The 10 best for ’09

Last year I picked five albums I considered the best of the year. This time I’m upping it to 10 with a few bubbling under and some added tidbits. 1. Already Free, The Derek Trucks Band: Traditional blues with modern sensibilities and influences from jazz, roots and world music, all played by an array of accomplished … Continue reading The 10 best for ’09

Butterfield rocks Rockpalast

I was more than a little surprised but quite pleased to learn a Paul Butterfield performance from the late 1970s was being released this year as part of the Rockpalast DVD Collection. For the uninitiated, Rockpalast is a long-running German TV show that started in the early 1970s and broadcasts live concerts. Many performances from … Continue reading Butterfield rocks Rockpalast

Concerts Vol. 6: Jimmy Page and The Yardbirds

A few weeks before leaving for Boston University, and later Berklee School of Music, in August, 1967, and after the Bram Rigg Set had broken up, my good friend Beau Segal and I drove down to New York to see the Yardbirds. Beau was the one who found out about the show and it was his … Continue reading Concerts Vol. 6: Jimmy Page and The Yardbirds

Concerts Vol. 2: Blown away

Several times over the years I’ve seen opening acts blow away a headliner. I mentioned one such concert that involved the original Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart at Woolsey Hall in New Haven in 1969. Two stand out above the rest though. The more recent was on Oct. 18, 1977. I know the date not because … Continue reading Concerts Vol. 2: Blown away

Concerts Vol. 1

The first in a series that will focus on concerts I’ve seen and serve as companion pieces to the Connecticut rock ‘n roll scene posts I started with Connecticut’s Own and Pulse, Part 2. I’ve been to quite a few concerts over the years, many influential, some inspiring. The earliest big venue shows were in the … Continue reading Concerts Vol. 1