Black Crowes: Something old, something new

The Black Crowes have been haunting studios on both coasts recording new material for their first studio album in six years (since 2001's Lions, which gave us the ace single "Soul Singing," one of my favorites lately). Scheduled for a 2007 release, the deliciously swaggering Southern-rock band has not yet decided whether to go major label or independent for this release.

Chris and Rich Robinson are playing two acoustic shows next week (as part of their Brothers Of A Feather series) in Atlanta, and have one lone show on the schedule currently for 2007 -- at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass festival in June. Roadtrip?

Here are two previously-posted new songs from the Robinsons which we may be hearing a studio treatment of soon:

I Got The Late Nights Again (live 4/14/06)

Cut From The Shadow (live 4/14/06)

And this is something I have highly enjoyed listening to -- a richly fantastic full-band set from the SF Fillmore in August of 2005 (captured on the live DVD Freak N Roll Into The Fog). This audio is an amalgamation of the best from their five-night stand with the San Franciscans. According to SF Chronicle writer Joel Selvin, "The Black Crowes never sounded better than they did Saturday at the Fillmore Auditorium, the peak performance of a sold-out five-night run...(the band) definitely staked a claim in these Fillmore shows as one of the last of the classic rock bands” (8/8/05).

I did find it funny when Chris Robinson botches the lyrics to "Hard To Handle" -- how many times have they sang that bit about ten cent lovin'? Ah well, it's the Fillmore. I forget the words sometimes when I'm at the Fillmore too.

BLACK CROWES @ THE FILLMORE
AUGUST 2005

3/28: I just took these files down because I found out that the set is commercially available in its entirety. I thought it was just a live boot. So I have another great Black Crowes show that is going to go up in its place, I am prepping that now. Check back!

An announcement of 2007 tour dates are expected from the Black Crowes in support of their new album. I don't think I've seen them live before (although I wouldn't rule it out in my blurred summer-festival-heydays of the '90s) and would love to.

Speaking of shows, I am heading out to see Cracker tonight at the sticky-floored Black Sheep here in town, really the only good live music venue in the city. I can't convince anyone to shirk their adult responsibilities with me and come out on a Tuesday night, but I wouldn't miss it.

I've mentioned before that Cracker was probably the first true rock and roll show I saw, along with the Counting Crows, back in 1994. Tonight will probably be different in that I am not planning to crowd-surf during "Euro-Trash Girl."