Spin cycle 02/08/07

Today I used music that I feel very strongly about. It is an exciting time for the "jam band" and there are many good ones out there worth giving a listen to.

The first is moe., whom many of you know I love dearly. They have just released their new album, The Conch. I am pretty thrilled with it. See, moe. is a band that is best experienced live. Their studio releases, in my opinion, have not been that strong (except for their last release, Wormwood, which was a studio album that was recorded live, and portions of the live music were actually mixed together with studio recordings).

Having siad that, The Conch is extremely listenable, and serves well to capture what moe. is all about: good song writing, melodic music, and good jams.

Next up, on my list is a band out of Chicago, UM or Umphrey's McGee, who I am totally digging these days. They are so technically compotent, they blow my mind. Their guitarists, Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger are insanely good. Give their podcasts a listen....check out podcast #37, from August 2006, which features Joshua Redman, a jazz saxaphonist sitting in with them as well as a cover of Pink Floyd's Shine on You Crazy Diamond. UM and moe. happen to have a great relationship, and Brendan actually recently helped out sitting in with moe. when Al, one of moe.'s guitarists, was sidelined with tendonitis and could not play for a while. Like moe., the true essence of UM's music is captured live, however, their release, Safety in Numbers is a good representation of their musical capabilities.

I also used the music of Tea Leaf Green (website), a band out of San Fran this morning. They are slowly making their way onto the jamband scene, and are gaining popularity by the day. They have a real grassroots sound, loose and airy and to me sound mostly like a mix between the Dead and Phish. Taught to Be Proud is their most recent studio release. They too have podcasts, and you can see some video of them on their music page.

Lastly, I used the music of Trey Anastasio, the guitarist/singer of Phish (my first love). You know I always sneak in some Phish or Trey when I can....

I wondered what the reaction was going to be. I had 1 student approach me and ask what the music was. She said she loved it. So, I was successful in touching at least 1 person today with the music!

Here's the list:

1. Blue Jeans and Pizza - moe., The Conch

2. Nemo - UM, Safety in Numbers

3. Dragonfly - Trey Anastasio, Bar 17

4. Taught to be Proud - Tea Leaf Green, Taught to be Proud

5. Downboy - moe., The Conch

6. Wind it Up - moe., The Conch

7. Morning Sun - Tea Leaf Green, Taught to be Proud

8. Shine - Trey Anastasio, Shine

9. Macintyre Range - moe., The Conch

10. Tailspin - moe., The Conch

11. Words - UM, Safety in Numbers