W♥M

R.I.P. Col. Bruce Hampton and Kevin Garcia (Grandaddy)

Read More Grandaddy Here's one called Grandaddy, who are from the nowheresville town of Modesto, California. I used to live around this area, so I was quite excited to see these 'local boys done good'. I'm sure you've all remember ..... Col. Bruce Hampton Col. Bruce Hampton & Aquarium Rescue Live Bought this as a gift for my good buddy Teddy who loves the whole jam band thing. Said its the best live obscure cd ever. I'm not a jam band fan, but this band is super tight ...

As reported by TMZ with photos, Col. Bruce Hampton popular musician in Atlanta collapsed staged during the middle of an encore for ‘Turn on Your Lovelight’, at his 70th birthday celebration.

The band kept on playing, as they thought it was part of the performance.

Hampton was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

Bruce Hampton was listed as “the Granddaddy of the Jam Scene”... and speaking of Grandaddy, Grandaddy’s bassist and co-founder Kevin Garcia, died at the age 41 to a stroke.

The band actually reformed and recently just wrapped up a UK tour in in support of their new album Last Place last month, and was set to go on a U.S. tour ... but with Garcia’s death, the U.S. tour may be on indefinite hiatus.

The band made this announcement:

There are no accurate words to express what we need to. We are absolutely shattered to say that we lost our friend and band mate Kevin Garcia early this afternoon. He succumbed to the effects of a massive stroke.

We were all able to say goodbye to him and he was surrounded by his closest friends and family here in Modesto. Kevin started playing with Grandaddy when he was fifteen. He was an actual angel. He navigated life with a grace, a generosity and a kindness that was utterly unique. And contagious. He is loved so deeply by so many.

Kevin was a proud father of two children, Jayden and Gavin. He is survived by his grandmother Joan, his parents Randy and Barbara (who let us practice at their house until 2001...and who are the best), his brothers Craig and Jeff and his wife Sondra.

We'll have more to say in the days ahead. Right now the four of us are grieving together. With great sadness and love, Grandaddy

There is a gofundme here to help with his family's coming expenses: gofundme.com

I caught Grandaddy a little over 16 years ago at First Avenue on 09 May 2001, with all the original band members, including Kevin Garcia. Although, I will confess I haven’t exactly followed their new music, I still love The Sophtware Slump and think it is one of the best albums of all time.

UPDATE 5/4/2017: We just confirmed the tour is canceled:

Given the circumstances, we unfortunately have to cancel our upcoming US tour dates. We hope to reschedule these at some point in the future. The dates are below.

May 7 - Vancouver, Canada
May 8 - Seattle, WA
May 9 – Portland, OR
May 11 – San Francisco, CA
May 12 – Los Angeles, CA
May 13 – Pioneertown, CA

With great sadness and love, Grandaddy

Below are more deaths for the month of May - for the full death list: Musicians who died in 2017.

May (4)

[02 May 2017] Kevin Garcia (American bassist for Grandaddy), 41, stroke

[02 May 2017] Péter Komlós (Hungarian violinist), 81

[01 May 2017] Bruce Hampton (American musician for Hampton Grease Band, Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit), 70

[01 May 2017] Erkki Kurenniemi (Finnish musician), 75

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Family Bands: Can't live with them, but we can't live without them

Read More Family of the Year 80's band Frankie Goes to Hollywood once sang about 'Two Tribes' and when the SoCal-based Family of the Year/Mowgli's tour rolled into the packed Triple Rock Social Club Saturday night…

FAMILY OF THE YEAR
familyoftheyear.net

The W♥M family like Family of the Year, having covered their appearance in New Orleans and in Minneapolis, where John noted that the band offers "feel good vibes and melodies".

The Californian band is back on the road to do quite a few Summer festivals, appearing at Minneapolis Basilica Block Party next Friday and again at the beautiful Varsity Theater in September.

See tour dates below:

07/09/13 Saint Catharines, ON Mansion House
07/10/13 "RBC Bluesfest"
07/11/13 "Festival D'ete de Quebec"
07/12/13 "Basilica Block Party"
08/02/13 "Lollapalooza Aftershows"
08/03/13 "Lollapalooza"
08/09/13 "Squamish Music Festival"
08/10/13 "107.7 The End Summer Camp"
08/17/13 "94.1 Presents Scion's Bonzai Bash"
08/23/13 "Jackson Hole Live"
09/07/13 "Launch Festival"
09/14/13 "KTCL's Big Gig"
09/21/13 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
09/24/13 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
09/26/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
10/01/13 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
10/02/13 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
10/04/13 Toronto, ON The Danforth Music Hall
10/08/13 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston
10/10/13 New York, NY Irving Plaza
10/11/13 New York, NY Irving Plaza
10/12/13 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of The Living
10/13/13 Silver Spring, MD Fillmore Silver Spring
10/16/13 Charlotte, NC Fillmore Charlotte
10/17/13 Atlanta, GA Center Stage Theater
10/18/13 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues
10/20/13 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
10/22/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues
10/23/13 Houston, TX House Of Blues
10/24/13 Dallas, TX House Of Blues
11/01/13 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
11/06/13 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
11/07/13 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
11/09/13 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
11/10/13 Vancouver, BC Venue

THE FAMILY RAIN
thefamilyrain.com

The Family Rain recently announced their tour in support of their debut EP, Pushing It, coming out last month (June 17th), via Vertigo/Virgin EMI. The tour hits the Summer festivals, plus extra side shows.

Confirmed tour dates:

07/06/13 Festival deBeschaving Netherlands
07/12/13 2000 Trees, Cheltenham
07/13/13 Hyde Park London
07/18/13 Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland
07/19/13 Truck Festival, Steventon
07/27/13 Secret Garden Party, Huntingdon
08/11/13 Summerwell Festival, Romania
08/16/13 Soundrive Festival, Poland
08/17/13 Pukkelpop Festival, Belgium
08/23/13 Leeds Festival
08/25/13 Reading Festival
10/21/13 King Tuts, Glasgow
10/22/13 Reds Bar, Northumbria
10/23/13 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
10/24/13 Queens Social, Sheffield
10/25/13 Ruby Lounge, Manchester
10/26/13 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
10/28/13 Thekla, Bristol
10/29/13 Library @ Institute, Birmingham
10/30/13 Heaven, London
10/31/13 Komedia, Bath
11/01/13 O2 Academy, Oxford
11/02/13 Joiners, Southampton
11/03/13 Concorde 2, Brighton

THE HANDSOME FAMILY
handsomefamily.com

The Handsome Family is currently in the middle of a U.S. tour in support of their album Wilderness, out now on Carrot Top Records.

They are stopping in Minneapolis at the Cedar Cultural Center with ex-Scissor Girls' Azita Youssefi.

Tour dates:

7/19 - Minneapolis, MN at Cedar Cultural Center
7/20 - Madision, WI, @ High Noon Saloon
7/22, - Chicago, IL @ Pritzker Pavillion^
7/24 - St. Louis, MO, @ Off Broadway**
7/25 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop**
7/26 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners**
7/27 - Athens, OH @ The Union**
7/28 - Ann Arbor @ The Ark**

* w/ Sean Rowe
^Free Show
**w/ Danny Barnes

FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF ELLIOTT SMITH
facebook.com/nonamenumberone

Friends and Family of Elliott Smith is celebrating Smith's 44th birthday with "No Name #1: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Elliott Smith" and raising money for various charities. No Name #1 takes place in four cities, naming Portland, New York, Los Angeles, and Austin. If you live in those cities, you certainly need to check out these shows.

Details below:

08/04/13 - Portland, Oregon
Venue: Doug Fir Lounge
Host: Gus Van Sant
Featuring: members of Grandaddy, plus very special guests.
Charity: Outside In

08/06/13 - Los Angeles, California (Elliott's 44th birthday):
Venue: Largo
Host: Jon Brion, with special friends
Charity: Free Arts for Abused Children

08/09/13 - Austin, Texas
Venue: Scottish Rite Theater
Host: Jody Denberg
Featuring: Members of Grandaddy, Lil’ Cap’n Travis, David Garza, plus many other very special guests.
Charity: The SIMS Foundation

08/10/13 - New York, New York
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Host: Rhett Miller
Featuring: Chris Thile, Mary Lou Lord, plus many other very special guests.
Charity: New Alternatives for LBGT Homeless Youth

THE FAMILY CREST
thefamilycrestfamily.com

Tender Loving Empire Records just signed their first non-Portland band: The Family Crest.

The Family Crest is based out of San Francisco and features six core members and "several hundred additional members". You guessed it: they're orchestra-rock.

Look for TLE to release Headwinds EP on July 30th… then a full length called Beneath the Brine.

Hear "Love Don't Go" now:

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump

Jason Lytle Tour Dates 12/03/12 Michigan Theater Ann Arbor, MI 12/05/12 Massey Hall Toronto, Canada 12/06/12 Métropolis Montreal, Canada 12/08/12 State Theatre Portland, ME 12/09/12 House of Blues Boston Boston, MA 12/10/12 Union Hall Brooklyn, NY 12/11/12 Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY 12/14/12 The Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA 12/15/12 The National Richmond, VA 02/07/13 Scala London, United Kingdom 02/09/13 The Haunt Brighton, United Kingdom 02/11/13 Le Grand Mix Tourcoing, France 02/12/13 Café de la Danse Paris, France 02/13/13 Antipod Rennes, France 02/14/13 Le 106 Club Rouen, France 02/16/13 Tour & Taxis Brussels, Belgium 02/18/13 Rotown Rotterdam, Netherlands 02/19/13 Bitterzoet Amsterdam, Netherlands Read More Grandaddy Here's one called Grandaddy, who are from the nowheresville town of Modesto, California. I used to live around this area, so I was quite excited to see these 'local boys done good'. I'm sure you've all remember .....

I used to joke that Grandaddy was from my hometown, even though Modesto isn't anywhere near Fresno or Sacramento (I used to live in both cities).

Ticket stub to Grandaddy at First Avenue, Minneapolis (05/09/2001)

Anyway, if you were wondering why there's suddenly all these concert tickets being scanned: that's because I'm in the process of moving and found my old journals/scrapbook. Sadly I did not write about any of the bands I saw, instead, I just stickered in my concert tickets. I supposed I thought I would always remember the shows. Here's a hint kids: write down your thoughts in your journal, because you will forget.

I saw Grandaddy on tour for their best album, The Sophtware Slump, which came out around the tech-bubble and it was their "difficult" sophomore album that many bands face. Surprisingly, everyone, at least at the time, loved The Sophtware Slump. I was pretty excited to finally catch them in Minneapolis. Virgil Shaw was listed as opener on the ticket, but I couldn't tell you what he sounded like.

As for Grandaddy, it was very light-showy from what I can remember. Singer Jason Lytle spent most of the time staring down at the keyboard or his guitars. They did most of the songs The Sophtware Slump, including my favorite "Hewlett's Daughter."

The album was re-released 11 years later as a bonus/deluxe album. They couldn't have done it for the 10 year or 20 year anniversary?

I believe Grandaddy came back on tour a few other times, but after seeing them in 2001, I felt it was good enough and I never saw them again.

So, what's going on with Grandaddy? Earlier this year (March), the band reformed, and went on tour (all the August dates are listed here), including headlining End of the Road Festival in London (09/04/12) and Paris' Rock en Seine Festival (08/26/12).

Are they gone? Was this simply a "Get in, rock out, get paid, get out" as Lytle joked? I guess we'll wait and see, but between you and me, there's no shame in making loads of money and getting out.

Jason Lytle is doing a solo-tour supporting Band of Horses, and then headlining in the UK. If you've never seen Grandaddy, I'm pretty sure he'll play one or two songs?

Grandaddy Tour Postcard

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ grandaddymusic.com

Foma

Foma - Seraphim Succubi Foma Tour Date 05/17/09 Rooz Cafe Class Oakland, CA 06/12/09 The Know Portland, OR 06/13/09 Le Voyeur Olympia, WA 06/15/09 Jewelbox Theater Back Seattle, WA 06/17/09 Visual Arts Collective Garden City, ID 06/18/09 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT 06/19/09 Bluebird Theater  Denver, CO 06/20/09 Burt’s Tiki Albuquerque, NM 06/23/09 Red Room at Grill Tucson, AZ 06/24/09 Southern CA Discography [2003] the Scared EP [2004] Icecaves LP [2006] Phobos LP See Also Grandaddy http://weheartmus... Here's one called Grandaddy, who are from the nowheresville town of Modesto, California. I used t...

Foma is an indiepop group from San Francisco by the way of Albuquerque, and last Tuesday saw their latest release, Inverness EP. I don't really know much about them, but based on the "recommendations" on CD Baby, they seem to think they sound like Modesto's Grandaddy. Based on their latest EP, they seem to me like sounding like Ben & Jason or even a mellowier Lucksmiths (and that's not a bad comparison considering how we all love the Luckies here).

I have concluded that the band is mostly lead by singer/songwriter Edward Burch, and they also seem to be half an instrumental jam band. Three of the songs on the EP are instrumentals "Interlude", "JM Sebastian" and "Gray's Elegy" (Sebastian is 90% instrumentals, there are some lyrics on it). The instrumentals aren't bad either, they are distinctive and seems to emphasis more on the percussions and drums, at least that's what I tend to hear when there is an absent of singing.

The vocals are from Burch are sweet, tender and calming. There's also hints of sadness to his singing style, but this is probably due to the use of Charith Premawardhana's violins and Hun Kim's cellos. I've always thought bow instruments are sad, especially if played slowly.

I had a hard time determining which song to use, I like these songs equally: "Control Panel", "Ess-Ther's Victory" (the closer of the EP) and "Seraphim Succubi". I've decided to go with Succubi, only because of that creepy intro. The tone is a serious one about a seemingly sweet-looking girl.

Inverness EP is available now, you can pick it up at Amoeba Records, if you're lucky enough to live in California. Otherwise, buy from them on tour and, of course, there's CD Baby.

I leave you now with "Kurt's Theme" from their Phobos album:

Kurt's Theme

 05/08/2009 22:18:52 ♥ vu () ♥ itsallfoma.com ♥ myspace.com/foma 

Grandaddy - The Crystal Lake

..mhm.. wrote: Mar 5, 2007 at 2:32 PM

show me all that new exciting US music!

Grandaddy - The Crystal Lake

Grandaddy

I've got nothing. Maybe someone else can take up the challenge, since the US bands I like, they all tries to sound like they're from the UK :/

Here's one called Grandaddy, who are from the nowheresville town of Modesto, California. I used to live around this area, so I was quite excited to see these 'local boys done good'. I'm sure you've all remember the big buzz around them back in late '99.

I can only describe them as 'pothead' music ... with a little bit of "progrock" (progressive rock). If you like the Flaming Lips, you'll probably really enjoy Grandaddy.

I saw them on tour a while back and was impressed with the show (lights and moving pictures) enough that I ended up buying their The Sophtware Slump album (their semi-aptly named second album). Spin Magazine called this the "The 10 Best Recordings of the Year - You Didn't Hear" in their Jan 2001 issue. Off tangent: What's Spin Magazine up to these days? I haven't thought they were cool since... well, nevermind, I never thought they were cool.

Speaking of magazines, Q Magazine picked their "He's Simple, he's Dumb, He's the Pilot" as their best of 2000 song, I would have to disagree because it's not a very ... energic song. The song I've picked out for you is "The Crystal Lake". The song, it sounds to me, as a desperate need to get out of a small town of Crystal Lake. But you can probably interpret it as just simply getting lost in the woods.

If you liked the Crystal Lake, you should also watch some very poor quality of Grandaddy on Jools Holland performing The Crystal Lake and Hewlett's Daughter.

vu
PS I just wanted to mention that you can officially download The Garlands - You Never Notice Me, if you have a myspace account.