From NPR Music's go-to venue, the 9:30 Club in D.C., natch.

By Blurt Staff

Beirut wraps up their 2011 multimedia blitz tonight in support of their acclaimed album The Rip Tide with a "Live In Concert" broadcast tonight, Dec. 14. on NPR Music.  They'll be hitting the stage of D.C.'s 9:30 Club at around 9:30pm, appropriately enough. Listen online at www.npr.org/music or on-the-go with the NPR Music iPhone app. And for those not able to stream the show live, the concert will be archived by NPR Music.

Additionally, Beirut will be performing live this Friday, December 16th on WNYC's "Souncheck." The show begins at 2 PM Eastern, and Beirut will be on at 2:35 PM for a few songs and an interview with their host, John Schaefer. Listen to Beirut on WNYC's Soundcheck here: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/.

The band has been on the road since the early summer, including stops along the way to play the stages of The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:

Beirut perform "East Harlem" on The Late Show with David Letterman

Beirut perform "Santa Fe" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

He ain't just Foo-ing around, either!

By Blurt Staff

You know, it's not every day that a rock star takes the time out to take stock of himself, his band, and how lucky he just might be to be able to have the job that he does. But Monday, no less a superstar than the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl did just that, in the spirit of the holiday and giving-thanks season, and he felt sufficiently moved to write on the Foos' website a very personal thank-you to the fans. We think a lot of other artists would do well to read it and give themselves a humility check. We're reposting Grohl's missive below, in its entirety, right after the video clip of "Walk" from this year's Wasting Light album, which was recently nominated for a Grammy.

From Dave Grohl:

Hey everybody, 

   Dave here. It's been quite a while since I've sat down to write something for you guys, but as we're coming to the end of an amazing tour and an amazing year, I figured I'd take this opportunity to say thank you....

   Where do I begin? 

   Thank you all for making "Wasting Light" the most incredible album experience of our band's 17 year history. For real. The fact that a rock and roll record, made in a garage, completely analog to tape with no help from computers, could be a #1 album around the world, AND get a Grammy nomination for "Album of the Year".....well....these days that's no small feat. It's truly inspiring, and it makes us feel like the luckiest band in the world. So thanks. It means everything to us.

   And the shows......from the secret club gigs, to playing in peoples garages all over the country.....from the arenas to the festivals to the stadiums....we've had the best gigs of our lives. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who came out and spent those 2 hours and 45 minutes with us every night. It's been exhausting.....but it's been a blast.

   Looking back at the past 18 months, I don't think we've ever worked so hard at making an album, and it ever being so easy. From day one, the idea for this record was to make something completely simple and honest, to capture that thing that happens when you put the 5 of us in a small room. No big production, just real rock and roll music: That's why we decided to do it in my garage. We wanted to retain that human element, keep all of those beautiful imperfections: That's why we went completely analog. And, most of all, we wanted it to sound huge: That's why we decided to use Butch Vig. His role in this whole experience is huge, and he deserves a great 'thanks', too. Not many producers would accept the challenge that we handed him. He's the best, for sure. Together, we made the album of a lifetime. Again.

   And to all of you.....we're not finished yet. There are still more shows to play, more songs to write, more albums to record, for years to come. I mean.....If you would have told me 17 years ago that in 2012 I would be writing songs for our 8th studio album....well.....

If it weren't for you guys, we wouldn't be here. We owe you so much.

Take care of yourselves. 

We'll see you out there, folks. 

 Dave

Sometimes a tit's just a tit, Dr. Freud...

By Fred Banger

Goodness gracious mon freres, we leave our desk for a few hours and all hell breaks loose like boobs from a halter top on the music-biz web. To wit: Pitchfork is reporting on the kerfluffle surrounding the new single from Justice (who are featured, incidentally, in the current issue of BLURT). Titled "On'n'On" and released by the Ed Banger label, it depicts a naked woman lounging at the edge of some kind of excavation/construction pit, with the signature Justice cross at least as prominent as the, er, young lady's assets. Not sure what going on with that right hand.

Apparently when in the course of standard promotion of the single via social networking, the record label quickly discovered that fans had gotten steamed about the (presumably) sexist nature of the record sleeve - and Facebook had also gotten into the act, deleting the image. In response, Ed Banger posted this comment to the label's Facebook page (and quickly generated 2,571 "likes" and 99 "shares":

For some reasons, some of our "fans" complained about the nude girl on the Justice new single cover.... Facebook deleted the photo and sent me some warnings emails...

Let's play a new game my friends, please oh please stop following us, let's get less fans, we don't need you here. It's time to make a choice, if you don't trust us, you should not waste your time with such a shitty label right ? To the other ones, those who are following us since day one, those discovering us now, let's stay strong, ED REC is soon 9 years old, thanx to you.

Funny - and those of you at least slightly past puberty may recall this too - how this sort of controversy pops up every few years. We're lookin' at YOU, sleeve designers for Jimi Hendrix, Roxy Music, Blind Faith, etc. Come to think of it - let's test the Facebook censors right now with the below image of the original sleeve art for Blind Faith's self-titled debut (if you have to ask what year, you're not old enough to look at it, kid). We shall duly post this news item to our Facebook page immediately after posting it to the BLURT site....

Last week (December 6), the beloved bard took the stage at Hard Rock Live and revisited the soundtrack to many lives.

By Lee Zimmerman

At age 70 Paul Simon belongs to an elite but aging artistic fraternity whose membership also includes Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Kris Kristofferson, singer/songwriters whose work is ingrained in the very fiber of popular culture. These are artists whose revered reputations and esteemed pedigrees elevate any encounter beyond that of mere entertainment and into realms reserved for great masters who have the power to enthrall, inspire and evoke memories and emotions on an scale that only the most hallowed musicians ever achieve. Even with a solo career now in its fifth decade, the music Simon made with partner Art Garfunkel still remains a vital part of the soundtrack to his audience's lives, a tethered connection that remains as vital and vibrant now as it ever was before.

Consequently, there's little doubt there were some in the sell-out crowd at Tuesday night's concert at Hard Rock Live who would have preferred to have seen Simon with his old partner in tow. He attempted to placate those fans only marginally with token renditions of the duo's gilded staples "Only Living Boy in New York City" and "The Sounds of Silence," the latter of which was performed solo and predictably reserved for the first of two encores. Likewise, giddy standards like "Mother and Child Reunion," "Late in the Evening," "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, "Kodachrome" and "Graceland" also elicited enthusiastic reactions with a crowd that made it apparent they were eager for some nostalgia. Fortunately for the faithful, Simon seemed eager to oblige; with a tour that's touting a new two disc retrospective, Paul Simon Songwriter, the set list cherry-picked songs from all phases of his career. Only a couple of selections from his latest offering of all new music, the well-received So Beautiful Or So What, were also included, although with a catalogue as vast and beloved as his, he wisely chose to diversify the set to embrace the obvious crowd pleasers along with the occasional song that was perhaps less known. Among the few surprises he had in store was a heartfelt cover of "Here Comes the Sun," which he famously once performed on "Saturday Night Live" in the company of its composer, George Harrison.

Simon may be older than the average rock star at this point, but he still retains a spry posture that belies any assumption about age. Slight in stature but assertive and authoritative in his presence, he even allowed himself to sometimes strut about, acting more the showman than the semi-serious artiste that he often portrays for the public. The essential jubilation in much of his music comes through in concert much more so than on record, given that his versatile eight-piece backing band -- Cameroonian guitarist Vincent Nguini, guitarist/drummer Jim Oblon, pianist Mick Rossi, saxophonist/ keyboardist Andrew Snitzer, bassist Bakithi Kumalo, guitarist Mark Stewart, master percussionist Jamey Haddad and multi-instrumentalist Tony Cedras - seem adept at adjusting the timbre and tempo for sounds that range from inspirational ballads to the zest of zydeco, some cool, casual swing and frequent hints of archetypical pop and rock. The profundity of Simon's lyrics - so prevalent in songs such as "My Little Town" and "Still Crazy After All These Years," the sixth and final encore - is still evident of course, but the rich, vibrant and fastidious arrangements as well as an inherent sense of celebration emitted from both the man and his music, gave the performance its true sense of purpose. In song after song - be it the arch loneliness of "Only Living Boy in New York City," the reverential revival of "Love Is Eternal" or the inherent urgency of "My Little Town" - Simon brought the material full circle, bringing out both richness and nuance while charming his audience in the process.

"It's good to have a couple thousand new friends," he joked early on, one of the few times he addressed the crowd at length. "I'm happy to be here. Of course, I say that every night. But sometimes there's something that occurs between the band and the audience, a transfer of energy that ultimately determines whether I really am or not. So we'll have to take that up later." Those holding their breath in anticipation never got to hear his final verdict, but judging from both the performance and the way it was received, the appreciation was profound.

Set list

The Boy in the Bubble
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Afterlife
Mother and Child Reunion
That Was Your Mother
Hearts and Bones /Mystery Train/Wheels
Slip Slidin' Away
Rewrite
My Little Town
The Obvious Child
The Only Living Boy in New York
Love Is Eternal
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Late in the Evening

Encore:

The Sound of Silence
Kodachrome / Gone at Last
Here Comes the Sun  
Gumboots

Encore 2:

Graceland/Pretty Thing
Still Crazy After All These Years

UPDATE, DEC. 15: In an interview published yesterday at Faster & Louder, drummer Sclavunos confirmed the breakup, explaining,  "What happened at Meredith was more a bye-bye than an announcement. An announcement would be like a press release but who knows what will happen in five or 10 years time. My crystal ball is a bit low on batteries at the moment so I can't predict what the future of Grinderman is - if there is a future."

Not-so-cryptic remark made by Nick Cave from the stage.


By Blurt Staff


Billboard reports that Grinderman, which Nick Cave and Warren Ellis formed as a Bad Seeds sideproject in 2006,  have played their "last show together" - apparently Nick Cave was performing Sunday at Australia's Meredith Music Festival, and at the end of the set Nick Cave grabbed the mic and announced, "That's it for Grinderman. It's over. See you all in another 10 years when we'll be even older and uglier."

In addition to Cave and Ellis the band included Bad Seeds' Jim Sclavunos plus Martyn Casey. Ellis' other band, the Dirty Three, announced last week they had a new album due shortly and would be resuming touring activities.

Recently issued by Eagle Rock to complement the deluxe Some Girls reissue. Watch a clip of "Beast of Burden," below.

By Ron Hart

I have a couple of problems with the deluxe edition of the Rolling Stones' 1978 rude boy classic Some Girls (reviewed elsewhere on the BLURT website).

First, why did the powers that be behind this reissue, namely Mick and Keith themselves, choose to go with the "PARDON OUR APPEARANCE" version of the album's iconic jacket art, generated on the dash after representatives for several of the ladies featured on the original cover, including Lucille Ball, Farah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli, Raquel Welch and Marilyn Monroe, threatened the group with lawsuits. There had been at least two other concepts that were amended in lieu of the initial artwork, including one of anonymous hand-drawn women and a version with Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Britt Eklund and Jimmy Carter in drag that was drafted but never published. Given the momentum built around the release of his deluxe edition, restoring the original intended glory of the initial cover concept would have been a really cool move.

Yet the end decision to carry on with the "Pardon" cover, coupled with the same sense of chintziness in the quantity of bonus tracks made available for the second disc that mired Exile On Main Street's 40th Anniversary Edition, really makes what could have been a stellar reissue a hot load of corporate oversight. I mean, seriously, didn't anyone think to enhance that extra CD with the 12-inch disco version of "Miss You" or the extended 8-track rendering of "Beast of Burden"? There are also unreleased alternate takes of "Lies", "Before They Make Me Run", "When The Whip Comes Down", "Far Away Eyes", "Respectable" and the title track that have been around on the black market forever and would have definitely been great amendments to the fray.  And don't even get me started on the sound quality of this thing. If I were you, I'd just stick with the otherwise superior Virgin remaster of Girls from 2001 and look online for the unreleased stuff.

If you find yourself as unsatisfied with Universal's overblown rehash of Some Girls as this writer, Eagle Rock's CD/DVD (or Blu-Ray) release documenting the group's famous Fort Worth stop on their '78 U.S. tour will definitely make up for the let down. Everyone sweats that tour of 1972 they did in the wake of emerging from the lam after recording Exile On Main St. But the Some Girls trek is largely considered by many serious Stones fans as their best, as the band stripped down their stage show to the brass tacks in an effort to stay competitive with the punk and new wave movements reconfiguring the importance of spatial frugality in the rock game. And this July 18th stop at Fort Worth's Will Rogers Memorial Center is largely considered to be their finest performance of the tour, translating the perfect brew of attitude, bitchiness and balls conveyed on the Some Girls LP to the concert stage, albeit in a smaller setting than their previous visit to the city three years earlier with a bombastic and overblown show at the Cotton Bowl Stadium.

Billed as "The London Green Shoed Cowboys" with opening acts Peter Tosh and Cajun Country fiddle great Doug Kershaw, the Stones delivered a lean, mean set consisting of seven songs from Some interspersed alongside classic material such as "Let It Rock", "Star Star", "Honky Tonk Women", "Tumbling Dice", "Brown Sugar" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash", all of which benefited greatly from the group's expanded lineup featuring longtime cohort Ian Stewart (whose 40th birthday was celebrated at this show) on piano and Ron Wood's old Faces bandmate Ian McLagan on additional keys. The Will Rogers Center's auditorium setting also proved to be a fitting locale for the party-like atmosphere the Stones presented on stage, giving the footage almost like a Last Waltz type of vibe. It's a surprise this was never released as a Midnight Madness movie at the time. It also marked the last time Mick and the boys looked like they were actually having fun playing beside one another before shit started to get ugly heading into the 1980s.

The fact that this flick also comes with a CD of the concert makes this release even more of a treasure, as there has never been an official live recording from this tour until now. And this show makes for one hell of an LP, one which, in my opinion ranks right up there with Ya-Ya's and Love You Live. But to truly catch the effect of this show, you have to see it on film, as it is a whole other trip visually, given the time period and the LP they were supporting. The bonus video material on this set is tops as well, with an insightful new interview with Jagger as well as a pair of excellent broadcast relics from the era, including the Stones' appearance on Saturday Night Live highlighted Mick's memorable segment with Dan Akroyd's send-up of the late Tom Snyder and stellar performances of "Beast", "Respectable" and "Shattered" as well as a segment on the group from an episode of ABC's 20/20.

Some Girls Live In Texas '78 is the kind of ephemera from the era that should have been included in the Universal reissue, and definitely the better bang for your buck. It's just too bad the folks behind this exceptional outsourced supplement to that overpriced hype fit couldn't have had creative control over the entire campaign for the Stones' soulful New York-inspired masterpiece to give it the tribute it deserves.

BONUS FEATURES: Newly filmed interview with Mick Jagger; Tomorrow featuring Dan Aykroyd and Mick Jagger from Saturday Night Live, October 1978; Shattered , Respectable and Beast Of Burden performed by The Rolling Stones, introduced by Laraine Newman from Saturday Night Live, October 1978; Excerpts from ABC 20/20 Special, introduced by Hugh Downs with interviews by Geraldo Rivera from 20/20, June 1978 5 mins in total includes Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Bill; Interview with Mick [France Aug 2011] 15 mins

TRACK LISTING: 1) Let It Rock 2) All Down The Line 3) Honky Tonk Women 4) Star Star 5) When The Whip Comes Down 6) Beast Of Burden 7) Miss You 8) Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) 9) Shattered 10) Respectable 11) Far Away Eyes 12) Love In Vain 13) Tumbling Dice 14) Happy 15) Sweet Little Sixteen 16) Brown Sugar 17) Jumpin Jack Flash

Much-loved artist's bands included Jolene and Sea of Cortez.

By Fred Mills/Photo by Daniel Coston

Since three of the main BLURT staffers (and several contributors) live in North Carolina, it always hits us hard when we learn we've lost a fellow Tarheel. On December 9, Charlotte musician Rodney Lanier, 44, passed away following a battle with cancer.

Lanier played with a number of bands over the years, including the acclaimed Jolene, while more recently he'd been fronting instrumental rock powerhouse Sea of Cortez. (You can hear a SoC track below.) The outpouring of grief and love at the news of his death was profound, and contributor John Schacht, also the editor of Charlotte-based Shuffle magazine, penned a moving remembrance of Lanier well-worth reading.

Schacht wrote, in part, "Whenever I did get out to [Charlotte venue] Evening Muse when Rodney worked the door, one of the highlights - sometimes the only highlight - was shooting the shit with him. About the bands we were respectively geeking out on, about Sea of Cortez's latest goings-on, about the insane asylum known as the music business, about books and movies, about women past and present. And those bull sessions would always be punctuated by his infectious laugh, a blend of a big man's guffaw and a smoker's cackle, always accompanied by his mischievous cockeyed grin. He liked to good-naturedly stir shit up, too, and I heard plenty about the practical jokes he got up to. More than once I found myself in tears on the street in front of the Muse because I was laughing so hard. I find myself again in tears now, but for all the wrong reasons...."

Amen. Lanier will be deeply missed.

Paquito by Sea of Cortez

A gallery of images from the Dec. 9 pre-Jam and the Dec. 10 Jam in Asheville, NC. Go here to read our full report.

Photos By Dino Perrucci, Courtesy of Xmas Jam

***

Pre-Jam, Dec. 9, The Orange Peel

(above) Warren Haynes

Danny Louis (w/Planet of the Abts)

Bela Fleck & Bill Evans

Bill Evans

Warren Haynes & Bela Fleck

Cesar Rojas of Los Lobos

Jackie Greene

Jackie Green & Warren Haynes

Phil Lesh

Warren Haynes & Phil Lesh

Jam, Dec. 10, Asheville Civic Center

 Warren Haynes opens the show

Kevin Kinney

Bela Fleck

(the arena)

Haynes w/Los Lobos

Haynes & Jackie Greene w/Los Lobos

Jimmy Herring & Phil Lesh

Gov't Mule

Phil Lesh & Bill Evans

(the arena)

Gov't Mule, Phil Lesh & Friends, Los Lobos, Bela Fleck, Jackie Greene, Kevin Kinney Planet of the Abts and plenty others heated up Asheville on a chilly pair of nights, Dec. 9 and 10. Watch video clips to accompany the text, below.

By Fred Mills

The musical symbolism was as obvious as the calendar date was proximate: for the 23^rd annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, held this past weekend in Asheville, NC, the spirit of the Beatles clung reassuringly to the festivities like a freshly-washed Snuggie. Or, to be more precise, the spirit of John Lennon, whose death anniversary arrived just one day prior, December 8, and whose legacy message of peace and love (and definitely no shortage of good will towards men...) clearly found its way into the Jam's musical aesthetic as well as the overall vibe of the Jam

No less than four Lennon-penned tunes dotted setlists at the pre-Jam (Friday, Dec. 9) and the Jam (Dec. 10): "Don't Let Me Down," "Dear Prudence," "She Said She Said" and "I've Got A Feeling" (and before anyone points out that the latter is often largely credited to Paul McCartney, the Let It Be number is actually a combination of one song by Paul and two by John). It couldn't possibly be a coincidence, particularly when armed with the knowledge that Christmas Jam founder Haynes is a massive Beatles and Lennon fan, and plenty of the other performers this year - among them, Jackie Greene, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, Kevn Kinney and the members of Los Lobos - have gone on record in the past as claiming similar allegiance.

And, per my comment above about Lennon's "legacy message," knowing that the Christmas Jam is a benefit for the regional chapter of Habitat For Humanity and that all the musicians who play the Jam are donating their talents (along with scores of other people who also volunteer their time and services to help bring the event off smoothly), well... actions do speak louder than words. This was my 10^th Christmas Jam, having attended regularly since 2002, and I'm continuously impressed by the level of commitment put forth by the organizers, artists and volunteers. The cumulative total raised thus far over the years for Habitat was closing in on $1 million prior to the final tally this weekend, so I think that dollar amount speaks volumes as well.

Let's get to the music. To view a gallery of images shot by Dino Perrucci from both the Jam and the pre-Jam go here on the BLURT website.

***

The 2011 Warren Haynes Christmas Jam pre-Jam, The Orange Peel, Dec. 9

With local radio station WNCW-FM (www.wncw.org) broadcasting live, the pre-Jam at the Orange Peel kicked off promptly at 6pm with Haynes, as always, doing a couple of acoustic numbers (one of them, "River's Gonna Rise," is a standout cut from his soul/funk-infused solo record from earlier this year, Man In Motion, which he also did in electric form at the 2010 Christmas Jam with the full Warren Haynes Band). Following that came the first surprise - and to everyone in attendance, it a huge one - in the form of Planet Of The Abts, not previously announced by the Jam organizers, a power trio formed by Gov't Mule drummer Matt Abts along with Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson and Carlsson's guitar-slinging Swedish buddy T-Bone Andersson. They served up a mostly instrumental hi-nrg set laden with deep grooves (and, on one song, Mule keyboardist Danny Louis on trombone) and no shortage of hard rock flourishes - one song suggested a prog/fusion take on Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold," if you can dig that - with occasional vocals shared by Abts (!) and Andersson. Speaking to Abts the following evening I learned that the group had only formed a few months earlier and had just a handful of gigs under its belt to date - and that he was very pleased at the response from the pre-Jam crowd. "That was a ton of fun," he enthused, grinning broadly. "We hope to keep doing it."

Following POTA was Kevn Kinney who brought his Christmas Jamboree to the Orange Peel stage (highlight: an elegant "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"-styled "Here Come The Regulars," with Johnny Irion & Sarah Lee Guthrie on co-vocals); as is Kinney's tradition, he was also hosting a similar gathering during the day on Friday and Saturday at a local pub. This gently segued into Jackie Greene & Friends, a powerhouse ensemble steered by Greene and featuring Carlsson, Louis, Mike Barnes, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Russo (the latter two would also serve as keyboardist and drummer for Phil Lesh & Friends). His take on Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind" was sharp and sassy, but it was when Haynes came out to join the group for the aforementioned "Don't Let Me Down," the two guitarists swapping both vocals and lead guitar licks, that provided the Jam weekend's first big mass singalong from the crowd. The looks of pleasure that Haynes and Green exchanged were priceless. And the Bela Fleck/Jeff Sipe team-up for a rollicking prog/n�-grass set (it culminated in "The Ballad of Jed Clampett") kept patrons constantly in motion as the evening wound its way to the halfway point - or so everyone thought.

Typically, the pre-Jam at the Orange Peel lasts until about 11pm, a sensible hour when you consider that these same musicians will probably be playing the next night until 3 or 4 in the morning. And that's how it looked, scheduling-wise, for this pre-Jam when Los Lobos launched into a 7-song mini-set. It was highlighted by a Haynes-augmented tribute to the late blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin courtesy a pair of songs made popular by Sumlin's boss Howlin' Wolf, "Killing Floor" and "300 Pounds of Joy" (Lobos singer Cesar Rojas was literally growling like Wolf during the latter), guitarist David Hidalgo engaged in some primal dueling with Haynes. With the entire packed house now wired to the gills, Gov't Mule took over, serving up first the low, grinding blooze of signature song "Trane." Several songs later, the hour nearing 11, what had become the worst-kept secret of the night thanks to a lightning round of excited text messages zipping through the audience walked onstage to ear-splitting applause: erstwhile Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh (and longtime Haynes musical collaborator), who wasn't specifically expected until the next evening. Haynes looked at the musicians, which now included keyboardist Chimenti plus Lobos' Hidalgo, and with a nod they launched into a soulful, delightfully psychedelic Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy."

That would have been treat enough, but as I said to myself as I glanced at my watch, "This gonna keep going..." And sure enough, Jackie Greene,  and Jay Russo came out to join Haynes, Lesh and Chimenti - making the ensemble officially "Phil Lesh & Friends" - for an intense but celebratory Dead-centric jam on "New Speedway Boogie," Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and "Franklin's Tower," which on paper is technically only 3 songs but by the clock lasted over 45 minutes. From the rapturous expressions on many of the faces in the crowd, not to mention a few pockets of ecstatic twirling along the perimeters, the room was more like an old-time tent revival nearing its peak than a rock concert.

And whether in the audience at the Orange Peel or at home listening to the radio - or even if taking to Twitter to tweet about it all in real time - it's likely that no one minded at all being kept up past their planned bed time. As one fan, apparently sitting at home and taking in the WNCW-FM broadcast, posted in perfectly deadpan fashion to the PhilZone.org message board shortly after the show, "Good shit for a warm-up."

You got that right.

***

The 23^rd Annual Christmas Jam, Asheville Civic Center, Dec. 10

It's only 5:30 the next afternoon, but outside the Civic Center there's already at least a thousand people lined up and milling around awaiting entry to the 7000+ capacity arena doors to open. Backstage, with the Christmas Jam scheduled to start in a couple of hours, musicians toting guitar cases (or in the instance of virtuoso fiddler Casey Dresden, who's performing with Bela Fleck's ensemble this weekend, a violin case) are hustling around, some of them racing up the steps to the arena floor for quick soundcheck. Others are just hanging out, chatting, and greeting familiar faces. I spot Warren Haynes across the room, deep in conversation with someone; very soon he'll be at center stage, greeting the sold-out Civic Center with a swaying, soul-infused cover of Van Morrison's "And It Stoned Me." The highlights for the evening, which extended to 3am, would be many. Among them...

*Kevn Kinney & The Christmas Family Band (Jackie Greene on keys, guitarists Audley Freed and Mike Barnes, bassist Robert Kearns, drummer Brad Pemberton. A hard-to-imagine, yet brilliant-in-execution, extended segue from Pink Floyd's "Breathe" through Elton John's "Rocket Man" into the Beatles' "I've Got A Feeling." If you're counting, that makes the second Fab Four song of the weekend, and synched up with the other two covers, it takes on a deeply emotional, oddly wistful quality that actually has some concertgoers dabbing at their eyes.

*Bela Fleck/Jeff Sipe (joining the banjoist and drummer were fiddler Driessen, guitarist Jimmy Herring, sax fiend Bill Evans, bassist Taylor Lee): Following a solo improv from Fleck the entire ensemble blazes brightly, Herring and Fleck in particular hitting the g-spot for "bliss" around the time of "Soulgrass" that spills off the stage and onto the arena floor in the proverbial performer-audience transfer of energy.

*Los Lobos: By now the Civic Center appears to be as packed as at anytime during previous years' Jams, with even the cordoned-off VIP section full of dancing, bouncing revelers. As the Lobos get cranked up, security staff find it necessary to clear some buffer zones on the left and right sides of the arena floor, and it's to their credit that even some of the wilder-eyed concertgoers - there were plenty I observed, including one twirling gal dressed as a Victorian-era Mrs. Claus who at one point flopped down like a rag doll - are handled respectfully, leading to no noticeable confrontations or incidents. Tonight, Lobos rages more like punk rockers than Americana icons - "Don't Worry Baby," natch - and when Haynes joins them for a medley of "Mona" and "Bertha," the crowd explodes.

*Phil Lesh & Friends: That Lobos-powered Grateful Dead cover proved a highly effective setup for what is probably the most anticipated set of the night, and Lesh plus his Friends (Haynes, Greene, Chimenti, Russo) do not disappoint over of course of nearly two hours' worth of classic Dead songs - plus the Beatles' "She Said She Said," dropped into the middle of "Dark Star" and sung by Haynes. Also in the mix is Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic, Allman Brothers, The Dead, etc.), greeted like a conquering hero by the crowd and lending his licks to several numbers, notably an elastic, throbbing "The Other One." Surveying the scene from the Civic Center balcony, I'm struck at how hardly an inch of the arena floor between the stage and the soundboard is visible; it's that crammed with bodies, and those bodies are clustered in mini-pockets given to frenzied surges of activity, as if an electric current was being run through the house and shocking groups of people randomly.

*Gov't Mule: A/k/a Haynes, Abts, Carlsson and Louis. The Mule is doing its first show in about six months, having taken the bulk of 2011 off while Haynes promoted his solo release. It's now about 1:30am, and the band was supposed to go on at 12:25 based on the setlist times posted backstage, but hey, that's Christmas Jam Time we seem to be on tonight, and no one seems to care. There's a funny moment right when the band starts: most of the people who have been lounging around in the artist area backstage and downstairs in the Civic Center now make a beeline upstairs so they can plant themselves in the special viewing section set aside for the artists, friends and family members. And while it may have been some time since the Mule played, there's no doubt Haynes & Co. have come loaded for bear, starting with a lengthy brace of originals (among them a luminous "Beautifully Broken" and groove-monster "Thorazine Shuffle").

Then, with the arrival of Phil Lesh and Bill Evans, the patented Mule covers treatment begins. A moody, bluesy jam slowly coalesces into a hypnotic, pulsing, nearly 18-minute version of Traffic classic "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" (Evans in particular channeling the late Chris Wood with his sax lines). Next, after Haynes welcomes Jimmy Herring back to the stage, Louis starts in on a strangely familiar guitar riff on his keyboards, the rest of the band gradually chiming in on what turns out to be "Dear Prudence" (Jam weekend Beatles tune #4, kids). It's almost like the entire Civic Center lets out a collective sigh, and at points during the White Album nugget you can see nearly every mouth in the venue open and singing along.

 Some time later, as the Mule wraps things up with a more-than-appropriate (yet even to these Mule-primed ears, completely unexpected) 15-minute cover of the Doors' "When the Music's Over," the 23^rd annual Christmas Jam comes to a close. There's nothing but smiles on the faces of patrons exiting the arena - here and there, a few dilated-pupils twirlers don't seem to want to let the moment fade just yet, but their friends gently guide them outside into the cold and all is right in the world.

[Photo by Dino Perrucci; see more of his Jam and pre-Jam images at our photo gallery]

[With the exception of "When the Music's Over," the above videos were posted to YouTube by rohbear4; check out his YouTube video channel, which includes plenty more clips from the Jam]

With openers Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin in tow, the Americana combo served up the twang at Portland, Oregon's Mississippi Studios on Dec. 6.

By Tim Hinely

Both of these bands originally hail from Springfield, Missouri and had apparently met in their formative years and have been friends and occasional touring partners ever since. In Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin you've got three of the most normal looking dudes ever to grace a college campus, plus a rhythm guitarist who looks like he walked out a  Kyuss video. Their pop sound is both generic and completely unique, sometimes both qualities popping up in the same song, and they wowed the enthusiastic crowd (apparently full of folks from Missouri ?!?) with a  handful of cuts from their latest record, the odds and sods collection Tape Club.

I missed Ha Ha Tonka on their last swing through town earlier this year and I must say I was bummed. Their latest record, Death of a Decade, is a terrific collection of homespun Americana and on this evening they brought their A-game. Vocalist/guitarist Brian Roberts pours his heart and soul into the tunes but not without a looseness, bouncing around the stage the whole time, while the others guys follow his lead. Ace cuts like "Westward Bound," Death of a Decade," Usual Suspects' and "Lonely Fortunes" were coupled with older tunes like "St Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor," "Hangman," "Caney Mountain" and plenty more.  At three records in, these guys play like seasoned pros. They've earned their keep (and if the drummer's name really is Lennon Bone, well, that only ups their stock in my book).