Bustle In Your Hedgerow at the Independent (5/11/07)

A couple of months ago I got a call from my college buddy saying 'Kev, you gotta check these guys out!' The guys he told me about are, Bustle In Your Hedgerow, a 'super-group' jam-band that only play instrumental Led Zeppelin songs. The band consists of Marco Benevento on the Hammond organ, Joe Russo on drums, Ween's Dave Driewitz on bass and Scott Metzger on guitar. Benevento & Russo normally play jazzy rock instrumentals and go by "The Duo" when they're off on their own.

Expecting the show would sell out quickly, I bought tix when they went on sale. Oddly though, tickets were still available even as close to a few days before the show; but they eventually sold out by show-time last night. Only a few weeks after I bought tickets, I found out that Porcupine Tree would be playing the same night, but having just recently seen Blackfield (a Porcupine Tree off-shoot -- see review here) I wasn't too worried about skipping the Porcupine show.

So first up was a five-piece all female band called "Rocket" -- in your mind, think 'the Bangles on steroids'. These ladies rocked and had a blast doing it! After a relatively quick 30-minute set, it was time to get ready to get the Led out!

The lads came on stage just after 10.30pm and kick started into a 'best of' collection of Zeppelin songs. The crowd went wild and quickly plumes of smoke made the Independent look as if someone had turned on a smoke machine. A guy standing next to me tapped my shoulder and asked for rolling papers -- unfortunately, i was all out at the time! ;) Why is it that weed and jam bands go hand-in-hand?

Anyway, I was able to capture "Kashmir" and "Communication Breakdown" that I've added below. This is definitely a fun show if they come through your town. If you even mildly like Zeppelin, check these guys out -- and don't forget your rolling papers!

Kashmir:


Communication Breakdown:

Aqualung @ the Fillmore (5/10/07)

What makes a decent singer songwriter stand out from the rest? That was the question running through my mind running up to the Aqualung show last night at the Fillmore... Let me take a step back and say that I didn't go to the show as a big fan of Aqualung -- I got a last-minute invite from a friend who got stuck with an extra ticket, so I jumped at the chance to catch a show since's it's been a few weeks since seeing Dredg (see review below!). When asked, I'll admit that I was vaguely familiar with Aqualung -- although I was initially thinking Aqualung was a full band; turns out that Aqualung is one guy, Matt Hales of England, and tours with a full band, but goes by the studio name of Aqualung when he releases CDs.

I checked out his MySpace page (here) to get a little more familiar with his material before heading to the show and got myself ready for a nice batch of catchy piano-rock ballads... That brings me back to my initial question -- just what makes a decent singer songwriter stand out from the pack?

There's John Mayer with his bluesy guitar and unique voice, and a few years back David Gray was big with his catchy Babylon song. Back then, it was Gray's unique voice, catchy riffs and an extra little spice with some electronic beats in the background that he'd throw-in.

But in today's landscape, who really stands out from the pack? You need to be featured on Scrubs or The OC if you're trying to make a name for yourself as a singer songwriter!

I'm not trying to take anything away from Aqualung. Overall, he and his band were decent! Definitely a talented bunch. Listen for yourself with these videos from the show below. The video is crap due to the fact that the Fillmore was only about a third full, so the staff could easily see my camera recording with the display turned on... Anyway, the audio's excellent and should give you a taste of what Aqualung sounded like last night!



If you like what you hear, be sure to check out the rest of Aqualung's stuff! I'd also recommend two other singer songwriters who deserve more attention if you're into Aqualung. They are:

Matt Nathanson & Cary Brothers -- take a listen to these guys too.

Enjoy!