Today we look back to December 9, 2003…

Martin Fierro Sits in with String Cheese Incident

Martin Fierro joined String Cheese Incident on sax for much of the group’s second set last night, including versions of ‘All Blues’ and ‘Riders on the Storm (a SCI breakout). Fierro who appeared on the Grateful Dead’s Wake of the Flood release is particularly revered for his participation in the original Legion Of Mary, a band also comprised of Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders and John Kahn. Fierro has gone on to play with a number of Bay Area groups including Zero, a revamped Legion and his own MartFierro Quartet.

Mimi Fishman Auction Concludes Tomorrow

The Mimi Fishman Foundation’s final charity auction of 2003 will conclude on Wednesday evening. The current high bid item is Mike Gordon’s Simpsons jacket which was given to him after the bassist’s participation on the show. Other items include New Year’s Eve ticket packages from Phish, The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey’s McGee, Addison Groove Project, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters as well as posters signed by the artists who will perform on the upcoming Jam Cruise I and II…..

Keller Williams on National Lampoon’s AV Squad

Keller Williams is the subject of an AV Squad segment that is currently airing. The program includes both an interview and a performance recorded at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe. AV Squad runs nationally on a number of cable systems, in particular those with college affiliations…..

Tony Furtado Plays Stevie Wonder with the Wu

Tony Furtado who opened Saturday night’s “Big Wu”:http://www.thebigwu.com performance at the Ballard Firehouse in Seattle, WA appeared with the Wu halfway through the group’s set. Furtado, who first made his name as a banjo player but as of late has focussed much of his energies on slide guitar, opted for the latter during a cover of ‘Higher Ground.’

Studio News: Percy Hill, Lake Trout & Railroad Earth

Last week “Percy Hill”:http://www.percyhill.com began recording music for what will be the band’s first studio effort since its Jammy Award-winning Colour In Bloom more than five years ago……….Lake Trout is performing limited dates as the group works up new songs. The band’s Matt Matt Piece explains, slightly defensively, ‘We were literally going to explode if we didn’t take some time off the road and lay down some new material. We appreciate all of your support and for those of you that came to multiple shows we promise to have lots of new material to play in ’04.’……….“Railroad Earth”:http://www.railroadearth.com will be off the road until February as the group is currently fashioning new material with an eye towards a May release.

Medeski Martin & Wood, Bruce Hornsby, Blind Boys of Alabama Contribute to Bardavon Benefit CD

Earlier this year a number of artists, including the Allman Brothers Band, Phish, The String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic participated in the Carved In Stone tribute CD with all profits designated for the Preserve The Rocks Fund, which is dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater. Now the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, NY is the beneficiary of artists’ largesse. Live from the Bardavon, Volume I will present music recorded at the Opera House between 1999 and 2003. The music includes the Blind Boys of Alabama, ‘Nobodys Fault’ (4/27/01), Bruce Hornsby, ‘Rainbows Cadillac/Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams’ (11/9/02), Medeski Martin & Wood. ‘Bemsha Swing/ Lively Up Yourself ,’ (10/26/02) along with songs from Ian Anderson, David Crosby, Kate Pierson and others. All proceeds from the disc will be directed to programs at the Bardavon.