Today we look back to March 21, 2003.

Discussions Underway for Possible Phish Festival in Maine

The Loring Development Authority has approved Great Northeast Productions request to host another Phish festival in Limestone, ME this summer. The Boston-based promoter has produced past Phish festivals such as the Clifford Ball, The Great Went and Big Cypress. GNP is currently in discussions with representatives at Loring Air Force Base. A spokesperson from the Loring Development Authority tells Jambands.com that the festival is definitely taking place in August, although she would not specify which weekend.

While Phish has confirmed that discussions are underway, management would not comment beyond that.

Leftover Salmon and Cracker to Release Collaborative Album

A new album featuring Leftover Salmon and Cracker will be released May 20th on Pitch-A-Tent Records. Titled Oh Cracker Where Art Though?, the disc includes reinterpretations of Cracker songs such as Eurotrash Girl, Ms. Santa Cruz County’ and Sweet Potato. Crackers David Lowery and Johnny Hickman add vocals to all of the tracks, while Leftover performs the music. We hung around the studio for two nights and jammed like the old days when you have a bunch of friends over to jam,’ says Lowery. I’ve played these songs hundreds of times, so Leftover Salmon’s twists made the songs totally fresh to me.

The musicians first collaborated last summer, when they performed a version of Eurotrash Girl, which was met with positive response and inspired the recording sessions.

Widespread Panic to Headline 1st Annual Mid-Atlantic Music Experience

The 1st Annual Mid-Atlantic Music Experience has been announced. The festival will be held July 11 13 in the Allegheny Mountains of Lewisburg, West Virginia. Widespread Panic will headline the event, playing two sets on Saturday and Sunday. Several other acts are expected to be added in the coming weeks. The camping event will feature three stages of music, including a late night venue.

The official website will be launched Monday at www.midxmusic.com.

Bluegrass to Blues Art Party Set for April; Festival will be Featured in Documentary

The line-up for the Bluegrass to Blues Art Party has been finalized. The festival will take place April 5 and 6 at Neverland Farms in Atlanta, GA. The eclectic list of performers includes Rev. Jeff Mosier’s Ear Reverence, the Larry Keel Experience, Urban Shakedancers, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Mudcat, Gamble Brothers Band, Donna Hopkins Band, Rita Graham trio, Lazybirds, Ralph Rodenberry, Slippy Trick, Southern Lights, Deep Blue Sun, King Johnson, Soundmen, Super String Theory and Scrappy Hamilton.

Video footage from the event will be featured in an upcoming documentary, tentatively titled Bluegrass to Blues, produced by Dirty Boot Productions. There are fantastic bands playing in little towns all across America, and it is Dirty Boot’s goal to increase their audience in a non-commercial way, says Staci Lee, founder and CEO. We helpartists succeed by getting their stories, sounds, and visuals out there in the public through a different artistic medium.’

For more information, visit www.dirtybootproductions.com.

Mike Gordon Performs with Citigrass

Phish bassist Mike Gordon joined Citigrass Wednesday night at Galapagos in Brooklyn, NY. Gordon played acoustic guitar with the group for the entire show, which included standards such as Man of Constant Sorrow, Rocky Top and Old Home Place, as well as the Citigrass original Aint Gonna Change. The setlist also featured bluegrass interpretations of I Will Survive, Viva Las Vegas and Wish You Were Here. Mikes banjo teacher, Andy Cartoun, also sat in for a portion of the show. Citigrass regular banjoist, Sandy Isreal, is out of town this week and asked Gordon and Cartoun to perform in his absence. Both Mike and Andy have also sat in on the previous two Fridays at the Knitting Factory in New York City.
Citigrass returns to the Knit tonight. The band’s official website is www.citigrass.com.