For this Friday playlist, we pay homage to the stoner holiday of April 20. 4/20 is a day widely associated with the wonders of weed, and I figured there’s no better way to celebrate that day than with a playlist to accompany your hazy day.

Starting off with Peter, Paul & Mary’s version of Puff the Magic Dragon, we light up this mix with a song that has been widely debated about its true meaning, from some of the squeakiest clean musicians to ever sing a note. Peter Tosh’s Legalize Itis the first of the reggae-tinged tunes, and pulls no punches in the message Tosh is preaching, and one that is extremely pertinent in the U.S. today.

Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth is a song that every suburban kid played while rolling up blunts in their drives around town, and the original version of Smoke Two Joints by The Toyes (and made wildly popular by Sublime later on), is about as straightforward in promoting toking as they come. Makisupa Policeman from Bethel is my obligatory Phish fix for this mix, and welcome us to the dankest of confines: Page’s House! Kaya by the Ganja Guru and amazing prophet and reggae pioneer, Bob Marley, pays homage to his sacrament in a beautiful tone. Before him was Bob Dylan, whose Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 boasts the line: “Everybody must get stoned!” – an appropriate anthem being celebrated on 4/20.

We close things out with the funkalicious Mary Jane by Rick James. If pot still made me feel like this song, I might just still smoke it. The bass line in this song is quite simply the headiest of all 4/20 nuggets. And we are closed out by an oft-overlooked masterpiece and message of none other than Afroman, showcasing the comedic perils of getting ripped, in Because I Got High. Happy 4/20 everyone – and remember, if you blaze this day, be careful! You don’t want the Makisupa Policeman coming to your house!

We’re still shaken up over here at the loss of Levon Helm. As writers, we’re easing our pain by putting our thoughts and memories about The Band drummer and Midnight Ramble host down “on paper.” Last night HT founder Slade Sohmer eulogized Helm for our Love For Levon series which continues now with essays from three of our contributors.

Carly Shields:

Levon Helm had one of the most comforting voices in classic American music. Alongside John Lennon, Levon’s old buddy Bob Dylan, and Aretha Franklin, his raspy, genuine, soul-filled voice is easily recognized and instantly soothing. As a child, I would listen to The Band’s Greatest Hits album over and over, belting out The Weight until I got the solo version of the “and, and, and…” chorus to sound exactly like all five of them.

[All Photos by Chad Anderson]

In college, I wrote an entire paper breaking down why The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down was the best song ever written, and behind pretty much every reasoning stood The Band’s solid and strong drummer. I started to realize that Levon was at the core of all of my favorite songs, that he was the voice of this sound that defined music for me, and upon understanding just how influential this one artist had been on me, I had found my first truly favorite band.

Once I watched The Last Waltz, I was fully sucked into the past of The Band. There’s no YouTube clip of it, but my favorite scene is where Scorsese is talking to Levon and Robbie about their first time in New York City. The smile that comes across Levon’s face when he speaks about the whirlwind of Manhattan was the first thing I saw when I finally caught him live, and that joyful, innocent face will be burned in my memory for the rest of time. Rest in Peace, Levon. You were so deeply loved.

This was the last time I saw my musical hero, but this moment will live on in my heart forever.

PAGE 2 = Dan Alford PAGE 3 = Chad Anderson

Tomorrow is Record Store Day, your chance to wait in line for the opportunity to buy some rare vinyl records. We’ve already given you the low down on the Phish Junta package, previewed some of the products on Twitter and profiled our Top 5 releases. We were also able to chat with a few record stores from across the country, including Criminal Records where Record Store Day was first hatched.

Now in its fifth year, Record Store Day is bigger than ever. We wanted to reach out to a few independent purveyors of physical music products and get their take on the current state of RSD. Up first is Eric Levin Record Store Day co-founder and owner of Criminal Records.

HT: What is the best aspect of Record Store Day?

Eric Levin: The global and local celebrations are amazing. While I’m enjoying my own party, I know that the fun is happening coast to coast and around the world.

Like, while Patterson Hood and Drive-By Truckers are playing at my store in Atlanta, World Party are playing at Fingerprints in Long Beach, California. When this was first discussed five years ago, we had no idea anyone would care, and now, it’s just unbelievable.

HT: What is the worst aspect of Record Store Day?

EL: Greed. Some labels, some stores, some customers – well, you can’t make people be decent. Stores can help by ordering accordingly, if they think an item isn’t worthy of attention, it’s their duty to not purchase – the same is true for the customer. Store can help by treating their customers with the utmost respect, i.e. no price gouging, no eBay, no favors or holds, limit one item per customer and just have a fun time. This is what we do at our store, I wish and hope that others could act accordingly. That was the purpose of our “pledge,” just be cool and act cool and you have no problems.

HT: What prompted the implementation of the Record Store Day pledge, and are you seeing support for it?

EL: It’s definitely supported, and needed. I believe that if folks have a good relationship, a 365 day relationship with their store, they know they’ll be taken care of treated right. Everyone knows who the bad eggs are in their towns. Don’t support them if they’re dicks, support them if they are awesome.

HT: How does Record Store Day influence the other 364 days of the year?

EL: I love being in touch with over 800 U.S. stores, when something goes down now, we can amass an army. We have a definite need to curate and protect an entire culture, not just indie record stores, but all indie businesses. I think we’ve proven that folks care for their communities and hopefully, as we’ve seen happen, we can inspire other small businesses to celebrate themselves. We shine a light all year on the plight of the indie, that’s important now more than ever.

HT: What releases for this year have you excited?

EL: My staff, myself included, we can’t shop until the next day. I’m hoping for a Lee Scratch Perry 7″ box and the Lee Hazelwood box from Light in the Attic. 12XU have an amazing LP out of Austin, it’s really limited but I want a blue one. The Smuggler’s Way ‘zine package from Domino is awesome and I sure would love a Gorillaz 10″ but I won’t get one, they only have 500 for the U.S. Criminal Records was lucky to receive one. Of course, the Mastodon pieces to go with all my others. And the Flaming Lips, of course. Thankfully, they pressed 10,000 of those, so everyone will have a shot. I just want the 13 minute version of the Gorillaz song – that should be a perennial title, it’s stupid that I can’t order 100 for the store and receive 100, but it’s not like a record label would ever listen to advice.

We also interviewed Paul Epstein, owner of Twist & Shout which has been independently operating in Denver since 1998.

HT: What is the best aspect of Record Store Day?

Paul Epstein: The excitement. Seeing 350 people lined up before we open, seeing people wig out in the aisles when they find what they are looking for, seeing fans compare their stashes after it’s all over. It’s a really nice feeling and a reminder of what it was like when every day was record store day.

HT: What is the worst aspect of Record Store Day?

PE: Not everybody gets every single thing they want. We hate to run out of anything when people are still looking for it. On the other hand, scarcity is sort of the secret ingredient of collecting, and the thing that downloading has robbed from fans. But having people not get that one certain item and being disappointed is the worst aspect.

HT: You signed the Record Store Day pledge, what compelled you to do so and what do you think about the need for such a pledge?

PE: We were asked to sign it and it seemed to me like it was largely rules that prevented stores from gouging customers so I signed. It seemed a bit heavy handed but I have seen stuff going for crazy prices on Ebay so perhaps it is the right thing. Anytime there is something cool and limited there will be people who will try to monopolize and unfairly profit from that item, so it is probably for the best that there are some rules to govern the process.

HT: How does Record Store Day influence the other 364 days of the year?

PE: Well, it helps restore that scarcity thing I was mentioning. It makes fans realize that some things are hard to get, and it is really cool when you get your hands on one of those things and it can act as a physical manifestation of your love for that band. That can raise the overall profile of records and the collecting of music. Obviously, we like that because that is what we are all about.

HT: What releases for this year have you excited?

Buck Owens coloring book, Pharcyde 7″ Box Set, Lee Perry Box Set, Grateful Dead, White Stripes, Phish, Ryan Adams….it goes on and on and on.

Finally we questioned Matt Jencik, buyer at Reckless Records in Chicago. Reckless has three locations in Chicago and has been operating in the city since 1989.

HT: What is the best aspect of Record Store Day?

Matt Jencik: Seeing the store full of unfamiliar faces. The publicity definitely seems to bring awareness about record stores to people, especially to younger kids who might not have record stores in their neighborhood or town anymore.  I’ve gotten the impression in past years that some people who came out had barely ever stepped into a record store in their entire life. If Record Store Day is their first experience, that’s fine with us.

HT: What is the worst aspect of Record Store Day?

MJ: For me personally as the person in charge of ordering the product, it bothers me to have to turn people away because we sold out of something or in some cases, just didn’t receive at all.

HT: You signed the Record Store Day pledge, what compelled you to do so and what do you think about the need for such a pledge?

MJ: We signed the pledge because we want our customers to know that they have as good a chance as anybody to get these records and that Record Store Day is really about rewarding the customer with cool records.  Ebay flipping is unavoidable but we don’t participate in that in any way.

HT: How does Record Store Day influence the other 364 days of the year?

MJ: It doesn’t really. In a way the original concept is strange to us as we do this every day. Hopefully people look at Record Store Day as a celebration of the fact that record stores are here and still going strong the other 364 days.

HT: What releases for this year have you excited?

MJ: The release we’re most excited about isn’t a record or cd. It’s the Three Floyds Brewing/Reckless Records beer that we’re releasing in honor of Record Store Day. It’s called Rye’d Da Lightning and it will be available at the Bottom Lounge at a show that night. Reckless also has a few exclusive releases including Ropes Demos II 7″ (Reckless Exclusive), Holy Fever “7″ colored vinyl (Reckless Exclusive) Integrity “Palm Sunday” (Exclusive at Reckless in Chicago and only two other shops in the U.S.!), Atlas Moth Pray For Tides/One Amongst The Weed Fields” cassette at the Broadway [Reckless] location only! Some of the official Record Store Day releases that we’re excited about are the Lee Hazlewood compilation, the Grateful Dead ‘Dark Star” LP, the Fleetwood Mac 2x45RPM LP, the Iggy & the Stooges “Raw Power” 2XLP reissue, the Scientists 7″, the Bitchin’ Bajas, the live Devo LP etc…

Are you heading out for Record Store Day? Let us know what releases you’re after in the comment or send a tweet to @Hidden_Track using the hashtag #RSD2012. Be sure to grab the official RSD app and good luck digging!

Last night HT faves Bon Iver paid tribute to the late Levon Helm by debuting a cover of The Band’s Ophelia at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The ensemble shared vocal duties. Our friend Krystal W. was on hand and sent us a video of the performance…

Bon Iver – Ophelia

We’ve been tirelessly collecting tributes, both musical and written, in this post, which we’ll be updating all weekend. Be sure to let us know of any we’ve missed.

We’re still shaken up over here at the loss of Levon Helm. As writers, we’re easing our pain by putting our thoughts and memories about The Band drummer and Midnight Ramble host down “on paper.” Last night HT founder Slade Sohmer eulogized Helm and earlier this afternoon three contributors shared their memories for our Love For Levon series, which continues now.

Jeremy Gordon

This past November I had a chance to go down to Zuccotti Park and watch Jackson Browne and Dawes perform to the remnants of Occupy Wall Street. Speaking to the members of Dawes afterward, I was struck by how excited they were for their upcoming Midnight Ramble with Levon. The opportunity for a young band to become friends with and connect with a legend doesn’t come around very often and I think it’s this reason not only fans, but also fellow musicians are feeling such sadness today.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

Another of the many musicians to sit at the Midnight Ramble was Phil Lesh (and his sons). And as Phil Lesh is currently borrowing from Levon’s model with his own Terrapin Crossroads,  Levon borrowed right back by recording and performing the classic dead tune Tennessee Jed on his Electric Dirt LP.  Helm and his band covered the song on the Late Show With David Letterman…

PAGE TWO = Marc Millman PAGE THREE = Jimmy Coulas

Another installment of the Wanee Music Festival has come and gone, leaving the fortunate attendees with echoes and memories that will last a lifetime. The annual gathering hosted by the Allman Brothers Band at the Spirit of Suwanee Music Park has swelled to over 20,000 rabid music fans, all eager to hear blues-tinged southern rock played by masters of the form. From the phoenix like Furthur, rising from the Dead, to guitar legend Buddy Guy, new acts such as Trigger Hippy and Flannel Church, the jam roots of the Allmans was reflected heavily in the lineup alongside some very dense dance music courtesy of groups like Particle and the duo EOTO.

[All Photos by Groove Street's Rex Thomson]

Throughout the rain-dappled weekend there was a sense of import in the air and a feeling that this was a weekend for the ages. Feeding those thoughts were rumors swirling about Gregg Allman’s health status. Having missed the last show-and-a-half of the band’s traditional Beacon run in New York, along with a variety of scares over the last few years, cast a shadow across the proceedings like the sun slowly setting over the horizon.

“It’s impossible to question Allman’s love for music, as he has continued on through tragedies and obstacles that would have stopped many a lesser man. But continue on he has, to the point of pushing himself to fight exhaustion and pain to simply do what he loves most, play for the people. “

Having experienced trials and tribulations well documented over the decades, Allman has lived a life that would have obliterated most men long ago. It’s been said that rock star years are like dog years, and heaven only knows that analogy fits Gegg Allman. With uncertainty swirling, many fans were there simply to give thanks and show respect for a lifetime of making music that has been the soundtrack to their lives. To hear the Allman’s influence, go anywhere in the country and tune in their local “Classic Rock” station. If it takes more than 45 minutes to hear an Allman Brothers song, you must have just turned on the radio as one was ending.

Wanee started early and went late on Wednesday. Given the picturesque nature of the park, and the propensity for festival goers to take the party to a higher level, the park was starting to fill up the week before the first band was to play! That band, Beebs And Her Money Makers, showed a deft combination of funk and jam, with Beebs playing showgirl.

New band Flannel Church wowed the crowd with a distinctive blend of blues, southern jams and sacred steel that hit the crowd right in their sweet spot. Eager faces seemed to melt into one amorphorus sea of smies and looks of appreciation that was a wonder to behold. Cope closed out the night with their suprisingly dense sound, punctuated by guitar fireworks and smoking saxophone solos that cut through the music and sailed out through the mighty cypress trees that cover the grounds with shade and a canopy of green.

Thursday morning, and the campgrounds were already teeming with life as new arrivals poured into Suwannee. All of Thursday’s music was hosted on the ampitheater stage, christened the “Mushroom Stage” for the weekend, and after sets by Bonnie Blue and the Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, the first true legend of the day took the stge, as Ray Manzarek of The Doors joinded Rodgers and his band for a set of new tunes and the classics the crowd longed to hear.

A stellar Riders On The Storm was both chilling in its scope, and a nod to the ominous clouds hovering in the sky all weekend long. On the scale of musical import, between The Doors and Jefferson Airplane, it’s hard to find artists who did more to shape the sound of their era.  Elements of the original Airplane band, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, were on hand to show how it should be done. Simple instrumentation and earnest rocking that belied their years and cemented their status as true statesmen of the rock world took the crowd to the summer of love and back again.

Sandwiched between this history lesson was a legacy, Devon Allman. Looking and sounding like his father, Devon brought a bit of himself to the proceedings, rocking the guitar and even trying his hand at a Allman Brothers cover as a nod of respect. Conspirator, containing elements of the Disco Biscuits, Lotus and The New Deal, along with DJ Omen, got the crowd bumping and thumping late into the night, with lasers splitting the trees and the lights turning the crowd into a strobe lit pulsating organic mass.

Friday started off with clear blue skies and thousands of happy festival goers wandering the park, shopping for new clothes and art pieces from the craftsmen and vendors on site, eating fried alligator and numerous other tasty treats from the wide variety of food booths as well as swimming in the river and relaxing in the hundreds of hammocks that fill the park.

The anticipation of the crowd was building, and the fans were buzzing with setlist predictions for the day’s headliners. Sad news was also being spread, with news of Levon Helm’s passing.  Bruce Hornsby used his mid-day set to note the loss with a heart wrenching cover of The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down that had the crowd singing along from front to back. Blues legend Buddy Guy was all smiles and thick chords and one note leads as he brought the spirit of Chicago blues to Florida and a very appreciative audience.

Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart and his band took his eclectic mix of drums and noise makers to the stage and made something truly unique, blending old rhythms and new band members for a well received set. After a wild year that has already seen them play for the President of the United States, The Tedeschi-Trucks Band looked more at home playing in front of what is essentially a home crowd. The interplay between the two is fun to watch, and their guitar styles blend well. With a pair of backing singers and a horn section, the thick bar band sound was rich with nuance and grungy joy.

Perennial one-man-band stylist Zach Deputy found himself a band and a whole lot of soul for the Wanee Festival. While missing some of his previous exuberance, the heartfelt singing and guitar licks showed how much he can do when focused on just fronting a band, putting to rest any doubts on his musical genius.

In the realm of genius, there are few bands as rich in musical intelligence as Furthur. From their decades of touring, founding members of the Grateful Dead Bob Weir and Phil Lesh have reignited their spark with Joe Russo and John Kadlecik, Jeff Chimenti. The band and vocalists have breathed new life into classic Dead tunes, and filled the role of elder statesmen of the music scene. It’s a fitting role as they are truly the creators of the travelling musical carnival know as festival season, and we among the first to run away and join the circus.

Opening with an appropriate Not Fade Away the band toured through their rich catalog of classics, with a Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain that had the crowd cheering and an encore of Touch of Grey that seemed to fit the mood of the day and weekend.

The time came for all the questions to be answered, and for the weekend’s hosts, The Allman Brothers Band, to take the stage. After their lifetime Grammy Award and the national attention it garnered for them, there were epic cheers as Gregg Allman took the stage and played the first three ripping numbers, including a breathy and powerful Midnight Rider.  Lest we forget, the Allman Brothers is more than just one man, and, at their heart, are a guitar-driven band that features two of the most noted southern rock players on the planet, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes.

Former child prodigy Trucks and long time band mate Haynes mesh together to form a wall of sound, backed by the deep bass lines of Oteil Burbridge and a trio of drummers and percussionists. Taking a few songs off, Gregg sat stage right and watched while Kofi Burbridge covered the organ for him joining Bruce Katz, who played the entire show supporting Gregg, while he gathered his strength for the tribute to come.

Warren Haynes took to the microphone and dedicated the three numbers to Levon Helm, and set off on one of the most inspiring tributes imaginable. With a strong history of the blues, the Allmans’ tribute could have easily been a somber affair, but by the time they came to The Weight, the stage was packed with Susan Tedeschi and her band’s backing vocalists and horn players.

Standing front and center was special guest Bob Weir, who led the band through the raucous cover, and channeled Levon’s spirit and vocal stylings clear through. A sea of dancing music fans drove home the decades of service Gregg and his band has done the world, as they were all there to revel in the songs that have provided the soundtrack to their lives.

Closing the set with In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, which quickly turned into a guitar lovers nirvana, before coming back out and encoring with a fitting No One To Run With, the band proved that there was still plenty of fight left in them. Particle had the unenviable task of finishing out the night, and managed to bring fresh energy to a crowd that had been going since the early hours of the day.

Saturday started off with ominous weather reports and threatening clouds, ready to wash the festival clean and bring nature’s power to the event. Allman Brothers drummer Jaimoe brought his jazz band to the amphitheater for a beautiful set of atmospheric songs that seemed to open to the sky like flowers. Those flowers were quickly watered by a downpour and the sets were pushed back a good 20 minutes. When they finally did get the okay to take the stage, Joan Osborne and Jackie Greene’s new band Trigger Hippy set out to show the crowd what they could do, and with their pedigree, it was more than could be expected. Having played a host of new songs, the band established themselves as a soulful force, with at times joyous singing by the delightful Osborne and serious riffing by Greene. A strong statement of things to come.

Leftover Salmon brought Vince Herman’s love of festivals and good time zydeco-tinged Americana to the amphitheater, while Gov’t Mule found their set cut short by rain as well. Starting from behind, Warren Haynes rapidly caught up to the recommended amount of wild jamming solos, and managed to turn in a set that inspired the crowd to chant his name in places!

Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires and Big Sam and His Funky Nation brought a true funk to the ampitheater, while the skies cleared and the rain fell to momentary outbursts. Furthur then took the main stage for a second three-hour slot, with guests like Joan Osborne to help bring an element of history to the proceedings. A massive Viola Lee Blues > Bertha > Viola Lee Blues > Wharf Rat > Viola Lee Blues > Stella Blue > I Know You Rider was one of the runs of the weekend and had more than one fan shell shocked from its execution. Encoring with U.S. Blues, Furthur turned in one of their most memorable two day runs and set the stage nicely, once again, for the fireworks to come. EOTO brought the dance fans to the amphitheater for a light and dance fest that stretched from the front of the stage to the reaches of the campground.

Coming back out, a visibly worn Gregg Allman again ascended his keyboard throne, nestling in behind the organ. Haynes took lead duties for the Allman Brothers Band, acting as field general and leading the night’s show, helping cover Gregg’s frequent breaks. Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All-Stars joined the fun for a couple of numbers, and covers of The Sky Is Crying and All Along The Watchtower, nestled next to Allman Brothers classics Jessica and Statesboro Blues before setting down a epic Mountain Jam to end the set.

Before ending the night with Southbound, Gregg Allman came out and joined Haynes and Trucks for a truly chilling cover of Neil Young’s Needle And The Damage Done. Gregg sat on a stool, and sang with a world weariness and awareness of his condition, and how he came to this point. Nothing is more telling than hearing advice from someone who has lived the subject, and with his battles fought and won long ago, Gregg Allman could give anyone advice on how to carry on through adversity.

It’s impossible to question Allman’s love for music, as he has continued on through tragedies and obstacles that would have stopped many a lesser man. But continue on he has, to the point of pushing himself to fight exhaustion and pain to simply do what he loves most, play for the people. There was an understanding in the crowd of the pain he was in, and the simple fact that he was fighting it to be there for them elevated the love they felt all the more.

In a world where dedication and perseverance are becoming true rarities, one man set out to do just that, and without intending to be an example to everyone who witnessed the show that in the end, it’s what you do in this world that matters and how you do it that sets you apart from the rest. From his distinctive honeyed voice to his bombastic organ runs, Gregg Allman has made his mark on the music world and made it in letters so huge that they can be seen from miles away.

Here’s a full gallery of Rex’s Wanee Festival photographs…

As we mentioned last week, all signs pointed to legendary rockers Pearl Jam adding another U.S. festival date and today we received our confirmation. Seattle-originated stalwarts Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam will headline September 21 and September 22 respectively of Music Midtown in Atlanta. Music Midtown is a long-running festival held in The Big Peach that took a five-year hiatus before returning last year. The two-stage event will take place in Piedmont Park.

In addition to Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters, the other bands set to play Music Midtown are The Avett Brothers, T.I., Florence & The Machine, Ludacris, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Avett Brothers, Girl Talk, Van Hunt, Civil Twilight, LP and Oh Brother. Tickets will initially cost you $55 per day or $100 for the whole shebang and go on sale this Saturday via Ticketmaster. Prices are expected to jump during the summer.

Here’s the breakdown by day…

Sept. 21: Foo Fighters, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, T.I., Avett Brothers and Van Hunt.

Sept. 22: Pearl Jam, Ludacris and Florence & The Machine. Girl Talk, Civil Twilight, LP and Oh Brother

[via AJC, hat tip - Kevin Tankersley]

Dave Matthews visited the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill last night for a special episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that also featured President Barack Obama. Matthews debuted a new tune called Mercy, along with Roots guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas. Check it out…

Dave and his band recently recorded a new album with producer Steve Lillywhite in Matthews’ current hometown of Seattle. Lillywhite tweeted that the track isn’t acoustic on the album. Matthews also helped the host out with a comedic song called Walk of Shame.

Turns out it only took a collaboration with British multi-instrumentalist composer, electronic music whiz, and Phillip Glass protege Jon Hopkins for King Creosote to reach a wide audience. You would have thought the forty albums the Scottish singer-songwriter has put out would have done the trick, but you never know when the breaks are gonna come. Nevertheless, the two make a heady pairing and their latest video gets the award for best concept of the month, as an otherwise peaceful rural setting gets devastated by the wrath of a humongous swan. Enjoy…

The initial lineup for the 19th annual Telluride Blues & Brews Fest has been announced and features HT faves Phil Lesh & Friends, Gov’t Mule and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. The B-52s, MarchFourth Marching Band, Tab Benoit, Little Hurricane and The Lee Boys are also set to perform at the event, which takes place in scenic Telluride Town Park on September 14 – 16.

As of press time, the lineup Phil will use for this gig hasn’t been revealed, but with Chris Robinson and Warren Haynes on hand at the event, we’re thinking they are a safe bet to perform with the bassist. More Telluride Blues & Brews Fest acts will be announced next month.

Three-day passes for the festival are on sale now for $170.

Going back to another idea I’ve toyed with here in past Postcards From Page Side columns, today I want to dig into the my past, and the world of now defunct bands that I grew up loving, and want to introduce to you. Instead of my typical “jamband,” I instead turn to the first “indie” or “alternative” band, besides the mainstream acts of the early nineties, that caught my ear: Luna.

Having heard a friend play a tune in a bar last week on the internet jukebox, I was inspired to re-buy 12 albums of the group’s from iTunes this weekend, and have been spinning their entire catalogue on a heavy rotation non-stop ever since. Coming from the Latin word for the Moon, the name Luna itself represents a natural satellite that not only rotates the earth, but also the insides of my mind and my visions and late-night memories of New York City.

Described by Rolling Stone as “the best band you’ve never heard of,” that certainly is how I feel a few times a year when I tear through the band’s catalogue and have a renaissance of mid-’90s Velvet Underground-esque sounds, before their final show in 2005. I’ve always associated Luna with a slightly cleaner and more romanticized lyrical version of the Velvet Underground, and that now makes sense after I learned they opened for them on their 1993 European summer tour. As their Wikipedia page also states (and I feel NAILS their sound to a ): “Luna combined intricate guitar work, traditional rock rhythms and poetic lyrics to elegantly capture the romance of the late night.”

Founded by front-man and guitarist Dean Wareham in 1991 after quitting Galaxie 500, the band shifted lineups a few times before settling upon the lineup of Justin Harwood (bass), Sean Eden (guitar) and Stanley Demeski (drums), that defined Luna for the better part of the ’90s. (Lee Wall eventually replaced Demeski on drums in ’97 and Britta Phillips – Wareham’s future wife – replaced Harwood on bass in ’99). Touring under the radar throughout most of their career and based out of New York City, Luna provided a soundtrack that romanticized and captured the beautiful underbelly and attitude of the darker parts of New York life.

From the unofficial debut of Lunapark (1992) to Bewitched (1994) or one of the most quintessential albums of the ’90s, Penthouse (1995), Luna managed to stay true to their craft and message, while capturing a one-of-a-kind sound that still rings in my ears to this day. The other things about their albums is that they truly are all masterpieces in their own right. I often start with the first track, hit play and drift off into another world of consciousness, all without ever skipping a single track, a true sign of a great album in my book – and I seemingly do it with every one of Luna’s recordings!

I was lucky enough to see them twice in the late ’90s and early ’00s, one show at Irving Plaza really sticks out in my mind of the best shows of the era. The true musicianship and sense that this band was from the toughest city on the planet, and had found their own little niche in it was a refreshing breath of inspiration that still sticks with me today, long after the band is gone.

And what better way to see what I am talking about than to hear it for yourself? Well, please enjoy this playlist I have put together featuring some of Luna’s classic tracks. Kicking off with the one-two combo that starts Bewitched, California All the Way and Tiger Lily, you immediately are drawn in by the warm, yet floaty and disconnected vocals of Wareham, amidst screaming guitars and a melody as sweet as sugar, seemingly mixed with a tinge of heroin. 23 Minutes in Brussels – one of my go-to tunes by this band – really kicks things up a notch before we are hit sideways by the whammy-bar guitar lines in Sideshow by the Seashore.

Tossing in their first true single, the catchy This Time Around, and a few choice covers in Waiting on a Friend and Bonnie and Clyde, the mix really blasts into the stratosphere — and around the Lunar Moon — with the climax of Freakin’ and Peakin’, before the immediate chill-down track of Sleeping Pill, appropriately titled after a long night in the darkness of New York City with Wareham and company.

Feel free to check out more for yourself at:

http://www.fuzzywuzzy.com/

I hope you enjoy!

Last week iconic rockers Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers embarked on a lengthy world tour that will bring them across North America and Europe before it’s currently scheduled to finish in June. So far, through the first three performances of the run, The Heartbreakers have mixed their greatest hits with a few chestnuts and a batch of covers to make up their set.

At the second show of the tour, on April 19 in Broomfield, Colo., Petty and his band debuted a cover of J.J. Cale’s Travelin’ Light. Tom remarked that it was the group’s first public performance of the tune before drummer Steve Ferrone kicked in to the song’s familiar disco-esque beat. We’ve been waiting for a video of Travelin’ Light to find its way to YouTube and we finally came across one that’s decent enough to post. The video leaves something to be desired, but the audio shows off how the band did a fine job of jamming out Travelin’ Light…

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Travelin’ Light

We recently reported on POP ETC (@popetcetera), the newly named band formerly known as The Morning Benders. Along with the name change, the band issued the POP ETC Mixtape for free download. The mixtape was reviewed by Listen Before You Buy (@ListenB4YouBuy) and in a candid exchange on Twitter the band and the website shed light on how reviews are crafted and how a band reacts to a “bad” review.

gonna chat on here for a minute. tweet @ us if u got a question or just want to say hey.

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:42 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera Hey. <3

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:48 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@ListenB4YouBuy hey! i got a question for U

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:50 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera Question away!

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:50 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@ListenB4YouBuy whats the mindset behind having someone give a mediocre review when u have a writer that loves/supports what we’re doing?

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:51 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy just curious

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:51 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera It’s pretty much just writer opinion. The reviewer who took your mixtape I guess didn’t agree with me and a couple of others…

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:52 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@popetcetera …we have a process where you can claim reviews and the reviewer “claimed” it before @_jorgemir_ did….but yeah…

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:54 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@ListenB4YouBuy yea i know it’s the writer’s opinion. i would just think as a publication, where u all have mutual respect for each other

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:53 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy as a collective. youd go with a positive take rather than a negative take. especially for something that’s free.

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:54 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy not like you are warning people not to waste their money on something ;)

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:54 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera …it can definitely be inconsistent, and we’ve toyed with having a “collective” voice but it was shot down. For the record…

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:55 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@popetcetera …the rest of us on the team loved the mixtape, which only lends to the confusion more I guess.

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:56 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@ListenB4YouBuy everything we do for a while seems like it’s going to be divisive, given the circumstances around the name/ our music…

Monday, April 23, 2012 12:59 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy since most started as just posting songs and championing things they liked.

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:00 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera That’s exactly how we started too, just me posting what I liked, and we still do. But with the amount of content I want to…

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:02 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@popetcetera …post on the site I can’t do it all myself, and my writing blows, so I bring on other people to do what I can’t (write well)

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:02 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@popetcetera And I guess if someone wants to write a review it’d be unfair for me to say “You need to give this a good review”

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:05 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@ListenB4YouBuy of course some people arent going to like it. more just curious about how music blogs/sites see themselves

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:00 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy as music lovers? critics? etc? dif than b4 a magazine reviewing things being sold/on the radio crammed down peoples’ throats

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:02 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera When they don’t like it themselves, then the writing would come off as disingenuous. Maybe it’s a fine line between…

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:06 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@popetcetera Me being fair to my writers, and the site being fair to the music we promote. Question for you, though…

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:07 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@popetcetera How is it for you when big sites with pull will post your songs and then give you a poor review? Same when small ones like us?

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:08 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@ListenB4YouBuy the discussion for when a negative review is warranted, is a different conversation…

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:15 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy doesnt matter how big the site is

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:10 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy my question was more just why you chose a writer to review who didnt like it, when you had a writer who did, that’s all

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:16 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@ListenB4YouBuy and u answered :) thx!

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:16 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera Maybe I SHOULD start picking & choosing. ;) Incidentally, is there an email I could hit you up at? I have a somewhat related Q.

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:20 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

@ListenB4YouBuy gmail.com”>popetcetera@gmail.com

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:21 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@popetcetera

POP ETC

@popetcetera Cool, thanks dude!

Monday, April 23, 2012 1:21 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@ListenB4YouBuy

ListenBeforeYouBuy

It’s not often this type of frank discussion from both the band and website takes place out in the open, showing once again one of the many benefits of Twitter. It’s clear from this exchange that at least some bands very much care about how their music is reviewed and that some music websites take the role of critic very seriously. Props to POP ETC for taking this dialog to the public and constantly engaging and responding to their followers on Twitter.

For the April 19th episode of the Fuse television show Hoppus on Music, comedian Christian Finnegan shared a five-minute clip of a fishing trip he took with noted fisherman Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo. Deaner, a licensed fishing guide, has been taking customers out on his boat, The Archangel, for guided fishing tours over the past few years.

In this five-minute clip from the program, Deaner faces off against Finnegan in a competition to catch the most fish. Along the way, Melchiondo discusses other musicians he’s taken on fishing tours, the movie/TV work he’s most proud of and the making of the fantastic Ween album The Mollusk. Check it out…

Hoppus on Music: Fishing with Dean Ween

Each year we’re more and more impressed by Bonnaroo’s ability to mix both classic and contemporary acts from across multiple genres, but we also love when they seem to throw the proverbial curve ball. Yesterday fest organizers did just that, when they revealed that country legend and former rotisserie chicken impresario Kenny Rogers had been added to the lineup. Rogers, who is best known as the singer of the country classic The Gambler and karaoke staple Islands In The Stream, has released 32 studio albums, charting 21 number one hits and selling a staggering 68 million records in the U.S. Along with the announcement of The Gambler would be appearing in Manchester, we were also given the first batch of artists that will be playing the smaller Cafe stages – which include HT faves Deep Dark Woods, Jukebox The Ghost and Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds.

• List Time: 10 Great Levon Helm Performance
• Conor Oberst to open a cocktail lounge in his hometown of Omaha, NE
• Cover Alert: John Mayer tackles Lana Del Ray
• Jack White will compose the score to the upcoming Lone Ranger movie
• Download This: Miles Davis Plays The Music Of Prince
• Cat Power announced she will release her new album Sun on 9/11 via Twitter

Finally, we’re big fans of rock-docs, and we’re even bigger fans when you can actually go and see them on the big screen in a movie theater, so we were pretty excited to hear about a new documentary about The Beatles first full U.S. concert entitled The Beatles: The Lost Concert. The 92-minute doc features The Fab Four’s entire 12-song, thirty-plus minute set from recorded on February 11, 1964 at D.C.’s Washington Coliseum, which was “lost” for 47 years. The concert, which will took place just two days after their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, was originally filmed by eight cameras, and shown later that month on close-circuit at movie theaters around the country and has not been seen widely since. The film be shown in a limited engagement at theaters across the United States on May 17th and 22nd, with a special premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan on May 6th.

HT faves and former Blips act The War On Drugs made their Letterman debut last night on The Late Show. The band sounded fantastic and delivered an impressive version of Come To The City…

The War On Drugs – Come To The City

Prog-jammers Umphrey’s McGee have always been proud of their hometown, so it’s no surprise they jumped at the opportunity to pen an ode to The Windy City. For a tune called Chicago, which debuted this morning at USA Today’s website, the sextet teamed with Chicago legends Buddy Guy and Chicago (The Band) for a tribute to all things Chicago.

Umphrey’s will perform the song tonight at a special HUG Chicago 2012 “thank you” concert at the Park West. “We love the city of Chicago and all of our amazing fans here, so this was a complete no-brainer for us,” Bayliss said in a press release. “For a city that’s given us so much over the years, writing this song felt like something that was meant to happen, and we hope it will help others recognize everything that Chicago has to offer.” Here’s the tune…

Tomorrow night the group returns to Park West for UM Bowl III.

[Originally Published: November 10, 2011]

Thanks to our friend Ed Watts for contributing this week’s B List.

In 1976 Peter Frampton made the “talk box” guitar effect famous with Frampton Comes Alive!, an album which featured the device on the songs Do You Feel Like We Do? and Baby, I Love Your Way. With a sound as thick as the lava in a lava lamp, the talk box would propel Frampton Comes Alive! to become the best-selling record of 1976, win the Album of the Year prize in the 1976 Rolling Stone readers poll and in 1994 be recognized by Ben Stiller’s character in the movie Reality Bites as the album that totally changed his life.

So what exactly is the talk box? Officially, it’s an effect unit which allows a musician to control the tone of an instrument with a tube inserted in his or her mouth. Unofficially, it’s a magical talisman that could cause rock fans to go nuts when it was introduced 15 minutes into an already interminable concert jam, containing enough power to nearly make a grown woman cry when a rock star made eye contact with her and approximated the words “I Love You” through it. Oh, and it kind of looks like a cross between night braces and an experimental device to deal with emphysema. See it in action here:

So now that you what it is, here’s the top ten songs featuring a talk box that were not performed by Peter Frampton:

10. Sly and the Family Stone – Sex Machine

Evidently the magic of the talk box was not powerful enough to keep Sly Stone from becoming homeless in the last couple of years, but still, back in 1969 it had enough voodoo to turn this very long funk jam into a listenable tune, making the guitar sound kind of like a harmonica:

9. Joe Walsh – Rocky Mountain Way

Normally I am on the same page as Lebowski about anyone or anything connected with the Eagles, but this is one of the more iconic uses of the talk box, the first hit song prior to Frampton to really feature it:

8. Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion

You could argue that this song should have been ranked higher due to its popularity, but the talk box is used only briefly, mainly during the “ba-da-da-ba-da-da” of the opening. By the way, I don’t know what the jungle stage set is about in this video, but I love it:

7. Steely Dan – Haitian Divorce

Given Steely Dan’s sound, their era, and their nerdy approach to music, I’m surprised this is the only Steely Dan song with a talk box (and no, I have no idea what the lyrics are about either):

6. Stillwater – Mind Bender

Rock nerds take note: before Stillwater became the name of a fictional band in the movie Almost Famous, it was the name of an actual band from the ’70s that no one had ever heard of. Rumor has it that Cameron Crowe was able to get permission to use the name after flattering the long-forgotten group with a personal invite to a screening of the film. In a weird twist, the songs played by the fictitious Stillwater were written for the film by Nancy Wilson, Cameron Crowe and Peter Frampton…

5. Pink Floyd – Pigs (Three Different Ones)

The most depressing use of a talk box:
(most prominently used at 5:13 for the main guitar solo)

4. Stevie Wonder – Close to You

Stevie first used a talk box on his album Music of My Mind in early 1972, featuring it most prominently in the song Love Having You Around. But his best use of it has to be on this rare video. As one youtube commenter says: “bet that guy who laughs toward the beginning feels like such a dickhead as the song progresses and gets beautiful as hell.”

3.Rage Against the Machine – Wake Up

Rage proved that the talk box could have a social consciousness in 1992:
(the talk box is most prominent about 2:56 into the song with the “stutter” guitar solo)

2 The Meters – Funkify Your Life

You can’t get any funkier than the Meters – believe me, I’ve tried, and I only wound up hurting myself. This is the funkiest use of the talk box ever. It’s a song from the 1977 album New Directions, and to date no one knows whether the name of this album (or the name of the world’s most famous Glee Club for that matter) is an intentional pun on “Nude Erections”:

1. Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer

Even though I am originally from New Jersey, this is not a biased choice for number 1. Without a doubt, this is absolutely the best use of the talk box ever. Starting from the famous opening lick, this classic tune has talk box smeared all over it. Perhaps wisely, the band decided not to include a scene of Richie Sambora fellating the device in the official video, but you can catch glimpses of him using it during this live video from the 1987 MTV music awards, in which evidently the talk box has bestowed upon Jon Bon Jovi the power of flight:

Honorary mention:
The talk box Justin Beiber?

What songs use the talk box that didn’t make our list?

As you may recall, the Warren Haynes Band was tapped by New Orleans Jazz Fest organizers to replace Levon Helm at the Fairgrounds on May 5. Today, Haynes’ Twitter account revealed that the WHB will be joined by New Orleans legend Dr. John for “a few songs” on the 5th.

Haynes has performed with Dr. John at the closing show of the Allman Brothers Band’s 2011 Beacon Run and both men backed John Scofield on the guitarist’s That’s What I Say Ray Charles tribute album. The Warren Haynes Band is scheduled to play the Blues Tent on May 5 at 5:30PM.

Last weekend the Allman Brothers Band headlined the Wanee Festival and in his review, HT contributor Rex Thomson couldn’t help but notice that founding member Gregg Allman did not look well. Allman was set to head off soon on a publicity tour behind his new autobiography that was to include visits to the Colbert Report and Piers Morgan Tonight, however the publicity tour has been postponed due to another health issue.

According to Rolling Stone, Allman “will undergo diagnostic cardiac testing tomorrow at the Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonsville, Florida to determine whether he needs additional care stemming from his recent hernia operation.” In a statement, the rocker mentioned that ”as soon as doctors give me the thumbs up to go back on the road, I will be heading out onto my book tour and I can’t wait to meet all of my fans.”

Gregg has until late July to re-cooperate before The Allman Brothers Band have shows scheduled. In addition to a headlining their own Peach Festival and the All Good Festival, there are a pair of listings for Boston ABB performances on Ticketmaster which haven’t officially been added to the band’s schedule. Here’s hoping Gregg regains his health and that the road goes on forever for Allman.