Concert Reports

Tedeschi Trucks Band with special guest Jackie Greene performed at the Vina Robles Amphitheatre to a Moon Lit, near Capacity crowd on Saturday, August 9 at 8 p.m.

All Photos: Gary Lambert & Steve Kennedy

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In just three years, Tedeschi Trucks Band -- the 11-member collective led by husband-wife duo Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi -- has taken its hearty roots-rich musical mix to audiences across the globe and become a proven musical powerhouse. Driven by Trucks' signature slide-guitar sound and Tedeschi's honey-to-husk voice, Tedeschi Trucks Band delivers an electrifying blend of blues, soul, jazz, and rock drawing from an ever-deepening well of material.

Some risks are worth taking. When Derek trucks and Susan Tedeschi decided three years ago to dispense with their much-loved individual bands and pool their talents, they had no way of knowing what the public reaction might be to the new hybrid. They found out quickly enough when Revelator, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s 2011 studio debut, excited their sizable, devoted fan bases and the movers and shakers of the music industry alike, landing TTB both a Best Blues Album Grammy and a Blues Music Award for Album of the Year. Their live followup, Everybody’s Talkin’—documenting what many were already regarding as one of the most superb concert acts around not even two years into their existence—continued that forward momentum and picked up a Blues Music Award for Best Rock Blues Album (Susan, Derek and TTB itself each took home separate Blues Music Awards in 2012 as well).

Now, with the release of Made Up Mind (Sony Masterworks, August 20, 2013), there isn’t a shred of doubt that Susan Tedeschi, her husband and creative collaborator, Derek Trucks, and their superb bandmates are on to something—something very big.

Showing why it is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most superb live acts on the road today. The group is now touring North America behind the release of its second studio effort, Made Up Mind --which entered Billboard's top 200 at #11 and was hailed by Rolling Stone as ‚ “equal parts Stax and Muscle Shoals without dilution of either."

Jackie Greene began his career in his mid-teens working the bar and open mic circuit in and around his hometown of Sacramento. Since then, he has recorded seven albums and two EP’s, released a DVD, and published a book of lyrics. Upon witnessing his performance at Bonnaroo, Jon Pareles of The New York Times had this to say about the singer, songwriter, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, “Jackie Greene could be the Prince of Americana. That’s capital P, and not because Mr. Greene favors the color purple but for some musical parallels.”  

Jackie released his acoustic-laced breakthrough, Gone Wonderin’ in 2002, and followed it with two more albums, Rusty Nails and Sweet Somewhere Bound, on indie label Dig Records. In 2005, he contributed to the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, and a year later he issued his critically acclaimed Verve debut, American Myth, which he co-produced with Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin.  

Greene’s career took an unexpected turn that year when Phil Lesh name-dropped him in an interview tied to Bonnaroo. They started talking and, a year later, Greene joined Phil & Friends, thrusting him in front of a new audience of open-minded music listeners and fastidious Deadheads.  

In 2008, Greene made the move from Verve to Savoy and released Giving Up The Ghost, of which American Songwriter wrote, “Greene adroitly maneuvers the crannies of blues, folk, rock and soul with an impressive songwriting toolbox that uses a wide palette to express his simple, but not simplistic, tales.”  

Small Tempest, an EP of originals, quickly followed Giving Up The Ghost. In 2010, he dropped another EP of Grateful Dead covers, and in the same year his solo and Deadhead worlds converged on the epic Till the Light Comes. Relix Magazine: “His latest album finds the maturing singer/songwriter offering a sojourn into his own psyche where the waters of human suffering prove difficult to navigate…weighty insights are balanced alongside fist-pumping rock-revelries (“Spooky Tina,” “Medicine”) so jubilant they create an album whose sum remains uplifting and accessible. Half pop, half poetic— and all good.”  

In 2013, Jackie was asked to join The Black Crowes for their epic worldwide tour. It was through his work with Lesh that Greene entered the Crowes’ orbit as the bassist regularly brought singer Chris Robinson and keyboardist Adam MacDougall into the PL&F fold. Greene drifted deeper into the Dead world when his friendship with Robinson and Bob Weir resulted in a new trio. And, by chance, he also joined Trigger Hippy, a supergroup that features Joan Osborne and Crowes drummer Steve Gorman. When Luther Dickinson was unavailable to tour with the reformed Crowes, Greene was a natural choice.  

In 2014, with the Crowes tour behind him, Greene has his eye set on a new solo album, his first in four years, and hitting the road again…as the Jackie Greene Band.

About Vina Robles Amphitheatre Welcome to the Vina Robles Amphitheatre, where European Inspiration meets California Character and the stars always shine. Here, two of California's great compositions meet, as exceptional wine and intimate live music are paired to create an unforgettable wine country experience.

The 3,300 seat boutique amphitheatre is nestled on a picturesque, oak-dotted hillside in Paso Robles on California's Central Coast. With its opening in the summer of 2013, the Vina Robles Amphitheatre became one of the largest outdoor venues for arts and entertainment in San Luis Obispo County. Featuring a style reminiscent of the California missions, guests are able to immerse themselves in a unique and intimate concert adventure as they enjoy modern amenities and first class hospitality. The concert season runs from May through November and features top tier acts from around the world in all genres. Various seating options all within 150 feet from the stage, including regular, VIP and general admission lawn seating, make events accessible to anyone in the community. We look forward to sharing our love of wine and the arts with you soon. For more information about the Vina Robles Winery, Click Here

www.TedeschiTrucksBand.com

www.JackieGreene.com

www.VinaRoblesAmphitheatre.com  

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