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The Magic of a Marco Benevento Residency at Radio Bean
Mike McKinley
October 25, 2011
The way Marco Benevento kicked off his weekly residency on October 14th at the Radio Bean couldn't have been any better. Everything worked -- the energy, the vibe, the sound, the intimacy of the small room. Two-minutes into his first piece of the night, it was like the room experienced collective transcendence. Distorted piano notes were already bleeding over the edge. The rhythm section (Andy Borger on drums and Dave Driewitz on bass) was immediately so locked-in and tight that it felt completely loose. One song in and you just knew: there's going to be some great fucking music made in this room over the next four Friday nights.

Marco made one clear declaration that night: "Hey Burlington! Bring your instruments next week."

And for round two last Friday night, they did. Some of Burlington's finest hit the stage -- saxophonist Caroline O'Connor, guitarist Bob Wagner, bassist Mike Gordon and vocalist Kat Wright all joined Marco. Yep, plenty of great collaborations. But my favorite part of all the guests was when vocalist Samara Lark hopped on stage to sing The Knife's "Heartbeats." Samara has also been working the door the last two weeks at the Bean. Only at the Radio Bean and only with a host like Marco could the person working the door take a break, get on stage and crush it, and then go back to work. Marco & the Radio Bean: the perfect pair. I can't wait for some more magic this Friday night…

Video: moe. - "Crab Eyes" on iPads - Dedicated to Steve Jobs
Mike McKinley
October 14, 2011
Well done‚ moe.

Children of the 1980s? I see video influences from The Cars and Thomas Dolby...



Video: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - "Lost in the Battle for Greenwood"
Mike McKinley
October 5, 2011
Well, the accolades are piling up so high for Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey's Race Riot Suite that pretty soon these cats are going to move from making Jazz Millions to making Jazz Billions. Here's the band getting into it on "Lost in the Battle for Greenwood" from the Free Tulsa Music Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma on July 30, 2011 with guest horns Mark Southerland & Matt Leland.

The band is on tour now in support of Race Riot Suite (with horns!) -- get the info and dates here.




Video: Marco Benevento - "Greenpoint"
Mike McKinley
September 29, 2011
Thanks to Clinton "Cleantone" Vadnais for putting together this great video of Marco Benevento performing "Greenpoint" on September 3‚ 2011 at the Arts Block in Greenfield‚ MA. Dig it...



Marco has a busy fall ahead in the Northeast, including a weekly residency at the Radio Bean here in Burlington. You can find out ticket info and more at Royal Potato Family. Here are the dates for October and November:

October Shows
October 13 | Arch Street Tavern | Hartford‚ CT
October 14 | Radio Bean | Burlington‚ VT
October 15 | Iron Horse | Northampton‚ MA
October 19 | Mexicali | Teaneck‚ NJ
October 20 | Red Door | Portsmouth‚ NH
October 21 | Radio Bean | Burlington‚ VT
October 22 | Red Square | Albany‚ NY
October 23 | Stage One | Fairfield‚ CT
October 27 | Red Door | Portsmouth‚ NH
October 28 | Radio Bean | Burlington‚ VT
October 29 | Flynn Space | Burlington‚ VT

November Shows
November 3 | Red Door | Portsmouth‚ NH
November 4 | Radio Bean | Burlington‚ VT
November 5 | River Street Jazz Cafe | Wilkes-Barre‚ PA
November 11 - 13 | Bear Creek Festival | Live Oak‚ FL
November 17 | The Keswick Theater | Philadelphia‚ PA (solo piano) (w/ Bela Fleck & The Flecktones)
November 18 | 92Y Tribeca | New York‚ NY (solo piano) (w/Superhuman Happiness)

Listen: The Barr Brothers - "Beggar in the Morning"
Mike McKinley
September 27, 2011


Update: Check out the video...



The Barr Brothers' eponymous debut is out today on Secret City Records. Here's "Beggar in the Morning" -- the amazing first single. Great stuff.

Beggar In The Morning by TheBarrBrothers

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