Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is Scott Metzger, Tommy Hamilton, Dave Dreiwitz, Marco Benevento and Joe Russo. Not only does this quintet play tight and vicious versions of some of the most complex songs in the Grateful Dead’s repertoire, but they play them with a rawness & energy absent from the stage since the “Live” Dead era. More importantly, all of the jams are wild and incredibly adventurous. Russo’s a beast behind the kit who’s in the peak of his career. Metzger is a criminally underrated guitarist who has a chameleon-like ability to alter his sound to compliment any situation. Dreiwitz’s intensity is unmatched by anyone, while Benevento spouts these crazy tones and layers of sound that mix the best of what each keyboardist in GD history brought to the band. Finally, add Hamilton, whose voice and biting leads help push this ensemble over the top.
Tag Archives | Trey Anastasio
Lotus
New Lotus single “Eats the Light” was just debuted by Billboard.com!
Give it a spin to get excited for their show on Feb 4th at Lupo’s!
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/lotusvibes/sets/basin-to-benin-tarot[/soundcloud]
Limited run 7-inch 45 rpm of “Basin to Benin” (ft. The Soul Rebels) / “Tarot”:
https://lotusvibes.bandcamp.com/album/basin-to-benin-tarot
When Mark Twain coined the term “The Gilded Age” he was describing the Reconstruction Era’s thin veneer that masked substantial social struggle. Nostalgia is like the gilded age of memory. It’s easy for the mind to increase the former glory, the perfect sheen, the once timelessness of present-day ruins.
On this album Lotus wanted to occupy that powerful place of the human mind, the mental eye that can see erosion and cracks and envision a palace. They focused primarily on simple organic instruments: drum, bass, guitar, piano, percussion, played live in a room. The overall mood is one of reflective happiness, the joy of the impermanent, nostalgia of halcyon days.
Remixes from four superb down-tempo electronic producers take the nostalgia into deeper realms. The place where the brain starts reflecting on reflections and mixing together dreams and realities. Welcome to the Gilded Age.
Credits
Mike Greenfield – drums
Luke Miller – guitar, piano, organ
Jesse Miller – bass
Chuck Morris – percussion
Mike Rempel – guitar