And the water's so fine

1) I went to three concerts this summer at SPAC. I hadn't been to SPAC three times in one summer in probably five years. There is that number five again! The first concert I went to this summer was Phil and Friends, with Trey/Mike featuring the Duo. I won tickets on EQX which is always a bonus. The Duo came on and played a great set in front of a small crowd. The last time I had seen them was in front of a hundred people in a club, and now SPAC. They were tight, and hopefully won over some fans.

Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon have been playing together for a long time. When you throw in two other musicians like Benevento and Russo, I wasn't really sure what to expect, or what I would hear. What we got was a great set of music by guys who were out to prove something. Trey in particular seemed as though he was more willing to take chances, and in general push the boundaries of his songs. Most of the music drew from his solo material, but there were some new songs thrown in for good measure. Mike was a delight as always. He's Mike, enough said.

Phil and Friends was easily the disappointment of the night for me. Joan Osborne needs to go back to being a pop star. If she added to the music, it would be ok for her to stay, but she doesn't. I can't help but be drawn back to The Dead show of 2003 at SPAC, when she came onstage and was screaming like a monkey, during a bass duet by Mike/Phil. That's besides the point. In general I just didn't appreciate Phil's current take on the music of the Grateful Dead with this incarnation of his band. They seemed subdued, and the music never really took off.

That night I bought a copy of the Duo's new album, Play, Pause, Stop. I listened to it again today, and I must say, it is quite catchy. It has a much different feel than Best Reason To Buy The Sun. The songwriting seems to be better, catchier hooks even. visit www.organanddrums.com to check it out, and check out the Duo on tour.

2) I am back in the Capital District for the time being. Nothing too exciting going on, but I'm just getting more stuff, doing stuff, organizing stuff. The usual. I'll head back down to L.I. in the next few days.