Fans of The Allman Brothers Band are getting another live recording from members of the band this summer.
The Brothers — Duane Trucks, Derek Trucks, Chuck Leavell, Jaimoe, Marc Quinones, Oteil Burbridge, Warren Haynes, and Reese Wynans — are scheduled to release its sold out March 10, 2020 Madison Square Garden concert July 23 through Peach Records. The concert is scheduled for release on CD, DVD, digital, and Blu-ray.
A portion of proceeds from sales of the recording will go to benefit The Allman Brothers Band Museum. The concert is the second recording this year from members of The Allman Brothers Band. Down in Texas ’71was released March 26.
The track listing for the recording is noted below.
First Set:
Don’t Want You No More
It’s Not My Cross To Bear
Statesboro Blues
Revival
Trouble No More
Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’
Black Hearted Woman
Dreams
Hot ‘Lanta
Come And Go Blues
Soulshine
Stand Back
Jessica
Second Set
Mountain Jam
Blue Sky
Desdemona
Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
Every Hungry Woman
Melissa
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
No One To Run With
One Way Out
Jaimoe & Warren Greetings
Midnight Rider
Whipping Post
More information on the Allman Brothers Band’s upcoming Madison Square Garden concert is available online at:
More than four years after releasing its hit album Find a Light, southern rock band Blackberry Smoke returned this week with an equally strong new record in Georgia You Hear. The band’s seventh album, this record is everything that audiences have come to expect from the band, which has been called one of the best of the genre by many audiences and critics. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements. They will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that are featured throughout the album add a second layer of appeal to the record. They will be discussed a little later. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will be addressed later, too. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make the album a successful presentation from beginning to end.
Blackberry Smoke’s seventh full-length studio recording, Georgia You Hear is a record that every listener will want to hear. Yes, that awful pun was intended. That is due in no small part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements in question largely boast the band’s familiar southern rock tones and stylistic approaches. At the same time though, they also present a subtle variety from one to the next. The band even goes full-on country at one point – ‘Lonesome for a Livin’ (ft. Jamey Johnson).’ On a side note, rumblings are that Johnson, who is an outstanding artist in his own right, is finally mapping out his possible first new album in years. One can only hope and pray that it happens. Getting back on topic, the arrangements here take audiences in a variety of directions, even as they remain within the southern rock genre from one to the next. Case in point is the arrangement featured in the album’s opener, ‘Live It Down.’ There is something about the arrangement here (including the vocal delivery style of front man Charlie Starr) that makes the composition comparable to works from the likes of The Black Crowes. That should come as no surprise to the band’s established audiences. Those audiences know that the band has shown such similarities in its past records, too. Luckily though, Blackberry Smoke’s members did not just rehash the sounds of those songs here. Rather, it is its own original work.
As the album progresses, the noted diversity is just as evident in ‘Old Enough To Know.’ The twang of the steel pedal and the simple percussion against Starr’s bittersweet vocal delivery and guitar performance lends itself to comparison to works from the likes of James Taylor, Bob Dylan, and even Hank Williams, Sr. This subdued, simple song is a wonderful break point for the record that keeps things just interesting enough to keep audiences engaged.
On yet another note, ‘All Over The Road,’ the album’s penultimate entry, the band mixes its familiar southern rock sounds with a bit of Americana to make for even more evidence of the diversity in the album’s musical content. The classic Americana element is most evident in the use of the upbeat piano line. The more southern rock sound at times conjures thoughts of Tom Petty, ZZ Top and even, again, The Black Crowes. The whole makes the song yet another work that audiences will enjoy while also showing even more, the diversity in the album’s musical arrangements, even though the arrangements stay within the confines of the southern rock genre. The positive impact of the musical arrangements featured in this record is only a part of what makes the record successful. The lyrical themes featured in the record are just as diverse (and accessible) as the record’s musical arrangements.
The lyrical themes will connect with audiences just as easily as their musical counterparts. Case in point is the theme featured in ‘Old Scarecrow,’ the album’s closer. This song’s lyrical theme presents a message of self-assurance and personal identity. Starr sings here about not caring about “the year’s new model” and states “I might be a little ragged around the edges…I look at these two hands/And I know there’s someone watching over me.” He adds, “I ain’t never gonna change my ways.” This is that defiant message noted. It is that proverbial middle finger to the status quo, telling people that the subject is going to be who he is, trends be damned. Again, it is a familiar theme that is used across the musical universe. It is presented in a familiar fashion that will resonate with audiences just as much as in any other case.
‘Hey Delilah’ presents another familiar lyrical theme. The theme in question is that of a man who is head over heels for a woman. Apparently in this case, the woman’s name is Delilah. Starr recalls here how the woman influenced him (or the song’s subject), even describing how she looked and how it drove him crazy. That against the song’s musical arrangement, whose southern rock style and sound conjures thoughts of Lynyrd Skynyrd, makes for even more enjoyment here. It makes the song’s lyrical theme that much more accessible, in turn, showing even more why the album’s lyrical themes are so important to its presentation.
‘Morningside’ is yet another example of the variety and impact of the album’s lyrical content. In this case, the band presents in very unique fashion, what comes across as a message about making it through life’s difficult times. That is inferred as Starr sings in the song’s chorus about “waiting for the morningside” and that “nothing’s ever over…the light is shining on somebody all the time/I’m not stumbling in the darkness/I’m just waiting for the morningside.” If in fact that is what Starr and company are trying to translate, then they are to be commended for this, again, unique translation. To that end, it proves one more example of what makes the album’s lyrical content overall just as important as the record’s musical arrangements. When all of this and the rest of the album’s lyrical content is considered along with all of the album’s musical content, that whole gives listeners every reason to take in this new offering from Blackberry Smoke. Even with that in mind, it is just a portion of what makes the album worth hearing. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements.
The sequencing presented in You Hear Goergia is important to note because a close listen reveals a clear, intentional approach to this aspect. The album starts off in up-tempo fashion in ‘Live It Down.’ From there, the album’s energy gradually pulls back in each song until it reaches its most subdued point in ‘Lonesome for a Livin’ (ft. Jamey Johnson).’ From there, the record’s second half changes things up a little more to keep things interesting. ‘All Rise again (ft. Warren Haynes)’ immediately picks things back up to start off the record’s second half. ‘Old Enough to Know’ then just as starkly changes things again as it pulls way back before giving way to the gritty ‘Morningside.’ That arrangement gives way to even more energy as it transitions to ‘All Over The Road,’ giving audiences one more dose of high energy. From there, the band closes out the album on a relaxed but still confident note in ‘Old Scarecrow.’ Looking back through all of this, it should be clear that the band and all involved had a clear plan in sequencing the songs. That plan paid off as it ensures listeners’ engagement and entertainment just as much as the album’s content by itself. When this is considered along with the album’s content, the whole makes this record just as successful as any of the band’s existing albums.
Blackberry Smoke’s brand new album You Hear Georgia is a successful new offering from the band that has become known as one of the leaders of the southern rock realm over its life. That is proven in part through its musical arrangements. The arrangements are mostly southern rock songs that still show subtle variations from one to the next in their influences, sounds and styles. A close listen to the album proves that true. As if that is not enough, the band even goes full country in at least one song. The lyrical content featured alongside the album’s musical arrangements is important to the record’s appeal, too. That is because it is familiar in terms of the presented themes. The manner in which the familiar themes are presented makes them just as accessible as the album’s musical arrangements. The sequencing of all of that content rounds out the album’s most important elements. It brings everything together and ensures in itself, audiences’ engagement and entertainment. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the album. All things considered, they make You Hear Georgia a record that audiences in Georgia and beyond will enjoy hearing. You Hear Georgia is available now through 3 Legged Records/Thirty Tigers.
More information on the album is available online now along with all of the band’s latest news and more at:
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Audiences will get a double dose of The Allman Brothers Band live later this month.
A news release distributed Monday announced that the band will re-issue its live recording, Live at Great Woods Sept. 6, 1991 on DVD March 26. The DVD’s release will come alongside the release of the band’s audio-only release of Down in Texas ’71, which will release the same day on digital and CD.
The Live at Great Woods concert featured the lineup of Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Jaimoe, and Butch Trucks as the primary members. Derek Trucks (The Derek Trucks Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band), Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule), Allen Woody, and Marc Quinones joined the band for the performance.
The archived, previously out-of-print recording’s concert was in support of the band’s then latest album, Shades of Two Worlds. The concert features performances of songs, such as ‘End of the Line,’ ‘Going Down The Road Feeling Bad,’ and ‘Blue Sky.’ The recording’s track listing is noted below.
LIVE AT GREAT WOODS track listing:
–Statesboro Blues
–End Of The Line
–Blue Sky
–Midnight Rider
–Going Down The Road
–Hoochie Coochie Man
–Get On With Your Life
–In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
–Revival
–Jessica
–Whipping Post
More information on the Allman Brothers Band’s upcoming DVD re-issue concert is available online at:
The Allman Brothers Band will release a special live DVD this Spring.
The band’s new live DVD 40 will be released Tuesday, April 30th via EOne Entertainment. The concert was recorded March 26th, 2009. That day was the fortieth anniversary of the first performance of the band’s original lineup. It was on March 26th, 1969 that the band’s original lineup—Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, Jaimoe Oakley, and Berry Oakley—performed together in Macon, Georgia.
In related news, the current lineup of The Allman Brothers Band will be back on stage, performing live this weekend. The band will perform live in Live Oak, Florida this Saturday, April 11th at the 10th annual Wanee Festival. The band’s previous four performances at the Beacon Theatre had to be postponed as singer Gregg Allman had recently been suffering from bronchitis. Allman spoke to reporters concerning the progress of his recovery, stating that he felt he was almost back to full strength and was optimistic about the band’s upcoming live performances. “I feel almost 100% following my bout with Bronchitis,” he said. “I look forward to seeing the Allman Brothers Band fans at the Wanee Festival April 10-12, as well as I cannot wait for my first trip to Australia with my solo band to meet my down under fans.”
The band’s most current live schedule is listed below.
2014 marks a major milestone for the Allman Brothers Band. This year marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the band’s formation. In celebration of the anniversary, the band will release new live CD and DVD recordings for its fans. It also has announced the schedule for its annual stint at the Beacon Theater. It all begins next month with the release of the new two-CD set, Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992 and the new live DVD, Live at Great Woods. This recording was originally recorded in 1991. The band will also release via its own label, Allman Brothers Band Recording Company, another live DVD titled Boston Common 8/17/71. Topping it all off, the band is set to return to its original home base of Florida this Spring for the annual Wanee Festival.
Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992 presents the band’s first time ever performing such an extended run at the famed theatre. The band performed ten shows at the Beacon Theatre in 1992. Only two of those ten shows were ever taped. Very little material from those recordings has ever been made publicly available for fans up until now. The double-discset will be released via Epic/Legacy Recordings on Tuesday, February 18th. Epic/Legacy Recordings is a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
The upcoming double-CD live release is just half of the band’s celebratory releases. The band will release alongside Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992 a new live DVD titled Live at Great Woods. The recording, which was originally filmed in September 1991, presents the band performing in front of nearly twenty-thousand fans at the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts in Massachusetts. The new re-issue of the concert recording marks the first time that it has ever been released on DVD. It features for fans the band’s original long-form video version of the performance. There are no interviews spliced into the recording here. It will also be released via Epic/Legacy Recordings.
Finishing of the band’s list of celebratory live recordings will be the release of Boston Common 8/17/71. John Lynskey—publisher of the ABB’s magazine, Hittin’ The Note—explains the recording and the band’s relationship with the people of Boston in the recording’s liner notes. Boston Common 8/17/71 is also scheduled for a February release. No official date has been confirmed yet.
“1971 was a watershed year for the Allman Brothers Band – they recorded their seminal live album, At Fillmore East, in March, and continued to tour relentlessly. By this point, their performances had reached a level of musicianship and intensity that other groups could only dream of. At Fillmore East was released in July to massive critical acclaim, and a month later, they rolled back into Boston to once again jam in the Common, playing two shows on August 17th. Boston Common 8/17/71 manages to capture the loose and engaging early set, with the band clearly enjoying themselves – Berry [Oakley]’s stage banter is particularly engaging as he comments on the group’s relationship with Boston and their friendship with the J. Geils Band. As for the music, Duane’s slide guitar is blistering on ‘Statesboro Blues’ and ‘Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’’; his interplay with Dickey [Betts] on ‘You Don’t Love Me’ is a complex masterpiece, and their dual melody line on ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’ is flawless. Gregg’s vocal work is stellar throughout, and his growl on ‘Trouble No More’ clearly justifies his reputation as one of the best blues singers of all time. Berry, Butch and Jaimoe lay down a rhythm foundation that is a mile wide – the thumping bass line and syncopated drum patterns turn the ‘Whipping Post’ finale into a musical maelstrom.”
Following the release of its upcoming live CD and DVDs, the band will continue celebrating its forty-fifth anniversary with its annual stay at the famed Beacon Theatre and a return engagement at the annual Wanee Festival in Live Oaks, Florida. 2014 marks the tenth anniversary of the Wanee Festival. The band’s performances at the Beacon Theatre mark its only live performances in the metro NYC region this year. The complete schedule of performances dates is listed below.
DATE
CITY
VENUE
Fri
3/7
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Sat
3/8
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Tue
3/11
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Wed
3/12
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Fri
3/14
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Sat
3/15
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Tue
3/18
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Wed
3/19
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Fri
3/21
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Sat
3/22
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre
Fri
4/11
Live Oak, FL
Wanee Music Festival
Sat
4/12
Live Oak, FL
Wanee Music Festival
Tickets for the band’s Beacon Theatre shows go on sale this Friday, January 10th at 10am. They can be purchased online via the official Ticketmaster website, http://www.ticketmaster.com and the official Beacon Theatre website, http://www.beacontheatre.com. They can also be purchased via phone at 1-800-745-3000. Any unsold tickets will be sold at the venue box office beginning this Sunday, January 12th at the Beacon Theatre box office. Tickets for American Express card holders are available now and can be purchased through this Thursday, January 9th at 10pm.
Drummer Levon Helm was no ordinary drummer. He was a musician. He was a musician among musicians and a musician of the people. When he finally lost his battle with throat cancer in 2012, the world knew that it had lost not just a man but a legend. It was Helm that made Midnight Rambles so famous. And it was those concerts and Helms’ own music that made him the beloved figure that he is today even though he remains only in spirit. Now thanks to Time Life and StarVista, fans of Helm and his music get to experience one of the greatest tributes to his legacy in the newly released concert, Love For Levon: A Benefit To Save The Barn.
Love For Levon: A Benefit To Save The Barn was released this past March. It was released in five different formats: Double-Disc CD, Double-Disc CD/Double-Disc DVD, Double-Disc CD/Double-Disc Blu-ray, Double-Disc DVD, and Double Disc Blu-ray. Regardless of whether audiences pick up the solo DVD or Blu-ray sets or the deluxe sets including both the CD and DVD or CD and Blu-ray, they will be getting in this concert what is among the year’s best live recordings. It is more than deserving of that honor first and foremost because of the variety of options from which audiences can choose in experiencing this concert. It is also more than deserving of the honor of being on the list of the year’s top live recordings thanks to its production values. The all-star line-up and equally extensive set list adds even more reason to praise the performance. The packaging for the deluxe sets is another interesting addition to the overall presentation that is worthy of note, too. All assembled together, it makes this recording one that any fan of Americana and music lover in general will find entertaining each time they turn it on.
The very first thing to note about Love for Levon: A Benefit to Save The Barn is the variety of platforms on which it is available. It is available in two deluxe packages that include both a double-disc CD portion and double-disc video portion. Those that have HDTVs and Blu-ray players are offered the set with a double-Blu-ray video portion. Those with DVD players are offered the deluxe package that includes the video recording on DVD along with the double-disc CD accompaniment. There are also the stand alone DVD and Blu-ray sets as well as a stand-alone double-disc CD set from which audiences can choose. This vast amount of options may not seem like much to some. But the reality is that it plays a much bigger role in the overall presentation of this set than some might believe. Depending on one’s budget or perhaps access to one format or another, Time Life Entertainment has given audiences as many possibilities as possible to be able to enjoy this performance. Generally when it comes to live recordings, it seems the standard is to present the recording either on one format or another and leave it at that. Time Life Entertainment has done the exact opposite. It has offered this iconic performance in every format possible, save for digital. Though, that will likely come. For this alone, the people at Time Life Entertainment are to be highly commended.
The multi-format packaging for Love For Levon (as it will be simply known from here on out) is a major positive to the overall positive outlook on this concert. Moving forward, one must also take into account its production values in determining its success or failure. Obviously, the good people at Time Life Entertainment maintained the mantra that failure is not an option even with the recording’s production values. The audio and video were expertly mixed. Audiences will notice this both on the DVD and Blu-ray presentations as well as on the CD presentation. This is a factor that is just as important as the number of formats from which audiences to have choose in experiencing the concert. It is just as important because without proper mixing, there is no reason to buy the recording on any platform. There are live recordings out there that leave audiences wondering what those behind the boards and cameras were thinking and were they awake at their posts. Obviously, those behind the board s and cameras were well awake at this concert. It looks and sounds excellent all the way around. Even the lighting on stage itself was just right. When blues great Mavis Staples takes the stage to sing ‘Move Along Train’ every note from Ms. Staples and the backing musicians is crystal clear. This expert mixing is handled throughout the near three-hour long concert.
Having taken into account the production values of Love for Levon, the next logical step is to take a slightly broader examination in looking at the show’s set list and its equally vast array of performers. These too, are boons to this recording. Mavis Staples is just one of the many superstars that made appearances for the benefit. Also on hand were the likes of: Jakob Dylan, John Mayer, Roger Waters, Eric Church, My Morning Jacket, Dierks Bentley, Ray LaMontagne, and a whole who’s who of music past and present. That so many artists from so many different corners of the music world came together for this performance shows the impact that Levon Helm had in his life and still has even though he remains only in spirit. While the conglomeration of artists was in itself quite impressive, one must agree that the performance’s set list was just as incredible. The bluesy feel of ‘Trouble in Mind’ and ‘Move Along Train’ is just a pair of the highlights from the performance. ‘Little Birds’ and ‘Listening to Levon’ are just impressive in their more subdued, emotional tones. These are just a handful of the songs that audiences will enjoy throughout the course of what is one of the year’s must have live recordings. During the concert, the performers and their songs will send audiences on an emotional and musical journey that they will not forget. It is a journey that after it’s over, audiences know they will want to take again.
So much work went into bringing Love for Levon to the masses. The performances in this recording are outstanding, as are the performers and the songs. The show’s production values are well above par. And that Time Life Entertainment and StarVista have given audiences so many options from which to choose in deciding on how to best take in the concert sweetens the deal even more. There is one final piece to the puzzle that makes this recording one of the year’s best live recordings, if not the best of the year. That piece of the puzzle is the packaging. This critic had the honor of receiving a screener of the deluxe double-disc CD/double-disc DVD set for review. The packaging for this deluxe is impressive in its own right. All four discs in the set are placed into their own mini-sleeve so to speak within the larger package that also includes a bonus booklet. The bonus booklet includes very moving tributes written by Charles McCardell and Keith Wortman. Wortman writes so eloquently of Helm in his addition to the included booklet, “In this age of artificially constructed music, Levon was the genuine article…in how he played, sang, and carried himself.” He goes on to include a quote by Bruce Springsteen about Helm that is just as touching. McCardell adds his own touch, expressing the joyous air that filled the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ, where the tribute concert was held. His writing that, “From the energy generated in the building, it’s hard to tell who was more excited—the audience or the performers.” Home audiences will see exactly what McCardell means when they watch this concert. That single note echoes everything that has already been noted here. And it can all be experienced now. The concert is available now. It can be ordered direct online via the Time Life Entertainment website at http://timelife.com/products/love-for-levon or via Amazon.
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