Happy Fat Tuesday! I am glad to see that New Orleans is still alive and kicking! To get you in the Mardi Gras mood, allow me to suggest the following Radiators performance from Mardi Gras 2000:

Band/Artist: Radiators
Date: March 4th, 2000
Venue: Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World - MOMs BALL 2000
Location: Old Algiers, LA

Source: SBD Patch
Lineage: SBD > DAT > CDR > EAC > FLAC

Listen to it here:

O my god! Derek Trucks has been asked to join Eric Clapton in his upcoming European tour. Talk about a tour de force, these guys will be lighting up the stage every night. Derek Trucks will go down in history as the best slide bluesman of all time (with all due respect to Duane Allman). Add Trucks’ slide to Eric Clapton’s already incredible brand of blues and you’ve got a musical match made in heaven. Add to that the guitar licks of virtuoso Doyle Bramhall II and who knows what could happen!

Here is the skinny from derektrucks.com:

It’s official! Eric Clapton has invited Derek to play guitar in his band for his upcoming European tour starting in May. Derek is very excited to have the opportunity to play with this living legend. Just to clarify, The Derek Trucks Band will not be opening these dates but the DTB Songlines tour will continue throughout the spring and summer as Derek juggles a busy schedule for ‘06! More Derek Trucks Band dates will be added to the tourpage soon so keep an eye out. For the official Clapton press release and tour dates go here

And the list of musicians on the tour (thanks Jambase!) :

Clapton has assembled an impressive band, including several album collaborators. The 2006 tour band will consist of: Eric Clapton, guitar, as well as Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks also on guitar, Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on keyboards, Willie Weeks on bass, Steve Jordan on drums, The Kick Horns: Simon Clarke, Roddy Lorimer, and Tim Sanders on brass, and backing vocals by Michelle John and Sharon White.

And just in case you’ve never checked out Doyle Bramhall II before, I present to you with the following:

If your scratching for some bluegrass to check out, give Old School Freight Train ( OSFT ) a try. Their debut album Run was produced by David Grisman on his Acoustic Disc label. Old School Freight Train combine traditional bluegrass with soul, jazz, swing, celtic and latin music to get a really cool sound that is completely unique. OSFT plays songs from all over the place, covering everything from Bill Monroe to Stevie Wonder. Bill Monroe had a great philosophy about music. He said that if you like what you hear, take it and make something new out of it. Well that is exactly what Old School Freight Train is doing. Check them out, your ears will thank you for it!

Here are some samples from Run:

Over 50 items from the Jerry Garcia estate will be auctioned on eBay from February 20 to February 27. The items include appliances, bathroom fixtures, kitchen fixtures, and furniture that were in Jerry Garcia’s Nicasio, California house when purchased by Henry Koltys in 1997. All of the proceeds for the auction will go to The Sophia Foundation which is a non profit organization advocating for children that are victims of divorce. What a cool way to own a piece musical history and help out a great organization in the process! If you were wondering what I want for my birthday (not till May, but you can start shopping now) I will take the mail box! Jerry was such an amazing musician whose influence will reach far and deep for many many years to come.
Here is the info from the listing:

By the sale of these items, no disrespect is intended towards the memory of Jerry or his family. This auction and the Sophia Foundation are not affiliated with nor endorsed by either the Jerry Garcia Estate or the Grateful Dead. The Jerry Garcia Estate and the Sophia Foundation have signed a settlement agreement whereby this charity auction may proceed without interruption.

To view photos of the auction items and details, click Favorite Links below: Sophia Foundation — Photos and Details or go to www.sophia-foundation.org

Jerry owned this house from 1993-1995 and in 1997 the new owner removed fixtures and cabinets for a charity auction. The Sophia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to benefit children and families during separation or divorce. Auction proceeds will enable Sophia to donate a free version of KidsFirst! custody agreement and parenting plan software to parents in need. InCap Corporation has donated licenses of KidsFirst! software to Sophia for this use. www.kids-first.com and www.incap.com.

Over fifty interesting fixtures and cabinets removed from Garcia’s last home will be auctioned from Monday, February 20 to February 27. The goal is to raise much-needed funds intended to benefit millions of children each year. Since Sophia is a non-profit, the amount paid in excess of the value estimated by the foundation may be tax deductible depending on the successful bidder’s personal tax situation.Check with your tax professional to be sure.To authenticate the fixtures and cabinets, successful bidders will receive a copy of the deeds of sale to Jerry Garcia and from the Garcia Estate along with a signed declaration by the former owner of the house verifying the items were removed from the house.

And as always for your listening pleasure, the Pure Jerry Sampler:

MP3 Downloads:

Cats Under The Stars
Friend of the Devil
Keystone Jam
Mission in the Rain
Deal
Ripple

You can stream it here or download the flac here!

The new Derek Trucks Band album Songlines was released today. I’ve only listened to clips, but what I’ve heard sounds killer! I’ve come to have high expectations from the Derek Trucks Band because everything he does is amazing. From his work with the Allman Brothers to his work with The Dead to his solo stuff, everything he touches is pure musical bliss! Derek Trucks is a true musical prodigy. At only 27 years old, Derek Trucks has a list of musical accomplishments that a seasoned blues man would be proud of. It makes me wonder about all the great things to come.

Here is a really great bio from 2002 in which Phil Lesh states that he had to pull the car over the first time he heard Derek’s guitar:

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And a killer Derek Trucks Band Show from New Year’s 2005 featuring Gregg Allman and Susan Tedeschi:

Band/Artist: Derek Trucks Band
Date: December 31st, 2005
Venue: Variety Playhouse
Location: Atlanta Georgia

Source: Peavey PVM480s(fob 3rd row just left of center aligned with drum kit @ 13′)via Canare L-4E3-2P Star Quad cable>Edirol UA-5 @24bit 48khz>Toshiba 2060 CDS
Lineage: laptop recording
Taped by: huffy@mississippi.net
Transferred by: none

Listen to it here:

The lineup for the 2006 SXSW music festival was just announced and as always its going to be a great one. Many of the performances scheduled are free (as in beer). The music festival portion of the festival takes place March 15-19 in Austin. The linup includes:

» Echo & The Bunnymen {FREE}
» Spoon {FREE}
» Blackalicious {FREE}
» Rosanne Cash {FREE}
» Sam Moore (Sam & Dave) {FREE}
» The Pretenders
» Nickel Creek
» Drive-by Truckers
» Kris Kristofferson
» Secret Machines
» Arctic Monkeys
» Lady Sovereign
» Particle
» Brazilian Girls
» The Mother Hips
» Sebastian
» Mogwai
» Neko Case
» The Mutaytor
» Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
» Belle & Sebastian
» Mogwai
» Neko Case
» The Mutaytor
» Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

By the way, have you heard any of the new Nickel Creek album When In Rome yet? It is quite a departure from their previous material. I love a band that explores new realms. Nickel Creek does a great job of taking things to new places while staying true to their bluegrass roots.

But don’t take my word for it, listen for yourself:

1. When in Rome
2. Somebody More Like You
3. Jealous of the Moon
4. Scotch & Chocolate
5. Can’t Complain
6. Tomorrow is a Long Time
7. Eveline
8. Stumptown
9. Anthony
10. Best of Luck
11. Doubting Thomas
12. First and Last Waltz
13. Helena
14. Why Should the Fire Die?

I just finished listening to Phil Lesh and Friends at the Beacon Theater on February 12, 2006 and am blown away as usual. Phil never ceases to reach deep into his bag of tricks and deliver the goods! The show features Trey Anastasio and Joan Osborne and falls nowhere short of musicle bliss! I like Trey because he’s got such a killer signature style which adapts quite well to Grateful Dead music. I also love Joan Osbourne’s soulful, bluesy voice…the lady has mad chops! I also love Rob Barraco (on keys) who’s been rocking out with Phil for a couple tours now as well as new guitarist Larry Campbell(of Bob Dylan fame) and drummer Jeff Sipe. One thing that sort bums me out about Phil and Friends is the parting of ways with guitarist Jimmy Herring. Jimmy had such a clean smooth style that just flowed beautifully with Grateful Dead music.

If you get confused listen to the music play!

Here is the skinny:

Band/Artist: Phil Lesh and Friends
Date: February 12th, 2006
Venue: Beacon Theater
Location: New York, NY

Source: (Lower Loge) Microtech Geffells m210>V3>DAP-1 (44.1)
Lineage: Tascam DA20-mkII>vx pocket>Toshiba 3490ct>vegas 3.0 (16/44.1)>CdWav Editor>FLAC
Taped by: John Lynch
Transferred by: Scott Gordon
Listen to it here:

This week on KPFA’s crytically acclaimed radio show Dead To The World, Bela Fleck And The Flecktones stopped by for an incredible little performance. The Flecktones went on hiatus in 2005 and now they are back on the seen and just as good as ever. During 2005, Future Man put out a solo ablum called Evolution de la Musique, Jeff Coffin put out a new solo album called Commonality, Vik had a baby, Bela toured with Case Dreissen, Bryan Sutton, Stanley Clarke, and Jean Luc Ponty. Right before the Flecktones went on hiatus they recorded a new album called The Hidden Land which they’ve just released. These guys sure seem to stay busy! This show is a must listen. If you’ve never listened to the Flecktones you are really in for a treat. The set is mostly acoustic.

There is a great Grateful Dead Performance from September 20, 1991 at the Boston Garden in the first hour which I highly recommend, but if thats not your cup of tea then just skip forward in the stream half an hour.
Listen to Bela Fleck And The Flecktones on Dead To The World 2/15/2006 stream here.

If you haven’t checked out Zilla yet, do your ears a favor and queue these guys up! Zilla is a trio from Colorado comprised of String Cheese Incident drummer Michael Travis, hamer dulcimer guru Jamie Janover, and jam virtuoso Aaron Holstein. Their sound is completely different from anything I’ve heard before. Everything about Zilla is improv, they have no written songs and everything they do is composed on the fly. The idea sounds a little strange before you hear it, but removing the confines of a written composition and melody has freed these guys to take the music to some really cool places. I love the sound of the hammer dulcimer and Janover takes a really beautiful approach to the instrument. Its great to hear the dulcimer sound in a trio format with drums, bass, guitar, keys and a sampler. Check them out:
Zilla MP3 here:

And a killer soundboard recording:
Band/Artist: Zilla
Date: January 29th, 2006
Venue: The Jellyphish Lounge
Location: Houston, TX

Source: Matrix (MG200/M20* > V2) + (SBD >Behringer Composer Pro >TCE M1) > MX 602 > DA-P1
Lineage: DAT > HHB 800 > CD > S.F. 5.0 > CDR
Taped by: Stan Smith
Transferred by: Stan Smith

Get it here:

Here is a great interview with the singer of Wilco, Jedd Tweedy in which he discusses music piracy and file sharing on the internet. I think he hits the nail on the head. The whole point of making music is to be heard. Making money is secondary. Don’t get me wrong, an artist should be properly compensated for their work but I think that its the music industry’s problem and not the artists. Most artists see very few royalties on their albums and they don’t see any profits untill years after an album’s release. The majority of musicians make most of their money for touring. This was the case for Wilco. They released their album Yankey Hotel Foxtrot as a free download on their website and grew to a household name overnight. My favorite quote from the interview is:

“Shutting down music file-sharing is like closing a library.”

I think that as great recording technology becomes available to the masses record labels will play less of a role in the music industry. I’m always more willing to purchase an album if I know that a significant portion of what I pay is going to the artist. That is why I buy albums off of CD Baby whenever possible.

And for your listening pleasure I give you:
Wilco - 2004-05-20
Otto’s
DeKalb, IL

Download the MP3 or stream it here.