News
Edited by Staff
1/7/00
Bobby Vega Forced to Miss Justice League Dates
Bobby Vega has announced that he will be unable to tour with the Justice
League of America due to a bad case of influenza and a bronchial infection.
Vega, who also plays bass for KVHW, was to join Richie Hayward, Jimmy
Herring, and T Lavitz for a string of East Coast dates starting January
12 at
the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, GA. On New Year's Eve, Vega performed with
a fever of 103 against doctors' orders. He has since been forced to stay in
bed until his lungs clear. His doctors have advised him not to travel. The
tour will go on and a replacement is expected to be announced early next
week.
Fishman to Tour with the Jazz Mandolin Project
Phish drummer Jon Fishman will tour with the Jazz Mandolin Project starting
in early February. The tour begins January 1st at the Palladium in
Worcester, MA and concludes February 19th at the Smith Opera House in Geneva,
NY. For the complete tour itinerary, visit
http://www.netspace.org/jmp/tour/shows.html.
Phish's plans in 2000 include touring in Europe and the United States
starting in June. Meanwhile, "Bittersweet Hotel," a documentary film on
Phish directed by Todd Philips, will be released in selected markets in
April.
Victor Wooten Nominated for Grammy
Victor Wooten's album Yin Yang has been nominated for a Grammy in the
category of Best Contemporary Jazz Performance. It is the only album on an
independent label to be nominated in the category. Wooten, arguably one of
the best bass players on the planet, is best known as an original member of
Bela
Fleck and the Flecktones. He has been named Bass Player of the Year three
times by Bass Player Magazine in addition to being included on their "Top 10
Bass Innovators of the 90s" list. Yin Yang is a twenty-track,
double-CD that
features guest appearances by Kirk Whalum, Bootsy Collins, Steve Bailey,
Count Bass D, Bela Fleck, Carter Beauford, Jeff Coffin,Rod McGaha, Peter
Rowan, J.D. Blair, Stuart Duncan and Wooten's brothers Reggie, Joseph and
Rudy. The album debuted at #13 on Billboard Magazine's Comtemporary Jazz
Charts. The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled for February 23 at the
Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Look for an interview with Victor Wooten in the January 15th edition of
Jambands.com.
Allman Brothers to Play Thirteen Beacon Theater Dates
The Allman Brothers Band has announced its annual run of shows at the Beacon
Theatre in New York City will take place between March 9 and 25. Since there
are four off days within the thirteen dates, the band asked fans to vote on
whether the weekend performances should take place Friday through Sunday or
Thursday through Saturday. Overwhelmingly, fans opted for the latter.
Stretching over three weekends, the shows will be held 3/9, 3/10, 3/11, 3/13,
3/14, 3/16, 3/17, 3/18, 3/20, 3/21, 3/23, 3/24 and 3/25. Tickets are $45.99
and $65.99 and go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. through
Ticketmaster
online or
by calling 212-307-7200. There is a four-ticket limit per show and a
three-show limit per person.
1/6/00
Schleigho Signs With Flying Frog Records
Flying Frog Records has just announced the first
addition to its roster with the signing of New York-based groove
stalwarts (and proponents of the odd time signature),
Schleigho. Flying Frog, the product of Butch Truck's jam-infused vision,
is already home to Frogwings, which brings together the talents of
Trucks, John Popper, Jimmy Herring, Oteil Burbridge,
Derek Trucks and Mark Quinones. The Frogwings debut will appear in the
early spring, with a Schleigho disc to follow soon afterwards. Trucks
confirms that the label will add at least one additional band to its
roster in the weeks to come, and suggests that some Flying Frog-themed
events may be on the horizon. The label's web site (still a work in
progress) can be found at
www.flyingfrogrecords.com.
Two New Albums From Medeski, Martin & Wood
Medeski, Martin & Wood is currently working on two new records to be release
in the coming months. Tonic, the band's first ever live album,
will be
released by Blue Note Records on April 28. The album was recorded live at
Tonic in New York City, March 16-20, 1999. It is comprised entirely of
acoustic material. MMW also has an electric album slated to be released in
late September of 2000. The band will not be touring until early April, but
it looks as if they will do another acoustic run in New York City. More
details will be announced soon.
Dixie Dregs Announce Winter Tour Dates
The Dixie Dregs have announced that they will tour in February. The line up
features T Lavitz, Steve Morse, Rod Morgenstein, Jerry Goodman, Dave Larue
and Andy West. They will be touring with Dream Theatre. The Dregs also have
a new live album on the way recorded at the Roxy in Los Angeles last August.
There has been no announcement on a title or release date. The following is
the confirmed itinerary for the Dixie Dregs February dates. More shows
should be announced soon.
2/4 Palace Theater, Los Angeles, CA
2/5 Palace Theater, Los Angeles, CA
2/6 Maritime Hall, San Francisco, CA
2/9 The Fillmore, Denver, CO
2/11 State Theater, Minneapolis, MN
2/12 The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
2/13 The Riviera, Chicago, IL
Lee Laurence Benefit Announced
The "Lee Laurence Memorial Jam" benefit concert will be held January 27 at
the Georgia Theatre in Athens, GA. Laurence, the former sound engineer for
Day by the River, was killed in an automobile accident last August. The
benefit will begin at 7 p.m. with a silent auction. Bands such as Phish,
Widespread Panic and the Allman Brothers Band have donated items to be
auctioned. Music starts at 10 p.m. with Barbara Cue, Bloodkin and friends
scheduled to perform. Although there has not been any official announcement
as to who the "friends" will be, Widespread Panic drummer Todd Nance plays
drums for Barbara Cue and Richard Kherlopian of Widespread Merchandise is one
of the organizers of the event. Tickets are $15.00. Proceeds will benefit
Day by the River to help offset financial losses and expenses resulting from
the accident. No on-sale ticket date has been announced. Visit
http://www.georgiatheatre.com for more information as it becomes
available.
1/5/00
Miracle Slip Tonight
The Slip and the Miracle Orchestra will play together tonight at the Lizard
Lounge in Cambridge, MA. Playing under the name "Miracle Slip" both bands
will be on stage together for the entire evening and will play original
material written specifically for this performance as well as free-form
improvisation. The Lizard Lounge is located on Mass. Ave. between Porter and
Harvard Square. It is a very small venue, so get there early. Showtime is
10
p.m.
Stanley Mouse to Meet and Greet
Stanley Mouse, the artist who designed many album covers and concert posters
for the Grateful Dead, will be speaking to fans and signing copies of his new
book, "Freehand: The Art of Stanely Mouse," Thursday January 20 in San
Francisco. The event will be held at The Booksmith located at 1644 Haight
Street. Mouse has had his work exhibited internationally, including the
Smithsonian Institution and the New York Museum of Modern Art. For more
information on the book signing, call 1-800-493-7323.
Santana Nominated for Ten Grammy Awards
Guitar legend Carlos Santana has been nominated for ten Grammy Awards for his
latest album, Supernatural. The nominations were announced yesterday at
press conferences in Beverly Hills, Nashville, and New York City. Santana
received more nominations than any other artist in 1999. throughout his
thirty-year career, Santana has only received one Grammy (Best Rock
Instrumental for Blues for Salvador in 1988). This year, he is nominated for
Album of the year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Collaboration, Best Pop
Instrumental, Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Best Rock Album, Best Pop
Performance by a Duo or Group, Best Instrumental Composition and two
different nominations in the category of Best Rock Performance by a Duo or
Group with Vocals. The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards will be held February 23 at
the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The three-hour show will be broadcast
live on CBS.
1/4/00
Santana, Fleck, Grisman & Matthews Garner Grammy
Nominations
The Grammy nominations, which were announced today, include the
names of some performers very familiar to readers of jambands.com. Santana
received the most
nominations of any artist with 10, including Album of the Year, Record
of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. Dave Matthews' track on the
Supernatural album, "Love of My Life," earned a nomination for Best Pop
Collaboration. Bela Fleck's The Bluegrass Sessions was nominated for Best
Bluegrass Album, while David Grisman's Retragrass is up for Best
Traditional Folk Album. Susan Tedeschi, who opened a number of shows for
the Allman Brothers Band this summer is in the running for Best New
Artist, competing against Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Kid Rock and
Britney Spears. One additional intriguing category is Best Pop
Instrumental with nominated songs by Herb Alpert, Jeff Beck, Bruce
Hornsby, Willie Nelson and Santana. For the complete list of nominees
visit
www.grammy.com.
Foxtrot Zulu To Record Shows This Weekend For Live Disc
Rhode Island's Foxtrot Zulu will record two shows in its home
state this weekend for a live disc to appear this spring.
These shows will also serve as benefits, with proceeds from each night
going to "Save The Bay" and "Envisions" respectively. The performances
which will take place at the Ocean Mist in Matunuk on Friday January 7 and
Saturday January 8 will appear as part of the new
Phoenix Presents series. For more information visit
www.foxtrotzulu.com.
Dave Matthews Band, Bob Dylan, Phish Produce Top Grossing Tours
of 1999
Pollstar has released its list of the twenty highest grossing
North American concert tours of the past year. The Rolling Stones top the
list at $64.7 million dollars, aided in part by an average ticket price
that exceeded one hundred dollars. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
finished a close second with $61.4 million. The Dave Matthews Band placed
fourth on the list at $48.5 million (trailing 'N Sync which came in
third). This summer's Bob Dylan/Paul Simon tour ranked eleventh with
$30.6 million in sales, followed by Phish in twelfth place at $27.4
million. Phish's lighter tour schedule (no spring shows) as well as its
lower ticket prices relative to the other artists on the list certainly
impacted on its placement.
1/3/00
New Year's Eve Mishegas
New Year's Eve offered jam band fans a number of epic,
notable performances. More than 80,000 people made it to Big Cypress where
Phish performed a evening set that began just prior to midnight and
continued well past 7AM (aided in part by a port-a-potty installed on the
stage). To the north, Widespread Panic offered three expansive sets of
their own, with some accompaniment from the Dirty Dozen Brass band and the
People's Choice Choir. Out in Portland, following an elaborate New Year's
Eve ritual, String Cheese Incident played well into the morning,
completing its second set with a run through the Beatles Abbey Road
(bringing the set to a close with a fitting "The End"). Ratdog held court
at the Warfield, with Bill Kreutzmann joining the group on stage at
midnight (the previous evening Kreutzmann accompanied Mickey Hart, Bob
Weir, and others for the
Flying Other Brothers Jam at the Fillmore). The new incarnation
of KVHW, with Ike Willis siting in for Ray White, performed a lengthy set
at the Maritime Hall, with a guest appearance from Derek Trucks.
Meanwhile, at Colorado's Fillmore, Leftover Salmon staged an epic event
with an elaborate float and
a number of notable guests (one of these, John Cowan, has posted some
thanks on the band's message board at its web site). Back
east at the moe.llennium, highlights included an extended percussion jam
featuring the entire band along with members of Ominous Seapods and
Peter Prince. The Disco Biscuits played four lengthy sets, with the third
offering the group's own twisted take on Woody Allen's What's Up Tiger
Lily as the band projected the image of the Japanese Animated film Akira
on the
wall and then improvised all sounds. Meanwhile, at Wetlands, Deep
Banana Blackout concluded its three night stand with music that
extended past five in the morning (including the debut of a futuristic
"Get'chall In The Mood 2000" which followed the previous evening's
acoustic
"Get'chall In The Mood 1896" during the group's brass band set). These are
just a few examples of the many intriguing, invigorating New Year's Eve
shows that took place across the continent (additional in-depth
reviews will appear in the monthly edition of jambands.com on the 15th).
Many bands intend to take a few weeks off before returning to the road in
late January or early February.
Los Lobos Begins Rescheduling Dates As Gomez Enters Plea
Last week Gabriel Gomez pleaded not
guilty to murder and kidnapping charges stemming from the disappearance of
his half-sister, Sandra Rosas. Rosas, the wife of Los Lobos'
guitarist Cesar Rosas has been missing since October 23rd. The nature of
this tragedy led the band to cancel its December tour dates. The
band has just announced that it will begin to make-up some of these shows
next month. A Colorado run will take
place in mid-February followed by a two night stand at the Fillmore in
San Francisco on February 26th and 27th, with more
dates expected to be be announced soon. For more information visit,
www.loslobos.org.
A "Freebie Threebie" at Wetlands
Beginning this Tuesday, New York City's Wetlands Preserve is
offering three consecutive evenings of music without an admission charge.
In an effort to thank patrons for their support during 1999, and also to
expose them to some groups they might otherwise overlook, "Threebie
Freebie" has been instituted. Tuesday offers music from Yukon Cornelius
and Cousin Fungus, two
bands that began their careers steeped in the sounds of the Dead and
Phish but have since expanded their repertoires of original music. Agent
Porridge will make its headline debut on Wednesday, with Swampadelica and
Bassment. Finally, the series will conclude on Thursday with jam band
stalwarts, Max Creek, fresh off their climactic New Year's Eve show in
Hartford (Andrew Southern & Rana will perform in the lounge). For more
information visit,
www.wetlands-preserve.org.
Weekly Cybercasts From The Disco Biscuits
Beginning this Thursday, January 6 and continuing each Thursday
through the end of February, The Disco Biscuits will broadcast one of
their favorite sets from the past year through the Digital Club
Network. The cybercasts will begin at 10pm(EST), during which a number of
giveaways will take place. The first cybercast will be the 2nd set of the
Sept. 17th, 1999 Park West show in Chicago, IL. Visit
the DCN in advance,
www.digitalclubnetwork.com, to receive all the
necessary plug-ins.
|
Exclusive:
TOM PETTY revives his original band, MUDCRUTCH, 35 years later.
