Hayseed Dixie – a Hillbilly tribute to AC/DC

No matter what band or artist I go to see live in concert these days, without a doubt I will hear at least one cover song or two.  Whether it is a tribute to another artist, a love for a particular song or a passion for the music that influences them, each band delights the crowd by including them in their set list.  Many of these bands got their start by performing a catalog of songs by other artists.  While some perfect the art of their own songwriting and hit it big, others find success by choosing to devote themselves entirely to the music of another band.  A small portion of these “tribute” bands are incredible musicians whose talent and passion produces an awe-inspiring performance.

As I get excited to see The Australian Pink Floyd Show this weekend I’m grateful to these “tribute” bands that keep the music alive, sometimes well past the lifespan of the original band.  So, although we may never get the chance to see some of our favorite legends live, I’d like to pay homage to these tribute bands that allow us to get a pretty close glimpse of what it could have been like (or allow us lucky ones to relive the experience again).

Here’s a list of some of the best & most outrageous tribute bands I’ve discovered:

1. Dark Star Orchestra (Grateful Dead)
2. The Australian Pink Floyd Show (Pink Floyd)
3. Lez Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin)
4. Phix (Phish)
5. Bjorn Again (ABBA)
6. Beatlejuice (The Beatles)
7. GABBA (ABBA & Ramones)
8. Sack Blabbath (Black Sabbath)
9. Beatallica (The Beatles & Metallica)
10. Hayseed Dixie (AC/DC)

The Australian Pink Floyd Show – performing “Time”

Hayseed Dixie performing “Ace of Spades”

Lez Zeppelin performing “Since I´ve been loving you”

So go rock out, because these bands are incredible…and if you’ve found some tribute bands that are doing it right send them my way!

With the unofficial start of summer happening just last Monday, it’s time to get together some summer playlists.  Keeping the entire family happy (parents included) during your upcoming summer escape means working in some tunes to keep the kids as well as the parents sane during those long driving hours.  It’s hard enough just trying to prepare with packing the kids summer clothes, games and gear.  Here is one family focused playlist to get you started along with some other great resources to keep you cruising along happily.  So pack your kids, pack the car, pack your tunes and get out of town.

1. Fantastic Voyage by Coolio
2. Barbara Ann by The Beach Boys
3. I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash
4. On the Road Again by Willie Nelson
5. Stuck in the Middle With You by  Stealers Wheel
6. Road to Nowhere by The Talking Heads
7. The Passenger by Iggy Pop
8. Jammin’ by Bob Marley
9. ABC by The Jackson Five
10. Respect by Aretha Franklin

Some other great summer road trip song sources to help you craft your ultimate playlist:

Vehix 10 Songs for the Family

NPR Songs for Driving on I-95

NPR: Road Trip Songs to Drive By

May 2012 – As far back as I can remember (maybe around the age of 7?) I have had a love affair with music.  Yes, like most girls of the 80s & 90s, there was an obsession with New Kids on the Block but beyond that and unlike most girls at that age, I fell hard for the Grateful Dead.  There was just something about Jerry’s voice.  My uncle gave me my first album, What a Long Strange Trip it’s Been, and my dad put more fuel on the fire with the introduction of Terrapin Station.  I think everyone who is impacted by music can recall that first album or concert that stands out vividly in their mind as the moment that changed their lives forever.  For me, it was being in the sunroom of our house in Baltimore dancing around to the first Grateful Dead album that my uncle gave me.  That one moment has led to a continuous quest for music that gives that same feeling I had dancing around the sunroom as a child.  That said, the announcement of summer concerts around the Wasatch and beyond has me excited to once again dance barefoot like a kid.  Here’s just a few of the exciting upcoming concert schedules around SLC:

Red Butte Gardens Concert Series

Twilight Concert Series

Deer Valley Concerts

See you out there!

Love ~ Lisa

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings

This week the Wasatch was filled with the New Funk/Soul sounds of the lovely Sharon Jones and her band the Dap-Kings as part of the Red Butte Garden Summer Concert Series.  This revivalist movement marks a return to the height of lates 1960′s/mid 1970′s era Funk and Soul.   Other recent returns to this genre include; Mayer Hawthrone, Raphael Saadiq, and Lee Fields.

The tunes are recorded old-school style with analog equipement and her live performances sound just as gritty.   She hit the stage in full motion and did not stop moving for 2+ hours.   I was shocked at one point during her show when she mentioned she was over 50.  Over 50!   She can give any twenty something a run for their money.   At times during the performance Ms. Jones invited members of the audience on stage to dance and she’d remove her high heels so she could dance harder.  Check out her moves! It was a fine evening for funk and soul fans young, old and in between.

Josh Ritter

Next up at Red Butte Garden this week was folk legend-in-the-making, Mr. Josh Ritter of Moscow Idaho.   Josh Ritter is a very talented singer-songwriter (and now novelist) who loves to come play Utah.   Every time he hits the stage in the Wasatch Front he blows it out of the water.  He may do this everywhere but since I have only seen him here, I think it’s just for us.   One of my favorite bands, Blind Pilot, opened for Josh and may have been my highlight of the evening as they announced a new album due in September.    Josh Ritter played all of my favorites including Girl in the War, Lantern, Good Man, and The Temptation of Adam.  The garden crowd with wine and/or beer in hand greeted each tune enthusiastically.    His tunes went perfectly with the summer rain storm that graced the gardens.

One of my favorite activities is the classic outdoor summer concert.  Tis the season and Sunday night found the boys and I having a picnic in the rain waiting for the Avett Brothers to take the stage in downtown Salt Lake City.   My boys are big fans and they couldn’t wait to get to the show.

The Avett Brothers, a solid line up out of Concord, North Carolina,  are enjoying the resurgence in  popularity of Americana music, Alt-Country, new bluegrass etc.  They are having fun and it shows in their live performances.

All week long my boys would ask how much longer till The Avett Brothers, Mom?  Once the day finally arrived, it rained and rained and rained.  Our spirits were not dampened by the foul weather though.   Hey, peanut butter and jelly tastes just as good wet as dry!

Jessica Lea Mayfield opened up with a short but very sweet set.  This 20 year old singer-songwriter’s skills are mature beyond her years.  She opened with her recent hit Jessica Lea Mayfield — Our Hearts Are Wrong and continued through her brief  but lovely setlist.

Finally the big moment arrived and Cam (age 11) and Rory (age 8 ) immediately started dancing, jumping up and down and singing all the words.  Cam remarked that he couldn’t believe his friends didn’t know the Avett Brothers.   As a mom, I have to pat myself on the back and feel proud that these boys are into music beyond just what their friends are listening to.  At least for a while anyhow.