Gallery & Review: JJ Grey & Mofro

Images by Erin and Benjamin Slayter (Ferndale, Detroit, Michigan) JJ Grey and Mofro have been bringing their unique blend of backwater sound to concert stages for over ten years. We originally caught them at the Social in Orlando, Florida in November of 2002, playing to a crowd of about 50. Sunday night in Detroit was a different story: over 500 people paid the $20.00 ticket price resulting in a sold-out show. The biggest surprises of the night were the opening acts Daryl Hance and JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound.  Daryl Hance (guitar) has been with JJ since the beginnings of Mofro and during this recent tour has been playing with Mofro’s Anthony Cole, drums…

Gallery: Umphrey’s McGee NYE

(Editor’s Note): Photographer Abby (Fox) Matthews of Abby Fox Photography is a true Umphrey’s Fan with a talented eye, and her photos of this spectacular run are the next best thing to being there.  Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she’s a lifer at Midwest shows and festivals. Her UM photos have been published regularly on the band’s site, and used on album art.  We’re excited to present her full gallery of images from the recent bash. She shot us a quick note describing her experience: “The shows had such an intimate feel in comparison with years past. There was a great connection with the band and the fans because of this. Lights, energy, and the…

Gallery: String Cheese Incident in Chicago

Photos by Erin and Ben Slayter.  

Photo Blog: Toubab Krewe at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor

(Photos by Erin Slayter, Text by Benjamin Slayter) E and I caught up with Toubab Krewe on a cold, dark night in Ann Arbor where we arrived early enough to snag a stage-side seat in the classic Michigan bar venue. TK’s setup looked cramped on the small stage. If you’ve never been exposed to TK before, they are as diverse a group as you could imagine.  Justin Perkins was about ten feet from me across a bar rail, his Kamelngoni (think african banjo – it’s thought to have been the ancestor of the american banjo) and Kora (think blues guitar made with a huge gourd cut in half, covered in cow skin) next to a…

Umphrey’s McGee at the Aragon Ballroom 2011.11.25

Thanks to Umphrey’s McGee for a great night in Chicago.  A few pics in the gallery here, and a short review coming up soon.

Beats Antique @ Aragon Ballroom Chicago 2011.11.25

Some images from Friday’s Umphrey’s Mcgee show at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois.  Look for a mini-review shortly! When you take photos of all-male jam bands all the time, a lovely woman on stage never hurts. Sick show, love the new album.

STS9 | NYC | 10.22.2011

Words By: Carly  Photos by: Nick Irving NEW YORK, NY – In support of their latest EP When The Dust Settles, Sound Tribe Sector 9  (STS9) made a stop in New York City to visit Times Square’s Best Buy Theater (formally the Nokia Theater) and the scene outside was just as busy as the rest of the Square. Fingers were up for the sold out show and even though police were present, the lot kids designated a corner for smoking and selling wraps adjacent to the venue. Getting in was no problem, security was loose and the spacious theater is quite welcoming. DJ opener Polish Ambassador had over an hour before STS9’s set but unfortunately,…

Picture Show | Umphrey’s McGee @ HOB | 10.21.11

photos by Tammy Wetzel Cleveland, OH Stream 40′s theme with psychedelic Jake from this show (4 minute mark) [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Setlist: Set One Resolution > 13 Days, All In Time* > Hangover, Slacker > Baby You’re a Rich Man > Slacker, 40′s Theme** Set Two Miami Virtue > Deeper > Dump City > 2×2 > Ringo > “Jimmy Stewart”$ > All in Time Encore Pay the Snucka Notes * with Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ teases ** with Fly Like an Eagle teases $ with lyrics Download full show on The Live Music Archive Purchase set from UMLIVE

Toubab Krewe and Zongo Junction | NYC | 10.15.11

On a last minute photo call this Wednesday 10/5, I went down to (le) Poisson Rouge on Bleeker Street and here is a sample of what went down! There were more musicians, and even more instruments than i could keep track of, as you can see in the photos below. “Worldly” is certainly an understatement in my opinion, categorization cannot be applied. when both bands took stage together for nearly an hour, it was band meets orchestra, pedal to the metal.

Greensky Bluegrass “Handguns” CD Release party

Event: Greensky Bluegrass “Handguns” CD Release Party Venue: Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, Michigan Audio: bt.etree.org / archive.org / stream (will be updated when they hit, check back!) Videos: Youtube / other The self-produced, fourth studio album “Handguns” by Greensky Bluegrass hit yesterday and the band came out to show a full crowd at Bell’s Brewery what they’d been working on. Fans had been given a free “EP” download of five songs to get them started, but let us be the first to tell you that the true gems you’ll need to purchase! Greensky brings a diverse and beautiful crowd, and it wasn’t long before the first notes of “Cold Feet” (Track 3 on the new album…