No mere oldies act, the group sometimes bill themselves as the Most Blueswailing Yardbirds. For good reason: After almost a half century, they remain terrific (rock) interpreters of the U.S. blues masters.

The set list from the Canyon Club (in L.A.’s west Valley) included Bob Diddley’s “I’m a Man,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning” and Eddie Boyd’s “Five Long Years,” all Yardbirds’ showstoppers since the mid-’60s. The band’s own “New York City Blues” and “The Nazz Are Blue” fit right in there with the American classics.

(Photos by Arnie Goodman. They are of an earlier tour stop in New York.)

Two original Yardbirds remain, the rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty, both sizable contributors to the original sound. (For example, both receive songwriting credit on most of the album that came to be called “Roger the Engineer,” the group’s best studio album.) They’ve been reviving the Yardbirds on and off for 20 years, since the band made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dreja and McCarty didn’t stray from the canon, even though they’ve recorded several well-received albums over the years.

The crowd expected the hits and key album tracks, and got them: “Heart Full of Soul,” “For Your Love,” “Over, Under, Sideways, Down,” “Shapes of Things” and “Mister You’re a Better Man Than I.”

The Yardbirds often are credited with creating the first psychedelic record, “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago.” (It’s number 10 on our list of the Best Psychedelic Singles.) That Beck-Page workout blew a few minds at the show. The band thoughtfully threw in the trippy studio chatter from the record, delighting the hardcores.

Filling out the Yardbirds lineup are the guitarist Ben King and two relatively new members (2009), singer/harmonica player Andy Mitchell and bassist David Smale.

King has the monumental task of following the Yardbirds’ 1960s godhead of guitarists — Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. (Beck’s been known to pop up at Yardbirds’ gig or two, but no dice this night.)

King did yeoman’s work on most of the numbers, but kicked into high gear for the Page songs: “Little Games” and the original “Dazed and Confused.” Drummer McCarty pointed out that although Page had gone on to play “Dazed” with “some other group,” well, they did it first. (The song was titled “I’m So Confused” back in ’68.)

Singer Mitchell wisely didn’t try to imitate original singer Keith Relf, but on harmonica he sounded uncannily like the late rock star. Mitchell drew cheers several times, including one bit where he finished a song singing quite audibly without the help of a microphone. He delivered all the humor and cock-rock attitude needed for a smoking “The Train Kept A-Rollin.’ ”

Bass player Smale hit the walloping turnaround bottom notes and flourishes that were a key part of the band’s original sound — much like the Animals, the Yardbirds built some of their best songs around an infectious bass-line. The young man has the 1960s heavy bass thing down to an art.

Keith Relf often said that no one ever captured the real Yardbirds on record — the live performances were everything. Good to see tradition carry on.

Playing mostly clubs and small auditoriums, the trail-blazing British rock band will spend most of the month in the States.

If shows of the past few years are an indication, the Yardbirds set list should include the psychedelic touchstones “Happenings 10 Years Time Ago,” “Shapes of Things,” “Dazed and Confused,” “The Nazz Are Blue” and “Still I’m Sad.”

“Happenings 10 Years Time Ago” (1966) is widely considered the first psychedelic rocker. It ranks No. 10 on this web site’s list of the Top 100 Psychedelic Songs.

The Yardbirds’ signature sound is the “rave-up,” explained by rock critic Parke Puterbaugh thusly: “A kind of free-for-all where you jam long and hard, not as soloists, but in a tandem, until you reach an epiphany about 10 or 20 or 30 minutes later, a shuddering climax of decibels and pure energy.”

The Yardbirds lineup for the U.S. tour appears to be Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja, the original group’s drummer and rhythm guitarist, along with Ben King, lead guitar, Andy Mitchell, lead vocals/harmonica, and David Smale, bass guitar.

Three shows have the Yardbirds sharing the stage with the Spencer Davis Group.

The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Former guitarists Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page played at the induction, but the first Yardbirds guitar god, Eric Clapton, was MIA that night. Singer Keith Relf died in 1976.

Dreja and McCarty released three studio albums decades after the original bank broke up: “Birdland (2008) under the Yardbirds name, and a pair of 1980s discs with original bassist Paul Samuel-Smith using the name Box of Frogs. Beck and Page can be heard on a few of the reunion-era songs.

The new Yardbirds’ recent recordings and live shows have been well received by fans and critics. Sundazed released a mono upgrade of the original Yardbirds’ final album, “Little Games,” at the end of last year.

USA Today reviewed a 2007 Yardbirds gig at B.B. King’s club in New York:

The Yardbirds defy the odds by a) boasting a singer who sounds uncannily like the late Keith Relf, only maybe even a bit more versatile; b) continuing to employ hotshot guitarists who, if they don’t completely measure up to the standards of Clapton, Beck and Page, certainly don’t disgrace it; and c) playing with a solid approximation of the fire and desire of the original band.

That performance was recorded for the CD “Live At B.B. King Blues Club.”

Here are the U.S. tour dates as listed on the band’s site:

Sept. 1: City Block in Springfield, Mass. (free)
Sept. 2: Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk, Ct.
Sept. 3: Tupelo Music Hall in White River Junction Vt.
Sept. 4: Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, NH.
Sept. 5: Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Ct.
Sept. 7: B.B. King’s Blues Club in Manhattan
Sept. 8: Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, Penn. (with Spencer Davis)
Sept. 9: Capitol One Bank Theater in Westbury, N.Y. (with Spencer Davis and Dave Mason)
Sept. 10: Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center,
Rockville, Md. (with Spencer Davis)
Sept. 11: Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, Md.
Sept. 16-17: Hawaiian dates not yet set.
Sept. 21: Key Club on Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, Calif.
Sept. 22: The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Sept. 23: The Canyon in Agoura Hills Calif.

Check the Yardbirds concerts page for updates.

The city’s psychedelic music legend Roky Erikson headlines, along with Spectrum (U.K.) and festival mainstays the Black Angels.

Musicians Christian Bland and Alex Maas of Black Angels are producers of the Austin Psych Fest, along with Rob Fitzpatrick and Oswald James (collectively the Reverberation Appreciation Society). Last year’s festival attracted about 50 bands. The 2008 version had 10 acts.

“It all stems from our particular aesthetic of choice — psychedelic — visual or sonic art that is unexpected or surreal, something that takes you to another place,” Fitzpatrick told the local Community Impact newspaper.

The festival was inspired by the legacy of Erikson and his 13th Floor Elevators of the 1960s. The Black Angels have toured with the eccentric Austin musician, whose latest album has won critical praise.

Tickets are $40 a day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) or $100 for all three days. Seaholm Power Plant is the venue, with two stages running, with performance times staggered a bit. Britain’s Spectrum (Peter Kember) headlines Saturday while the Black Angels and Erikson close down the fest’s main stage Sunday.

Organizers to fans (via Facebook): “Lets pretend it’s 1968 & everyone doesn’t have a blog & cam in their pocket, lets watch the bands and not 1000 phones in the air, deal?”

And … the festival has a dash of advice for would-be trippers: “Don’t bring anything illegal.” (Full schedule below video)

Austin Psych Fest 2011 lineup:

Friday, April 29
Stage 1
6:30: ZaZa
7:30: Beach Fossils
8:30: Night Beats
9:30: Atlas Sound
10:30: Crystal Stilts
11:30: A Place to Bury Strangers
12:30: Omar A Rodriguez

Stage 2
5:30: Christian Bland
6:00: Sky Drops
7:00: Zechs Marquis
8:00: Blue Angel Lounge
9:00: Radio Moscow
10:00: Quarter After
11:00: Shapes Have Fangs
12:00: No Joy
1:00: Tobacco
2:00: This Will Destroy You

Saturday, April 30
Stage 1
2:30: Ghost Box Orchestra
3:30: Woodsman
4:30: Shine Brothers
5:30: Beaches
6:30: Black Ryder
7:30: Sleepy Sun
8:30: Fresh and Onlys
9:30: Crocodiles
10:30: Prefuse 73
11:30: Black Moth Super Rainbow
12:30: Spectrum

Stage 2
2:00: Holy Wave
3:00: Weird Owl
4:00: Vacant Lots
5:00: Cloudland Canyon
6:00: Pontiak
7:00: White Hills
8:00: Lumerians
9:00: Young Prisms
10:00: Indian Jewelry
11:00: Soft Moon
12:00: Lower Heaven
1:00: Bass Drum of Death
2:00: The Meek

Sunday, May 1
Stage 1
3:30: Diamond Center
4:30: Fungi Girls
5:30: Black Hollies
6:30: Dirty Beaches
7:30: Pete International Airport
8:30: The Growlers
9:30: Roky Erickson
10:45: The Black Angels

Stage 2
3:00: Hellfire Social
3:30: Chris Catalena
4:00: Tjutjuna
5:00: ST37
6:00: Daughters of the Sun
7:00: The Cult of Dom Keller
8:00: Wall of Death
9:00: Cold Sun
12:00: My Education/Theta Naught: Sound Mass

The “First Fusion” concert of Grateful Dead songs is set for May 7 at the Marin Center in San Rafael, California. As of late April, tickets remained on sale.

Update: View some rehearsal footage from the First Fusion preparations, as well as some cool photos of Weir and the musicians. /update

The postponed Oct. 22, 2010, concert by Weir and the orchestra would have brought Grateful Dead classics to the other long-hair music. It was “reluctantly” postponed because of poor ticket sales.

Weir continues to work on the psychedelic-symphonic Dead arrangements with Italian composer and arranger Giancarlo Aquilanti of Stanford. In addition to the Marin Symphony Orchestra players, Weir will be joined by some frequent collaborators.

Originally, the plan was for a two-part evening. First the entire symphony was to dress up a handful of Dead classics. After that, Weir and Quartet San Francisco (backed by some symphony players) were to perform music that was “improvised, imaginative, impassioned.”

“This is completely different,” Weir says of the new show. “For one thing, part of what makes this interesting is that’s not just going to be an orchestra playing Grateful Dead songs. I’m going to be playing too, along with Jeff Chimenti, Jay Lane, Robin Sylvester, Rob Wasserman and some other guys, and there’s going to be real interaction between the symphony and us.”

Recent Grateful Dead coverage:

• New Dead game ‘a psychedelic journey’
• Dead’s ‘Euro ’72′ box set sells out, but …

Waters, currently touring with his re-creation of Pink Floyd’s classic album, said the national director of the Anti Defamation League should come to the show and see for himself before making “a serious charge” of anti-Semitism.

ADL chief Abraham Foxman objected to an animated video sequence in the “Wall” concert that showed a B-52 bomber dropping stars of David on a ravaged landscape, quickly followed by dollar signs.

“The meaning could easily be misunderstood as a comment about Jews and money,” Foxman said in a statement. … The images he has chosen, when put together in the same sequence, cross a line into anti-Semitism.” The ADL leader called it an “outrageous” juxtaposition that played into the stereotype of money-obsessed Jews.

Other symbols that fall from the bomber during the “Goodbye Blue Sky” segment include a Shell Oil logo, a crucifix and a Muslim crescent. (Video of “The Wall” segment below.)

“There are no hidden meanings in the order or juxtaposition of these symbols,” Waters replied on his web site. “The point I am trying to make in the song is that the bombardment we are all subject to by conflicting religious, political, and economic ideologies only encourages us to turn against one another.”

Rogers said he had never heard of the ADL before Foxman’s public comments.

The rocker has long supported Palestinian rights. He frequently criticized Israel’s barrier around the West Bank during a 2009 tour of Israel. Last summer, he and fellow Pink Floyd leader David Gilmour reunited for an informal show benefiting the Hoping Foundation, which supports Palestinian children and youth in refugee camps. (Article continues below video.)

“The Wall” tour began Sept. 15. Most major U.S. and Canadian cities are on the tour schedule, including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

Pink Floyd fans of a certain age remember the band touring the double-disc concept LP in 1980. A 40-foot brick wall was constructed during the show, as inflatable animals drifted overhead — included the famed Orwellian pig that resurfaced a few years back in the film “Children of Men.” As the concert concluded, the wall came tumbling down, revealing the band once again.

Waters has said the new production of “The Wall” provides “an allegory for broader concerns: nationalism, racism, sexism, religion.”

The concert, which would have brought Grateful Dead classics to the other long-hair music, has been “reluctantly” postponed because of poor ticket sales.

Weir had been working with Italian composer and arranger Giancarlo Aquilanti for the psychedelic-symphonic concert, planned for Oct. 22.

Tickets were going for up to $350. They’ll be refunded. The show was a benefit for the symphony and its educational programs.

Perhaps there’s hope for “Dark Star” in symphonic form, though. Technically, it’s a postponement. Noralee Monestere, the symphony’s executive director, told the Marin Independent Journal that “the postponement was realistic and in the best interest of both parties.”

Ticketmaster lists the concert as “canceled.”

The plan was for a two-part evening. First the entire symphony was to dress up a handful of Dead classics. After that, Weir and Quartet San Francisco (backed by some symphony players) were to perform music that was “improvised, imaginative, impassioned.”

The sudden detente led to speculation that Pink Floyd might reunite at some point, however unlikely that might be.

Waters’ turn to perform came July 10, when he joined Gilmour at a charity event in Oxford, England.

Backed by a band, the duo sang “Wish You Were Here,” “Comfortably Numb” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)” for an audience of about 200.

The oft-battling bandmates also broke out “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” the Phil Spector-penned song that they reportedly played — with some irony — at Pink Floyd soundchecks.

“I think it was David himself, came up with this ‘Wouldn’t it be funny’, idea,” Rogers wrote on his Facebook page. “What if he were to sing the old Teddy Bears song ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’ with me, what with us having been so famously at each other’s throats for years and years.”

Rogers says he was terrified of singing the song in two-part harmony. Gilmour apparently talked him into it by vowing to do a walk-on at one of Rogers’ upcoming “The Wall” concerts.

“Well! You could have knocked me down with a feather,” Rogers continued. “How fucking cool! I was blown away. How could I refuse such an offer. I couldn’t, there was no way. Generosity trumped fear.”

Rogers admitted their performance of song was “fucking great” after all — adding cryptically: “End of story. Or possibly beginning.”

Any hopes for a Pink Floyd reunion would be muted by the loss of keyboardist Richard Wright, who died in January 2009. Previously, the psychedelic pioneers re-formed for charity, at 2005′s Live 8.

The July benefit, at a country estate, raised something like 350,000 pounds for the Hoping Foundation, which supports Palestinian children and youth in refugee camps.

More Pink Floyd content:
Pink Floyd walls off its concept albums
“Atom Heart Mother” review

Psychedelic-tinged acts at this year’s Glasto include the Flaming Lips, Os Mutantes, Devendra Banhart, Curved Air and George Clinton with Parliament/Funkadelic.

Psychedelic trance, electronica and ’60s-style pop come from the Egg, Orbital, Dead Weather, Holy Fuck, Wax Tailor, Kissmet, Gorillz, MGMT, Egyptian Hip Hop, Grizzly Bear, lcd soundsystem and at least a dozen more (see the impressive Glastonbury artists list). That brew should address criticisms that the festival has been light on “weird psychedelic music.”

Sixties survivors playing the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts include Stevie Wonder, Ray Davies and Dr. John. Prog/psychedelic acts returning after playing the first fest are Marsupilami, Quintessence and Space Ritual (Hawkwind vets).

Don’t book that flight. This year’s festival is sold out, but the BBC plans massive coverage, some of which will seep over into America. Dates are June 23-27.

For a “psychedelic smorgasbord,” fest-goers can check out the on-site club the Rabbit Hole, which promises “a twisted mix of Alice In Wonderland  meets the Playboy mansion.” It specializes in underground music and “magic potions.” Dozens of bands are playing the club over the four days, including Elvis (“the real one”).

The progressive poster outfit Firehouse also touches down in Glasto as part of its “Psychedelic Secession” tour (image for MGMT at right).

Promising young acts competing for a slot on the main stage include You Are the Family Machine and the Phantom Light.

It was 40 years ago that the festival came to life — the day after Jimi Hendrix’s death. Fans paid a pound to see Marc Bolan and a handful of other artists, with the ticket price including free milk from the cows wandering about. Today, it’s arguably the world’s best rock festival.

The Isle of Wight festival, with a focus on mainstream rockers, runs June 11-13. Headliners are Sir Paul, the Strokes, Jay-Z, Blondie and Pink.

Waters isn’t afraid anymore. He’s taking “the story of my fear and loss” on the road this fall, bringing an Internet-era version of the lengthy album to 35 cities.

The tour starts Sept. 15 in Toronto, with stops in most major U.S. and Canadian cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

The English musician relaunched his rogerwaters.com Web site for the tour and is writing a tour blog. It includes a signup for the lottery to access presale tickets for “The Wall.” Fans can register for up to five cities.

Waters also asks fans to provide pictures of loved ones killed in a war — soldiers or civilians — for use in the show. He’s including a photo of his dad, Eric, as one of the “Fallen Loved Ones.” The “Wall” story begins with Eric’s death in World War II.

Pink Floyd fans of a certain age remember the band touring the double-disc concept LP in 1980. A 40-foot brick wall was constructed during the show, as inflatable animals drifted overhead — included the famed Orwellian pig that resurfaced recently in the film “Children of Men.” As the concert concluded, the wall came tumbling down, revealing the band once again.

Key songs from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” include “Is There Anybody Out There,” “Comfortably Numb” and “Another Brick in the Wall (1 & 2).” Most were written by Waters.

The 81-minute work reflected Waters’ paranoia and alienation (hence the wall). Pink Floyd had visited the dark side from time to time, but “The Wall” proved a major departure into acrid sounds.

“It took me a long time to get over my fears,” Waters blogged. “Anyway, in the intervening years it has occurred to me that maybe the story of my fear and loss with its concomitant inevitable residue of ridicule, shame and punishment, provides an allegory for broader concerns: Nationalism, racism, sexism, religion, Whatever!”

“The Wall” tour dates:
Sep 15:
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, ON

Sep 20:
United Center
Chicago, IL

Sep 21:
United Center
Chicago, IL

Sep 26:
Consol Energy Center
Pittsburgh, PA

Sep 28:
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, OH

Sep 30:
Boston TD Garden
Boston, MA

Oct 05:
Madison Square Garden
New York City, NY

Oct 08:
HSBC Arena
Buffalo, NY

Oct 10:
Verizon Center
Washington D.C.

Oct 12:
Nassau Coliseum
Long Island, NY

Oct 15:
XL Center
Hartford, CT

Oct 17:
Scotiabank Place
Ottawa, ON

Oct 19:
Bell Centre
Montreal, PQ

Oct 22:
Schottenstein Center
Columbus, OH

Oct 24:
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Detroit, MI

Oct 26:
Qwest Center
Omaha, NE

Oct 27:
Xcel Energy Center
St Paul, MN

Oct 29:
Scottrade Center
St Louis, MO

Oct 30:
Sprint Center
Kansas City, MO

Nov 03:
Izod Center
East Rutherford, NJ

Nov 08:
Wachovia Center
Philadelphia, PA

Nov 09:
Wachovia Center
Philadelphia, PA

Nov 13:
Bank Atlantic Center
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Nov 16:
St Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL

Nov 18:
Philips Arena
Atlanta, GA

Nov 20:
Toyota Center
Houston, TX

Nov 21:
American Airlines Center
Dallas, TX

Nov 23:
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO

Nov 26:
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV

Nov 27:
US Airways Center
Phoenix, AZ

Nov 29:
The Forum
Los Angeles, CA

Dec 06:
HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA

Dec 10:
GM Place
Vancouver, BC

Dec 11:
Tacoma Dome
Tacoma, WA

Dec 13:
Honda Center
Anaheim, CA

The new band is warming up with an eight-night stand in Mill Valley, California. The shows are called “Live Rehearsal Sessions” and, no, you can’t get a ticket. The band even asks that the ticketless stay away from the town and the two venues.

The Furthur winter tour officially begins Feb. 5 in Miami and is scheduled to end March 8 in Portland, Oregon.

The band consists of Weir (guitar, vocals), Lesh (bass), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards), John Kadlecik (guitar), Jay Lane (percussion), and Joe Russo (drums). The musicians have ties to the family of Grateful Dead-related acts such as Dark Star Orchestra and RatDog.

Furthur debuted in September with a three-night stand in Oakland, Calif. They played New Year’s shows in San Francisco, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

The set list looks familiar to Deadheads, of course. Songs so far include “Touch of Grey,” “Eyes of the World,” “Here Comes Sunshine,” “Brokedown Palace,” “Ship of Fools,” “Truckin’” and “Turn on Your Lovelight.”

Here’s a swatch of the Furthur New Year’s Eve show review by Garrin Benfield on JamBase:

This is a living, breathing band capable of rocking, spacing, and generating some serious psychedelic boogie. … The first half of the first set on New Year’s Eve felt like an old school Dead show, when songs were not all necessarily connected by long segues. … (The next set) was, with just a few exceptions, a gorgeously drippy psychedelic excursion through “Cassidy,” “The Wheel,” “Dark Star” and perhaps most notably, Pink Floyd’s “Time” from Dark Side of the Moon.”

Digital downloads and CDs of the tour already are available via the Furthur band’s website.

Mill Valley was selected, apparently, so the band could stay home, rehearse during the day, play the shows at night and sleep in their own beds. The small town, however, is having issues with the inevitable Deadhead hangers-on. The Marin Independent Journal reports: “Some see this as an economic windfall, bringing glamour and excitement to Mill Valley. Others complain that unsavory Deadheads without tickets have been trashing their downtown.” Weir and Lesh had asked fans without tickets not to show up, saying they wanted to continue to be able to play similar shows in small venues.

Furthur is named for the 1939 school bus owned by Ken Kesey and used in the ’60s as psychedelic transport for the trippy writer and his extended family, the Merry Pranksters. At one point, the Beat era heavyweight Neal Cassady was the bus driver. The story was well told in “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.”

Here is the Furthur tour schedule:

February 2010
5th: Miami — Bayfront Park Amphitheatre
6th: Orlando — Hard Rock Live
8th: Atlanta — The Tabernacle
9th: Asheville, N.C. — Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
10th: Charlotte, N.C. — Bojangles Coliseum
12th: Hampton, Va. — Hampton Coliseum
13th: Fairfax, Va. — Patriot Center
14th: Ithaca, N.Y. — Barton Hall
15th: Bethlehem, Pa. — Stabler Arena
17th: Buffalo, N.Y. — Shea Performing Arts Center
18th: Manchester, N.H. –Verizon Wireless Arena
19th: Amherst, Mass. — Mullins Center
20th: Utica, N.Y. — Utica Auditorium
22nd: Newark, Del. — Bob Carpenter Center
23rd, 24th: New York — Radio City Music Hall
26th: Uncasville, Ct. — Mohegan Sun Arena
27th: Atlantic City, N.J. — Trump Taj Mahal

March
2nd, 3rd: Chicago — Auditorium Theatre
8th: Portland, Oregon –Portland Memorial Coliseum

RatDog and the Dark Star Orchestra also have booked shows for the first half of the year.

More Grateful Dead content:

• Jerry Garcia biopic brewing in Hollywood
• Grateful Dead’s history a Society affair
• Furthur live on satellite radio; concert cancelled