With each passing year it seems like corporate America tries to start the holiday season earlier and earlier, and it seems like even the indie-rock work has bought into this philosophy. While we’ve barely even made it to Halloween, the poster-boy for the hipster Christmas movement, Sufjan Stevens, appears ready to get his stockings hung and decorate his tree. The singer-songwriter, who will release Silver & Gold, his second volume of Christmas music, in the coming weeks, just dropped the video for its first single – Mr. FROSTY MAN. The NSFW claymation clip features flesh-eating zombies and a vengeful snowman who is out to destroy them. Let’s check it out…

Sufjan Stevens – Mr. FROSTY MAN

Sufjan Stevens will kick off his “Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant On Ice” tour on November 23 at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia.

Back on October 11th a number of talented Vermont-based musicians came together at South Burlington’s Higher Ground for the third Hug Your Farmer benefit concert. The proceeds from the show, which was a tribute to The Rolling Stones’ 50th Anniversary, went to the Vermont New Farmer Project. Phish drummer Jon Fishman, TAB members Ray Packzowski (keys) and Russ Lawton (drums) were joined by Clint Bierman (electric guitar), Peter Day (bass), Steve Hadeka (drums/percussion), Bob Wagner (electric guitar), Mike Pedersen (acoustic), Dave Grippo (alto sax), Brian McCarthy (baritone sax), Chris Peterman (tenor sax), Rich Price & Greg Naughton (vocals), Mike Clifford & Matt Hagen (vocals), Jer Coons (vocals), Kat Wright (vocals), Christina Durfee (vocals), Ryan Miller (vocals) and Ryan Ober (vocals) at various points during the two set show.

For one of the encores, most of the evening’s performers gathered for a memorable take on You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Professionally shot footage of the tune has surfaced. Take a look…

The end of the week is here and that means another Full Show Friday column. For this week’s FSF, we set the HT time machine to the year 2006 for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ headlining appearance at Bonnaroo. The band was in the midst of a lengthy tour with Stevie Nicks and though the Fleetwood Mac singer wasn’t on the bill, she did make the trip to ‘Roo where she sang Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, I Need To Know and American Girl with the Heartbreakers.

Petty’s two-hour-plus set also included a handful of well-played covers such as Bo Diddley’s I’m A Man, Oh Well by Fleetwood Mac and Them’s Mystic Eyes and Gloria. The rest of the setlist contained an array of the group’s greatest hits with only a few deep cuts thrown in. Many sets from Bonnaroo 2006 were webcast live including this one which has made it to YouTube for our viewing pleasure…

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Bonnaroo 2006 Set

Set: Listen to Her Heart, You Don’t Know How It Feels, I Won’t Back Down, Free Fallin’, Saving Grace, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, I’m a Man (Bo Diddley cover), Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover), Handle with Care (Traveling Wilburys cover), Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (with Stevie Nicks), I Need to Know (with Stevie Nicks), Melinda, Insider, Learning to Fly, Don’t Come Around Here No More, Refugee, Runnin’ Down a Dream

Encore: You Wreck Me, Mystic Eyes (Them cover), Gloria (Them cover), American Girl (with Stevie Nicks)

Earlier this month we told you about the fourth installment of the Grateful Dead’s Dave’s Picks series of live archival releases. Today, the band has announced a subscription series for the four Dave’s Picks installments they plan to release in 2013 and as part of that announcement have revealed that the Grateful Dead show from Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California on November 17th, 1973 has been selected as Dave’s Picks Vol. 5.

Discussion about 11/17/73 usually focuses around the sublime “Playing In The Band -> Uncle John’s Band -> Morning Dew -> Uncle John’s Band -> Playing In The Band” sandwich that makes up the meat of the second set. Each song was played to the nines with Phil Lesh’s work in Morning Dew especially taking our breath away. This performance was from the “One Drummer Era” and Bill Kreutzmann was on fire throughout. Other highlights include an outstanding Here Comes Sunshine, a rare The Race Is On and an exploratory Eyes of the World. We’re sure this show has a special place in the heart of famed Deadhead Bill Walton considering he was attending UCLA at the time.

Here’s the setlist from November 17th, 1973…

Set One: Me & My Uncle, Here Comes Sunshine, Looks Like Rain, Deal, Mexicali Blues, Tennessee Jed, The Race is On, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider, Big River, Brown Eyed Women, Around & Around

Set Two: Row Jimmy, Jack Straw, Ramble On Rose, Playin’ In The Band -> Uncle John’s Band -> Morning Dew -> Uncle John’s Band -> Playin’ In The Band, Stella Blue, El Paso, Eyes Of The World -> Sugar Magnolia

Encore: Casey Jones

GD legacy manager David Lemieux chats about the Dave’s Picks 2013 series…

The 2013 Dave’s Picks Subscription Series is currently available for $99.98. For that, you get all four limited edition Dave’s Picks releases set for next year, along with a bonus disc and free shipping. Dave’s Picks Vol. 5 is expected to ship on February 1 followed by releases in May, August and November.

The Grate Room at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads venue in San Rafael, Calif. is currently undergoing a renovation and today the venue has announced a two-week gala to welcome back the refurbished “Grate Room” section of the joint. The lineups Lesh has put together are just amazing and are highlighted by four nights of The “Q” – Phil’s longest running post-Dead ensemble that features Rob Barraco, John Molo, Jimmy Herring, Warren Haynes and the Grateful Dead / Furthur bassist.

The action starts on Nov. 28th with a free bar show with Phil and Deep Dark Woods. On the 29th, Lesh will be joined by Bob Weir, Jackie Greene and other special guests. Then, on Nov. 29th – Dec. 1, Greene will open for Lesh, Weir, John Scofield, John Medeski and Joe Russo – what a fucking band. From Dec. 3 – 5, the Storytellers series will take over the venue followed by The “Q” finales.

Here’s the full details on what looks to be a ridiculous few weeks of shows…

Celebrate the unveiling of the Beautifully Refurbished and Acoustically Pristine Grate Room with a Two Week Terrapin Crossroads Extravaganza!

Starting November 28th, Terrapin Crossroads will feature an exhilarating two week run of Music, Food, Parties, Events and More! The Two Week Terrapin Extravaganza will feature music and events in the Grate Room, the Terrapin Crossroads bar, and a Special VIP Tent.

Don’t Miss out on the following events!
November 28th – Free Bar show with Phil and The Deep Dark Woods, along with other guests

November 29th – Grate Room Gala – Music with Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Jackie Greene and other special guests

November 30th, December 1st and December 2nd – Jackie Greene will kick things off followed by Phil Lesh & Friends with Phil, Warren Haynes, John Scofield, John Medeski and Joe Russo

December 3rd, 4th and 5th – All sorts of Grate activities in the tent including a special Storytellers Series along with never before displayed Grateful Dead memorabilia and tons of music! All free but subject to availability.

December 6th through 9th – The Q! The Longest Running Incarnation of Phil Lesh & Friends ever, the Quintet Features Phil Lesh, Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, John Molo and Rob Barraco

Tickets, both regular and VIP, for the Grate Room Gala with Phil, Bob Weir, Jackie Greene and other special guests and the Phil Lesh & Friends shows featuring Warren Haynes, John Scofield, John Medeski and Joe Russo available online at Noon on Monday, Oct. 29th and at the Terrapin Crossroads Box Office starting Tuesday, Oct. 30th at 4pm PST. All tickets subject to availability.

The Phil Lesh & Friends Quintet shows featuring Phil, Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, John Molo and Rob Barraco will go on-sale Friday, November 2nd at Noon PST online and at 4:00 pm PST at the Terrapin Crossroads Box Office

All General Admission Tickets for The Grate Room Gala, Phil Lesh & Friends and Phil Lesh Quintet — $150

All VIP Tickets for The Grate Room Gala, Phil Lesh & Friends and Phil Lesh Quintet – $300

A VIP ticket will get you access to the VIP Tent before, during and after the show, early access and dedicated entrance to the show, Free Wine, Beer and Hearty Appetizers before the show, Coffee and Dessert during the Set Break, and a Collectable Poster signed by Phil AND a post show performance by Phil and special guests!

In preparation for a series of shows to celebrate their 50th Anniversary, The Rolling Stones performed in public for the first time since 2007 on Thursday night at Le Trabendo in Paris. An intimate crowd of 600 was on hand to see the group barrel through 12 songs from throughout their career including the debut performance of Doom and Gloom. Along with 10 originals, The Stones covered Route 66 by Nat King Cole and Muddy Waters’ Champagne and Reefer.

While cell phones and cameras were prohibited, a fan-shot clip of Shattered and When The Whip Comes Down has surfaced which shows a band rough around the edges. The Paris performance featured the core version of The Rolling Stones – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Darryl Jones and Chuck Leavell – a far cry from their most recent tour when seven additional musicians backed the “core band.” Over on YouTube, The Rolling Stones posted a short video of Jumpin’ Jack Flash from Paris which finds Wood and Keef in fine form…

Rolling Stones – Jumping Jack Flash

Set: Route 66, It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It), Shattered, When The Whip Comes Down, Champagne and Reefer, Doom and Gloom, Miss You, Start Me Up, Midnight Rambler, Tumbling Dice

Encore: Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Brown Sugar

The Lee Boys are in the middle of a tour with Gov’t Mule that visited the Orpheum Theatre in Boston last night. Last week saw the release of Testify, the latest Lee Boys album, which came out on Evil Teen, a label co-owned by Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes. Warren sat in with The Lee Boys on I’m On My Way in the opening set before The Lee Boys’ Roosevelt Collier came out during Mule’s encore to add lap steel to the traditional John The Revelator and the Timothy Matthews / George Jackson blues classic Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home. Here’s the entire encore…

Gov’t Mule w/ Roosevelt Collier – John The Revelator / Feel Like Breaking Up…

Both bands perform at The State Theatre in Ithaca, New York tonight.

Since Halloween takes place during the week this year, many acts celebrated the “holiday” this weekend. One of those bands was moe. who played three sets at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last night. Unlike past Halloween shows where moe. dug deep for interesting themes, this year’s affair was “moe. covers moe.”

[Stage Design Similar To Headseed Cover by 615 Design - Photo via moe. FB]

The jam stalwarts covered three albums in their entirety over the course of three sets. For the first set, moe. tackled an acoustic version of their most recent LP – What Happened To The LA LAs? The second set found the group running through their debut album, Fatboy, while the third set consisted of 1994′s Headseed, minus Yodelittle, which was also on Fatboy and was performed during the second set.  As the encore, moe. dusted off That Coffee Tune for the first time since April 25, 1997 and Brain Tuba which was last played on November 11th, 1998. Other bustouts played as part of the albums were Long Island Girls Rule (LTP – 7/28/07) and The Battle of Benny Hill (LTP – 2/1/97).

Set 1: The Bones of Lazarus¹, Haze¹, Downward Facing Dog¹,Rainshine¹, Smoke¹, Paper Dragon¹, Chromatic Nightmare¹,Puebla¹, One Way Traffic¹, Suck A Lemon¹

Set 2: Y.O.Y.² > Havah Negilah > Long Island Girls Rule^2 3 > Dr. Graffenberg²,Don’t Fuck With Flo² > Yodelittle² > Spine Of A Dog²,Sensory Deprivation Bank² > The Battle Of Benny Hill^2 4

Set 3: Akimbo⁵, Mexico⁵, Timmy Tucker⁵, St. Augustine⁵,Recreational Chemistry⁵, Time Again⁵, Brent Black⁵, Threw It All Away⁵, Time Ed⁵

Encore: That Coffee Tune⁶, Brain Tuba⁷

¹Entire ‘What happened to the La La’s’ album (acoustic)
²Entire ‘Fatboy’ album
³Last time played 07/28/2007 (392 shows)
⁴Last time played 02/01/1997 (1519 shows)
⁵Entire ‘Headseed’ album
⁶Last time played 04/25/1997 (1464 shows)
⁷Last time played 11/11/1998 (1287 shows)

Setlist via PT moe.

You can listen to a recording of the whole performance at archive.org.

For those of us in the path of the impending “Frankenstorm” that’s all you’ve been hearing about for the past few days. Earlier this morning NY Gov. Cuomo announced that the MTA would shut down at 7PM tonight, including the Metro-North, which would make it tough for many to travel to tonight’s Trey Anastasio show at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.

The Cap’s website has just been updated with word that the show has been POSTPONED. The show has been rescheduled for Monday, November 5th.

Due to the arrival of Hurricane Sandy and New York’s decision to cancel public transportation, tonight’s Trey Anastasio Band concert at The Capitol Theatre will not take place.

We are all deeply disappointed but this decision was made with the safety of our fans in mind. We are currently working to reschedule this date and hope to achieve this soon. Please check back on our website for more information.

HT faves Umphrey’s McGee kept their tradition of mashing up songs at their Halloween show going last night at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee. Like many other bands, UM celebrated Halloween early this year, though they are set to perform at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland on Halloween proper. At yesterday’s two set performance, the band unveiled three new mashups.

[UM's Costumes via @UmphreysMcGee]

Mashup #1 came out towards the end of the first set and combined elements of Exodus by Bob Marley, the Talking Heads’ Life During Wartime and Zappa’s City of Tiny Lites. It has been dubbed “City of Exodus During Wartime” by the band and was sung by Charlie Otto of opening act (and Talking Heads cover band) This Must Be The Band. In the second set, UM unveiled mashup #2, Ace of Long Nights, which combined elements of It’s Gonna Be A Long Night by Ween and Motorhead’s Ace of Spades. You might recall that the artist formerly known as Gene Ween took a shot at Umphrey’s on the Ween Forum. Gener has since apologized for the slight and said the name just “popped into his head.”

Set 1: Wappy Sprayberry > All In Time > Smell the Mitten, Loose Ends, Slacker, Life During Exodus^[1], JaJunk

Set 2: The Triple Wide > Rocker Part 2, Ace of Long Nights^[2], Kabump > Mulche’s Odyssey, Andy’s Last Beer, Prowler^[3] > All In Time

Encore: Frankie Zombie^[4]

[1] debut; Life During Wartime (Talking Heads) + Exodus (Bob Marley) + City of Tiny Lites (Frank Zappa) mash-up; with Charlie Otto (This Must Be the Band) on vocals
[2] debut; Ace of Spades (Motorhead) + It’s Gonna Be a Long Night (Ween) mash-up
[3] with Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love (Van Halen) tease
[4] debut; Thunder Kiss ’65 (White Zombie) + Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) + Have a Cigar (Pink Floyd) mash-up

band costumes: Brendan was Jay ZZ Top, Jake was Johnny Cassius Clay, Joel was Nacho Liberace, Andy was Ludachrist, Kris was Elton John McEnroe, and Ryan was Salvador Dali Parton
with Cheap Sunglasses (ZZ Top) teased before Loose Ends and La Grange (ZZ Top) teased before Ace of Long Nights

Support: This Must Be the Band

[via All Things Umphrey's]

The final mashup of the night, Frankie Zombie, served as the encore. Umphrey’s mashed White Zombie’s Thunder Kiss ’65, Pink Floyd’s Have A Cigar and Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood to create Frankie Zombie. As usual, the band donned mashed up costumes this year. Brendan was Jay ZZ Top, Jake was Johnny Cassius Clay, Joel was Nacho Liberace, Andy was Ludachrist, Kris was Elton John McEnroe and Ryan was Salvador Dali Parton. Wednesday’s show will air live on AXS TV.

Trey Anastasio @ Orpheum Theatre, October 27

Photos and Words: Parker Harrington

Trey Anastasio Band’s nine-show tour, which has taken them everywhere from Detroit to Chicago to Columbus to New York City, landed last night at the famed Orpheum Theater in Boston. The sold-out show was the next to last performance before the band closes out the tour back in New York at the recently reopened Capitol Theater in Port Chester on November 5th. (date rescheduled from Sunday due to impending storm).

As Halloween approaches, there was a fair share of costumed fans among the energetic crowd who seemed thrilled to have Trey back in town. An upbeat Money, Love and Change opened the show which was heavy with Traveler material. Corona and Architect were stand-outs from the new tunes with the latter featuring particularly outstanding lighting work by lighting designer Marc Janowitz. The geometric shapes of the lights and the way Trey was framed and his guitar highlighted really helped to tell the story of the song. Pigtail, Clint Eastwood, Let Me Lie, Scabbard and Frost were also played from the new album. The only song that hadn’t been performed regularly this tour was first set bust out Flock of Words which hadn’t been performed by TAB since 2010.

It will be exciting to see which songs from Traveler make it into the Phish repertoire as many of them seem like prime material for Trey’s other band to tackle. However, last night in Boston, that question didn’t matter much as the crowd was fully engaged with TAB and on their feet all night. The workhorse, always spirited and quintessential TAB song, First Tube, closed the second set prior to a Show of Life encore. And the band, indeed did, shine for a while in this marvelous show.

Set 1: Money, Love and Change, Sweet Dreams Melinda, Cayman Review, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Let Me Lie, Scabbard, Frost, Drifting, Simple Twist Up Dave, Flock of Words, Push On ‘Til the Day

Set 2: Corona, Gotta Jibboo, Valentine, Tuesday, Magilla, Pigtail > Goodbye Head > Architect, Sand, Clint Eastwood, First Tube

Encore: Show of Life

[Setlist via Phish.net]

Check out a full gallery of photos and plenty of videos…

[Playlist: Scabbard, Frost, Drifting, Simple Twist Up Dave, Flock of Words, Push On Til The Day, Corona, Gotta Jibboo, Valentine, Tuesday, Magilla, Pigtail, Goodbye Head, Architect, Sand, Clint Eastwood, First Tube, Show of Life]

On The Avett Brothers’ most recent tour, the band has taken to covering the title track from an album Pitchfork called the fourth best of the ’90s – Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. The Avetts included their cover of the Jeff Mangum-penned classic in their set on Friday at Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. Seth Avett and Co. do a fantastic job with the tune. Take a look…

Avett Brothers – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

It’s a tremendous week for Jimmy Kimmel as he welcomes Alicia Keys on Monday, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings on Tuesday, Vampire Weekend on Halloween and The Avett Brothers featuring the Brooklyn Philharmonic on Thursday from the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Kimmel’s week is chock full of great non-musical guests as well with Chris Rock, Howard Stern, David Letterman, Tracy Morgan, Stephen Colbert and John Stewart all scheduled to make appearances.

Other highlights this week include David Byrne and St. Vincent on Letterman on Tuesday and AXS’s live broadcast of the Umphrey’s McGee Halloween show from Maryland. Oh – and some guy named Trey Anastasio will be visiting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday.

Monday, October 29 [All Times ET]

• Madonna on Ellen [syndicated - check listings]
• Bob Mould on Conan [TBS 11PM]
• Two Door Cinema Club on Jay Leno [NBC 11:35PM]
• Alicia Keys on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]
• Imagine Dragons on Jimmy Fallon [NBC 12:35AM]

Tuesday, October 30

• Foreigner: Live at the Grammy Museum [AXS 11PM]
• David Byrne & St. Vincent on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• Lifehouse on Jay Leno [NBC 11:35PM]
• Sharon Jones & Dap Kings on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]
• Trey Anastasio on Jimmy Fallon [NBC 12:35AM]

Wednesday, October 31

• Umphrey’s McGee: All Night Wrong [AXS 9PM]
• Needtobreathe on Conan [TBS 11PM]
• Rita Ora on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• Macy Grey on Jay Leno [NBC 11:35PM]
• Vampire Weekend on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]

Thursday, November 1

• Cory Chisel on Conan [TBS 11PM]
• Walk The Moon: Unplugged [Palladia 11:30PM]
• Aerosmith on David Letterman [CBS 11:35PM]
• ZZ Ward on Jay Leno [NBC 11:35PM]
• The Avett Brothers featuring the Brooklyn Philharmonic on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]

While Portland and Seattle have been the epicenters of the recent bearded folk-rock movement, further down the coast, bands who call Los Angeles home have been putting their own sun-baked spin on those pastoral harmony-laden sounds. With acts like Dawes, Local Natives and The Belle Brigade paving the way, the latest act coming out of the City of Angels that has been garnering a healthy dose of buzz is Lord Huron. Fronted by lead singer Ben Schneider, the five-piece band may be best described as L.A.’s answer to the Fleet Foxes if Robin Pecknold had grown up near the beach and with a love of Fleetwood Mac.

The band released their full-length debut, Lonesome Dreams, earlier this month. Schneider claims that the album was inspired by a series of Western tales written by George Ranger Johnson – a collection of books, and an author, that don’t actually exist. With that in mind let’s check the out the sprawling cinematic music video for the record’s lead single Time To Run, which plays on the fictional Wild West world that he has conjured up…

Lord Huron – Time To Run

Jamtronica act STS9′s Great Cycles Spectacle Tour visited Atlanta for a pair of shows at The Fabulous Fox Theatre on Friday and Saturday. During Saturday’s second set, the group unveiled two covers straight out of 1983 – Thriller by Michael Jackson and The Walk by The Cure.

STS9′s version of Thriller was instrumental though they did work a pre-recorded track of Vincent Price’s narration into the mix. Here’s a video of STS9 covering Thriller…

STS9 – Thriller

Setlists…

10/26

Set 1: Rilly Wut?, 20-12 > F Word, Satori, WTDS, Vapors > Simulator > Circus

Set 2: Abcees> Moon Socket, Kamuy, Peoples, Kaya, Aimlessly, Scheme, TUSON

Encore: Instantly

10/27

Set 1: Scheme Reprise, INspire, Move my Peeps, Equinox, T.W.E.L.V.E., Metameme, What is Love?, GLOgli

Set 2: Thriller, Arigato, Hidden Hand Hidden Fist, The Walk, Evasive, Shock Doctrine, March, Rent

Encore: Music, Us, EHM

[via @STS9]

Forty-one years ago today we lost Brother Duane. In honor of one of the best guitarists to ever pick up an axe, we’re re-sharing rare video of Skydog in action.

While there’s not much footage of Duane Allman on YouTube, the clips that do exist show off just how inventive of a guitarist Skydog was. The oldest Allman Brothers Band video on YouTube contains 30 professionally-shot, blistering minutes of Mountain Jam from the “Woodstock of the South,” The Love Valley Festival in North Carolina on July 17, 1970. Duane puts on a clinic from the moment his fingers touch his famed 1957 goldtop Les Paul through the end of the half-hour jam session.

Apparently the promoters of the festival commissioned a documentary about the event in similar fashion to the Woodstock movie but budgetary restraints meant that they could only afford to film part of each band’s set. Thankfully this Mountain Jam was among the songs they decided to film. Duane’s signature tone and vicious attack were on full display throughout the 30-minute segment that even includes a little Will The Circle Be Unbroken jam. Then there’s Skydog’s slide work – it’s just ridiculously good. It seems this footage has circulated for decades, but today was the first time I came across it and I was so blown away I just had to share…

Allman Brothers Band @ Love Valley Festival – Mountain Jam

This week we celebrate the end of Rocktober with a mix filled with foot-stomping, guitar-gnashing, fun, fun, fun rock tunes. Kicking things off is The Mother Hips with a fantastic, explosive version of Two River Blues, followed by a recent recording of Anders Osborne doing a big thumping Black Tar. The opening suite ends with a ’98 version of Character Zero by Phish, and then we head back to NOLA for a new track from Brian Blade.

The drummer extraordinaire is best known in the jazz world for his Fellowship Band and decade plus as part of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, but a few years back he released a gorgeous, largely acoustic singer/songwriter album called Mama Rosa. In the recent years, he’s reinterpreted much of that material with his Mama Rosa Band, a sublime unit that hits everything just right. The guitar work on this one is amazing. And finally we finish off with Zep doing What Is and What Should Never Be.

• CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK’S MIX

Early next year Umphrey’s McGee will hit the road hard for a month-long tour to celebrate “15 Years of Facemelting” that will take them through the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states by the time it’s through. The run kicks off at Town Ballroom in Buffalo, New York on January 16th and ends on February 17th at The Canopy in Urbana, Illinois. Along the way, the band hits old haunts The Orbit Room, The National and The Bluebird along with a few venues they’ve never played before.

The Pageant in St. Louis, where the band’s most recent New Year’s Run took place, will host the only two-night stand of the tour on February 8th and 9th. Here’s a look at the full list of 2013 dates…

1/16 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
1/17 – Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre
1/18 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
1/19 – Providence, RI @ Fete Ballroom
1/23 – Winston-Salem, NC @ Ziggy’s*
1/24 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore*
1/25 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz*
1/26 – Richmond, VA @ The National
1/30 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre
1/31 – Lexington, KY @ Buster’s
2/1 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Orbit Room
2/2 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
2/8 & 9 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant^
2/10 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
2/15 – Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion^
2/16 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater^
2/17 – Urbana, IL @ Canopy

* – w/ Papadosio to Open
^ – w/ Mike Dillon Band to Open

[Dates Confirmed on Umphreys.com]

Next up for Umphrey’s is a show on Wednesday night in Silver Spring, Maryland. A pre-sale of tickets will take place on Friday, November 2, at 12:00 pm ET through Umphrey’s Ticketing.

For a certain generation of music fans Doc Pomus was responsible for the soundtrack of their lives. Born Jerome Felder in Brooklyn in 1925, and stricken with polio at an early age, which left him confined to wheelchair later in his life, Pomus would go on to write some of the most recorded songs in the history of popular music – Save the Last Dance for Me, This Magic Moment, A Teenager in Love and Viva Las Vegas. Pomus, who was one of the legends to come out of the Brill Building, and mentor to the likes of Dr. John and Lou Reed, is the subject of a new documentary called A.K.A. Doc Pomus.

The 98-minute doc, which is currently on the film festival circuit, chronicles Pomus’ life from growing up in Brooklyn to his time as blues singer to becoming one of the most influential songwriters of the the early Rock & Roll era and features interviews with the likes of Dion, Jerry Leiber, BB King, Dr. John, Joan Osborne, Ben E. King, Lou Reed and more. Let’s check out the trailer…

Trailer – A.K.A. Doc Pomus

Wolfgang’s Vault continues to add killer shows to their massive Concert Vault collection at a blistering pace. One recently added performance that you can stream and download is a rare Frank Zappa performance from 1978. You need to be a member of the Concert Vault to download the Zappa show for free, but anyone can stream the audio and video – and you should do so immediately.

On October 13, 1978 Zappa and one of our favorite bands of his played an early and late show at The Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersy. Joining Frank on stage were one of the best drummers to ever pick up sticks, Vinnie Colaiuta, wacked-out keyboardist Tommy Mars, lead singer Ike Willis as well as Denny Walley (slide guitar), Patrick O’Hearn (bass), Arthur Barrow (bass), Peter Wolf (keys) and Ed Mann (percussion). Wolfgang’s Vault has posted audio AND video of the early gig straight from the soundboard and black-and-white cameras installed in the venue by impresario Bill Graham.

Zappa and his band run through 18 songs from throughout his career including Village of the Sun, Easy Meat, Dinah Moe Hum, Magic Fingers and City of Tiny Lights. Check out the Yellow Snow Suite…

Frank Zappa – Yellow Snow Suite

The Wolfgang’s Team has posted an informative essay on the historic value of this show…

Although poor quality audience recordings have circulated among fans for many years, presented here for the first time ever is a direct recording of Frank Zappa’s early show on October 13, 1978 at The Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ. This night is notable not only for containing two of the most memorable performances of the 1978 World Tour, but this concert was also bass player Patrick O’hearn’s debut gig with Zappa.

The concert contains a wide ranging selection of material both old and new and a good balance between Zappa’s humorous social commentary songs and his more challenging instrumental compositions. It kicks off with a standout example of Zappa’s seering guitar work on “Deathless Horsie,” which would finally see release on his Shut Up & Play Your Guitar series several years later. In terms of outstanding solos, a highly improvised “City Of Tiny Lights” featuring Denny Walley in fantastic form on slide guitar, is certainly a highlight. The same can be said of is “Pound For A Brown On The Bus,” which immediately follows. This serves as an extended showcase for Ed Mann on vibes, followed by electric piano and then synthesizer solos by Tommy Mars and Peter Wolf. Closing the set is a complete performance of the Apostrophe album classic “Yellow Snow Suite.

The two encores are also notable, beginning with a non-orchestral performance of “Strictly Genteel.” This grand finale composition to “200 Motels” is followed by “Dinah Moe Hum.” On this final encore Zappa adamantly insists on sing-a-long audience participation. When he notices a guy wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt who is not joining in the fun, he specifically singles him out. So determined is Zappa to get this gentleman to sing along, that he vows to end the performance should he fail to participate! Following an unsuccessful second chance to engage said audience member, and true to his word, Zappa suddenly stops the performance and concludes the concert.

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