Phish at the Greek Theater

This whole Phish thing is a little ridiculous, I'll be the first to admit, but how can I pass up the opportunity to hang with a half dozen college-era friends at the Greek Theater in Berkely, California?!  I mean come on!  I only get this opportunity once every ... what .... uhhh ... hmmm ... 3 or 4 months?  How could I miss it?

Towards the end of the third show, a nice girl dancing next to me turns and says, "they have to play 2001 right here, don't they?  They just HAVE to!"  And then they segued sweetly into this.  Enjoy.

GALACTIC

Galactic
The Roseland Theater
Portland, Oregon
February 27, 2010

Halloween weekend 1998, I found myself in Las Vegas surrounded by a bunch of freaky kids who traveled from all corners of the country to see Phish dress up in a musical costume. I can't remember who came up with the idea, but I flew down there with my buddies Jason and Gene from Portland and landed a room in the giant neon green MGM Grand.

On Halloween night, Phish dressed up in the Velvet Undeground's Loaded and the Oh Sweet Nuthin just about blew my mind (check it out). The show let out but the party wasn't over. We had tickets to this up and coming young funk band from New Orleans that was supposed to play until dawn. Galactic brought the heat, and since then I've been catching them off and on when I can, mostly down in New Orleans for Jazz Fest. 12 years later and they're still at it, having become a main stay in the New Orleans scene. Collaborating with the young guns and the old timers, they've bridged the generations and updated the cajun funk sound for the 21st century.

Check out some footage from last year.



Last weekend Galactic rolled through town on a tour that will pretty much land them in New Orleans just on time for Jazz Fest. Kristin and I decided at the last minute to check them out, and we're glad we did.

The show was good, but if you compare the first two clips you can tell they were feeling the crowd more in their hometown venue. We still enjoyed our little taste of Nawlins here in Portland, and we're looking forward to a little more cajun love later this Spring. Will you be there?

Anders Osborne and Johnny Sansone

Anders Osborne, Johnny Sansone and Clarence Bucaro
Mississippi Studios
Portland, OR
July 20, 2009

Kristin and I caught a great show last night at Mississippi Studios. Anders and Johnny Sansone brought a little New Orleans spice to Stump Town on a hot Monday night. In the recently refurbished space on Mississippi Ave, no more than 100 people enjoyed an intimate setting as all three performers traded songs.

This was the first time I had been inside Mississippi Studios since the redesign, and they did a great job opening up the space while maintaining its character as a small and intimate setting. A small balcony overlooks a much larger seating area that accommodates more people. The stage is only a couple of feet off the floor, and the crowd is seated right up to the edge for an easy flow of energy from artist to audience. The sound quality was a little off, mostly in the first set, but I think that was mostly the sound guy working out the kinks than the venue itself. This would be a great place to book a rocking show! Maybe some late night post-Portland Blues Fest action next year?

My little Pentax Optio W60 was working overtime last night trying to deal with the interior light, but I got a couple of decent shots. Probably should have brought the SLR kit as it was a pretty informal setting.

Anders, Johnny and Clarence (R to L)

From Anders Osborne - July 20, 2009 - Mississippi Studios

From Anders Osborne - July 20, 2009 - Mississippi Studios

From Anders Osborne - July 20, 2009 - Mississippi Studios

From Anders Osborne - July 20, 2009 - Mississippi Studios

From Anders Osborne - July 20, 2009 - Mississippi Studios

Phish Reunion - Hampton, VA

I'm a sucker for a great rock 'n roll show. Before climbing, there was the Grateful Dead. I discovered them in high school and spent oh so many memorable nights during college following them all over New England and the mid-west. For me, it was an adventure. New places, crazy people, excellent music and great friends.

From the beginning I was skeptical of Phish. They felt contrived, rehearsed, manipulative - no soul - couldn't sing the blues - sang about silly stuff. I saw a bunch of shows in college, but none really stuck out in my mind. I graduated, Jerry died, I moved to the west coast, I started climbing, and suddenly I find myself looking at 40 years old and Phish is supposedly coming out of retirement? For the second time? How the hell did that happen?

The cell phone rings and its Oppy. I know he scored tickets to the reunion shows, but I also know he's the only one we know who managed to luck out with the lottery. By god, he wants me to go with him! I told him I needed to think about it, hung up and talked to Kristin, decided I had to go, and called him back later that night.

A couple months later I'm on the plane back to Portland from Norfolk. Its 7:30 am, and I haven't slept yet. The after show let out just on time to catch a shower and a cab to the airport. Its over. Three nights at Hampton. 2009!? Oppy and Eli. Did that really happen? Hell yes! And it rocked.

They're back. And they're better than I remember. The friendships are stronger, and after all these years, the songs actually mean something! Check 'em out.

From Phish Hampton

From Phish Hampton

From Phish Hampton

From Phish Hampton

From Phish Hampton

Tibet Music Event

Ah, I just found this saved in the guts of my Blogger dashboard. I had started the post but never finished.

A few weeks ago, Kristin and I hosted a wonderful musical performance in our backyard by Jamyeng Yeshi. The Crag Law Center brought Jamyeng to perform at the Clinton Street Theater following a showing of the Unwinking Gaze - a new documentary on the Dalai Lama. We organized the event as an alternative to the opening night of the Olympics.

Jamyeng was born in the Amdo region of Tibet and escaped through Nepal to Dharamasala. For the past few years, he has lived in Canada and performs traditional Tibetan music, often with his friends and/or family members. The Tara Cafe Project helps to promote Tibetan music and culture and helped to set up the weekend. Here's a couple of pics:

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Me getting happy with the beer situation.

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Jamyeng

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

The crew that help set this up - Jeff Alzner, Karen McDiarmind (with the Tara Cafe Project), Jamyeng Yeshi, and Brook Kirklin

Jeff and Brook just completed a movie about Mike Bearzi - Via Bearzi

Jamyeng and some other musicians associated with the Tara Cafe Project contributed to the wonderful soundtrack for there movie, which got accepted to Telluride, Ester Park and many other mountain film festivals. Jeff and Brook put me in touch with Karen, and we set something up to help Jamyeng promote his music.

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Jamyeng with the hosts.

From Tibet Music in the Backyard

Alzner with the hosts.

This is a bit delayed - but thanks to Jeff, Karen, Brook and everyone else that helped to pull this off!!