Reposted from my FB page ... why, I'm not certain.

My Top Ten Live Concerts 2011 (in no particular order):

1. Edward Hamell (Hamell on Trial): Ed performed a brilliant, obscene, poignant, and hilarious show in a small Ballard 'house concert' at Harry Oesterreicher's storefront apartment for about forty of us. Maybe my favorite show of the year just in terms of scale. Ed's great: imagine if Bill Hicks had a guitar ... 2. Nick Lowe solo at the Triple Door: Attended both shows- the first with my friend Hugh Jones who played bass in the Lowebeats, a Nick cover band in Seattle. Fellow Lowebeat Scott McCaughey opened for Nick. Hugh and I belted out the chorus on 'When I Write the Book' and got a nod from Nick at the end of the tune. (He asked for audience participation ...) 3. Black Dub at Neumo's: Daniel Lanois and Brian Blade. Wow, life took some new directions that night ... 4. Joe Ely at the Triple Door: Joe and an amazing virtuoso string player. Just standing and singing Joe's tough and quirky compositions. 4. Gang of Four at the Showbox: Actually the Gang of Two with only Andy Gill and Jon King remaining. They recruited a strong and verty capable rhythm section to replace the irreplaceable Hugo Burnham on drums and Dave Allen on bass. They played a great mix of old Go4 and new compositions and damn, it was great to jump up and down in place again. I saw the original Go4 at the Showbox several times in the early '80's. 5. Jill Sobule and John Doe at the Tractor Tavern: A wonderful and very funny night with two of the greatest songwriters on the scene today. What chemistry! 6. Spectrum Road at Jazz Alley: Vernon Reid, Jack Bruce, John Medeski, and Cindy Blackman in a Tony Williams tribute. They have recorded a new album due out in May 2012. All virtuosos, all legends ... wow. 7. Dave Alvin and Christy Mc Wilson at the Tractor: Always a pleasure to see these old friends back at the Tractor! 8. Young Fresh Fellows at the Triple Door: Kind of embarrassed I'd never seen the Fellows before, but it was worth the twenty year wait! The kind of show you can only see in Seattle. Local sons made good return to rock out! 9. Jeff Beck at the Moore: the greatest electric guitar innovator of his generation plays an incredible show at the Moore! Despite the fact we had seats in the last row of the balcony, binoculars and a stellar sound system made it all seem quite intimate. 10. Musicare's benefit: local musicians, including this year, Pearl Jam's tireless Mike McCready, gather every year to raise funds for musicians's without healthcare. Every year they choose a classic 'double album' and local bands perform the songs in order. They've been at it for ten years, doing the Beatles' 'White Album' and 'Blonde on Blonde'. This year they chose 'Layla'. It rocked! Like · · Share