It’s great to see Mike Patton back onstage & performing once again as Mr. Bungle rile up a sold-out crowd at Hollywood Palladium

Mr. BungleBy Josh Herwitt //

Mr. Bungle with Melvins, Spotlights //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
May 11th, 2023 //

When news broke in Sept. 2021 that Faith No More and Mr. Bungle had canceled their upcoming tour dates with lead singer Mike Patton citing “mental health reasons” for the decision, I was concerned.

Patton, after all, had been one of my favorite vocalists growing up, and considering all of the incredible musicians we have lost over the past decade, I was afraid we might have another leave us far too soon. The sudden and tragic passing of Chris Cornell back in 2017 had hit me hard as it had for many fans of 90’s alternative rock, but I knew that losing someone as influential and talented as Patton would also be difficult for me to stomach.

Thankfully those fears of mine didn’t come true despite Patton battling depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually being diagnosed with agoraphobia. Because with a vocal range that spans six octaves, the Northern California native has carved out a rather unique career as a singer, producer, film composer and voice actor over the last three decades, regularly collaborating with other genre-bending artists like avant-garde jazz saxophonist John Zorn, hip-hop producer Dan the Automator and classical violinist Eyvind Kang on music outside of the heavy material he has been known to write as a member of FNM, Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk and Dead Cross.

Patton, nevertheless, has always maintained a relentless work ethic. His schedule would often see him juggling a myriad of projects simultaneously — whether it was fronting one of his five bands, serving as a producer for Merzbow, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Melvins, Melt-Banana and Kool Keith or running Ipecac Recordings alongside co-founder Greg Werckman for the last 20-plus years.

But that all changed in 2020 when the coronavirus spread and much of the world locked down. Afraid to go outside and be around people, Patton turned to alcohol as a way to cope but found himself unable to perform and in need of some professional help. The isolation, like it had for plenty of others, had gotten to him and zapped his confidence, causing him to freak out right before FNM were slated to hit the road and pull the plug on a dozen shows (none have been rescheduled so far).

Mr. Bungle - Mike Patton

“That’s when I kind of lost it, and it was ugly and not cool,” he told Rolling Stone last summer about his struggles. “I didn’t want to be in front of people, which is weird because I spent half of my life doing that.”

So when Patton made his first appearance onstage several months later in December with Mr. Bungle touring South America, there was a sense of relief that the 55-year-old was finally in a better place and back on track. Then came a spring tour announcement at the beginning of this year, which only offered further evidence that he was ready to make up for lost time on an 11-date run with labelmates Melvins and Spotlights that included a sold-out showing at the Hollywood Palladium last Thursday.

For everything that he has been through, Patton seemed to be in good spirits when Mr. Bungle took the stage in LA shortly after 10 p.m. The quintet made up of Patton (lead vocals, keyboards, samples), Trey Spruance (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Trevor Dunn (bass, backing vocals), Anthrax’s Scott Ian (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Slayer’s Dave Lombardo (drums, glockenspiel) has been kicking off some of their headlining sets on the “Geek Show 2023” tour with a cover of John Sebastian from The Lovin’ Spoonful before tearing into tracks — including “Bungle Grind”, “Eracist”, “Anarchy Up Your Anus”, “Methematics” and “Raping Your Mind” — off the group’s fourth LP titled The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo that dropped toward the end of 2020, and with the Palladium’s large ballroom floor packed to the gills, you could tell that the capacity crowd had been waiting eagerly through both supporting acts to be whipped into a frenzy.

No further indication of that was necessary less than a minute into Mr. Bungle’s performance, as one crowd surfer after another came crashing into the photographer’s pit at the front of the stage and into multiple pairs of arms from the venue’s security team. And while the conditions for those of us on the photo list weren’t totally ideal given that we were only allowed to capture Mr. Bungle’s first two songs (plus unexpectedly dodge numerous horizontal bodies), it was quite a way to cover live music for the first time since being sidelined with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

I will be first to admit that Mr. Bungle, which only reunited a few years ago as a thrash metal outfit with Ian and Lombardo signing on, isn’t my favorite project featuring Patton. After more than a 20-year gap between albums, their latest is actually a re-recording of the outfit’s first self-released demo tape from 1986. That doesn’t make it bad of course, though it would be nice to hear something else new by this current iteration of the band. But as someone who has experienced his own health setback recently, I know it’s not always easy getting back out there, and that could certainly still be the case for Patton at times. You never know what someone else is going through or when will be the last time you see them, and that’s something you often learn with age. But life moves pretty fast, too … and right now we’re all better off with Patton in it once again.

MR. BUNGLE

Setlist:
Welcome Back (John Sebastian cover)
Bungle Grind
Eracist
Spreading the Thighs of Death
Territory (Sepultura cover)
Hypocrites
Speak English or Die (Stormtroopers of Death cover) (changed to “Speak Spanish or Die”)
Glutton for Punishment
Anarchy Up Your Anus
Methematics
Hell Awaits (Slayer cover) (intro)
True / Cold War / True
Raping Your Mind
World Up My Ass (Circle Jerks cover)
Sudden Death

Encore:
Loss of Control (Van Halen cover)
My Ass Is on Fire (with PEP tag)

MELVINS

Setlist:
Snake Appeal
Zodiac
Copache
I Want to Hold Your Hand (The Beatles cover)
Hammering
Never Say You’re Sorry
Evil New War God
Let It All Be
Blood Witch
Your Blessened
A History of Bad Men
Honey Bucket

SPOTLIGHTS

Setlist:
The Alchemist
Sunset Burial
Algorithmic
False Gods
Part IV

Jim James, The Claypool Lennon Delirium take us on a psych-rock roller coaster at The Wiltern

Jim James


Jim James

By Josh Herwitt //

Jim James & The Claypool Lennon Delirium with Uni //
The Wiltern – Los Angeles
July 3rd, 2019 //

Ever since he launched his solo career more than five years ago, Jim James has been trying to bring people closer together.

The frontman and primary songwriter of My Morning Jacket frequently preaches peace, love and equality on and off the stage, but at a time when technology continues to dominate our way of life and our political divides grow bigger by the day, unity has become a challenging proposition to achieve no matter how famous or popular you are — unless you’re Oprah.

It’s not for a lack of effort from James (born James Edward Olliges Jr.), though.

Claypool Lennon Delirium


Claypool Lennon Delirium

The Louisville native remains steadfast in his commitment to doing and saying the right things, whether it’s helping to get out the vote or raising awareness and funds around a number of important environmental, climate and humanitarian issues.

Because when James sings “No use waiting and wondering why / Better get together while we still got time” on his third solo album Uniform Distortion that dropped last year, it’s a message that many of us could learn from. After all, actions speak louder than words, and a songwriter with as much talent, insight and creativity as James certainly knows that.

Embarking on a 33-date North American tour that included festival stops at Shaky Knees and Bonnaroo in support of the 11-track LP, the 41-year-old multi-hyphenate was back in LA — the city he now calls home since moving there in 2016 — on the eve of Independence Day for only one night at the always-beautiful Wiltern. The last time we caught James in the City of Angels, he was headlining another historic SoCal venue just a few miles down Olympic Blvd. after the release of his second solo effort Eternally Even. And boy, was that a lot of fun at the Orpheum Theatre as celebrity fanboys like Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka “McLovin” from the 2007 film “Superbad”) showed their appreciation for one of rock’s last remaining guitar heroes.

Jim James


Jim James

But things were a little different for this occasion, in large part because James would be billed as a co-headliner alongside his psychedelic counterparts in The Claypool Lennon Delirium for much of the tour. Even so, with Primus bassist and lead singer Les Claypool being a legend in his own right and guitarist/vocalist Sean Lennon conceived by a couple himself, we had quite the pairing for a Wednesday affair. Heck, the duo even covered Pink Floyd, King Crimson and The Beatles among cuts off 2016’s Monolith of Phobos and its stellar follow-up South of Reality that arrived in February. So if you like psych rock with an extra dose of weird, then these guys are probably for you.

That said, one could argue fairly easily that James’ songs are a bit more accessible than The CLD’s, and with that in mind, it wasn’t hard at all to understand why the man who has also put out music under the pseudonym Yim Yames assumed the closing duties for this tour. It became even more evident once James took the stage, shredding his way through tracks on Uniform Distortion like “Over and Over” and “You Get to Rome” before going to an acoustic guitar for “A New Life” from 2013’s Regions of Light and Sound of God. James would end up performing almost all of Uniform Distortion, but the real standouts of the show were in fact slightly altered versions of the Marvin Gaye-inspired “Here in Spirit” and the ever-haunting “Same Old Lie” to close what felt like a roller-coaster set full of peaks and valleys — and of course, plenty of screeches and squeals emanating from his Gibson ES-335, too.

James didn’t break for long before beginning a three-song encore with one from My Morning Jacket’s catalog in “I’m Amazed” and then dueting with Amo Amo’s Lovell Femme on “Of the Mother Again”. While it may have been somewhat predictable for him to offer us “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” as a parting gift, it wasn’t as if it came unwanted. If anything, it was a strong reminder of how powerful music can be as a unifying force and a gateway to a more positive and promising future, especially with someone like James serving as a guiding light.

JIM JAMES

Setlist:
Over and Over
You Get to Rome
A New Life
Out of Time
Just a Fool
Throwback
No Secrets
Here in Spirit
No Use Waiting
All in Your Head
The World’s Smiling Now
Yes to Everything
Same Old Lie

Encore:
I’m Amazed (My Morning Jacket song)
Of the Mother Again (with Amo Amo lead singer Lovell Femme)
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)

THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM

Setlist:
Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd cover)
Blood and Rockets: Movement I, Saga of Jack Parsons / Movement II, Too the Moon
Little Fishes
Cricket and the Genie (Movement I, The Delirium)
Cricket and the Genie (Movement II, Oratorio Di Cricket)
South of Reality
The Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson cover)
Easily Charmed by Fools
Boomerang Baby
Breath of a Salesman
Cricket Chronicles Revisited: Part 1, Ask Your Doctor – Part 2, Psyde Effects
Tomorrow Never Knows (The Beatles cover)
Third Rock From the Sun

At the Fox Theater Oakland, Tedeschi Trucks Band float beautifully in the balance

Tedeschi Trucks BandPhotos by Mike Rosati, Karen Goldman & Kory Thibeault // Written by Kory Thibeault //

Tedeschi Trucks Band //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
September 8th-9th, 2016 //

Tedeschi Trucks Band are one of those acts that transcend a person’s taste in music. Everyone walks away from a Tedeschi Trucks show with a few moments that resonate with their heart and soul. The coupling of Susan Tedeschi’s powerhouse vocals with husband Derek Trucks’ slide-guitar genius creates a blues-rock masterpiece that will rock you to your soul. And that statement fails to tip my hat to Tedeschi’s beautiful guitar musings.

TTB are big, both in size and sound. The 12-piece band consists of seasoned professionals who understand the kind of collaboration needed to realize the group’s vision. Not a single member sounded flat during a two-night run at the Fox Theater Oakland last Thursday and Friday. Their music was tight yet improvisational, loud yet restrained, powerful yet gentle. Practice and passion have seemingly allowed them to float beautifully in the balance, or in other words, to “ring those lofty bells” as the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir might say. And by the time their Bay Area run was over, they had delivered two solid performances to a grateful and full house.

On Friday night, the group presented “An Evening with Tedeschi Trucks Band”, featuring two full sets and an encore. TTB craft their setlists from the solo careers of Tedeschi and Trucks as well as a couple of their studio albums. They started the night ripping right into “Anyhow”, a standout track off their latest album Let Me Get By, and transitioned into “Don’t Know What It Means”, another on the LP. The energy was palpable from the start as everyone anticipated a sublime night of music.

Tedeschi Trucks Band

The “Swamp Raga” opening to their hit “Midnight in Harlem” introduced what would easily be considered the highlight of the first set. This ballad features a tear-jerking performance from Tedeschi as her vocals were nothing less than awe inspiring. A certain calm came over the crowd as everyone softly sang along to her musings. They finished the set strong with “Had to Cry Today” and sent everyone buzzing into the set break.

The rest of the evening was spectacular as the band weaved in and out of both originals and covers, the latter of which included Sleepy John Estes’ “Leaving Trunk”, John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery”, Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” and lastly Joe Cocker’s “Space Captain”, with all of them exemplifying the band’s superb taste and perfect execution. “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” featured high-flying vocals from Chris Robinson, formerly of The Black Crowes and now the driving force behind the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

Catching an evening of Tedeschi Trucks Band in such a brilliant environment as the Fox was certainly a treat. Fortunately for those not in attendance, the band will be releasing a live LP and DVD to remember the two-night run in Oakland. I am overjoyed at the idea of that I will get to relive this experience as TTB continue to push the sonic boundaries of blues rock. So, don’t sleep on this band — they have something for everyone.

tedeschi-trucks-band-36

Set 1: Anyhow, Don’t Know What It Means, Keep on Growing (Derek and the Dominos cover), Bird on the Wire (Leonard Cohen cover), Within You Without You (The Beatles cover), Just as Strange, Crying Over You, Swamp Raga (The Derek Trucks Band cover), Midnight in Harlem, Had to Cry Today (Blind Faith cover)

Set 2: These Walls (with Alam Khan on sarod), Right on Time, Leaving Trunk (Sleepy John Estes cover), Don’t Drift Away, I Want More, Soul Sacrifice (Santana cover), Angel From Montgomery (John Prine cover), Sugaree (Jerry Garcia cover), Get What You Deserve (The Derek Trucks Band cover), I Pity the Fool (Bobby “Blue” Bland cover), Bitches Brew (Miles Davis cover), Let Me Get By

Encore: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover) (with Chris Robinson), Space Captain (Joe Cocker cover) (with Chris Robinson)

WKEND MIXTAPE: Chris Holmes – Beatles/Paul McCartney/Wings DJ set 2013

Wkend-Mixtape

This week offers a look into the world of Paul McCartney’s opening touring act, Chris Holmes. Chris has put together a mix of tracks from the Beatles, Wings, and Paul McCartney’s solo endeavors reflecting his last four years opening for Paul. This includes covers, alternate versions, remixes and edits fused into a lovely two-hour mix.

As Chris notes, “I finally had some time to put together a mix for all of you who’ve been asking over the years of my beatles/mccartney stuff for tour. It’s about 2hrs long. I hope you enjoy. I’ve had the best time in the history of the world making the tracks and putting it together.”

The tracklist is below to follow along. Enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/embassydjs/chris-holmes-beatles-paul

Tracklist
01. venus and mars -langley school project
02. i’ve got a feeling -beatles
03. come together-ashtar parallel remix
04. why don’t we do it in the road -beatles
05. get back- deirdre wilson tabac
06. uncle albert/admiral hamlsey- wings
07. no more lonely nights- paul mccartney
08. b side to seaside- paul and linda mccartney
09. seaside woman- paul and linda mccartney
10. carry that weight- dobby dobson
11. monkberry moon delight- screaming jay hawkins
12. memphis- the beatles
13. we can work it out- stevie wonder
14. hey bulldog (erol alkan edit)= beatles
15. say say say- paul mccartney and michael jackson
16. with a little luck- wings
17. goodnight tonight- wings
18. inner light/rain- beatles
19. here comes the sun- charles wright
20. i want to hold your hand- al green
21. getting better all the time- the beatles
22. silly little love songs/temporary secretary- paul mccartney
23. you can’t do that- the supremes
24. la jour, la nuit- stone
25. help- dolly parton
26. tomorrow never knows- junior parker
27. daytripper- vontastics/nancy sinatra
28. paperback writer- rb greaves/beatles
29. i saw here standing there- little richard
30. Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand (I Want To Hold Your Hand)- beatles
31. taxman- don randi/beatles
32. ticket to ride- wee willie walker
33. please please me- mary wells
34. hard days night- otis redding
35. ballad of john and yoko- the electric cow goes moog
36. blackbird- r sweat and the paragons
37. back in the ussr- chubby checker
38. check my machine- paul mccartney
39. don’t let me down- charlotte dada
40. hey jude- overton berry trio/beatles

25 of the best cover songs ever

It’s pretty hard to proclaim the best cover songs of all time — there have been so many great covers performed in the studio and in a live environment. So that’s why we’re framing this as “25 of the Best Cover Songs Ever”. This list is not as hyperbolic as we prefer to be, but our top 10 is pretty damn solid.

Some prescribe to the theory that a cover song has to be better than the original to be great, or considered one of the the best. I don’t believe this to be true. There are cases in this list where the cover song does not surpass the original in greatness (see #25 for example). But if a cover song attempts to be different and successfully recreates a track to make it original and timeless in its own way, credit should be granted.

What did we miss? Leave us a comment with a YouTube link.

25. Chromatics – “Into the Black”
Originally by Neil Young

24. Guns N’ Roses – “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”
Originally by Bob Dylan

23. Bob Dylan – “Train of Love”
Originally by Johnny Cash

22. Johnny Cash – “I’m on Fire”
Originally by Bruce Springsteen

21. Bruce Springsteen – “Trapped”
Originally by Jimmy Cliff

20. Birdy – “Skinny Love”
Originally by Bon Iver

19. Sublime (featuring Alex Grenwald) – “Scarlet Begonias”
Originally by the Grateful Dead

18. Grateful Dead – “Morning Dew”
Originally by Bonnie Dobson

17. Alison Krauss & Robert Plant – “Trampled Rose”
Originally by Tom Waits

16. Santana – “Black Magic Woman”
Originally by Fleetwood Mac

15. Sharon Jones – “It’s a Man’s World”
Originally by James Brown

14. Radiohead – “The Headmaster Ritual”
Originally by The Smiths

13. Eric Clapton – “Coccaine”
Originally by JJ Cale

12. Tina & Ike Turner – “Proud Mary”
Originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival

11. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
Originally by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

10. The White Stripes – “Jolene”
Originally by Dolly Parton

9. Joe Cocker – “With a Little Help from My Friends”
Originally by The Beatles

8. The Beatles – “Twist & Shout”
Originally by The Top Notes, made famous by The Isley Brothers

7. Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
Traditional song; arranged by Lead Belly

6. Janis Joplin – “Me and Bobby McGee”
Originally by Kris Kristofferson

5. Phish – “Remain in Light” LP in it’s entirety
Originally by Talking Heads

4. Talking Heads – “Take Me to the River”
Originally by Al Green

3. Aretha Franklin – “Respect”
Originally by Otis Redding.

2. Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower
Originally by Bob Dylan.

1. Johnny Cash – Hurt
Originally by Nine Inch Nails.