One and One and One Make Three

No we got nothing in common.. no we can't talk at all ..

2012-01-20T18:15:00.004-05:00

Just a quick shout out forJustlovin,
Happy Birthday on your 19 year.. livin' the dream.

Sounds Good To Me 2011

2011-12-23T13:01:00.006-05:00

To close out 2011 on a high note, I give you Sounds Good To Me 2011, a few of the bands and songs that struck a tone with me this year. Seeing as musical tastes are a fickle beast, I liked it but your mileage may vary.

The full mix is available here.

Rehearsal pictures....

2011-12-18T19:05:00.020-05:00

The "Day to Day" sessions...practice makes perfect....

"Day to Day" here

"It May Stop, But It Never Ends..."

2011-12-15T21:24:00.007-05:00

The only thing that is constant in life is change. Growth and change are part of all our lives and an integral part of the musical odyssey that The McLovins have shared with us. Due to the demands of an increasingly rigorous touring schedule and faced with an added workload in preparation for his future education, Jeffrey Howard has decided that now is the time for him to step back from the band. Jeff’s departure will bring to a close an amazing journey that started three years ago with their first practices and that continued through all the victories and setbacks they've shared as both a band and a family.

I'm so thankful for that the love and support that have been given Jeff and for the rewards of the music itself; all which have come through the band's hard work, persistence and practice. As a band they've evolved both musically and individually and in these past years they have literally grown-up together. We will always have memories of the good times and the trials that we shared together and all the friends that we have made along the way. Whatever comes next we can look forward to the challenges and triumphs that will come from the next phase in The McLovin's evolution.

Many times a change like this may be viewed as a loss, but I look forward to the future and we should all be very excited for the evolution of this band. The McLovins will perform together with Jeffrey through the end of December and though I'm a bit sad, I still remain excited for the changes that the coming year will bring us with some new faces and new sounds. Jeff’s retirement will ring in a new era for the band and tho Jason and Jake will continue on without him, the addition of new members will bring vitality and a new period of growth for the band. I wish him the best and he will still remain a part of this family, always their brother and always a McLovin.

Leave all your love and your longing behind, you can't carry it with you if you want to survive...

2011-11-24T10:57:00.009-05:00

Again and unfortunately much too soon, the McLovins have suffered a loss, as a member of this ad hoc family has passed. This loss happened just as this extended brood was again gathering for a holiday performance and the event has rocked us all; nothing could have prepared anyone for this and it still seems almost inconceivable, an insane mistake that is just so very wrong. Ashley Kozlosky cut a path through this scene, touching countless lives while leaving a vivacious spirit and an infectious smile in her wake. Life is at times joyous but viscous, completely arbitrary and immovable, things may happen for a reason, but that doesn’t make it right.

The loss of a younger person is a doubly tragic event, not only is there the physical loss, but also the potential that will never be realized. The departed become as frozen in time; a snapshot of what was and what could have been, forever green in the bloom of youth. Ashley and her best friend Eve were both in the midst of this bloom; just starting to live their lives, the path ahead was laid out for both of them, now it’s become a solitary journey.

Ashley was a soft-spoken, thoughtful soul; incredibly talented and a fiercely loyal friend. She and Eve would spend hours working on their craft, designing and baking together, though Eve would insist that Ashley was the true baker of the duo. You could always count on her and her partner in crime to show up at a show with an amazing batch of cupcakes, inspired either the season or by the band. It was so appropriate that Eve came to the show just hours after hearing of her friend, bringing with her the unfinished cupcakes that she and Ashley had worked on the night before, I couldn't have imagined a more fitting way to honor her memory. I’ve known Ashley for 2 years and we’d become unlikely friends over a shared love of music and a kindred spirit due to the joy of this band. She’s leaving behind a wealth of memories but she’s also left us with a hole in the center of this family that time will help to fill, but along with the love and the memories, a dull ache of pain that will diminish but never disappear.

You can choose what stays and what fades away

And I'd do anything to make you stay

3 Faces of Close to the Line...

2011-08-17T08:15:00.016-04:00

This summer has been a hectic and fantic time for The McLovins. After a nearly 6 week layover, the band has stormed back with a series of concerts that has cemented their position as a band to watch. As if there's any proof needed that The McLovins have really turned a corner and aren't looking back; I offer up for your perusal, 3 performances of Close To The Line. These 3 versions were performed during three consecutive shows in a span of 4 days earlier this month. Each performance is unique, each has it's own musical arc and the jamming in each is fiercely singular. Turn these up, there is something special happening this summer.

The Mclovins Live at Mills Pond (August 4 2011)

Close to the Line, middle of the 1st set

Dropped right in the middle of the first set, wonderfuly interaction between Jason and Jeff, funky and breezy, perfect for a calm summer eve.

The McLovins at Camp Creek (August 6 2011)

Close to the Line, the set opener

Fierce and assertive, an attention grabber and a kick in the teeth. Jake sets the table and Jeff and Jason serve it up, hot and tasty.

The McLovins Live at SoNo Arts Festival (August 7, 2011)

Close To The Line, 2nd set opener

This rendition sets the tone for the entire set, an aural assault, wonderfully funky and loose. A thick jam helps lead off this set off with bang.

Newport Folk Festival - The Cave Singers

2011-08-02T10:36:00.008-04:00

Ohdarlingdear and I traveled down to the Newport Folk Festival this past Sunday primarily to catch sets from the Civil Wars and The Head and the Heart. A few of the other acts were guaranteed pleasers; Thile & Daves, Justin Townes Earle and Brown Bird, but we were so pleasantly surprised by this intense trio of Northwesterners, The Cave Singers.

Their set was positioned smack dab in the middle of the day's Harbor Stage performances and the only thing I knew about the band was an anecdote that had been related by the day's first act Brown Bird. The story recounted a chance meeting between Brown Bird and The Cave Singers at a rest area in North or South Carolina a few years before where a small leather jacket was exchanged. The jacket was to have been signed and passed on to other bands to eventually work it's way back to Brown Bird, and earlier in the day, the jacket worked its way back to Brown Bird at Newport.

Their music is born of rust-belt americana, a darkly hypnotic roots rock stew; stomp and roll. A deep woods sound that's perfectly suited as the soundtrack for an episode of Twin Peaks.. there's something here that I can't put my finger on but oh how it works; achingly familiar fuzz guitar and sledgehammer drum rhythms focused through the lens of blast furnace vocals. This melange yields a powerfully earnest blend, equal parts folk, punk and rock; a potent potion best experienced hot and live. They played a blistering 46 minute set that had the crowd equally mesmerized and exhilarated, shock and awe indeed.

Luckily for me Ohdarlingdear had the sense to take some pictures because I was just sitting there jaw-dropped and totally into this band. NRP and Folk Alley were kind enough to make this performance available to stream or download. I can't wait to being able to see this band again.

Check their set out here, NPR, Folk Alley
and stop by their website Here

Run-up to Vibes..

2011-07-21T09:45:00.009-04:00

So if you find yourself still on the fence about going to Gathering Of The Vibes this weekend, here's some recent McLovins media to hopefully help you make that decision a bit easier. The following photos are from the Farmington Patch Viewfinder coverage of last night's Blue Back Square performance in West Hartford. All photos are © Arthur Nazaryan of The Patch

click for The Patch article

To wet your whistle, here's a taste of what's in store for the Wake 'n Rage on Saturday morning during the McLovins Main Stage Mayhem... this is from Wednesday night's Blue Back Square performance.

Check out the audio recording from the band's last Saturdays Main Pub show

okay, now it's time to get excited...

2011-07-14T06:19:00.002-04:00

It's a little over a week until Saturday's performance down in Bridgeport, so here's a nice article from Connecticut Magazine, Ken Hayes talks about Vibes and the memory of Jerry Garcia. The magazine was kind enough to run a feature on the break-out starts of the past couple years and their feelings on their first main-stage performance.

click on image to McLovinize

Vote for The McLovins - Grand Band Slam 2011

2011-06-30T20:05:00.005-04:00

Now is the time to get this campaign on it's way, let's vote The McLovins as the best band in the Hartford Advocate Grand Band Slam 2011. All you have to do is click on the link, give a name and an e-mail address and vote for The McLovins as Best Band. They don't really seem to fit into any of the genres they offer, so going with Best Band category give them the best shot.

the terrible twos...

2011-05-23T06:25:00.002-04:00

It's been two years and 80 something shows later and this train just keeps rolling on. 2 years ago I wandered into Granby Memorial High School to catch The Concert For Hope and see a band who had kept popping up on my radar for weeks. This was my review of that first show and everything I said back then still holds true, this band is lightning in a bottle. We're now just days away from the start of the summer tour season and another whirlwind run through New England, the band is hitting a number of local stops this summer as well as the usual festival stops. Catch this band while you can, they are on an upward arc, and this scene is about to blow up.

I feel it cold and warm...the shadows start to fall.

2011-05-20T10:21:00.008-04:00

I was talking to my daughter the other day and the inevitable subject of new music came up, I find we're constantly trying to turn each other onto the new, the odd, and the different.. the more underground, the better. This time of year I always reflect back on Ian Curtis and the lost promise of Joy Division. By my junior year in high school my musical palette was fairly well formed, always catching the local monsters Max Creek, I was a huge Deadhead, though the typical '70s era band were well represented. Led Zep, Jeff Beck, Floyd, Deep Purple, Hendrix, The Who and their ilk made up the remainder of my listening, though by 1979 there came a siren call from across the Atlantic.

In 1979 the post-punk revolution had thundered in; full force along with the new-wave/no wave sound. The Clash, The Jam and Gen-X and were its kings, but none held the fascination for me that Joy Division did. Here was a band mentioned in whispers and scant notices, an anomaly; their album art was stark and moody as was their music. At the center of this mysterious group was guitarist and vocalist, Ian Curtis, an ex-navy family man, prone to epileptic seizures who would dance like a broken dervish, arms and legs akimbo as he poured out tortured lyrics backed up by the most amazing band.

Keeping track of this UK band meant trips down to Capitol Records in Hartford to pick up the newest import singe and perusing copies of The Trouser Press. This band was the first that I could claim as my own.. I felt I had discovered this dark jewel, an unknown pleasure as it were. On May 18 1980, the flight of Joy Division crashed to earth with the suicide of Ian Curtis, though like a phoenix, the surviving members of the band rose again as New Order, we had lost something great and something special. In this era of youtube and facebook, it's so easy to familiarize yourself with a band and even I take this ease for granted, but back then it was much harder to do. The death of the rock idol had become almost a parody of itself in the late 1960's and '70's, Hendrix, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, the list went on and on, but to me, here was a contemporary, in a sense a loss I couldn't help but take a little more personally.

As I type this I can't help but feel a bit anachronistic, as though trying to recapture a lost time, a time that really didn't exist even back then, a flimsy bubble of life in motion. We can't take any of this for granted, for the future is a propellant, pushing us forward and whether we notice it or not, we have to stop and take a breath..

..this is the way, step inside....

They've created a devastating masterpiece..

2011-05-16T22:21:00.006-04:00

Saturday night saw The McLovins pull into Albany and in what has been their theme all year; it was a take no prisoners throw down. Co-headlining with the Albany collective COUNCIL FIRE, The band turned in a forceful 85 minute set, including a wild 23 minute opus that stands alongside the “TWEEZER REPRISE” of Nateva as the finest encores ever played by the band.

The first set started off on a high note with the band’s newest composition, the heady CLOSE TO THE LINE, featuring some awe inspiring bass pedal work from Jason. This number leads right into SEA OF WISDOM which has re-entered the bands repertoire and emerged as a first-set stunner, lyrical and blithe while still retaining a visceral intensity, a nice bridge between the more raucous tunes and the band’s melodic ballads. 357 has been used as a spicy bridge leading into QUIET KINGS but here it’s a stand-alone instrumental and sets up an incendiary version of TOKYO TEA. CARAVAN follows with a snaky and loose intro jam, again a nice balance of force and melody, leading right into the always welcome DEEP MONSTER TRANCE.

For me, the real strength of the band since the first of the year has been the set-list construction. Whether playing a 2 set gig, or a 60 to 90 minute set, the set lists have to be the x-factor of 2011. The balance of dynamics within the set has been flawless this year, sometimes it’s a slow build to a final knockout punch, or a series of plateaus before a final climax; this year’s show share a common consistency. The slower ballads or more patient songs balance the frenetic moments leaving the audience with a much richer experience; sometimes less is more and the band has learned this. It’s a testament to the growth of The McLovins that they have learned to harness their catalog and realize that song placement is now more important than ever.

DEEP MONSTER TRANCE set the table for the second half of this epic set, a mammoth 15 minute funk journey bringing the energy level right back up and leading into the cooling chill down of MON AMI. This song is a twisty romping, rollicking number with signature Mclovins tempo and tone changes; a true delight. TETOP showcases Jason and Jake’s vocals, and the closing number BEAD HEAD CRYSTAL BUGGER was a prog masterpiece highlighted by some insane Jeff Howard guitar pyrotechnics.

This was an above average show that was quickly tipped over into the legendary category when the band was given another half-hour stage time, and as usual, they made the most of it. All that had happened so far during the show was to be eclipsed by the next 23 minutes as the band unleashed without a doubt their finest jamming piece in the past year. You have to go back to the Barn Show in October of ’09 to find another example of the kind of fearless and bold improvisation backed up with rock solid pocket jamming.

I’ve listened to the show 3 times now, and each time the TWEEZER REPRISE transitions into SHAKEDOWN I get chills... it doesn’t get any better than this, this band is weaponized right now, they’re focused, hungry and on point. I can’t believe it’s just May and the summer is barely here and they’re in this mode this early... Saturday night at Infinity Hall should be a superb show... but for now, listen to this one until your ears ring... it’s a devastating masterpiece indeed.

The McLovins - Jilians Of Albany 05/14/11

Saturday night at Jillians...

2011-05-10T19:26:00.004-04:00

Saturday May 14th The McLovins will play a twin-bill with Council Fire at Jillians Of Albany. The McLovins will take the stage @ 8:00 and should be going off on time, so doors open at 7:00 make sure you get there early. Also a big thank you to Glow Stick Wars, time to make it rain!

check 'em out..

Happy Mother's Day...

2011-05-08T10:10:00.002-04:00

I wrote about Mother's Day last year, and to be honest, much has changed this year, but still the theme has stayed the same. Your Mom is your harshest critic and your unflagging champion. All your work is a masterpiece in her eyes.. she is the rule by which all other women will be measured in your life. You grow up to be the man your mother made you. Happy Mother's Day to all Moms and all we can say is thank you and we love you.

Some more musings on downoading...

2011-04-10T12:11:00.013-04:00

As we await the coming release of last week's Pearl Street audio, I'd like to pay some attention to another McLovins project that's been in relative obscurity. Alex Knoll, a hardworking McLovin's fan has been toiling away on archiving all of the known McLovin live recordings and setlists in one easy to use spreadsheet, similar to what Phish phans have had for a few years now. The difference here is Alex is archiving and indexing each of the songs as an IPod friednly mp3. I've helped him out with some setlist notes and dates, but all of this heavy lifting was his, he's done a great job with a herculean task.

The spreadsheet is here

When you first get to the page, the list is nicely organized by year and then furthur by season. Now the sharing of music files on the internet has taken a bit of a detour in the past couple years. In the early part of this century, Torrents were all the rage, but unfortunately the lawless aspect of the internet was in full effect and many bit torrent sites gained an unsavory reputation, and most torrents die a quick and messy death. So a few years ago, the upload site became the tool of choice for music bloggers and file sharers. RapidShare, MegaUpload and Mediafire are a few of the bigger players in this game, where mp3's of shows or albums are bundled together in either a .zip or a .rar file and then downloaded in 1 or more downloads to later be unzipped or unrarred on your computer with the mp3's ready to listen to. If you find this primer a bit pedantic, I apologize, but there are some fans who don't know how all this works.

click on pics to McLovinize..

I open the spreadsheet and quickly run to the Barn Show from 2009, one of my favorite live shows..

There's 2 files here, soon to be downloaded and combined to extract the entire live show. Right click on the download link and your download request will open..

right clicking on zip #1 will open up a download window that will allow you to choose where you want the download to be stored

As with downloads from Archive.org and other sites, It's easy to keep all your music together in one spot on your drive.

I make a new download folder in my music folder to take the new files.

CNet

Now when you have your set of files downloaded, now you need to be able to open them. WinRar is hands down the best unipper of files and is a free download. I try and download any application files from CNET.com, they are a totally safe and virus free repository for any application you can imagine.

After you have loaded WinRar, you can now choose it out of your drop down menu when you go to open the files you have downloaded from Mediafire. You can Un-Rar innumerable downloads, you just need all parts of the file downloaded, and always start with the first file, and it'll unzip and build right before your eyes..

Just like magic.. now you always extract to the folder you're unzipping, you can always change the name later.. when you open your folder you'll see the whole show listed by mp3 and usually song title. Easy as pie. If anyone has any problems with any of this, just leave a comment and I can talk you through any of it.

The Legacy Of Nateva....

2011-04-02T07:23:00.006-04:00

By now I think that the news has sunk in a bit, it just wasn't a horrible April Fool's day prank. Nateva is over for 2011. A lot of hard work went into the planning of this year's event, but a multitude of factors piled on and the promoters were left with only one choice, to pull the plug .

Nateva first showed up on the radar at Snoe.down 2010 during The Mclovins performance at the K1 Lodge, Nateva postcards were everywhere with the buzz about the Furthur performance and a truly different type of band line-up adding to the curiosity. Nateva was a festival less in the Vibes or Mountain Jam mode, more in line with Rothbury or Bonnaroo, an interesting mix of Jam, Indie, Electronica, Folk performers and counter-programming that made for interesting choices the whole weekend.

This was the show than charted a new course for The McLovins for the remainder of last year. I remember Jake asking what festivals they should prior to the summer season and he was getting a bit rebuffed by people who though it was hubris to try and pick and choose where they should play. Nateva showed the true power and the draw of this band.. a near perfect set played to the perfect crowd .. Nateva had a huge impact on the fortunes of the band, they rode the wave of that high the entire summer.

So thanks to all who made last years event so special and those who worked so hard to bring it back this year, and whatever happens, it may stop.. but it never ends.

Here's the original post from last year after we got back from Maine, and for those who still aren't sick of seeing it.. the video that really spoke to what this band is all about, Tweezer Reprise form Nateva 2010. This festival will be missed this year, and hopefully we'll be able to trek back up to Oxford next summer and be blown away again. To paraphrase Rick Blaine.. "We will always have Nateva.."

They knew within seconds of the end of the show that all the practice and hard work had paid off, and paid off in a big way. As the band came off the stage, a phalanx of photographers and fans ran up to congratulate them. The audience was still going wild and some of the crowd came up with wide eyes and broad smiles looking to meet the band.

I always draw the cues about the show's success from the back-stage crew. For the most part these are journeymen technicians, they've seen it all and heard it all, so when you hear excitement in the voice of a sound or lighting man, you can be sure that it's sincere. Sometimes you can be too close to the band and though I really try to be as objective, it's easy to just go with the flow, so it's always great to see your opinions justified by that of professionals. I also notice how the band is treated by other bands that they play with. Their peer bands and even veteran musicians treat the guys with respect and professionalism, knowing that there is talent and drive behind all the success that they've achieved.

After an extended meet and greet with many of the fans that hang around after the show, then the gear gets stowed away and the last of the pictures are taken, it's time for the guys to enjoy the rest of the festival. We walk around for a bit and a constant stream of people come up to the band, praising the show, thanking them, taking pics, and it's just a whirlwind as they make their way to the hospitality tent. The band catches their breath for a bit and gets re-hydrated and then they take some time to go backstage to the main stage area and meet up with some o f the festival head-liners.

The rest of the afternoon is a blur of hellos and picture taking, as the band meets Ryan Montbleau, members of Drive-By-Truckers, Grizzly Bear and then they met the man. Wayne Coyne. Now Coyyne is the visionary lead vocalist cum driving force behind The Flaming Lips. Wayne is a very focused-soft spoken, gregarious man and he and Jake really hit it off. I'd like to think he was responding to the fact that here his band was headlining at a major new festival and in front of him was a hard-working talented young band who were just starting to make it. After some more camera time, he mentioned to the band that during the lips performance they like to bring people up from the stage to dress up in costume and dance during the show and would The McLovins like to do this at that night's performance? Jason and Jeff and Jake were pumped and after being shown their costumes, all that was required now was waiting until that evening's performance.

needless to say, there's much more to come from Nateva...

McLovins debut at Pearl St Nightclub, tomorrow ight

2011-04-01T18:33:00.002-04:00

Catch The McLovins tomorrow night, 4/2/11 at their Pearl Street Nightclub debut up in Northampton, MA. Here's the event poster with art again by Ink Design Studios. Tickets are still $10 but $14 day of the show, click on the poster for tickets.

The McLovins debut At Pearl Street in Northampton

2011-03-30T20:48:00.007-04:00

This weekend sees The McLovins bringing their traveling roadshow back to Western Massachusetts for their debut performance at Northampton's Pearl Street Nightclub. They will be playing the clubroom Saturday night April 2 at 9:00 and tickets are on sale now, advance tix from the Pearl Street website are $11.00, day of the show they're $14.

(click to mclovinize)

The guys are very psyched to be back in NoHo and looking forward to playing for such a knowledgeable and appreciative audience, so make sure you don't miss this one.. remember The IronHorse show?

Get your tickets here

Spring is in the air...

2011-03-21T06:27:00.008-04:00

This week opens with a make-over at The McLovins.com. They've updated the banner picture and cleaned up some navigation features on the site making for more enjoyable browsing experience. There is also an upcoming gigs tab, the lyrics to all the songs on "Good Catch", a comment board and news feed. The new photo is doubly nice; for if you look closely you'll see the latest addition to the Axlovin arsenal, spring is in the air, it's time to lock and load.

Low Content Friday, a few links...

2011-03-04T18:19:00.006-05:00

It was a very hectic week, so here's a bunch of links, if you looked up at the top of the page, you'll see that the band is playing The Main Pub in Manchester Ct. tomorrow night. Here's a link, if you're on the fence, this will sell out and it will be an epic show.

I listen to a ton of music and here's a band that really stuck with me, Mumford & Sons. They've been touring like monsters this past year, and managed to steal the show during a performance with Bob Dylan and The Avett Brothers on the Grammys a couple weeks ago. Entertainment Weekly had a nice write up this week on the band, and they just released their incredible "Sigh No More" album with a bonus live disc.. again, no way to lose on them.

Another guilty pleasure is electronica.. not very picky, I love it all, from The Orb to Air, Daft Punk to Pretty Lights. I've been getting my most recent fix from the bastard step-brother of electronica; Dubstep. Two giants of the genre are Amon Tobin and Gaslamp Killer, young spinners who are just pushing the music to the limit. The Low-End Theory podcasts are required listening, nearly everything the genre has to offer.

The new folk has gotten a ton of press lately, and we're lucky to have some masters of the art right here in New England, The Low Anthem have just released their new album Smart Flesh last week and are supporting the work with performances backing up Iron and Wine and another european tour. This musically adept band weaves a tapestry of haunting gospel tinged vocals with the most joyous lyrics. Originally a trio, they came back from their last tour a quartet and have yet to slow down..equally at home in a 300 seat church or onstage at Bonnaroo, this is a band that's on the verge of becoming huge.

There's killer stuff here, so spend a minute and check some of it out, see everyone tomorrow nite...

The Mclovins - Nectar's Burlington Vt, 2/19/11

2011-03-02T20:55:00.004-05:00

RELIX.com has my review of The McLovins at Nectars in Burlington Vt up on Jambands.com, give it a click, I'd love to send them some traffic.

A primer on downloading from Archive.org

2011-02-27T21:51:00.018-05:00

Now I'm sure this is redundant for many of you, but in case you just hopped on the bus and you were wondering exactly how you could download any of the dozens of free soundboard recording by the band, here's the lowdown on one of the greatest resources on the internet, Archive.Org.

First things first; you google Archive.Org, open up the home page and you see this:

You select Live music Archive from the drop down menu, and put "mclovins" in the search box and the show list will open up for you.

On the right sidebar you'll have a number of search options, choosing to search "date added" assures you you'll get the newest shows as soon as they're posted on the site.

Opening any show and you'll see on the left side bar, the options for either streaming the show through your media player or downloading the show in .mp3 format or flac for conversion and then burning to a cd using Nero or any burning software.

Streaming is like it says, the show will play in order, by file name through your media player.

We'll deal with flac which is a lossless format first. Clicking on the VBR zip, you can download the entire show in flac format. This is a lossless format which has to be converted to a wav file so that is may be burned to a disc. This is the highest quality audio, and the choice of archivists.

When you download your flac files, you now have to convert them to the wav format for burning. Out of all the different decoders available, I love Traders Little Helper, a free app which allows you to convert any audio format to almost any other format. For lossless flac or shn files, this really is the best choice. They allow you to save the converted files in the same folder as your lossless files, so again, the choice for archivists.

If you have no interest in converting the files and you're just looking for the .mp3 files, the easiest way I've found is download the files directly from the http list.

You create and rename a folder wherever you want to keep the files, and then you download each mp3 file individually to that folder.

It's easy as pie, you can download the newest show in minutes, burn a disc, or make a compilation if you'd like. These show recordings are approved by the band and they're taped by a dedicated group who get nothing more than the occasional thanks for their hard work. So lets thank the tapers who first latched onto the band, Keith A., and Taper John. Dave Malloy was next on board and still tapes when he can though the torch is now carried by Greg who is the bands primary taper. The majority of McLovins recordings are SBD matrix utilizing a board feed and auxiliary microphones. It's easy to get spoiled with such an embarrassment of riches, so download your ass off, burn and give away some discs to people you think will dig the band and share the wealth of free shows we all have access to.

The Legacy of Jim Cypher...

2011-02-18T12:08:00.008-05:00

The McLovins family, and it truly is a family, lost one of it's own earlier today with the passing of Jim Cypher. Jim was an unfailing supporter of The McLovins, always willing to discuss the band and their music. His joy at this music, his photography and his love of literature touched everyone he shared it with, while his wisdom and patience were virtues well worth emulating.

I first met Jim in passing at the McLovins show last May at Infinity Hall. My wife and I were eating dinner before the show in the bistro, and he was seated at the table next to us. Right away I got the buzz that he was there for the show and could see he was so excited to see the band. We were formerly introduced at the Bearsville show when the band opened up for Max Creek and in fact, Jim had a spare ticket for the show and gave it away to another fan. That was just another example of his generous soul. Other shows followed; Gengras Motors in East Hartford and Brooklyn Bowl with Tom Marshall.

The Brooklyn Bowl show was the last time I saw Jim, though we stayed in touch via Facebook and e-mail. Jim had started mentoring Krista in the art of photography, and he had e-mailed me the other day following a blog post were I utilized some of Krista's photos.. he was as proud as he could be of his students work and her growth as an artist. So his passing leaves us with an empty space, a void that will inevitably fill in with other distractions, however, the loss will remain. He was a gregarious and witty man, sharp as a tack, drinking in all that life had to offer and making wise use of the time he had.. I would think that we could all only hope to do as well. Goodbye Jim.

"Just one thing I ask of you, just one thing for me...

Please forget you knew my name, my darling..Sugaree"

Nectars 2/19/11, come on up..

2011-02-18T07:54:00.005-05:00

Next up on the docket is Nectars on Saturday. Last summer the band was up there and Grace Potter and The Nocturnals showed up to watch the second set, on the visit before that, Page McConnell paid a visit to check out the band.

Now Nectars is running a contest here on their Facebook page for a free pair of tickets to tomorrow night's show, congratulations to McLovinette Eve W for winning last night's set.

So however you can manage it, try and come on up for this sure to be epic throwdown. This venue is just dripping with jam-band history and you should be on hand to help make some more. The band will have limited edition copies of the poster above available at the venue, these numbered prints are screened onto a vitage green rag paper and are gorgeous.

A pair, working on three of a kind..

2011-02-09T18:32:00.007-05:00

If we use a hockey metaphor, than it’s a hat trick and if we were talking bowling it would have been a turkey. However, we’re talking about the first 3 McLovins shows of 2011, as remarkable a 3 show set as the band has ever played. All 3 were sellouts, pushing the capacity of each venue, and each was an individual in tenor and tone.

Black-eyed Sally’s was the dark horse of the three, a homecoming and a return to touring after a 3 week winter layoff. Black-eyed Sallys and The Main Pub have become the two Hartford area home courts for The Mclovins and the familiar confines of BES seems to bring out the best in the band. The noted blues club pulls out all the stops when The McLovns come in to play and slowly but surely the venue filled to capacity as the band prepared to plow their way through a torrid 2 set show. This was to be a night of stretching and pushing, almost a warm up, as the band pushed themselves, testing if you will after their short sabbatical. Tetop into Milktoast Man kicked things off, clean and strong, setting a dreamy vibe for the night. First set standouts included the remarkable Jam->Caravan that the band have been perfecting since late summer, the continued evolution of Cohesive, and the Purple Treeprise without the customary Rappers, though Jake managed to scat and rap his way through an lithe Shakedown Street to close the set out.

The second set started off with a funky Cissy Strut and through This Town and a tense and near-lethal Deep Monster Trance. The inclusion of Ghost is a savvy move, giving the crowd another Phish cover without having to pull YEM out of the bag. Old school ruled the second half of the set as Virtual Circle, Guillotine Machine and Conundrum unspooled. Killing Time as an encore brought another pyrotechnic flourish from the band, an exclamation point on the end of another solid show.

Not a sign of creakiness or rust showed through as the band was on top of their game, bringing another balanced attack. I did note that Jason has a bit of a different tone, his sound knifing through the mix a bit more, punchier and crisper than he had been playing, pure power not distortion.

One week later and it was Northampton Ma as the McLovin army descended upon the bucolic winter calm of the Pioneer Valley. Pre-sale buzz was on their side and there was a definite crackle in the air as the chilly crowd filed into the classic Iron Horse Music Hall. This was the band’s first trip to this legendary music town as Northampton counts Pearl Street, The Iron Horse and The Calvin Theater among its many music venues, with a lineage of supporting live music stretching back decades. This was to be one of those special nights as the guys were preparing to play before a crowd that was perceptive and receptive. A crowd that was familiar with musical dynamics, familiar with the band’s repertoire and a crowd willing to follow wherever the band chose to lead.

Leisurely, the band walked up the steps from the downstairs green room, wide grins on their faces as they took to the stage; and then it was game on. A mammoth Jam->Caravan opened the set on a frantic note and expansive renditions of Tokyo Tea and Cohesive, each pushing 10 minutes in length; carried the crowd along. Milktoast Man allowed a bit of a chilldown before the second half of the song ratcheted things back up again. Killing Time was a monster as a near 20 minute YEM and Guillotine Machine brought the curtain down on the first set. An overview of the set shows Cohesive as the most notable song of the set as it continues to morph. This night it was bouncy and bright, tense but smooth, delivering a powerhouse funk sucker punch, easily the “it” song of the first set.

The second set opened with BeadHead Crystal Bugger and from there on it was take no prisoners as Deep Monster Trance and a near epic Purple Trees->Rappers led into a strident YYZ and then Break on Through. The set cooled down a tad with Conundrum though Hell Yeah closed things out in fine style. The band came back to play a most severe Virtual Circle. Looking back I'm drawn to the Purple Delight as the real moment of the second set, a near heroic effort clocking in at a staggering 18 minutes. This was probably the most intense version of this song that I have ever heard.

Similarities with the BES show abound, near-flawless technique, controlled use of power as they never let things get away from them, the band playing on an interpretive next level; always aware and always listening. Watching this band is exhausting as they weave and bob, each next step as assured and confident as the last. Jeff and Jason were continuously touching base with each other, watching each other’s fingers, Jake debasing his kit, urging this ponderous beast forward, further and further. These two shows set the table for what was to come at Cambridge, as The McLovins were joined by Otis Grove for a night at The Middle East Upstairs, promoted by The Nateva Music and Camping Festival.

The Iron Horse recording is here, try and listen to it just once, it's that good.

The Daily Collegian - "McLovins stampede the Ironhorse"

2011-01-31T08:01:00.005-05:00

Leslie Rosenfield interviewed the band over burritos Saturday night prior to the IronHorse show. Check out her very nice review of the bands first trip to Norhampton.

Next up, Northampton!

2011-01-26T13:55:00.007-05:00

Next up this Saturday, Jan 29th is The Iron Horse Music Hall in rustic Northampton, MA. The show time is 10:00 pm and tickets are available in advance from the IHEG box office. There is a nice write-up on the band at the Iron Horse blog, so let's really get out and show our colors to support the band as they return to Central Mass for the first time since Wormtown.

It's a snow day...

2011-01-12T11:12:00.004-05:00

It's days like today that really make you appreciate spring and summer in Connecticut. So just remember 67 days until Spring, and only 10 days until The Mclovins @ Black-eyed Sally's.

11 Artists to watch in 2011

2011-01-03T08:33:00.012-05:00

ELMORE is a music periodical that casts a wide net over american music, though they try to focus on americana, roots, jam and swing. The current issue features an artticle written by Melissa Caruso, Mike Greenblatt, Gene Knapp, John Kuroski and Tyler Zang on 11 bands that you should watch out for in 2011. The Mclovins place #6 on the list, and the editors of ELMORE have provided a digital version of the issue for you to peruse at your leisure, though you should try to go out an grab a copy of the magazine, you know, for autographs and such. This is just another sign of the buzz of this band, a reinforcing shot on the recognition that they are getting. The flight path that the band is on right now is steep, it's only the first week of the new year and things are happenning, so strap in ...it's going to be a helluva ride.

digital version available here

come on down to Stage One....

2010-12-13T21:20:00.006-05:00

Saturday Night the McLovins are pulling into Fairfield for a show at the Fairfield Theater Company's Stage One. They are playing at the ultimate fan-friendly venue, where the crowd can get up-close and personal with the band.

At Stage One, the hall is set up with the stage in a half-round format, with right and left house seating as well as in front seats. Their show is general admission and there's not a bad seat in the house.

***The Doors open at 7:00 pm!!

So let's go over the basics, it's a general admission show, get in line early, sit up close. $12 bucks advance, it's an Saturday all-ages show, it's the first show in 3 weeks for the band and it's The McLovins!!! What else can I say, this is going to be a shred-fest, jam-tastic dance party. Hop on-line and print yourself some tickets,.. come on down and join together with the band...

Picking up the spare....

2010-12-08T20:48:00.010-05:00

You may wonder who had more to gain from the recent team-up of Tom Marshall and Ant Krizan with The McLovins. Marshall and Krizan had just finished off collaborating with The Mclovins on their new single “COHESIVE”, and the live premiere of the song was at hand. The McLovins had played The Bowl a few months earlier but this show was another in a series of increasingly bigger performances since the die was cast earlier this summer where their show had vaulted them to another level. With “Cohesive” the band was now on everyone’s radar, and breaking out of the underserved reputation of being a Phish cover band. Phish phans are a saavy lot; Tom Marshall and Ant Krizan were taking a bit of a chance by hooking up with The Mclovins, though “Cohesive” probably put any thoughts of nepotism in the rear-view as this song is a true meeting of music and lyrics. I lingered a bit backstage before the show, knowing the show would be electric and I was convinced that the live meeting of these artists was going to be like capturing lightning in a bottle... The sound check came off without a hitch, with the focus placed on Wading in The Velvet Sea and Farmhouse, both the band and Tom feeling each other out a bit as the doors were opened. A small group of phans showed up early to catch a bit of the check and Tom had a wry smile and a gleam in his eye as he told me people were texting the sound check list, the word was out in the Phish community.

The house was buzzing and had filled up nicely by the time The McLovins bounced onstage, resplendent in their Ink Design Studios personalized bowling shirts. Deep Monster Trance slowly unwound, an ever widening gyre writhing and moaning. This is a perfect opener, sultry and breezy; slightly frenetic, setting the tone for a high intensity first set... The band slides into a jazzier mode and delivers This Town; Jake’s vocals are focal point of this tune though the whole band is loose and nimble; completely on the same page. Purple Trees follows, with Jeff handling most of the heavy lifting on this, Jason thundering along in step. The song morphs into Rappers Delight as Jason kicks it into gear, but instead of moving on, the song ends without the now customary Tweezer Reprise. I mark an asterisk next to this one, as there was no TreeDeTwee today. A surprising first set Tokyo Tea pounds away as this raucous dance party continues. Jeff helps fan the flames of an already incendiary set with a jaw-dropping solo.

Their unique take on Shakedown Street doesn’t allow the crowd to catch their breath as Jason and Jake trade vocals on this Grateful Dead cover, while they quickly convert this stolid jammer into an example of Shredding 101. Conundrum is another older song seeing a renewed life in recent weeks, a 6 minute roller-coaster ride of technique and style showcasing much of what this band has to offer. Tetop is the set-closer, a new song showcasing much of the bands strength in structure and lyricism, whetting the crowd’s appetite for the upcoming guest performances.

Rather than take a set break, Tom and Anthony are welcomed onstage, and even though they had worked with the band on the single, today was the first time the two of them had seen the band perform live. The next 20 minutes were pure magic. They sound as if they’d always been playing together; Wading in the Velvet Sea is first, the contrasting Harmony of Tom and Jake was just a joy. Farmhouse lopes along with the tempo a tad quicker than the original, the harmonies again ringing true, the guitars meshing sublimely, creating a slow and cool groove. Cohesive is a standout, this is the first time out for this song and they drive it like it’s stolen! Anthony stalks across the stage, setting up facing Jeff and they trade leads and rhythm as the song just rocks. Tom thanks the crowd and the McLovins and leaves the stage, the smile on his face is mirrored by the smiles of the audience, they’ve been part of something special, and it’s not over yet.

Anthony stays onstage and they start in on the opening strains of Caravan. Since the Red Square show in October, Caravan has become a vehicle for some amazing improvisation and jamming. I really can’t describe how awesome it was to see the guys and Anthony interacting, they were jamming and playing off each other, having a blast. Cissy Strut is another classic cover and again, Jeff and Anthony just tore it up while Jason held rock solid. Anthony left the stage at this point, and the band ripped through Virtual Circle, YYZ and Beadhead Crystal Bugger to close out the set. The guys and Anthony came back out to the delight of the crowd and just demolished a cover of Free Bird, tearing through a series of plateaus and giving the audience just what they came for.

This show had everything going for it, high energy playing, gorgeously languid vocal runs, double guitar pyrotechnics, this was the complete package. This was a professional show all the way, 5 great musicians getting together and created some amazing moments that the audience and I won’t soon forget. Greg got an amazing recording of this event, it’s up on the archive, and you should grab it.

I’d like to personally thank Dana Lynne for letting me use her photos that go along with this post. She’s a dedicated Mclovins fan, I first noticed her shooting back at the New Vizion studio show, and she’s become a regular fixture at Mclovins shows. She has 5 pages of pictures from this Brooklyn Bowl show up at her flick’r, follow the link and check out her amazing work.

Check out Dana Lynne's Flick'r

Pre-Sale for Main Pub tickets..

2010-11-23T11:45:00.006-05:00

The Main Pub has just opened up the Pre-Sale for tickets to Saturday night's McLovin's show. The band is coming off a tour-de-force performance with Tom Marshall and Ant Krizan at Brooklyb Bowl last weekend, so make sure you get your tickets to see the Connecticut premiere of their new single "Cohesive"!

Click for Pre-Sale information

TIme to feel Cohesive!!

2010-11-21T06:16:00.004-05:00

Today's the day, Tom Marshall and Ant Krizan join The McLovins today at Brooklyn Bowl. Tom and Anthony will be joining the band in performing the World Premiere of their new song COHESIVE, as well as some other classics. This is a free show, doors open at 12:00 Noon, the show kicks off at 1:00.

If you can't make it to the show, there's a Ustream running through the Brooklyn Bowl channel, so you can still watch the show and participate in the chat, Couch Tour 2010 continues to roll on... try to feel Cohesive...

This one will be a game changer...

2010-11-17T18:46:00.007-05:00

Unless you've been locked in a Bridgeport ballot box for the past month, you should be aware that The Mclovins are playing this Sunday afternoon at Brooklyn Bowl with Tom Marshall and Anthony Krizan. This is a special Free All Ages show, doors open at noon and the show kicks off at 1:00 pm.

Ink Design Studios designed the show poster, and also designed the COHESIVE t-shirts, which coincidentally, is available at The McLovins website.

AJ Masthay designed a special limited edition poster to commemorate the event, and this too is available at The McLovins website.

5 color linoleum block print
Signed/Numbered limited edition of 80
Canson Edition antique white paper stock

This is the third print that AJ has done for The McLovins, check out his site for tons of his show posters, he's among the best artists on the jam band scene, and his pieces are truly works of art and love. So you owe it to yourself to get down to this show, you can drive in, Sunday traffic isn't too terrible, or if you're coming from Connecticut, you can catch a train anywhere on the I-95 corridor into Grand Central Station, and catch the Subway to the venue. Google has fantastic in-city directions utilizing public transportation, so there's no reason not to try and get down there, you'll kick yourself if you miss this one.

This is the week...

2010-10-27T08:51:00.007-04:00

So a lot of big doin's this week, The biggest is The McLovins playing with The Groove Smugglers at Infinity Hall on Saturday night. Tiickets to this are sure to sell-out, and there are limited seats still available.

see Infinity Hall for ticket details

Pete "Phanart" Mason is doing pre-orders for his new book edited with Taraleigh Weathers, PhanFood: From the Kitchen Pot to the Parking Lot. This is a recipe book focusing on the myriad gastronomic creations you're likely and not so likely to find on lot. This is a follow-up to Mason's PhanArt: The Art of the Fans of Phish. They are accepting pre-orders for the bok and a launch party is planned for December 11th at Nectar's in Burlington Vermont, featuring music by Dopapod. All net profits from PhanFood will be donated to local food banks and food charities. This is an awesome cause and you will get some fantastic ideas and recipes for your next tail-gate party. There's a link to the Phanart page over to the right, stop by and check out what Pete's doing..

After a 3 week break, looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday night, come in costume if you can and come ready to jam, it's gonna be a smoker!

Red Square 10/09/10 Albany, NY

2010-10-17T21:15:00.009-04:00

While driving through western Massachusetts on my way up to Albany, the changing leaves provided a stark witness to the end of summer and the onset of the fall. The time of harvesting is here, and all the hard work and effort of the spring and summer has paid off, with the band’s audience savoring the benefits of the fall’s bounty. So far October is shaping up as a water-shed month, the release of the Cohesive collaboration, their first return to Albany since May and the upcoming Infinity Hall Halloween extravaganza are all reasons to be excited this month.

I got to the venue a bit early, and had a chance to spend some time with local Albany promoter Greg Bell. Bell has been promoting shows in the Capital Region for the past dozen years and has been working with The McLovins for the past two years. He was the promoter of shows at the now-closed Revolution Hall in Troy, and currently holds shows at Jillians, Northern Lights and Red Square in Albany. The last time the band performed in a Bell show was the Revolution Hall closing show featuring 7 Walkers back in May. Greg has always done a good job of pairing the band up with some very solid musical performers, and tonight’s match-up with Consider The Source would prove to be another winning combo. The band last played Red Square last October on a shared-bill with Jimkata, Dr. Jay and The Love Prophets, and had a nice turnout. This time around it’s a longer opening set in support of Consider The Source, and a great turnout is expected.

Consider The Source are ready to embark on a tour of Israel and Turkey and had chosen to record a tour promotional video at Red Square. They run through their soundcheck and then enlist Carol, the McLovin’s manager, to step behind the camera for them. They get 2 solid takes of their performance, and then it’s time for The Mclovins to soundcheck. The band runs through a truncated version of Milktoast Man and This Town and after some treble tweaking, the sound is all set.

The band mingle a bit with some fans as the bar starts to fill up, a constant stream of fans file up to the band and get in a bit of talk and chatter before the show, a nice turnout for McLovination, with Phanart, Aimee and Scott, Jeanette and Dan Bennett showing up for the show. The band turned in an exceptional set, the fact that they were opening for a band that they had so much respect for probably had a bit to do with it, but they’re on cruise control right now, taking in all the energy and excitement thrown at them and channeling it right back out in their music. I can’t remember a false step or a miscue in the past couple months, they’ve been that steady.

There’s a couple weeks off now, the next show is their Halloween Celebration at Infinity Hall on October 30, the Groove Smugglers are the openers.

Greg’s back and got an amazing recording of the show, special thanks to Ed Guidry (tufflitestudios@yahoo.com) for providing the feed from his on stage Neuman u89i microphones, it helped give the set such a full sound.

download here

You need to feel Cohesive

2010-10-06T13:04:00.012-04:00

Cohesive is the first collaboration between Tom Marshall, Anthony Krizan and The Mclovins. It's both a fresh sound and a masterful reminder of the Jam band heroes of our time.. When the dark invades your mood, you need to feel Cohesive...

Available on:

You can view exclusive making of "Cohesive" video at Relix.com

Summer sun, something's begun, but uh-oh those summer nights

2010-09-27T22:05:00.003-04:00

Part 4

The next month features a show a weekend, wrapping up the summer and plowing straight into the last festival of the summer. The Kate is a gorgeous theatre, renovated in the past few years and now a world class music and performance venue. I throw the word special around a lot, but it’s an apt adjective in this case. The Kate was a special show, the band has never failed to surprise me with their level of naïveté and by the same token their guile, they remain keenly aware of the circumstances they find themselves in and still manage to drink in the entirety of the experience. They exhibit a strange brand of wisdom blended with a joi de vivre that you can’t help but find intoxicating. The crowd feels it, their excitement and joy for the band reflected right back to them twofold, the guys giving as they receive. The audience that night contained a fine representation of McLovination, Dave and Elizabeth Bayne, Krista and Paris, Dave Malloy, Dan O and Eve, Dan Tyler and some new southern Connecticut fans helped bring out the best in the band and another wildly improvisational performance was the result.

The next weekend was the Open House at Gengras Harley Davidson and The Mclovins were tapped to provide the afternoon’s entertainment. John Dailey and Dave Malloy both showed up to tape the show, it dad been a few gigs since I’d seen John and his presence has been missed. Jim Cypher also showed up, a gentleman and a scholar who took some amazing pictures of the day’s events. Summer stalwarts Paris and Krista and The 2 Dans and Eve made their customary appearances. Joe Neckbone and Tom Bavarro with his kids in tow made the show. The band turned in a concise and precise set peppering a few returning “Conundrum” songs in to the mix and giving the crowd just what they wanted. If you listen to the recordings you can hear the motorcycles zipping in and out all afternoon.

And now for something completely different; David Malloy is one of the rock-solid fans; I first met him at the Phish Pre-show last summer, and was instantly struck by his easy-going demeanor and musical acumen. David was in charge of handling the music for this year’s Haddam Neck Fair, and he chose to book the McLovins for a Sunday afternoon Labor Day weekend gig. They opened for Aztec Two-Step, and played to an energetic crowd of a couple hundred. This was an agricultural fair so the redolent smell of the harvest, along with roasted chicken and the slight hint of livestock filled the air. A wonderful turnout from the McLovin faithful, Dan O who sat in with the guys On Cissy Strut to start the second set; Wil Kablik, Joe Neckbone, Paris and Krista and dozens of new friends. The band was at ease during the performance, the setting was idyllic and they turned in a wonderfully languid show, lose and experimental, really stretching out and trying some new things. Now we had to wait 2 weeks for the final party of the summer, for next up was WORMTOWN!

Summer days driftin' away,

2010-09-21T22:54:00.006-04:00

Part 3

This is where the summer flies by at a manic pace, a blur really. I ended up after Vibes with a touch of pneumonia and was not at my best for a couple weeks. Granby In the Park at Salmon Brook Park was down the road about 2 miles from the house so the closest show of the summer by far. It was an amazing night of easy-ups and lawn chairs; ice cream and Frisbees. The troops were out in force for this one, Dan, Dan and Eve, Krista and Paris, Dancelovin and his crew, The Girl who Can’t Smell and a couple hundred others. Jeff put the whole night into perspective by saying, ‘In front of the stage, crazy dance party, out in the lawn….old lady picnic.” Wonderful set, a nice reprise of the “Land Down Under from Vibes and for everyone who stayed after the show, a piece of 2^nd birthday cake and some more special memories.

A week later and it’s a trip up to Mill Pond in Canton for another Jeff homecoming. The parks and recreation folk had said that these Thursday night concerts usually draw less than 50 people, but within a few minutes of the shows start, the crowd has easily grown to around 500. Another well attended show from the faithful followers, Kyle Mullins, who was instrumental in putting on the Canton High school concert was there, Mike Donagher from Vibes, Joe Neckbone, Tommy Bavarro, Sara from New York, Dancelovin, Krista and Paris and a cast of hundreds. The show saw The Groove Smugglers play twice with the band, the debut of “Whip It!” with the flower pot hats, and the live debut of “Good Catch” featuring the elusive Jeff Howard vocal. Greg h and Bryan did a fantastic job of manning the merch table for the late-arriving Deb Ott and another McLovins dance party works its way into the late summer darkness.

I missed the next weekend which was the whirlwind return to Burlington for back to back performances at the Maritime Festival and Nectar’s. Elizabeth and Dave Bayne represented the Connecticut ragers at the waterfront show. I did manage to catch the Nectar’s show streaming live on UStream, as I tried to moderate the chatroom from the comfort of my deathbed, the respiratory troubles still hanging on... Half-way through the second set, I could see the door behind the stage open and Grace Potter and The Nocturnals walked in, fresh from their performance at the Maritime Festival. Nectar’s has been very good to the guys and they always come bringing their “A” game.

So the next Friday it’s a day off from work as we trek back up the Mass pike to New York and hit the Bella Terra festival. Dan Bennett is cruising down the pike and we wave on the way by, on our way to an afternoon performance. There was a nice turnout, a quick set followed by some interview time and a meeting with Barefoot Truth. BT had played up at the Keene Solar Fest where this summer had started, and we tagged their amazing band trailer with the classic McLovins bumper sticker. The new purple skull stickers had just come in so one had to find its way onto their trailer. Barefoot Truth is one of the best bands that the guys have played with this summer, self-assured and professional, doing the work and getting it done.

We’ve winnowed the summer away, and are now down to just a handful of dates, and looks like summer is scheduled to end right on time.

Summer lovin' happened so fast..

2010-09-15T19:46:00.003-04:00

Part 2

Now where was I… oh yes, Post-Phish McLovins 2010. The next show on the docket was June 26^th at The Main Pub in Manchester, a warm-up for the following week’s performance at the inaugural Nateva Festival. The opening act Buzz Universe came up from New York to play pretty much on faith, the Mclovins chatter drawing them up to try and widen their base a bit. Main Pub is turning into the go-to local venue for the band, Keith runs this fantastic room located a bit west of Hartford and more of a sure-thing attendance wise than other local venues. Most of the old guard showed up, Bill Trzpit, Dave Malloy, and a few new pick-ups that would become summer regulars. Krista and Paris Labbe who caught the Phish-After show the week before, Nolan Dionne who only saw part of the show and Joe Neckbone; an internet regular finally seeing what it’s all about. This was a remarkable show, the band setting up in their now-standard configuration with Jason dead center. Everything the band had been exposed to the past few weeks, the Phish shows included; culminating in a barn-burning performance. The highlight of which was the debut of a Tweezer-Rerprise that shook the building as bottles were literally jumping off the shelves.

Nateva was the next weekend, Bryan and I trundled our way up north, picking Kayla up along the way and we pulled into Oxford, Me. around 11:00. I had to smile as I saw Krista and Paris a few cars ahead up as we were parking. We got into the festival grounds and caught up with the band, spent some time street-teaming and handing out bumper stickers and flyers during the Ryan Montbleau set and trying to draw just a few more moths to the McLovins flame. I managed to touch base with Justin Towle, a Maine fan of the guys who was catching his first show, and McLovins regular Dan Bennet, dancing and smiling every time I saw him. Pam Koslov was also working the festival; lavishing the band with attention and treating them like kings! Their now legendary show drew a crowd of over 2,000, many of them first-timers who couldn’t pass up the chance to see the guys play, and which I feel may have been the summer’s most perfect set, a 45 minute wonder climaxing with Tweezer Reprise; tapping into the zeitgeist of Phish’s summer of Tweeprise. As if that wasn’t a big enough day; the band visited backstage at the Main Stage, met Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, were invited to dance onstage in costume during the beginning of the first set and managed to spend the entire show onstage with the band!

The guys caught a breather for a couple weeks while Jeff and his family visited Israel and their next live show was a return to Main Pub for a steamy summer afternoon Anniversary block party. The guys played after The Brothers McCann, who also played when the Mclovins visited StrangeCreek the beginning of the summer. This was another smoking set; no cobwebs from the nearly 2 week layoff were visible, with tons of the Mclovins family present. Mike McCoy, Bill Clifford, Dan and Eve, Tim and Dan Tyler, Krista and Paris, Kayla, Bryan, Ryan Holowesko and Bill T all showed up and helped to make this a very special show. Keith again was super-supportive of the band, gave them a great slot to play and overall just continues to provide so many opportunities for the band to shine.

Vibes… what can you really say, it was massive and it was awesome, we were 2,000 strong and we marched. We were all there in that moment, one heart one soul…and just wait until next year; we’ve just scratched the surface.

And the summer still isn’t over, there’s a bit more to come……

Summer lovin' had me a blast..

2010-09-04T16:59:00.006-04:00

Part 1

Labor Day comes along right on schedule, and it’s re-appearance means that it’s the un-official end of summer.. another summer of The McLovins. Indulge an old man a bit as I stumble backward through the dusty halls of my short-term memory to recap this summer that was.

The summer began for me a little early this year with a late April show up @ Keene State at the Solar-Fest. Back at the scene of the crime as it was, the November show in Keene was the initial push to cultivate a college fanbase and the reception the band received on their return in April was amazing. This show followed the spring recording sessions that would soon become the “Good Catch” album and this performance saw the debut of the “facemelt” shirt and limited WaterWheel poster. We met super-fan Nipper Jellie, hooked up with Keene State friends George Barber, Ian Galipeau and the band shared the bill with Barefoot Truth, a great bunch of guys.

The McLovins debut @ Infinity Hall came next on May 7th, and the fans made this venerable old hall a sell-out. The Groove Smugglers played a set and sat in with the band on the debut of Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”. Dan Ogrodnik, Dan Tyler and Mike Lamanga turned in an awesome set, Eve Windebank created an amazing poster for this show, and her limited edition print was a pre-sale premium. Will and Win from the Barn Show made their way down the hill to rage a bit, this was Jim Cypher’s first show and a ton of friends and relatives of the band packed the show as walls just shook.

A week later and it’s up to the bucolic village of Woodstock NY and a performance opening for Max Creek at the Bearsville Theater. The band had traveled earlier in the week up to WDST to record some promos for the new album and to promote their upcoming Mountain Jam performance, and the energy was high for this show. I formally met Jim Cypher, and managed to drag my brother-in-law to the gig (he still thanks me for this), and I met Drew Frankel, WDST dj and a big fan and tireless promoter of The McLovins. Also in attendance was Lori Ann Christina who writes for Coventry Blog and I couldn’t help but smile as she fell under the band’s spell.

May 27th and its back up to Troy New York and the last rock show at Revolution hall presented by Albany based Uber-Promoter Greg Bell. 7 Walkers headlined and were very nice to the guys with Bill Kreutzman and George Porter Jr in particular taken with the energy and professionalism of The McLovins. Jeanette Olsen, Phanart Pete Mason and I think Brock R showed up, all of the Albany crowd who’ve been super-supportive of the band. Scott Decker managed to come down with his daughters and say hi.

Two days later and its up to the wilds of western Massachusetts for StrangeCreek at Camp Keewanee. A surprise jam in the kid’s tent on Saturday afternoon leads to a packed main stage performance on Sunday. The first festival of the summer brings some nice surprises, a Consider The Source performance out in the woods, Jeff Pevar catching part of Saturday and Sunday’s set, and the die is cast for the summer festivals to follow.

The next weekend brought Mountain Jam and it was an interesting beast, a jam festival on the grounds of a gorgeous ski resort. Dodging rainclouds all weekend, the band played before a crowd of about 400 on the Colonels Hall stage, a couple big bust-outs and Jeff Howard hopping on top of a stage case were the highlights of the set. Got to hook up with Brandon Bosserman and Jen Fureman, Dan Bennet was prowling the crowd and I also finally met Pam Koslov who was so kind and attentive to the boys during their Gathering Of The Vibes show last summer. Jeanette Olsen showed up and did yeoman’s work, again helping during the frantic merch table crush after the set.

A week later and The McLovins perform a benefit concert at Canton High School, Jeff’s alma mater. Kyle Mullins helped set up the show, they had a nice hard-core audience, Dan Bennet was there, he’s getting to be a familiar sight on these McLovins weekends.

The next 2 weeks were pivotal for the band as a confluence of events, the Phish tour storming through the northeast, and some old fashioned band team building, set the stage for the direction their music would take the rest of the summer. Phish came into Hartford for a Thursday and Friday night show as The Mclovins played an after-show at Black Eyed Sally’s on the 17th and Jeff caught the Friday night Phish show. The band then played a show at Sullivan Hall in NYC on the Saturday the 19th and Jason, Jake and Jeff caught Phish down at Camden NJ the next week. The BES show was a bit under-attended, the mid-week slot and the length of the Phish show both contributed to the turnout. The band soldiered on, playing their hearts out for the people that were there and turned in a very loose and improvisational show. The Sullivan Hall show was a showcase for some NYC music students and there wasn’t a large contingent of McLovins fans there but again the band put on a solid performance in these less than ideal conditions. The biggest impact of this week and a half had to be the trip down to Camden. Not only did the band get to experience some amazing music as a group, but they also got to spend some time with Cecil and Tom Marshall. In the weeks to come, the influence of this Phishiest of experiences starts to permeate their live performances.

Three hearts, three minds, one vision....

2010-08-23T22:54:00.009-04:00

Last night at The Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, The McLovins played without a doubt their best show of the year; perhaps their best ever. The evening began innocuously enough with an easy hour-long drive down the sleep seaside town of Old Saybrook. The Kate is a 1908 Town Hall converted into a state-of-the art performing arts center and is now a premier shoreline music hall. The aural balance of the hall is fantastic and the band tore through a couple runs of Tokyo Tea as a soundcheck to set the levels and at a bit after 8:00, the fun started.

Conundrum was up first and was a fairly conservative choice, akin to dipping a toe into a freshly drawn bath. . Conundrum, the title song to their debut album, is most representative of the musical range the band is capable of playing, a bouncy jam instrumental with a ton of swing and some solid shred. This Town followed, and offered a nice little exploratory jam toward the end of the song but again was a fairly moderate offering, but apparently the first two songs were just the prelude to the mayhem that was on the wind.

The band had set up in their alternate stage configuration, with Jeff and Jake stage right and left and Jason smack dab in the middle. Deep Monster Trance is a forceful example of the power of this stage structure and what this band can do they’re on top of their game. DNT this night was a primordial beast jam, Jeff and Jason hunching over and squaring off against each other, with Jake powering forward, the trio locked in a striking symbiosis, as the leads and rhythms blurred throughout the song. Something special was happening onstage and everyone there was a witness. With wide grins the band dove straight into Cissy Strut and within a minute the jam was again in full force, Jason led the charge last night, casting a strong funk groove that really set the tone for the entire night. A monstrous bass solo cut through the din and Jeff coaxed some stunning boppy swing leads as the song drew to a close. Purple Trees was up, but not it’s recent form as an intro to the Purple Trees->Rapper’s Delight-.Tweeprise that has become a show staple. This time Purple Trees was it’s own entity, and twice during the song the transition into Rapper’s was waved off, as the band completely deconstructed the song and then throwing it back onto the tracks it had careened off. Jason and Jeff traded leads throughout with Jeff pulling back to let Jason thunder and then Jason anchoring Jeff’s soaring leads. This song was a behemoth, and with the run of Deep Monster Trance, Cissy Strut and Purple trees, the band had turned in one of their best sets of jams ever. Watchin’ The detectives was a nice cool down, the band, still a little dazed by what was happening on stage, gave the audience a nice re-entry and the set break was nigh and the best was yet to come.

The second set hit the ground running right from the start as the intro to Tokyo Tea spills through the theater. The energy and improvisational tone of the first set was in full effect as the song stretches into a jamming opus as Jeff runs through a series of Star Wars teases. Milktoast Man is a laconic and deliberately paced tune, but since the Main Pub show in July, the song has become a vehicle of intense exploration. Tonight was no exception, Jason stolid in the center, constantly flicking back and forth between Jake and Jeff, guiding the jams along, leaving Jake and Jeff ample freedom to probe and push. Signature and tempo changed rapidly while Jeff and Jason alternated leads, the groove again assuming a deep funk bent as the tune slowly made its way back around to the original tempo. Shakedown Street is one of the band’s earliest covers, and this night it quickly evolved into a smooth funk dance jam.

The last 3 songs of the set are just stunning examples of how far this band has come, and a glimpse of what’s still to come. . Virtual Circle was just a sprawling work, a raucous and fevered performance, just when you thought things were unraveling, the song tightens and spins back down into its core jam. This went on several times during the song before the climax. Jake was taken back a bit and was obviously moved by their performance. Caravan was a last minute fill-in for Killing Time and this was the Caravan of Nectar’s; a laconic, swampy version, Jake playing two-thirds tempo, Jason running triplets, and Jeff dredging up the dirtiest, snaky riffs I’ve ever heard him play. Beadhead Crystal Bugger was just a staggering piece; I can’t do justice to the level of musicianship displayed during this segment. You have to listen to the recording yourself and realize that this was 3 songs each a staggering improvisational work and each one more intense than the song before. The crowd called for an encore and as soon as Jason lowered the mic so Jeff could get his vocal in, I knew what was coming. Good Catch was a delight, a cherry on top of the sundae and a fitting end to an amazing night. This was a moving night, the last big summer show before school starts, and it was a night I’ll always remember.

A quick one while he's away...

2010-08-21T11:02:00.005-04:00

Fantastic show yesterday at the Bella Terra Festival up in Stephenstown, NY. The festival was held on the grounds of Garner Farm, in a section that I believe was a horse field with a sprawling lawn with a placid pond and nearby herds of cattle. The and turned in a forceful and focused 65 minute set hitting all the right notes and giving the crowd just what they wanted. The boys were also able to catch up with Barefoot Truth, their show mates from last spring's Keene State Solar Fest.

Bella Terra Festival

Virtual Circle, Milktoast Man, Tokyo Tea, Ghost, 20 In A 35,

Guillotine Machine,

Deep Monster Trance

Tonight is another local Connecticut show as the guys are headlining at the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook Ct. Tickets will be still be available at the door if you're there early, the box office opends 1 hour prior to the performance and the doors open @ 7:30. it's a $17.00 ticket to a hall that holds 250, so this will be an intimate show with a heady atmosphere very similar to that of Infinity Hall.

Up next: The McLovins at Gengras Harley Davidson Fall Open House - Aug 28th

Hit the road..

2010-08-13T12:58:00.003-04:00

Last night's show in Canton was another smoker with a couple new covers, the Groove Smugglers and an old favorite making appearances in a set that for all intents in purposes had to have been made with me in mind! Today is a travel day as I head up to Maine and then wander over to Burlington Vt tomorrow night to catch up with the band at Nectars. As I write this the McLovins are preparing for an afternoon show today at the Burlington Maritime Festival. The festival's headlining acts are Govt. Mule tonight and tomorrow evening Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Saturday night's Nectars show is a Grace Potter After-Show so if you're in the area do yourself a favor and check it out. I'm so happy to be able to post this special video by Dan Ogrodnik. Dan along with Dan Tyler and Mike Lamagna are colleectively The Groove Smugglers, and have backed up the McLovins last May at their Infinity Hall show and were special guests durig last night's set.

The Sounds Of Summer..

2010-08-09T22:42:00.012-04:00

The Sounds of Summer have made their way up to the archive and here's a nice sampling of my favorite 5 recordings of the summer. I made this list based on the setlist, the performance and the recording, you may not agree with my choices, but these are all the cream of a very bountiful summer harvest.

StrangeCreek

(5) - Joe Bouchard (SmokinJoe) - MT The guys playing on a nice outdoor main stage, the day was a little windy but the recording is nice and full, very rich. A quickish set, only about 50 minutes and the perfect mix of shreddy and jammy.

Bearsville Theater

(4) - John Dailey (Taper John) - Matrix recording. Another show opening for Max Creek, seems to really bring out the best in the boys, a sprite little show, some very nice exploratory jamming, Jeff and Jason are attached at the hip on this one.

The Main Pub

(3) - Dave Malloy - Audience recording. Another of the shows that really set the stage for the McLovins sound of the summer. This is turning into a favored room for the guys to play, this night was a great mix of audience participation and setlist. The surprise of the night was the Tweezer Reprise which tied in so well with the Phish Double Tweeprise at Hartford the week before.

Salmon Brook Park

(2) - Dave Malloy - Matrix recording. A full and beefy sound from this upside -down boat bandshell the standout aspectof this show comes from the recording quality and choice of cover songs.

Nateva

(1) - Greg Ott - Matrix recording. This is the real deal, the first song is audence only, but the rest of the show is gorgeous full blown matrix.. this short sharp shock to the system comes in at a lean and mean 45 minutes with the infamous killer Tweezer Reprise.

These are my choices, each one is a winner, and who knows, the best set of the year could be just around the corner and it probably is; lurking in the near future in all it's melt-tastic glory.

Happy, happy oh my friends

2010-08-05T08:36:00.006-04:00

The McLovins find themselves on a roll at the moment, coming off their largest crowd yet at Gathering Of The Vibes and celebrating their 2nd Anniversary as a band, their momentum is undeniable. I threw together a collage of their performance last weekend as a way to thank everyone who showed up to sing and dance and help spread the word of this amazing group of guys. Next up are a couple local shows before a return engagement to Burlington Vermont, to play next Friday 8/13 at the Maritime Festival and Saturday 8/14 at Nectar's. There's still half of summer left to go and plenty of chances to see the band live, no excuses.

click picture to McLovinize

and a quick aside, this is post #100, when I started this I thought I'd be hunting for stuff to post about, but thanks to the hard work and talent of the band, there's no lack of material to wrte about! Thanks for reading.

Under a Thunder Moon

2010-07-25T20:42:00.006-04:00

The McLovins have had very good full moon weekends stretching back to their first Boston show last fall and last night’s Thunder Moon fete at the Main Pub 30th Anniversary Block Party was to be no exception. Equal parts homecoming and coming of age celebration, the band played a 2 hour set that was a perfect snapshot of the band’s current trajectory with no sign of growing pains. Coming off a 3 week break that saw their NATEVA performance achieve a mythic status online and Jeff’s visit to Israel, the band showed no effects from the layover and seem to have picked up right where they left off.

Expectations were high going into last night’s set, this was a tune-up for next week’s Gathering of the Vibes and after the layoff this was the band’s first local show in a month. Local Boston band Brothers McCann commanded the outdoor stage when we arrived and their blend of funky pop had the Main Pub crowd bouncing. They play a mélange of roots pop with a funky edge, their addition of keyboards and saxophone add color and depth to the sound. The best line of the night came from McCann Brother Pat or Mike who said “Up next are The McLovins and you’ll feel like you’re standing over a grill because your face will be dripping!” So the show got under way only about an hour late but the music would be as hot as the day was.

Deep Monster Trance kicked off the night and from the start it was apparent that the 3 week hiatus hadn’t meant a thing. The band brought in an incredible amount of energy and focus, feeding off of the crowd and pouring the emotion back out through the music. The third song of the set was Purple Trees and that’s when for me the night just took off. Jeff had already displayed some insane flourishes, and Jason and Jake were right with him but this night Purple Trees was a standout. This is my favorite song off of Conundrum and lately has been the springboard to their version of Rapper’s Delight. The surprise was as the Rapper’s began to die off, Jeff and Jason pulled the trigger on the intro to Tweezer Reprise and the crowd went wild, this is such a powerful song and the trio just destroyed it. In another interesting move, they dropped smoothly into Sea Of Wisdom, a second song off of Conundrum that’s been missing from sets for some time. This was played note perfect, very punchy and full in keeping with the tone of this show. Sea of wisdom was a nice tempo change and a bit of a lull, and then Milktoast Man which has been a recent set chiller, this was also twisted a bit with a second half jam that had an intense and shreddy feel, very loose and unhinged until dropping quietly back into the Milktoast groove.

Summer in the City was an appropriate choice for a warm mid-summer block party. This was last played at Strangecreek, and this time out Jason had a new effects pedal which was given a workout. Jake’s vocals were outstanding this night and Jeff had the perfect guitar tone for this cover. Cissy Strut was another surprise and is always a fantastic jamming vehicle for the band, Guillotine Machine and then Tokyo Tea closed out this extremely high energy, rocking set.

The real strength of this show comes from both musicianship and their re-acquaintance with their catalog. I think the band right now is in a position where their segues and drop-ins are perfect, as a trio they are more flexible to move in and out of jams, completely leave the original song behind and then on the turn of a dime bounce right back in. The show really gave them a chance to stretch, try some new things, remember some old things and all the while have a great time. Lately their jamming has a harder and funkier edge; no mere noodling here, this is Type II jamming, weaving threads of Prog, Jazz and funk into a heady pastiche that is satisfying both musically and thematically. The band is primed and ready, bring on The Vibes.

Good Catch review in August issue of RELIX

2010-07-19T22:05:00.003-04:00

click pic to McLovinize

We're knee-deep in the run-up to Gathering Of The Vibes, but I'm just going to take a moment to mention a very nice review of GOOD CATCH which is coming up in the August issue of RELIX magazine. Amy Jacques wrote a great review, and has a solid handle on the band and the direction they're headed. Make sure you pick up a copy of this issue when it hits the stands, or better yet, subscribe so you can follow the future adventures of The McLovins and you know, I bet you can get the band to autograph a copy for you at a show.

RELIX Magazine

Basking in the after-glow.....

2010-07-11T14:03:00.027-04:00

needless to say, there's much more to come from Nateva...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast for a brief commercial message...

2010-07-09T10:36:00.006-04:00

Just a quick post to remind everyone that tickets are on sale for the McLovins August 21st show in Old Saybrook at the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. I got my tickets yesterday, The Kate is an intimate room that hold 250 so this will sell out. Get your tickets early so you're not shut out on this one, it's going to be great.

The Kate Box Office

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way

2010-07-05T14:36:00.011-04:00

Force is described as a push or a pull on an object. Force can also be due to phenomena such as magnetism, gravity, or anything else that might cause a mass to accelerate.

Shortly after setting up our campsite and tent, we set off for the shuttle that was to take us on to the venue, and that’s when I first heard it. “Mclovins!” someone shouted as we entered the bus and my daughter Kayla turned and smiled as we settled into our seats, hoping this was a harbinger of things to come. I try and wear Mclovins colors at all the away games, leaving no doubt as to whom I came to see, and this summer the “McLovins!” shout outs were growing in number. After a fairly thorough search at the gates, we strolled off to find the venue. The main stage was to the right side of the fairgrounds, dominating the scene with its wide spectator field and two flanking stages. The main lane leading into the scene was festooned with dozens of tents and vendor booths, resembling equal parts Country fair and Renaissance festival. After a bit of fumbling, we managed to find the Port City Music Hall Stage, a very large and spacious shed that looks to be used as a multi-purpose building for agricultural or 4-H events.

Grand Hotel was playing to a crowd of a couple hundred and after listening for a bit, we trudge on to catch up with the band. After wandering a while we caught up with The Mclovins and set out on further exploring the grounds. The shout-outs continued as the band took in the sights and sounds of this new festival, though the vibe was a bit different, and surprisingly there weren’t that many people around. Rustic Overtones was playing the main stage to a crowd of a couple thousand. The double stage set-up allows for a band to be loading in and setting up the stage while another act carries on with their own set, and the turn around time between shows is cut down to less than a half-hour. We spent a bit of time with the band on the main vendor area, stopping by to take pictures at the Gathering of the Vibes tent, and meeting up with many friends both old and new. Ryan Montbleau was taking the main stage and we managed to catch a good chunk of his set before setting off to PCMH Stage to watch the show.

The hall had cleared out from the previous band, and with the exception of a few tapers and the crew, we had the place to ourselves. Nateva had an excellent sound and lighting crew who quickly and efficiently had the guys set up and ready to go within 15 minutes. Now a small crowd had grown and they were about 5 or 6 deep at the front rail, but with about 10 minutes to go before the show a nice and steady stream of people flowed into the hall. The band took a quick minute to circle up and get their heads into the show before they took the stage to begin the show. Most festivals don’t have a traditional sound check, so after a minute or two of tuning, and with the room about half-full, Jake counted off the intro and the band broke into Bead Head Crystal Bugger. High energy and full of thick, syrupy bass and guitar leads, BHCB has quickly become a show staple, a potent and progressive stew spiced with just a touch of metallic flavor. The sound in the hall was full and powerful, Jason’s new bass amp just booming while Jeff’s typically pyrotechnic playing was in full effect. Playing a 45 minute set with the promise of an encore, the band tore through the performance.

Deep Monster Trance took on a booming tenor as Jake’s vocals soared and filled the room, the sound a siren call to all, as the audience quickly swelled while people continued to pour in. Tokyo Tea followed in DMT’s footsteps, an effervescent romp with a killer back-beat. This was the tipping point of the show, the hall was packed, you couldn’t squeeze anyone else in, the back VIP balcony wall was stuffed, and people were outside dancing and spinning. Milktoast Man is a nice chill number, but this usual set cool-down had little calming effect on the crowd who quickly started clapping along with the song. It’s striking how Jason and Jeff use tone and controlled power to such a great effect. The tempo doesn’t have to be racing for the song to drive; ‘the prudent application of force” that’s the McLovins sound in a nutshell for me. Jake and Jason trading lyrics, creating a soulful sound as Jeff conjures strains to envelope the crowd. Virtual Circle is the set closer, again raising the tempo and amping up the crowd, Jason and Jake just crushing the vocals as Jeff just shreds..a plain and simple application of force.

Having hurried the show along, an encore was certain, would they bust out YEM or would the call be for something else? The band stood grinning from ear to ear like a set of Cheshire cats as they knew what they would play, nodding furiously they again took their positions as the crowd worked itself into a frenzy, but you don’t need me to tell you what happened, Tweezer Reprise dropped and the place exploded.

50 minutes; sometimes that’s all it takes to create a buzz, maybe it’s all it takes to create something mythic. There must have been over 10,000 people at Nateva on Saturday, and it looks like the McLovins played to a crowd in excess of 1,300. This single performance set off a series of events that led to what happened Saturday night, and that, will be a tale for another time…

A funny thing happened on the way to Maine....

2010-07-04T22:35:00.006-04:00

The McLovins - Port City Music Hall, NATEVA - 7/03/10

Bead Head Crystal Bugger
Deep Monster Trance
Tokyo Tea
Milktoast Man
Virtual Circle

E: Tweezwer Reprise

Once again, things take a turn and the guys start down a long and winding road....

Won't you step into the freezer

2010-06-27T13:33:00.019-04:00

It’s a bit before 3:30 in the morning and I’m sitting here furiously typing notes about tonight’s show while the experience is still fresh in my head. Waking up in a few hours I’m sure I’ll be a bit more objective and hopefully better able to express myself more clearly. First impression though, they crushed this, this band came to play and had the floor shaking, and left the crowd drained and on their knees. I don’t know if it was the full moon, or seeing Phish in Camden during the week, but they brought everything they had and with a surgically precise strike they killed!

Working from a concisely drawn up set list, the band plowed their way through a 1 hour set followed by a 1-1/2 hour 2^nd. Jake handles the song selection, and always constructs the sets for maximum flow, the show having an organic feel as they move through a series of peaks and plateaus leading up to the final musical assault. They open up the set with a cover of Martha and the Vandella’s Dancing’ in the Streets, the classic summer paean to shaking’ your bones. This was played more along the lines of The Grateful Dead’s version rather than the Motown original. Slipping slowly in to Tokyo Tea the pyrotechnics started with Jeff just ripping leads and nimbly running up and down the neck. Virtual Circle kept up the high energy theme of the night, with an impressive series of tempo changes, while still retaining the song’s freight train velocity.

Milktoast Man is where the evening really crystallized for me. Set up in their current power trio configuration, Jake is playing from stage right, Jason in the center and Jeff is stage left. Jason and Jeff squared up for a series of complimentary runs, facing each other and leading Jason to rip the sickest bass solo, much to the delight of the crowd. Jake’s drum intro to Guillotine Machine has evolved into a full-blown drum solo, and is quickly followed by a dirty bass and guitar jam with Jason and Jeff again sparring with complimentary licks. Conundrum is one of my favorite songs off of their first album, and is so representative of the McLovins sound than anything off the first album Deep Monster Trance closed out the set with a slow bass groove, only to turn into an unchained beast as Jeff accentuates his leads by slowing down and speeding up again to catch the main groove, I’m pretty sure the song ended up clocking in at a bit under 15 minutes.

After a brief 20 minute set break, they break into Purple Trees, their anthemic crowd pleaser, once again Jason setting point and calling the thunderous transition into Rapper’s Delight. The crowd went nuts, bouncing and singing along, the band just reveling in the crowd reaction, easily drawing as much energy from the crowd as they give back. A smooth groove quickly follows as Jake breaks into Watchin’ The Detectives, a nice bit of a breath catcher following the set opener. 20 in a 35 is up next and has grown into a furious jam, pulling the band into a tightly wound powerhouse, just as the song starts spiraling out of control, Jake brought the beat back down and returned the train to the tracks. Bead Head Crystal Bugger is the band’s newest jamming vehicle, a potent progressive jam mechanism, with haunting leads and a rock solid rhythmic backbone. Again the energy in this show is insane; each song seems to rise to a higher level than the previous, a perilous ascent with short pauses before again scaling new heights. Jake calls out for a sing-along as Jeff and Jason dip into a laconic cover of Rocky Raccoon, setting the stage for an annihilating version of Killing Time. Jake offers a cautionary codicil to his introduction “there’s no explosions or anything” and wisely the crowd doesn’t believe him. This song is so epic in scale with an absolute deafening consummation.

Shakedown Street was called next, a traditional cover that has grown into a jumping off point for some very impressive second half jamming. Halfway through, the original tune is left far behind as the song is transformed into a bass and guitar jam showdown, before dipping gracefully back down into the groove. The set was winding down and I was expecting a forceful close. Jason moves up to the mic and I call Break On Through, though he had been suffering the effects of a chest cold, he seemed eager to attack the lead vocals. He broke out a smooth bass intro as Jeff slid in behind him with silky leads and Jason began to growl out the lyrics much to the delight of the enthralled crowd. I figured there would be a Phish closer and to my surprise it was Farmhouse. YEM is the traditional McLvoins Phish closer, a rollicking but technically demanding cover that doesn’t leave much room for musical exploration. Farmhouse was the cover choice at their Nectar’s show last spring and Jeff took the advantage this night to run a series of “No Woman No Cry” teases through this joyous sing-along. The band left the stage to cries of “One More! One More” were chanted by the crowd. Figuring Yem was next I watched as the band took the stage for the encore. Jason and Jeff talked for a bit and I saw Jake shaking his head as he waved off the first choice and after a quick minute they reached an agreement and it happened….

Jeff broke into the opening chords of Tweezer Reprise and the crowd went ballistic! I couldn’t believe this had been called. During the middle of Killing Time I made a note in my book to talk to Jeff about sticking a Tweezer Reprise jam in a future set, and here was the full song! Surely inspired by last week’s near legendary Tweeprise performances by Phish, the McLovins took this cover and made it their own, the whole bar was shaking, Jeff and Jason pogo-ing along with the crowd as Jake and the audience screamed out the lyrics. I really can’t explain how well this played out, it’s one of those see it to believe it moments.

Buzz Universe from Elizabeth New jersey came up to open last night's show for The McLovins. They are a 5 piece band comprised of Guitarist/vocalist Alex Garay, Drummer/Vocalist Dave Migliore, bassist/Vocalist Greg McLoughlin, Saxaphonist/Vocalist Brian Ciufo and Vocalist Rosie Lazroe. Buzz Universe is a energetic band with a sound I can only describe as folk/world/rock. They performed a sold 1 hour set, Garay's guitar work is very nimble and supple with a very nice sustain. Ciufo changed between sax and percussion all nights, with Mcloughlin and Migliore forging a solid rhythm base. The revelation of the band is the vocals with many of their songs featuring all 5 members in a nicely harmonic blend, Lazroe utilizes a nice punch vocal that pops right out of the mix. Set standouts included This Ol' Cowboy, Caballo Viejo and The Rock. I can't wait until they have a chance to play with The Mclovins again, perhaps next time a little closer to them.

The band opened their set with the original Another Way then covered Marshall Tucker's This Ol' Cowboy, then played Homer's Trio, All Of My Friends, Caballo Viejo before closing with The Rock.

This was such an epic show, not a false move was made as the guys were so confidant from the choice of songs to their musical swagger. The TweePrise was such a brilliant move, to be savvy enough to tap into the zeitgeist surrounding that song right now made this song the most obvious surprise to everyone except The McLovins. Summer is shaping up to be a behemoth with this show allowing the band to focus all their attention on the performance, they’re doing their job, it’s up to us now to support them and spread the word. This show sets the table for next weekends Nateva festival and this is a band on a mission and it’s taking no prisoners.

This weekend, The Main Pub!

2010-06-22T22:23:00.006-04:00

There's a lot of excitement over this weekend's show, Saturday night at the Main Pub in Manchester. This is the first show of summer vacation for the band, and it's a local show before a slight summer break bookended by 2 festival appearances. Buzz Universe is coming up from New York to open the show bringing with them their unique blend of world music and jazz funk. The Mclovins have always played well at this venue, with the size and sound of the venue placing it right in the band's sweet spot. Riding into this weekend following a stint in New York, and a couple local shows following their Mountain Jam appearance, the band is primed to really cut loose and tear the roof off.

"An original eclectic blend of rock, jazz, latin & other world grooves, BuzzUniverse features smoking horns and a rock-solid rhythm section. Since 2003, the band has been performing and tearing up clubs and large festivals and has released three captivating albums. Described by Relix Media as "addictive & hip-grinding," BuzzUniverse has enlightened loyal fans with brilliantly crafted songs, incredible vocal harmonies and ferocious live energy. Native to Elizabeth, New Jersey, BuzzUniverse aims to spread their unique sound and positive vibe far and wide"

Tickets are available in advance here for $10.00, come down and catch one of the few locals shows the band will be playing this summer.

Dear Old Dad....

2010-06-20T21:13:00.012-04:00

A month ago I typed a few word about the Mothers that help make this band so special, now I’d like to focus a moment on their fathers. Again, this is a total team effort, each parent contributes in their own way, each using their strength to help move this band forward, and tho they toil behind the scenes, their influence is felt at every show.

Master of marketing..

Sensei of sound..

Ninja of the lense..

So another thanks to the men who labor behind the scenes, lets crack a cold one and raise our glasses to the men behind the band, Happy Father's Day!

The Show After The Show Black-eyed Sally's tonight!

2010-06-17T09:01:00.009-04:00

So there's going to be (2) sets tonight, the first should get off about 9:30 and the second should start sometime around 11:15. Thanks again to Oh Kee Pah for linking to this, hopefully with al the phans in town there should be a large turnout.. there's an after-show down at Black-eyed Sally's tomorrow night also, so if you can try and make that one. But tonight, if you're going to the After-show, try and bring a phriend, they'll thank you for years to come..

Canton High School Benefit Concert - 6/10/10

2010-06-15T11:35:00.010-04:00

It was a humid night in Canton as the McLovins took the stage. They were headlining a benefit concert for Jeff Howard's class, and in many ways this was a homecoming. In a summer full offestival and away shows, a nice local gig is a bonus and a show at one of the band member's high school makes it a rarity. With the opening chords of Toky Tea it was obvious this was Jeff's night. Jake skipped out on the second verse instead opening up an extended jam to allow Jeff a chance to stretch and get the musical kinks out.

Throughout the night the focus moved from one band member to another, Jake was orchestrating the night and giving a clinic on the flow of the show. There were a plethora of high points with Jason stepped up huge on Break On Through and Jake played a devastating Guillotine Machine intro. The sets ebbed and flowed along, moving from the racous extremes of Virtual Circle to the melodic chill of Watching The Detectives.

Finally forced to pull the plug after a pair of 45 minute sets, the band met and talked with their fans, most of whom were their peers and classmates. It's an interesting dichotomy, how do you handle the acclaim and excitement of the weekend shows, and then going back to school during the week.. it's an interesting situation, and one that the band is going to have to get used to dealing with. This summer is just beginning and the game is afoot.

Dave Malloy has a very nice audience recording of this show, you can grab it at Archive.Org. I've listened to it a few times and this version of Purple Trees really summed up the free-wheeling, take-no-prisoners tone of the night.. check out how controlled this is before just exploding at the 7:44 mark.. gives me chills.

The McLovins - Purple Trees live at Canton High 6/10/10 by Uncle Dave

Canton High School Tonight!

2010-06-10T16:51:00.004-04:00

So tonight's going to be a very special show, a homecoming of sorts for Jeff. So not only is this benefit concert for a good cause, The band is going to be able to really show off what they can do. Come on down, dance around and scream your lungs out, summer is on the tip of your tongue and enjoy this end of the school year psychedelic dance party.. it's should be a blast.

Quite a week and more to come..

2010-06-01T08:02:00.008-04:00

It was quite the holiday weekend, from Thursday night @ Troy throug Saturday's performance on the main-stage at Strange Creek. I still owe a review of the second six songs from Good Catch, a review of The McLovins & 7 Walkers at Revolution Hall, and the Teen Cabin and main-stage shows at Strange Creek. I should get caught up by mid-week and then it's time to prepare for Mountain Jam on Sunday. I would like to take the time to mention a special show that is coming up next Thursday June 10th at Canton High School in Canton, Ct.

Jeff Howard is a student at Canton High and the band as agreed to perform a benefit concert next week at the High School auditorium. Kyle Mullins is pushing this hard to the Facebook group and if you're in the valley, this is really a no-brainer. A $5.00 ticket to a nice 500 seat high school auditorium and it's a quick 20 minute drive from anywhere in the Farmington Valley. We should easily be able to sell this out, tell all your friends and anyone you think may enjoy because with their festival schedule it's going to be hard this summer to catch them playing in your back yard.

Facebook Details

Canton High School Details

GOOD CATCH - The first five...

2010-05-25T20:15:00.012-04:00

Traditionally, the second album is usually a golden opportunity for a band to try too hard and over-reach. The need to transcend a solid first album can result in either a quick turn to the lure of commercial success, or a more experimental or “personal” work that succeeds in only alienating a fan base. The McLovins have successfully avoided the sophomore slump by going forward with their rock-solid new release GOOD CATCH.

The majority of the tracks on this 11 song disc have come straight from the band’s recent high energy live performances. This is a thematically coherent release; with each piece integral to the greater whole. The trick for a jamming band is to take songs that flourish in a live setting, traditionally given a 15 minute workout; then distill them down to a manageable length. Distillation is a good allusion, as these songs gain a vital potency when extracted down to their core. The group mind is on full display as drummer Jake Huffman handles the lead vocals and Bassist Jason Ott contributes the back-up vocals. Jason and Jake along with Guitarist Jeff Howard all contribute to writing both the music and lyrics as the credits are shared.

The album opens with Tokyo Tea, and is followed by Deep Monster Trance, both straight ahead party jams, nimble and lithe, with outstanding guitar and bass work. Tokyo Tea in particular benefits from Jake's staccato cymbal work, and Jason's ropy bass lines. Jason has moved forward further into the mix, his bass dominating Tokyo Tea as well as contributing backing vocals to another song on the disc, the reggae-chill Milktoast Man. One of the biggest surprises of the disc is the ballad This Town. This tune is a showpiece for Jake, as it features some of his most mature lyrics, and sung with a laconic drawl, the song is positioned as a breather after the musical ferocity of the first 2 songs. Jeff plays a couple different tracks on this cut a very sweet acoustic along with his traditional Strat riffs.

Milktoast Man slides in as the fourth song on the disc, and primes the pump for the following songs. Jason in particular shows up well on this cut, nimbly tackling the backing vocals and dropping bombastic bass licks. Hell Yeah is up next, this was previously the second cut on the Virtual Circle ep that was released last fall. I believe this track is a different mix than the ep version, tho every bit as unrelenting as anything the band plays. This covers the first five songs, tomorrow I'll tackle the second six which includes the 3 new songs.

The genre has shifted a bit from their last album Conundrum, you can call it progressive jam or jazz rock, and musically the stakes have been raised a bit. This band has the chops and is fearless; walking the razor’s edge has become second nature to them and as with any band, they are the sum of their influences. For your traditional jam band, ground zero is either Phish or The Grateful Dead. The Mclovins have been schooled in traditional jazz, funk and soul as well as jam and rock. There are times when a familiar musical turn may catch your ear, but this is a surprisingly original work. If asked to describe their sound they will say they sound like The McLovins, and soon enough, everyone should know what they mean.

McLovins Monday - On the making of music

2010-05-24T08:31:00.007-04:00

The Mclovins are releasing their second album, GOOD CATCH this Memorial Day weekend. Jake Huffman handles percussion and lead vocals, Jason Ott is on bass while covering back-up vocals and Jeff Howard is their guitarist. The band’s new album is called GOOD CATCH, and it’s a collection of 11 songs, 8 of which were culled from their recent live performances and 3 making their debut on this album. I recently had a chance to ask the band some questions about the recording process and the creation of music.

To start off, you’ve finished your second album now and you play in a genre, whether you call it progressive jam or jam funk, where the benchmark of success is the quality of the live performance. Where do you think the studio album fits now in today’s jam music scene?

Jeff - This new studio album is definitely closer to what a current studio album is today. There are several sections in the album where there are multiple guitar and drum tracks. These days, you don't often stumble upon an album that is solely three musicians recording live together with no overdubs (which was what Conundrum was). So, while this album was recorded mostly live, the overdubbing makes it sound more current.

Is the job of the album to give a quick snapshot of the live act, or is it a jumping off point for expansion in the live show?

Jake - I think that the album is a sample of the Artist’s work and using the studio to your advantage is crucial.

Sophomore albums are notoriously hard for a band, after defining themselves through a first album, many artists choose to use the second album as a chance to either define their sound or to take it in another direction, which way do you feel this album is going to pull you?

Jason - I feel that "Good Catch" was not a direction change, but rather a maturing in sound. Our first album showed that we could write songs that got people interested and that we could really jam out to live. On our second release, we expanded on this sound, not creating something drastically different, but just added more elements to our songs that make our sound even more distinct and CATCHY ;)

The majority of songs on this album have come from your live performance; do you think this makes it easier going into the studio with pocketful of fleshed out tunes rather than starting from scratch with the germ of a song one of you brings in?

Jeff - It is definitely easier. With our songs, they evolve and mature the more we play them live. Even when we think we have them all done, each time we play them in a show we learn what works well and what doesn't. This could be little things like "I'm not gonna put on distortion on this part" or something like "let's make this section shorter/longer". Because of this, it's essential that we go into the studio with a good sense of what works in the song. It's kind of like getting to know the song as a "person".

You’ve just released Couch Tour Vol. 1 which has to be your most polished live show yet, and again, a number of the songs off you new album are performed live on this set. Will the studio versions of these songs differ from their live counterparts, and if so what will be the major difference?

Jake - The Live show songs show more of what we sound like live (of course) with longer jams and more spontaneity. On the other hand, our studio songs have some extra tracks including acoustic guitar, steel pan, percussion, etc. Although they have shorter jams, and area little slower, we think the studio makes your personal McLovins listening experience very special too.

Your first album, Conundrum, was a tour-de-force, really showing the depth of your musical influences; have you guys narrowed your focus a bit on this new album, or are you still looking to create cross-genre music?

Jason - The range on our new album is very expansive, from the white boy reggae sound of Milktoast Man to the prog rock, Rush sound of Bead Head Crystal Bugger, to the dance vibe of Deep Monster Trance. We were able to incorporate a wide variety of genres without making the album confusing to listen to, or too sporadic. After listening, I believe the album flows quite seamlessly!

The flow on the new album is phenomenal, on Conundrum, you had a song-cycle that drew it’s inspiration from the novel, “The Phantom Tollbooth”; this added an over-arching theme to the album. Your new songs though actually seem to be more connected thematically than your earlier songs. I assume this is a benefit from being able to work them out live?

Jake - Being able to play the songs for months before we record them helps us polish them and get crowd reactions from people early on their preferences and passions.

Jason - Putting together a live show and playing our originals before we recorded them is what made recording and creating the album so much easier for us. Playing live brings out the true potential of every song, and brings unity to what otherwise may seem like very different and separate songs.

Jeff - I think what makes them sound more connected is the fact that we have found our "sound" more on this album. With Good Catch, because we've had more time to play our music live, we have found the certain areas that we really thrive in. I think its things like this that make Good Catch very unified.

Musically you’ve grown into a tight power trio, this was your third recording session counting your EP last fall, so is there a blasé feeling going into the studio or is the excitement still there, the desire to tinker and twist the knobs and see what happens next?

Jake - I personally still felt more excited because we knew the ropes so we could expand more on the possibilities of the studio tracks.

Jason - Going into the studio for the third time, we definitely felt more at ease and at home in a way while recording. We were in a more relaxed mood and this helped the creative juices to flow. This produced a much fuller and exciting album that we are all proud of and feel great about.

Jeff - There was plenty of excitement going into the studio. The first album was very raw and basic: three tracks per song, all recorded live. With Good Catch, we felt there was so much new territory to explore, and new things to try in the studio the second and third time we went in, such as, as I've mentioned before, adding in overdubs and vocal harmonies. And, overdubs and vocal harmonies aside, we were just plain psyched to record Good Catch. I think it's safe to say we're all very proud of these 11 songs we've written, and couldn’t wait to record them.

You can order GOOD CATCH now at THE MCLOVINS website store, HERE! , and you can catch the band live at StrangeCreek festival in Greenfield Mass on May 30th and June 6th at Mountain Jam in Hunter, New York.

It's really just been a year..?

2010-05-22T07:25:00.011-04:00

It's hard to believe it's only been a year given the amount of growth in this band. I wandered into Granby High School May 22, 2009 to check them out, knowing that there was something special there but having no idea the impact this would have on me. Since then it's been 46 shows, 2 albums, 1 Ep, 20+ road trips, and a 1/2 dozen t-shirts. It's hard to explain how amazing all the people that I've met this year are, all I can say is thanks to the band and to these 3 families for one memorable year. This is the review of my first show, and again I have to thank The McLovins for rekindling the love affair I used to have with live music, I'm more excited about music now than I've been in last 20 years. Call it what you like, but if this is a mid-life crisis, I heartily recommend it.

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things:

2010-05-21T18:34:00.007-04:00

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
of shoes--and ships--
and sealing-wax--of cabbages--and kings--

We're heading into one of those rare weekends where The McLovins don't have anything going on. The week ahead will be hectic, first opening for 7 Walkers @ Revolution Hall on Thursday May 27th, playing StrangeCreek Festival on Sunday May 30th and the release next weekend of GOOD CATCH, The McLovins 2nd studio album. Next week will officially be the start of The 2010 Summer Of McLovins, you will have many chances to see them perform live, the band is playing an extremely aggressive local schedule, they'll be everywhere. So see them often this summer and pick up the new album, show these guys a ton of love this summer, they're going to be road warriors, killing everywhere they play, and taking no prisoners.. it should be an amazing summer of growth... so click the links for all the info, any updates or changes will be posted on Facebook, just get out to see them and have a blast!

Remember, their shows may be sold out, but they won't sell out..