While they are not local to RI, they are sorta local. The McLovins, a young band from Hartford, have arrived on the scene (a big thank you to the Magic Hat blog for introducing me to them). They’re a jam/funk/jazz/fusion band. I know what you’re thinking… those types of bands are a dime a dozen. Well, this one’s worth a dozen dimes (maybe even more).
They have a bunch of videos up on YouTube, including some Phish covers, a Grateful Dead cover, a bunch of other covers, and a bunch of originals. Here’s an original called “Purple Trees”:
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I have no idea how old these kids are, but they can’t be out of high school yet. I wouldn’t put them older than 14 or 15. They’re very talented musicians. If they work on their song writing skills a bit, they can be a serious player in the local and regional circuit, along the lines of The Breakfast. These kids can jam. The only thing I’d love to see is filling out their sound with a keyboardist, though it’s not necessary. They give their Phish covers a nice personal touch, while keeping with the spirit of the music. Here’s “Harry Hood” as an example:
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If you get the chance to check them out live, or have seen them live, please post a review in the comments (or link to it). I’d love to hear how they are live (aside from watching their videos on YouTube). And if you know the band, please tell them to come play Providence (not some bar in South County, like Ocean Mist). We’ve got a large jamband fan population here.
Check them out on the web: MySpace Facebook YouTube
Now that I’m in my own house, I was finally able to make a choice between Cox and Verizon for my Internet/cable TV/landline phone needs. I chose Verizon FiOS (though it has yet to be installed).
While Cox offered me a better deal, there are a few reasons I went with Verizon. The first is that I screwed up when I chose Cox. I didn’t have them fix some of the coax wiring in the house so that the splitter was inside the house. There’s probably a good reason it’s outside, considering the house was built (and the walls haven’t been renovated) in 1935. It just made it difficult for me to go in and hook up a new cable drop when I got the new TV. I should have re-thought my plan for the TV when I moved in. But regardless, I was able to hook up the new TV.
The main reason I’m switching to Verizon is because of the alarm system that will be installed. They need to connect to the main phone line in the house. With Verizon, that’s at a main junction in the basement. With Cox, it’s wherever they put that cheapo cable modem with battery backup (which is upstairs in our office). I don’t want the ADT installers drilling through floors and ceilings if they don’t have to.
I’m also going with Verizon to get the cable re-done to the new TV (I did a totally ghetto job terminating the coax).
It’s more expensive, but I’ll have faster internet speeds (I went with the 20 Mbps down/5 Mbps up package) and I’ll actually have HD service on my TV (had to go with the more expensive package so I could get more HD channels than just the regular networks). Cox would have given me HD service, including HD channels for every channel I had that already had an HD equivalent and a DVR, for $25 more than I pay now, including taxes. Verizon is gonna cost me about $135/month before taxes, but the DVR is free for the first 6 months, so it’ll be $120 before taxes, likely being cheaper than Cox for the first 6 months. I also have the added benefit of unlimited long distance on the landline (not that I need it with my cell phone).
Once it’s installed and I’ve had time to play around, I’ll post again about my thoughts. If they can give me a more reliable internet connection, I’ll be happy. Cox has been spotty recently (unless it’s my Linksys router that’s dropping the connect, but I’ve never had a problem with it before).
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