Umphrey’s McGee | 11.3.11 | Toronto

TORONTO, CA – Last Thursday night Umphrey’s McGee made a long awaited return to Toronto for hundreds of rabid fans. On the 2nd night of a four night run the nationally touring progressive rock masters Umphrey’s McGee delighted the crowd with an incredible two set performance. First set highlights included a masterful Turn & Dub > Booth Love > & Wappy Sprayberry funk dance party. To close out the set Umphrey’s brought on home town drummer Daren Shearer of The New Deal in place of Kris Myers. The second set featured another special guest appearance with Marla Joy joining the band for a bust out of G&R’s “Sweet Child of Mine.” The band had no…

A Night In Treme – and You’re Invited.

The University Musical Society (UMS) of the University of Michigan is hosting an event Friday 11.11.11 that makes regular chances to see these musical greats seem ordinary.  In a pitch to bring the culture of New Orleans performances straight to Ann Arbor, they’ve assembled a krewe that won’t soon be forgotten.  Once you see this music performed, you’ll have an entirely new appreciation for the jazz roots of modern jam bands, as well as some of the more exciting aspects of live performance. Clipping directly from the show’s program notes, we find the following lineup: Donald Harrison, Jr. Musical Director, Alto Saxophone, and Vocals Cyril Neville Vocals and Percussion Dr. Michael White Clarinet James Andrews…

24 Hours Until I Interview Keller Williams at the Blind Pig

There’s no one quite like Keller, with his bare feet, jumping around the stage playing one instrument and making it sound like a dozen. I’ll be sitting down to talk with Keller about his music, his upcoming “K-Dubalicious” album and what he’s been listening to on tour. As a service to BTJ fans, I’d love to know what burning questions you may have for Keller.  Feel free to post responses here, on Facebook, or via twitter and I’ll get them into the interview.  I last saw Keller at the 2011 Electric Forest Festival, where he played an amazing afternoon show. If you’re in Michigan, there’s still time to pick up tickets for his show at…

STS9 | NYC | 10.22.2011

Words By: Carly  Photos by: Nick Irving NEW YORK, NY – In support of their latest EP When The Dust Settles, Sound Tribe Sector 9  (STS9) made a stop in New York City to visit Times Square’s Best Buy Theater (formally the Nokia Theater) and the scene outside was just as busy as the rest of the Square. Fingers were up for the sold out show and even though police were present, the lot kids designated a corner for smoking and selling wraps adjacent to the venue. Getting in was no problem, security was loose and the spacious theater is quite welcoming. DJ opener Polish Ambassador had over an hour before STS9’s set but unfortunately,…

Phish to Release Hampton/Winston-Salem ’97 Box Set

Phish has just announced the long awaited 7 CD Box Set  showcasing three complete shows from 1997. The box set will include 2 nights at the Hamton Coliseum in Virginia, and one night at the legendary Memorial Coliseum, in Winston-Salem, NC. According to Jemp Records who is releasing the CD set on December 6th: “These shows were a memorable triad for the band and fans. They are among the most requested shows for release from the Phish Archives and make up a compelling slice of the twenty-two-show tour that stretched from Las Vegas to Albany. The Hampton/Winston-Salem ’97shows were packed with notable renditions of classics including “Split Open And Melt”, “AC/DC Bag”, “Slave To The Traffic Light”, “Mike’s…

STS9 Returns to NYC

NEW YORK, NY – Saturday October 22nd Sound Tribe Sector 9 will return to New York City’s Best Buy Theater for their first NYC performance since August of 2010. During that two night stand they treated New Yorkers to an  “Axe The Cables” acoustic set at the The Blender Theater before heading to the Roseland Ballroom the following night-(full setlists below.)  Their current 24-city fall tour will be in full swing following 2 sold out performances at Colorado’s famous Red Rocks Amphitheater (saw the two Red Rocks Shows – SICK – ed.) where the band was joined by Snoop Dogg, Savoy and LTJ Bukem. STS9 first played NYC in 1999  at now defunct Wetlands Preserve. …

Toubab Krewe and Zongo Junction | NYC | 10.15.11

On a last minute photo call this Wednesday 10/5, I went down to (le) Poisson Rouge on Bleeker Street and here is a sample of what went down! There were more musicians, and even more instruments than i could keep track of, as you can see in the photos below. “Worldly” is certainly an understatement in my opinion, categorization cannot be applied. when both bands took stage together for nearly an hour, it was band meets orchestra, pedal to the metal.

Interview: Mason Jennings

  BTJ Photographer Chris Monaghan sat down recently with singer/songwriter Mason Jennings to talk about his current cross country tour, his beginnings as a musician and his songwriting style. You can stream Jennings’ latest Minnesota and see his remaining dates on his website. BandsThatJam:     How old were you when you started playing guitar, and when did you know you wanted to be a musician? Mason Jennings: I would always write these songs when I was pretty little, even when I was 8 or 9 I would write these full songs and sing them in to a tape recorder, so I was always really writing.  But I really wanted to play drums. I started on drums…

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad Fall Tour 2011

GIANT PANDA GUERILLA DUB SQUAD FALL TOUR New York’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad kick off a massive U.S. tour this weekend at The Festy in Nelson County, VA. The quintet plays Chicago and Madison early next week, followed by a Colorado run starting October 14. Their six week co-bill tour with Hawaii’s The Green spans both coasts and places in between. GPGDS has spent pockets of 2011 recording material for a new studio album. Facilitated by longtime sound engineer Joel Scanlon and the recent addition of guitarist Dan Keller, Giant Panda continues to explore new territories of psychedelic roots music and experimental dub. Tour Dates Oct 09 – Roseland, VA – The Festy Experience…

Greensky Bluegrass “Handguns” CD Release party

Event: Greensky Bluegrass “Handguns” CD Release Party Venue: Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, Michigan Audio: bt.etree.org / archive.org / stream (will be updated when they hit, check back!) Videos: Youtube / other The self-produced, fourth studio album “Handguns” by Greensky Bluegrass hit yesterday and the band came out to show a full crowd at Bell’s Brewery what they’d been working on. Fans had been given a free “EP” download of five songs to get them started, but let us be the first to tell you that the true gems you’ll need to purchase! Greensky brings a diverse and beautiful crowd, and it wasn’t long before the first notes of “Cold Feet” (Track 3 on the new album…