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Grace Potter and the Nocturnals & Brett Dennen

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/20634/Grace-Potter-and-Brett-Dennen-%7C-11.20

Words by: Alex Neif | Vermont | Images by: Allison Murphy

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals & Brett Dennen :: 11.20.09 :: Terminal 5 :: New York, NY

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals :: 11.20

Though it should be, it's not every night that you walk into Terminal 5and are greeted by two women offering free Cabot cheddar. It was enough to make a Burlington boy feel right at home (despite having just passed through the Terminal 5 security gauntlet, which is akin to a shakedown by the Mossad). From the free cheese to the bustling merch table (it should be noted that the GPN merch table was operated by the friendliest tour staff I've ever met) fans were noticeably relaxed and in high spirits even before entering the main room.

The show was billed as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals co-headlining with Brett Dennen with Sean Bones as support.

Bones kicked off the show with a short set of white-man's reggae that had the distinct sound of a college party band, though that's not to say that Bones (Sean Sullivan) is without his positive musical attributes. Bones exudes energy and confidence onstage despite the fact that he and his band have a long way to go in terms of perfecting their sound, which on this night was a bit loosey-goosey. I would still say that this band is worth keeping an eye on.

As Sean Bones exited the stage, the floor began to reach capacity in anticipation of the first of the two headlining acts. After a brief interlude, Dennen hit the stage characteristically unshod and understated. He proceeded to lead the audience through an inspired set of infectious folk-pop that is distinctly his own. Dennen's songwriting and performance style have earned him respect from both the music industry establishment and Madison Avenue (an important ally in the evolving industry). In short measure, Dennen has gone from total obscurity to the "artist to look out for" to the "artist that you don't know you know," though that is rapidly changing. Recently, no less than Carson Daly invited Dennen to fill his entire hour-long late night show with the premier of a recently taped coffee house performance in L.A. Dennen has earned himself a place amongst a select few singer-songwriter superstars such as John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and Jason Mraz. In this small fraternity, Dennen stands out in almost every way. Unlike the others, who found success by expanding on the industry niche carved out by Dave Matthews in the early nineties, Dennen's accomplishments were achieved mostly on spec, as there was really nothing to compare him to.

Brett Dennen :: 11.20

At this set, Dennen never stopped shaking his hips from the first note to the last. Dennen is a natural when it comes to putting an audience at ease and giving them the impression that they are not at a sold out concert but rather sitting in on an inspired jam session; the 3,000+ fans present that casually bobbed their heads and smiled while sipping their beers evidenced this. Perhaps the most important part of any live show is to bring the right energy to the music, and in Dennen's case, he quite organically melds the context with the content and the two begin to seem inseparable. Catch Dennen making his way across the Midwest in late-November/early December. For those on the West Coast, the band will be grooving their way down the coast with a New Year's Eve extravaganza at the Fox Theater in Oakland with friends ALO and SambaDa supporting. Complete Brett Dennen tour dates available here.

What can you say about Grace Potter that hasn't already been said a thousand times on the pages of magazines and fan sites? You couldn't say that she is an enormously talented multi-instrumentalist with one foot solidly in the world of traditional song crafting and another in the ethereal abyss of jamspace (been said). Nor could you say she has Joan Jett's attitude with Linda Ronstadt's voice in Tina Turner's dress (covered). But after her recent performance at Terminal 5, what you could say about Potter is that everything that has been said about her is true. This goes for the band as well. 2009 has been a period of growth and change for GPN. Early this year the band saw the departure of founding bassist Brian Dondero, who was replaced with former Ryan Adams bassist Catherine Popper. The band also announced the addition of a fifth Nocturnal,Benny Yurco (Blues and Lasers). Yurco's rhythm guitar provides well balanced accompaniment to Scott Tournet's lead and gives the band a larger sound, which compliments their musical range.

Grace Potter :: 11.20

The band walked onstage and set it ablaze with "Some Kind of Ride" from their 2005 release Nothing But The Water. The energy level of the band and audience was electric. Potter then switched out her guitar and hopped on the B3 for the bluesy "Medicine," the title track to their forthcoming new release. Potter continued to jump around the stage, moving from keys to guitar to tambourine to straight ass shaking when the moment called for it. And the audience was locked in.

When things slowed down a bit for the heartfelt "Apologies," the audience swayed and listened attentively to the deeply personal lyrics. "Apologies" is a beautiful, brokenhearted love song that no doubt stems from a very real relationship (no one can sing like that to some contrived industry love song). In what was perhaps the most adept transition of the show, the band followed with "Oasis," perhaps the best showcase of every band member's talents. On drums, Matthew Burr bounced around like a mustachioed Muppet, forming an airtight groove with Popper, while Tournet played beautiful psychedelic-blues solos over Yurco's rich rhythm and Potter wailed like an angry siren.

The band encored with a chilling cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and the title track from Nothing But The Water. After the show, the energy poured out onto the streets of Hell's Kitchen as a few thousand elated fans made their way to their respective subway stations.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have come of age, and they are without a doubt one of the very best American touring acts today. They broke big with their original lineup and limited experience. Now it seems that they have isolated the factors that lead to their early successes and refined them, while making changes where needed. When Medicine is released early next year, GPN is primed to explode.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Setlist
Some Kind of Ride, Medicine, Mastermind, Tiny Light, Apologies, Oasis, Things I Never Needed, Ah Mary, Big White Gate, Paris, Sweet Hands
E: White Rabbit, Nothing But the Water

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are on tour now; dates available here.

The Gaslight Anthem :: 10.15.09

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/20153/The-Gaslight-Anthem-10.15-New-York

Word by: Alex Nief| Vermont | Images by: JC McIlwaine

The Gaslight Anthem :: 10.15.09 :: Terminal 5 : New York, NY

The Gaslight Anthem :: 10.15 :: New York

Upon first hearing The Gaslight Anthem's 2008 release The '59 Sound, questions were forming so rapidly in my head that I found it hard to even focus on the music. Who were these guys? Had Bruce Springsteen sued them yet? Why did their lyrics call on references from sources as varied as the Counting Crows and Charles Dickens? Why was this classified as "punk"? The questions remained, but they became less and less important as I found myself listening to the album on repeat for about three months. I was surprised to later read that not only had Springsteen not sued the band but that he had played with them and invited frontman Brian Fallon onstage - not once, but twice - during festival appearances in the U.K.

Skip ahead to a Thursday at Terminal 5 where The Gaslight Anthem was headlining.

Terminal 5 is a sprawling 40,000 square foot venue, the design of which is less modern concert venue than right-angled, industrial opera house. The vertical orientation of the room creates awesome sight lines from the two wrap-around mezzanines, which put concertgoers practically on top of the stage. Even at capacity (3,000), Terminal 5 is one of the most comfortable of the majorBowery Presents venues.

The first of three opening acts was the Oregon-based punk trio Broadway Calls, followed by former D Generation frontmanJesse Malin, whose ego completely eclipsed his band's performance (I lost count of the number of times that he reminded the crowd that he was, indeed, Jesse Malin). The third and final supporting act was Murder By Death, a quartet out of Indiana with a sound that falls somewhere between the Misfits and Johnny Cash. Murder By Death's set was by far the highlight of the somewhat protracted opening portion of the show.

The Gaslight Anthem :: 10.15 :: New York

As the stage was being cleared following Murder By Death, a giant black and white tapestry was raised behind the drum riser depicting an old ship in rough waters with "THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM" scrawled on its port side. This elicited a roar from the crowd and soon the floor was completely packed, while at higher altitudes, fans lined the rails of the balconies. The energy was palpable. A few minutes later the house music cut out and the room fell dark. As has become customary, the band took the stage to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

A wave and a smile from Fallon and they were off with "High Lonesome," a foot stomping, high-energy, post-punk song that sent most of the packed house off the rails. By the time they reached the first chorus the Terminal 5 security staff were busy catching the bodies of crowd surfers at a rate of about one every seven seconds (to their credit, they were well prepared for the audience and seemed only to be concerned with peoples' safe return to the floor). Gaslight followed with "Casanova, Baby," a romantically reflective rockabilly anthem. The band played their most recent album in its entirety with the exception of "Meet Me by the River's Edge," which has not been a staple of recent shows.

From the opening drum roll of "High Lonesome," the sell-out audience danced with reckless abandon. One of the most astonishing aspects of a Gaslight Anthem live show is that it seems as if every single body in the room is moving and every mouth open and singing from start to finish. The artist-audience relationship was not one of blind worship but rather one of mutual respect and passion. There is a nostalgic urgency to this music, which is reflected both sonically and lyrically. Fallon's stage presence can best be described as humble and gracious. At one point, he stared out at the crowd and looked pleasantly baffled. Leaning into the mic, he said with a tone of surprise, "Look at all you people." For all of his band's many successes - not to mention tireless touring - Fallon still appears to truly enjoy every second he has to share with his audience.

The Gaslight Anthem :: 10.15 :: New York

The first of the band's four encores was a song from their first album,Sink Or Swim, called "Blue Jeans And White T-Shirts." If there was a single song that defined the saturated sentimentality of youth this was it. Fallon manages to evoke romantic imagery we can all call on. When he sings, "Call every girl we ever met Maria/ But I only love Virginia's heart", you know these Marias and Virginias - they are our first loves and heartbreaks, our mistakes and regrets, our family, friends, and enemies.

As the show neared its end it didn't wind down, but in fact reached a crescendo. The ever-expanding pit in the center of the floor grew so large for the final encore that from the balcony all one could see was an undulating mass. It was beautiful. It should be noted that while proper pit-etiquette (i.e. people pick each other up off the ground and don't try to injure others) may seem all but dead at most shows that warrant this sort of response, it was alive and well on this night.

For their final encore, the band returned to their first album and their punk roots with "We're Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner." At song's end, the entire crowd chanted the final refrain over dissipating distortion and summed up what could easily be the mission statement of The Gaslight Anthem: "Stay hungry, stay free, and do the best you can."

Sufjan Stevens :: 10.05.09

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/19998/Sufjan-Stevens-%7C-10.05-%7C--New-YorkWords by: Alex Nief

| Vermont

| Images by: JC McIlwaine

Sufjan Stevens :: 10.05.09 :: Bowery Ballroom :: New York, NY

Sufjan Stevens | 10.05 | Bowery Ballroom

To set the scene: It was a lovely fall evening in New York. I was delirious with fever and the Bowery Ballroom basement was flooded with water emanating from the women's bathroom.

When faced with the ominous tickles and aches of an oncoming illness there is only one thing to do: drink heavily. The simple fact of the matter is that you're going to be bedridden for the remainder of the week so you might as well load up while you're able (and if, in so doing, you manage to poison the oncoming virus, well, you win twice).

I grabbed a few drinks at the basement bar and took up residence on a comfortable, well-decorated bench. I was almost instantly unnerved at the sight of a pocket-sized notepad that had been placed on the table in front of me by a gentleman a few feet to my right. The top page read: "Sufjan Stevens 10/05 Bowery." Wholly unwilling to be moved by this puerile gesture - clearly a fellow journalist attempting to intimidate me - I scrawled the same title atop my legal pad and slammed it down on the table, dwarfing his diminutive flip-pad. I gave him a sharp stare and tilted my head slightly as if to say, "If you like that, you should see my pen." The amateur evacuated. I began to study the room, searching for non-white Sufjan Stevens fans (I gave up after twenty minutes).

Thirty minutes of observing the crowd revealed a strikingly homogeneous group. The Sufjan Stevens fan can be described as white, 25-35 years of age, well dressed, and in good shape from excessive bicycling. Most who adore Stevens do so with a cult-like passion. For the women in the audience, they would gladly leave their significant others for a night of passionate cuddling and crying with Stevens. The men would likely do the same.

Sufjan Stevens | 10.05 | Bowery Ballroom

When Sufjan Stevens took the stage the packed Bowery audience erupted for about twenty-five seconds before falling silently transfixed as he grabbed his banjo and, with horn accompaniment, eased us in with "The Mistress Witch from McClure (or The Mind That Knows Itself)," a depressing ditty which is part evocative memoir and part auto-philosophical. Almost every Sufjan Stevens song has a strange way of sounding like the recounting of a slow and painful death. The crowd, which had not so much as sneezed during the three-minute opener, again came to life with startling applause at its conclusion.

Stevens' onstage persona calls up memories of a young Bob Dylan fielding questions from eager reporters upon his arrival in San Francisco in 1965. At one point early in his set, Stevens moved a piece of paper, leaned into the microphone and said, "Sweet." The entire audience roared with laughter, and you could almost sense that there were people rushing to the bathrooms with their iPhones to call every bar in Williamsburg with the fantastic news.

Despite the too-clever post-hipster art worship crowd that seems to gather at his feet, Sufjan Stevens is a gifted songwriter with an uncommon skill: taking fairly simple musical compositions, applying dynamic arrangements for multiple instruments and ultimately creating cute little symphonies that are quite impressive. This, coupled with hauntingly evocative lyrics, makes Stevens the admired artist that he is and no amount of derisive commentary from a non-believer like myself can change that. But allow me to continue to try.

Sufjan Stevens | 10.05 | Bowery Ballroom

I would sooner climb a barbed wire fence naked than pay to see this circus displayed at a general admission, standing-room-only venue such as the Bowery. Make no mistake - the Bowery has one of the best layouts of any venue in NYC - but one must consider the performer (it was as counterintuitive as a seated thrash show). But it is a testament to his cult following that Sufjan Stevens holds the record for the most sellouts at the Bowery. He could probably sell out the quarantine unit at New York Presbyterian during an Ebola outbreak.

The highlight of the show was the introduction of a couple of new songs, which showed a clear departure from his previous work. The new numbers were robust and energetic, more "Flaming Lips" than his earlier "Belle & Sebastian on downers" sound. It was still Sufjan Stevens though: well-orchestrated cacophony, post-folk art rock.

About halfway through his set, I tried to make my way from the balcony to the stage. Since nobody dances during a Sufjan Stevens show - the audience huddles close together, forming a giant, mesmerized mass - this ended up taking about twenty minutes, and I arrived at stage right covered in corduroy burns.

As one fan moved toward the exit after the last encore he stopped by my barstool in the basement where I had been hiding for a short while with a bottle of Maker's Mark, now beyond delirium. "How'd you like the show?" I asked. He shrugged and gave it an "Alright." "Lots of people though," I said. His response summed it up: "Yeah, but that's the thing: I'd rather listen to Sufjan in my living room with headphones on." I couldn't agree more.

Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 http://www.jambase.com/Articles/19887/Sam-Roberts-Band-%7C-09.24-%7C-NYC Words by: Alex Nief | Vermont | Images by: JC McIlwaine Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 :: Blender Theatre at Gramercy :: New York, NY Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 :: NYC If one were to scour the landscape of popular music today, they would be hard pressed to find a better representation of the rapidly evolving industry than the Sam Roberts Band. Roberts emerged on the Canadian scene in dramatic fashion in 2002 after the re-release ofThe Inhuman Condition. The second track, "Brother Down" shot to #1 on the Canadian radio charts, a wet-dream of sorts for an aspiring artist. Roberts had unsuccessfully shopped the EP to many labels, but armed with a top single and strong album sales, he soon found himself on the other end of the courtship. Roberts ultimately signed with Universal Canada and in 2003 released We Were Born In a Flame. His major-label debut earned him Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) for Artist of the Year, Rock Album of the Year and Album of the Year. While in Canada, the band headlined to sell-out crowds, just a few hours south of Montreal, they played to half-empty rooms and primarily served as a supporting act. At the conclusion of the Chemical Citytour in August of 2007, the band went back into the studio to begin work on their fourth album. On May 20, 2008 they released Love At The End Of The World, which debuted in the #1 spot on the Canadian album charts, notably, outselling Madonna's Hard Candy, released only a few weeks prior (see JamBase's review of Love... here). A week later, the band introduced the album to a sell-out audience in Montreal and has been touring since. Well into their seventeenth month on the road in support of Love At The End Of The World, the Sam Roberts Band played The Blender Theatre at Gramercy in New York City. The band took the stage and wasted no time with keyboardist Eric Fares jumping right into the opening, bluesy piano chords of "Detroit '67," the band's most recent single, which pays homage to the eponymous city and its sordid past. The audience was split between Roberts devotees, who crowded the stage and danced uninhibitedly, and about 35 people who sat awkwardly in the rear seating area, all appearing to be on bad first dates. As the band seamlessly segued into the fifth track on the new album, "Fixed to Ruin," a lively, no-nonsense rock song, the floor pulsed with energy. Sam Roberts :: 09.24.09 :: NYC The house mix, while spotty on vocals, was exceptionally well balanced instrumentally. James Hall (bass) and Josh Trager (drums) provided thunderous rhythm to Roberts' and Dave Nugent's perfectly synced, crashing guitars. If there was any room for air to pass through the speakers it was filled by Fares' dynamic keyboard stylings, which ranged from straight blues piano to ambient synth. A few songs into the set the band revisited an older song from their catalog, "Where Have All the Good People Gone?," before returning to the new album with "Up Sister" and the downtempo, despairingly reflective "Sundance." If there was a set break, then this was it, for all of about 25 seconds as Roberts switched out his Telecaster for an acoustic Gibson. Then it was back to business with "Bridge To Nowhere." After another brief guitar switch, the band launched into a blazing performance of the title track from Love At The End Of The World, rolling the same energy right over into the anthemic "The Resistance." The combination of the two hard-driving songs led to a climax that brought the entire house to its feet (notably those in the balcony who were half-asleep for the first two-thirds of the show). Roberts ditched his guitar entirely for "Brother Down," which when performed live features Roberts moving around the stage, singing and shaking his shit like a slightly less animated Mick Jagger. The band closed out their set with "Them Kids," a riotous recognition of and response to the fact that the younger generations seem to be missing a grasp on what rock & roll is really all about: Dancing. As the band thanked the audience and headed backstage, the crowd grew increasingly louder. As a barometer of the quality of the performance only six people, all from the seated area, headed for the doors. Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 :: NYC After a brief absence, the band returned to the stage to roaring applause. Eric Fares and James Hall led the band into a neo-psychedelic, Doors-esque cover of the 1970s English bandHawkwind's "Hurry on Sundown." They followed with "Hard Road," a post-punk, commonsense critique/celebration of life's imperfections. As the refrain from "Hard Road" drifted towards its conclusion, many of the Roberts faithful were anxiously anticipating what has become a signature close to many of the band's concerts, "Mind Flood." Since its inception into the Roberts Band repertoire, no show has felt complete without an extended version of this epic song. With its many time changes, crescendos and blazing solos, "Mind Flood" symbolizes the various rock styles that Roberts and his band have come to master. On this night they pulled it off with such energy and sincerity that it felt like another show altogether. At one point Dave Nugent was on his knees in an apparent attempt to break every string on his Telecaster as the lights strobed overhead and shrouded him in dark blue shadows. It is unclear to this writer whether the Sam Roberts Band is trying to break into an existing market or attempting to revive a genre on life-support. The band represents the evolution of rock music in its entirety; they do not epitomize any single rock genre, they exemplify them all (well, most of them anyway). There are strong elements of blues, psychedelia and early punk coupled with a strong foothold in the "singer-songwriter" tradition - that is, to say, each song can be traced back to a man and his guitar. As for reasons why and how they have come to represent six decades of rock & roll while maintaining their creative integrity and organic sound, Sam Roberts may have said it best: "We signed a record deal with a lot more clout in the creative department and since that day we've dug in our heels and fought tooth and nail to never give up the upper hand. And that's allowed us to keep making records the way we want to keep making them. We've been incredibly stubborn and hard-headed, not relinquishing that little bit of control that we managed to get." As for future efforts, Roberts spoke of having already begun to lay the groundwork for a new album, which will likely be released sometime next spring. To audiences, the Sam Roberts Band seems to play every show like it were their last, while in reality they are simply that good. The band seems poised to continue traveling down the hard road, dancing every step of the way.

Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 Words by: Alex Nief | Vermont | Images by: JC McIlwaine Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 :: Blender Theatre at Gramercy :: New York, NY Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 :: NYC If one were to scour the landscape of popular music today, they would be hard pressed to find a better representation of the rapidly evolving industry than the Sam Roberts Band. Roberts emerged on the Canadian scene in dramatic fashion in 2002 after the re-release ofThe Inhuman Condition. The second track, "Brother Down" shot to #1 on the Canadian radio charts, a wet-dream of sorts for an aspiring artist. Roberts had unsuccessfully shopped the EP to many labels, but armed with a top single and strong album sales, he soon found himself on the other end of the courtship. Roberts ultimately signed with Universal Canada and in 2003 released We Were Born In a Flame. His major-label debut earned him Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) for Artist of the Year, Rock Album of the Year and Album of the Year. While in Canada, the band headlined to sell-out crowds, just a few hours south of Montreal, they played to half-empty rooms and primarily served as a supporting act. At the conclusion of the Chemical Citytour in August of 2007, the band went back into the studio to begin work on their fourth album. On May 20, 2008 they released Love At The End Of The World, which debuted in the #1 spot on the Canadian album charts, notably, outselling Madonna's Hard Candy, released only a few weeks prior (see JamBase's review of Love... here). A week later, the band introduced the album to a sell-out audience in Montreal and has been touring since. Well into their seventeenth month on the road in support of Love At The End Of The World, the Sam Roberts Band played The Blender Theatre at Gramercy in New York City. The band took the stage and wasted no time with keyboardist Eric Fares jumping right into the opening, bluesy piano chords of "Detroit '67," the band's most recent single, which pays homage to the eponymous city and its sordid past. The audience was split between Roberts devotees, who crowded the stage and danced uninhibitedly, and about 35 people who sat awkwardly in the rear seating area, all appearing to be on bad first dates. As the band seamlessly segued into the fifth track on the new album, "Fixed to Ruin," a lively, no-nonsense rock song, the floor pulsed with energy. Sam Roberts :: 09.24.09 :: NYC The house mix, while spotty on vocals, was exceptionally well balanced instrumentally. James Hall (bass) and Josh Trager (drums) provided thunderous rhythm to Roberts' and Dave Nugent's perfectly synced, crashing guitars. If there was any room for air to pass through the speakers it was filled by Fares' dynamic keyboard stylings, which ranged from straight blues piano to ambient synth. A few songs into the set the band revisited an older song from their catalog, "Where Have All the Good People Gone?," before returning to the new album with "Up Sister" and the downtempo, despairingly reflective "Sundance." If there was a set break, then this was it, for all of about 25 seconds as Roberts switched out his Telecaster for an acoustic Gibson. Then it was back to business with "Bridge To Nowhere." After another brief guitar switch, the band launched into a blazing performance of the title track from Love At The End Of The World, rolling the same energy right over into the anthemic "The Resistance." The combination of the two hard-driving songs led to a climax that brought the entire house to its feet (notably those in the balcony who were half-asleep for the first two-thirds of the show). Roberts ditched his guitar entirely for "Brother Down," which when performed live features Roberts moving around the stage, singing and shaking his shit like a slightly less animated Mick Jagger. The band closed out their set with "Them Kids," a riotous recognition of and response to the fact that the younger generations seem to be missing a grasp on what rock & roll is really all about: Dancing. As the band thanked the audience and headed backstage, the crowd grew increasingly louder. As a barometer of the quality of the performance only six people, all from the seated area, headed for the doors. Sam Roberts Band :: 09.24.09 :: NYC After a brief absence, the band returned to the stage to roaring applause. Eric Fares and James Hall led the band into a neo-psychedelic, Doors-esque cover of the 1970s English bandHawkwind's "Hurry on Sundown." They followed with "Hard Road," a post-punk, commonsense critique/celebration of life's imperfections. As the refrain from "Hard Road" drifted towards its conclusion, many of the Roberts faithful were anxiously anticipating what has become a signature close to many of the band's concerts, "Mind Flood." Since its inception into the Roberts Band repertoire, no show has felt complete without an extended version of this epic song. With its many time changes, crescendos and blazing solos, "Mind Flood" symbolizes the various rock styles that Roberts and his band have come to master. On this night they pulled it off with such energy and sincerity that it felt like another show altogether. At one point Dave Nugent was on his knees in an apparent attempt to break every string on his Telecaster as the lights strobed overhead and shrouded him in dark blue shadows. It is unclear to this writer whether the Sam Roberts Band is trying to break into an existing market or attempting to revive a genre on life-support. The band represents the evolution of rock music in its entirety; they do not epitomize any single rock genre, they exemplify them all (well, most of them anyway). There are strong elements of blues, psychedelia and early punk coupled with a strong foothold in the "singer-songwriter" tradition - that is, to say, each song can be traced back to a man and his guitar. As for reasons why and how they have come to represent six decades of rock & roll while maintaining their creative integrity and organic sound, Sam Roberts may have said it best: "We signed a record deal with a lot more clout in the creative department and since that day we've dug in our heels and fought tooth and nail to never give up the upper hand. And that's allowed us to keep making records the way we want to keep making them. We've been incredibly stubborn and hard-headed, not relinquishing that little bit of control that we managed to get." As for future efforts, Roberts spoke of having already begun to lay the groundwork for a new album, which will likely be released sometime next spring. To audiences, the Sam Roberts Band seems to play every show like it were their last, while in reality they are simply that good. The band seems poised to continue traveling down the hard road, dancing every step of the way.