The historic site, formerly known as the Buckeye Lake Music Center, has hosted a celebrated roster of famous performers and may be best known as the venue of several notable Grateful Dead performances in the late 1980′s & early 90′s.

The All Good Festival continues its tradition of side by side main stages with no overlapping sets guaranteeing every patron the opportunity to see every performance in full.

The 2012 All Good Festival lineup includes:

The Allman Brothers Band

Phil Lesh and Friends

The Flaming Lips

Bob Weir & Bruce Hornsby featuring special guest Branford Marsalis

Michael Franti & Spearhead

Lotus

G. Love & Special Sauce

Galactic

Shpongle presents The Masquerade

Mickey Hart Band

Trampled by Turtles

SOJA

Railroad Earth

Papadosio

The Werks

The Wood Brothers

Lettuce

The Lumineers

Everyone Orchestra

The Rex Jam

Plus many more to be announced

Over the coming months, another 20+ artists will be announced, adding to the already stacked roster ranging from rock, bluegrass, indie, and funk to electronica, hip-hop, collaborative jams, and much more.

The new All Good location in Ohio offers easy access to the festival with better roads and faster processing than were possible at the festival’s previous site in West Virginia.

Once onsite, attendees can also expect comfortable camping, RV camping, quiet family camping, artisan food vendors, diverse craft vendors, regional microbrews, designated bonfire pits, kids entertainment, drum circles, play shops, endless options for entertainment and safety.

Tickets to the 16th annual All Good Music Festival & Campout go on sale Friday, February 24 at 12 PM EST at www.allgoodfestival.com/tickets and include all 4 days and nights of camping, parking, plus all entertainment.

Early Bird tickets will be available for a limited time for $159.00 starting this Friday, and are $70 off the gate price.

There are also Even Better VIP packages available, which include an exclusive concert viewing and camping area close to the stages, private and air conditioned bathrooms and showers, free taxi shuttles, premium All Good merchandise and more.

For more information, please visit:

www.allgoodfestival.com

www.facebook.com/allgoodmusicfestival

www.twitter.com/allgoodfestival

This month we ran into a dilemma. Two of our senior contributors, Andi Rice and Ian Rawn,  were on the scene on back to back nights in Atlanta and Birmingham. Sounds like a luxury problem, right? Wrong. 

With so much content rolling in and only two front page slots, there was no way that we were going to put two shows worth of photos — let alone two shows from our Colorado brethren –  up only to have them tick off of the front page in a couple of days. To top it all off, our Festy friends, The Infamous Stringdusters were there for it all as well.

This said, rather than continuing to bore you — our dearly beloved readership — with the mundane and absolute ridiculousness of editorial decision making here at Honest Tune, let’s dig into the goodness of awe-inspiring setlists, incredible photos, beautiful streaming audio from both shows, download links to the soundboard recordings and for good measure, a trip down memory lane to when Yonder performed the Grateful Dead’s “They Love Each Other” exclusively for Honest Tune.

Atlanta, GA | Tabernacle | February 11, 2012 | Setlist

Yonder Mountain String Band

I: Mothers Only Son, What The Night Brings, Crooked Hitch, All The Time, Don’t Worry Happy Birthday, Damned If The Right One Didn’t Go Wrong, Rag Doll, Good Hearted Woman, Redbird, Elzic’s Farewell, Looking Back Over My Shoulder

II: Welcome Back, Southern Flavor > Criminal,  Ten, Pockets, Finally Saw The Light, Shake Me Up, Maid of the Canyon, Jail Song, Angel > Follow Me Down To The Riverside > Robots > Angel

Encore: My Gal*, Up On The Hill Where They Do The Boogie *
* w/ The Stringdusters

Audience Recording Link  (Stream below photo galleries)

Soundboard Recording Link (Preview stream below photo galleries)

The Infamous Stringdusters

In God’s Country, Chop Can, Well Well, Night on the River, Gettin’ Down the Road, Long Lonesome Day, Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake, Moon Man

Audience Recording Link

Birmingham, AL | WorkPlay | February 12, 2012 | Setlist

Yonder Mountain String Band

I: Blue Collar Blues, East Nashville Easter, Mental Breakdown, The Rain Still Falls, Northern Song, This Train, Sharecroppers Son, Goin’ Across Da Sea, Come Together*, Going Where They Do Not*

II: Casualty, Fine Excuses, Little Lover, Honestly, Straight Line, Outta The Blue, Just Like Old Times, Sidewalk Stars >  Ain’t Been Myself, Polly, New Horizons > Funtime>
New Horizons

Encore: Night Time Drives Me Crazy, Troubled Mind > Eyes in My Head > Troubled Mind

* w/ Infamous Stringdusters

First set with Andy Hall/dobro and Jeremy Garrett/fiddle.

Audience Recording Link   (Stream below photo galleries)

Soundboard Recording Link (Preview stream below photo galleries)

Infamous Stringdusters

Ain’t Know Way of Knowing,  Fork in the Road, Like I Do, One More Bridge, No More To Leave You Behind, Free, It’ll Be Alright, Black Rock,  A Hundred Years From Now

Audience Recording Link

A Trip Down Memory Lane:

YMSB Performing “They Love Each Other”

Click the thumbnail(s) to view photos from Atlanta by Ian Rawn…

(Scroll down for photos from Birmingham and streaming audio from both nights)

Click the thumbnail(s) to view photos from Birmingham by Andi Rice…

(Scroll down for streaming audio from both nights)

     Official YMSB Soundboard Recordings

            (Audience Streams Below)

               Yonder Mountain String Band, 2/12/12 in Birmingham

                Yonder Mountain String Band, 2/11/12 in Atlanta

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe with Anders Osborne

On a recent nippy night, The State Theater in Falls Church, VA was host to one of the hottest current tours in the country: Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe with Anders Osborne. Though a tour with these players combined would be noteworthy in its own right, when the the tour’s focal point was announced, the level of grandness was taken beyond that of simply being a compelling mix of two world class musicians. In what was at one point a “one-off” type of thing, and rather than mixing up a bunch of funk standards every night, Karl and Anders announced that they would be taking their much hailed take on the Rolling Stones’ album that formally introduced Mick Taylor to the world, 1971′s Sticky Fingers.

Karl Denson is not new to the world of improvisation. In fact, he very well may be one of its kings, particularly amongst funksters. There literally is not a fathomable situation to which Karl cannot add. He is a veteran and when with his Tiny Universe — that now includes the guitar prowess of DJ Williams (who replaced Brian Jordan in late 2011) — Karl shines brighter than ever. Yes, even brighter than he did in the Sexual Chocolate horn section.

Anders Osborne came onto the Louisiana scene with a subtlety that, over the past 12 years, has amassed a fervent following. Through his passionate lyrical abilities — that led Tim McGraw to a number one hit with “Watch the Wind Blow By” —  combined with his guttural howl and fiery guitar work, Osborne approaches a stage as though he is in attack mode.

In short, to have Anders and Karl on the same stage tackling one of the greatest rock albums of its period was quite the treat. It was a perfect storm of musical creativity and talent and it had the packed State Theatre crowd buzzing the whole night through.

The Anders Osborne Trio opened the show with a nice 45 minute set, containing mostly new songs from the forthcoming album, Black Eyed Galaxy, that is set for release in April. Not surprisingly, the showcased tunes from the new LP were a pleasant blend of thoughtful tunes with excellent vocal harmonies along with some hard driving tunes that were particularly ripe for extension through improvisation at the hand of Osborne and company.

As the set wound down, he asked if he should play something old. Rhetorically, the crowd obliged and the trio eased into 1995′s “Burning on the Inside,” a great departing number.  With that, Anders made his exit and trio bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Eric Bolivar shot each other a quick look and big smile before doing the same.

After a short break, and with jackets and sweaters stacked like leaning Pisa towers across the venue the lights once again dimmed. The time had come for all to get real good and sweaty on a rather chilly night in Virginia.

The always boisterous Karl Denson came out dancing and bouncing around, wearing his emblematic “I promise I did not eat the last piece” big grin.

With zero hesitation, Karl and his Tiny Universe sprung  into several funky jam vehicles that included “Three Trials,” “Look Out” and “Find It.” From Jump Street, the band was tight as a tick — making multiple hairpin turns on a dime while always remaining melodically succinct. It was immediately clear: this was the Tiny Universe in their finest form.

Announcing that the next song was a “song is about interracial sex” as only Denson could do, Anders made a return to the stage and Tiny Universe guitarist, DJ Williams, breached the Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar” with the familiar and timeless Keith Richards opening lick. It was official. The gig was on.

The adrenaline in The State Theatre mass was palpable. The best part was that it was difficult to tell who was rocking harder, the band or the crowd. What was certain was that the energy between the two was constantly recycling.

As the set continued, Karl, Anders and company managed pull off many a teenaged boy’s musical fantasy, by actually jamming Stones’ tunes onstage in front of a large crowd rather than having it simply be left as a dream in a long since passed garage.

The third song brought a nice surprise when Carl Dufrene retook the stage with an acoustic guitar for a wonderfully reworked take on “Wild Horses” that provided a breather, but also proved depth and breadth of the players’ aptitudes and moreover, that of the vocalists (Osborne and Denson).

The band then spliced in some serious funk with their take on “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.” The interplay between the wizard like play of DJ Williams and the straight rock play of Osborne was like witnessing a dance-like battle. Retrospectively, the number was so well schemed that it could have just as easily been an original as it was a track from a defining album of one of Rock & Roll’s greatest band’s of all time.

A peak of the set followed in the form of the Marianne Faithfull co-written “Sister Morphine.” The tune brought about a serious of spacious psychedelic solos from the strings and brass sections of the ensemble, and hereby provided another example of how the Tiny Universe are certainly masters at what they do, they can do more than funk people silly.

Following the closing of Sticky Fingers, Anders departed while KDTU remained to finish the night with several encores that provided the audience any last opportunities that may have been needed to shake out any kinks — or stock up on some for the future.

On its whole, the night spent in Falls Church could not have been better. There was a bit of everything for everybody — from funk to familiar and rock to ballads. There was not a dull moment. One can only imagine the moments when the idea between Karl and Anders was first tossed around. They took a risk and the bottom line is , they could have fallen on their faces doing it.

As jackets were found and the cumbersome exit was begun, the looks on the faces of the crowd told the story. Not only did the idea work; this crowd had been overcome with what they had just witnessed. What a night!

Click the thumbnails to view more photos from the show by Bob Adamek…

The New Riders of the Purple Sage, signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis, released its eponymous first album in September 1971 to widespread acclaim. In the next 11 years the band toured and released over 12 albums, selling over 4 million records.

David Nelson has managed the seemingly impossible. He has remained true to his musical vision and integrity without becoming outdated or archaic in the process. Nelson, an important figure in the musical vanguard of the influential Haight-Ashbury music scene, spawned the Grateful Dead.

 
TOUR DATES 2012 (Please note all dates, venues, and info is subject to change):
3/2/12 – BAYSHORE, NY – Boulton Center For Performing Arts (37 West Main Street)
3/3/12 – STANHOPE, NJ – The Stanhope House (45 Main Street)
3/4/12 – NORTHAMPTON, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall (20 Center Street)
3/7/12 – SYRACUSE, NY – The Westcott Theater (524 Westcott Street)
3/8/12 – WILKES-BARRE, PA – River Street Jazz Cafe (667 N. River Street)
3/9/12 – NEW YORK, NY – The Iridium (1650 Broadway)
3/23/12 – BALTIMORE, MD – Rams Head Live (20 Market Place)
3/24/12 – WASHINGTON, DC – The Hamilton (600 14th Street NW)
5/20/12 – TUXEDO, NY – Mighty High Mountain Fest @ Tuxedo Ridge (581 Route 17A)
5/25/12 – NEW HOPE, PA @ Havana (105 S. Main Street)
5/26/12 – GREENFIELD, MA – Strange Creek Campout 2012 @ Camp Kee-wanee (Glenbrook Drive_
6/9/12 – VERNON, NJ – Rock Ribs and Ridges Festival @ Hidden Valley Resort
7/13/12 – LOUISVILLE, CO – Louisville Street Faire (832 Front Street)
7/14/12 – PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO – San Juan River Music Festival @ Town Park
8/10/12 – NORTH PLAINS, OR – Northwest String Summit @ Hornings Hideout
8/12/12 – UKIAH, CA – Dead On The Creek (26000 String Creek Road)

A limited quantity of Pre-Sale tickets for the event will go on sale this Wednesday, February 22nd at 5 am EST via Living Social. A direct link to this pre-sale will be made available on GovBall.com.

General On Sale will begin Friday February 24th at 10 am EST via GovBall.com and feature a limited amount of Advanced Purchase GA tickets.

Full pricing and on-sale breakdown at GovBall.com

The expansion of Governors Ball in both number of days and variety of performers further establishes the festival as the premier gathering for music fans, not only in New York City, but the entire Northeastern United States. This coming years festival will also be moving to Randall’s Island Park, an oasis of green space on the East River, nestled between East Harlem, the South Bronx, and Astoria, Queens. Founders Entertainment is excited about the opportunities presented by the new location including improved venue facilities and expanded transportation options for attendees. In addition to being accessible by bus, foot, bike, car, and cab, the festival will provide shuttle bus service from Williamsburg Brooklyn, and ferry service from Mid-Town Manhattan to and from the festival grounds. The venue will be limited to a capacity of 25,000 per day, creating a unique and intimate festival experience when considering the world-class artists on the bill, and Governors Ball’s location within the largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Beyond amazing performances from some of today’s premier musicians, Governors Ball 2012 will feature unique art installations throughout the festival from local and international artists. Highly regarded New York City based food trucks and restaurants will be on hand to provide a variety of cuisine options, high-end beer, wine, and spirits. Details on additional festival activities similar to last year’s will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Bucking the prevailing trend of ill fated NYC area music festivals, in its inaugural year Governors Ball was a stunning success, drawing over 20,000 attendees to bask in the sun and take in 12 hours of non stop music from artists including Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, Big Boi, Neon Indian and Empire of the Sun among others. Founders Entertainment looks forward to building upon this success with Governors Ball 2012.

www.GovBall.com (For on-sale and pricing breakdown)

facebook.com/govball

twitter.com/govballnyc

2012 Governors Ball Music Festival Confirmed Artists:

Saturday, June 23rd

Passion Pit (First NYC show in 2 years)

Duck Sauce (feat. A-Trak and Armand Van Helden)

Chromeo

Special Disco Version (James Murphy and Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem)

Atmosphere

Major Lazer

Santigold

Big Gigantic

Penguin Prison

Walk the Moon

Art vs Science

K.Flay

Nobody Beats the Drum

Sunday, June 24th

Beck (First NYC show since 2008)

Modest Mouse

Explosions in the Sky

Devendra Banhart

Cage the Elephant

Built to Spill

Cults

Phantogram

Freelance Whales

Alberta Cross

The Jezabels

Turf War

The historic site, formerly known as the Buckeye Lake Music Center, has hosted a celebrated roster of famous performers and may be best known as the venue of several notable Grateful Dead performances in the late 1980′s & early 90′s.

The All Good Festival continues its tradition of side by side main stages with no overlapping sets guaranteeing every patron the opportunity to see every performance in full.

The 2012 All Good Festival lineup includes:

The Allman Brothers Band

Phil Lesh and Friends

The Flaming Lips

Bob Weir & Bruce Hornsby featuring special guest Branford Marsalis

Michael Franti & Spearhead

Lotus

G. Love & Special Sauce

Galactic

Shpongle presents The Masquerade

Mickey Hart Band

Trampled by Turtles

SOJA

Railroad Earth

Papadosio

The Werks

The Wood Brothers

Lettuce

The Lumineers

Everyone Orchestra

The Rex Jam

Plus many more to be announced

Over the coming months, another 20+ artists will be announced, adding to the already stacked roster ranging from rock, bluegrass, indie, and funk to electronica, hip-hop, collaborative jams, and much more.

The new All Good location in Ohio offers easy access to the festival with better roads and faster processing than were possible at the festival’s previous site in West Virginia.

Once onsite, attendees can also expect comfortable camping, RV camping, quiet family camping, artisan food vendors, diverse craft vendors, regional microbrews, designated bonfire pits, kids entertainment, drum circles, play shops, endless options for entertainment and safety.

Tickets to the 16th annual All Good Music Festival & Campout go on sale Friday, February 24 at 12 PM EST at www.allgoodfestival.com/tickets and include all 4 days and nights of camping, parking, plus all entertainment.

Early Bird tickets will be available for a limited time for $159.00 starting this Friday, and are $70 off the gate price.

There are also Even Better VIP packages available, which include an exclusive concert viewing and camping area close to the stages, private and air conditioned bathrooms and showers, free taxi shuttles, premium All Good merchandise and more.

For more information, please visit:

www.allgoodfestival.com

www.facebook.com/allgoodmusicfestival

www.twitter.com/allgoodfestival

Sitting down with Bruce Hampton is one of the most enjoyable occasions one can fathom. He is genuine, funny and affable. But underneath it all is a surplus of wisdom and insight that when spoken, often results in double takes and in what Susan Tedeschi refers to as being “Hampmotized.”

Bruce’s accolades are deep. Beyond his own musical abilities, his eye for others’ talent is one from which Berry Gordy could learn. His peers praise him at every opportunity and often without mention. Derek Trucks credits him with being the primary reason that he stuck with music. Billy Bob Thornton (who cast Bruce in Sling Blade) perks up and straightens his posture at the mere mention of his name. Phish, Widespread Panic and Dave Matthews never missed a set by Bruce’s most known ensemble, Aquarium Rescue Unit, during the seminal H.O.R.D.E. tours of the early 1990s.

But the best part is that none of this seems to matter to him; and if it does, one would never know it by looking or talking to the inherently humble Zambi practicing Hampton.

While aboard Jam Cruise 10, Bruce invited David Shehi into his cabin for a chat and David clicked the camera on when Bruce said he would do something that is rare at best — play an acoustic guitar, improvising a number just for the fun of it.  Not one who is entirely in love with on camera interviews, he allowed the camera to roll and the two converse on topics as broad as relationships and Egyptian numerics and as narrow as concert behavior and Super Bowl predictions.

So sit back, relax and take a trip to Zambiland as we present Life Improvised: An Honest Tune Interview with Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret. 

For more on col. Bruce, log on to www.ColBruce.com

In another time, Howlin’ Rain would be as huge as their sound.

The band’s latest release, The Russian Wilds, is a tour de force of fuzz-laced guitar, growling bass, and arena-sized rock that would have been the stuff of legend had they emerged, say, 35 years ago. The vocal harmonies on the album-opening “Self-Made Man” and “Collage” have Laurel Canyon’s stamp all over them, and the swelling, balls-to-the-wall rock in “Phantom in the Valley” will get your blood pumping (before it drops into the Latin-tinged outro, at least). Producer Rick Rubin helmed this album, and his touches and polish are evident in a good way.

It’s a shame that Howlin’ Rain may never be as big as they should be, since the industry isn’t what it used to be; nonetheless, The Russian Wilds is a step forward for a band clearly influenced by the past.

The Russian Wilds is out now on American Recordings.

Robert Cray
Neighborhood Theatre
Charlotte, NC
February 12, 2012

In some ways, Robert Cray has been a victim of his own mainstream success of the 80s — primarily within the most harshly critical of blues circles. But when he takes the stage, it is absolutely impossible to see or hear what these “scholars” of the sound supposedly do. In short, there is no denying that when he takes the stage, he comes to bring his all and leaves no stone unturned.

On this night in Charlotte, the 5 time Grammy winning Cray was with his band: Tony Braunagel (drums), Jim Pugh (keys) and Richard Cousins  (bass).

Photographer Brad Kuntz was on the scene to capture every hard blues riff and soulful note that graced the sold out Neighborhood Theatre crowd.

Click the thumbnail(s) to view the photos from the show by Brad Kuntz…

Tea Leaf Green
Brooklyn Bowl
New York City, NY
February 11, 2012

Playing one of the notable New York City venues on a Saturday night is as exciting for a concertgoer as it must be for a musician.

With an electric performance already under their belt from the previous night at the Bowery Ballroom, a lane was opened up for San Francisco based quintet Tea Leaf Green to sneak in a long night of fiery guitar riffs, smooth bass notes, and heart felt keyboard chords; all of which could be summed up with one phrase: Rock & Roll.

Simply put these guys put on one hell of a good rock concert at the Brooklyn Bowl. From the Reggae infused “ Easy To Be Your Lover” to the energetic “Garden part III,” Tea Leaf Green moved through their setlist in a manner that made it seem as though the songs chosen had been originally written to be played in that order.

Acknowledging the bowling lanes to the left of the stage (as well as the delicious golden fried chicken), fans of The Big Lebowski were ecstatic to hear the guitar work of guest Scott Metzger (RANA, Gene Ween) for Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me.”  As the last notes of the cover lingered over the crowd, familiar quotes from the cult classic were unrelenting.

Scott stayed onstage for a huge version of “Incandescent Devil”  that saw keyboardist, Trevor Garrod’s vocals mesh perfectly with the two screaming guitars of Metzger and TLG’s Josh Clark.

All and all, one would be hard pressed to find better way to spend 12 bucks on a Saturday night. Too bad that doesn’t include the fried chicken.

Setlist

(Stream this show below the photo gallery)

Easy to be Your Lover, 5000 Acres, Honeymooners, Garden III, Bouncin’ Betty, Cops Took My Weed, Nothing Changes, Oklahoma Home, Devil’s Pay, The Man in Me (Bob Dylan)*, Incandescent Devil*, Training a Cloud, Keeping the Faith, Dreaming Without Sleeping, Red Ribbons, Hipster Ninja, Panspermic*

Encore: Death Cake

*w/ Scott Metzger

To download an audience recording of this show, click here.

Click the thumbnail(s) to view photos from the show by Andrew Blackstein…