Recording: Robin Hatch

Artist: Robin Hatch

Song: The Serpent

Recorded at The Gladstone Hotel's Ballroom (Long Winter 8.3), January 11, 2020.

Robin Hatch - The Serpent

Pivoting away from duty in touring rock bands, Robin Hatch has turned to composition for solo keyboards. (And turned with prodigious dedication, producing three solo albums over the past year.) Interestingly, though, rather than retreating to the rarefied and exclusive zones where contemporary composition is most often heard, she's staying engaged with the communities she's played in for years, treating her pieces like songs to be played and appreciated with the same occasional stumbles and glorious imperfections that make rock shows interesting, instead of intellectual ideals meant to be executed as flawlessly as possible.

[Robin Hatch & Friends will be performing a set of Elton John songs at Death To T.O.'s Valentine's Day cover song spectacular, February 14th at Lee's Palace. Long Winter is back on Friday, February 21st, returning to Workman Arts for a night of art and music — including sounds from Mil-Spec, Korydor, Laps, Tallies, Isla Craig, Hua Li, Backxwash, Witchrot, Scorpio Rising, Lavender Bruisers and Tongue Patrol.]

Recording: The Siilk Group

Artist: The Siilk Group

Song: Break On Through (To the Other Side) [The Doors cover]

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room ("DEATH TO T.O. IV: A Halloween Covers Show"), October 30, 2014.

The Siilk Group - Break On Through (To the Other Side)

Once again Dan Burke and Elliott Jones celebrated Hallowe'en by turning the Silver Dollar and Comfort Zone into a giant, non-stop musical frenzy, with nearly twenty bands doing mini cover sets. The bands — several of which were constructed just for the occasion — all took the task seriously, putting a lot of work not only into the music but also costumes and all the little things to enhance their tributes. The only downside of the night was that with so many bands on the bill, it was impossible to stage-manage a consistently efficient staggering between the stages, so that it didn't take long for bands upstairs and downstairs to be playing simultaneously, forcing the crowd to make hard decisions on who to see and who to miss. Otherwise, it was a fabulously fun rock'n'roll marathon of a night.

Elliott Jones (of the now-defunct Ell V Gore) has an ominous croon that makes him a natural to tackle Jim Morrison, but the real secret weapon here is Robin Hatch as the critical Ray Manzarek foil. The set could have ended in disaster when the PA and stage lights blew out, but instead Jones seized the moment to start pulling members of the crowd up on stage to dance as the band grooved behind him.