is currently off the road until an appearance at Louisville's Forecastle Festival on July 12. However, the group is already looking ahead to the fall. On October 30 and 31 the band will appear at the Austin Music Hall, returning to the state where it will wrap up its tour with the Allman Brothers Band two weeks earlier. Last year Widespread appeared in New Orleans at the UNO Lakefront Arena on Halloween, while in 2007 the band was at the Asheville Civic Center. Ticket information for the two Austin shows will follow soon.
6/25/09
Chapter 2 in California
Chapter 2 will tour California for the first time this August as special guests of Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk. The funk ensemble features a number of familiar faces, including Eric Krasno, Nigel Hall, Adam Deitch and Louis Cato. The band’s tour will kick off with an appearance at San Diego’s House Of Blues on August 12 and will also include stops in West Hollywood (8/13), Santa Cruz (8/14), San Francisco (8/15) and Olympic Valley (8/16). The group will perform material from Krasno's forthcoming album, which is scheduled for release this fall on Royal Family Records.
ROTHBURY Adds Extra Umphrey’s
Umphrey’s McGee will play an extra set at Michigan’s ROTHBURY festival next weekend. The Chicago-based group will play a bonus set on The Ranch Arena Sunday night after Bob Dylan closes out the festival’s main performance space, The Odeum. The group is still scheduled to also play The Ranch Arena Saturday night after The Dead’s festival headlining performance. ROTHBURY will take place from July 2-5.
Richard Gehr to Blog for HeadCount
Veteran journalist Richard Gehr has been named the editor of the HeadCount organization’s official blog. Gehr—a longtime contributor to The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Spin, eMusic and Relix—also co-authored The Phish Book with the Vermont Quartet in 1998. Though HeadCount’s blog is officially titled Music, Politics and Everything in Between, Gehr’s posts will focus on how music and musicians are a driving force behind causes and societal trends.
“When I was asked to take this on I discovered there really are no blogs out there covering the intersection of politics and music,” Gehr said in a statement. “It's been a lot of fun so far, and I hope it will broaden this rich music community's world view a tad."
HeadCount’s blog will be updated several times each day, featuring interviews with artists regarding their beliefs and philanthropic initiatives. It will also dive into government inquiries into secondary ticketing and recent lawsuits against citizens for downloading music. On a lighter note, it features humorous “Man on the Lot” videos where concertgoers are asked what issues they care about most, and also provides regular food reviews from concert festivals with a vegetarian and organic slant.
Gehr’s profile of the indie rock group Phoenix is featured in the July issue of Relix. His first HeadCount blog posts touch upon Bob Weir, world music, vegetarianism and more.
Todd Nance and the Romper Stompers
Widespread Panic drummer Todd Nance will take the stage this Saturday with his new group, Romper Stompers. The ensemble will perform this Saturday at 1 PM as part of Athens, GA’s Athfest's Kidfest. In addition to Nance, Romper Stompers features members of Barabara Cue and Bloodkin. The group’s recent performance at the Georgia Theatre is now available at SouthernShelter.com.
All six members of Widespread Panic recently signed a guitar that is being auctioned off as part of Athfest’s charity auction. Look for Dave Schools reflections on the Georgia Theater in the August/September issue of Relix.
Phish Reveal Additional Joy Details
Phish has confirmed the track listing for its first studio album in five years, Joy. The album is named after the new Trey Anastasio song “Joy"—an emotional ballad Phish debuted in Camden, NJ earlier this month.
In total, the Vermont Quartet performed nine of the album’s ten tracks this summer: “Twenty Years Later,” “Backwards Down the Number Line,” “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan,” “Light,” “Joy,” “Sugar Shack,” “Ocelot,” “Kill Devil Falls” and “Time Turns Elastic.” The latter song was also released as a single through iTunes. In addition, Joy will include the previously unaired “I've Been Around.” The Anastasio original “Alaska” is the only new song from the group's reunion run that is not slated for inclusion on Joy.
Joy was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who worked with the band on the 1996 studio album Billy Breathes and the 1997 live album Slip, Stitch & Pass.
The String Cheese Incident Returns in Denver
Although officially billed as a private party, in what was something of an open secret, the String Cheese Incident returned to the stage last night in the group's home stage of Colorado. Denver's Ogden Theater hosted what the band described as a "Soundcheck" but included two full sets of music along with two encores. Fans stood outside the Odgen for much of the afternoon with fingers in the air, hoping to secure entrance to the former vaudeville house which typically seats just over 1000.
As for the performance, SCI opened with "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" and then delivered a first set that focused on some of the band's older material, moving from "Lost" into "Rhum 'n' Zouc," followed by "Just One Story," "Panama Red," "Whiskey for Breakfast" and a segued run that began with "Jellyfish," led into "Birdland," continued into "Johnny Cash" and then back into "Birdland." The second set had a bit more of a latter-era feel, consisting of "Rivertrance," "Piece of Mine," "MLT," "Sometimes a River," "Barstool," "Black & White," "Land's End" and "Search." The band then returned for an "It Is What It Is" encore before being coaxed out again for "I Know You Rider."
The String Cheese Incident is slated to perform two sets at Rothbury, next Friday, July 3rd.
6/24/09
Jim James: Solo Albums, George Harrison Covers and Yim Yames
My Morning Jacket’s Jim James’ will launch a solo career under the name Yim Yames. The singer is currently working on his full-length debut and will also release an EP of George Harrison cover songs, Tribute To, next month. The tribute album will be released on July 7, featuring covers of selections like “All Things Must Pass” and “My Sweet Lord.” In a note James writes:
Hello friends. Just like most everyone else under this crazy dome, I have been a fan of the Beatles since early childhood... But it wasn't 'till sometime in '99 that an old pal turned me on to "All Things Must Pass" and I quickly became even more enamored with the quiet beauty and majesty of all things George Harrison. He always seemed to be a beacon of good light unto the world, accomplishing the rare task of using his massive fortune and fame to promote peace - both within and around the World. I will always look up to and see him as a prime example of the healing power of music and how, in tune with it, all is possible.
The following are a selection of George's songs I recorded back in 2001, a few days after he passed that were moving me so very much at the time... I recorded them live at above the Cadillac in Shelbyville, KY... On my cousin John's "ol faithful" Fostex 8 track reel2reel, then overdubbed a banjitar or b. vox here or there. I find comfort knowing that all things must pass, but that as all things do pass their spirits are still out there moving us somewhere... doing what they do, just as real as they ever were in this physical world... I hear them singing and I feel them in my blood.
As first reported by Relix and Jambands.com, James will release the first Monsters of Folk album with Conor Oberst and M. Ward this September. In addition, he is currently producing an album by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore to benefit Appalachian voices and help stop the disastrous effect of mountaintop removal.
Yamn into the Early Morning
Colorado’s Yamn will play a late night show at Denver’s Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom this evening. The gig will kick off at midnight this evening and stretch into the earlier morning. The show is being billed as post-show event for String Cheese Incident’s Rothbury rehearsals at the nearby Ogden Theatre this evening. Yamn will also appear at Fairplay, CO’s South Park Music Tour this Sunday.
Banjo Jim’s Mandolin Festival
New York’s Banjo Jim’s will host its second annual Mandolin Festival this Thursday, June 25. The evening will feature a mix of mandolin music, ranging from Hot Tuna’s Barry Mitterhoff to Jewish-influenced string master Andy Statman to Tommy Ramone’s current project Uncle Monk. The evening will kick off at 7 PM and will likely feature a good dose of collaborations.
New Fangled Wasteland
Last week, an all-star Beck tribute group by the name New Fangled Wasteland quietly debuted at San Francisco’s Mojito. The group consisted of guitarist Chris Haugen (Jambay, Melvin Seals), keyboardist Trevor Garrod (Tea Leaf Green), bassist Steve Adams (ALO, Big Light) and drummer Dave Brogan (ALO), all of whom shared vocal duties. Though the group's setlist focused on Beck originals, the four musicians stretched the material in a number of unique directions, turning songs like "Sissyneck," "Hotwax," "Beautiful Way," "Scarecrow," "Golden Age" "Earthquake Weather" and "Mixed Bizness" into extended jam-vehicles.
New Fangled Wasteland will return to Mojito next Tuesday. The show is free and open to the public.
Derek Trucks Band Will Tour Japan in September
Derek Trucks Band will head to Japan in September. The group will kick off its short tour with a two-night stand at Tokyo’s Tokyo International Forum on September 25 and 26. From there, the tour will move to Osaka’s Grand Cube Osaka for a gig on September 28 and, finally, to Nagoya’s Aichi Arts Center for a show on September 29. The band is currently touring Canada and will appear at Edmonton, AB’s Francis Winspear Centre for Music tomorrow.
Jeff Austin to Sing the National Anthem at Wrigley Field
Yonder Mountain String Band’s Jeff Austin will sing the National Anthem at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on July 7. Austin—who considers Chicago his hometown—will sing the National Anthem before the Chicago Cubs take on the Atlanta Braves. The game falls between Yonder’s performances at Rothbury, MI’s Rothbury festival on July 5 and Syracuse, NY’s Westcott Theatre on July 8. Yonder will perform at Glen Allen, VA’s Innsbrook Pavilion with Martin Sexton this evening.
Girl Talk, The National and The Hold Steady Among the Acts Confirmed for the Virgin Mobile FreeFest
Maryland’s Virgin Mobile Festival will be re-branded the Virgin Mobile FreeFest this year. The completely free event will take place At Columbia, MD’s Merriweather Post Pavilion on August 30, featuring headlining performances by Weezer and Blind-182, among others.
"The idea was to do something that nobody else is doing," Seth Hurwitz, chairman of independent concert promoter I.M.P., first revealed to Billboard.com today. "It really comes from a sincere desire to make people happy."
Though the event is free of charge, fans are still required to secure tickets through either Ticketmaster or the local box office at Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club. Approximately 30,000 tickets will be issued for the single-day event. Girl Talk, The National, The Hold Steady, Franz Ferdinand, Public Enemy, Jet, the Bravery, the Hold Steady, St. Vincent, Wale, Taking Back Sunday, Holy F*ck, Pete Tong, Danny Howells and Lee Burridge are among the acts slated to appear the event.
Festival promoters are also encouraging fans to make a donation of $5 to help youth homeless shelters by texting "FREEFEST" to 20222. Fans can also secure special VIP passes through a community service program.
Sir Paul to Play Piedmont Park
Paul McCartney will headline this year’s Green Concert in Atlanta’s historic Piedmont Park. The event will take place on August 15, celebrating the Piedmont Park Conservancy’s 20th anniversary. The event is slated to take place in the restored 10th Street Meadow section of the park. Piedmont has hosted numerous legendary performers over the years,
most notably by local heroes the Allman Brothers Band. The ABB and Dave Matthews Band also played a joint show in the park in 2007.
6/23/09
Further Information Regarding Jay Bennett's Death Revealed
Former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett died of an overdose of a pain killer, according to a recent Associated Press article. The article goes on to say that the 45-year-old musician died from an overdose of fentanyl. Bennett was preparing for a hip replacement surgery before he was found dead at his home in Urbana, IL on May 24.
Shortly before his death, Bennett had filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Jeff Tweedy. Bennett claimed that the Wilco frontman owed him money for his appearance in Sam Peters’ 2002 documentary I am Trying to Break Your Heart and royalties from his stint in the band. The multi-instrumentalist left Wilco shortly before Yankee Hotel Foxtrot catapulted the band to fame. Wilco's next studio album will be released on June 30.
AthFest Georgia Theatre Shows Moved to Morton Theatre
A number of AthFest shows scheduled to take place at Athens, GA’s Georgia Theatre will now take place at the Morton Theatre. The historic Athens venue was destroyed in a fire late last week.
The Georgia Theatre was one of 17 music venues participating in the highly acclaimed annual music and arts festival. All shows previously scheduled to take place at the Georgia Theatre—including Dead Confederate, Art Rosenbaum and Packway Handle Band—will be held at the Morton Theatre on their scheduled evening. The line-up and set times may be found online. AthFest will begin on Friday, June 26th at 5 p.m.
STS9, Beastie Boys, The Decemberists, Dan Auerbach and Band of Horses Confirm Lollapalooza After Shows
The organizers of Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival have confirmed a series of official after shows scheduled to coincide with the festival’s daytime entertainment in Grant Park. As previously reported, Lollapalooza will be held from August 7-9, featuring the likes of Tool, Depeche Mode, Jane’s Addiction, the Killers, Kings of Leon, Ben Harper and STS9, among others.
The late night action will kick off a night before the festival with performances by The Beastie Boys at the Congress Theatre, The Decemberists and Heartless Bastards at the Metro and Thievery Corporation and Federico Aubele at the House of Blues. The action will spread further throughout Chicago the following day, with the Arctic Monkeys at the Metro, Band of Horses and Cass McCombs at House of Blues, TV on the Radio and Chairlift at the Double Door, Delta Spirit and Other Lives at Schubas, Lykke Li, Miike Snow and Esser at the Bottom Lounge and no less than Crookers, Major Lazer, Simian Mobile Disco DJ Set, Bloody Beetroots DJ Set, KiD CuDi and Rye Rye at the Congress Theater.
Saturday’s late night lineup is also stellar, with Fleet Foxes and Dungen at the Metro, STS9 at House of Blues, Joe Pug and The Low Anthem at the The Hideout, Dan Auerbach and Cage the Elephant at Schubas, Kaskade, James Amato and DJ Nigel O'Reilly at Smart Bar, The Raveonettes , Living Things and Pretty Good Dance Moves (DJ Set) at Empty Bottle and Ezra Furman & The Harpoons and Blind Pilot at House of Blues - Back Porch. Finally, the party will end Sunday night with Deerhunter, No Age and Dan Deacon at Logan Square Auditorium and MSTRKRFT, LA Riots and Dark Wave Disco at Bottom Lounge. Reporting by Steven Hoffer
Purple Hatter’s Ball to Honor Rachel Morningstar Hoffman
The second annual Purple Hatter’s Ball will be held this Saturday, June 27, at Quincy, FL’s Ponderosa Wildlife Preserve, celebrating the life of Rachel Morningstar Hoffman. Hoffman died last year at 23 years old. Artists scheduled to appear include: Dubconscious, The Malah, Greenhouse Lounge and Catfish Alliance, among others. Festival gates will open at 2 PM and the festivities will commence around 5 PM. The benefit’s $30 and include music, camping and potluck. All proceeds will go to the Morningstar Foundation. Reporting by Grace Beehler
Booker T. & the DBTs, Allen Toussaint, Gillian Welch, World Party, Neko Case, Old 97's and The Del McCoury Band Set for Hardly Strickly Bluegrass Festival
Booker T. & the DBTs, Allen Toussaint, Gillian Welch, World Party, Neko Case, Old 97's and The Del McCoury Band are among the musicians scheduled to perform at San Francisco's annual Hardly Strickly Bluegrass Festival. The free event will take place in Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park from October 2-4, featuring a mix of roots, country, rock, jam, indie and, of course, bluegrass musicians. Other confirmed acts include: The Chieftains, Okkervil River,
Doc Watson, Mavis Staples, Aimee Mann, Earl Scruggs, Dr. Dog, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Little Feat, Old Crow Medicine Show, Marianne Faithfull,
Richie Havens, Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers, Hazel Dickens,
The Wronglers, John Prine and Billy Bragg. Several additional artists will be added to the festival in the coming months.
Toots and the Maytals, Sister Carol, Rebelution and DeMarco Join the Reggae Rising Music Festival
Toots and the Maytals, Sister Carol, Rebelution and DeMarco are the latest additions to the Reggae Rising Music Festival. The multi-day event will take place from July 31-August 2 at the Dimmick Ranch and French’s Camp in Humboldt County, CA. In addition to music, the established event will feature food, camping and crafts.
Other confirmed acts include: Capleton, Luciano, Marcia Griffiths, The Original Wailers, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Niyorah,
Messenjah Selah, Jah Dan, Bobby T & The Magical Voyagers, Ras Michael,
Lutan Fyah, Jah Mason, Chezidek,
Million Stylez, Dezarie,
Rootz Underground,
Prezident Brown feat. Andrew Diamond,
Medicine Drum,
The Alliez,
Pyrex,
Gentleman & the Far East Band
ASWAD,
Freddie McGregor,
Sister Carol,
Chino,
Laden,
Humble Soul,
Jahcoustix and the Moese Angel Tribute feat. the High Grade All Stars.
Counterclarkwise: Summer of Love Meltdown
Tea Leaf Green’s Josh Clark will bring his Counterclarkwise side-project to Sin City this Friday. The all-star band will perform at Las Vegas’ Sinister Rock Bar as part of the The Las Vegas Jamband Society’s 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love celebration, Vegas Summer Meltdown. In addition to Clark, the group features: keyboardist Steve Molitz (Particle/Phil Lesh), bassist Eric Gould (Particle) and drummer Tony Austin (Santana). The group is expected to touch on material by Tea Leaf Green, Particle and CCW, as well as some “sexy and soulful covers from the Summer of ’69.”
The Flaming Lips Release New EP in Advance of New LP
The Flaming Lips’ next studio project will be the double-disc Embryonic. Though the band has not set a release date yet, the group is allowing fans to hear some new music. Everyone who purchases tickets for the group’s summer shows through Flaming Lips tickets online will receive a digital EP featuring three new songs, as well as b-side tracks and a recording of the concert they attended. The former Relix cover subjects will appear at Switzerland’s St. Gallen festival on June 26.
6/22/09
Weir, Hart, Chimenti and Sylvester Perform for Barbara Boxer
California Senator Barbara Boxer has announced that she will run for re-election in 2010. On Saturday, some familiar faces performed a fundraiser to support her efforts as Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Jeff Chimenti and Robin Sylvester delivered a seven song set in the yard of a private home in Ross, CA. The quartet ran through a performance that began with "Blackbird," and also included "Friend of the Devil," "Ripple," "Bird Song," "Take Me to the River," "Gloria" and "Imagine." Jay Lane then stepped out and contributed to the "Not Fade Away" encore. Boxer, the current Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works was first elected in 1992.
Mark Karan and Jemimah Puddleduck To Celebrate Karan's Walk Through the Fire
June 30 is the official release date of Walk Through the Fire, Mark Karan's debut solo release. The disc features a number of guest players, including the late Delaney Bramlett, The Persuasions, Bill Payne, The Rowan Brothers, Hutch Hutchinson, Pete Sears, Wally Ingram and Jimmy Sanchez. A number of the songs also feature his group Jemimah Puddleduck, with John Molo on drums, JT Thomas (Bruce Hornsby) on keys, and bassist Bob Gross (Albert King, Delaney Bramlett). This group will help support the disc with a performance the day following the official release of Walk Through the Fire on David Gans’ Dead to the World radio show. The set will air live on on KPFA, Wednesday, July 1 from 8-9:30PM Pacific and will be streamed on www.kpfa.org, www.kfcf.org and www.nugs.net. Then in August, Jemimah Puddleduck will perform some live dates, with confirmed stops in Falls Church, VA, Baltimore, New York City and Denver.
Dr. Dog Breaks Barrier at Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival
Pete Seeger hosted his annual Clearwater Festival at Croton Point Park, Croton-on Hudson, New York on Saturday. In addition to Seeger, the festival lineup included Richie Havens, Susan Tedeschi, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Old Crow Medicine Show and Dr. Dog.
As he is wont to do as of late, Seeger played an early afternoon set with The Children from Room 12, an assortment of kids no older than nine years old (after which he made the rounds, perched upon the back of a golf cart). Then, after signing autographs and taking pictures with his fans, Richie Havens stepped onto the main stage. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a plethora of gypsy-styled jewelry, Havens belted out some legendary tracks including a superb rendition of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” A bit later, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger brought Jason Crosby sitting in with him and played a nice mix of bluegrass and rock and roll.
As the evening started to settle in and rain began to fall more heavily, a small crowd started to form around the stage for Dr. Dog’s set. They drew in devoted hipsters and newcomers alike with their unique, harmony-rich pop rock. The group played a mix of old and new, dropping some fan favorites from 2008's Fate including "100 Years", "The Breeze" and a rocking rendition of "Hang On." They also played some older gems off their first two releases. Towards the end of the show the band asked if the barrier in front of the stage was set up in order to keep the crowd safe from them or vice versa. They then proceeded to invite everyone up close to the stage for their final songs. As their set wound-down one could hear the sweet sounds of Susan Tedeschi at the other not-so-distant stage. Report by Lucas Samuels
Kinney, Hess and Fier
Former Gov't Mule guitarist Andy Hess has been performing with a number of musicians since leaving the group last year. In 2009 he has gigged with, among others, Adam Levy, Leo Nocentelli and in a quartet with Will Bernard, John Medeski and Stanton Moore. On Thursday in New York City he will return to the stage with drivin' n' cryin's Kevn Kinney, continuing another ongoing musical relationship. On Thursday at the Highline Ballroom, Kinney, Hess and Anton Fier (The Golden Palominos) will open for Cracker and then on the 29th will regroup for a performance at the National Underground. As for Kinney, he will deliver an acoustic set with Eleanor Whitmore tomorrow night at Brooklyn's The Music Hall of Williamsburg, opening for Patterson Hood and The Screwtopians, while Hess will begin a tour with Robben Ford in August.
Ani DiFranco, Method Man and Redman & The Heavy Pets Set for moe.down
moe. has announced a second round of performers for this year's moe.down X. Artists added to the tenth installment of the festival are: Ani DiFranco, Method Man and Redman, The Heavy Pets, Okemah, Nate Wilson Group, Family Groove Company and Lynch. They join the host band, along with Matthew Sweet, Sam Bush, The New Mastersounds and The London Souls. moe.down will return to the Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, NY over Labor Day weekend, September 4-6.
A Bathtub for Phish Kids in Tour Finale
Phish closed its first tour in five years last night at East Troy, WI’s Alpine Valley Music Theatre. As a nod to Father’s Day, the children of all four band members emerged at the start of the night to sit onstage in a bathtub while their fathers played the song “Brother” for the first time since 2003’s IT festival. The group continued to revive material from its back catalogue, including a package of Trey Anastasio’s “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday” and the traditional Jewish prayer “Avenu Malkenu,” the late Chicago blues guitarist Son Seals’ “Funky Bitch (by request) and a cover of Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless.” After thanking their crew and offering a barbershop quartet arrangement of “Grind,” the band closed its tour with a humorous version of “Frankenstein” that found Page McConnell playing keytar, Mike Gordon strapping on his “flame” bass guitar and Anastasio debuting a new over the top guitar with five necks.
The previous night’s show also continued numerous noteworthy moments. During the narrative portion of “Makisupa Policeman,” which traditionally references Phish’s drug scene, Anastasio discussed his own arrest by saying, “woke up in the morning pissed in a jar, woke up in the afternoon called my parole officer.” The band also cut “You Enjoy Myself” before its encore and segued into “NICU,” “Prince Caspian,” “Waste” and the first cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” since reuniting.
Friday night’s performance at Noblesville, IN’s famed Deer Creek was, unfortunately, marred by inclement weather and, after the group’s first set, McConnell instructed the audience to return to their cars until the weather cleared up a bit. The band returned after an hour-plus break for the thematic segment that included “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” and “Drowned.” Earlier in the night Phish also performed the Undermind single “The Connection” live for the first time. The group will hit the road again in July for a four-night run at Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The band’s next album is expected to hit stores later this summer.
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