On Saturday, October 10th, the “All Our Colors: The Good Road Concert” was held in support of The Traditional Circle of Indian Elders & Youth with performances by Santana, the Steve Miller Band, Mickey Hart, Jackson Browne, John Lee Hooker, John Trudell and Graffiti Man, White Boy and the Wagon Burners, and Red Thunder.

On the following day, the “Healing the Sacred Hoop: The Next 500 Years” concert featured sets by Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Ry Cooder and David Lindley, Todd Rundgren, Cris Williamson and Floyd “Red Crow” Westerman with proceeds benefiting the International Indian Treaty Council.

With pow-wows, fine art exhibits, native foods and video theater in addition to the amazing line-ups, there was a respectful and celebratory atmosphere throughout the weekend. That spirit was picked up on by the performers as well, who gave unique shows filled with guest appearances, dedications and heartfelt speeches on both days. Today from the Concert Vault, we’re releasing two of the All Our Color sets, with an acoustic Steve Miller Band show and a Jackson Browne performance featuring Bonnie Raitt, David Lindley and more sitting in on stage…in fact, there may have even been a guest appearance by Bill Graham’s spirit to help Browne tune his guitar:

For more informative previews of these new recordings, here are Jackson and Bonnie performing “World In Motion” and the Steve Miller Band playing”Living In the U.S.A.”:

This coming Friday, we’ll also be releasing Santana’s headlining set from that first evening, featuring appearances by his brother Jorge Santana, Ry Cooder, and Steve Miller. In the meantime, you can also find a collection of posters, serigraphs, pelons, vintage tickets and photography from the weekend in the Vault Store.

[All Our Colors / Healing the Sacred Hoop is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

• All Lou Reed concerts are on sale through Monday for 20% off the regular price.
• Crawdaddy! is running a contest to give away some unique Velvet Underground and Lou Reed memorabilia.

While we don’t discourage you from diving right in to those two links and exploring on your own, we also put together this little guide to highlight some some of the Lou Reed material in Wolfgang’s Vault.

Lou Reed Concerts from the Dinky Dawson Archives
After recording his somewhat depressing (but perhaps his best) Berlin album, Reed adopted the “Rock n’ Roll Animal” persona, a caricature(?) of a resentful, self-deprecating, drug-fueled rock star. In sharp contrast, he assembled a band that presaged arena rock with the soaring guitars of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, swirling organ of Ray Colcord, and thundering rhythm section of Peter Walsh and Pentti Glan. Some say the band overpowered Reed but the interplay between their loud raucousness and Reed’s detachment is also the source for much of these concerts’ appeal. Dinky Dawson, the front of house engineer for this European tour, captured most of the performances from the European Rock n’ Roll Animal tour.

Probably the stand-out concert from this batch is the Birmingham, England show from October 3rd. Captured towards the end of the tour, the band sounded particularly inspired and Dawson’s work as a “7th man” with his active panning during some of the most outrageous jams makes for an especially interesting headphone listening experience.

You can read about Dinky Dawson’s recollections of the Rock n’ Roll Animal tour over on Crawdaddy! which, as you may expect, are hilarious. There are also reviews there covering material from around the same time period including a look at the film The Sacred Triangle: Bowie Iggy & Lou 1971-1973 and a retrospective consideration of 1975’s Metal Machine Music. Of course, if a picture is worth however many words, this iconic image captured by Michael Zagaris at a November, 1974 Winterland performance is about as iconic as you can get:

Lou Reed Concerts & Interviews in the King Biscuit Archives
The three Lou Reed shows in the Vault recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show cover the late ’70s through the mid ’80s. The audio quality of these recordings is superior to those in the Dawson Archives, and the polished, professional sound suits the material well — the set-lists run like greatest hits collections padded with the singles from his then-current album.

The granddaddy of them all is a two-hour 1986 set recorded while touring in support of Mistrial. But, for its grittiness and because it’s in front of a hometown crowd, this 1977 show at New York’s Bottom Line is my favorite King Biscuit recording.

There are also two radio interviews from the King Biscuit Archives. In a 1982 chat between Reed and Lisa Robinson, Lou shares his thoughts on the problems with radio, and discusses his trouble relating to his past at a time when he was trying to settle down. And a 1989 interview with Scott Muni covers topical material like his New York album and his charitable work, but Reed also reminisces about Berlin and opines on artistic creation in general.

Okay, that’s it for now – here’s to hoping you enjoyed this little bit of Vault Digging as much as Lou Reed enjoyed flipping through Joe Sia’s book of Woodstock photography.

[Lou Reed: A Vault Guide is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

The poster art is from some major Bill Graham shows, including Fleetwood Mac from 1977, Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship from 1982, and a special Santana poster from 1986 which celebrated his career’s 20th anniversary.

The photographs come from our Joseph Sia collection and includes shots of Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, and many more.

This is your chance to save 40-50% on incredible store items. Remember, these items are only on sale for a limited time or while supplies last. Happy browsing!

See all items for sale now.

[Sale Items: Up to 50% Off is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

We are currently in Day 2 of our 3-Day sale on Bill Graham Archive prints. Our customers love the photography we offer, but many don’t know enough about the BG Archive collection. Bill Graham always knew the concerts he promoted were special experiences for all that attended. In the late 1970s, he started hiring staff photographers to capture the performers, crowds, and venues in these extraordinary moments.

Ranging from 1980 to 2002, the BG Archive collection contains hundreds of thousands of slides. Our Photography Department has gone through them all and selected over 500 of the best. Some of the shots you’ll find are of the 1982 US Festival, Live Aid, Day on the Greens, and 20 years of the Grateful Dead.

Check out the entire BG Archive collection, or browse our best sellers. The 3-Day sale runs through Thursday, so make sure to use promo code BGARC to get your 25% discount!

[3-Day Sale on Bill Graham Photography is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

Jefferson Airplane headlined Woodstock, although they didn't take the stage until 6AM

Once upon a rock and roll time, there was a little known band called the Great Society who opened for another band called Jefferson Airplane. The female vocalist of Great Society was a knock-out: a model with a tremendous voice, and a sense of humor in her songwriting and her everyday life that made her simply irresistible. And so, one night, Jefferson Airplane who already had a very good female singer, dismissed their current singer, and hired Grace Slick. Grace brought with her the three songs that would make Jefferson Airplane international rock superstars, and the rest is rock and roll history.

Jefferson Airplane Loves You

You should hear, and we will see that you do, stories like this one told by the band’s longtime manager Bill Thompson. With his help, today Wolfgang’s Vault proudly announces a close partnership with Jefferson Airplane and the offshoot bands later created by Airplane members: Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna. Find out more about Grace, Marty Balin, Jorma Koukonen, Jack Casady, Paul Kantner and the talented performers whose career we celebrate by browsing Wolfgang’s Vault.

This collaboration will allow Wolfgang’s Vault to bring you the stories, the sights and the sounds of these most influential rock icons so that you continue to experience the most complete story of the live music experience of the past 50 years.

The Jefferson Airplane story begins in 1965, but it is alive, well, and just as colorful today. And while Wolfgang’s Vault, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Hot Tuna glady make this announcement, we know many people and many creatures are suffering today in the Gulf Coast contending with the oil leak. So, we partner in this announcement to announce that in celebration of almost 25 years of these great artists careers, 25 years of making a very big difference and helping change, we will jointly be making a 25% donation of proceeds to Gulf wildlife rescue. On this announcement day, June 10, 2010, any purhchase of a Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, or Hot Tuna download, vintage t-shirt (including the famous “Jefferson Airplane Loves You”), photograph, vintage concert poster…any purchase from these collections that you make today will help wildlife relief efforts.

We highly recommend you check out the concerts in the Concert Vault, including the October 1966 shows when on Saturday night, singer Signe Anderson says goodbye from the Fillmore stage to the fans, and the very next night — the introduction of Grace Slick.

Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for more great stories and reminiscence from Bill Thompson and much more.

press release

[Wolfgang’s Vault Loves Jefferson Airplane is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

Newport '69 Jazz

A jazz musician by night, Matt certainly knows his history and has had the opportunity to see some legends. He told me that he wished he could have lived 50 years earlier, but is thankful he was born at a time that’s allowed him to nevertheless see some of the greats perform. At 21 years of age, Matt has seen over 150 shows and has photographed many of them. Some notable performers he’s seen include Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bob Cranshaw, Dave Brubeck, and Ron Carter.

Being a Rhode Island native, he is familiar with the Newport Jazz Festivals and has only praise for the Festival, stating:

I feel that the Newport Jazz & Folk Festivals are absolutely immeasurable in their contribution to music. George Wein is the best there is. His ability to bring so many amazing musicians together is unparalleled and the fact that he still does it today is incredible.

Though he truly appreciates live performances (especially, he says, after seeing Muddy Waters’ showmanship), his commitment to the music stretches beyond concerts.  One of Matt’s most beloved memories is listening to  Johnny Winter talking about Freddie King. And listening to Wayne Shorter talk about Matt’s favorite Miles Davis Quintet (Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter and Miles) was one of the most inspiring moments of his life.

He also deeply admires lesser known and under recognized jazz artists. For instance, two of the most influential performers for Matt are Dr. Lonnie Smith and Grant Green. Although not as prevalent in the public eye as others mentioned already, Matt can hear them in many of the other great performers already listed. Dr. Lonnie Smith is the authentic master of the Hammond B3 organ and Grant Green was a remarkable jazz guitarist who died too young. Critics Michael Erlewine and Ron Wynn write, “A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar.”

Coming up, Matt holds tickets to Herbie Hancock’s 70th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall this summer, part of the Carefusion Jazz Festival. For him, being able to see Hancock, Shorter, Carter, Jack Dejohnette and Dave Holland all playing together is a “dream come true.” But jazz isn’t Matt’s only love…after Carnegie Hall, he’s off to Chicago to see Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival!

With so much to tell, I apologize to Matt for providing only a brief glimpse into the world of a true jazz enthusiast. I’d personally like to thank Matt for his appreciation and devotion towards jazz music; he is no doubt a deserving winner of the raffle for the 1969 Jazz Festival program. To salute this fine fellow, here now are some photographs from Matt Frazier’s library. To all the Concert Vault fans out there, enjoy.

Booker T

Dr Lonnie Smith

Wayne Shorter

Wayne's Sax

Wein and Brubeck

Johnny Winter

[A Lucky Winner and True Jazz-Man is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

Not long ago, I featured Jim in a radio show I was doing on KFRC in San Francisco, and, sitting in the front office of his apartment on Upper Market, he recalled some of his favorite subjects.

Bob Dylan, photographed in Greenwich Village in 1963, rolling a tire down a street:

“It’s one of the iconic shots of rock and roll history. We were going to breakfast, with Suzie Rotolo, who was Dylan’s girlfriend, Dave Van Ronk and his wife Terri, and I was shooting him for the Saturday Evening Post. The tire was on the sidewalk, he picked it up, rolled it, kicked it once, and that was it, end of story.”

Janis Joplin, photographed backstage at Winterland, 1968. In one shot, she is slumped on a sofa, looking blue and cradling a bottle of Southern Comfort whiskey. In another, she’s smiling, with the bottle still capped:

“There were two shots that night. They were 15 minutes apart. The rolls (of film) were not numbered consecutively. There’s the happy shot and the sad one, and to this day we don’t know which one was first. Janis let me do what I wanted because she trusted me.”

The Beatles, photographed in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, in August, 1966:

“Tom Donahue the producer said, ‘Jimmy, you wanna come?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ Nobody knew it’d be the last concert. That day was flat out of A Hard Day’s Night. People were doing kamikaze runs at the convoy. It was nuts. It was madness, and I was the only photographer backstage, except for one from a newspaper. They had a table cloth there that they all signed, and somebody stole it the next day. I have a book of matches that Ringo had drawn on; I’ve got it somewhere here in the house.”

The Rolling Stones:

“I shot them backstage in 1965 at the Civic Center (in San Francisco). No problems at all. And then in 1972 I did them for the cover of Life magazine. I remember when it came out, Bob Altshuler, the PR guy for Atlantic, took it in to Jagger in a bathroom. He was in the tub. He looked at it. ‘Oh, cool.’ He didn’t even give a shit.”

Jimi Hendrix, photographed onstage at the Monterey Pop Festival, 1967, setting his guitar on fire:

“The Who went on, then the Dead, then Jimi. During the Dead, I said to Jimi, ‘Hey, man, what’re you gonna do behind them (the Who, who’d trashed the stage and equipment, amid smoke bombs, at the end of their set)?’ He said, ‘You got a lot of film?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘You got motors?’ I go, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Watch.’ ”

The one and only Jim Marshall.

[Jim Marshall on Dylan, Janis and More is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

Griffin created a number of the Grateful Dead’s album covers over their extensive career. A perfectionist when it came to his artwork, Griffin would often create numerous renditions of a design, choosing one he was finally happy with. For the cover of Reckoning he created 25-or-so stencils of the famous skull, cross-bones, and heart, and chose his favorite as the cover. This original stencil was one of the pieces he created in this process and is very similar to the final album cover, with only some slight differences in shading. This artwork is one of the best original Rick Griffin pieces in our collection and would be a prized piece for any Griffin or Grateful Dead collector. Don’t shop in silence, check out Dire Wolf from 1970 concert at the Fillmore East.

If you aren’t familiar with the work of this great artist, he grew up in the surfing culture of Southern California, a environment which had a profound influence on his art. After high school, he worked on the staff of Surfer magazine and created the best-known surfing cartoon character of the time, Murphy. In Los Angeles, Griffin met the Jook Savages, a group of artist-musicians, and took part in writer Ken Kesey’s “Watts Acid Test.” Griffin’s first rock poster was for the Jook Savages, and when organizers for the “Human Be-In” saw the poster in San Francisco, they asked him to do a poster for their own event in January of 1967. Chet Helms of the Family Dog saw Griffin’s work too, and asked him to design posters for the dance parties at the Avalon Ballroom. Griffin took his early influences from advertising and from the counterculture. Combining eclectic typefaces and decorative borders with brilliant colors, Griffin’s compositions were complex without being illegible. He introduced diverse, often startling, objects into his posters, creating visual-verbal puns and playful references to pop culture. A perfectionist, Griffin often applied dozens of overlays and redrew lettering again and again until he was satisfied. In the early 1970s, Griffin became a born-again Christian and religious themes dominated his work. These later works are powerful and bizarre, concerned with ideas of mortality and continuity. One of the last posters he produced was for The Grateful Dead, which illustrate Griffin’s vivid imagination and graphic skill. Griffin was killed well before his time in a motorcycle accident in 1991.

Check out this beautiful piece of artwork and our other items in our Big Ticket Auctions.

http://stores.ebay.com/Wolfgangs-Vault

[Big Ticket Auction: Spotlight on Rick Griffin is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

On this tour of the Vault, we take a look at the work of rock poster artist Bonnie MacLean. The evolution of the rock poster as a unique art form began in San Francisco in the mid Sixties as artists who were commissioned to create advertising for concerts broke free from the confines of commercial design. Originally intended as inexpensive promotional devices, rock posters evolved into extraordinary equivalents of the music they advertised. Rock promoter Bill Graham’s wife Bonnie could have made the “Fillmore Five” artist stable the “Fillmore Six” had the idea of women’s’ liberation been extant in San Francisco in the late 1960s. Let’s take a look at the 32 works created by Bonnie between 1967-1969. MacLean’s style evolved into ornate, Medieval-Gothic designs, many featuring the human face wearing trance-like stares, steady and serene – evoking the detached spirituality of the sixties.

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/bonnie-maclean/memorabilia/

[Touring the Vault with Katherine Featuring Bonnie MacLean is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]

But I understand music fans going back to it again and again. It was a stellar, once-in-a-lifetime event. As an editor and writer at Rolling Stone, I missed Woodstock and Altamont (we had reporters and correspondents there), but I helped cover the Band’s last stand, extravagantly produced by Bill Graham, with tickets priced at an equally extravagant (for ’76) $25. Art Harris, the excellent writer from Atlanta, joined me in collecting items throughout the day and night, and we filed a piece called “Notes From the Last Waltz.”

Here’s how the article began. Hope you haven’t just had dinner.

“For a guy and his old lady, 50 smackers is two lids of good dope — depending on how you cut it,” said Bill Graham. “But this isn’t some dust bowl somewhere. They know they are going to eat caviar.”

Well, not quite caviar. But there was that mildly smoked salmon courtesy of Bob Dylan, and there were the chandeliers from the set of Gone with the Wind, and the stage sets rented from the San Francisco Opera, and the 38-piece waltz orchestra, complete with three pairs of professional waltzers to get things going, and dinner, $42,000 worth: including 220 turkeys with all the trimmings, hundreds of pounds of stuffing and cranberry sauce, 2000 pounds of candied yams, 800 pounds of mincemeat and pumpkin pies, 6000 rolls, 400 gallons of apple juice, and a dressing made from 500 pounds of onions, 500 pounds of chopped celery, 70 bunches of parsley, five quarts of crushed garlic, ten quarts of sage, one quart of thyme, sautéed in 100 pounds of butter, layered in pans and drizzled with another 140 pounds of butter and 20 gallons of apple cider. And, of course, there was gravy: 90 gallons of it, all kept warm in crock pots.

And for the vegetarians, there were those 400 pounds of salmon sent in from the Bethel, Alaska, fishery owned by the family of Lou Kemp, boyhood friend of Dylan’s and organizer of the Rolling Thunder Revue. “Bob’s a vegetarian,” the usually tight-lipped Kemp allowed, “but he eats fish.”

The full article is readily available on the Internet; just search for the Waltz, along with Art’s or my name. After we covered the rehearsals, the filming (including quotes from Scorsese), the finances (no one got paid, except for expenses), the celebs (including Gov. Jerry Brown and Jimmy Cliff), and closing comments from Dylan, around 3 a.m., we concluded:

And just for some perspective: At intermission, we saw Zohn Artman, aide to Bill Graham, in the lobby. He was spectacular in tie and tails, and we remarked on how well the evening had gone so far. He looked around. Everyone was dressed up and on their best Thanksgiving behavior. And he sighed. “Yeah. And tomorrow: Ted Nugent.”

[220 Turkeys for The Band’s Last Waltz is a post in From the Vault - The Wolfgang's Vault blog.]