Music News Net

MIKE GORDON ANNOUNCES SPRING 2019 TOUR DATES

Music News- Phish bassist Mike Gordon and his band will hit the road March 2019 beginning on the 8th in Atlanta and wrapping with a very special four-night run in Cambridge, MA. The tour includes shows Asheville, Nashville, DC, Asbury Park, Buffalo and more. A complete list of tour dates can be found below.

 

A limited number of tickets are available now via a real-time pre-sale at  tickets.mike-gordon.com (and ending this Thursday, November 15th at 5PM ET). Visit  mike-gordon.com/tour for more info.

 

MIKE GORDON 2019 TOUR ITINERARY-

 

MARCH

8 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA

9 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC

10 - The Basement East - Nashville, TN

12 - Charleston Music Hall - Charleston, SC

13 - Harvester Performance Center - Rocky Mount, VA

15 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC

16 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ

17 - White Eagle Hall - Jersey City, NJ

19 - Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY

21-24 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA

30th Anniv Reissue Of Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band’s “Almost Acoustic” Out For Record Store Day on 11/23

Music News - 2018 marks the 30^th Anniversary of the release of Almost Acoustic, the out of print 1988 live classic from The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band.  In honor of this milestone Almost Acoustic will receive a special limited-edition reissue for Record Store Day 2018 on November 23^rd. The album will be made available on CD and as a double LP on 180-gram vinyl for the first time. The vinyl package will include two green and black marbled LPs with individually numbered foil-stamped gatefold jackets. Only 5000 copies of this limited-edition run will be available.

Recorded in 1987 at The Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles and the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, Almost Acoustic features Garcia (guitar & vocals) performing with some of his closest pre-Dead friends and collaborators from the early 1960’s – Sandy Rothman (mandolin, dobro & vocals) and David Nelson (guitar & vocals). Joining in were Kenny Kosek (fiddle) and long-time Jerry Garcia Band alums John Kahn (upright bass) and David Kemper (snare drum). Songs include influential folk traditionals, such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, “Blue Yodel #9” and “Diamond Joe”. The album also highlights songs that were consistently woven in and out of Garcia’s career as both a solo artist and with the Grateful Dead, including “Deep Elem Blues”, “Oh, The Wind And Rain” and the Garcia/Hunter classic, “Ripple”.

Much of 2017 and 2018 saw the year-long celebration of Jerry Garcia’s 75^th birthday, which culminated with the release of the historic and critically acclaimed boxed set Before The Dead.  The 4-CD/limited-edition 5-LP collection shed a new light on the earliest period in Garcia’s journey starting as a young, raw and developing multi-instrumentalist coming of age during the early 1960’s folk-revival, to becoming one of the most revered and groundbreaking artists of the rock ‘n roll era. By the time The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band formed, Garcia had become a master of his instrument. Recorded and released during the apex of the Grateful Dead’s popularity, Almost Acoustic features the artist coming full circle by going back to his acoustic roots where it all began. 

PHISH ANNOUNCE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN NEW YEAR'S EVE RUN FOR DECEMBER 28 - 31, 2018

Music News- Phish has announced that they will be celebrating New Year's Eve this year once again at New York's Madison Square Garden with a four-night run, December 28 - 31, 2018.  At the end of this run, the band will have played 60 shows at the legendary arena since their debut there in December 1994.

 

An online ticket request period is currently underway at  tickets.phish.com and will end October 8 at 10am ET. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, October 12 at noon ET.  Travel packages including tickets will go on sale Friday September 28 at Noon ET. Tickets can be purchased via ticketmaster.com  or charge by phone at 866-858-0008. If tickets are still available, they may be purchased at the venue box office starting Saturday, October 13.

Phish will also be hosting its third Phish: Riviera Maya, the band's destination concert vacation set to hit Mexico's Riviera Maya on February 21 - 23, 2019. The four-day, all-inclusive event that will see Phish performing for three nights on the beach in one of the world's most beautiful locations - Mexico's Caribbean coastline. 

JIM JAMES UNVEILS UNIFORM CLARITY; SHARES TWO NEW SONGS

Music News- Jim James has announced the release of  UNIFORM CLARITY, a new companion piece to his acclaimed 2018 album,  UNIFORM DISTORTION . The new LP - which comprises acoustic renditions of the songs originally found on  UNIFORM DISTORTION  along with two new tracks- arrives  Friday, October 5  via ATO. Pre-orders are available here .

 

"The idea for UNIFORM CLARITY came from UNIFORM DISTORTION," says James, "an album of intentional chaos/dirt: literal and figurative distortion of lyrics and sound meant to echo and hopefully shed some light on the twisted times and distortion of the truth in which we now live. UNIFORM CLARITY is meant to illuminate the other side - raw and real, but very clear, much like in the early days of recording where all you could hear was the truth because there were no ways to manipulate recordings in the studio. Working with Shawn

Photo Credit: Justin Tyler Close

Everett, we created a document style recording of these songs- just vocals, guitar and the space itself- no special FX. A crystal clear illustration of the flawed beauty of what a song starts off as or sometimes remains- a thought. a seed. a light from the womb of the universe brought to life down here on earth."

 

LISTEN TO "You Get To Rome" and "Over And Over" below-

 

 

UNIFORM CLARITY was recorded with GRAMMY Award-winning producer/engineer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, The War On Drugs). Today, there will be an exclusive YouTube event that sees James appearing throughout the day for special performances, discussions about the upcoming release and his extraordinary body of work, as well as his belief in importance of voting and political action as we set out to change the future this Election Day. The broadcast will culminate with a very special live performance and Q+A session, set to be streamed live from San Francisco at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET.

 

WATCH LIVE ON YOUTUBE:

JIM JAMES PRESENTS UNIFORM CLARITY: IN CONVERSATION & PERFORMANCE

 

James is currently poised to embark on a unique solo acoustic tour, beginning  November 1 with a sold out show at Solana Beach, CA's Belly Up Tavern and then visiting historic theatres and performing arts centers across the United States before culminating with a  November 21 homecoming at Louisville, KY's much-loved Louisville Palace. The dates will see the acclaimed My Morning Jacket frontman - accompanied by longtime touring drummer David Givan - perform a career-encompassing repertoire, including songs from  UNIFORM DISTORTION/UNIFORM CLARITY . Support throughout comes from special guest Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff. One dollar per ticket purchased will go to  The Waterfall Project , whose beneficiaries will be United for A Fair Economy  and  National Bail Fund Network . Most dates are already completely sold out, see itinerary below and/or @ jimjames.com/events .

 

JIM JAMES 2018 TOUR ITINERARY-

 

SEPTEMBER

16 - Los Angeles, CA - Pathways to Paris @ Theatre at Ace Hotel

 

NOVEMBER

1 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern SOLD OUT

2 - Los Angeles, CA - Cathedral Sanctuary SOLD OUT

3 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre

5 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth Room SOLD OUT

6 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre SOLD OUT

8 - Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater

9 - Chicago, IL - The Vic SOLD OUT

10 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora Theatre

13 - New York, NY - Town Hall SOLD OUT

14 - Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theatre

16 - Boston, MA - Shubert Theatre

17 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre SOLD OUT

19 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle

20 - Nashville, TN - Schermerhorn Symphony Center

21 - Louisville, KY - The Louisville Palace

 

 

JIM JAMES UNIFORM CLARITY Tracklist

(ATO)

RELEASE DATE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5

 

Just A Fool

You Get To Rome

Out Of Time

Throwback

No Secrets

Yes To Everything

No Use Waiting

All In Your Head

Better Late Than Never

Over and Over

Too Good To Be True

It Will Work Out

Flash in The Pan

SLIGHTLY STOOPID Announce “JUST PASSING THROUGH” FALL TOUR, WITH SPECIAL GUEST HIRIE

Music News- Slightly Stoopid announced plans to head out on their “ Just Passing Through ” fall tour this November, kicking things off in Minneapolis. The tour will bring them through the Midwest, Southeast and East Coast before the band heads out to their 5th annual " Closer to the Sun " all inclusive tropical concert vacation in Mexico.

 

Summer, 2018 has proven to be a massive success for the band. Slightly Stoopid released their 9th studio album, Everyday Life, Everyday People on July 13. It debuted at #9 Overall, # 2 Alternative, #3 Rock, #1 Reggae and #5 Digital Albums.

 

Slightly Stoopid played 40 shows to 300,000 fans across the country during their “ School's Out For Summer 2018 ” tour, selling out amphitheaters coast to coast as well as f estival appearances at Hangout , Summer Camp , Cali Roots , Summerfest , Levitate Music & Arts Festival and Arise Music Festival along the way

 

 

Slightly Stoopid Just Passing Through Fall Tour 2018

w/ Special Guest Hirie

Nov 2 @ First Avenue | Minneapolis, MN

Nov 3 @ The Pageant | St. Louis, MO

Nov 4 @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre | Indianapolis, IN

Nov 8 @ The Joy Theater | New Orleans, LA

Nov 9 @ The Tabernacle | Atlanta, GA

Nov 10 @ The Cowan | Nashville, TN

Nov 11 @ The Fillmore Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

Nov 15 @ The National | Richmond, VA

Nov 16 @ The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY

Nov 17 @ Penn’s Peak | Jim Thorpe, PA

Nov 18 @ The Strand Ballroom & Theatre | Providence, RI

 

Additional Concert Dates-

Sept 1 @ Del Mar Race Track | Del Mar, CA

Sept 15 @ The Great American Smokeout | Ontario, CA

Oct 6 @ Tito Puente Amphitheatre | San Juan, Puerto Rico

Nov 30-Dec 4 @ Closer to the Sun | Riviera Maya, Mexico

PAPADOSIO RELEASES NEW SINGLE "CONTENT COMA" TITLE TRACK FROM NEW ALBUM RELEASING SEPT 7

Music News- Today, Papdosio released the title track, “Content Coma” off their new record that arrives September 7. Content Coma has Papadosio pushing their boundaries as a band both in and out of the studio. This results in the band’s most experimental and progressive-rock leaning record to date.  NC's Papadosio has released two other tracks from their new album; “ Pool of Stars ” and “Distress Signal”.  

LISTEN TO "CONTENT COMA" HERE

 

In addition to the new album, the band is preparing to head out on a large national tour that will support the release of the new record.  The tour will include coast to coast stops including New York City, Chicago, LA and everywhere in between. The band will finish out 2018 with a New Years Eve show in Nashville.   

 

For the first time in their career, the band has gone into a recording studio where they recorded the drums, grand piano and bass. Originally, the band created and hosted their musical ideas and thoughts on the online collaborative platform, Splice .   There they began their process with over 30 ideas for this record.  

 

NYS & County Officials Force Phish To Cancel Curveball Fest Over Safety Issues

Music News- Phish's Curveball festival, which was booked to start up tomorrow, has been cancelled. The festival was to run at Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, NY.  Severe flooding occurred in the area over this past week resulting in the New York State Department Of Health officials to declare the water supply in the Village of Watkins Glen; which includes the festival site, unsafe for human consumption.

Phish issued a statement expressing disappointment over the situation and fans who had arrived to stay overnight. Campgrounds will close at noon tomorrow. Read the following from the band-

Dear friends, our Phish family..

The four of us are writing this from directly behind the stage at Watkins Glen. We were about to walk onstage only moments ago for our traditional soundcheck jam for Curveball when we were told the heartbreaking news that due to the unsafe water conditions in the Village of Watkins Glen, our beloved festival is being canceled.

We are still in shock. The entire site is already set up and ready to go after literally months of work by our beloved hardworking crew, many of whom have been here for weeks. Our families are here, our gear is set, our tents are up. We keep waiting for someone to come over and tell us that there is a solution, and that the festival can go on. Unfortunately, it is not possible.

We are so terribly sorry for the inconvenience that this is causing so many of you. We hope from the bottoms of our hearts that at the very least this news will reach you before too much disruption takes place in your personal lives. We know that people traveled far, at great expense. We understand that people are missing work, and changing their schedules around.. we wish so much that there was some way that this wasn’t happening.

This summer has been absolutely joyous, with each gig building on the previous one, and we were all buzzing with excitement about Curveball. Please accept our deepest apologies for the disruption that this has caused all of you.. We wish there was something else we could say.

Thank you all from the depths of our souls for the joy that you continue to share with us every night. This has been the greatest summer we can remember.

Travel safe and know that we are as heartbroken as all of you. We are standing back here behind the stage, at our party that we’ve been planning for over a year, and we have just told that it won’t happen. There’s just nothing we can do.

Thank you all for your understanding.

With Love,
Phish

The  New York State Department Of Health & Schuyler County released the following statement-

With a 14 county State of Emergency still in effect, the prospect of additional inclement weather, and a mandatory boil water order for the Village of Watkins Glen issued today, Schuyler County and the New York State Department of Health are unable to issue the required permits for this weekend’s Curveball Festival.

This week’s severe storm created untenable conditions, including the inability to deliver clean drinking water to patrons and vendors as confirmed by test results delivered today.

Working collaboratively with Watkins Glen International and Phish, the County and the State explored all options to allow the event to continue as scheduled.

While all parties acknowledge the inconvenience of this cancellation to patrons, we have a responsibility to act in the best interest of public health and safety for all.

Phish and Curveball Festival organizers will be notifying ticketholders about how to obtain a refund.

Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup said, “Public health and safety is a concern for all events at Watkins Glen International. While we are disappointed Curveball has been cancelled, we understand and support the county and Department of Health’s decision.”

Senator Tom O’Mara said, “I appreciate the hard work and perseverance of state and local health officials, concert promoters, and everyone at The Glen to try to find a way to give the go-ahead for Phish this weekend. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not cooperate and threw a curveball of her own over the past several days. It’s disappointing for the band, the fans, and the community at large — and I was looking forward to attending myself — but it’s really the only decision that could be made for the overall sake of the public’s health and safety.”

Assemblyman Philip Palmesano said, “I share the disappointment of fans, Watkins Glen International, and the local community. But we appreciate the diligent efforts of state and local health officials, concert promoters, and Glen officials to try to find any way possible to give a green light to this weekend’s festival. Unfortunately, the cancellation is the only decision that can be made to appropriately and responsibly protect the public’s health and safety.”

Arrangements for refunds has not yet been announced .

Keller Williams Announces First Instrumental Album "SANS", Out October 19th

Music News- With a prolific career of 22 studio albums, Keller Williams has announced his first ever entirely instrumental release SANS, out on October 19. The new album offers a fresh take on his previous work, with a collection of eight reimagined tracks plus one new song. Williams will hit the road this fall with a slew of new tour dates, including a special album release show at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. The tour will also include solo shows as well as performances with PettyGrass, Keller & the Keels, More Than a Little and Keller Williams’ Duo with Danton Boller. See a full list of dates below.

SANS (as in without) finds Keller Williams breathing new life into some of his favorite songs that were once presented as solo acoustic guitar pieces. These invigorated renditions have been enhanced with bold acoustic bass and live and sampled drums, woven through futuristic soundscapes to create what Williams has dubbed “acoustic dance music.” See the full SANS track listing below.

Through a career spanning more than two decades and more than a dozen projects, including his most recent Tom Petty-inspired tribute PettyGrass, Keller Williams has established himself as an unmatched artistic force with a penchant for collaboration and innovation. His unpredictable live shows and ability to seamlessly transition between genres has garnered a loyal and large cult following. The press has also taken notice, with recent positive coverage from Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Paste Magazine, Relix, Acoustic Guitar and more. The follow up to his two simultaneous releases SYNC and RAW, the new instrumental album SANS is proof that even after all this time Keller Williams still has many creative roads left to explore.

Fans who pre-order SANS between now and September 24 will be eligible for the “In the Gutter with Keller at The Brooklyn Bowl” contest, where one winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to attend Keller Williams’ album release party at The Brooklyn Bowl on October 19. Click Here for add'l details.

PHISH: THE BAKER'S DOZEN: LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TO BE RELEASED AS THREE-CD, SIX-LP SETS

Music News- In the summer of 2017, Phish performed "The Baker's Dozen," a milestone 13-show run at Madison Square Garden held over 17 nights. During the three-week run, the band performed 26 unique sets featuring a grand total of 237 songs with not one repeated.  On November 30, The Baker's Dozen: Live at Madison Square Garden will be released and is available for pre-order now here, from The Donut Shop at Phish Dry Goods in three formats: a three-CD or six-LP set (with 13 tracks hand-picked by the band) and The Complete Baker's Dozen Box Set, which includes the ENTIRE run on 36 CDs. Legendary engineer Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, Van Morrison) has remixed each show. 

The Complete Baker's Dozen Box Set includes every note of music from the historic 13-night run on 36 discs. Included in the fully custom box are all 13 individually packaged shows, an extensive 86-page book with full color photographs from the run, an extensive essay featuring new interviews with each band member, Baker's Dozen setlist journals, an embroidered patch, commemorative tickets, a complete set of eight mini-prints and a brand new Jim Pollock screen print (7"x10", signed by Pollock). The Complete Baker's Dozen Box Set will be limited to one printing. Both the three-CD and six-LP sets will be available in limited supplies in stores. The limited edition The Complete Baker's Dozen Box Set will only be available from Phish Dry Goods. If fans order any of the three releases from Phish Dry Goods, all other donut merchandise in the shop will be 20% off.

Phish announce fall 2018 tour

Music News- Phish has announced plans for a 14-date Fall 2018 tour, set to begin  October 16 with a double-header at Albany, NY's Times Union Center and then concluding with a four-night Halloween run; beginning October 31, at Las Vegas, NV's MGM Grand Garden Arena. The tour also includes three-night stands at Hampton, VA's Hampton Coliseum (October 19-21) and Chicago, IL's Allstate Arena (October 26-28) as well as two nights at Nashville, TN's Ascend Amphitheater (October 23-24).

 

A ticket request period is currently underway at tickets.phish.com through Tuesday, May 29 at 9am ET. All remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, June 1 and continuing through Saturday, June 2. In addition, Phish and CID Entertainment are also offering limited travel packages (which include hotel and tickets) for the Hampton, Chicago, and Las Vegas runs. Travel Packages go on sale Thursday, May 31 at 12pm local time. For complete information, please visit https://phish.com.

 

The tour announcement precedes Phish's eagerly awaited summer run, set to get underway July 17 and 18 with a pair of sold out shows at Stateline, NV's Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys and then continue through the band's eighth annual Labor Day Weekend residency at Commerce City, CO's Dick's Sporting Goods Park on August 31-September 2. Most dates on the 21-show run are now sold out - for details and ticket availability, please visit phish.com/tours.

 

 

SLIGHTLY STOOPID SET PLANS FOR NEW ALBUM, "EVERYDAY LIFE, EVERYDAY PEOPLE"

Music News- Slightly Stoopid will release their 9th studio album Everyday Life, Everyday People on Friday, July 13. Album pre-orders begin today, Friday, May 11. The first single off the record "If You Want It ", is available now on all DSPs (listen below), plus all pre-order album purchases include an instant download of "If You Want It." Pre-order the album here !   Slightly Stoopid inspires a collective and community based atmosphere conducive to everyday life, as well as their art. Embracing the art of collaboration, the band is often joined by an arsenal of guests both on stage and in the studio. Special guest appearances on this LP include Ali Campbell (UB40),Alborosie , G. Love , Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), Don Carlos , Yellowman , Sly Dunbar (Sly and Robbie) and more.

The Devon Allman Project Announces Massive Tour

Music News- The Devon Allman Project has announced an extensive North American and international tour. Devon Allman is the former leader of Honeytribe and Royal Southern Brotherhood, and son of the late Gregg Allman. This massive tour will make its way across North America before heading to select dates in the UK, Netherlands, and Australia.   The Devon Allman Project is a six piece band featuring two percussionists, John Lum & R. Scott Bryan (Sheryl Crow), bassist Justin Corgan, guitarist Jackson Stokes and a Hammond B3 player, Nicholas David.    The club/theater shows feature a 30 minute opening set with Duane Betts using his go to guitar player, John Satchela Jr., and Devon’s rhythm section. After a 15 minute break the Devon Allman Project plays a one hour set which will includes songs from Honeytribe, Royal Southern Brotherhood, The Devon Allman Band and a few covers. The night culminates with a 30 minute plus encore featuring all eight musicians playing Allman Brothers tunes and other classics. Festival dates are a straight 90 minute set.  Visit : devonallmanproject.com

The Devon Allman Project 2018 Tour Itinerary-   March 15 @ Jackson Hole Mountain Resort | Teton Village, WY  April 6 @ Rhythm & Ribs Festival | St Augustine, FL  April 7 @ Peace River Revival | Punta Gorda, FL  April 17 @ Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center | Old Saybrook, CT April 18 @ Wilbur | Boston, MA  April 19 @ Penns Peak | Jim Thorpe, PA  April 20 @ WB PAC | Westhampton Beach, NY  April 21 @ Flying Monkey Performance Center | Plymouth, NH  April 22 @ Center for the Arts | Homer, NY  April 24 @ B.B. Kings Blues Club | New York, NY  April 25 @ State Theatre | State College, PA  April 27 @ Neighborhood Theatre | Charlotte, NC  April 28 @ Phenix City Amphitheatre | Phenix City, AL  April 29 @ The Masquerade | Atlanta, GA  April 30 @ Tybee Poste Theater | Tybee Island, GA  May 1 @ The Pour House | Charleston, SC  May 2 @ Salvage Station | Asheville, NC  May 4 @ Tiptinas | New Orleans, LA  May 5 @ Tennessee Amphitheater | Knoxville, TN  May 6 @ City Winery | Nashville, TN May 17 @ Macon City Auditorium | Macon, GA  May 19 @ Florida Music Jam @ Sunset Cove | Boca Raton, FL  May 25 @ Fox Theater | Tucson, AZ  May 26 @ Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival | Simi Valley, CA May 28 @ Brooklyn Bowl - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV June 9 @ Greeley Blues Jam | Greeley, CO  July 3 @ Gerald Ford Amphitheater | Vail, CO July 4 @ Red Rocks | Morrison, CO July 15 @ Great South Bay Music Festival | Patchogue, NY  July 21 @ The Peach Music Festival | Scranton, PA  August 8 @ The Kent Stage | Kent, OH August 11 @ Riverside Park | Rushville, IN  August 12 @ Prairie Magic Music Festival | Valparaiso, IN    August 24 @ Gevarenwinkel Blues Roots & Rock Festival | Herselt, Belgium  August 25 @ Culemborg Blues Festival | Culemborg, Netherlands  August 26 @ Bosuil | Weert, Netherlands  September 2 @ The Fleece | Bristol, UK  September 3 @ Robin 2 | Bilston, UK September 4 @ Islington Assembly Hall | London, UK  September 6 @ Riverside | Newcastle, Australia  September 7 @ Brudenell | Leeds, UK  September 8 @ Academy | Manchester, UK  September 9 @ HRH C.R.O.W.S Festival | Sheffield, UK

THE NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS AND THEIR NEW WAY TO BOOGIE ON THEIR BLUES DANCE MUSIC EP

Music News- For more than 20 years,Luther and Cody Dickinson have made it their mission to keep alive the sound of the Mississippi hill country blues; however, they have never been strict traditionalists. As the North Mississippi Allstars, they’ve soaked their songs in raw, unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll while stirring in fatback funk, slippery soul and righteous gospel to reshape and push the blues into contemporary relevance. Their red-hot stew of roots music — and ferocious live shows —have attracted ardent fans around the globe. Critics have been generous with their praise too. Rolling Stone’s David Fricke proclaimed that “deep roots, improvising valor and live-Cream brawn come easily” to the band, while the Oxford American credits them as having “saved and revitalized southern rock.”

 

The North Mississippi Allstars’ latest effort, Blue Dances Music (due out on March 9, 2018), might be their boldest effort to date. The sonically experimental EP introduces loops and programming to live recordings of tracks from their most recent album, Prayer for Peace, creating, in Cody Dickinson’s words, “an opportunity to explore this musical landscape with full realization.”  

This project, which Cody describes as something that was just meant to be, began when their song“Prayer for Peace” was recorded by the Blind Boys of Alabama. A copy of it got to the Dickinsons, who happened to be writing beats fused with gospel chord changes and blues rhythms. When they matched this music with the Blind Boys’ a cappella singing, it all clicked and BDM was born. This melding of rural blues and dance rhythms actually isn’t the big sonic leap you might think because Hill Country Blues has always been one-chord, hypnotic dance music.

 

Phish Announce Curveball Fest for Watkins Glen

Music News- Phish is following the recent announcement of their upcoming summer tour by unveiling plans to stage their 11th festival, Curveball. Booked for August 17-19 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, NY, Curveball will see Phish offering a series of unique live performances, alongside an array of activities, attractions and art installations. Located amidst the rolling hills of Central New York's Finger Lakes region, the festival site offers an abundance of campsites just a short drive from numerous Northeastern cities. 

Tickets for Curveball go on sale this Friday, March 2 at 12 noon ET. For weekend passes, camping, on-site accommodations, and travel packages, please visit curveball.phish.com. 

Curveball marks the latest epic gathering in an extraordinary tradition first forged by Phish in August 1996 with the groundbreaking Clifford Ball. The 2018 event marks the third Phish festival to be held at the legendary Watkins Glen International, following 2015's Magnaball and 2011's Super Ball IX.  Rolling Stone's Jesse Jarnow hailed the former, noting, "At Magnaball, highlights weren't guest appearances, acoustic sets, thrust stages or even big hits, but the nitty-gritty of Phish's music...While Phish continue to be industry leaders, defining and expanding the live-streaming concert market, as with so much in their career, they remain happily on the outside." 

 

Phish Release "Amsterdam" Box Set

MUSIC NEWS- Jam rockers Phish has just released Amsterdam, an 8-CD box set containing three full live shows from 1997, recorded at Paradiso in The Netherlands. The recordings have been fully mixed and mastered from the band's multi-tracks, and the box set is available to order now from their Dry Goods store.

Back on on February 17, 1997, Phish first played Paradiso, a converted former church turned rock-club/cultural center with a capacity of about 1,500. Phish logged three breakthrough shows at this historic venue over four months that year (on February 17, July 1,and July 2, 1997), where the intimate setting pushed the music to new heights again and again.  The recordings from these three shows comprise some of the most experimental music Phish has ever made. The Amsterdam box delivers the full impact of a shared peak experience in an exotic locale seamlessly integrated and sizzling with creative intensity.