well, it’s early, but this is the best thing i have heard this year. their first studio release in three years, ‘signs’ is chock full of song material that is destined to be part of their live repertoire for years to come. they opened up their shows this weekend playing the album in it’s entirety. this is a must see tour this year. i saw them in november and hope they come this way again later this fall. they are simply one of the best touring acts in the country. this album seems to try and capture that magic in the studio, but that is a high bar to reach. my only complaint is that the twelve piece band sometimes sounds a bit compressed, but you can only fit so much raw power into a digital disc. my solution to this was to just turn it up louder, which works for the most part. this is a selection for your drive home from work on a friday afternoon. it also doesn’t hurt that warren haynes and doyle bramhall are guest guitarists.

sadly, the album was released last friday, the same day they learned of the death of longtime multi-instrumentalist kofi burbridge. he finally succumbed to the heart issues he had been dealing with over the last few years, but luckily he is featured quite prominently on many of the tunes, including songwriting credits. trucks had played with him for twenty years and he was a founding member of this band. he was an amazing talent and human being, and he will be missed.

as soulful and uplifting most of the material can be, there is also an undercurrent of grief and loss on many cuts. much of the recording had been done while dealing with the loss of gregg allman, and then butch trucks – derek’s uncle and one the the allman brother’s drummers. the final song, ‘the ending’, is about bruce hampton, longtime mentor and musician. he collapsed on stage at his 70th birthday concert (trucks and tedeschi both performed there), and then died shortly thereafter. but, as always, music has tremendous healing qualities, and this album is all about that. you have two homework assignments: buy this now and then go see them live as soon as you can.

here is ‘midnight in harlem’ from last night’s show. go ahead and try to tell me that derek doesn’t have kofi on his mind…..

following the band’s april 2018 release of ‘find a light’, they decided to go back into the studio and film themselves performing a couple of the tunes acoustically, mostly just to release on their website for the enjoyment of their fans. it went so well they decided to invite a few friends and add some more tracks. instead of just posting them online, they decided to release it as an ep. that project seems to have inspired them to take it on the road. although they are currently still touring in support of ‘find the light’ in their

electrified southern rock style, they will transition starting in about a month or so to the ‘break it down’ tour, where they will do their entire show in an acoustic fashion.

i have both of these albums, i can tell you that i prefer the shorter acoustic set. the songs translate well from their previous arrangements, and they added a bonus track with amanda shires joining them on tom petty’s ‘you got lucky’. amanda is joining them for some of the road dates as well, and i hope she is at the one i am attending on st. patrick’s day at the kent stage.

this is greensky’s seventh studio album, and by most accounts it might be their best. known more for their free form live performances, this release captures the band’s string band ensemble abilities with the crisp acoustic lines you would expect from a quality studio session. for those not familiar with the band, they play all acoustic traditional bluegrass instruments, and are known for pushing the boundaries of the bluegrass genre. much like their musical brethren trampled by turtles, they are the first to admit they are more likely to play rock and roll songs with a bluegrass delivery system.

i can see all of these songs being great launching pads for further exploration in a live setting. if all of this piques your interest, then this is a good album to introduce themselves to you, and then go catch them live out there, as they are currently touring to promote the material. for my local followers, they are playing at the house of blues on february 5th. i hope to see you there.

when roger was a young lad of 15, he had apparently crossed the line one too many times at acton county grammar school, and so he was kicked out by a mr. kibblewhite, who’s departing words were ‘you’ll never make anything of your life, mr. daltrey’. flash forward nearly sixty years, and roger writes his first memoir to show just how wrong the old schoolmaster would be.

it is a well written and a frank telling of his story. it can be quite humorous at times and moves along quickly. it is also the story of the who, the band he fronted off and on for over fifty years. it starts just like the beginning of their rock opera ‘tommy’, in the middle class neighborhoods of post world war two england. his father had fought in the war, and he returned a shell shocked man. roger’s childhood was marked by poverty, rebelliousness, and street gangs. after getting kicked out of school, he worked in a factory where he was able to make a crude guitar out of plywood. he eventually started a band with small success. after losing the bass player, he recruited a local kid named john entwhistle, and then they found a lead guitarist to add to the mix, a tall boy from the area with an ‘impressive sneezer’, pete townshend. during a show at the oldfield hotel, someone in the audience said that his mate could play better than their drummer, and so keith moon sat in for the second set. and the rest, as they say, is history.

it was really interesting to hear roger’s account of their long relationships and fights. i was familiar with much of it but he added another layer to my knowledge. other than his appreciation for keith’s drumming prowess, he doesn’t have much good to say about him. being a huge fan of keith myself, but also knowing his destructive tendencies, i can’t say i really blame him.

he does spend a fair amount of time on the tense relationship between pete and himself. not only doing their prime, but also on the various interactions during their solo careers, and their non stop ‘reunion tours’. the writer of ‘won’t get fooled again’ and the singer of the same song have different political philosophies these days. but they still get along like brothers most of the time, and are going out on tour again this summer (with orchestra!).

‘hope i die before i get old’? seems like the surviving members may have changed their minds. and i am ok with that.