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Watch Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band on 'Jam In The Van' July 6, 2017 21:16

Last week, Jam in the Van stopped by Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, CA, to record a session with Lesh and The Terrapin Family Band. Lesh, the founding bassist of the Grateful Dead, was joined by longtime collaborator  Jason Crosby (keys), as well as his son Grahame Lesh (guitar), Ross James (guitar), and drummer Alex Koford. The five-piece performed a total of three songs: “Galilee,” “The Wheel,” and “Uncle John’s Band.” Full video footage of each song can be found below.

Lesh and The Terrapin Family Band have had a busy year thus far, frequently playing Terrapin Crossroads, as well as venues such as Brooklyn Bowl and even Monterey Pop Festival. The band will end the summer by teaming up with Bob Weir to recreate the Dead’s Terrapin Station at this year’s LOCKN' Festival.

Watch "Galilee" here:

Watch "The Wheel" here:

Watch "Uncle John's Band" here:


Feel Good Fridays: ALO's "Blew Out The Walls" June 30, 2017 11:05

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Just a few weeks back, we introduced a new weekly concept simply known as "Feel Good Fridays," which highlighst a different band/artist each week whose music simply brightens your day.  We all have those go to tracks that are so good they make you laugh. That's what we're going for. We want to share material from different genres that strikes that nostalgic chord and helps you kick off the weekend on the highest of notes.  And with that being said, let's talk about Animal Liberation Orchestra from Saratoga, CA.

Animal Liberation Orchestra, better known as ALO, is a California rock band currently signed to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. They have released four full-length albums for Brushfire, as well as a number of prior independent releases including a film soundtrack. ALO consists of Zach Gill (Keys/Vocals), Steve Adams (Bass/Vocals), Dan "Lebo" Lebowitz (Guitar//Vocals) and Dave Brogan (Drums/Vocals). While childhood friends Lebowitz, Adams and Gill (aka, LAG) formed their first band (Django) in junior high school in 1989, ALO was formed in 1998. The band originally included a five-piece horn section, but was solidified as a four-piece with Brogan on drums in 2002.

ALO's college friendship with singer/songwriter Jack Johnson also rekindled during this time. ALO supported Johnson at The Fillmore in Denver in November 2002. Gill started sitting-in with Johnson and his band more frequently and Johnson also made appearances at ALO shows and would join the band to play each other's songs. The band would sign with Johnson's Brushfire Records in 2006.

While virtually any album or song from the ALO catalog would fit this segment perfectly, we were introduced to this band with the 2012 release of Sounds Like This. Many will remember "Falling Dominoes" was in heavy rotation with SiriusXM JamOn, and rightfully so. While this album includes some gems in "Dead Still Dance," "Storms & Hurricans," and "Cowboys & Chorus Girls," the one tune that really struck a chord was "Blew Out The Walls." The inspiring/entertaining story combined with some Garcia-esque licks from Lebowitz is just what you need to kick off the holiday weekend.  Check out a few recordings of this one below. Feel free to send future submissions for Feel Good Fridays by clicking here.

Watch ALO peform "Blew Out The Walls" on OurVinyl Sessions here:

Watch ALO perform "Blew Out The Walls" on Jam In The Van here:

Watch ALO perform Blew Out The Walls at WNCW Studios here: