thin Lizzy’s continued influence on rock music can’t be denied.

Producer Glyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones) came out of retirement to remix and remaster the album. The results sound remarkably good, especially considering the source tapes are over 30-years-old.

Purists might quibble that the entire 16-song set that was recorded that night (available for streaming at Wolfgang’s Vault ) should have been included on the CD. However, the 10 songs that are featured offer a nice mix of hits (“Jailbreak,” “The Boys Are Back In Town,” “Dancing In The Moonlight”), fan favorites (“Cowboy Song,” “Massacre” “Don’t Believe A Word”) and rarities (“Soldier Of Fortune” and “Opium Trail” – neither of which has ever appeared on a Thin Lizzy live album). The band’s pioneering twin lead guitar attack is in full force, and the concert setting only enhances the depth and variety of Lynott’s songwriting.

Here’s the complete track listing for Still Dangerous: Live at the Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977:

1) Soldier Of Fortune

2) Jailbreak

3) Cowboy Song

4) The Boys Are Back In Town

5) Dancing In The Moonlight

6) Massacre

7) Opium Trail

8) Don’t Believe A Word

9) Baby Makes Me Cry

10) Me And The Boys

Enjoy this classic video of "Dancing In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In Its Spotlight)":

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METALLICA, KANYE WEST, PERRY FARRELL & TORI AMOS AT THIS YEAR'S SXSW MUSIC FESTIVAL

Does the performance of a superstar act like Metallica help or hurt SWSW?

The South by Southwest Music Festival, or SXSW for short, is one of the biggest, most high-profile annual music festivals in the United States. The Austin, Texas event is one of three festivals (film and interactive media are the focus of the other two) hosted by Austin each year.

Originally geared to music industry professionals to showcase unsigned or up and coming talent on a national level, the twenty-three-year-old event is now a bona fide schmooze-fest for fans, media, and music industry insiders alike. It is the musical equivalent of France’s Cannes Film Festival, with a bit of Mardi Gras thrown in for good measure.

This year’s event ran from March 18 to 22 and featured more than 1,800 musical acts of all genres from around the globe performing on over eighty stages in downtown Austin. Traditionally, most of the performers at the Festival are up-and-coming acts for which an appearance at SXSW has provided early national exposure. For example, Lily Allen was one of the breakout performers at the 2007 Festival.

In recent years, however, more and more established acts have been making “surprise” appearances at SXSW. While their performances are welcomed and appreciated by the music fans in attendance, the presence of chart-topping stars naturally draws media and industry attention away from the newer artists SXSW was originally intended to spotlight.

This year’s Festival featured performances by superstar artists like Metallica, Kanye West, Perry Farrell, and Tori Amos. That was great for the fans, but perhaps not so great for Beach House, the Pepper Pots (pictured left), or any of the hundreds of other lesser-known artists that were trying to generate a buzz in Austin.

Here’s a YouTube video of Kanye West performing “Amazing” at this year’s SXSW (warning: graphic language):



The participation of a few established artists is beneficial to SXSW – it generates publicity, and fosters continued interest in the Festival and similar events around the country. But when it comes to superstars at SXSW, it's not a matter of the more the merrier. I hope that SXSW organizers will be wise enough to regulate the number of star performances in the future.

As it is, SXSW is the United States’ premier music event highlighting new or unknown artists. I’d hate to see it turn into just another red-carpet celebrity showcase.





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