Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave: Hurricane Season

Bad news.  Unfortunately Hurricane Irene has put a damper, quite literally, on Silopanna Music Festival this weekend.  The events have been cancelled, but it's most likely for the best as it certainly won't be a safe environment for a concert.

I was planning on featuring Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave tonight as they would have been one of the headlining bands.  Even though the festival is cancelled, there's probably no more fitting song to feature than "Hurricane Season" off their debut album Backatown.

For all those in Hurricane Irene's path stay indoors, and stay safe.  Until then, enjoy some Trombone Shorty!

Read more about Trombone Shorty in previous posts, including a review of an excellent concert.

Cover Thursdays: Life Can Be So Sweet, On The Sunny Side of the Street

Back in May I went to see Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. in Richmond, Virginia.  It was absolutely one of my favorite concerts of the year thus far.  Sure I'm excited to see some bands I've never seen before at Silopanna this weekend (provided Hurricane Irene holds off), but I can't help but be pumped to see this band live again.  They are incredible musicians.  I'll stop there.  There's more to come from Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave. tomorrow!

Here's Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. performing the Louie Armstrong classic "On the Sunny Side of the Street", featuring an incredible note Trombone Shorty held for almost three minutes!



Caravan Countdown- Said The Joker To The Thief

What better way to end the Countdown to DMB Caravan than with some covers from Dave Matthews Band?  Dave Matthews Band has been touring for over 20 years.  In that time their own songs have evolved and changed over time.  Short studio songs have turned into epic live jams. Early songs have become part of current songs.  A great perk of being a fan of the Dave Matthews Band is that no two shows are exactly the same.

An additional aspect to Dave Matthews Band shows are the covers the band has been known to pull out of their hat.  Over 20 years the band has added hundreds of songs to their cover repertoire.  No genre or artist is off limits, and every cover is masterfully done.  Below are just a few favorites!

Probably the most well known cover Dave Matthews Band plays is Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower"  This song has been a live staple from the beginning of the band, and the result is probably the best version since Jimi Hendrix covered Watchtower in the 60's.  Check out Dave Matthews Band playing "All Along the Watchtower" with a bit of "Stairway to Heaven".

Neil Young has always been an influence on Dave Matthews.  In recent years "The Needle and the Damage Done" has made its way into Dave Matthews Band shows.  Below is a cover of another Neil Young song, "Cortez the Killer" featuring Warren Haynes.  The Warren Haynes band will be in Atlantic City this weekend, which makes it a possibility that this song will find it's way into a set.

One more?  Alright!  A cover that has become a crowd favorite in the last couple years is the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House".  This gets the crowd going every time.  Here's a truncated version featuring Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave at the NFL Kickoff party.

Hope you enjoyed the covers and all of Caravan Countdown Week!  There are three more DMB Caravan stops this summer, so it's not too late to grab your tickets and enjoy some music.  I'm off to Atlantic City!  Reviews start on Monday!

Concert Review: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave @ Brown's Island, Richmond, VA- 5.20.2011

A few months ago, my friend Molly invited me to come to Richmond to watch her and some of our friends run a triathlon.  I was already excited to watch them race when I found out that Trombone Shorty was playing that very weekend.  I had been looking forward to seeing this band ever since being introduced to them at Virgin Mobile Free Fest in September.  It would be a shame to be in Richmond and not make it to this concert.  Fortunately, Megan agreed to join me, and what a concert it was.

I had been to Richmond three years ago to see a concert, and what I remember most about the city was how beautiful it was.  This particular concert was on Brown's Island for an event called Friday Cheers, which occurs every Friday throughout May and June.  Brown's Island is situated between the James River and Haxall Canal.  The outdoor venue spot is gorgeous.  If I lived nearby, I'd be attending every concert no matter which band was playing.  At $5 a ticket, I don't how you couldn't.  The walkways and river make it a great spot to bring a picnic.  The crowd was also eclectic.  There were families, young adults, seniors, people familiar with the band, and those who didn't know the band and came just for some music.  I have a feeling, that those in attendance that didn't know of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave before, are fans now.

Sometimes I get nervous taking someone to a concert when they don't know the band.  I really don't want them to have a bad time or get bored.  But I also love it, when it turns out that they really enjoy the band.  I think Trombone Shorty has a fan in Meg though.  We had a blast.  The band started with some songs off their debut release Backatown.  The entire band is phenomenally talented.  Trombone Shorty himself would be world famous if it was the Jazz age.  His trombone and trumpet skills are something to behold.  During "Sunny Side of the Street" a song that Louis Armstrong made famous, he held a note for what I can only guess was at least two minutes.  I enjoy the instrumental songs in Trombone Shorty's catalog the most, but the songs with lyrics were much improved since seeing them last.  This was particularly true on "Show Me Something Beautiful".

There were many highlights of the set, but for me it was when the band played "Shout".  If you know anything about me, you know I love "Shout."  It's the song of the Buffalo Bills, and the only song that gets me to dance with any consistency.  To hear a band play it live, will always make me happy.  The band went crazy on this song, and the crowd seemed to have tremendous fun with it.  During the encore, all seven members of the band switched instruments.  Not easy switches either.  The saxophonist didn't switch to trombone, I believe he was on bass.  The bass player was playing trumpet.  Trombone shorty was on drums.  These weren't easy switches.  And you know what?  They were just as good!  It was a tremendous display of talent.  I can't recommend going to see Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave live enough.  You won't regret it.  At the very least you'll have a good time dancing.  Go check them out.  I'm glad I had a second opportunity and I wouldn't turn down going to see them again in the future.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave: Backatown

In September I went to Virgin Mobile Free-Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion.  Out of all the bands I had the pleasure of seeing, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave made the biggest impression.  They were absolutely amazing.  Trombone Shorty, otherwise known as Troy Andrews is the frontman for the group.  He's amazingly talented, and has been playing Trombone almost from the minute he was born.  He was a band leader and the age of six.  The only thing I led at six years old was the line from my 1st grade classroom to the gym.  His band is very unique.  It's not hard to identify the New Orleans influence on Trombone Shorty's music, but there's also funk, rock, and hip-hop.  I've been waiting to see them in concert ever since, and today I get my chance!  Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave will be playing in Richmond tonight, and it's sure to be a fun time.

Check out Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave. playing "Backatown" from their 2010 album by the same name.  Make sure to listen the whole way through.  The horns are phenomenal!

Learn more about Trombone Shorty's music by going here.  Also, if you get a chance to see them live this summer, go for it.  You won't be sorry.  Concert review coming on Sunday!