The Red Square Albany, NY 10/29/09

Last night it was time to move a little further south along the Hudson, down from the funky city of Troy to the Capital city of Albany. The Red Square is a nice club located in a nice brick building down by the river. Performing on a low-stage decorated with an amazing Great Pumpkin carved by fan Jeannette Olsen, the band seemed quite at home among the close quarters. The show kicks off with a nice bluesy jam featuring a thick Thrill is Gone-ish feel and after warming up they punch into Deep Monster Trance. This is one of their newer songs and this ode to the all things wild percolates with a deliberate groove until diving into the wild rumpus. Jeff kept running a series of ‘The Simpson’s” teases with Jake growling out his lyrics. The vocal mike kept acting up during this and the next couple songs, leading to even more energetic drumming from Jake. Shakedown Street is one of the more favored covers and leads to an expansive jam in the second half, Jake and Jason trade vocals during the song and the jam in the middle just erupts and any resemblance to the original song is just coincidental by the time they jump back into the chorus. Sea of Wisdom sees the mike problems easing a bit and playing a clean and crisp version of this song, very sweet and melodic.

Steve H called the next tune, 20 In A 35 which is the freshest of the new songs and the guys just tore this up. With no hint of the previous vocal problems, Jake nailed this one while Jason and Jeff dueled back and forth throughout the song. This really raised the energy level of the show, the band pouring it out to the crowd and the crowd responding. Virtual Circle followed and continued down the path blazed by the previous song, with Jeff repeatedly teasing “I Kissed A Girl” the song quickly escalates out of control spiraling upward for a few minutes before stopping on a dime and landing back in the chorus. Killing Time starts out so soft and melodic and ends up an unyielding force of nature, a sonic wave rolling over the frenzied audience who push the band ever on. This second half of the set, from 20 In A 35 shows the band in full control of the music, able to do as they please. Jake cool and breezy on the mike, Jason stomping all over the place running leads and clamoring rhythm and Jeff putting on a clinic in the use and abuse of lead guitar. Purple Trees is the anthemic signature piece for the band and has become the place for the band introductions. Jake leads the crowd in ovations for Jason, himself and Jeff, leading to a wind-down of the show.

Shorter shows such as these are bittersweet, a short, sharp, shock …a chance to get your McLovins fix. Akin to a brief repast, it is nourishing but not satisfying. These gigs are necessary to growth, if you are building a scene you need to be able to pop in and play the show and come back a month later and do it again. A very good show but if something was lacking, I think it was the missing 2^nd set as they were just getting warmed up. A shout-out to all you McLovinators who showed up, Barry & Holly, Steve, Aimee & Scott, Jeannette & Kurt and Brock. The support given to this band is amazing and you all are a special part of the McLovins family.

Barn Bash - Norfolk 10/17/09

The wheel is turning and you can't slow down,
you can't let go and you can't hold on,
you can't go back and you can't stand still,
if the thunder don't get you, then the lightning will

- Hunter & Garcia

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The McLovins played a private barn party in Northwest Ct. on Saturday where the band and audience helped to raise the roof! In a scene that would not have seemed out of place 35 years ago, parents, grandparents and children danced and spun to the music as the band plowed through a 2 set 3-1/2 hour show. The barn is nestled on a small ridge surrounded by oaks and maples, the ground carpeted with fallen leaves while the redolent aroma of wood smoke and mulled cider filled the air. A communal vibe set the scene as children and dogs toddled in and out among the revelers, old friends and new ones all savoring an autumn feast.




The band is always on top of their game, both professionally and musically, turning in a solid show but at any given day they are willing to stretch and reach for the extraordinary. The wild card of a performance is the audience, whether they choose to participate with the band in an act of creation, this is the ingredient required to push the music over the top. Last night this audience was musically savvy and attentive, a mixture of older Dead fans and tour heads that were well aware of what was being given to them, and appreciative and receptive to anything the guys were willing to try. Illustrative of what Jake said during the first set. “You feed off of us, we feed off of you”, the louder and more animated the crowd got, the more intense the music became. The first set started with a jam and was peppered with cover songs, but in what has been their style lately the band uses the covers as a starting point, choosing to veer off and embarking on a musical jaunt before finding their way back. Stretching an hour long first set to over 90 minutes, the jams slowly began to encompass the set, the songs becoming step stones guiding the band onward and leading the crowd along, willing accomplices to the spectacle. Expansive jams during the covers and a fanciful game of “Name That Tease” were the standouts of the first set.




After a break, the band again started the 2nd set off with a jam, setting a tone for a set of nearly all originals and having earned their trust, the crowd was with them all the way. Most striking was the abundance of smiles, the knowing looks and shaking heads of the audience. I think this really was eye-opening for a lot of those who attended, through YouTube videos they knew to expect a good show, but what they got was an extraordinary show. This set took the energy of the first and just cranked everything up to 11. The band was on fire, every song’s climax answered with a thundering audience response. Second set high points for me were Deep Monster Trance, Jason balancing on one leg while ripping bass runs during Virtual Circle, Jake deadening the sound of his floor tom with the heal of his sneaker (!) and the out-of-body experiences that were the Killing Time and YEM jams.

I can sit here and gush about how great they were, or throw a lot of $10 adjectives around, but the proof is in the pudding as they say. The final appraisal will rest with the listener, both those who were there, and those that will download this show. John had a great room to work with, the sound was just booming and hopefully it should yield a great recording.





I would just like to thank the hospitality of Jenny & Mike who owned the barn and were the perfect party hosts, and to Justin, Win and Warner who scheduled the party, only to see weather conditions force it into the secondary location. The setting was postcard perfect and we were all treated like family. I made a ton of new friends last night, Ben, Mike, and Bill as well as touch base with Drew, Steve, Barry and Holly. Hail and fare well to you McLovinators all!