A Life of Music Posts

Like many others, I waited a long time for this show. I just missed seeing The Police at the tail end of their original incarnation. I never really thought the opportunity would present itself but when I learned at the end of the previous year that …

Going to see The Jayhawks is like catching up with old friends. Since discovering them with Hollywood Town Hall (American, 1992), their songs have been part of my life's soundtrack. I had not seen them since moving to the Pacific Northwest almost e…

Yo La Tengo, Town Hall, New York, NY, February 29, 2000 with support act Lambchop This was a slow, quiet show in support of And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, a slow, quiet record.  The band may have taken that aesthetic to the extreme but…

In addition to my work as host of Spotlight On, I manage to keep my hands in several business and creative ventures. I am incredibly pleased to share with listeners that Burning Dervish, an ambient music project of mine, has a track - Five Wonders …

Black Sabbath, with support acts Pantera and Deftones, at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ on February 5, 1999 Once I decided to go see the reunited Black Sabbath (which really didn't take much deciding at all) it became obvious ther…

Donny McCaslin, Village Vanguard, New York, NY, January 22, 2016, Late Show Donny McCaslin and his band were, of course, the musical collaborators with David Bowie on his final album, ★. This show took place less than two weeks after Bowie's 2016 p…

Lou Donaldson Quartet, Early Show at the Jazz Standard, New York, NY, January 19, 2012 Lou Donaldson is one of the most-sampled artists of all time and supposedly the holder of that title for the Blue Note Records catalog. His "Ode to Billy Joe", f…

Rolling Stones, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, January 16, 2003 This show was #39 of The Licks Tour, an international run that ultimately tallied 117 performances. This night was also a 'dress rehearsal' for a live HBO broadcast two nights la…

Twisted Sister, with opening act Dokken, at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, January 12, 1986 This one's a whole other kettle of fish, isn't it?  I have always liked a lot of different kinds of music, the only issue is that it took a wh…

Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio at Jazz Standard, New York, NY, January 11, 2012, Early Set This recording is from my personal archive. There is some room noise in the quieter spots - the sound of dishes clanking and such, but it is more than worth a listen.…

Windborne's The Music of David Bowie: A Rock Symphony with The Seattle Symphony, S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA, January 10, 2017.  From the Seattle Symphony's website: "The genius of David Bowie's innovative range …

Regina Spektor, Private Performance, Amazon Campus, Seattle, WA, January 9, 2017 This show took place on my first day on the job at Amazon. The company has an event space in the main building of their Seattle campus, which is wher…

A Bowie Celebration, livestream from Rolling Live Studios, Studio City, CA, January 8, 2022 (the 75th Anniversary of David Bowie's birthday) Some of the show and several of the highlights have made it onto YouTube and are included here, but the a…

A Prairie Home Companion, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA, January 7, 2017 As for so many others, A Prairie Home Companion was the soundtrack to many a-Sundays: for long drives, brunches, cooking marathons in the kitchen, or just otherwise backgroun…

Joan Stiles, Jazz Gallery New York, NY, January 5, 2012, Second Show There were two shows this night for the release of Joan's CD, Three Musicians. This recording, from my personal archive, is of the second show. The band is Joan Stiles (piano a…

Happy Hallowe'en! Are you dressing up this year? Giving out candy? Going to a party? Maybe a concert? I'm getting a COVID booster. Spooky! I have seen quite a few concerts on Hallowe'en over the years, though. This one was my first.  I was (and am…

Insomuch as Dead Heads have consensus around anything, there is general consensus that 1988 was a very good but not great year for the band. There were some tight, high energy shows but little of the deep psychedelic exploration that many fans sough…

There was a time in my life when September meant "Fall Tour" and "Fall Tour" meant taking the train to New York City a couple of times a week for the Grateful Dead's annual residency at Madison Square Garden. The band once held the record for most s…

The Globe Theatre in Norwalk, CT was a classic. I only saw this one show there, but I loved the room: great sight-lines, great sound, and if my hazy memory serves me well, a short distance to the bar. This last point mattered a lot at the time. The…

Well I'll be, a show where three of the four musicians on stage have been guests of the podcast. I think we need to get Justin Guip on, if only to collect 'em all... The various incarnations that Hot Tuna (and Jorma Kaukonen) have appeared under th…

Over the last 30 years or so, Derek Trucks has gone from nepo baby child prodigy, to adult virtuoso, to grizzled American Road Dog. He's even an avid fisherperson. And he still has a lot of life and career ahead of him.  In interviews, he seems lik…

When David Crosby died, a Rolling Stone podcaster remarked on how much of a career Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash managed to get out of what was essentially two classic albums (their debut as CSN and Déjà Vu, their first album with Neil Youn…

I used to love going to see this band. Known as "The Quintet", this was the longest-running incarnation of Phil Lesh & Friends. In addition to Phil Lesh on bass and vocals (always a 'yikes'), there was the twin guitar attack of Warren Haynes and Ji…

This show was the first of a three night run to close out the Grateful Dead's 1990 Summer Tour. The band was on a stellar, multi-year tear that began with the Spring East Coast Tour in 1987 but really found its legs throughout 1989. By Summer of 19…