WEEN @ McCarren Pool Brooklyn, NY

I cannot really tell you how insanely, intense and awesome this band is. One of the finest old school style rock acts out there today, everything from their vintage stage antics to the lights and sound! LOUD, BRIGHT and TOTALLY POLISHED. 3,000 of my closest friends and some hipsters rolled into the empty McCarren Park Pool this past Friday to see WEEN, I made sure to get there early claim my space... My two pals and I maintained 10th row the whole entire show...it was well worth it. http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/07/ween_mccarren_p.html scroll to the middle...

Turbine loves velvet just as much as George Costanza

Turbine Velvet Lounge Review Turbine - Velvet Lounge, Setauket, NY - 7/19/08 Upon entry into this venue I was greeted with the smiling faces of good friends, the delicious drip of whiskey and the opportunity to turn tragedy into triumph. Many new people turned out for this show, making the event even more special. The majority of the crowd were first-timers and had no idea that by evening's end they would be subjected to a new obsession that will become a favorite pass-time. This night could not have started with a better song for many people in the crowd. Turbine started the late set with Got To Get Better in a Little While by Derek and the Dominos. This song was performed incredibly well with lots of heart and soul, making it, for me, a song that will forever help me remember a friend who passed the night before. After a clean ending Turbine sang Invited into a screaming Seven Years of Bad Luck into Set Me Free. First set then ended with a little ditty called Roll On which segued into Don't Take Money From Strangers. I remember thinking at the end of the set that I was really pumped for more. The band was on fire. After a visit to the delightful smoking patio for a round of drinks and some laughs Turbine returned to the stage with a slow beginner in Country Pie. Special of the Day followed and morphed into Quitters Never Win continued by Doin' To Me, one of my personal favorites. Classic Eddy of the Sea carried the second set on preparing fans for a dynamite ending. Behind these Walls was the stand out song of the second set, for me, as it was my first time hearing it and the third time it has ever been played. Walls is still a growing tune that has been on the books for years but is finally making it's way into rotation. Stand Down closed the night musically for all those unlucky enough to know these guys. On a side note, this night was very important to me and I would like to publicly thank Turbine for making everything inside feel better. Special Thanks To: Turbine, The Velvet Lounge, the Turbine Van, the Comfort Inn, Jameson, the pier but not the mosquitoes at the pier, GREAT friends, the fans and as always the music and great times! Love, Jess

Turbine at Stain (Brooklyn, NY)

7/12/08 Initially, the idea of this show was thought to be a classic Turbine show, reminiscent of the time when Turbine was a duo shared between Jeremy Hillard and Ryan Rightmire. This changed as Eric Johnson fulfilled his percussion duties and Justin Kimmel cruised in with his bass. The show was set to start at 10:30 p.m. in Brooklyn, N.Y., just one block from the Grand Street stop off of the hipster clad "L" train but truth be told no hipsters attended, even though I looked like one. Stain, a friendly wine-o bar which is known for their love of art, Sangria carafes and sizeable smoking patio, reminds you of a place where back in the day one would have seen Neil Young grace the small stage for a low key acoustic set. While such performances happen often, Saturday night was an exception; and an exceptional one at that. As I rushed from Union Square to make the show, I was hoping that the duo hadn't begun on time because I would have missed more than an hour of grooving. I was lucky in that they hadn't and I had only missed two-ish songs. While I was totally there for the music, I was starving and couldn't resist devouring the kick-ass BBQ out on the smoking patio. The Weber Kettle was perfectly roasting an array of meats that came on everything from bones to skewers. All were delicious, you can even ask Willoughby, she knows. Ok, so we get it, the food was scrumptious. Now onto the music. The night was more of a free base jam session with the crowd and band requesting songs alike. Audience participation was highly encouraged as there were an array of sit-ins from the Turbine family. The show began after a Bessie Smith (the Band) sound check. Set one started with Wintertime, even though we are in the midst of summer, followed by Running Late, which is ironically when I arrived. Sweet Blue Eyed Darlin' (Bill Monroe) came next with Jack A Roe (Traditional), Devils and Angels and Masterpiece (Bob Dylan) all three with "Nice Guy Mike" on Bass. Masterpiece sampled Jeremy (lead guitar, vocals) on piano and segued into Willoughby the Lazy Dog jam which honored the friendly pooch and her infamous need for belly rubs. Set break followed with Banjo and Mike entertaining the crowd. Set two welcomed Justin Kimmel back to his Bass duties and kicked off the late night set with Set Me Free into Fla Naba jam, a bonnafied crowd pleaser and by far the highlight of my night. This song was specifically written "for the neighbors" early one morning not too far from the venue. Initially, this song was the gut of a late-night, roof-top jam that took place after an evening at the Donegal last March. Four months later it's heyday arrived and it formed into the epitome of outerspaceness. It was the first time the song had been played in it's entirety with the full band. The hook of the song, a crazy repetitious "this is for fla naba", continually looped; popping in and out of jams and well, the rest of the show for that matter. Fla Naba then returned to Set Me Free. The lucky few who stayed until nearly 4 a.m. were delighted to hear for the first time The Start of Something New and Ready, Willing to close. This show was performed in classic acoustic fashion, with a little twist of Turbine spunk. As far as this band is concerned, acoustic is neither slow nor boring. Special Thanks to: Turbine, Stain, Weber Kettle and Nice Guy Mike, that last drop in the bottle in the bag on the table, MuleMan, Eric and Justin for coming too, not my foot for kicking over 219,308,290 drinks, the tolerant bartender, Willoughby's dirt stash, the FANS, music and great times! Willoughby would like to thank: Teresa's lap. Love, Jess

TURBINE ROCKED OFF!

7/11/08 80 degrees and sunny could not have been a more perfect forecast for an evening upon the rocky waves of New York City's East River. Fans of Gramercy's latest psychedelic rock 'n roll group boarded the intimate Half Moon at 7 p.m. and proceeded to enjoy cocktails on the poopdeck until opener PUSH took the stage. Young and electric, PUSH paved the way for the luscious headliner to take the stage a little after 10 p.m. Before embarking on their musical journey, Turbine enjoyed mingling with their fans while taking in the sites along the East River. The Half Moon cruised us by the Statue of Liberty, underneath the Manhattan, Williamsburg and Brooklyn bridges, and best yet by the newest art exhibit in Manhattan. The NYC Waterfalls were definitely a big highlight of the evening (yes, to me, I know. I was excited...) and I feel safe saying that the inebriated crowd was impressed by Mr. Eliasson's work. The sun had fully set, the river was getting wild and the boat was "arockin'" as Turbine took the stage preparing the fully loaded dance floor for a nautical set list that would have had Gilligan spinning. Opening with an unexpected jam into Eddy of the Sea followed by increasing Special of the Day was an exceptional start but the crowd had no clue that OCEAN by legends Led Zeppelin was to follow. Turbine took this cover to new heights, in fact it had me rushing from the sound board to the front of the crowd just to get an up-close view of a raging harmonica and blasting Gibson. Frankly, I would have been nervous topping Ocean but Turbine mastered it just fine with Desert Rose, a fan favorite. Even with a little unsteadiness on the boat (the entire band including seated drummer swayed with the tide) the set continued into Columbus Day and the uber romantic Doing To Me. A trancey few came to follow with Seven Years of Bad Luck into a classic version of Rock The Boat by retro-group The Hues Corporation into an elongated Invited that rocked my socks, considering it is my favorite tune by the band. The show closer was Reward off of their second album titled with the same name. After the roaring crowd died down and actually captured some semblance of their sea legs elated fans enjoyed a couple last drinks as the crew of Rocks Off! was more than happy to allow a bit of mental regrouping. As the boat emptied people were found scowling the front of the port at 23rd and FDR Drive for post party plans. From the looks of people, I feel confident that everyone found something delightful to do. I know I did. Special Thanks to: Turbine, Rocks Off! and Bill Stites, Beth, James' Helmet, Banjo's Arm, the chair by the soundboard, arm railings along the stairs, the FANS, music and great times. Love, Jess

Blogging is Hip

Ok, so after lots of time away, many stories untold and scrap books filled I am going to start blogging again. For awhile I lost interest...but the summer of George is back! So I am going to gradually update this thing with stories about The Who, Tea Leaf Green and Turbine. It is going to take me a very long time to recap the shows I have been to and my experiences, but if you bare with me I am sure they will be entertaining...because frankly, I was entertained. The organization is going to be a little wacky, which why wouldn't it be really... The first post I am going to put up is a review from the Turbine's Boat Cruise this past weekend, and recaps will follow. Love, Jess