Like free Stuff? REM 2 cd set giveaway

Jump on over to my other blog to read up on the re-issue of "Document" by R.E.M and enter for a chance to WIN a copy of the 2 disc set.

Jump over here for all the deets!

Good luck.

Lovelane - Hoedown V September 29th

This Saturday in Dedham, MA the Tedeschi Trucks Band will headline "Hoedown V" a benefit for the Lovelane Special Needs Horse Riding Program.   The even will have music, games and great food to raise funds for therapeutic horseback riding services.

Grammy award winning Tedechi Trucks Band are slated to perform.  This biennial event is the premiere fundraiser for the Lovelane program. This year’s theme is “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.”  In addition to Tedeschi Trucks Band, Hoedown V will also include a live set from the James Montgomery Band.  Guests are encouraged to dust off their cowboy boots and dress casually for a night of dancing, eating and mingling, all to benefit the children with special needs who participate in Lovelane’s therapeutic riding program.
 

Many of Boston’s best chefs have already signed on to participate in the event, including Marc Orfaly of Pigalle, Mark Goldberg of PARK, Rodney Murillo of Davio’s, Dave Becker of Sweet Basil, Christopher Coombs of Deuxave, Peter Davis of Henrietta’s Table, Courtney Forrester of Sweet, Andy Husbands of Tremont 647, Phyllis Kaplowitz of Baker’s Best Catering, William Kovel of Catalyst, Geoff Janowski of Blue Ribbon BAR-B-Q, Sam Mason of Oddfellows Ice Cream Co., Seth and Angela Raynor of Boarding House, The Pearl and Corazon del Mar, Jeremy Sewall of Island Creek Oyster Bar and Paul Sussman of Back Deck.  As a special treat, Island Creek Oyster Farm will be on hand to offer a Raw Bar and Wiches of Boston will be producing ‘Adult’ milkshakes.

Hoedown V will take place September 29, 2012 from 4:00-9:30 p.m. at Broad Oak Farm in Dedham, MA.  For Debby Sabin, founder of Lovelane, the Hoedown is a night not only to raise money, but to celebrate the successes of the students that ride at Lovelane.

“Hoedown V will be an incredible evening, where new and old friends of Lovelane come together and celebrate not only the success of the program, but more importantly the success of our individual students,” said Sabin, “We are committed to continuing a program of excellence, and making a difference in the lives of our students and their families.”

For over twenty years Lovelane has been providing therapeutic horseback riding to children with special needs. Located in Lincoln, Massachusetts, Lovelane currently has 13 specially trained riding instructors and provides more than 4,400 individual therapeutic riding sessions a year to children and young adults. 

Therapeutic horseback riding is a proven, yet costly, form of therapy.  Each individual lesson at Lovelane is subsidized by the organization, and more than 40% of the families in the Lovelane program receive tuition assistance so their children may continue to ride on a regular basis.  Funds raised by the Hoedown and other special events support the cost of the program and enable the organization to continue to offer this assistance.

With a waiting list for lessons between 1-5 years, Lovelane is a successful and well-respected non-profit organization that is focused on providing therapeutic services that dramatically impact the physical, cognitive and social development of the children in the program.

 

For all the information you need, pleas check out Lovelanes' Official Site

 

Michael Kiwanuka - Paradise, Boston Show Review

Michael Kiwanuka
Paradise Rock Club
Boston MA
Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Support – Foy Vance, Marcus Foster

I've been lucky to have seen many a great show in 25+ years of going to concerts and just the other night I saw one that sky rocketed in to my top ten shows of all time list. British Singer/songwriter Michael Kiwanuka brought the house down at the Paradise on a cool late summer evening.

Arriving on stage shortly after 10 Michael and his band (five other players) would play for a little over one hour and have us all in the trance. A bad reviewer moment here, I don't know the guys in the band name. Percussion, drums, bass, keyboard and guitar they all deserve equal credit. Percussion was all over the place, he was never not moving. The drumming was solid and tight all night long.

Michael would rotate between acoustic and electric guitars. From the opener “I'll Get Along” we knew we were going to be in for a treat. Michael has an easy stage presence. He gets in to it, but not over the top. Almost embarrassed to let it all go. His shy smile adds to the charm of set as he seems surprised at times with the enthusiastic reactions. “Tell me a Tale” was extended to about 10 minutes and the band really seemed to have fun stretching out early in the set.

A few songs later Michael thanked us for coming and introduced “May This be Love”, a Jimi Hendrix tune. They then proceeded to make this song their own. An extended, and very hard hit, drum kit fires off with the keyboardist for a tight version, and by the time Michael comes back in on the vocals the audience just erupts in approval. They then calmly wrap up the song, a roadie appears and trades guitars and they go in to “I'm Getting Ready”. This was the track that introduced me to his music so it was a thrill to hear, and in a blink of an eye it was over. He offered up vocal assistance to the audience saying “You can sing along if you'd like”. Smiles on faces kept many from singing.

Micheal was not overly chatty, keeping the focus on the music. He'd talk quickly about a “new song” and told a nice story before playing “Rest” about how he wanted to play it for us in the style that it was written. Roughly translated to he did this acoustic with just a bass part. The audience was respectful the whole night, but this was that “moment”. A few hundred people watching...listening...you didn't hear chatter, bottles clank. Moments like that at a show can add so very much.

The whole show wrapped up with a cover of the Bill Withers song “I Don't Know”. This was another very extended jam with a lot of sing alongs. The band would leave the stage and the houselights would come up. There would be no encore.

Full Setlist:

I'll Get Along

Tell Me A Tale
Always Waiting
Bone
May This Be Love (Jimi Hendrix)
I'm Getting Ready
Rest
Home Again
If You'd Dare (new)
I Don't Know (Bill Withers)

So what was it that made it make my “top 10” shows of all time list. A series of things helped. A great sound system, fantastic songs and the right people that shelled out the 20 bucks. Everyone “got it”.

See him live if you get the chance. You can thank me later..but thank Micheal first for such an honestly breath taking show. No fancy lights, no smoke just a very committed crew of guys creating one of the most perfect 70 minutes I've personally ever heard.

Just two more images to share:

 The set list from stage:

If anyone knows the band members, comment away I'd love to reference them.

Links:
Official Site
Facebook
Twitter

Some Tubage
I'm Getting Ready
May This Be Love