Today we look back to October 6, 2003 and a few of the news stories that ran on Jambands.com

The Flaming Lips Join String Cheese Incident and moe.

The Flaming Lips opened for String Cheese Incident and moe. this weekend, as the group continues to market itself to a new demographic – jamband audiences. Friday at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA, vocalist Wayne Coyne, bassist Michael Ivins and drummer Steven Drozd took the stage with String Cheese for Merle Haggards Okie from Muskogee, an anti-hippie anthem from 1969. (The Flaming Lips hail from Oklahoma City, which is just a couple of hours east of Muskogee.) Quite aware of the irony, Coyne encouraged fans to sing along with the humorous lyrics:

_We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
An’ we don’t take our trips on LSD…We don’t make no party out of lovin’;
We like holdin’ hands and pitchin’ woo;
We don’t let our hair grow long and shaggy,
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do._

Saturday in Charleston, SC, Coyne, Drozd and Ivins sat in with moe. for Pink Floyds Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.
The Lips are now heading west for a string of dates the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Jazz Mandolin Project Tour with Jon Fishman Postponed; Page McConnell to Join the Spam Allstars in New York

Jazz Mandolin Projects upcoming tour with drummer Jon Fishman has been postponed due to the birth of Fishmans second child. The brief tour, which was set to kick off Tuesday and run through Sunday, will be moved to mid-January. Fishmans baby, Jack Bradley Fishman, was born on September 30, later than expected (he now has the same birthday as Trey Anastasio). Assuming all the dates can be rescheduled, tickets for this week’s shows will be honored in January. JMPs current itinerary is available at www.jazzmandolinproject.com.

Jazz Mando will also tour with Vida Blue in early January. The trio features Phish keyboardist Page McConnell, Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge and Funky Meters drummer Russell Batiste. While specific dates have not yet been announced, the jaunt will kick off January 3 in Miami, following Phishs four-night holiday run at American Airlines Arena.
Speaking of Vida Blue, the groups new album with the Spam Allstars, The Illustrated Band, will be released on October 14. The night before, McConnell will sit in with the Allstars at S.O.B.s in New York City.
The groups official website is www.vidablue.net.

Warren Haynes, DJ Logic, Jerry Joseph Perform with Widespread Panic

Widespread Panic welcomed a few special guests during its recent three-night run at Backyard in Bee Cave, TX. On Friday, DJ Logic added turntables to Arlene midway through the second set and guitarist Warren Haynes stepped for You Better Run > All Time Low, Use Me and Chilly Water. Saturdays show included an appearance by regular collaborator Cecil Daniels, who joined in for an extended drum break. Last night, guitarist Jerry Joseph and Jackmormons percussionist Brad Rosen sat in for Light Is Like Water, Road To Damascus > We’ll Be Fine and Fishwater, which also featured Logic.
Panic plays Tuesday and Wednesday at Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston. For the full schedule, visit www.widespreadpanic.com.

Reid Genauer and Jon Trafton Collaborate Twice in Maine

Strangefolk co-founders Reid Genauer and Jon Trafton performed together on two different stages Saturday in Portland, ME. Trafton sat in with the Assembly of Dust at the State Theater, performing on Tavern Walker and the Strangefolk classic, Lines and Circles, which included a segue in and out of Swing Low Sweet Chariot. For the encore, Trafton returned and played on Stouthearted > In Memory of Elizabeth Reed > Stouthearted.
Later in the night, Strangfolks Erik Glockler (bass) and Luke Patchen Montgomery (guitar), along with wife Jen Montgomery, took the stage at the Ale House under the moniker Patch of Eden. Genauer and Trafton joined for the nights second rendition of Lines and Circles along with Sometimes. Drummer J.B. Sowell of the opening band, Ten Mile Tide, also joined in for both songs (the musicians missed an opportunity to perform Strangefolks So Well with Sowell).
Strangefolk will play a reunion show Halloween in Johnson, VT. Genauer and AOD play October 16 at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA. For more dates, visit www.reidgenauer.com.

Members of ulu & The Motet Jam Together at Harmonized Records Showcase

Members of ulu and The Motet, as well as members of Garaj Mahal, PGroove and Lotus, collaborated at this weekends Harmonized Records Showcase at The Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC. On Friday, all members of ulu and The Motet and Cadillac Jones guitarist Gary Hurz and saxophonist Robbin Rahman jammed together during an extended All Star Jam to close the night. The following evening, the members of Garaj Mahal, PGroove and Lotus launched into a version of Paul Simons Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, which segued into an extended open jam.
Harmonized Records home on the web is located at www.harmonizedrecords.com.