STEVE MOLITZ (Particle, Phil Lesh & Friends)
What will you remember most about 2010?
Rather than try to pinpoint a specific event, I’ll just say that I noticed a big jump in the internalization of technology in 2010. Things have been advancing at such a rapid rate over the past decade, but I feel like this year people really adapted and integrated the technology on a more personal level. In the past, we had the technology…but now we’re actually using it more consistently.
I think the widespread use of technology feels so different to me this year because it’s become so embedded in the most common aspects of our lives. When I meet new people, they almost always prefer to route me to their social networking account rather than give me their phone number/email. And think of how many smartphones you see at concerts capturing photos/video/audio, or even just in people’s hands as they text absent friends about the show.
Here’s an experiment: go to dinner with a friend, and after you’ve both ordered, excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. Take 10 steps away from your friend, and turn around. I can almost guarantee they’ll be staring down at their phone. And not because it’s a distraction or an alternative to thought, but because that is their thought. It’s been internalized. It’s become instinct to tap into the grid at all times. But it’s only a matter of time before Skynet takes over…so hurry back to the table and enjoy your meal before the ‘experiment’ is over…
(Note to self: next year, don’t watch 30 hours of doomsday sci-fi films before answering jambands.com year-end questionnaire)
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
Greg Giraldo Midlife Vices.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2010?
My favorite two shows that I played were probably:
1. Robby Krieger and The Roadhouse Rebels, Bella Vida Music Festival, MN, 5/29/10: the band featured Robby on guitar, John Molo on drums, John Avila on bass, Terry Saffold on percussion, Willlie Waldman on trumpet, Adam Iscove on vocals, and me on keys. We headlined the fest that night, and crowd’s energy was massive. The band had only rehearsed once in LA before flying out for the show, but it felt like we had been playing together for years. If I was a character from Josh Clark’s satirical comic strip Eternal Jamnation, I’d tell you that it felt like the whole set was an intense moment of connectivity, where the musicians and the audience really transcended to create a shared consciousness. Or, if I was myself, I’d say it was like hanging out telling jokes with a group of friends, and you’re all cracking each other up while finishing the punch lines together. Only in this case, the set ups were rhythms, the punch lines were melodies, and the ‘group of friends’ was about 5,000 people!
2. Further & Friends, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, 3/12/10: This was Phil Lesh’s 70th birthday show (and an Unbroken Chain Charity benefit for Haitian earthquake relief), and it was absolutely amazing. Looking back on it is like trying to remember details from a cool dream you had. It seems to have happened in the blink of an eye, and it was so sensational that you don’t even know where to begin telling the story. There were so many incredible musicians there that night that it’s hard to recall the exact line-up, but I’ll try mention a few: Lesh, Weir, Robinson, Lane, Chimenti, Kadlecik, Greene, Russo, Molo, etc.. It was a three set show (complete with a float parade and baloon drop), and it was a really magical night. Phil’s musicianship and energy were through the roof, and it inspired the rest of the band to dig deeper to reach new heights within our own improvisation. I was truly honored to help Phil celebrate his birthday that night with such a stellar bunch of folks. If you want to check out the music we played at that show, you can probably find download info at www.further.net.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2011?
Roster McCabe
Who would you want to collaborate with next year?
Skynet.
__________
UTAH GREEN
What will you remember most about 2010?
Life began again.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
When the Sun Goes Down by Langhorne Slim
What was your favorite show or tour in 2010?
Joanna Newsom
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
Nohow On
What artist or artists would you most like to collaborate with next year?
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
__________
JIM LOUGHLIN (moe.)
What will you remember most about 2010?
I’d have to say Fuji Rock. That festival just leaves a lasting impression.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
I saw the Rush documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage this year so 2112 and Hemispheres have been getting a lot of play.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2010?
I had a blast at the 4th of July show this year. It was a lot of fun.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2011?
Consider the Source is a band people should try and see.
Who would you want to collaborate with next year?
Mike Dillon. He sat in with us at Bear Creek and it was awesome. He’s just super talented and I’d like to work with him at some time.
__________
ED ANDERSON (Backyard Tire Fire)
What will you remember most about 2010?
Sharing the stage with folks like ZZ Top, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, Cracker, etc.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Mojo, Neil Young Le Noise.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2010?
Opening for ZZ Top at the US Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL. Home town gig warming up the stage for some of my childhood heroes!
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2011?
Blitzen Trapper, Dawes, Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, Joe Pug,
Retribution Gospel Choir, Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts, Chicago Farmer, and too many more to list…
Who would you want to collaborate with next year?
Would love to make another record with Steve Berlin from Los Lobos. Fantastic person and producer. Had a ball working with him on Good To Be!
__________
JAY SWEET (NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL, PRODUCER)
What will you remember most about 2010?
Musically…the crew party after Newport Folk Festival with The Low Anthem, Pokey LaFarge, Jim James, The Felice Brothers, Andrew Bird, Glen Hansard, Alex and Jade from Edward Sharpe, David Wax Museum, and a whole host of other artists hanging out having an impromptu hootenanny at an undisclosed location on site; that and learning to play “Furr” by Blitzen Trapper with my 6 year old on drums and my 3 year old on harmonica and creating this euphoric cacophony together.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
Horse Feather’s Thistled Spring, Dawes North Hills, Sharon Jones I Learned The Hard Way, Avett Brothers I & Love & You
What was your favorite show or tour in 2010?
Atoms of Peace, Tallest Man on Earth, Avett Brothers, and seeing the Black Crowes at least six times and every show leaving with a big smile, a great story, and less hearing
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
The Head & The Heart, Middle Brother, The Secret Sisters, Trampled by Turtles
What artist or artists would you most like to collaborate with next year?
Tallest Man on Earth, Jack White, Eddie Vedder, and of course my kids again.
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