Not Gonna Catch the Midnight Rambler...

Every once in a while, the ritual of going to witness live music--yes, again and again, over and over--pays off in ways so profound and spiritual when you least expect it.

Levon Helm, most notably of The Band fame, helped eight of my friends and I experience just such a night.

Probably one of the most intimate, and homey nights of music I have ever been a part of, it was tough to put into words, but I tried. Mixing classic Band tunes with selections from his first solo offeort in over 25 years, Dirt Farmer, Helm still showed his versatility and craftsmanship on the drums. His voice, once almost silented--permanently--from throat cancer was never so sweet to hear. I urge everyone to do is make sure that you witness one of these before you die. Truly magical, and nothing like it, but a must for any fan of Helm and the Band.

As always, you can read about it here :

JAMBASE.com-Levon Helm | 11.17 | Woodstock, NY

Owwwwwww-ooh! Werewolves of Braodway...

In the typical Grateful Dead spirit, PHIL LESH and FRIENDS kicked off a ten-night stand on Broadway, at NYC's Nokia Theatre. Iwas lucky enough to catch nine, which saw guests such as Ryan Adams show up for a few nights. My favorites were 11/10, the RA shows, and Halloween for the circus it always in...especially here in the epicenter of the universe of freaks.

Here is my Halloween review for Jambase. I hope it's not too scary!

Woo-hahahahahah!!!!

JAMBASE.com-Phil & Friends | 10.31.07 | NYC

Mix Tape, Kid!

Return of the Jedi : Trey Rises Again

On Saturday night, 10.20.07, Trey Anastasio gracefully, humbly, and thankfully returned to the stage with friend, Phil Lesh. The show was rocking, and Trey sounded really great. My favorite thing though was allowing my mind's eye, and feet to "feel the feeling I forgot" after a very long absence. I hope he keeps this up and stays clean. Welcome Back Big Red!

You can read my review of the show for Jambase.com here:

JAMBASE.COM-"Phil & Trey | 10.20 | Glens Falls, NY"

E is for ECHO, but B is for BIRTHDAY!

Well, the first ever ECHO Project proved to be several things: a success, environmentally and politically conscious, and also, my 27th Birthday. Thanks to everyone for making it the best yet!

You can read my Jambase.com review below, and enjoy some cake while you read!

JAMBASE.COM-The Echo Project | 10.12 - 10.14 | Georgia

Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) Light Up Times Square

Over the last weekend of September, and one of the firsts of fall, STS9 made their now annual stop at NYC's Nokia Theatre. Over this weekend, they have managed to tap into the electricity of Times Square and light up their sonic sound.

Here's my Jambase review:

JAMBASE.COM-"STS9 | 09.28 & 09.29 | New York City"

Camp Bisco VI : The Gravitational Tractorbeam

Camp Bisco has become a quite the event over the past several years. Simon Poshford has continually stimulated my head in ways no other artists have before...he's a genius in his own right.

Overall, the Biscuits are back, and this year's lineup was sicker than ever. Plenty of untz to go around.



Here's my Jambase recap:

JAMBASE.COM-"Camp Bisco VI: A Home Like This"

Gathering of the Vibes 2007 : The Circus Returns to CT

Since I went to college at Fairfield U. in Southern CT, I have always loved the area. When most people think about Brigeport, they assume it's a bad area (I won't DARE use the "G" word again, here). For the most part, they are right. But, somewhere in the middle, is a true diamond in the rough: Seaside Park. After a few million dollar, and five+ year overhaul, The Gathering of the Vibes was finally able to make its return here after two awesome years in '99 and '00. Here's my recap of the weekend for a new and improved Jambase.com. In fact, SuperDee even called the new site, "Jambase goes to college"...something I find very appropriate for this moment.

JAMBASE.COM-"Gathering of The Vibes 2007"

G is for Ghetto...

This feature story, for Jambase.com, generated my first, genuine pieces of HATE mail...well, as a journalist anyway. (Ex-Girlfriends do not count here).

Was I wrong in using this title? Maybe, but I stick by it. I feel it's catchy, uses my patented love (or is it OVERuse) of Alliteration, and sparked some commentary. Isn't that a big part of my job, after all? To get people to read it? If I was still at Rolling Stone, they might have put me on the cover, or at least in the cool "Smoking Section," where Austin Scaggs gets to brag about what drugs he did with Kid Rock and The White Stripes.

If people think I was being derogatory, that's their opinion, but I feel my last paragraph sums up exactly how I feel...

...And, I think the record is HOT, with a capital H.

JAMBASE.COM-"Galactic Goes Ghetto"

7.29.03 - Novelty Act...

Was this really FOUR years ago? Easily one of the BEST times I ever had at a show, and after traversing the country, felt as if the boys delivered everything I had been chasing...for years!

"Goin downtown to the disco, gotta do it right away. Gotta funky thing to get into, gonna blow your blues away...we're talkin' CAMEL WALK...dun dun dun!..."

07/29/03 Post Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA

Set I: Daniel1, Camel Walk, Gotta Jibboo, Cool it Down, Scent of a Mule, Fee> Timber> When the Circus Comes to Town, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Golgi Apparatus

Set II: Crosseyed and Painless> Thunderhead, Brother, Harpua2> Bittersweet Motel, Harpua2, I Fooled Around and Fell in Love3 4 5> HYHU> Harpua2, David Bowie
Encore: Farmhouse

1 Not played since 2/23/97 or 281 shows
2 Not played since 11/2/98 or 167 shows
3 First time played
4 Fishman on vocals
5 with vacuum solo

String Cheese: Good to the Last Bite...

Until I drop dead, I will always refer to The String Cheese Incident as "the band I really liked when Phish wasn't around." Not that that's a bad thing, but rather an honest fact. I will always love and respect them, but never hold them as "the next big thing" ever again. For a while, I thought they could, but haven't felt that way for the last few years.

Anyway, this past week kicked off their "final" tour ever at NYC's Beacon Theatre. I caught 2 of 4 nights with Morgan's wedding sandwiched in between. (Talk about a trip down memory lane). Fun, yes. Historic, maybe. Best ever, no. But, I still said goodbye to one of the bands that helped define me for a little bit.

Here's my Jambase review of the run:

JAMBASE.COM-"String Cheese Incident| Beacon Theater, NYC | 7.12,14.07

The Phourth: Phireworks, Phreaks, and Phamiliar Phun

My first memories of our nation's celebration of Independence Day bring me back to my family's days at our old beach club, Davenport. As the sun sank down, and all of parents fired up the Bar-B-Q grills, I remember setting up those cheesy, red tables that folded up into briefcases, in between watermelons off the diving board, and swatting home runs with a stick ball bat into the tennis courts down the right field line.

Lately, I've been itching for simpler times like those again.

As I grew a little older, the 4th (or Phourth as I guess i should call it), seemed to revolve around a certain band--as everything did for my formative years. Atlanta '99, Philly's scenic skyline and fireworks show while at Camden in '00, man, I've missed those guys as of late. Hell, I even caught myself thinking about Trey and Page more than Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut when the TV flashed to Coney Island for Nathan's annual Hot Dog eating contest. (For the record, Chestnut ate 66 in twelve minutes...those dogs are awesome, but 66 is insane).

Maybe that sense of nostalgia was why last night was such a fun time...even if I was only out for a few hours. A bunch of old friends--and many newer ones--thanks to Erin, helped me ring in, and salvage what up to around 8 P.M. had been a rather uneventful (and WORK filled) day. However, when the party of probably 50 or so moved to the roof around 9, the overcast skies lit up--both to the east and west of us. Ari, a very gracious host cranked up his stereo, and for a half an hour, I felt at ease, remembering the times with my favorite phans, phriends, and band still made life simpler (and a hell of a lot more fun!), as "Frankenstein," "YEM," and "AC/DC Bag" filled the air in between the usual "BOOM's!" and "POW's!" that are customary on the 4th of July.

Unfortunately, things flipped back to reality quickly when the alarm blared this morning. Work. Ugh. At least I managed to waste half of my day today reliving my best stick ball homers, hot dog showdowns, and firework showcases--with a hint of "PH" on the side.

Welcome to B is For Boogie...

Well Gang,

It's been a long time coming. I've finally changed my address from Upper Page Side/Page.Side.High./Page's Corner, to the electronic street corner known as "B is For Boogie."

This will now be my place for all things BAVOSA--rants, ramblings, writing, reviews, and I'm sure, a whole lot of the Bullsh*t I've become known to spew from time to time.

So sit back, grab a frosty brew, crank Phall '97, and let's embark on this journey together, where it's always Happy Hour, always Page Side, and most certainly, where B always stands for Boogie.

-Bavosa "Super Space Phunk"