I recently completed a compilation of songs played by the TTB at this year's Beacon Run.
94 songs played.
22 songs repeated twice.
5 songs repeated three times.
1 song repeated four times.
That, my friends, is an amazing wealth of music. I believe we should feel fortunate to witness a band of this talent and repertoire.
I listened to the entire run on the Archive. Each show was special. The band is on fire. The new covers are great.
My gut impression is that Derek is playing more solos, which isn't a bad thing. Susan is too.
This is all fine and good. But the fact remains that the TTB needs a killer studio album.
Whether they can deliver one remains to be seen.
@darylm That is a tall order in today's music environment.
But TTB isn't a top shelf band. They are somewhere between Widespread Panic and Allman Betts Band.
If they never have a Brothers and Sisters or Eat A Peach, a Four by Blues Traveler or a Shake Your Money Maker that would put them among the big bands out there commercially ( and even then would it last? It didn't for Blues Traveler) they will continue to draw their decent crowds and please their fans with fine music.
Gov't Mule so far hasn't broken out with a big album either.
@darylm That is a tall order in today's music environment.
But TTB isn't a top shelf band. They are somewhere between Widespread Panic and Allman Betts Band.
If they never have a Brothers and Sisters or Eat A Peach, a Four by Blues Traveler or a Shake Your Money Maker that would put them among the big bands out there commercially ( and even then would it last? It didn't for Blues Traveler) they will continue to draw their decent crowds and please their fans with fine music.
Gov't Mule so far hasn't broken out with a big album either.
Robertdee...I'm not getting your statement, "But TTB isn't a top shelf band."
My ears tell me they are a top shelf band.
I guess it depends upon what someone uses as criteria to describe "top shelf". My criteria is the music, the musicians, and artistic ability.
Commercially - who gives a crap?
@martind28 I was responding to DarylM. He was wondering when is TTB going to have a breakthrough studio album like Shake Your Money Maker by the Black Crows or Cracked Rearview Mirror by Hootie and the Blowfish or Brothers and Sisters by the ABB just to mention a few.
So I should have been more clear. I used top shelf here to describe a big commercially successful band such as The Eagles or Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd etc. Bands that can headline sellout tours in big venues anywhere.
Then if you have such a breakout album selling millions of copies, will it last? Unlike the Stones or the Eagles, Blues Traveler or Black Crows couldn't stay on that level. The Allman Brothers Band became the biggest band in America off of Brothers and Sisters but though they continued to be a big band, they too did not remain on the same shelf as the Eagles or Rolling Stones etc.
As to musicianship, TTB are all great players and great singing. They are, as you said, top shelf players with their instruments.
Back when I was a kid and before I was born my dad liked Lionel Hampton, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Artie Shaw among others. These bands were famous but they were not as big as the Eagles or Rolling Stones etc. They could sell out theatres, large night clubs etc. But not coliseums and stadiums. But musically their members were probably better than any of the big rock bands. To get a gig in the Dorsey band for example, you had to have already mastered your instrument PLUS read music. You had to read sheet music. They would rehearse a new chart a couple of times and boom you had to play it perfectly in concert. If you couldn't read and have your instrument mastered, you can't do that. But NONE of those guys including Tommy Dorsey or Harry James made close to the money Keith Richards or Don Henley.
I apologize for seeming to slight TTB. They are indeed one of my favorite bands and they are excellent.
Here is the famous trombone player Dick Nash and another guy playing together while reading sheet music. That is another kind of playing indeed!
I watched a bit of the Warren Haynes sit in from a Beacon show last night and really enjoyed it.....Watching Susan belt out the Mad Englishman tune was cool. She is so damn good as is the newest incarnation of the band. The new keyboard player and drummer are excellent replacements. I thought Dreams was very good and Liz Reed was a nice surprise.
I'm curious about the amp Warren seemed to constantly be fiddling with as he dialed in his sound. Anyone know what kind it is? I don't recall seeing him play it before either in Mule, the ABB, or in the recent clips of the recording of Mule's new blues album. Is it possibly a signature model he's road testing?
@chain
This is a guess on my part. Derek has been using Alessandro heads and cabinets for over 10 years. I've noticed, recently, he's had vintage Fender heads paired with the Alessandro cabinets. The 10-9-21 video shows Derek was using Fender equipment. Could be Warren was using an Alessandro amp and cabinet borrowed, so to speak, from the TTB. I am by no means an expert. It's simply an somewhat educated guess.
My above post is wrong regarding the Fender equipment used by Derek! My sincere apologies! Still looks like an Alessandro cabinet used by Warren.
Thanks for the insight........I suppose it makes sense he'd be using some of Derek's equipment. Especially since Warren no longer lives in NYC but up the road a bit so perhaps his own equipment wasn't as readily available.
