| Butch Has A Blog! Click over to and enjoy Butch's straight talk on music, politics, current events, philosophy and literature. |
|
|
|
|
Welcome to hittinthenote.com! Here you can find everything from our quarterly music magazine Hittin' the Note to exclusive and hard to find CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, kidswear, posters, stickers, books, coffee mugs and other merchandise from your favorite artists. We always strive to give you the best...because music matters!
If this is your first visit here, be sure to check out our NEW STUFF section, which includes brand new merchandise from the Allman Brothers Band 2011 Tour! To navigate to that location please click "MERCHANDISE" on the blue bar above and then click "NEW STUFF" on the left hand column under Categories.
While you're here, be sure to register for our web e-digest updates by clicking on the Join E-Digest link above. By registering, you will automatically receive an email notice when the site has been updated, or when we have special music offers. Consider it an invitation to our home on the web, a place where genuine music flourishes.
 HTN parties in NYC in March
 Hittin' the Note has two parties planned during the Allman Brothers Beacon run in March. The first will be on Saturday, March 17th at the Iridium from 2:00 PM till 6:00 PM and will feature Randall Bramblett AND Geoff Achison, who was unable to attend the well received performance last year. For those of you who have never seen Geoff play, you are in for a real treat! Rounding out the rest of the band will be HTN favorites Yonrico Scott on drums and Ted Pecchio on bass. To purchase advanced tickets for this event please click here. 
The Allman Brothers have the night off on Friday the 23rd but don't let that stop you from coming to the city - Wet Willie will deliver some sweaty, good time R&B with top hits like “Keep on Smiling,” “Country Side of Life,” “Rendezvous With the Blues,” and “Grit’s Ain’t Groceries.” This is a band that can set a place on fire from the get-go so get ready to party with your brothers and sisters! To purchase tickets please click here.
New Wet Willie CD
 Hittin' the Note Records is proud to present our 5th CD release: Wet Willie – Miles of Smiles. Recorded in Woodstock, Georgia back in August of 2011, this CD is full of high-octane music that captures the essence of a band still drippin' wet with talent and passion! Like the Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie is best experienced in a live setting and on a hot, sweltering night in Georgia they left it all on the stage in an unbelievable performance. Recorded by original Capricorn engineer, Jim Hawkins, and mixed by Bert Elliot and Ovie Sparks, this CD jumps right out of the speakers from the opening vamp and carries you through all of the greatest hits of a band that knows how to leave you with a smile on your face!
Miles Of Smiles is in stock and shipping now! To listen to song clips and to order please click here.
HTN # 71
 The holidays have arrived, and so has the latest issue of Hittin' the Note. Our cover story is a prime example of how time flies when you’re having a good time, as we commemorate 25 years of Widespread Panic. We also cover guitarist Rich Robinson who has taken full advantage of the Black Crowes' hiatus to record a superb solo album, Through a Crooked Sun. Brian Wilson is a true rock and roll icon, and it’s an honor for Hittin’ the Note to include him within our pages as well. Brian spoke to Tony Sclafani about the long-awaited release of the Beach Boys' legendary SMiLE album. John Scofield is a musician’s musician; he has the highest respect of some of the most-gifted players in the business. The jazz guitar pioneer recently put out A Moment's Peace, and spoke to HTN’s Tony Sclafani at length about this release, as well as his plans for the next project. Also included in this issue are our usual columns: Tom Clarke's "Compact Dreams," Jamie Lee's "In Tune," plus the "HTN 6-Pack" and reviews of a dozen outstanding CDs for your perusal. Our "Painting Session" focuses on the work of Nashville artist Jason Erwin, and we have a nice recap of this year’s wonderful GABBAfest in Macon, GA, written by GABBA President Dave Pierson. To read the full Editor's Notes and to pick up the latest copy (or download) of Hittin' the Note please click here.
New Jaimoe's Jasssz Band CD and merch!
 As you may have heard, Jaimoe's Jasssz Band has been in the studio recording a new CD and we are very excited to announce that it is in stock and shipping now! The title of the new CD is "Renaissance Man" and this release is a rich, simmering brew of originals and classics with outstanding musicianship and songwriting. For those of you who have been lucky enough to hear Junior Mack sing and this band perform "Rainy Night In Georgia," "Melissa," or "Leaving Trunk," you know what we are talking about! These covers, along with 7 other originals tunes on this CD, will move your soul.
We cannot say enough about the superb songwriting and sohpisticated musicianship on this CD - contributions from Jr. Mack, Bruce Katz, Dave Stoltz and Reggie Pittman all stand out. Singer/songwriter/guitar player extroidinare, Junior Mack, contributes four original compositions to this effort and brings the heat to a boil - check out highlights like “Dilemma” and “Drifting and Turning!”
Take all of this excellence - sprinkle in the mojo of Jaimoe - stir the pot and breathe in the intoxication. This band is the real deal...something very special indeed! To hear song samples and to order please click here or on the CD image.
ABB Live - Philly and Boston!
 All of us in ABB land are very excited to get the gift of 6 more shows for the holidays! HTN and Munck Music are working hard to ship you these shows on CD within 2 weeks of their performance! We are also offering our special "6 shows for the price of 5" package on this holiday run! In other tour related news - Warren called WMMR DJ Pierre Robert in Philly to tell him that in honor of his 30th anniversary on the air at WMMR, the ABB will perform "Live at Fillmore East" in it's entirety on Friday 11/25 at the Tower Theatre! Meantime, Gregg called DJ Carter Allen at WZLX in Boston and said not wanting to make the Boston fans feel left out, the ABB will play Live at Fillmore East in its entirety on Tuesday 11/29, and Eat a Peach on Wednesday 11/30 at the Orpheum! How amazing is that?! Click here to check out the setlist for each show and to order.
ABB CDs and DVD Back In Stock!
A day does not go by that we don't get a call in the Hittin' the Note office asking when the 2nd ABB Archive, Stonybrook 9/19/71, is going to be reprinted. Sooo, we're really excited to tell you that this incredible CD along with Hittin' the Note and One Way Out will be back in stock on December 6th! In addition, the 2003 Live at the Beacon Theatre DVD will also be re-released! The Stonybrook archive has what many fans consider to be the very best versions of "Blue Sky" (extremely rare) and "Dreams" ever captured live by the original lineup. Brother Gregory Allman called Hittin' the Note the best ABB album since Eat A Peach. And, seeing the Brothers Live at The Beacon Theatre can't be beat! One Way Out is the follow-up CD to that DVD release and contains 65 extra minutes of incendiary music. What great holiday gifts these disc will make! Order now by clicking here.
Planet Of The Abts
 Change, while sometimes difficult, can also be a catalyst for something new and great. Such is the case with P.O.A., a project that came together when Gov't Mule went on hiatus earlier this year. The Mule rhythm section - drummer Matt Abts and bassist Jorgen Carlsson - wanted to keep their outstanding chemistry going, and thus was born P.O.A., or Planet of the Abts.
"P.O.A. was conceived by, of all people, Brad Sands, one of Gov't Mule's many – but rating right up there with one of my favorites and most interesting - road managers," Matt Abts explained. " ‘Matt Abts! Planet of the Abts!' just started spewing from his mouth after a few weeks on the bus together, and the term stuck. So fast forward to April 2010; Jorgen Carlsson, my favorite bass player, suggested, 'Hey - let's start Planet of the Abts as a band. Come on over to my place – I have a recording studio and I want you to meet my friend Torbjorn - T-Bone.' J.C. and T-Bone know each other from growing up in Sweden and playing in many bands together over the years. Both - but not together - came to America, the land of opportunity (I'm not sure about that) in the 1990s. Jorgen did a lot of session work in L.A., and T-Bone performed the guitar work on the computer/video game Quake III Arena, which has sold over ten million units.
"Anyway, when I met T-Bone for the first time, we both faced off each other, circling, snarling, teeth showing - and immediately hit it off. T-Bone is our secret weapon (well, not any more); he plays everything, sings and now is part of our family. Two Swedes and me - hey! It's the P.O.A. We cut the entire Planet of the Abts CD at Jorgen's Roger's Boat Studios; it was recorded analog, on a Studer 820."
To read more about this killer new CD, hear song clips and to order please click here.
2011 Beacon Box - In Stock and Shipping Now!
 When Thomas Wolfe stated that you can't go home again, he wasn't aware of the Allman Brothers Band and the Beacon Theatre. After last year's stint uptown, the ABB returned to the Upper West Side, back where they belong. Since reuniting in 1989, the group has set up shop almost every year at the Beacon, and their runs have become the stuff of legend.
In 2011, the band's current line-up marked its 10-year anniversary, and Gregg Allman, Jaimoe, Butch Trucks, Warren Haynes, Marc Quinones, Oteil Burbridge and Derek Trucks celebrated in style. The 2011 Beacon Box captures it all; the vibe, the energy, the guests and, of course, the music that the Allman Brothers Band has played since 1969.
Similar to what we did in 2009, Hittin' the Note is offering a special commemorative edition of this year's Beacon run in a customized, serial numbered box that will contain all 13 shows, plus a bonus of both ABB 2011 Wanee Festival concerts. The 2011 Beacon Box will look like a road case in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Fillmore East recording. Also included will be a 32-page CD booklet with exclusive photos and content, along with a copy of this year's 28-page Beacon program!
The 2011 Beacon stand consisted of 13 spectacular shows, and every magical moment is contained within this box set. Opening night was March 10th, and no other band would have the audacity, confidence and ability to kick off a run with the complexity of "Spanish Key," the Miles Davis fusion masterpiece. Not only did they pull it off, the ABB did it their way. With the tone set, every night had its own particular highlight.
On March 12th, the group commemorated a historical event; the 40th anniversary of At Fillmore East, the band's quintessential live album. The memories of what Duane Allman, Berry Oakley, Dickey Betts, Gregg, Butch and Jaimoe recorded at Bill Graham's East Village concert hall were brought to life by the current version of the ABB, and they performed the entire album with passion. The fact that Derek Trucks was playing Duane's '57 Les Paul Goldtop certainly added to the occasion; the past and present were joined, and the circuit was closed. Derek and Warren would swap off playing the Goldtop during the run, which marked the first time one of Duane's guitars was played at the Beacon.
As always, there were the guests. Over 50 talented musicians shared the stage with the ABB; some were old friends, while others were from the generation that was influenced by the Allman Brothers Band. Whatever the case, they were there to pay homage to the greatest live performance group in rock history. Dr. John, Hubert Sumlin, John Scofield, Steve Earle, Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, Susan Tedeschi, Donald Fagan, Rich Robinson, Robert Randolph, Brad Whitford, Tommy Talton - the impressive list went on and on.
From the opening notes of "Spanish Key" on the 10th to the final thunder of "Whipping Post" on the 26th (which was the ABB's 200th show at the Beacon), it's all here. 82 different songs, 223 in total, played with the majesty, diversity and power of the Allman Brothers Band. Enjoy these shows over and over again, and always remember - there's no place like home.
Click here to order the 2011 Beacon Box.
(Please note - HTN will credit you full retail price towards the purchase of the 2011 Beacon Box for any 2011 Beacon shows you have already ordered from HTN)
Hittin' the Note Preview
 As a sneak peek at Hittin' the Note's cover story for Issue #71, we have excerpted parts of the wonderful interviews with Dave Schools and John Bell of Widespread Panic - good stuff indeed!
Talking in the Tipitina's green room before a Stockholm Syndrome gig in August, Dave Schools waxes reflective on various artists that have shared songs and stage with Widespread Panic - including former bandmate George McConnell. John Bell and John ‘JoJo' Hermann come up, too.
Dirty Dozen Brass Band: "I realized that they had their own language as a horn ensemble. They could come up as a group and get into an improvisational situation and use their group mind to stack harmonies and do horn parts in stabs. The tours with did with those guys were just pure, unadulterated fun. How could it not be? Horns were something we had always heard in our music. When it was cooking with them and us, it was pretty powerhouse. Some fucking swamp-ass, horny horn, greasy music." Click here to read the rest of the article.
CD Review: Jeff Coffin & The Mu'tet: LIVE!
 Bees buzz about the patio that overlooks the dusty hills sitting adjacent to voluptuous grapevines on the grounds surrounding the mystical Gorge Amphitheatre in central Washington state. The view is spectacular – the Columbia River squirms below, reflecting the day's sunlight with a blinding sparkle that is merely the opening act for the twinkle of infinite stars in the night's black sky.
At a cast-iron table, ordering his breakfast with a special request to expedite the coffee and monitor its level closely, sits Jeff Coffin, saxophonist in Dave Matthews Band, former member of Bela Fleck & the Flectones, and leader of the Jeff Coffin Mu'tet. Simultaneously working his laptop and cell phone, Jeff is finalizing details for an upcoming Mu'tet gig in New York. His appearance is eye catching – shaved head, artsy specs, and a warm, genuine smile residing above his world champion goatee. We’re meeting to discuss the Mu'tet's new live record, but conversation begins naturally and flows easily. We shoot the shit for two hours, talking current events, film, family, yoga and politics before settling in on music.
Click here to read the entire review.
Live Show Review: moe.
 Based out of upstate New York, jam band moe. wrapped up their tour with a one night stand at Atlanta’s beloved Tabernacle on November 19, 2011. The band had begun its fall tour in Texas at the start of November, making their way up the East Coast before heading down to Atlanta for the final show of the tour, before heading back up to NYC to play a sold-out, two-night run at Terminal 5 over Thanksgiving holiday.
Click here to read the entire review.
|
|
New Duane Allman
T-shirts! |
|
|
|
