Best Bands At Archive.org

Archive.org is one of my favorite websites. Really, this is what the internet is about. You can download pretty much anything that is not copyrighted, or has become public domain. They have sweet movies (try Nosferatu), books, educational resources (try this AP Calc AB lesson), and most notable a massive audio archive.

The audio archive is amazing. They have so much Grateful Dead that the band has its own section.

The best part of the audio archive is the Live Music Archive. All sorts of bands and music groups post their concerts in this section, available for download for free. Naturally, since there's so much and anyone can upload, there's a lot of crud to wade through. This is my list of the best of the Live Music Archive.


Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

These guys have over 200 concerts available on the site. They're really a top notch jazz fusion band. Béla Fleck is making new moves in the world of banjo, Victor Wooten is pushing the limits of bass, Futureman is evading taxes. They're a blast. Check out Live at the Irving Plaza.


Aquarium Rescue Unit

Awesome. Oteil Burbridge on bass makes for some serious grooves. Tight band, wailing guitar. They've been around for a while, you can find concerts from 1989 or later in the archive. Check out Live at the Astoria Lounge.


Buckethead

Our favorite masked shredder has 35 concerts available on the archive. Some serious grunge and rock going on there. Check out "Meta-Matic", "Stick Pit" and "Nottingham Lace" on Live at Southgate House. Be warned: too much Buckethead is a bad thing. It gets repetitive real fast.


Disco Biscuits

More funk and jazz to fill your soul. Disco Biscuits has over 700 concerts on the archive, and they're rarely repetitive. Try "Humuhumunukunukukupuaua" on Live at The Palace Theatre or "Liquid Lazer" on Live at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom.


Umphrey's McGee

These guys are a pretty serious staple of the jam band genre. Not one of their almost 900 concerts is the same, and they're all amazing. I highly recommend "The Triple Wide", so much so that I found you a concert with a preview. Really awesome all around.


Way of the Groove

I'm going to finish up with a band that only has a few concerts available, but still rocks my socks. Way of the Groove has some serious... groove. That may have something to do with the fact that TWO of the band members are the sons of the legendart Jaco Pastorius. They put down some serious tracks, mostly at the Alligator Alley. It's a shame they don't have any recent concerts to go to, I'd love to hear them play some of their dad's old songs. Check out "The Chicken" for a reminder of ol' Jaco.

Note: I believe Felix Pastorius is now working with Jeff Coffin of the Flecktones on Coffin's solo album. That's going to be major.


Enjoy the wealth the internet brings you.