RomBox.com

Blacksburg, VA — I guess you could say I was surprised by Maroon 5’s performance last night (11/10/09). At the same time, it was more or less what I expected. Never before have my feelings towards a band changed so many times in one concert. I went to the show with an open mind, ready to get past the female obsessive boy-band stereotype… if they could prove themselves. This was especially true because my father had seen them at Live 8 a few years ago and said they were actually pretty good.

Their first songs were pure bad-assness. The lead singer, Adam Levine, had tattoos on his arms and was making sexually crude jokes most of the time. They topped off the middle of their set with a two minute long epic drum solo. While the drummer, Ryan Dusick, wailed away the band took a knee and watched as he left the audience in awe. I’ve seen my fair share of awesome drum solos done by great drummers (ex: Travis Barker and Mike Portnoy) and this was on par with their work. While he didn’t lift off the stage in a godlike manor, or have a multi-kit drum set, he did an impressive job.

Unfortunately, the solo left Dursick tired. So, while he was backstage recuperating, the band did some of their songs acoustically. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of acoustical guitar songs. Regardless, this is the scheduled intermission in their set, a point made obvious when they started to cover Alisha Keys’ Beautiful. My ears bled for the duration of the song and left me distracted for the remainder of the acoustical songs.

Fortunately, they were able to redeem themselves. Following the acoustical portion of the show, Levine brought up a female audience member to give her his stool (stage prop). When she sat down on the stool, he proceeded to offer her a lap dance. The crowd was roaring with laughter. After singing to her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek which drew an, “Aww,” from the audience.

There were probably two or three girls for every boy which actually surprised me. I thought there would be way less guys at the show. That didn’t stop the girls from creating an ear shattering wail when they were begging for an encore. My ears received more damage in those three minutes between the original set and the encore than they have from all the concerts I’ve ever been to. Considering how often I’ve been standing in front of the speakers at those concerts, that is an impressive feet. I actually had to cover my ears it was so intolerable.

Of course, the band came back out. What I found unusual was that they only performed one song. Granted it was a long and impressive song. The outro sequence was intense and left a great last impression on me.
For a guy looking for rocking songs I’d have to recommend another band, as a general statement. My recommendation would be to download select songs (particularly not the Alisha Keys cover.) The live versions of the song have more solos and are all around more focused on the rock aspect of music where the album version’s will focus more on the romantic hip-hop aspect.

Maroon 5 Setlist And Pictures

Kewick Theater, Glenside, PA — Playing For Change performed a concert to an enthusiastic crowd at the Keswick Theater. The concept was created by producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson, a Philadelphia native, whose parents were in attendance.

“Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.”

The project was started in 2004. In 2005, they approached a New Orleans musician, Grandpa Eliott, to record his version of “Stand By Me”. Then, other musicians from around the world were asked to add tracks to the recording. It became an Internet and YouTube hit. Of course, this was the song most of the audience was waiting for, and it did not disappoint. The entire crowd was dancing in the aisles. However, the song that was even more moving was the cover of the Four Non Blondes, “What’s Up”.

“And I try, oh my God do I try
I try all the time
in this institution
And I pray, oh my God do I pray
I pray every single day
for a revolution”

Playing For Change Videos

Exciting news – The new album, “Tonight Let’s Pretend” is ready to be released unto the world! Mark your calendars:

Friday, October 23
Studio 34
4522 Baltimore Avenue
Philadelphia
8 pm doors / music at 8:30

More details to come, but may include such things as gourds, brews, peacocks, leaves, horns, hot ciders, fingerpaints, sunglasses, goats, digeridoos, strobe lights and much much more.

In other news:
Please request “I Can See Forever Up Here” on WXPN in Philadelphia!

DISCLAIMER
“This is not our official “press release”, but it is kind of funny, so let’s run with it for now.”

Morrisville, Pa — As the name suggests, The Stir Fry Music Revival served up a heaping portion of good times and music with “a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” Whether it was some bluegrass and funky folk or rock mixed with reggae and roots, the bands were cooking.

A festival can offer a unique opportunity. For a regular show, the band comes in, does their thing, packs and goes home; however, a festival allows bands to interact with each other. There were many of these amazing interchanges at Stir Fry. One of them occurred as soon as the first band finished their set. DotMan was on the main stage MC-ing between bands. Tin Bird Choir was setting up for their set on the second stage. DotMan started singing what appeared to be an impromptu song, “The Stir Fry Blues”. The lead singer from Tin Bird Choir turned her soundcheck into a harmonizing session with DotMan. Not only were two great musicians having a cosmic collision, it was also made available for an audience to experience.

Another example of what can be found in a Stir Fry mix is “Josh The Bassist”.
Q: How often does a musician get to play three sets with three different bands for the same audience?
A; Only at an event like Stir Fry.
For the Friday evening crowd, Josh played bass with Tin Bird Choir, Manatawny Creek Ramblers and Frog Holler. When he was finished, I caught up with him to shake his hand, “That must be tough. Most people can not make it through one show. You did it with not just one or two, but you did it with three different bands. And, with Manatawny Creek Ramblers, you played a stand-up bass!” Josh replied, “Thank you. I suppose that is unusual to be able to play that long with diverse bands. And, yes, you are right. The hardest part was carrying the stand-up bass through the parking lot.”

There are so many simultaneous things going on at a festival. It is difficult to take them all in, yet that special Stir Fry ingredient could be found throughout. If you were performing and looked out, you could see your idols in the audience. J.R., keyboardist for Wide Eyed Mother Brothers was performing when he spotted someone in the audience. He stopped and pointed out to the crowd, “Do you see this guy? This guy right here? He taught me everything I know about playing keyboards.”

These kinds of cosmic collisions happened all weekend long. You might have witnessed Si Senorita in the audience being “wowed” by DotMan’s harmonica playing, spotted Steal The Breeze in the audience dancing to Si Senorita or heard the Dirty White Boys playing unplugged in the campground at Bob’s Country Bunker. It did not matter exactly where at the festival you were. You were bound to enjoy an experience like these. All that mattered — you were there.

It is too bad every day can not be stir-fried, at least we can look forward to next year.

Photos, Videos, Reviews and Interviews

by Mudman

Blacksburg, VA — Sometimes, a band totally flops.  The artists are not into the concert, and consequently, neither are the fans.  These shows can be painful to sit through no matter how much you love the band.  On the other hand, sometimes you see a band that is totally into the show. Their passion fuels the audience.  Then, the audience’s enthusiasm enrages the bands desire. Suddenly, you have the type of concert that you will remember forever:

August 28th, 2009, Soja performs for Virginia Polytechnic Institutes’s Gobblerfest.  It was one of the more epic shows that I have ever seen, and one of the only where I lost my hearing from the audience’s cheers rather than the blaring speakers (which in this case were cranked up to 11).  Soja is a reggae/rock band which has recently started to get some attention.  This was my first time hearing their music. The first thing I did following the concert was run out to but two CD’s.  There is something about the way these seven people carried themselves that just created an out-of-this-world stage presence (trumpet, sax, bass, drums, bongos, guitar, lead singer). By far, the highlight of the concert was “Can’t Tell Me”.  Listening to the lead singer lilt, “You can’t tell me who I am. Cause I’m working on that to,” made my night. They have a very unique sound comparable, only slightly, to the Expendables. I give them an 8 out of 10… they blew me away for an up-and-coming band.

Philadelphia, PA — Collective Soul brought their tour to the Theater Of The Living Arts (TLA) in Center City Philly. For those who have not been, South Street is a world unto its own. Make sure you visit in this lifetime and if you can see a concert it’s an extra bonus.

There are not that many bands that I want to see, yet have not seen. Collective Soul was one of those bands. I am not sure why it never worked out. After I fell in love with “Shine”, they were a band I longed to see on stage. Then, the years past, and I figured it was too late. Even if they came around, they would probably be past their prime?

As destiny would have it, I saw they were playing at a local venue. The beauty of it was they were playing at a small theater. Maybe their decline in popularity would work to my benefit? Wait! Not so fast. I refresh the webpage on my web browser, and it says the show is sold out. What? So, I call the box office. Yes. They tell me the show is sold out. Dag-nab-it! I can not accept this situation and drive down to see with my own two eyes. Indeed, it is sold out. There are a couple guys from 93.3 WMMR there doing a promo. Why not ask them if they can get me a ticket? No dice. How about a scalper? No tickets to be found. While I am standing by the line to get in, a fellow comes over and asks if it is the line for Collective Soul. After verifying that it was, I ask if he might have an extra ticket. YeeHa! He does… but, at what price? Ahhhh… he tells me a reasonable price. He had been stuck with an extra ticket by a friend who backed out. Perfect!

I explained that I was a writer and had wanted to review the show. He was an avid fan and told me how good of a show they put on. I explained how sometimes I interview bands, sometimes I review bands, and sometimes I do not write anything. He said, “because there is nothing to write.” Exactly. Nevertheless, he peeked my interest in how the show would rate. The adrenaline was pumped, now. First, I thought I was going home in disappointment. Next, I was thrilled at getting a pass through the door. Plus, I met a father and son that were just as excited to see the show.

It was with much pleasure that the “warm-up” band turned me on with an instant music fix. Black Stone Cherry rocked the house. Black Stone Cherry rocked my world. (See the
Black Stone Cherry Review and Photo Gallery)

Luckily, the next band, Safety Suit, was not that hot. If they were, I do not know how Collective Soul could have followed them.

When Collective Soul took the stage, the crowd was primed and pumped. It seemed fitting that they started off with “Welcome All Again”. They played a couple more new songs in the middle of the set. Before “You”, Ed Roland related that it was the first song they ever wrote as a band. There was quite a bit of interaction and audience participation throughout the show. Introducing “Gel”, Ed shared that he and his brother/guitarist Dean were the sons of a preacher. “Gel” is about what they grew up with on Sunday mornings:

Color me any color.
Speak to me in tongues and share.
Tell me how you’d love to hate me.
Tell me how you’d love to care.
Well I just want to shake us up.

Let’s mingle
And make it well.
Come together now.
Yeah let’s gel.

All in all, the lights, the sound, the audience, the songs and the band added up to a spectacular performance. On the way out the door, the fellow who had sold me the ticket caught up to me and said, “Write something good.” I replied, “Oh, yeah. I will.” For this was one show worth writing about. Make sure they are not always one of those bands you wished you had seen!

THE BAND
Ed Roland – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Dean Roland – rhythm guitar, vocals
Will Turpin – bass guitar, vocals
Joel Kosche – lead guitar
Cheney Brannon – drums, percussion

THE SETLIST
Welcome All Again
Heavy
Listen
Tremble
Why Part 2
Needs
Dig
You
December
Shine
Hollywood
World I Know
Anymore Friends
Gel
Better Now

ENCORE
Staring Down
River Flows
Run

Collective Soul Concert Photo Gallery

Philadelphia, PA — The Collective Soul tour came to the Theater Of The Living Arts (TLA) in Philly. They brought with them two other bands, Safety Suit and Black Stone Cherry. Safety Suit did nothing for me; however, Black Stone Cherry rocked my world.

Not having heard of Black Stone Cherry before, they were a surprise attack of sound and movement. Black Stone Cherry has a heavy southern rock band sound coming from Edmonton, Kentucky. The band members are:
Chris Robertson — lead vocals, guitar
Ben Wells — guitar, backing vocals
John Lawhon — bass guitar, backing vocals
John Fred Young (son of The Kentucky Headhunters’ rhythm guitarist Richard Young) — drums, backing vocals

Their music is clean and hard. The band’s energy is through the roof with jumping and head banging. They are one of those bands you have to see live as their is no way to capture their sensual stimuli. The set included “Please Come In”, “Soul Creek”, “Lonely Train”, “We Are the Kings”.

Black Stone Cherry Photo Gallery

Old Pool Farm, Schwenksville, PA — The Philadelphia Folk Festival is an interesting experience. You never know what you will see… or hear. This works both ways — from the audience looking toward the stage or from the stage looking at the audience. It probably has the largest ratio of musicians that are in the audience than any other concert venue.

Thus, my surprise to see Get The Led Out scheduled for the special Thursday evening “Exclusive Camp Concert” that is put on for the overnight campers. What the heck was a band that bills themselves as the American Led Zeppelin doing at the Folk Fest? The must have been intimidating for the band:
1) They play songs that people know, so they have to play flawlessly.
2) They are to perform heavy rock music to a folk crowd.
3) Many in the audience are talented musicians.
4) They followed two talented folk bands, Jill Sobule and Deer Tick.

You would think that they would go over like a lead balloon? No. Le contraire. As soon as they started playing, people began flocking to the stage. Before long, there was standing room only. The crowd joined in and sang every song. Looking at the people standing next to you would cause you to pause. A mother dancing next to her daughter. People of all ages having the time of their life. In fact, it’s the only Folk Fest performance that I can remember hurting my ears.

As the show progressed, it felt like the audience and performers were feeding off each other. The crowd’s energy feeding the band, and in return the band’s energy feeding the audience. Only at the Folk Fest could such a miracle take place.

Get The Led Out Concert Photo Gallery

Stir Fry Photo Gallery

The Stir Fry Music Revival will take place August 28 and 29 at Snipes Farm in Morrisville, PA. (890 West Bridge Street)

The line up of bands includes:
Brothers Past
Frog Holler
Turbine
Splintered Sunlight
The Hustle
Si Senorita
The Coyotes
Psychedelphia
Old Blotter
Manatawny Creek Ramblers
Steal The Breeze
Dr. Fish & Friends
Tin Bird Choir
Newtown Creek
Dirty White Boys
Pete Kranz & the Wide-Eyed Mother Brothers
Members Of Sage
American Babies featuring Scott Metzger, Kevin Kendrick, Jim Hamilton, Joe Russo and Tom Hamilton
Strange Sun
Dirk Quinn Band
The Godinez Brothers
Jay D Clark

For more information visit: stirfryproductions.com

Philadelphia, PA — Jason Marz played an upbeat and energy filled show to a sold-out crowd at Festival Pier in Penn’s Landing. It turned out to be a beautiful evening with the sun setting behind the stage. At any given moment, you could look to the audience and see everyone dancing and swaying to the music.

Setlist
The Sunshine Song
Traveler
Make It Mine
Coyotes
Anything You Want
Curbside
Man Gave Names To Animals
Live High
Reggaedy / The Remedy
The Dynamo Of Volition
Beautiful Mess
I’m Yours

Encore Part I
Audible Band
Lucky with Alysse Fisher
Audible Duo / Geek In The Pink

Encore Part II
Cop Chase
Fall Through Glass with Bushwalla
Butterfly

The crowd seemed pleased with the song selection knowing all the lyrics and singing with great volume. “The Remedy” was a highlight of the show as it was transformed into a reggae dancefest (retitled Reggaedy); however, the best part was the first encore. Since it was a general admission show, the massive crowd was pushed up against the stage. After the last song of the set, Jason and three other members of his band came out to the sound mixing tent and set-up facing the rear of the audience. There they played three real groove based songs — percussion, a bass box, bass and Jason on guitar. The vocals and backing vocals were wonderful and clear. For the song “Lucky”, they brought out Alysse Fisher to sing the duet. “Geek In The Pink” left Jason alone on stage with Noel “Toca” Rivera on percussion.

You could not ask for anything more pleasing than to be able to fill your senses with this intimate climax.

Jason Mraz Photo Gallery