Artist: Grateful Dead
Title: The Closing of Winterland,
December 31, 1978
Label: Monterey Video
Year: 2003
Rating: 4.5 Drops
Winterland, originally built as a boxing venue and then an ice skating arena in San Francisco Ca, became the second home of Rock promoter Bill Graham when the acts he normally sponsored at his Fillmore Auditorium, a few blocks away, became too popular and a larger seating capacity was needed. Bill promoted well over 500 shows at Winterland through its legendary slice of history that saw acts such as the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Stevie Wonder, Cream , James Brown, Jefferson Airplane, the Sex Pistols, and certainly one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands of all time: The Grateful Dead.
After going through several renovations, Bill Graham could no longer manage keeping the crumbling building together and decided to close the doors of Winterland with one final smash evening on December 31, 1978 with opening acts New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Blues Brothers, and the Grateful Dead to headline this sentimental farewell concert. ‘Pete’, according to one of the Winterland management crew, ‘Who is always the first to show up’ made it to his legendary place at the front door three days before the show. Bill Graham’s sister, Esther, set up a soup kitchen outside to feed all the ‘Beautiful Kids’ waiting outside with a healthy menu of soup, rolls, and carrot cake. It had been, according to the obsessed fans banner, “1535 Days Since Last SF Dark Star”. San Francisco public television station KQED and pioneering FM Rock station KSAN were there to capture every moment in video and audio: It was the beginning of a historical evening.
With well over 5000 ‘Heads’ crammed into Winterland, and the opening acts having wowed the crowd, Bill Graham dressed up as ‘Father Time’ and took his midnight ride in his carriage to the stage that was a blazing monster joint that only King Kong could enjoy in one sitting. Once the gigantic doobie hit the stage, with Dan Aykroyd finishing the countdown, a million balloons flooded the audience with uproarious applause as the Dead whipped out the first chords and riffs of Sugar Magnolia. From that moment on, the night belonged to the Grateful Dead and the swarming sea of fans paying their last rites to the place that held 59 Dead shows, nearly 10% of all Grateful Dead performances.
There are so many magical moments on this film that I could spend several more pages or a full essay on the subject without a doubt. Now, this is the best Grateful Dead footage that is in my library and certainly one that will be enjoyed over and over again. With 2 DVDs, a 28 page collectors book, and over 6.5 hours of material, you can get completely immersed in this magical evening. And, you now have the luxury of archiving it right in your own home. Plan on making an all-nighter or an entire weekend out of this DVD the first time out of the box!
By: S. Remington
7.25.2004
DVD Review: Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Beacon Theater
Artist: The Allman Brother Band
Title: Live at the Beacon Theatre
Label: Sanctuary
Year: 2003
Rating: 5 Drops
The Allman Brothers Band pulls into New York city every March for an extended string of performances that dedicated fans have come to refer to as 'The Beacon Run'. This DVD puts you not only in the front row for two stellar nights at the Beacon, March 25 & 26, 2003, but nestles you directly in the lap of one of the founding bands of the Jam scene and clearly one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands of all time. The film brings you in through the front door of the famous Beacon Theatre on New York's upper West side and literally suspends you out over the crowd and the stage for a beautiful and blistering 3 hours of Allman Brothers magic.
Over the years I've seen the Allman Brothers Band, through rough times and good times and different line-ups, but I'll tell you right now they have arrived AGAIN! They have never sounded tighter and more full of collective energy and joy and watching this film is nothing short of awe inspiring. Gregg Allman has made a complete transformation and this rekindled fire within himself is a potent fuel for the entire band to feed and explore the improvisational landscapes that set this legendary band apart from the rest and continues to evolve musically today.
This professionally shot film is some of the most electric concert footage that I have ever seen and is enhanced with crystal clear digital audio to transform your home entertainment center and living room into a super charged Allman Brothers experience. The band charges brilliantly through many Allman Brothers classics including 'Ain't Wastin' No More Time', 'Woman Across the River', 'Midnight Rider' with full fledged fervor and ferocity. One of the highlights of the set list was a mind altering collaboration of Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes giving a slide guitar clinic, both trading lead back and forth, in an amazing rendition of 'Rockin' Horse'.
The DVD is also packed full of features, photo gallery, a bonus track with Derek and Warren tearing up an acoustic version of 'Old Friend' in a backstage dressing room rehearsal, and a wonderful interview section with all of the band members as they speak on the roots of the Allman Brothers Band and the stage chemistry they share today. I watched the film from beginning to end and only tagged the pause button long enough for a restroom break and to switch discs. This DVD is definitely a must have for the hardcore Allman Brothers fan young and old alike and its treasures will certainly be explored again and again from my living room for years to come.
By: T. Monroe
Title: Live at the Beacon Theatre
Label: Sanctuary
Year: 2003
Rating: 5 Drops
The Allman Brothers Band pulls into New York city every March for an extended string of performances that dedicated fans have come to refer to as 'The Beacon Run'. This DVD puts you not only in the front row for two stellar nights at the Beacon, March 25 & 26, 2003, but nestles you directly in the lap of one of the founding bands of the Jam scene and clearly one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands of all time. The film brings you in through the front door of the famous Beacon Theatre on New York's upper West side and literally suspends you out over the crowd and the stage for a beautiful and blistering 3 hours of Allman Brothers magic.
Over the years I've seen the Allman Brothers Band, through rough times and good times and different line-ups, but I'll tell you right now they have arrived AGAIN! They have never sounded tighter and more full of collective energy and joy and watching this film is nothing short of awe inspiring. Gregg Allman has made a complete transformation and this rekindled fire within himself is a potent fuel for the entire band to feed and explore the improvisational landscapes that set this legendary band apart from the rest and continues to evolve musically today.
This professionally shot film is some of the most electric concert footage that I have ever seen and is enhanced with crystal clear digital audio to transform your home entertainment center and living room into a super charged Allman Brothers experience. The band charges brilliantly through many Allman Brothers classics including 'Ain't Wastin' No More Time', 'Woman Across the River', 'Midnight Rider' with full fledged fervor and ferocity. One of the highlights of the set list was a mind altering collaboration of Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes giving a slide guitar clinic, both trading lead back and forth, in an amazing rendition of 'Rockin' Horse'.
The DVD is also packed full of features, photo gallery, a bonus track with Derek and Warren tearing up an acoustic version of 'Old Friend' in a backstage dressing room rehearsal, and a wonderful interview section with all of the band members as they speak on the roots of the Allman Brothers Band and the stage chemistry they share today. I watched the film from beginning to end and only tagged the pause button long enough for a restroom break and to switch discs. This DVD is definitely a must have for the hardcore Allman Brothers fan young and old alike and its treasures will certainly be explored again and again from my living room for years to come.
By: T. Monroe
6.16.2004
Lotus - Transmitting Sounds from the Cosmic Playground
Editors Note: PhreshWater.com prided itself on bringing you the best up and coming talent each and every month in its own featured section called ‘The Gene Pool’. The purpose of The Gene Pool was to thrust this new talent right out onto the home page, in full view for maximum exposure, right along side of already established artists. It grew to be one of most popular sections and the most fun to publish.
Welcome back to The Gene Pool from our last trip across the Atlantic to London. Now we bring you back to Philadelphia which is becoming a hotbed of its own and brimming with talent and volatile sounds without any boundaries of genre. The city of ‘Brotherly Love’ has blessed the live music scene with virtuosity spawning from bands like Revisor, Brothers Past, The Disco Biscuits and now our newest inductee – Lotus.
Lotus formed in 1999 and toured extensively in the Midwest and Colorado before relocating to Philadelphia in 2002. Their sound is self described as ‘Organic Ambient Trance Funk’ and I’m here to tell you that it most definitely transcends these humble definitions. We are in an exciting time for live music and the Jamband scene where musicians with hybridized influences and technical mastery are changing the way we are experiencing and perceiving music as a whole. Lotus, much like Sound Tribe Sector Nine (who Lotus members cite as a major influence) and John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra, has a definite sense of music as spirituality and the instrument is an extension and facilitator of a trance like stasis that comes from seeking oneness with music and the universe simultaneously. In one listen to a live recording or seeing Lotus perform it is apparent that they posses a wealth of talent in every aspect of their intricate and danceable compositions. Now that you have a glimpse into ‘what’ Lotus music is about lets take some time and find ‘who’ is behind the instruments and imaginations of this highly creative band.
SR- Can you tell me about the early days of Lotus and how you formed the band?
Jesse Miller (JM)- The band got it’s first start in the fall of 98’. It was Luke and Mike’s freshman year.... Mike is the guitarist who is no longer with us… Luke and Mike were jamming together with a different percussionist and bass player at that time…I was going to school in Santa Fe and I had come out to visit them over my spring break and we jammed out and things were kind of clicking and seemed like something that we need to do… so in the summer of 99’ me, Luke, Mike Remple and Steve were living out in Denver together and started playing out there and that’s when Lotus officially started. And then I ended up transferring to the school that they were all going to…
SR- What’s the name of the school?
JM- Goshen College…. A real small school in Northern Indiana. We were playing there as a four-piece. We did some gigging there, not a whole lot…
SR- How did you decide that the Bass would be your instrument of choice?
JM- That’s kind of a funny story. In high school Luke, who is my twin brother, we decided to start and band and that would be cool. He played a little guitar and I played a little guitar and we wanted to start a Ska band….and we had a few friends who played horns. We decided to get this together and we found this drummer who was like in Junior High or something but no one played Bass, so I said ‘Ok, I’ll play Bass’.
SR- Do you guys see heading into the studio anytime soon?
JM- We’ve never been into the studio yet….our first album ‘Vibes’ is live release. We did do some things in the studio about three years back but it never got released. But, we are about to start to do some studio work in the next few weeks….
SR- I now that you guys have recently relocated to Philadelphia and was wondering how that has effected Lotus as a band?
JM- It’s just effected Lotus greatly ….especially in the business sense. It opened up a lot of markets that we’ve never been to before…we were just touring in the North and Midwest but now were touring in the South and North East. Where we were before in Indiana the closest market was in Grand Rapids which was a two hour drive and that was our home-base.
SR- I’ve already written an overview of Lotus as a band. And in my overview I make mention that Lotus as a band emulates their music in a spiritual awareness much like Sound Tribe Sector Nine or the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Is this true or am I over- analyzing you guys?
JM- No. That’s definelty how we gear our improvisation. We don’t do a whole lot of ‘Blues’ type of improv where there’s soloing back and forth. It’s more of a group improvisation and I think that type of improv lends itself well with the audience, it’s more an organic type of feel and that really taps into a meditative or spiritual state. That’s something that we definitely focus on….
SR- Luke, I know that you are Jesse’s twin brother…
Luke Miller (LM)- Yeah, that’s how I like to be introduced
SR- Out of curiosity have you guys ever tried to pull a fast one on stage and traded places?
LM-…No. But the crowd gets confused sometimes….
SR- I really enjoy your music and especially the textures that are created with the guitars. Where are you drawing your inspiration from?
LM- I’m not a big fan of guitar music. Most of the music I listen to is non-guitar….I listen to a lot of electronic music like the Orb and Kruder and Dorfmeister….Things that definitely are not typical guitar music….
SR- With your own guitar are you trying to create different sounds that are not normally achieved in traditional guitar playing?
LM- I think if you put too many effects on a guitar it sounds cheesy ….so I use a fairly clean sound…..maybe its more of a ‘mind set’ of electronic music and not drawing from the Rock solo aspect….
SR- When you guys are improvising would you say that the crowd has a direct effect on what’s being played on stage?
LM- For sure. We definitely try to make it an interaction between us on stage and the audience and try to break down that traditional boundary a little bit through improvising….if there’s people out there dancing like crazy that gives us more energy and we want to throw that back out at them….Yeah, I draw a lot of energy from the crowd..
SR- When you guys go on the road what kind of vehicle do you take?
LM- We have a Dodge six-passenger van with a turtle-top and a trailer…the van is from the 80’s and the engine is from the early 70’s …. …not very reliable. Luckily, we haven’t missed any shows but it’s about time for us to buy another one….
SR- What are you reading right now?
LM- I just finished ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’….It was really fun and now I’ve got the whole series..
SR- If you were to take your stage persona and give it a name from one of the characters of the ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide’ what would it be?
LM-….I think it would be that lost, middle-brain section of Beeblebrox. Who knows what’s there?!?
SR- Chuck, what kind of percussion set-up do you take on the road?
Chuck Morris (CM) – It’s a Roland handsonic with some electric pads, djembe, congas, high hats….basically auxillary percussion and hand drums….
SR- Are there any new instruments that you are playing or experimenting with?
CM- Actually, I’m trying to simplify the set that I’m playing with and trying to move over to a more electronic feel….. I’m starting to get into a lot more things electronically
SR- Do you and Steve get to spend much practice time with just the two of you together?
CM- …That’s something that we just haven’t had much of a chance to do…we both have 40 hour a week jobs and get to practice at night…..
SR- Where in Philadelphia does Lotus consume most of it’s meals?
CM- Definitely in the kitchen! We pretty much cook everything and don’t go out much….except Rizzo’s Pizza every so often….
SR- Who’s the best cook do you think?
CM- That’s a hard one…but it’s between the Miller brothers
SR- What’s the ‘Miller specialty’?
CM- 'Whatever-We-Have'…. anything with potatoes!…
We weren’t able to speak with Steve Clemens, the set drummer, who was in Peru at the time of the interview until the end of March but I feel that this will not be our last conversation with Lotus. As they have mentioned a studio release is in the works and we should get an update from them by mid-spring or early summer and we’ll be sure to pass that information along. If you’ve never heard or seen Lotus please do yourself a favor and have a listen and catch them live; you won’t be disappointed. Also, check out streaming audio that they have provided at the top of the page.
Thanks for joining us in The Gene Pool! Who will be next? Maybe you know already!
By: S. Remington – Article originally appeared in March 2003
Welcome back to The Gene Pool from our last trip across the Atlantic to London. Now we bring you back to Philadelphia which is becoming a hotbed of its own and brimming with talent and volatile sounds without any boundaries of genre. The city of ‘Brotherly Love’ has blessed the live music scene with virtuosity spawning from bands like Revisor, Brothers Past, The Disco Biscuits and now our newest inductee – Lotus.
Lotus formed in 1999 and toured extensively in the Midwest and Colorado before relocating to Philadelphia in 2002. Their sound is self described as ‘Organic Ambient Trance Funk’ and I’m here to tell you that it most definitely transcends these humble definitions. We are in an exciting time for live music and the Jamband scene where musicians with hybridized influences and technical mastery are changing the way we are experiencing and perceiving music as a whole. Lotus, much like Sound Tribe Sector Nine (who Lotus members cite as a major influence) and John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra, has a definite sense of music as spirituality and the instrument is an extension and facilitator of a trance like stasis that comes from seeking oneness with music and the universe simultaneously. In one listen to a live recording or seeing Lotus perform it is apparent that they posses a wealth of talent in every aspect of their intricate and danceable compositions. Now that you have a glimpse into ‘what’ Lotus music is about lets take some time and find ‘who’ is behind the instruments and imaginations of this highly creative band.
SR- Can you tell me about the early days of Lotus and how you formed the band?
Jesse Miller (JM)- The band got it’s first start in the fall of 98’. It was Luke and Mike’s freshman year.... Mike is the guitarist who is no longer with us… Luke and Mike were jamming together with a different percussionist and bass player at that time…I was going to school in Santa Fe and I had come out to visit them over my spring break and we jammed out and things were kind of clicking and seemed like something that we need to do… so in the summer of 99’ me, Luke, Mike Remple and Steve were living out in Denver together and started playing out there and that’s when Lotus officially started. And then I ended up transferring to the school that they were all going to…
SR- What’s the name of the school?
JM- Goshen College…. A real small school in Northern Indiana. We were playing there as a four-piece. We did some gigging there, not a whole lot…
SR- How did you decide that the Bass would be your instrument of choice?
JM- That’s kind of a funny story. In high school Luke, who is my twin brother, we decided to start and band and that would be cool. He played a little guitar and I played a little guitar and we wanted to start a Ska band….and we had a few friends who played horns. We decided to get this together and we found this drummer who was like in Junior High or something but no one played Bass, so I said ‘Ok, I’ll play Bass’.
SR- Do you guys see heading into the studio anytime soon?
JM- We’ve never been into the studio yet….our first album ‘Vibes’ is live release. We did do some things in the studio about three years back but it never got released. But, we are about to start to do some studio work in the next few weeks….
SR- I now that you guys have recently relocated to Philadelphia and was wondering how that has effected Lotus as a band?
JM- It’s just effected Lotus greatly ….especially in the business sense. It opened up a lot of markets that we’ve never been to before…we were just touring in the North and Midwest but now were touring in the South and North East. Where we were before in Indiana the closest market was in Grand Rapids which was a two hour drive and that was our home-base.
SR- I’ve already written an overview of Lotus as a band. And in my overview I make mention that Lotus as a band emulates their music in a spiritual awareness much like Sound Tribe Sector Nine or the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Is this true or am I over- analyzing you guys?
JM- No. That’s definelty how we gear our improvisation. We don’t do a whole lot of ‘Blues’ type of improv where there’s soloing back and forth. It’s more of a group improvisation and I think that type of improv lends itself well with the audience, it’s more an organic type of feel and that really taps into a meditative or spiritual state. That’s something that we definitely focus on….
SR- Luke, I know that you are Jesse’s twin brother…
Luke Miller (LM)- Yeah, that’s how I like to be introduced
SR- Out of curiosity have you guys ever tried to pull a fast one on stage and traded places?
LM-
SR- I really enjoy your music and especially the textures that are created with the guitars. Where are you drawing your inspiration from?
LM- I’m not a big fan of guitar music. Most of the music I listen to is non-guitar….I listen to a lot of electronic music like the Orb and Kruder and Dorfmeister….Things that definitely are not typical guitar music….
SR- With your own guitar are you trying to create different sounds that are not normally achieved in traditional guitar playing?
LM- I think if you put too many effects on a guitar it sounds cheesy ….so I use a fairly clean sound…..maybe its more of a ‘mind set’ of electronic music and not drawing from the Rock solo aspect….
SR- When you guys are improvising would you say that the crowd has a direct effect on what’s being played on stage?
LM- For sure. We definitely try to make it an interaction between us on stage and the audience and try to break down that traditional boundary a little bit through improvising….if there’s people out there dancing like crazy that gives us more energy and we want to throw that back out at them….Yeah, I draw a lot of energy from the crowd..
SR- When you guys go on the road what kind of vehicle do you take?
LM- We have a Dodge six-passenger van with a turtle-top and a trailer…the van is from the 80’s and the engine is from the early 70’s ….
SR- What are you reading right now?
LM- I just finished ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’….It was really fun and now I’ve got the whole series..
SR- If you were to take your stage persona and give it a name from one of the characters of the ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide’ what would it be?
LM-
SR- Chuck, what kind of percussion set-up do you take on the road?
Chuck Morris (CM) – It’s a Roland handsonic with some electric pads, djembe, congas, high hats….basically auxillary percussion and hand drums….
SR- Are there any new instruments that you are playing or experimenting with?
CM- Actually, I’m trying to simplify the set that I’m playing with and trying to move over to a more electronic feel….. I’m starting to get into a lot more things electronically
SR- Do you and Steve get to spend much practice time with just the two of you together?
CM- …That’s something that we just haven’t had much of a chance to do…we both have 40 hour a week jobs and get to practice at night…..
SR- Where in Philadelphia does Lotus consume most of it’s meals?
CM- Definitely in the kitchen! We pretty much cook everything and don’t go out much….except Rizzo’s Pizza every so often….
SR- Who’s the best cook do you think?
CM- That’s a hard one…but it’s between the Miller brothers
SR- What’s the ‘Miller specialty’?
CM- 'Whatever-We-Have'….
We weren’t able to speak with Steve Clemens, the set drummer, who was in Peru at the time of the interview until the end of March but I feel that this will not be our last conversation with Lotus. As they have mentioned a studio release is in the works and we should get an update from them by mid-spring or early summer and we’ll be sure to pass that information along. If you’ve never heard or seen Lotus please do yourself a favor and have a listen and catch them live; you won’t be disappointed. Also, check out streaming audio that they have provided at the top of the page.
Thanks for joining us in The Gene Pool! Who will be next? Maybe you know already!
By: S. Remington – Article originally appeared in March 2003
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