This a classic Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel performance and a must listen for any fan. At the time they’d just released Bridge Over Troubled Water three months prior on January 26, 1970 and you can hear the newness of the material and the passion that they have for the songs when they play them. This recording captures Simon & Garfunkel in their prime years at their peak and serves as a reminder of the pure brilliance of the duo. I hope you enjoy it and are inclined to share with other Simon & Garfunkel fans!

The live music taping community has done a wonderful job of preserving and remastering the original and I think you’ll agree that the sound quality is terrific. Here are the source notes for further info.

The Boxer
Homeward Bound
Fakin It
Feelin Groovy
Silver Haired Daddy
I Am A Rock
For Emily
Mrs Robinson
Scarborough Fair
El Condor Pasa
Leaves That Are Green
Punky’s Dilemma
America
So Long, Frank
Song For The Asking
A Poem On The Underground Wall
Bridge Over Troubled Water
The Sound of Silence
Bye Bye Love
Old Friends Bookends

Here is a unique and rare acoustic Pearl Jam set from Neil Young’s 24th Annual Bridge School Benefit. Pearl Jam headlined the benefit along with a recently reunited Buffalo Springfield as well as Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson, Modest Mouse, Grizzly Bear, Lucinda Williams, Jackson Browne and David Lindley.

This performance marks Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary as a band. No need to break out your reading glasses and read that again. I did say 20 years and if you are an original fan of the band like me then you probably feel old right about now. Of all the bands of their generation Pearl Jam has aged the most gracefully. Their last two records have been two of their best which is extremely rare.

This is the second of two sets that Pearl Jam played during the benefit and has a great mixture of new and old. My personal favorite is a first ever live performance Other Side which was written by Jeff Ament and released on the Lost Dogs compilation.

If you’ve enjoyed this show please consider making a small donation to the Bridge School. There is no more worthy cause than supporting children with disabilities.

Daughter
Down
“It’s been 20 years”
Driftin’
Other Side
The End
Walk With Me (Neil Young cover) (w/Neil Young)
“A few more”
Lukin
“Sending Flowers”
Just Breathe
Black (new arrangment)
Eldery Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town

Related:
[mp3] Eddie Vedder Bridge School Benefit 10/23/04 and 10/24/04
[mp3] Pearl Jam Acoustic Set + Live In LA 92

Happy Friday! Here is a decent recording of an epic Built To Spill show from Emos Austin a few weeks back. If you have an opportunity to see them on their current tour do it! BTS is the finest indie rock band that Boise has to offer. Dates below.

Liar
In The Morning
You Were Right
Hindsight
Kick It In The Sun
Stab
Ripple
Whenever You Go
Time Trap
The Weather
Dystopian Dream Girl
Carry The Zero
Control / Offer
Stop The Show
Car
Conventional Wisdom

Built To Spill 2010 Tour Dates:

Fri, 11/12/2010 WOW Hall – Eugene, OR
Sat, 11/13/2010 Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
Mon, 11/15/2010 The Wild Buffalo – Bellingham, WA
Wed, 11/17/2010 Wilma Theatre – Missoula, MT
Thu, 11/18/2010 Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA
Fri, 11/19/2010 The Showbox – Seattle, WA
Sat, 11/20/2010 The Showbox – Seattle, WA
Wed, 12/29/2010 Metro – Sydney, NSW
Thu, 12/30/2010 Peats Ridge Festival – Glenworth Valley, NSW
Fri, 12/31/2010 Pyramid Rock Festival – Phillip Island, VIC
Sat, 01/01/2011 Corner Hotel – Melbourne, VIC
Sun, 01/02/2011 The Zoo – Brisbane, QLD
Tue, 01/04/2011 Rosemount Hotel – Perth, WA

This one completely escaped my DVR for some reason. Thank goodness for the audioperv! The only thing better than My Morning Jacket live is My Morning Jacket with The Roots live on Jimmy Fallon! I can’t imagine the amazing drumgasm that Patrick Hallahan and Questo must’ve had during the sound check! This video also leads me to the conclusion that MMJ needs to add a tuba player to the band.

On a related note, have you checked out the new John Legend and The Roots record, Wake Up? It is amazing.

Browsing through the Austin music calendar I noticed that Anders Osborne is coming to The Parish on December 10. If you’ve got a penchant for heavy electrified, open tuned, gut wrenching blues guitar you owe it to your ears to check out this show.

Anders is a legendary musician from New Orleans whose heavy blues licks are juxtaposed by his melodic songwriting. I love musicians that have a dynamic range of songs and Anders definitely covers a million musical miles from a stylistic standpoint. At one moment he can be as soft as a song bird and the next moment he’s like T Rex. Check out this show then go buy his new record American Patchwork!

Here’s the bio from his website:

Anders story (his life, his career) is not unlike those of the other great songwriters and artists that he’s been compared to by critics and roots purists Dylan, Guthrie, and Van Morrison, by the time he found New Orleans (or maybe it is the other way around) by taking the long way trekking through Africa and Egypt, working odd jobs to get to his next destination, he had the miles and music down to begin his career in his new home.

“Oftentimes the most true portraits of America have been rendered by those who have come from outside its borders, yet somehow seem to understand and inhabit our culture more than those of us who have lived here all our lives.” JAMBASE

Anders has spent most of career since honing his songwriting at the same time creating a solid fan-base by touring the East and West coast as a performer, while dividing time between New Orleans and Nashville as a staff writer for the Universal Music and Razor and Tie publishing companies.

He’s worked his magic for other performers, writing “Watchin the Wind Blow By,” a number one hit for country superstar Tim McGraw and “I Was Wrong” and “A Better Man,” both Grammy-winning songs from Keb’ Mo’s album Slow Down. Anders has written songs for Brad Paisely, Jonny Lang, Tab Benoit and Jimmy Thackery, to name a few.

“Anders Osborne artfully blends blues, rock, soul and classic R&B to create his own distinctive synthesis and original style.” ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Anders hit the national scene with the 1995 release “Which Way To Here”. He and his band began to tour the country and later that year he was signed to Okeh Records, which had just been revived by Sony’s Michael Caplan. The record received rave reviews world wide and became Osborne’s first commercial break with two top-five singles on the national charts, “Favorite Son” and “Pleasin’ You.” Both were featured on movie soundracks movies, the latter later recorded by Johnny Lang. Anders also recorded a second CD for the label, titled “New Madrid”, which remains, unfortunately, unreleased.

Three other independent-label releases — “Live at Tipitina’s” appeared on Shanachie in 1998 followed by “Living Room” and the next year the introspective “Ash Wednesday Blues” were issued. The following year Anders emerged as producer on the two historic recordings “Bury the Hatchet,” on which he and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux are double billed. Later Anders produced Monks “Mr. Stranger Man”, both distributed by Shanachie Music. In 2007, MC Records released Osborne’s critically acclaimed “Coming Down.”

His performances have been described as equally spiritual as musical, creating the elusive connection between artist and audience. His emotive guitar complements the message and the music, enticing listeners into his heart and soul. His life is transformed via his song performances into a vehicle to take you to his destination, let you linger awhile, and bring you home a bit better than you left it to step into his world. He is able to refine and relate to the ordinary, making you feel a bit extraordinary in the process. No wonder he is in demand by perfomers of all stripes as a songwriter.

“Anders Osborne wrote the story of my life” Edwin McCain

Today Anders is finishing his new release which drops in April, followed by a two week stint of performances in conjunction with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Then Anders, Robert Walter, and Stanton Moore launch a six week double bill tour featuring both Osborne’s band and the Stanton Moore Trio.

Here is a soundboard from an amazingly intimate performance Patterson Hood gave in the alley of Deep Groove Records a couple weeks back. If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like to sit on a porch with Patterson and listen him play a few tunes this should give you a pretty good idea.

Patterson is currently touring Europe with the Drive By Truckers and you should take the opportunity to see them live if you haven’t. They are one of the best live bands touring today!

Intro
Too Much Sex, Too Little Jesus
Nine Bullets
Uncle Disney
Sinkhole
Heathens
Everybody Needs Love
Murdering Oscar
Pollyanna

I recently watched the great Townes Van Zandt documentary Be Here To Love Me again for what seems like the 100th time. It has to be one of the most moving documentaries ever made partially because Townes had such an incredibly sad life and partially because his songs are filled with so much heartache and pain.

The video above contains the most poignant seen in the movie. The clip is Townes’ performance of Waiting Around To Die which amazingly is the first song Townes ever wrote. When the man in the room listening to Townes sing begins to cry I almost lose it every time.

Waiting Around To Die by Townes Van Zandt

Sometimes I don’t know where this dirty road is taking me
Sometimes I can’t even see the reason why
I guess I keep on gamblin’, lots of booze and lots of ramblin’
It’s easier than just a-waitin’ ’round to die

One-time friends I had a ma, I even had a pa
He beat her with a belt once cause she cried
She told him to take care of me, she headed down to Tennessee
It’s easier than just a-waitin’ ’round to die

I came of age and found a girl in a Tuscaloosa bar
She cleaned me out and hit it on the sly
I tried to kill the pain, I bought some wine and hopped a train
Seemed easier than just a-waitin’ ’round to die

A friend said he knew where some easy money was
We robbed a man and brother did we fly
The posse caught up with me, drug me back to Muskogee
It’s two long years, just a-waitin’ ’round to die

Now I’m out of prison, I got me a friend at last
He don’t steal or cheat or drink or lie
His name’s codeine, he’s the nicest thing I’ve seen
Together we’re gonna wait around and die

The Sun’s Serenade To The Earth
Ocracoke

There’s an up and coming jazz cat named Ben Maney from Knoxville that I recently discovered whose making some mighty fine sounds with his group Countless Sheep. Ben is a jazz pianist and multi instrumentalist with some killer chops:

Ben Many and Countless Sheep have a sound is difficult to categorize because its got so many facets and takes you so many places when you listen. Its the musical equivalent of being at Thanksgiving mixing the gravy with the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, candied yams and stuffing. The result is a sensory cornucopia that hits you on many levels.

I recently had the good fortune to ask Ben a few questions and give him a chance to introduce himself to the cuckoobird.net audience:

I hear so elements of so many of my favorite musicians in your songs. Who has had the most influence on your sound?

Good question and a tough one. This one always sends me spinnin a little. Seems I’ve been branching out more than I ever have in some ways and am narrowing down in others. There are some jazz musicians whose recordings have and I know will continue to both inspire and baffle me. Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal, Keith Jarret and of course John Coltrane, Miles Davis and many many others in the more impressionistic modern jazz vein. LateIy I’ve taken more of a turn into styles that might be considered a little more “raw” by some folks. Or some might say “rootsy” ragtime,blues,gospel,honkytonk. Seems the older I get the further back I tend to draw into these styles which lead me to players like Dr. John and James Booker. I saw Allen Toussant recently and I left the theater a completely different guy. Just amazing. But all of this is more about playing. Playing piano which is my bread and butter now along with teaching piano. Writing, arranging, guitar playing, singing. I approach these things a lot more innocently because I have less formal knowledge about from a lot of different genres.
Very into Elliot smith lately. Leonard Cohen, Dylan, Joni Mitchel. like a lot of more current artists too. Alexi Murdoch, Kelly Joe Phelps. The process of writing music really does take up a great deal of time so I don’t really find myself learning songs, copping licks and that sort of thing the way I used to. The music that i pay attention to still has a huge influence on what I’ve been doing lately and yeah I guess your right. It kinda goes all over the place. I guess I really do have an equal amount of attraction and respect for many different genres/styles and somehow I feel like if I were to compromise that in some way then i would cease to learn things the way i’m used to learning because I’m used to thinking of this world of music as being very vast infinitely vast and exciting. That’s what really drives me. Last but not least I have to say that the musicians who I have actually had the good fortune of playing with have undoubtedly been the most significantly influential folks on my playing,writing and musical maturity in general.

Your piano playing is impressive. How long have you been playing and what inspired you to pick it up?

Well though I was a bit of a shifty, lazy sort of misfit of a kid I’ve had a fascination with music for as long as I can remember including classical music. I took my first piano lesson at the age of 6 but like most kids who start that young I never practiced and eventually quit. My interest and fascination with music never ceased though I took it back up again for a couple of years or so as an early teen. Studied with an old man who was also the choral director at a Catholic Church. He had his doctorate in music and just bombarded me with music theory and it was almost insufferable. He despised jazz and rock n roll. The fact that i had such an affinity for those things and my general lazy approach to everything including what he was showing me. But a lot of it stuck despite all of that and I started making up my own songs playing along with the radio and that sort of thing. So it just got to the point where I just didn’t really know what else to do with myself outside of playing music. And I guess you could say that still holds true today to an extent though I’m kinda getting into gardening some lately. Not so great at it though but that’s what makes it fun sometimes because things take you by surprise. I’m like ‘wow! look zucchini..cool!..wait when did I plant zucchini??

Do you write the majority of the songs for Ben Maney and Countless Sheep or is it more of a group effort? What is the creative process like?

I have to say I feel extremely lucky. I do write the songs and most of the arrangements aside from a section here and there but I can’t tell you how incredible my friends/bandmates make this stuff sound compared to the shell that i start out with. I’m becoming so acutely aware the older i get that the magic of things really does depend on the details.It’s not so much the ‘what’ but the ‘how’ that really makes a difference. I’m very lucky to be working and playing with musicians who really dig in and listen to those little subtleties and pay close attention to dynamics. Makes a huge difference and they come up with sounds and ideas that just chill me to the bone. Of course I mean that as a compliment in the highest order. Also they are phenomenal improvisers so they of course play their own solos and that aspect of this music may be what I like the most. I’m really into the arranging thing these days and I thoroughly enjoy coming up with little instrumental parts and counter melodies but it took a lot of know how and great talent and musicality to make it sound the way it should..to make it fit. The drum parts were all done by Chad Melton, a great friend of mine. He’s amazing, playing some with Jerry Douglas, Larkin Poe, Jill Andrews and The Lovel Sisters. He of course came up with his own parts. I really just gave him a time signature,a tempo and a vibe and he made sweet lemonade out of it. Ocracoke switches from 7/8 to 13/8 and back and he of course was just smooth as silk with it. That’s just how he is. Jon Whitlock played percussion on some songs ..absolutely phenomenal.. Jon plays and tours with Christabel and the Jons. He came up with his own concepts for his parts and used a variety of instruments. He identifies the personality of a song and then reinforces it with the rhythms and textures he comes up with. Brilliant, truly brilliant stuff.

I know that you play shows around Knoxville. Do you have any plans to go on the road in the near future? If so you should come to Austin!

Yeah man! Love to..heh heh I’ll play for Miller High Life and grilled cheese sandwiches. I love Austin. .really really love Austin. I have an Aunt who lived there for a few years and I visited a couple of times and just had a blast. You guys truly have an incredible scene. I do play around our region here in the south east some. I occasionally venture out to Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville, Asheville and Johnson City. I’ve played in New York a couple of times while visiting friends out there but I don’t tour though I’d love to. Just can’t afford it yet. Hopefully I’ll get there. Usually when I do play out of town it’s for a sort of private solo piano function or something similar to that with a band. I’m hoping to catch my original stuff up with what I’ve participated in with other projects. Hopefully it will take off. I feel like it’s still cruising down the runway right now.

Is there anything else we should know about your music?

I’m actually working on two records at the same time right now. One is a new Countless Sheep record which is almost entirely instrumental. The other is a solo record which will contain a few covers. Looks like all of the songs on this one will involve vocals and will be instrumentally stripped down. I’ve been playing a lot of solo shows lately in and around Knoxville. I’m always looking for great new places to play. I love to hear from anyone with a sincere interest in allowing me to play an original set or two.

Its hard to believe that SRV has been gone twenty years already. He has now influenced an entire generation of guitar players that have only been able to experience his music from his albums and live recordings.

Here is another great live Stevie Ray recording from the 1985 Jazz & Blues Festival in Stockholm, Sweden. Its sure to please the ear and soothe the soul. Enjoy!

Couldn’t Stand the Weather
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Pride and Joy
Look at Little Sister
Come On (Pt. III)
Life Without You
Love Struck Baby
Gone Home
Texas Flood

Related:
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Mr Clean
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Red Rocks Amphitheatre 6/19/85

My Morning Jacket finished their string of shows at New York’s Terminal 5. In addition to playing each of their 5 records in its entirety they did some pretty epic covers including Wham, Prince and Elton John.

Wham – Careless Whispers

Elton John – Rocket Man

Prince – I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man