#Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

[krispyweiss]

Quarter Notes: Blurbs & Briefs from Sound Bites

- In this edition: Guns N’ Roses and Carrie Underwood; Metallica; Bruce Hornsby; and Billy Joel

THE ODDEST COUPLE: Carrie Underwood will open three of Guns N’ Roses’ North American gigs in August.

METALLICA, FROM TEXAS TO THE WORLD: Metallica’s Aug. 18 and 20 concerts in Texas - each night with a different setlist - will be simulcast in movie theaters worldwide.

HORNSBY TO MAKE SOME SPIRIT TRAIL NOISE: Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers will celebrate 25 years of Spirit Trail with a “special tour” in the fall. Attendees will receive a copy of the Spirit Trail 25th-anniversary Edition box set; “more on that soon,” Hornsby said.

MOVIN’ OUT (BILLY’S MSG SWAN SONG): Billy Joel’s residency at Madison Square Garden will end in July 2024 on the occasion of his 150th gig at the venue, thus ending a monthly tradition that began in 2014.

6/2/23

[sinceileftyoublog]

Bruce Hornsby Continues on the Trail

Bruce Hornsby performs at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, 10/17/23

BY JORDAN MAINZER

At one point last Tuesday in Milwaukee, in response to one of many moments in the night fans shouted their requests at him, Bruce Hornsby joked, "I love the battle between disparate elements of my audience." Funny enough, I can't think of a statement that better defines the virtuosic pianist and singer-songwriter. That is, what's amazing about Hornsby is not just that he's traversed the worlds of rock, jazz, bluegrass, but that he has diehard fans of each of his endeavors. Go to a Hornsby show--even a solo one like at the Pabst Theater, sans defunct backers The Range or current band The Noisemakers--and you're bound to find both classical music appreciators and Deadheads alike.

In that sense, 1998's Spirit Trail, a storied and purposeful left-turn into modern rock after the jazz-focused Harbor Lights and Hot House, exemplifies Hornsby's multi-pronged approach. On Friday, Hornsby will release a 25th anniversary reissue of the record via Zappo Productions and Thirty Tigers. It contains a remastered version of the record, four "lost" songs from an unfinished record that was meant to be Spirit Trail's follow-up (shelved in favor of the almost piano-less Big Swing Face), and previously unreleased live performances of many of the album's songs. In Milwaukee, venue employees were handing out early CD copies of the reissue, the night a celebration of both Spirit Trail and Hornsby's discography as a whole.

Per usual, audience members requested songs both by shouting them out and via written submission, dropped off on stage prior to the show. As expected, they were all over the place, from Spirit Trail and even Lost Trail tunes to songs he simply refused to play because they were too boring or didn't age well, like "Dreamland" and "The Old Playground". Ever cheeky, at one point, Hornsby asked for requests and responded to the various audible shouts, "I haven't heard what I'm looking for yet." It was clear he wanted to give preference to Spirit Trail. He led off the night with "Preacher in the Ring Pt. I", his jaunty piano playing covering the song's ground in totality. You didn't even miss Sonny Emory's clacking drums from Live Trail, nor the dulcimer from both the studio and live versions of "Shadow Hand". Hornsby's finger exercises were simply a masterclass. He wrote standout track "Sneaking Up on Boo Radley" by learning to play over a left-hand ostinato, appropriating György Ligeti's "Etude 13: The Devil's Staircase", and nailed it live. It was a perfect Spirit Trail song to play without a band. His voice, too, was on point, wailing on the Black Crowes-inspired Lost Trail tune "Living in the Sunshine", doing justice to the studio version that indeed sounds like it could be sandwiched between the Southern rockers' "Remedy" and "Thorn in My Pride".

Yes, Hornsby's reach and influence goes beyond Spirit Trail. "The Show Goes On" has been featured in everything from Ron Howard's Backdraft to The Bear. During the set last Tuesday, he segued "Sidelines"--a duet from 2022's terrific 'Flicted with Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig--into his most famous song of all, "The Way It Is", during which he invited set opener/Bon Iver drummer S. Carey out to harmonize. That over the past decade Hornsby has fostered fruitful collaborations with the likes of Justin Vernon and Blake Mills is more evidence that he's as shaped by his contemporaries as his organic musical interests. So put yourself in his shoes in the mid-1990s, and you can hear his response to the sociopolitical and musical landscape of the past decade in many of the songs on Spirit Trail. He's asking himself tough questions about his own Southern heritage, challenging institutional racism on songs like "See the Same Way". The strummed mandolin of "Preacher in the Ring Pt. II" recalls Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road", "Resting Place" and "Pete & Manny" the radio-friendly heartland rock of Mellencamp and Petty. Yet, Hornsby's also dipping his toes in the worlds of electronica and hip hop, songs like the shuffling "Line in the Dust" written on a synth bed and with a drum machine beat like much of the second disc of Spirit Trail. And of course, the goofily titled "Sunflower Cat (Some Dour Cat) (Down With That)" is built around a sample of Jerry Garcia's riff on "China Cat Sunflower", as Hornsby was trying to explain the appeal of the Grateful Dead to producer Mike Mangini, a hip hop head. Mangini was so taken aback by the former band member's performance that he wrote a groove around the riff.

On fan favorite piano ballad and Spirit Trail highlight "Fortunate Son", Hornsby sings, "I've stared down the devil and had to look away." The song is ostensibly written from the point of view of a wheelchair-bound military veteran, lucky to be alive but maligning society's penchant to ascribe sacrificial glory to a life of physical limitations. I've always heard it, though, as the general antithesis to tough guy nihilism, whether action heroes or strong and silent singer-songwriters. Hornsby is the ultimate reflector, yet not quite ready to face mortality like many of the characters in his songs. After last Tuesday and 25 years of Spirit Trail, it certainly does seem like he's only just getting started.

[bippusmymippus]

Cyclone by Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers is about Gale Dekarios you can’t change my mind

[valleyledger]

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers – Spirit Trail: 25th Anniversary Tour Comes to Musikfest Cafe

  Bethlehem, PA – March 5, 2024 – ArtsQuest is excited to announce Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers will celebrate 25 years of Spirit Trail, bringing the album’s anniversary tour to the Musikfest Cafe on Tuesday, July 2 at 7 p.m. Each ticket purchase will include a copy of the Spirit Trail: 25th Anniversary Edition, a three CD box set that can be picked up at the show. Ticket Presale will be on…

[the-firebird69]

Bruce Hornsby, The Noisemakers - Jacob's Ladder (Live at Town Hall, New ...

hornsby and two cadmium columns or a series as seen

jacobs ladder ffect 

and they go now and race there now....

and they did the dinner yes and fast yes.  

and santg the song and feel it now real and ecxfitement

Thor Freya

we rule now

Zig Zag

and hahaha lol what we have to do and so we will but haha funny

Atlas and Goddess Wife 

and sure it is odd we say it though

Hera

we win well won one and what one and ok we see it is starting the fght lol  ok we see lol

Frank castle hardcastle

and we do thi now

DukeNukem Blockuster

Olympus

[classicrockblog1]

Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions.[1][2]

Hornsby has won three Grammy Awards: a 1987 Grammy Award for Best New Artist with Bruce Hornsby and the Range, a 1990 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Recording, and a 1994 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Hornsby has worked with his touring band Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, his bluegrass project with Ricky Skaggs, and as a session and guest musician. He was a touring member of the Grateful Dead from September 1990 through March 1992, playing over 100 shows with the band.

His 23rd album, 'Flicted, was released in May 2022.

[dloindustries]

Bruce Hornsby, The Noisemakers - The Way It Is (Live at Town Hall, New Y...

Happy Birthday Bruce Hornsby

[popentertainmentconcertreviews]

XPoNential Festival – Wiggins Park – Camden, NJ – September 22-24, 2023

They say that the 10th anniversary is the tin anniversary, and the 50th anniversary is the gold anniversary. Unfortunately, for the 30th anniversary of the annual XPoNential Music Festival, it seems that it was the rain anniversary.

Mother Nature did not cooperate with the weekend of diverse musical acts jamming out at Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ. Tropical storm Ophelia was battering the East Coast that weekend, and while no major damage was inflicted on the Philadelphia tri-state area, the area was slammed with rain. This caused regular reshuffling of schedules for the Fest on Saturday and Sunday, and the cancellation of some of the acts – including Saturday night headliners Tegan and Sara.

This was particularly a shame because this was the first time in years (if not ever) that there were not at least the last few bands on a couple of the nights playing down the street at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, which is an amphitheater and at least partially enclosed and would have provided shelter from the storms.

However, the bands and the die-hard crowds for the most part were hearty sorts – sadly far heartier than this writer – and they often played on throughout the storms. I have to acknowledge up front that while I was looking forward to an entire weekend of good music, I ended up missing the entirety of Saturday’s sets and only was able to see one of the Sunday acts.

I actually sat in my car in the parking lot for about an hour Sunday afternoon in the hope that the rain would clear up enough to catch the Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers and Low Cut Connie sets, but the rain just never went away. Which is a shame, I have heard that Hornsby did a fascinating complete reinvention of his 1986 number one single “The Way It Is.”  

Friday, on the other hand, was pretty exceptional. I walked into the park at the very tail end of the performance by Nik Greeley and the Operators. I heard the last couple of songs from their set from across the park, where I went to the Marina Stage to await the start of the next act. They sounded good, I’m sorry I didn’t catch the whole thing.

Next up was Philly-based Don McCloskey. (McCloskey was born in nearby Bristol.) He played to the hometown, rocking a Phillies cap (the old-school one with the fat P!) to share that he was a homeboy. In the lazily milling crowd before he came up onstage, a guy next to me promised he was pretty terrific and put on a great show. The guy wasn’t wrong.

He certainly had a big, rather tight eight-piece band, featuring himself on lead vocals and guitar, another guitarist, a bassist, a keyboardist, two percussionists and two female background singers. They were celebrating their latest album The Chaos and the Beauty, and his music was a mix of Americana, folk, rock and soul. He started out with a romp through the track “I IV V,” which opened with the evocative lyrics “There's gunshots outside my apartment / There's protests inside my head / Bullet holes in these worn-out clothes / Thank God you're in my bed.”

The drama was dialed down a bit with the more relaxed “Dre” and the somber confessional “Unbecoming.” Other standout tunes included “Kill the Lights,” “Son of it All” and “Welcome to the Fitness.”

We next headed over to the River Stage, where Margo Price was about to come on. Price came onstage looking smart rocking a lacy white and gold jumpsuit and scarf. (I only mention her outfit because in the middle of her set she changed into a different one, a frilly red-and-silver cocktail dress.) Like McCloskey – and pretty much everyone else who plays on WXPN – Price offered a gumbo of spicy tunes and musical moods, crossing genres and styles with panache.

Price brought the heat from the jump with her most recent album Strays’ atmospheric opening track “Been to the Mountain.” (She did announce that a Strays II was coming soon.) Then there was the frisky and poppy “Letting Me Down,” the bluesy “Change of Heart” (one of two songs Price played a scorching drum solo) and the sweetly devastated breakup song “That’s How Rumors Get Started.”

The guitar-based psychedelia of “Twinkle Twinkle” was another song in which Price’s playful connection with her crack band was noticeable. Then she rocked out to “Paper Cowboy” (the other song where Price shared drumming duties) and finally closed out on the alcohol-based medley of “Hurtin’ (On the Bottle)” matched with “I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink” and “Whiskey River.”

Next up on the Marina Stage was Say She She – made up of singers Nya Gazelle Brown, Piya Malik, and Sabrina Mileo and a large backing band. They refer to their sound as “discodelic,” a musical tribute to ‘70s girl groups like The Pointer Sisters, High Inergy, The Three Degrees, LaBelle, Sister Sledge and Chic. (The band name is a fun nod to that last group, “C’est chi-chi!: It’s Chic!”)

They do rock the soul and dance vibes, adding their own subtle swing vibe to the mix. Their mostly matching outfits add to the disco vibes, shiny silver minidresses and boots which look tres ‘70s, and at the same time oddly timeless. That description not only refers to their fashion sense, but their music and their whole vibe, a fun, dance-based palette of throbbing beats and sweet harmonies.

They did a terrific take on their recent single “C’est Si Bon” – a fun and frisky swinging dance track, which is NOT a cover of the Eartha Kitt jazz standard of the same name. The “delic” version of the “discodelic” descriptor shows up in “Astral Plane,” a sweet song riding on wah-wah guitars and cosmic vibes. Then there were the gorgeous Love Unlimited vibes of “Prism.”

The show also had a bit of extra, unexpected spectacle in the middle of Say She She’s set, when a random fireworks display suddenly appeared over the river, seeming to be coming from across the water in Philadelphia somewhere. I don’t believe it was specifically done for the music festival, although I’m not sure what it actually was for. (Was there a holiday that day which I forgot?) Still, it added a fun bit of pizazz to the show, although since the fireworks were behind Say She She’s audience at the Marina Stage, lots of people turned away from the performance to watch the fire in the sky. Then again, it added to the enjoyment to hear the stomping music backgrounding the fireworks.

After they ended, back at the River Stage, Old Crow Medicine Show did a fun mix of originals and classic covers. These tributes included takes on The Band’s “The Weight” (for which they brought Margo Price back onstage to harmonize with them), a fun romp through Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” a combustible version of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire,” and an inspirational take on Hank Williams “I Saw the Light.” They also did a sweet version of “Margaritaville” in honor of Jimmy Buffett, who had just died a few weeks earlier. The performance of “The Weight” earlier was also a tribute to The Band’s recently deceased guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson, and “Proud Mary” was a nod to Tina Turner, who famously covered the song.

Old Crow has always been an intriguing mix of influences, an Americana string band that loves bluegrass, country, folk, and even a bit of rock. Or, as Wikipedia describes them: “With an old-time string sound fueled by punk rock energy, it has influenced acts like Mumford & Sons and contributed to a revival of banjo-picking string bands playing Americana music – leading to variations on it.”

With decades of songs in their own catalogue, not to mention the aforementioned covers, the group did a deep dive into its songbook. They did a couple of songs from their current album Jubilee (the gospel tinged “One Drop” and the zydeco “Wolfman of the Ozarks). Older favorites include the frontier music of “Wagon Wheel,” the alt-country throwdown “Alabama High Test,” and the crazily entitled jug-band prison song “Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer.”

Sunday’s gigs (and undoubtedly Saturday’s, too) were all at the River Stage, because the Marina Stage was undoubtedly a soggy, muddy mess from all of the storms. This worked in some ways – no running around the park from stage to stage. Of course, it also had the disadvantage that it removed the constant flow of performances, because the stages couldn’t be reset for the new acts while someone else was playing. Still, this was necessary and a small price to pay. Well, it would have been a small price if not for the rain.

The sun actually poked through in the early afternoon and the rain stopped long enough for Josh Ritter to get in his set. Of course, due to the weather uncertainty, his show was completely revamped, going from a full band set into a one-man acoustic gig. According to one of the festival workers near the stage, Ritter also threw away his old setlist and decided to make up a new setlist on the fly while performing. This gave the performance a sense of spontaneity that you don’t often see, so that was a really cool bonus.

Probably not coincidentally, Ritter started out his performance with a galloping strut through “Feels Like Lightning,” which seemed a bit fitting for the weather. Other standouts were an atmospheric run through “Henrietta, Indiana” and a fun cover of The Sweetback Sisters’ “Deputy Blues No. 2.” He also impressed with the sweet, devotional love song “Kathleen,” with its hopeful couplet, “I’ll be the one to drive you home, Kathleen.” He then closed his set out with the gorgeous “Someday” and the tongue-twisting “Getting Ready to Get Down.”

After Ritter finished, while the roadies were setting up the stage for Allison Russell to start, the rain started again. At first it was just a little sprinkle, a bit annoying but definitely bearable. But soon enough it picked up speed and intensity, until everyone and everything was getting soaked. Sadly, this was pretty much the end of the festival for me, although as noted above I did shelter in place for a while in hopes that the rain would clear up again.

It never did, but while the weather shortened my weekend, it could not ruin the great vibe of music and fun that ruled the XPoNential Festival. And perhaps if I weren’t a bit of a diva (or if I were a little younger) I’d have braved the rains – like many other hardcore fans did – rather than going all Wicked Witch of the West (picturing myself shrieking “I’m melting! I’m melting!”) I would have gotten to experience more great music.

Still, even as a truncated experience, the 30th XPoNential Music Festival was a whole lot of great music and fun, I’m looking forward to year 31, hopefully with clearer skies.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2023 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 27, 2023.

Photos by Jay S. Jacobs © 2023. All rights reserved.

[bktandem]

The initial lineup for the 2023 WXPN XPoNential Music Festival, taking place at Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ, September 22-24. Featured acts include Old Crow Medicine Show, Margo Price, Tegan & Sara, The Hold Steady, Bailen, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Allison Russell and Low Cut Connie!

https://xpnfest.org/

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers - “Living in the Sunshine” (Live, June 30, 2023)

Though it was recorded in the previous century, “Living in the Sunshine” didn’t get its onstage debut until 2023.

That’s because Bruce Hornsby only recently unearthed the Spirit Trail-era track. And now that he and the Noisemakers are touring to support the forthcoming (Oct. 27) anniversary reissue of the LP, it makes sense to play it.

Hornsby’s just released what looks to be soundcheck performance, recorded June 30 in Maine. Like the previously released studio version, it sounds strikingly similar to “Harbor Lights,” though this one is a bit stilted, as the song is new to the Noisemakers and there was no audience to egg them on.

Sound Bites is off to see Hornsby play a free gig tonight. If “Living in the Sunshine” shows up in the set, that’ll be OK by him. “Harbor Lights” would be even better.

Grade card: Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers - “Living in the Sunshine” (Live - 6/30/23) - B

9/14/23

[melodieyvonne]

Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers an Epic Evening of True Artistry at Holliday Park

Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers an Epic Evening of True Artistry at Holliday Park

[thefrogholler]

Happy Birthday Bruce Hornsby! – multi-award winning pianist/singer/songwriter – Bruce Hornsby and The Range – hits include – That’s Just The Way It Is – Mandolin Rain – Every Little Kiss – associated acts include – Grateful Dead – Ricky Skaggs – The Noisemakers – 11/23/1954

See more #musicalbirthdaynotes at TheFrogHoller.com

#BruceHornsby #thefrogholler Bruce Hornsby

[krispyweiss]

Talk of the Town: Bruce Hornsby Turns 70

Bruce Hornsby is the only former member of the Grateful Dead who is not most famous for being a former member of the Grateful Dead.

Hornsby, who turns 70 today (Nov. 23, 2024) had been opening for, and sitting in with, the Dead for a couple of years when the band asked him to join in the wake of Brent Mydland’s unexpected death.

While Hornsby turned down the permanent gig, he did play more than 100 shows with the band from 1990-’92. And when Hornsby was on stage, the Dead seemed more alive than when he wasn’t.

But Hornsby, after finding great success with the Range, had his own music to make and 1993’s Harbor Lights found him expanding his sound and beginning a solo peak that continues to this day. Just has Hornsby lit a fire under the Dead’s collective asses, he continues to light up stages every time he plays.

And he never totally gave up being Dead. He continued to guest with the Gratefuls occasionally until Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995 and joined the surviving members in the Other Ones and Fare Thee Well between 1998 and 2015.

So, yeah, Hornsby’s Dead. And a very-much-alive Noisemaker as he enters his eighth decade on the bright blue ball just spinnin’ spinnin’ free.

It’s Nov. 23. And that’s just the way it is.

11/23/24