Medeski, Martin, and Wood—a funky improvisational jam trio sprung from Brooklyn, New York—has been creating a cool blend of blues, jazz, and hip-hop for more than a decade. Of course, the best way to experience a band like this one is to catch 'em live. It's hard to duplicate that spontaneous energy that flows from the stage on which a jam trio is just letting loose. The good news is that a 5.1 surround mix is the closest you're going to get to approximating that energy—and here it is on this DVD-Audio/DTS-ES audio disc.

This disc seriously grooves. The band describes its own sound as "avant-garde instrumental hip-hop trance-funk," and I honestly can't think of a better description. Not going for realism in this mix, the band's musical energies are all over the place, going instead for an eclectic barrage of sound that comes from all funky directions. In general, the dr...Read the entire review

I admit to an unfamiliarity with the band Everclear before plopping this disc, So Much for the Afterglow, into my player. Sure, I'd heard the album's hits "Father of Mine" and "I Will Buy You a New Life" once or twice on the radio, but I didn't know enough about the band to "place" the songs. Now, after listening to this DVD-Audio presentation, I'm a fan.

A surprisingly effective, high-energy rock band with a tendency toward the raw, Everclear also has a softer, gentler, even contemplative side, as evidenced by the bulk of this disc's songs. The band may have ascended to pop stardom on the basis of its screaming guitars, but I find the slower, more lyrical stuff to be more rewarding. Lead singer/songwriter Art Alexakis has an undeniable presence at the microphone and on the lyrics sheet, and to this listener, that presence comes acro...Read the entire review