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Mayan Holidaze 2011 | More Pics

Images by: Chad Smith

Mayan Holidaze :: 01.20.11-01.23.2011 :: Now Sapphire:: Puerto Morelos,
Mexico

We ran a review of the recent Mayan
Holidaze
gathering in Mexico with Sound Tribe Sector 9, The Disco Biscuits and Umphrey’s McGee. Check out the
review here, and
enjoy this assortment of Chad Smith’s fab shots from the festivities.


30DB
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Orchard Lounge
Mayan Holidaze
Disco Biscuits
Disco Biscuits
Disco Biscuits
Disco Biscuits

Disco Biscuits
Disco Biscuits

Disco Biscuits
Disco Biscuits

Disco Biscuits
Disco Biscuits

Disco Biscuits

Continue reading for more pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011…


Disco Biscuits

Disco Biscuits
Disco Biscuits

Disco Biscuits
Mayan Holidaze

Mayan Holidaze
Mayan Holidaze

Mayan Holidaze
Mayan Holidaze

Mayan Holidaze
Mayan Holidaze

Mayan Holidaze
Mayan Holidaze

Mayan Holidaze
Mayan Holidaze

Continue reading for more pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011…


Mayan Holidaze

Mayan Holidaze
Mayan Holidaze

Mayan Holidaze
Fiesta and
Tequila Tasting

Fiesta and
Tequila Tasting

Fiesta and
Tequila Tasting

Fiesta and
Tequila Tasting

Fiesta and
Tequila Tasting

Fiesta and
Tequila Tasting

Fiesta and
Tequila Tasting

Holidaze
Wedding

Murphy and Bayliss
Opening
Ceremonies

Continue reading for more pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011…


STS9

STS9
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STS9
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STS9

Tractor Beam
Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
30DB
30DB

Continue reading for more pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011…


Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee
Umphrey’s McGee

Umphrey’s McGee

JamBase | Down Mexico Way
Go See Live Music!


The Rhythm Devils: License To Fly

By: Dennis Cook

Check out some audience recordings of the new lineup here and here to accompany your reading.

Rhythm Devils 2010 by Suzy Perler

The new incarnation of The Rhythm Devils is like no other in this long running project for Grateful Dead percussionists Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. Where earlier lineups focused on a worldly exploration of percussion, the 2010 version is directly engaging with the Dead catalog and generating a goodly amount of new material, too. Joining the drum masters are Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips (guitar, vocals), Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam (guitar, vocals), Sikiru Adepoju (talking drum) and Andy Hess (bass). An earlier tour this year had Keller Williams in place of Bluhm. In many ways, this more song-oriented ensemble is a chance for Kreutzmann and Hart to lay rightful claim to their share of the Grateful Dead legacy, and in the original spirit of that band, extend the range and possibilities of one of the most enduring, flexible and downright amazing catalogs ever produced. Whatever the underlying reasons, the Devils are at it again.

Mickey Hart by Suzy Perler

“Our name was bestowed upon us by Garcia. Jerry, one night in one of his funny moods, said, ‘You guys are rhythm devils’ [his voice taking on a deep growl]. It was said in the funniest of ways, and we were really after the rhythm that night. That’s where it all started,” says Mickey Hart. “Originally it was just about Bill and I doing our thing in the second set. It was a free space, rhythmically speaking, and we just went out into the zone and discovered what the rhythm of the day was.”

As percussionists, Hart and Kreutzmann give off a trickster vibe with a knowing playfulness that’s touched by resounding confidence and wildfire. These are not guys one is likely to see knocking out straight bebop. The way rhythm speaks to them is peculiar and touched by something organic and unique.

“We look for the moment, and when we find it we’re not afraid to go after it,” says Hart. “One of things about performance is fear or the lack of it and respect for failing or not failing, which is always there. But the idea of discovery is more important than the fear of failure in our world.”

“Each night is valuable. Everyone has equity in the moment – we own it, you own it – and it will never be repeated again. So, it’s an original. Sometimes an original is better than others but it’s still an original,” continues Hart. “You try to make it as special as you can, and you settle for whatever happens. Hopefully it’s an uplifting moment. This is moment music, and that is the goal – to create something of value that’s never to be repeated again, an original.”

The New Guys

Bill Kreutzmann by Chad Smith

While all top-notch players, the Rhythm Devils 2010 lineup isn’t something that most listeners, even serious Deadheads, would likely have come up with. It speaks to an out-of-the-box intention from the Devils’ leaders that comes with risks but also potentially great rewards.

“We’re playing the songs. It’s not like free space all night. We have structure, and then you have release. You have to have some kind of physical architecture or you’re just jamming all night, and that becomes rudderless and meaningless at times. Just noodling and twittering just to be in the moment is not the object,” says Hart. “The object is to go somewhere together and making something of value and interest not just to you but to the people listening.”

“We’re making the old music our own, and Robert Hunter is composing for us, so we have a loads of new material,” says Hart. “The band is just being born and starting to own the songs. Playing the songs is one thing – you can play them well, you can play them badly – but to own the song, to put your signature sound and feeling on it, is really the objective here. Grateful Dead songs were created with that in mind, which allows for exploration; circumnavigation, as it were. Every night I see new sights, hear new sounds, new ways of putting it together. So, the band is loosening up and becoming a band, not just six players. There’s a difference.”

Tim Bluhm by Chad Smith

“I’m just grateful to the universe for having this opportunity, but I can’t say that it’s easy. What’s cool about Billy and Mickey is they don’t do what you think they’re gonna do. I think that’s a great quality to have,” says Tim Bluhm. “I’d heard them play but had never met them. I think Bill spent a lot of time on YouTube looking for guys. I had to learn all the music, and I’m still learning. One big challenge for me is we play at least one new song each show that I’ve never heard before. I’m constantly on my toes, always on the edge of learning new stuff. You’re never done learning stuff with this band. As soon as you’ve gotten a few songs down, there’s a new batch to learn. I’m having a lot of fun onstage hearing the songs get better all the time. It’s a miracle to see what hard work can do. These guys work hard!”

“I was never a big Dead guy. I didn’t grow up listening to them. I knew who they were peripherally but I had to learn a LOT of this music and make my own sort of Grateful Dead 101 study class,” says Andy Hess. “The way I got involved was I’d met Mickey’s manager many times over the year in other situations. He thought of me, and then Bill, who I’d met a bit, was sort of a champion for me when my name came up. I told them, ‘If you’re expecting a Phil Lesh type of bass player, that’s not me.’ Bill was very supportive and said, ‘Play how you play. That’s why I pushed for you to be here.’ So, I’m trying to make it my own a bit with respect to the music. I’m such a different bassist than Phil. I really love John Paul Jones, he’s one of my heroes.”

Davy Knowles by Suzy Perler

“I absolutely have no idea whatsoever how I got this gig [laughs]. I got a call from my agent asking if I wanted to join this band for a bit of a tour. I said absolutely; it wasn’t even a decision, it was just ‘Of course.’ What an honor,” says Davy Knowles. “Suddenly I’m getting phone calls from Mickey Hart asking, ‘Do you play lap steel? Do you own one? Well, you should probably get one.’ So, I was pretty much thrown into the deep end without really knowing what was going on, which is great.”

“I wouldn’t say I was a [Grateful Dead] fan before. I’d heard stuff and had huge respect for them, but I hadn’t delved deeper into them. Now I’m just kicking myself for not doing it sooner. It’s such an amazing library of music that I’m being opened up to,” says Knowles. “What I love about them is they’re a true American band. They play real Americana – blues, country, pretty much every form of American music.”

“Bill just wanted to do it again, so we searched around for these different players that we thought were flexible enough and high-caliber enough to play together and enjoy each other – their personalities, their singing abilities, their playing abilities [were all factors],” says Hart. “I used YouTube quite a bit to study their musical habits and listened to their recordings. I did a lot of research into who they were, and we brought them all together. There’s no telling about chemistry but it worked. You just never can tell.”

Rhythm Devils 2010 by Chad Smith

“We don’t count it anymore, but the poor kids playing with us now have to count it. It’s hard for us to explain why we added two beats before you go into this other part. It just seemed like a good idea at the time,” chuckles Hart. “We just smile with it when they fumble the ball a little bit. Sooner or later, they get the pocket and hold the ball tight and they run. Bill and I don’t put any real pressure on the guitarists because they had to learn 40-plus songs. They probably thought they were going to learn a set or something and here they’ve got 40-plus songs on their plate with lyrics and chord changes and tempo changes. They study all the time. We have long sound checks where play through the songs and have transitions and see if we can find our way from this song to that song. We let ‘em know if it’s going to be faster or slower, but to just keep their ears open and play through it. And all of the sudden, we’ll wind up there! Just stay with it, kid! And all of a sudden, a little smile crosses their face when they can see the light at the end. You’re swimming deep and all of the sudden you can see the surface for a little air, something known as opposed to the unknown, chaos to order, order to chaos and somewhere in between.”

This sort of risk taking – a leap into the unknown with a grin and crossed-fingers – is indicative of how Hart and Kreutzmann have made music their whole lives. Too often, particularly in music these days, artists are unwilling to make such leaps, paralyzed by fear of failure or looking bad or some other hitch that keeps their feet planted.

“That seems like a waste of a good life,” offers Hart. “You’ve got to have musical adventure in your life. Music is life for me, at least a big part of it. It really wouldn’t be a smart idea if I played it safe at this stage in my life. So, what you do is try to find people that want to do something that’s a bit out of the ordinary, out of the box. And if they agree on doing it without having to force them into it – which is not fun – then you have something.”

Tim Bluhm & Davy Knowles by Suzy Perler

“It’s absolutely terrifying, but a real education. I can’t see any other way I’d have gotten this education. It’s such a unique experience. Perhaps the most terrifying thing was Mickey wanted to hear the renditions I was doing with these songs. He asked me to record MP3s of me doing Jerry songs with Robert Hunter lyrics and send them back to him. You can imagine how terrifying it was to record these songs, send them to a Grateful Dead member and wait for a reply. I was quivering,” says Knowles. “I have a whole new respect for Jerry Garcia. What an incredible musician, not just a guitar player. Just amazing.”

“Garcia was such an accomplished guitarist and songwriter, but even more than that, he seems like such a benevolent spirit. I respect him and the material so much. You can’t go too wrong if you approach it that way,” says Bluhm. “It’s like a rock band with these moments of trance. Both Davy and I have learned a lot about playing that kind of Africanized trance rock ‘n’ roll. It’s so fun to play with [Billy and Mickey] because they have that thing that only the Dead had. In some ways, it’s almost more distinctive than what Phil and Bobby brought to it. There’s no mistaking them for anyone else.”

Finding a bassist with the flexibility and quickness to follow two utterly idiosyncratic percussionists like Hart and Kreutzmann is no simple task. But Andy Hess, with a CV that includes Gov’t Mule, The Black Crowes and John Scofield, possesses the sort of fluid open-mindedness necessary to complete the low-end in the Devils.

Andy Hess by Chad Smith

“I’ve sort of been a lifelong sideman who’s played with a lot of people. When I played with Gov’t Mule for five years that was the longest I’ve been in a band,” says Hess. “I’m a very supportive kind of player. I’ve done a lot of different things, and I’ve always liked a lot of different kinds of music. I’ve been in New York City for 20 years, and there’s a lot of great players there. In order to make a living sometimes I have to do different stuff. I may not always be totally into it but I try to be open to it. It’s a constant work in progress. Every time I go onstage I think, ‘Okay, here’s an opportunity.’ Some nights are good and other nights are terrible. It’s so intangible, but it’s humbling to get to do this for a living.”

“Mickey has soooo much energy and he can really inspire you. He’s always saying, ‘Let’s do this and let’s do this,’ and it keeps going. Oh my god, this guy is 25 years older than me and he’s all over the place!” says Hess. “He cares and he’s a lot of fun. He’s got a strong personality. He’s cool and respectful to us all. Even though he wants to get what he wants out of all of us, he’s appreciative and he’s a smart guy.”

Knowles had the pleasure of playing guitar and singing with Keller Williams and Tim Bluhm, two very distinctive players and singers with almost nothing in common. How did this go over in the Devils?

“It’s wonderful both ways. They’re both incredible musicians and it’s been an honor and a privilege to work with both of them and get to know their styles and even rob parts of their styles, too. That’s what playing with other people is all about really,” says Knowles. “Keller is kind of a hyper solo musician and all his tempos are really quick – he’s the first to say that – and it’s kind of awesome. He’s so used to playing by himself, whereas Tim Bluhm is sort of the definition of laid-back California. He’s just an unbelievable guitar player, but he seems a bit shy about it. The one thing I love about Tim is his tone and touch. He doesn’t have to play a lot of notes. He’s drenched in soul, and his playing is just fantastic.”

Mickey Hart by Suzy Perler

As for bandleader Hart’s assessment of this newest bunch:

“This is not telepathic yet, so you have to lead a little bit more and you have to be a bit more on top of things to give these signals to the rest of the band, who aren’t intuitive yet,” says Hart. “Being intuitive means being in the groove for hundreds of hours to be able to move and pulse and throb as one. The goal, eventually, is to go there together instantly. There are so many possibilities and how are they going to know where to go without some leading. They can’t read each other’s minds like Bill and I can with just body language, just a wink or a nod. Moving forward a quarter of an inch can mean everything. Even just in thinking I can crawl around in his mind. It’s not a pretty thought [laughs]. We’d do that with Phil or Bob or Jerry, too. Our conversations were non-verbal on a musical and personal level.”

“[With the current Rhythm Devils lineup], we don’t know these guys. We haven’t done everything in the world with them, and those life experiences carry over into the music. We haven’t lived together as a band as we did with the Grateful Dead, so we have to be a bit kinder to them in how we approach the music,” says Hart. “Actually, instructive is a better word. We need to give them something to grab onto, some invisible thought process as we learn to mind-meld with each other. Each night it gets to that place of mind-meld in places, and they gain more confidence and you gain more confidence in them and they gain more confidence in you and slowly you grow and become an organism.”

Continue reading for much more from Mickey Hart and the other fresh Devils…

Bill Kreutzmann & Mickey Hart by Chad Smith

Lessons In The Dead

The palpable in-the-moment quality of the Grateful Dead was often most visible in the interplay of Kreutzmann and Hart, whose faces and bodies often conveyed a joyful daring-do that infected others, tapping into the primal, childlike need to bang on things until cool noises leap out. Their relationship often feels like we’re getting to eavesdrop on a very long, involved exchange that’s still a blast for both parties.

“We practiced a lot in the early days – thousands of hours personally, alone – to be able to throw it away and be fluid onstage. It’s not something that just happens. We worked at it,” says Hart. “We think of it more as a conversation. So, this conversation has lasted 40-odd years now, and it’s still interesting because we’ve never really totally codified things. We never talk about what we’re going to talk about. We never say, ‘You play that and I’ll play this.’ We never do that. We just search around until we find a combination that works and then settle into it. When we listen back to tapes on the bus we might say, ‘See, that thing you did there was really cool.’ And if the other person thinks it was cool, too, they’ll do it again. There’s still a learning curve on what works. We don’t do things different every night just to be different. It’s a constant state of morph and fluxing that’s about change in the right direction, not just change for change sake.”

Mickey Hart by Suzy Perler

“I like a lot of processing and space and delays and reverb and all kinds of instruments unborn. I like to find new sounds and new spaces every night that just amaze me. I’m certainly a hunter. I stalk the groove. I’m a stalker [laughs]. I work really hard to be able to do that,” continues Hart. “I warm up every night and rehearse the band to be able to relax enough to be able to go after the good, the rare, the thing that shines and makes you want to go back again the next night. Being a musician is not easy. You go from city to city, you set up, you play a few hours and you tear down. Unless you really want to do it don’t bother because it’s not really that comfortable mentally, physically and so on.”

The mythology of the Grateful Dead has long acknowledged that the audience is part of the music, inexorably threaded into what the musicians do, for good or bad.

“At its best moments, you get a full circle, a round trip, if you will, where the audience is feeding the band, the band is feeding the audience and neither can do it without the other,” says Hart. “It truly becomes a musical moment that’s shared as opposed to someone’s listening and someone’s giving. There’s a blurring of the lines between the stage and the audience. The better it is, the more cathartic it is, with many crashing, enlightening and uplifting moments throughout the evening.”

However, Grateful Dead Music requires both this audience-band synergy and a high level of musicianship to pull off. Within these powerful unfolding moments, there are still the practical issues of following the music in tandem, hitting the right keys and segues and so on.

Bill Kreutzmann by Suzy Perler

“You have to have trust,” says Hart. “It’s a little heroic, and sometimes you have to go into a place you’ve never been. It feels very euphoric when you find it but you have to let go, and letting go in front of thousands of people isn’t easyÂ…at first. Then, it becomes easier. It becomes your style, and the expectations people bring with them to a show are realized and courted. When that happens it’s a successful night, a successful moment, but you have to believe you’re going to find your way out of this dark alley you find yourself in. It’s a seemingly dead-end street and you find yourself at the end of it. So, how are you going to get out of this dark alleyway or super light alleyway or whatever it might be? How are you going to travel? It’s the way of going that’s important.”

“When you have group-mind, then you depend on that. Everyone just listens intently and is really sprightly in their work – moving quickly or slowly as the case may be – but listening and reacting and updating based on miniscule times. The time frames are tiny when you’re improvising and you have to make your decisions in a split second or else you’re behind. It becomes more intuitive instead of thinking,” continues Hart. “Once it becomes a body, the music takes on a whole other aspect. Once you develop that group-mind you move differently. Instead of moving a sea tanker where you have to go real slow, you can cut and run on a dime. It’s kind of a license to fly once everybody understands how high and fast they can fly individually and as a group. Then you become a group, and the rush of group melody, rhythm and harmony becomes intuitive rather than thinking, ‘Where do I go now?’ And obviously, the better in tune you are with yourself and the group, the more successful you are at jamming.”

Cracking The Songbook

Andy Hess & Bill Kreutzmann by Suzy Perler

The organic malleability of the Dead catalog is perhaps the heart of its enduring viability and the reason so many hands and voices can handle it while still creating something of their own.

“There’s certain signature things you have to have to make it the song, but we couldn’t remember what we did the night before, so a method was born [laughs]. We didn’t do this on purpose,” says Hart. “I remember one day there was an incident where Bob was supposed to do something and he didn’t do it and we came down on him. And it was so sad and we thought, ‘We can’t do this forever. If we’re gonna play this music forever we can’t go into the blame game.’ So, we dropped that and let it happen and it worked out. It wasn’t that kind of child; it didn’t have discipline in that respect. You could whip it into shape and discipline it and make it do what you wanted it to do OR you could let it go and just see it grow.”

“No one really tried to commit most things to memory. Some things we had to so people would recognize the songs,” continues Hart. “Things were going from one thing to another, just morphing and morphing, and there weren’t really any songs, there was just music. Then we tried to make songs out of it, and the songs grew. Robert Hunter started writing words to our music as we were playing it. He’d sit there and just write words. ‘Uncle John’s Band’ came out of a jam, most of ‘Dark Star’ and ‘The Other One’ were just moments we went through and Hunter just heard the words. And we never really codified or crystallized a lot of this. We never said this is the way it has to be. It was made to be explored, so everybody had some kind of personal freedom to explore on a daily or nightly basis. And it was okay to change things, and even when things became signatures we could still play with that signature riff because we birthed them. So, that’s the way it is in the Grateful Dead musical lexicon.”

“It’s fun and it’s getting better,” says Hess. “This music is all a great melting pot. It’s also really loose. I’ve also played in a lot of bands where it’s about being tighter, and this floats here and then floats into the next song. It’s a different approach that they’ve mastered over the years. That’s been challenging to me to let go of a stricter time thing. Mule was loose in a lot of ways and improvisational, but I come from groove music where there’s a lot of repetition. I’m trying to bring myself into this music and make the songs work.”

Davy Knowles by Suzy Perler

“My ultimate favorite is ‘So Many Roads.’ I think it’s absolutely perfect. If you can find a better definition of music, I’d like to hear it. It’s achingly beautiful. The lyrics are beautiful and the melody is incredible. It’s a road song without being cheesy. It’s just correct and so stunning,” says Knowles, who’s also enjoying the Dead’s old blues chestnuts. “I’m really digging the Pigpen-era stuff. And ‘Easy Wind’ is such a great blues track. It’s a different kind of blues. I’m very happy it’s not a 12-bar. It’s something else entirely. I figure if you to hear a 12-bar blues why not put on a Freddie King or Albert King record because they can do it a lot better than I ever will. The idea is to take those influences and make something of your own out of them. I’m 23-years-old and I don’t want to play 12-bar blues the rest of my life. I want to pay tribute to it, but there’s a lot of people that came before me that do a much better job at it. If you want to hear that, then go put it on. It’s important to try something which is why I like songs like ‘Easy Wind.’”

“The blues crowd is incredibly faithful but sometimes it feels like you can’t do anything outside the blues or they’ll lynch you. And the craziest thing is the blues came from black people being oppressed in these just evil times, and suddenly the blues market is all white, middle-aged guys with long hair trying to wear zoot suits. You think, ‘Wow, the white guys have kind of taken over again,’” says Knowles. “It’s very strange how upside down it is. If you’re a white kid who plays the blues but doesn’t play them like Freddie King or Albert King or one of the legendary black blues guys, then they say you’re not playing blues no more.”

“Probably [the most difficult song to learn has been] ‘Uncle John’s Band.’ There’s bars of three and suddenly it goes from 4/4 to 3/7. And my timing is pretty rubbish. I’ve played with 4/4, maybe 6/8 or 3/4 now and again, for so long and that’s about it. So, my timing needs a lot of work and suddenly it’s, ‘Oh crap!’ and I need to come in at precisely the right place,” says Knowles. “And these guys [Mickey and Billy] don’t know all the timing. They’ve played them for so long that they just know them. I’d ask if there was a bar of three and they’d say, ‘I don’t know. That’s just how it goes.’ Arrgh! What do I do? Help! Help!”

Tim Bluhm & Andy Hess by Suzy Perler

“I think the things that are working the best for me so far are the Dead ballads like ‘Brokedown Palace,’ which are right in my comfort zone,” says Bluhm. “Davy does a great ‘So Many Roads’ and I get to sing harmonies on that. He kills – he just rules it. I’m enjoying playing with him, but he’s definitely pushing me. I’m playing more guitar solos in this band than with the Hips. I saw the same thing happen with Jackie [Greene], where he learned more about big guitar playing when he was out with Phil. You learn what equipment works and what will cut through. I can’t really see it from inside but I know I’m growing when I think about it.”

Making music, on some level, is an act of regurgitation – what comes out after one has digested tradition. But it’s often a snake eating its tail, where music often sounds like mere variations on a theme instead of moving into fresh territory. This is one of the crucial differences in Grateful Dead music, which formed its own language since nothing previous quite got the message across in the right way for them. Make no mistake what Hart, Kreutzmann and their compatriots forged is a true American original distinct from anything before its arrival.

“That’s why I thought I could do this the rest of my life, this kind of music, and I was right,” says Hart. “It allows for growth. When you have this kind of architecture it’s not inhibiting to your creativity, as opposed to playing the song the exact same way every night, which is really the death knell for creativity. Playing songs really well is a wonderful art, but it’s not ours. Not to put that down at all, to play a song with all its nuances intact, but for us it would be creative suicide.”

“You gotta be like a warrior in a way, a road dog, and desperate in a way to bring your music to the people or else you shouldn’t do it, you shouldn’t take up the wand. I wouldn’t recommend it for most people,” says Hart. “It’s a very intense kind of life, and you have to balance it with family and a home life. People pay good money to see us and I try to reward that with an effort, to go to that place that will make them charmed. That’s my responsibility to them. If you go out and don’t deliver what you’re capable of then you’re ripping them off, and I don’t like that, brother. It’s a rip off if you don’t put in everything you have into it that night. Even if you fail it’s okay as long as you try real hard.”

The Rhythm Devils will perform next on Jam Cruise on January 7-8, and then a post-cruise show at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, FL on January 9. Check out setlists from this past year along with a list of new tunes being performed here.

The Rhythm Devils Tour Dates :: The Rhythm Devils News :: The Rhythm Devils Concert Reviews

JamBase | Grooving
Go See Live Music!


NBC Plotting ’60s TV Drama Inspired By “Mad Men”

NBC is developing a serial drama set in 1960s inspired by Playboy bunnies, hot on the heels of the multi-Emmy-winning success of AMC’s nostalgic drama Mad Men. It’s not difficult to picture the meeting where network executives sat around stroking their beards and asking themselves: “How can we rip-off Mad Men… but make it sexier?” [...]

A Yonder Mountain New Year

By: Dennis Cook

YMSB by Chad Smith

On December 30 and 31, Yonder Mountain String Band will gather at St. Louis, MO’s The Pageantwith their faithful Kinfolk to ring in the New Year. The NYE show will feature three sets, including one set suggested entirely by the fans – drop your suggestions at yondermountain.com, phantasytour.com or the band’s Facebook or Twitter pages. We grabbed the boys for a few minutes to discuss playing at this special time of year.

JamBase: What is it about New Year’s Eve that floats your boat? It is a special time for both bands and fans.

Dave Johnston: New Year’s Eve is pretty cool because it’s like amateur night [laughs]. There’s a lot of electricity and good vibes going on, and we’re very receptive to that sort of energy. If you put us in that situation we find it to be a good experiential and musical nexus of propulsion to the next year!

Ben Kaufmann: For me – and I guess everybody – it’s a time of reflection or 50-percent reflection, 50-percent looking forward. I get to sit there onstage and think about all the things we’ve done – all the trials & tribulations overcome, the great successes – and the other part of my brain is looking forward to the next year and the things we’re gonna do and the new ideas. It is a very liminal, transitional period of time. I don’t know how the calendar worked 2000 years ago but this was the time picked for the changing of the old from the new, and it’s a very powerful time.

Adam Aijala: It’s also, for a long time now, been a time to let loose, and that definitely goes for bands and fans around the country. There’s a bit of reflection but also a good bit of drinking going on. It’s always been fun for us. I don’t think we’ve missed a New Year’s since we started. It’s one of the bigger shows of the year for us just for the fun factor.

JamBase: New Year’s Eve is one the core tribe of a band comes out because they want to celebrate with YOU.

Adam: That’s probably true. We’ve done New Year’s in St. Louis before but it’s been 10 years. Usually we’re in our home turf, and it’s definitely true there. We also have a good core of fans in the Midwest, so I have a feeling we could be drawing people from as far North as Madison and Milwaukee and East to Indianapolis and people from Champaign, Bend and Chicago, St. Louis folks and Lawrence, KS as well. There’s so much music going on that people have their pick.

What do you get out of a multi-night run as band?

YMSB NYE ’09 by Tobin Voggesser

Adam: We don’t treat it any differently. From night to night, we don’t play the same show, whether or not we’re in the same town. Our crew, obviously, is thrilled when we do multiple nights in the same city and venue because there’s only one load in and load out. For us, the preparation doesn’t seem much different. We want to make it unique every night. There are people following us on any given tour and even if it’s just one or two dudes you don’t want them thinking, “Shit, they did the same tunes last night.”

Dave: Let’s get this straight: It’s not dudes following us, it’s hot chicks. This ain’t an Umphrey’s McGee show. Let’s get that clear. I think multi-night is a lot like multi-ball in pinball – more points, more lights, more bumpers, more flippers. I keep pushing for lasers. We all just saw Roger Waters do The Wall. Lasers and bluegrass, I swear it goes together.

Is there any special thought that goes into a New Year’s Eve show?

Adam Aijala
by Tobin Voggesser

Adam: This year, we decided to do three sets on New Year’s and one of the sets will be built by fans. People can write in on our website, Phantasy Tour or wherever, and we’ve given them carte blanche to suggest anything they want – things we’ve forgotten that we play, things they’ve always wanted us to play, even different jams, different seques. And we’ve been getting some crazy ideas! The more you sit with them and analyze them, the more cool they seem. Some really good ideas. And I think that’s the case with our audience and the audience in this scene. It’s a very educated audience musically. They have such a depth of musical knowledge that these people are throwing out things we’ve heard of but others we need to research. So, this year fans will build their dream setlist, what THEY want to hear, and then it’s up to us to bring it.

This shows a respect for your fans, which has been a hallmark of Yonder since the start. You guys really seem to respect the time and money and affection folks invest in YMSB.

Adam: Absolutely! When you’re a kid and you tell your parents, “I want to be in a band.” Think of the look they give you – that sort of concerned, dropped thing – and now imagine telling them you want to be in a bluegrass band! That’s a brown trouser conversation.

Ben: We’re constantly amazed at the things we get to do. I think back to all the people along the way who said, “You guys will be limited. This is as big as you’ll get,” almost in the sense of don’t dream too big. That’s a horrible thing to suggest to somebody. That being said, when we look back at what we’ve done and look ahead to the dreams we’ve yet to accomplish, it’s massive. I’m shocked by what we get to do, and it’s all because of the fans. If they weren’t there we’d be fucked.

Yonder Mountain String Band Tour Dates :: Yonder Mountain String Band News :: Yonder Mountain String Band Concert Reviews

JamBase | Mounted
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Dispatch Bandmates To Play Benefit In Boston (12/10)

ACOUSTIC MUSIC FOR GOOD CAUSES

Dispatch

State RadioChad Stokes’ former Dispatch bandmate Brad Corrigan is among the latest artist additions to Calling All Crows’ 3rd Annual Benefit Show on December 10th to commemorate Human Rights Day at the House of Blues in Boston. Also joining the lineup is singer/songwriter Erin Coughlin, who collaborated with Stokes on State Radio’s 2004 acoustic EP Simmer Kane.

A limited number of tickets to the show remain and are available now via Ticketmaster and without ticketing fees at the Orpheum Theater Box Office.

Corrigan and Coughlin join an all-star lineup of acoustic musicians that kicked off the Chad Stokes & Friends Tour this past Wednesday night at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, making stops in Toronto, Buffalo, Burlington, D.C., and Philadelphia before the finale in Boston. Previously announced artists include siblings Matt Embree of Rx Bandits and Lauren Coleman of Pebaluna as well as Stokes’ independent Ruff Shod Records labelmates Bonnie Paine of Elephant Revival and The White Buffalo.

All shows will feature musicians performing stripped down versions of both original material and covers, performed solo and as collaborations. As in previous years, Stokes is expected to pull from both the State Radio and Dispatch catalogs. He also plans to debut songs off his upcoming solo record, due out in early 2011.

Proceeds will benefit Stokes’ service organization, Calling All Crows, which he co-founded with his partner and tour manager Sybil Gallagher. Calling All Crows works to mobilize musicians and their fans to empower women around the world.

In nearly every city on the tour, musicians will join fans in pre-show service projects organized by Calling All Crows aimed at empowering women. From Global Write-a- thons with Amnesty International to preparing a holiday meal for pregnant refugee and low-income women and their mentors, everyone involved with the tour will have the opportunity to lift up and celebrate women along the way.


Morning Crunch Crumbs

-A T.I./Xtina collabo! -Where’s that “Lil Kim, Sit’cho Ass Down” GIF when you need it? -Hey Hollywood, get Niecy Nash her own sitcom! -The Kardashian Sisters promote the release of their new tell-all, Kardashian Konfidential… -Brandy & Ray J: A Family Album! -PETA takes on high-end shoe brand Jimmy Choo… -Nelly blames Motown Records for [...]

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Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are slowly gaining ground in politics too – in fact, many wonder if the social networking sites could predict election results. In November”s elections, the candidate who more people “liked” on Facebook won in 71 percent of Senate elections. Twitter was even more accurate, with the candidates [...]

Vin Diesel is ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ on Facebook

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Evening Crumbs: Bristol Apologizes For Willow Palin’s Homophobic Rant; “Romeo & Juliet” Headed To ABC; Ochocinco Engaged To “Basketball Wife” Evelyn Lozada?

-Hide yo’ kids. Hide yo wife: Antoine Dodson Fever is alive and well. New York University’s award-winning acapella group performed the bandanaed viral sensation’s iTunes hit “Bed Intruder” at their fall concert… -Ashton Kutcher is plotting a third television sitcom based on a popular Twitter account! -Emma Watson is single and doesn’t really “understand” men. [...]

The Last Waltz Ensemble: Holiday Show and CD Release

SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR CELEBRATING THE BAND’S FINAL SHOW


The Last Waltz Ensemble

On Friday, November 19, 2010, Smiths Olde Bar in Atlanta will host The Last Waltz Ensemble‘s all star
celebration of The Band‘s final show at Winterland for a seventh consecutive year. The show has become a
tradition, an annual trek, a night for fans to dance, sing along, revel and remember. This year will feature opening
sets by Turtle Folk and O’Mello-Cello Tree, as well as guest performances by: Oliver
Wood
, Jon Liebman, Jessica Sheridan, David Fisch, Preston Holcomb
from The Grapes, Tracey and Chad from Moontower, Coy Bowles from The Zach Brown
Band and many more.

“Maybe people come back year after year to memorialize The Band’s departed brethren, Rick Danko and
Richard Manuel, maybe to remember a young Bob Dylan. Or perhaps to remember Costello, we
will have a lot of the same guys on this show that were on Sean’s last show, or a Last Waltz Ensemble moment from
the last 6 years. One thing I know is that the material is the glue. It might be the glue that keeps them coming
back.”

The Last Waltz Ensemble has just completed another tribute to The Band’s tunes with New Orleans Jokerman, an
effort recorded in New Orleans and Atlanta with many of the finest musicians in each city. The LWE took a pull of
Dylan and Band tunes and seasoned a fine gumbo with the zest of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, George Porter
Jr
, members of The Neville Brothers, The Radiators, Blackberry Smoke and even the great
Francine Reed from Lyle Lovett’s Large Band fame.

Track list:
Down South In New Orleans
Look Out Cleveland
Forever Young
Promised Land

Jemima Surrender
Shooting Star
Positively 4th Street

Caledonia Mission
Corinna
Rainy Day Women #12&36

Jokerman
Masterpiece
Stage Fright
The Rumor

Life Is A Carnival

The Last Waltz Ensemble
Tour Dates

::
The Last Waltz Ensemble
News

::
The Last Waltz Ensemble
Concert
Reviews


JamBase Questionnaire: Soulive

Welcome back to JamBase’s baker’s dozen to the bright lights of the music world. Last time we heard from Rubblebucket.

New Album

Jazz has been mulling over The Beatles since the Fab Four first started cranking out hits. But unlike other forms of pop opportunism in the genre, The Beatles provided sexy grist for robust jazz musicians, providing the launching pad for some of the most enjoyable excursions ever from George Benson, Booker T & The MGs, Jimmy Smith and others. Today, The Beatles are no less relevant or present, with their story filling up books, video games and last year’s remastered catalogue. So, the time seems ripe for Soulive, three of today’s shreddiest, most sophisticated players, to wrap their talents and fertile imaginations around what Paul, John, George and Ringo wrought.

Rubber Soulive (released September 14 on Soulive’s own Royal Family Records) is a total keeper on par with 60s gold like The Other Side of Abbey Road and McLemore Avenue. Like those landmark releases, Rubber Soulive finds Eric Krasno (guitar), Neal Evans (organ) and Alan Evans (drums) truly inhabiting the music, sounding equally at home on ballads “In My Life” and “Something” as they do on burners “Tax Man” and “Drive My Car.” Rather than tackle the Rubber Soul album as implied by the title, Soulive’s outing cherry picks Beatles tunes that fit the trio like a glove. The three longtime partners shine in this stripped down setting, too, showing off the chops and interplay that first brought them to folks’ attention a decade ago. Soulive are stunning collaborators able to incorporate vocals, horns and much more, but there’s something really satisfying about hearing the clean, crisp lines these three primo musicians draw together. Hearing them move inside songs that reach across our culture is to hear new passages and possibilities open up even as we get that sweet Beatles hit. Rubber Soulive is as fine a pairing of rock and jazz as anyone has ever produced, but one expects nothing less from top flight cats like Soulive. (Dennis Cook)

Soulive is currently in the midst of their fall Rubber Soulive Tour, which stops at the fan favorite Bear Creek Festival this Saturday before heading to Chicago on Friday, November 19. Find the full schedule here.

Here’s what Soulive had to say to our inquiries.

Neal Evans by Rob Chapman

1. Great music rarely happens withoutÂ…
Eric Krasno: Vibe. Not to sound cheesy but the best music is made when the people making it are friends and respect one another.

Neal Evans: Great ideas and great expectations.

Alan Evans: Inspiration

2. The first album I bought wasÂ…
Eric Krasno: I think it was Led Zeppelin 2. That band made me want to play music. Their albums completely blew me away as a kid; I would listen over and over.

Neal Evans: The Jackson 5′s Going Back to Indiana, on vinyl!

Alan Evans: First album I bought with my own money was Men At Work’s Business As Usual, and I still have it!

3. The last song or album to really flip my wig wasÂ…
Eric Krasno: The song “Everlasting Light” by The Black Keys. I love the sound of their records – hard, gritty and his voice sounds great on that track.

Neal Evans: Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear. Absolutely one of the best albums I’ve ever heard from top to bottom.

Alan Evans: “Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother” by Grand Funk Railroad

4. When I was a kid I wanted to grow up to beÂ…
Eric Krasno: A hybrid of Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page

Neal Evans: Probably a lot of things I don’t remember, but I did want to be a football player at one point before realizing my stature and pain threshold was much better suited for musicianship.

Alan Evans: Professional basketball player

Eric Krasno by Chad Smith

5. My favorite sort of gig isÂ…
Eric Krasno: I love festivals like Bear Creek where I get to see other good music and hang with friends. It’s like a show and a reunion at the same time.

Neal Evans: A packed room of people that are hyped and ready to throw down. I feed off of the crowd’s energy; it’s the best performance fuel imaginable.

Alan Evans: When I’m not thinking, it’s just happening.

6. One thing I wish people knew about me isÂ…
Eric Krasno: That I was actually a bass player before guitar (get me on the gig!!)

Neal Evans: I make a mean fish taco.

Alan Evans: I never really thought of myself as a drummer

7. I love the sound ofÂ…
Eric Krasno: A 60s Fender Precision Bass with old Flatwound strings on it.

Neal Evans: A great vintage drum set.

Alan Evans: My children laughing. Nothing tops that.

8. One day I hope to make an album as fantastic asÂ…
Eric Krasno: Stevie Wonder’s Fullfillingness’ First Finale

Neal Evans: Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall

Alan Evans: Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On

Alan Evans by Rob Chapman

9. The best meal I ever had on tour was atÂ…
Eric Krasno: A restaurant on the top floor of my hotel overlooking Tokyo, Japan. We had our own personal chef. It was ridiculous!!!

Neal Evans: Hugo’s in Portland, Maine

Alan Evans: I can’t even come close to answering that one.

10. I always find the coolest audiences inÂ…
Eric Krasno: Japan. I love the States but in Japan they really know how to listen and appreciate the dynamics in a performance. We get spoiled performing over there.

Neal Evans: Cities that I’m playing for the first time. I feel that I have to work harder to prove myself and express that what I’m trying to do musically is well worth the audience’s time and attention.

Alan Evans: NYC

11. The worst habit I’ve picked up being on the road all the time isÂ…
Eric Krasno: Eating after the show. I’ve been recently cutting that out and exercising in the morning on tour, which makes a big difference.

Neal Evans: Eating food that I know is really unhealthy, especially late night after gigs.

Alan Evans: Honestly, I don’t have any bad habits from the road.

12. The Beatles or the Stones? Por que?
Eric Krasno: That’s a tough one. The Beatles are the best studio band ever in my opinion. The Stones are one of the best live bands and have been around for over 40 years. If I have to pick I’d have to say I’m more of a Beatles guy myself because I love them so much as songwriters.

Neal Evans: The Stones, reason: “I Love Rock N Roll.” -Alan Merrill

Alan Evans: Way too hard to answer. I’m not touching that one.

13. The craziest thing I ever saw wasÂ…
Neal Evans: When the second plane hit the second world trade center tower on September 11, 2001.

Alan Evans: Stevie Wonder standing right next to me on stage playing with us.

Soulive Tour Dates :: Soulive News :: Soulive Concert Reviews

JamBase | So Heavy
Go See Live Music!


Crystal Bowersox Album “Farmer’s Daughter” Set For Release Dec. 14

Newlywed American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox has put the finishing touches on her debut album, Farmer’s Daughter, Jive Records announced on Wednesday. The disc — set for release on Dec. 14 — features eight tracks written solely by Bowersox, as well as a song co-written by Bowersox and her new husband Brian Walker, titled “Mason.” [...]

Las Tortugas V | Review | Pics

Words by: Dennis Cook | Images by: Chad Smith

Las Tortugas – Dance of the Dead V :: 10.28.10-10.31.10 :: Evergreen Lodge :: Groveland, CA

Las Tortugas V by Chad Smith

We are pulled through this life by small miracles. One needn’t be religious or even spiritual to understand this. The muck of bosses, bills and bullshit we trudge through would be simply unbearable if not for the oases along our trek. For several years, a nigh-perfect music festival in the lush Yosemite woods has proven such a blessed respite for a growing tribe, and the fifth anniversary installment was far & away the finest outing yet, one of those small miracles that makes all the weary miles fade and invigorates us for the rocky road ahead.

Las Tortugas V, like previous outings, miniaturized and refined all the best aspects of a festival, throwing an incredible four-day party with an extraordinary soundtrack. While other fests may have bigger names and carnival rides, Tortugas focuses on serious musicians who overflow with passion and heartfelt artistry. This is a showcase for some of the best music coming out of California today paired with kindred spirits from around the country, a place where veterans embarking on a new thang (7 Walkers), utter pros seeking one of the most engaged, joyful audiences they’ve ever encountered (Yonder Mountain String Band), workingman’s lifers (The Mother Hips, ALO, Cornmeal) and crazy talented comers (Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, Antioquia, Big Light, Pimps of Joytime) mingle. A feeling of creative freedom and smiling connection with all the things that originally got these players into the music game floats in the air.

And this palpable, happy charge buzzes in equal amplitude from the attendees. Perhaps more than any other festival I’ve experienced, Tortugas creates a beautiful crucible that burns hot and bright because EVERYONE throws a pinch or two into the pot (Jam Cruise is the only thing that compares, though each gathering is singular & beautifully strange in its own way, and something any serious music geek should experience at least once, like Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and a handful of others). With most folks bringing different costumes every day and an all-in enthusiasm that hums loudly before the first set kicks off, Tortugans are a rare breed. The near total absence of thievery, sketchiness and rudeness common at most music fests immediately sets Tortugas apart in a big way. It’s not to say that everyone is cool but un-cool moments are quickly defused, and there’s so much obvious love and care bouncing around the tents and trees that even grumps inclined to kick up dust are charmed into grinning contentment. The depth of conversation and generally open-handed attitude that abounds at Tortugas is a glimpse of our better angels, the way the world might be if we shared our bounty and lived with less fear and worry.

If this seems like an overreach for a music festival it isn’t. Las Tortugas is a playground for music loving people with an amiable synergy that relaxes muscles, eases minds and lifts spirits. Scoff if you must – modern cynicism is hard to shake – but four years running I’ve witnessed this vibe grow & grow & grow, seeing it put the zap – in the best way – on the heads of first timers that leaves them pleasantly shaken by weekend’s end. It is why the vets scheme all year long on how we might delight others, tickling fancies and pricking up ears in any way we can dream up, and then sharing that dream with anyone willing to jump through the looking glass with us.

Nestled in one of the most unique, idyllic settings in the United States (Evergreen Lodge), Las Tortugas situates about a 1000 people in a world apart and lets them share in a fully communal shindig. Each year a couple tunes spring into my head during the course of my wooded walks, a few lines that repeat like mantras as I gather up as much Tortugas mojo as I can before heading homeward. This year it was these verses from Jackson Browne’s “Farther On” and the Grateful Dead’s “The Music Never Stopped.”

Las Tortugas V by Chad Smith

Adrift on an ocean of loneliness
My dreams like nets were thrown
To catch the love that I’d heard of
In books and films and songs
Now there’s a world of illusion and fantasy
In the place where the real world belongs
Still I look for the beauty in songs
To fill my head and lead me on

AndÂ…

There’s a band out on the highway.
They’re high-steppin’ into town.
They’re a rainbow full of sound.
It’s fireworks, calliopes and clowns

And everybody was dancing, drink hoisting blurs of color and laughter that convinced one that the world might not be so bloody awful after all.

What follows are some musical highlights, pointers towards sweet new bands, and a whole bunch of great pictures from Chad Smith, heavy on Tortugans and their mirthful ways. Even if every band isn’t mentioned it’s important to point out that EVERY band that graced a stage at Tortugas V was the real deal, dedicated craftsmen born to meld melody and verse. Where one might wonder at other fests why a band made the lineup, Tortugas only presents quality, ranging from the newly born to the well-seasoned. It’s a formula that’s generated a lot of connections between the bands, resulting in some of the finest sit-ins one can find in the festival world. The sense that we’re ALL in this together – both for this weekend and in a much larger sense – is inescapable on both sides of the stage at Tortugas.

Continue reading for Thursday highlights…

Thursday Highlights

See the full gallery for Thursday here

Theme: Gypsy Circus

Lebo by Chad Smith

1. Lebo :: 2:15-3:30 am. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

With a shortened introductory day, it wasn’t hard to stay up for the first rousing late night set in what turned out to be Tortugas’ finest night owl programming to date. As usual, Thursday felt like a Saturday here, and ALO’s guitar shredder and a special rhythm section were the flaming cherry atop everything. Flowing loose ‘n’ heavy, Dan Lebowitz, playing a hollow-body electric instead of his usual axe, gave us a commanding showcase that reaffirmed his place amongst today’s very best guitarists. Backed by ALO bandmate Dave Brogan (drums) and Tracorum‘s jaw-dropping rhythm section, Ian Herman (drums) and Mark Calderon (bass), Lebo stirred up his own Band of Gypsys roar, jamming with impunity and instigating some of the fiercest rhythm work heard all fest. Lebo’s versatility as a singer also shown through, and the obvious camaraderie these guys displayed made for some of the least predictable, most immediate music I’ve heard from any of them.

2. Poor Man’s Whiskey :: 9:15-10:30 pm :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

PMW pulled off a real neat trick: Playing the iconic, deeply held music of Old & In The Way – an obvious root source for their music – while authoritatively putting their own stamp on the material. For one thing, bassist Aspen holds his own against John Kahn’s original bass work, and he’s got a whole new sonic range to explore with drummer George Smeltz, bringing a whole new beat to things. As great as the musicians were in Old & In The Way, they weren’t exactly forthcoming performers. By contrast, PMW boasts two natural born rock stars in multi-instrumentalist/singers Eli Jebidiah and Josh Brough, who have that thing that gets everyone in the room off. Ably goosed by guitar-mandolin whiz Jason Beard, the boys made the well-tread newly furrowed and showed once again that Poor Man’s Whiskey is one of the premiere country-rock outfits today, a wild bunch that could have handily shared bills with the Flying Burrito Brothers, Goose Creek Symphony and Garcia and his picking pals.

Allie Kral by Chad Smith

3. Cornmeal :: 11:45 pm-1:00 am.:: Terrapin Big Top Stage

I like when Chicago’s Cornmeal get weird and they certainly did on this inaugural eve. There’s no doubting their hard strummin’ might – bluegrass doesn’t get more blue or grassy – but like a lot of quality acts lumped into the string band basket, Cornmeal have a LOT more variety in their Crayon box, and they didn’t hesitate to color outside the lines at Tortugas. Especially impressive was their ability to move from incredibly melodic strains to downright psychedelic runs, each feeling a part of the other instead of bordered off segments. The many raised glasses and elevated bonhomie in the tent spoke to their pronounced ability to lift heels, and the whole lot of them is goddamn charming as hell. Extra gold stars for ever-compelling violinist Allie Kral, who seemed possessed in a lovely way at several junctures, and dead-on-it drummer JP Nowak. Also, I’m kind of in love with their easy flowing songwriting and the entire delivery and style of banjoist-singer Wavy Dave Burlingame after this set.

Ones To Watch

Jack Grace Band
Full of good time, bohemian energy of the sort Tom Waits left behind when he grabbed a bullhorn, Grace and his slinky compatriots are a bar band in the archetypal sense, specializing in Latin tinged, gold standard song craft instead of by-the-numbers boogie, but still perfect for tossing back a few. First band to play the Tuolumne Hall and one I came home anxious to explore further.

Dead Winter Carpenters
With members of Montana Slim, it’s no surprise these cats ‘n’ kittens twang a bit, but they do so very winningly, and while their set on Thursday was appropriately uptempo, their recent self-titled debut shows a knack for slower, more meditative fare. They’re still getting their feet fully under them but there’s already some very appealing things happening in this band.

Continue reading for Friday highlights…

Friday Highlights

See the full gallery for Friday here

Theme: Decade Dance (retro looks from TV, history, etc.)

ALO & Friends by Chad Smith

1. ALO :: 2:00-4:00 am. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

What other band could meld Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ In The Years” with snippets of The Four Seasons’ “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” with the whole panoply of pop past & future sandwiched in between? Dressed in the outfits from the Man of the World photo/video shoot, ALO lived up to every part of their name at this dawn chasing performance. In fact, keyboardist-singer Zach Gill even got so in touch with his animal side that he started talking to the stuffed birds on the branches decorating the stage late in the set. When these boys are on – and believe you me, this was as ON as I’ve ever seen them – music feels alive and organic, something to be touched and tasted, savored and slathered all over. That its also incredibly tuneful and you can dance to it speaks to their great talent and dedication to making even outside-the-norm music conform to something more sophisticated and thoughtful. After spending the better part of the summer and fall opening up for pal Jack Johnson, ALO played like men balling without a condom for the first time in a LONG time – liberated beasts whose bite set a good many of us free, too.

2. New Monsoon :: 6:15-7:30 pm. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

For a band that doesn’t play out that much anymore, New Monsoon commanded the stage like utter professionals. There’s so much damn talent in this quintet that it remains shocking to me that more people don’t know and adore them. But regardless of stardom, San Francisco’s New Monsoon demonstrated how adept they are at commingling styles and giving all of them rock ‘n’ roll oomph in this early evening set. Filled with rhythm and force, their mix of originals and tasty covers (and a whole lot more well-picked, well-executed covers on Saturday from ZZ Top and more) goes down so smoothly that the many hours of woodshedding and sweat that lay before each performance are invisible. What we got at both sets this Tortugas was a band fully in control of their instruments and material, able to knock it out with aplomb at a moment’s notice. Drinking in electric guitarist Jeff Miller – long a personal favorite – renewed my desire to see him form a Derek & The Dominoes tribute band since he’s one of the few axe slingers who could generate the same guitar magic as Clapton at his inarguable peak.

Pimps of Joytime by Chad Smith

3. Pimps of Joytime :: 8:45-10:00 pm. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

Dressed as ragtag cowpokes, the Pimps offered a master class in funk and its roots, showing equal flair for gutbucket blues, silky soul and myriad other variations on what seem like overplayed, boring forms in lesser hands. This band knows groove, way down in their bones, and they move with harnessed power and abundant natural charisma. Every single time I see the Pimps I like them WAY better. Shooting straight, I haven’t been this wholly charmed by a band in the funk-rock vein since I first saw Prince back in the day. Only Seattle’s Staxx Brothers are competing in the same arena, and rather than play favorites, I’ll just say that anyone who likes to get more than knee-deep as they howl about atomic dogs and funky drummers should get familiar with both. Quickly.

4. Antioquia :: 10:15-11:45 pm. :: The Tavern

With the propulsive energy of Remain In Light Talking Heads and political dance-mindedness of The Clash, SF’s Antioquia turned heads in their Tortugas debut. Admittedly, it wasn’t just their reach-out-and-grab-ya sound alone that did the job. The band set a new fest record for the most exposed flesh by dressing as the cock-socked Red Hot Chili Peppers with lead singer Maddy Streicek dolled up like an actual chili pepper. In their veins flows the sticky stuff that agitated early Brian Eno, the initial wave of jazz-fusion cats, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band and similar inspired wackos. In so many ways, this set showed that Antioquia is exposed, fearless and free of boundaries, and they’ve got the chops to back up the bravado with substance and style.

Continue reading for Saturday highlights…

Saturday Highlights

See the full gallery for Saturday here

Theme: Monsters vs. Aliens

1. 7 Walkers :: 4:00-7:15 am :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

Bill Kreutzmann by Chad Smith

Bill Kreutzmann returned to Tortugas with his new labor of love, 7 Walkers. Hitting the stage in the middle of the night and playing till well after sunrise, Billy, Papa Mali, George Porter, Jr. and Matt Hubbard took us into the thickest, headiest swampland, brimming over with bayou shuffles, primal rock, psychedelic sparks and other rich, earthy textures. The only break any of them had during this three-hour-plus journey – and if you took the whole trip you really felt like you’d conquered a major peak – was when Papa and Matt paired off for some harmonica pierced deep blues and tender balladry followed by a bass-drums conversation between Bill and George. Each is a marvel in their own right but the chemistry in 7 Walkers just bowled folks over during this set, where they offered almost all of their fabulous self-titled debut, Dead & New Orleans chestnuts and fat-free jams that pounced and tore at one like a hungry gator. 7 Walkers feels vibrantly alert, alive in all the ways that count, and this only seems like the beginning of more and better music to come. [The band killed it again on Sunday night, only 13 hours after this set, where they leaned more heavily on Dead tunes like "I Know You Rider" and a great "Sugaree" with George on lead vocals. What's so cool about this band is how the familiar numbers feel freshly washed and ready to be pushed into service in the way they handle them. The final encore of "Iko Iko" lit up the tent with a light that comes from within, steering our ragged conga line into folklore and festivity with sure hands and hearts.].

2. Guitarmageddon:: 3:00-4:15 pm :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

Under the new leadership of PMW’s Eli Jebidiah, this starts-over-the-top celebration of shred science topped themselves with this Prince themed set. Any serious fan of His Purple Mounted Majesty would have stumbled away grinning ear-to-ear after this display that launched with a sizzling reading of “Let’s Go Crazy” but then weaved into killer recent tunes (“Chelsea Rogers,” “Musicology,” “Guitar”), the infamous Black Album (“Rockhard in a Funky Place”) and the choicest medley ever (“Raspberry Beret > Kiss > Sexy MF > Little Red Corvette > 1999″). The core band consisted of Eli (guitar, vocals), absolutely stunning heavy hitter Daria Johnson (drums, vocals), bassist Mark Calderon (doing some primo tough-funk bass faces), Tracorum keyboardist Fletcher Nielsen (the “Doctor” suited up in scrubs!) and guitar marvel Sean Leahy, who also summoned up a host of voices to fill different Prince-ly holes. Guest six-stringers included former Guitarmageddon leader Josh Clark (TLG), NM’s Jeff Miller, Newfangled Wasteland’s Chris Haugen, Tracorum’s Louis XIV-attired Derek Brooker and Big Light’s Jeremy Korpas, with each cameo suiting the songs to a tee and showing off how much amp-rattling guitar talent resides in Northern California today. The material was well rehearsed but not so much so that flashes of inspiration didn’t prevail. The whole gliding, intoxicating set ended in Gold Experience standout “Endorphinmachine.” Let’s hope that tapers were active during this one because the Minneapolis faithful just gotta hear this performance. One of the absolute best times all weekend.

3. Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers :: 4:15-5:15 pm :: Tuolumne Hall

Nicki Bluhm by Chad Smith

It’s a blast to watch an audience be warmed by Nicki and her gifted Gramblers. It starts slow, the potency of their songwriting and their leader’s obvious vocal pow scooping one up, pulling them in close, and whispering sweet, softly wise things in their ears. Once snuggled in, well, they’ve got you and good. Bluhm is a throwback to classics like Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt and other strong women who carved their place in the largely male rock game. She’s a far cry from the manufactured divas and half-talents that pass for “female artists” in the mainstream today, and it’s her abiding quality, natural gifts and good instincts for collaborators that are making her an artist to watch VERY closely. The new songs from her forthcoming sophomore album were uniformly excellent, and as ever guitarist Deren Ney is a haunting knockout, especially when he works a slide. Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers are the full package, and they left Tortugas with a LOT of new fans this year.

4. Sean Leahy Trio :: 12:00-1:45 pm :: The Tavern

Leahy may be one of THE best guitar players you’ve never heard. His cult amongst Northern Cali musicians and serious music nuts is well established, but it probably wouldn’t have taken more than a single tune at this blazing trio set to win over almost anyone with a six-string boner. Lean, fast and highly interactive, Leahy’s trio consists of himself on electric guitar and lead vocals with Tortugas all-star Mark Calderon on bass (only ALO/Big Light bassist Steve Adams worked as many sets) and drummer Daria Johnson, equally fantabulous here as her Guitarmageddon stint earlier in the day. The gal is a real talent and a show unto herself – just watch her face if you want a whole movie to accompany the music. Blues, classic rock, fleet-fingered jazz and more were explored in this set, and all of it packed with thick, ropy muscle. When Leahy lets go and trusts in his abilities, as he did here, he’s positively superhuman and a joy to watch. Johnson and Calderon are perfect foils, and they even made time for a brief M80 Mailbox cameo, a Leahy project with Dave Brogan and Josh Clark, that included a bruising cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of.”

Ones To Watch

Five Eyed Hand
The Tavern seemed wonderfully afloat when this SF unit unleashed their energetic, free flowing music on Saturday night. For sure there’s a foundation of rock ‘n’ roll but things sizzle and switch around with the technically possessed feel of Weather Report taken down to “Shakedown Street.” Mix in the phased dynamics of Bill Frisell, the swerving violin of Mahavishnu and more than a dollop of quality space rock and you’re getting closer to the ballpark. Five Eyed Hand showed being hard to place is a virtue, and jam kids looking to do some traveling between their ears should definitely investigate their self-titled album and fine live show.

Continue reading for Sunday highlights…

Sunday Highlights

See the full gallery for Sunday here

Theme: The Masquerade Ball – Halloween

1. The Mother Hips :: 5:30-7:00 pm.:: Terrapin Big Top Stage

The Mother Hips by Chad Smith

Having seen a ludicrous number of Hips shows (quickly approaching triple digits and spread over the group’s entire history), it’s heartening and more than a little shocking that these guys can still completely blow me away. That’s what happened at this late afternoon set that began with a surprising cover of “Long Black Veil” and seemed like it was going to be one of the band’s cozier, country-tinged daytime sets (“Whiskey On A Southbound,” “Later Days”). Then, they took a wide left turn with a stunning reading of “Young Charles Ives,” fired up the over-thrusters and charged into the unknown, unleashing all the brilliance they possess in a rock show that knocked far more than me back on our heels. Other highlights included “October Teen,” “Chum” and “Precious Opal,” but for sheer audacity and skill it’s hard to beat the rush from “Mission In Vain” into Grateful Dead classic “The Other One,” which the Hips made their own, layering on hard guitar and limber rhythms in a way that nailed the original and infused it with newness. After The Mother Hips recent barnburner at The Fillmore, it’s clear this band is on a very nice tear right now – one more reason to fully commit to one of America’s best bands, as if folks really needed more inducements with the Hips!

2. Yonder Mountain String Band :: 11:00 pm-12:45 am.:: Terrapin Big Top Stage

A couple things struck me quite poignantly at this Yonder performance: 1) What a massively satisfying sound, and 2) how little this music relates to bluegrass despite the stupid label they’ve been given. For just four guys, playing rather quietly, YMSB generates voluminous waves of music, each player accenting and commenting on the lead lines in a clever, unobtrusive way that nonetheless supports the main thrust at all times. In about two hours, one heard echoes of small group jazz from the 20s/30s, 60s modal exploration, hardcore traditional folk, good ol’ fashioned rock, early country music and some of the free-ranging stylistics Oregon introduced to acoustic music.

Yonder Mountain String Band by Chad Smith

There was none of the showy, dick measuring, spotlight grabbing qualities one finds in most actual bluegrass bands, and even when they took solos, they didn’t go on endlessly or freeze out what everyone else was doing. Where at times I’ve found some of Yonder’s selections a little jokey, today’s YMSB came off as relatively serious and considered, but not too much so. There’s no being overly stuffy when you’ve got a natural born court jester like Jeff Austin dancing on the needle’s head, and though a touch jet-lagged, Austin didn’t disappoint. He makes everyone feel welcome and serves as the chief ambassador to Yonder Mountain, though never staying so long in the foreground that the other three guys are overshadowed. Like most aspects of their music, there’s a hearty balance that’s refreshing and worthy of a lot of respect and genuine enthusiasm.

And jeezus can these guys play! As pickers, each is a blast and perfectly attuned to their brethren. A delight in all ways and one of the best closing night exclamation points ever at Tortugas.

3. Tracorum :: 12:45-1:45 am.:: Tuolumne Hall

Sometimes we listen to music without really hearing it. However, when we’re ready to open up and experience a thing as it truly is, well, it can feel like a baptism. Such was my experience with Tracorum on Sunday night. Having enjoyed them at previous Tortugas, this time I got it in a huge way. What they do is rock ‘n’ roll but done so fundamentally right it makes you want to kiss them when they power down their instruments. This night, as the festival raged like we’d never seen before on a Sunday eve, Tracorum embodied our collective high spirits and unspoken ache at this experience coming to a close and put those elements to work in some of the best boogie-minded, straight-great rock heard all weekend. Comparisons to The Band and studio aces The Wrecking Crew flitted through my brain as I danced to the heart of this fleeting makeshift town next to my loose-limbed sisters and brothers. Every aspect was right on the money and every man showed himself a massive talent on their respective instruments, pouring soul into every note, their conviction becoming our own. While they display a lighter hand and more Latin-y hips on their new album, The Lesson, live this band exudes legend-making magic.

4. Big Light :: 12:45-2:00 pm.:: Tuolumne Hall

Big Light belongs on big stages. They are rapidly outgrowing small spaces, pushing their already appealing material into skyward reaching constructs that need room to breath and cavort. A modern rock band to be sure, Big Light betters the majority of the Pitchfork darlings by being able to deliver in a salacious, snarling way live, which is exactly how they charged at folks on this afternoon. A guest turn from Izabella keyboardist Jeff Coleman stirred up the best “Panther” to date, and nothing else was less than excellent. An ever-forward arching NEED to be better is what’s fueling Big Light’s rapid growth. Seeing them onstage in a set like this is to watch evolution take place in real time. It’s exciting and more than a little fun to behold. Based on showings like this, only expect more and finer music from this quartet in the future.

Ones To Watch

Kate Gaffney

Gaffney is a real emerging talent, filling The Tavern with songs that were easy to like but filled with nuances that make you want to hear them again right away. She’s got an instantly likeable voice that’s only growing more subtle and powerful the longer she plies her craft. She’s surrounded herself with top-notch players and keeps adding interesting material to her songbook. So, in short, there’s nothing not to dig about this Bay Area lady.

Newfangled Wasteland

A Beck cover band is a clever idea. Better still is a Beck cover band that plays nearly unrecognizable versions of Beck’s tunes. Dave Brogan, Chris Haugen, Steve Adams and TLG’s Trevor Garrod hit a sublime groove in their Sunday night set, showing that the longer they toy with these mutations the more they become their own. Said it before but it bears repeating: Festival bookers need to pay attention to this band.

The Hydrodynamics

The Hydrodynamics are the new project of former Blue Turtle Seduction chief songwriter/singer/guitarist Jay Seals. While his old band gave folks warm fuzzies in their festival one-off reunion, it’s clear this is where Seals’ heart is. Filled with hooky, bouncing melodies and abundant female energy, The Hydrodynamics were a touch ragged in their Tortugas debut but it was still evident that this is catchy stuff, pulling from the pop side of The Clash and marrying it to smoother vibes. A young band worth putting on your radar.

Epilogue

There’s no real way to say goodbye to Las Tortugas. Life over these four days is so wonderfully intense and happy that disconnecting from it and returning to time sheets and business calls is inevitably a shock to the system. Still, it’s incredible that Tortugas exists at all. What one finds at Tortugas is the sheer capacity for human beings to share and cavort is FAR greater than we might imagine. This feeling stays with us if we’re conscious about it and nestle away a portion in our breast for the long haul that awaits us beyond Evergreen Lodge. Everywhere one turns at Tortugas is evidence of human ingenuity and compassion delivered with melody and harmony. If you didn’t get kissed, bear hugged or otherwise lovingly groped it’s because you didn’t open your arms. But, as we revel, we’re given chances for revelation, too, and these deeper currents make Tortugas more than just a good time. The idea that we might be better citizens of the world – more loving neighbors, more welcoming strangers – is writ large at Las Tortugas, interwoven with the notes hanging in the air, ephemeral but real all the same.

Continue reading for Thursday/Friday pictures…

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”16″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=166″);}); 10/28/10 – 10/29/10 – Las Tortugas Dance of the Dead (Evergreen Lodge) (Groveland, CA) View Photos

Continue reading for Saturday pictures…

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”25″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=167″);}); 10/30/10 – Las Tortugas Dance of the Dead (Evergreen Lodge) (Groveland, CA) View Photos

Continue reading for Sunday pictures…

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”60″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=168″);}); 10/31/10 – Las Tortugas Dance of the Dead (Evergreen Lodge) (Groveland, CA) View Photos

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Great American Taxi: Boulder Charity Benefit & Fall Tour Dates

GREAT AMERICAN TAXI ANNOUNCES CHARITY CONCERT
COMING TO BOULDER THEATER,
DECEMBER 11


Great American Taxi

On December 11, Great American
Taxi
will host a night of music at the historic Boulder Theater here to raise money for the Mark Vann Foundation charity. In its eighth year
running, the holiday benefit concert this year includes Great American Taxi, Todd Snider, Bill McKay Band, Bonfire
Dub, Shannon McNally & Hot Sauce and others.

“It’s our own little way of keeping alive and nurturing the joyous spirit of Mark Vann,” said Chad
Staehly
, executive director of the foundation and keyboardist/singer for Great American Taxi. Vann, the banjo
player for the Boulder-based band Leftover Salmon, died in 2002; the foundation in his name assists various
nonprofit groups.

This year funds will directly benefit There With Care and
CareConnect. The evening also includes an art exhibit and
silent auction. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20. People are encouraged to wear a fun or favorite hat.

Great American Taxi is currently in the midst of its Fall Harvest tour. Taxi’s latest CD release, Reckless
Habits
, remains active on both the Jambands.com radio chart and the Colorado radio chart,
complemented by two months in the Top 25 on the Americana radio chart.

GREAT AMERICAN TAXI ON THE ROAD 2010

Wed., Oct. 27 FORT COLLINS, CO w/Oakhurst
Fri., Oct. 29 ENGLEWOOD, CO Gothic Theatre w/Todd Snider and Drew Emmitt Band
Sat., Oct. 30 DENVER, CO Fillmore Auditorium w/Leftover Salmon and Todd Snider
Sun., Oct. 31 AVON, CO Agave
Tue., Nov. 2 BILLINGS, MT Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co.

Wed., Nov. 3 LIVINGSTON, MT The Mint
Thurs., Nov. 4 MISSOULA, MT Top Hat
Fri., Nov. 5 PORTLAND, OR Mt. Tabor Theater
Sat., Nov. 6 BEND, OR Silver Moon Brewing Co.

Sun., Nov. 7 EUGENE, OR w/Emmit-Nershi Band
Tue., Nov. 9 APPLEGATE, OR Applegate Lodge
Wed., Nov. 10 ARCATA, CA Humbrews

Thurs., Nov. 11 BERKELEY, CA Ashkenaz w/David Nelson Band
Fri., Nov. 12 SEBASTOPOL, CA Hopmonk Tavern w/David Nelson Band

Sat., Nov. 13 SANTA CRUZ, CA Moe’s Alley w/the Down Beets
Sun., Nov. 14 UKIAH, CA Nelson Family Vineyards w/David Nelson Band

Great American Taxi
Tour Dates

::
Great American Taxi News
::
Great American Taxi
Concert
Reviews


Leftover Salmon | Halloween | Pics

Images by: Chad Zellmer

Leftover Salmon :: 10.30.10 :: The Fillmore :: Denver, CO

Few folks know how to lean into their revels like Leftover Salmon, and this past weekend’s Halloween festivities were no exception. With an opening all-Dylan songs set by Todd Snider backed by Great American Taxi, this year didn’t disappoint.

Editor’s Note: We searched high & low on the tubes of the Interweb and could not find the setlist for Salmon’s Zombie Jamboree. If you have it, please post in the comments section so all might share in your knowledge. Thanks!

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”4″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=161″);}); 10/30/10 – Leftover Salmon @ The Fillmore Auditorium (Denver, CO) View Photos

Leftover Salmon Tour Dates :: Leftover Salmon News :: Leftover Salmon Concert Reviews

JamBase | Undead
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Snooki Wonderful Pistachios Ad Campaign

Park it pickles, Snooki’s got a new favorite snack – pistachios! The pint-sized Jersey Shore guidette joins disgraced Illinois governr Rod Blagojevich and Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is one of eight celebs appearing new nutty ads for Wonderful Pistachios’ “Get Crackin’” campaign!

Las Tortugas V: Daily Schedule Themes, Adds, Camping Update

PREMIERE INTIMATE CALIFORNIA HALLOWEEN FEST FAST APPROACHES

ALO’s
Zach Gill :: Tortugas IV
By Chad Smith

Las Tortugas – Dance of the Dead V has just announced it’s day-by-day schedule. Check it out here.

Taking place October 28-31 at Evergreen Lodge in Yosemite, CA, Las Tortugas has added Five Eyed Hand, DJ No Parking on the Dance Floor, Who’s DunFour (i.e. Nathan Moore and Big Light) and The Trespassers to an already rich lineup that includes headliners Yonder Mountain String Band, ALO, 7 Walkers, The Mother Hips, Tea Leaf Green and Cornmeal for more
than 30 acts over four days.

One of the great pleasures of Las Tortugas is the daily pageant of costumes that attendees bust out in an elongated celebration of the Halloween spirit. This year’s themes are:

Thursday, October 28 – GYPSY CIRCUS: There are many roles in a circus and many types of gypsies in the
world. What is your interpretation of a Gypsy Circus? Gypsy pirates, dancers, carnies, ringmasters…the list goes on
forever.

Friday, October 29 – DECADE DANCE: Represent your favorite decade in any way you like. Retro cinema,
political statements, historical figures and pop culture are all fine starting points. Time is your plaything!

Saturday, October 30 – MONSTERS vs. ALIENS: Are you a monster or an alien or a monster-alien? Join
your fellow species to unite, multiply, divide or whatever else it is monsters and aliens do.

Sunday, October 31 – THE MASQUERADE BALL: It’s Halloween so come as you wish. Some good ideas
suggested to the festival include Solid Gold, glitter & glam, midnight in the garden of good & evil, wild animal
kingdom, and psychedelic superheroes. Let your imagination roam and then come freak freely with the rainbow
flock!

For those that can’t make the full festival, new ticketing options are now available, with 3-Day Tickets (Fri-Sun) and
2-Day Tickets (Sat-Sun) offered here.

While on-site camping has sold out, the National Forest Service has granted the festival a permit for a unique
camping opportunity just steps away from Evergreen Lodge in what they are calling the Emerald Forest. This
camping area was a huge success last year, and it will provide our guests with a safe and controlled camping area
across the street from Evergreen Lodge. Just like on-site camping, the cost is $15 per camper per night, and there is a 3 night minimum stay required. There is also a one ticket requirement per camper (either the three night or four night ticketing options will satisfy this requirement). There is limited availability for off-site camping, so call the Lodge asap at 209/379-2606 to reserve your off site spot in the Emerald Forest.

Las Tortugas V Artist
Lineup

Las Tortugas V Schedule
Las Tortugas V General
Info

Las Tortugas
Photos

JamBase review of Las Tortugas IV


iPhone Proposal VIDEO A Viral Hit

A techie can do lots of things with an iPhone. There’s an app how to get “guidofied” (We don’t know what it means either. Go ask The Situation), apps on strengthening your relationship, of if you’re budding musician Chad Clay, you can use it to ask the girl of your dreams the most important question [...]

Friday Crunch Crumbs

-OMG: Cute Overload! Meet the handsome little guy who is campaigning for the title of “Betty White’s Biggest Fan.” And we’ll be darned if he isn’t a shoe-in for “Cutest B-Dub Stan That Ever Lived!” Quick, someone start a Facebook petition to get this adorable child a meeting with Betty…. -Ryan Reynolds talks about his new [...]

Bassnectar | Miami | Pics

Images by: Chad Smith

Bassnectar :: 09.17.10 :: Fillmore Miami Beach :: Miami, FL

Bassnectar dropped in on the Sunshine State to get the kids grooving and add some hirsute energy to the tanned, smooth, hip American city. Our man from Chicago Chad Smith gets into the thick of it.

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”10″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=132″);}); 9/17/10 – Bassnectar @ The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater (Miami Beach, FL) View Photos

Bassnectar Tour Dates :: Bassnectar News :: Bassnectar Concert Reviews

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