Speaking Clock Revue: Live from the Beacon Theatre

Personnel: Jackson Smith , Marc Ribot (guitar); Russ Pahl (electric guitar, pedal steel guitar); Mike Compton (mandolin); George Bohannon, Darrell Leonard, William Roper, Ira Nepus (horns); Keefus Ciancia (keyboards); Jim Keltner, Jay Bellerose (drums).
Recording information: The Beacon Theatre, New York, NY.
Illustrator: Coco Shinomiya.
Photographers: Kate Weekes; Jason Creps; Dimitrios Kambouris.
In the fall of 2011, producer T-Bone Burnett put together an impressive group of musicians, dubbed them the Speaking Clock Revue, and, modeled on Bob Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue (which featured Burnett as a guitar player), produced several concerts to benefit education in the arts. This set is drawn from one of those shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. With a stellar house band (Jackson Smith and Marc Ribot on guitars, Russ Pahl on pedal steel guitar, Mike Compton on mandolin, Keefus Ciancia on keyboards, Jim Keltner and Jay Bellerose on drums, and a tight horn section of George Bohannon, Darrell Leonard, and William Roper), artists like Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Gregg Allman, John Mellencamp, Punch Brothers, Ralph Stanley, and actor-turned-singer Jeff Bridges do their thing to support arts education. Among the highlights are Punch Brothers' wild and racing version of "Rye Whiskey," yet another great take of Gregg Allman performing his signature "Midnight Rider," and the appealing outlaw country sound of Jeff Bridges on "Fallin' & Flyin'." ~ Steve Leggett