Last month I saw a slew of bands at the Truck Festival in the Catskills of New York, and while I arrived too late to get immersed into the music until Saturday afternoon, I did check out several bands Friday night. The one that stood out for me the most was Wintersleep.

My notes say things like “Southern Built To Spill” and “raucous but purposeful.” I think I was right. There is some of the odd, bend-y BTS Doug Martsch guitar vibe in this Halifax, Nova Scotia, band, but maybe some more warmth, too. It’s a tough sound to pin down — and that’s often the mark of a great band.

Wintersleep will kick off its tour with Matt Pond PA on Friday, June 4 at the esteemed and intimate First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, and it should be a good pairing of two serious bands that traffic in wide-screen autumnal sonics. And by sharp contrast, the Wintersleep will open for The Hold Steady in October — first at Philly’s Trocadero (I have tickets to that one, so expect some sort of review) and then at the Beacon in New York, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest shows in The Hold Steady’s reign.

Wintersleep’s new album “New Interiors” came out this week. You can listen to the title track here.

Back in January, moe. singer and guitarist Al Schnier told us about his band’s unique plan to put out “a collection of our favorite songs.” The idea, he said, came about because moe. felt it didn’t have a definitive CD that represents all facets of its career that makes a good starting point for a new fan.

The band was right about that. I am a moe. fan, and if I wanted to introduce a newbie to the band, I would’ve had to make a mix CD or maybe a collection of live stuff. I might give them “Tin Cans and Car Tires” or “Sticks and Stones,” which I feel are the best studio records in the moe. catalog. But neither is really representative of the band’s overall approach.

On June 1, moe. fans will finally have a concise, diverse, cohesive anthology they can recommend to music lovers looking to give the band a whirl. Wryly titled “Smash Hits Volume 1,” it’s 10 studio tracks — all but three newly recorded — spanning a good chunk of the group’s two-decade career, including the first-ever studio take on “Seat of My Pants,” part of the band’s live history seemingly forever.

Going into the studio to re-record previously released songs is a curious plan of attack, but it makes sense for two reasons. First, the band, its production techniques and even its lineup (Jim Loughlin has now been in the band for 10 years) have changed since many of these songs were first released. Also, bassist Rob Derhak is now a very good singer. Second, four of these songs were on “No Doy,” the 1996 album that came out when moe. were briefly signed to Sony. That means that if the band wanted to use the “No Doy” versions on “Smash Hits,” it would’ve had to buy the masters back from Sony. You can’t blame moe. for not wanting to buy back its own songs, especially from a company that never properly promoted it anyway.

On of the big keepers here is “Rebubula,” a jubilant and stretched-out segment any time it’s played live. On “No Doy” it was just fine, but that album’s production was a little …. off. Now, “Rebubula” properly bobs and weaves, darts and ducks and flat out rocks. There’s a gorgeous guitar solo about eight minutes in — not sure if it’s Schnier or Chuck Garvey — and it’s tasteful, visceral and spacey. “Rebubula” is 13 minutes long here and sandwiched between “Mexico” and “Buster,” each clocking in at more than seven minutes.

moe. was also smart to select the previously released tracks for the anthology — “Captain America,” “Okayalright” and “Tailspin.” All are worthy of classic rock radio spins, and here, they are presented in an easy-to-access, 1-disc format.

moe. is a very likable band. But, until now there wasn’t an obvious point of entry for a new fan. If you pick up “Smash Hits” and you get into “Buster” and “Okayalright,” congratulations. You’re now a fellow moe.ron.

Some more from my recent talk with Craig Finn, the frontman, singer, guitarist and songwriter of The Hold Steady.

WEEKENDER: Now that you’ve completed the “Heaven Is Whenever” album, how do you feel about it? Are you the kind of musician that goes back and listens to it, or do you need some time away from it first?
FINN: You have to take a break, just because the process of recording involves so much repetition. When you’re doing stuff like tracking and mixing, you can lose sight or lose scope on it. So I definitely took a break from it and kind of came back.

I’m really, really proud of it. I’m really proud of what the band did on this one.

WEEKENDER: Do you feel that The Hold Steady’s popularity — record sales or whatever — has lagged behind the band’s critical acclaim?
FINN: We’ve gotten a lot of critical acclaim, but I’m not sure that we have a sound that will translate to modern-rock radio; hopefully at some point we do. At the same point, I think what we’ve built is very, very real, and as the industry moves away from record sales to touring, we’re putting people in clubs, and that’s where our income comes from.

WEEKENDER: As you make more and more albums, is it more difficult to avoid repeating yourself?
FINN: Yeah, it is. I’m sort of aware, you have to be aware of, “Have I done this before?” So you have to keep thinking about it. … I can certainly say the first record, I was just kind of getting on the mic and spouting off.

WEEKENDER: It’s widely known that you’re a big Minnesota Twins fan. How do you feel about them re-signing Joe Mauer?
FINN: It’s wonderful, it made my week. Probably will make my next eight years. It’s great that they were able to keep a hometown guy. It’s hard to open that new stadium and send him away. That would really send a mixed message. But unfortunately the Joe Nathan news is not great, but they’re putting a fantastic offensive team out there.

WEEKENDER: Do you go to a lot of games?
FINN: This year I got a 20-game package with some friends. With touring, I’ll probably end up giving away a lot of the tickets. I plan my trips home around the baseball schedule. On tour I usually go to other stadiums. I’m not really a stats guy, I don’t do fantasy.

WEEKENDER: What do you think about The Hold Steady beating Nickelback in MTV’s March Madness bracket?
FINN: (Laughs). I have no idea. I would just say, I hope so.

WEEKENDER: In the music world, would you consider The Hold Steady to be a mid-major?
FINN: We might be the Butler or the Xavier.
 

Some random observations from Wednesday night’s sold-out Wilco show at the Scranton Cultural Center:

∙ Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is known to be somewhat cantankerous, and he did call out fans for talking or using their cell phones — he called attention to one fan’s “douchiness” for doing the latter. But he also was in genuinely good spirits, bantering between songs, needling guitarist Nels Cline for flubbing part of “You Never Know” and even awarding a few dinners to Sambuca Grille in Scranton.

∙ The diversity of the Wilco fanbase is astounding. I saw people in moe. and Grateful Dead shirts and one guy near me wearing a Circle Jerks T.

∙ WNEP’s longtime sportscaster Jim Coles could be seen in the balcony, clapping along — on the off beats.

∙ A fan in the lobby near the concession stands asked where the bathroom was. When he was told, “It’s downstairs,” he said, “Phish is going on tour this summer. That’s where it’s at!” Quite a long walk for a bathroom.

∙ Drummer Glenn Kotche was amazing as usual, playing with finesse and power. During “Heavy Metal Drummer,” he added a dash of showmanship, twirling his sticks when Tweedy sang the line “He twirled his sticks/ She helped him to his van.”

∙ It was nice to see that the band’s merchandise was comparatively cheap. T-shirts — I picked up a nice one with a wolf on it — sold for $20 and $25. When Megadeth came to the SCC a few weeks ago, it sold T-shirts for $35 and wristbands for $15.

∙ There seemed to be a buzz about Wilco coming to Scranton for the first time. Local bars were packed; The Bog, which has one of the few old-fashioned jukeboxes still in commission in NEPA, had even more Wilco material than usual, and it was arguably more crowded there after the show than it was on Parade Day. 
 

Since Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead died in 1995, the band’s surviving members have kept the music alive through various vehicles. The most notable are The Dead and The Other Ones reunion tours, Phil Lesh and Friends and Bob Weir’s Ratdog. The approach of these bands has always been to honor the spirit and music of the Dead by reinterpreting it, pushing it in new and different directions, not simply recreating the iconic group’s catalog note for note.

Furthur, a new band, is the first post-Garcia project featuring founding Dead members whose modus operandi is more in line with staying true to the pioneering band’s sound, specifically its mid-’70s run as a fleet, psychedelic warhorse.

While Furthur features Lesh (bass, vocals) and Weir (rhythm guitar, vocals), it is the relative newcomers to the scene that give the outfit its Grateful Dead sonic authenticity, particularly John Kadlecik. Until recently the Garcia guitarist and vocalist for noted Dead tribute Dark Star Orchestra, Kadlecik is the closest thing, vocally and musically, to the late bandleader. Jeff Chimenti, from Ratdog and The Dead, combines Keith Godchaux’s jazz piano chops with Brent Mydland’s organ sound, and Joe Russo, another young player from the avant-jazz world, brings Bill Kreutzmann’s drumming touch with some added muscle.

Sunday night’s tour-ending show at the Asbury Park Convention Center in New Jersey was a throwback to the ’70s glory days, from the dingy yet character-filled glorified boardwalk gymnasium to the setlist, which included no songs newer than 1978. Opening with Lesh’s classic “Box Of Rain” and checking into “Candyman” and a serpentine “Estimated Prophet,” the first set achieved immediate liftoff.

The post-intermission included three lengthy prog-rock workouts: Weir’s “Lost Sailor”>“Saint Of Circumstance,” a lovely, dramatic “Terrapin Station” and the classic triumvirate of “Help On The Way”>“Slipknot!”>“Franklin's Tower.” Kadlecik’s nimble guitar runs, Lesh’s booming bass, Weir’s jabbing guitar and Russo and Jay Lane’s interlocking percussion made for a sound greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a seamless feel that the Grateful Dead achieved on its best nights, Ratdog and Phil and Friends sometimes reach and The Dead rarely find.

These musicians are always at their best when they don’t know what’s going to happen next, so making long-term plans might please fans but also sap momentum. A spring tour, with dates at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, is booked. After that, why not take a page from “Saint Of Circumstance”: “I still don’t know what I’m going for/ But I’m gonna go for it for sure.”



 

About the Author

Education
Penn State University, University Park
Bachelors degree: Journalism, English minor
Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia
Masters of arts degree: Writing studies
Manchester University, Manchester, England
Communications

Selected Publications
The Weekender, LexisNexis Securities Litigation, ESPN.com, The Associated Press, Philadelphia Daily News, Philly Edge, Universitywire.com, The Daily Collegian

From
Pittston

Resides
Scranton

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