Members of the influential e-mail list the NYC-Freaks celebrate 12 years of tastemaking this weekend at Brooklyn Bowl. For the 12th installment of Freaks Ball, the group will offer two nights of music. On Friday, Portugal The Man and Sam Champion share the bill, while Saturday night’s performance will feature a band put together especially for the gig called Freaks Ball-stars.

Among the talented musicians taking part in the Freaks Ball-Stars performance will be Marco Benevento (GRAB, The Duo), Joe Russo (Furthur, The Duo), Eddie Roberts (New Mastersounds) and Ron Johnson (Warren Haynes Band). Of particular note are the two guests for this set who will be Warren Haynes making his first Freaks Ball appearance and Eric Krasno of Soulive and Lettuce fame. Russo will also perform as part of an opening set along with Scott Metzger, Hagar Ben-Ari and Eric Deutsch. While tickets to Friday night’s show are sold out, tickets for Saturday’s gig go on sale at 3PM ET.

After a few sites reported a purported Fleet Foxes (@fleetfoxes) cover of Robyn’s Dancing on My Own, the Swedish singer (@robynkonichiwa) tweeted her disappointment in learning the track was counterfeit. Turns out Fleet Foxes Sings isn’t, in fact, the Robin Pecknold led Fleet Foxes singing. It’s a parody/homage/mocking website dedicated to reverb heavy sound-alike takes on pop songs in the Pacific Northwest band’s style.

Robin and Robyn cleared things up and it may lead to a real Fleet Foxes cover of a Robyn song which if the fake is any indication would be fantastic.

hehe, "Fleet Foxes Sing" sure fooled me. I though it was some weird live moment with @fleetfoxes on radio 1 or something. Bummer.

Monday, January 16, 2012 5:28 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@robynkonichiwa

Robyn

@robynkonichiwa Robyn! Even though FF Sings was fake we WILL cover something! I'm obsessed with you and think you're the greatest!

Monday, January 16, 2012 8:11 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@rpecknold

Robin Pecknold

@rpecknold I was so exited about the cover because im a big fan of @fleetfoxes! Your melodies and the hummingbird vocals.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 9:32 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@robynkonichiwa

Robyn

@robynkonichiwa THANK YOU! You are the coolest of all time

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 6:15 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@rpecknold

Robin Pecknold

This wasn’t the first time the band had to address a FFS copycat track on Twitter, when they sent this last July.

We didn't do that Whitney Houston cover. Funny though!

Thursday, July 21, 2011 4:03 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@fleetfoxes

Fleet Foxes

Robin Pecknold and Fleet Foxes make their Austin City Limits debut this weekend along with harpist Joanna Newsom as part of legendary program’s 37th season. The episode was taped back in October and you can expect plenty of tunes from Fleet Foxes’ latest album, Helplessness Blues, which scored the number six slot on our list of the Top 25 Albums of 2011.

Friday, January 20 [All Times ET]

• Foo Fighters – Live From Wembley [Palladia 7:30PM]
• Los Campesinos on David Letterman [NBC 11:35PM]
• 3 Doors Down on Craig Ferguson [CBS 12:37AM]
• Cults on Jimmy Fallon [NBC 12:37AM]

Saturday, January 21

• Fleet Foxes / Joanna Newsom on Austin City Limits [PBS]
• Billy Joel – The Last Play at Shea [Showtime Next 10:15AM]
• The Funk Brothers – Standing In The Shadows of Motown [Sundance 1:15PM]
• Coldplay on Saturday Night Live [NBC 11:30PM]

Sunday, January 22

• James Taylor – One Man Band [HDNet 2:40PM]
• Foo Fighters – Storytellers [Palladia 3PM]
• Simon & Garfunkel – The Harmony Game [Palladia 7PM]
• Jefferson Starship – Live w/ Contemporary Youth Orchestra [HDNet 8PM]

Last summer the music world lost the great Clarence Clemons, who passed away due to complications from a stroke. The loss of The Big Man left many wondering about the future of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Well, that question was answered when The Boss announced plans hit the road in a major way with his longtime band in 2012, in support of a new record. Earlier this week we finally got details about the new album, as on March 6, Springsteen & Co. will release Wrecking Ball, which is being described by Rolling Stone as a “politically charged disc about the current state of America.”

As an advance taste of what’s to come, the band dropped the single for the album’s opening track – We Take Care Of Our Own. Give it a listen…

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – We Take Care Of Our Own

With each passing year more videos surface on YouTube after Jam Cruise and for the recently completed Jam Cruise 10 there are hundreds on clips available for your viewing pleasure on the video portal. Now, while the quality of this footage is fantastic, it’s no substitute for the pro-shot, complete sets that iClips captured. iClips was everywhere on the boat and should start rolling out streams featuring nearly all of the scheduled performances from Jam Cruise 10 soon.

But back to the clips available on YouTube – many of the best ones were filmed by Adam Firtel of CHeeSeHeaDPRoDuCTioNS. He has uploaded 70 videos from a variety of acts thus far. We asked Adam about his process, “My goal with these videos is to give folks a taste as to what Jam Cruise is all about through the music. I try to concentrate my efforts on the best one or two or three songs that the band puts out there through the course of their set(s). If I don’t like a song, or feel it’s flat or the audience is not responding positively I merely turn the camera off and delete what I have recorded, so as to alleviate any space issues that may arise later on on my memory chips. I call it ‘editing on the fly’.”

After sorting through Adam’s videos, we picked 10 that you need to see with another list to follow next week…

1. Ryan Montbleau w/ Galactic – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover 

On the first full day of Jam Cruise 10, guest artist Ryan Montbleau came out towards the end of Galactic’s set to sing the Paul Simon classic 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. For me, I was especially pumped to hear Galactic drummer Stanton Moore’s approach to Steve Gadd’s legendary drum part that truly makes this song.

2. The New Deal – Encore: The Final Jam

I’ll admit it, I’ve never been the biggest New Deal fan but as a jam historian I felt I needed to see their final set. Boy am I glad I did as they were on fire throughout the whole performance culminating in this way-past-curfew encore jam that sent the trio on their way.

3. Omega Moos – Whip It

’80s cover band Omega Moos, featuring Ryan Stasik and Brendan Bayliss of Umphrey’s McGee along with the New Deal’s Darren Shearer and Jamie Shields, threw down a fantastic set on Day Three that included this cover of Whip It by Devo. Phish LD Chris Kuroda went behind the light board for only one tune during Omega Moos’s set and this was it.

4. Orgone – I’ve Got A Whole Lotta Reason

Orgone impressed so many people on the boat that they won the coveted “sleeper set” award during the ceremony on the last day. Check out this video to see why the LA-based funk band came away from JC10 with hundreds of new fans.

5. Perpetual Groove w/ Jim Wuest (Heavy Pets) and Gary Paulo – TTFPJ

One of the very best moments of one of the very best Jam Cruise 10 sets featured PGroove laying into their original TTFPJ accompanied by sax star Gary Paulo and keyboardist Jim Wuest.

6. 7 Walkers with Steve Kimock – Wharf Rat

In an interview with Benjy Eisen of Rolling Stone, Bill Kreutzmann talked about how much he enjoyed playing with Papa Mali in 7 Walkers and you can see why from Mali’s delivery of Garcia’s urgent vocals in Wharf Rat.

7. Sly Stone Tribute – Dance To The Music

Members of Lettuce and Dumpstaphunk teamed up for an incredible set of Sly Stone covers on January 10th that included this riveting version of Dance To The Music.

8. Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers – Across The River

Bruce Hornsby finally made his first Jam Cruise appearance on JC10 and he embraced the spirit of the event by welcoming guests to join him at various points during his two full-band sets. Steve Kimock sat in for half of his first Pool Deck set and all of Hornsby’s second Pool Deck set including this memorable version of Across The River.

9. George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners – Sailin’ Shoes > Sneakin’ Sally

The first set of the first full day of Jam Cruise 10 belonged to George Porter Jr. and his Runnin’ Pardners ensemble. By all accounts the highlight was the group’s take on Little Feat’s Sailin’ Shoes that went into a cover of Allen Toussaint’s Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley and this video shows why. George recorded both tunes with the rest of his Meters band mates and Robert Palmer for Palmer’s Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley LP. He recently told Offbeat Magazine that he doesn’t look back fondly on those sessions and explained his issues in the interview.

10. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe w/ Anders Osborne and Stanton Moore – Moonlight Mile

I’ve been waiting to see KDTU & Anders’ take on the immortal Sticky Fingers LP by the Rolling Stones since their first gig was announced and I finally got my chance on Day Four on Jam Cruise 10. It was worth the wait. Karl brought up at least one all-star guest for each song and what in my opinion was the best set of the trip culminated with this version of Moonlight Mile featuring Stanton Moore.

Be sure to check out CHeeSeHeaDPRoDuCTioNS on Facebook for plenty more where these came from. We’ll post more of their videos, and other clips which have made it to YouTube, next week.

The blues / R&B world has taken a huge hit over the past few days as we’ve lost both Etta James and Johnny Otis. James lost her battle with leukemia today and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C, while Otis passed away at the age of 90 on Tuesday.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

Etta James helped bridge the gap between R&B, blues and rock since she entered the music biz in the ’50s. Not only was she in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but James was also inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammys Hall of Fame. Among her many hits were At Last, Tell Mama and I’d Rather Go Blind. Closer to our neck of the woods, Etta James sat in with the Grateful Dead at the group’s New Year’s Eve performance on December 31, 1982 and had high praise for the band.

Grateful Dead w/ Etta James – Hard To Handle

Johnny Otis, known as the “Godfather of Rhythm & Blues,” actually discovered Etta James. In fact, James inducted Otis into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.  In Ihsan Taylor’s thorough obituary of Otis for the New York Times, he mentions the many hats the performer wore – musician, bandleader, songwriter, impresario, disc jockey, talent scout, political activist, a preacher, an artist, an author and an organic farmer. Not only did Otis discover Etta, but he also found Jackie Wilson, Esther Phillips and Big Mama Thornton over a brief period in the ’50s. He’s probably best known for his composition Willie and the Hand Jive, which numerous artists including Eric Clapton have recorded over the years.

We hope that Johnny Otis and Etta James are sitting together somewhere enjoying the fruits of their labor. Rock music as we known it wouldn’t have been the same without their vital contributions.

Todd Sheaffer’s short three-show run with HT faves Greensky Bluegrass came to an end last night at Sullivan Hall in NYC, where the Railroad Earth front man joined the Michigan-based band at the end of their first set for three songs – Tom Waits’ Cold Water, The Hobo Song by Old & In The Way and Railroad Earth’s Long Way To Go.

[Photo via Greensky Bluegrass Facebook Page]

As with the first two nights of the mini-tour, last night’s show started off with a somewhat rare solo acoustic set from Sheaffer. Todd played the role of storyteller, giving the crowd background on nearly every tune. Of particular note was the story behind the From Good Homes classic Way To Go Pam, which Sheaffer explained was about a friend named Pam from his New York City days who disappeared without a trace until he received a postcard from New Guinea that was sent by her.

Greensky Bluegrass played two sensational sets for their biggest NYC crowd yet and showed why they continue to build their audience with each tour. Not only were their originals fantastic, but GB adds such an inventive twist to covers. Yesterday they tackled Pig In A Pen, Traffic’s Light Up and Leave Me Alone and China > Rider, among others. The group recently brought a light designer on the road and he’s already paying huge dividends, giving their sets more of a “rock show” feel. The five-piece ensemble continues their lengthy tour, sans Sheaffer, tonight at the Middle East in Boston.

After a lockout threatened to cancel the season, and then 17 weeks of regular season games, and another two of playoff games, we’ve finally reached the penultimate week of the National Football League’s season with the conference championship games, which will decide who will face off against each other in Super Bowl XLVI, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, on February 5. Sunday’s early game features the team of the aughts, the New England Patriots, hosting the the defensive minded Baltimore Ravens at 3 PM ET at Gillette Stadium, with the late game seeing the underrated San Francisco 49ers squaring off against the hottest team in the NFL right now, the New York Football Giants, at 6:30 PM ET at Candlestick Park. So with that in mind, we’ve put together a compilation of eight tracks from bands that call these cities home. So sit back, enjoy and play it loud!!!

We kick things off with Beantown up and comers Aunt Martha, whose sound falls somewhere between My Morning Jacket and Wilco, with No Excuses from their 2009 effort Candymaker. From there, we’ve got classic rockers Boston with More Than A Feeling, the lead track from their 17-times platinum self-titled debut. Then, we’ve got a pair from two acts that call Baltimore home. First up is folk-pop duo Wye Oak with Civilian, the title track from their much buzzed about and critically acclaimed debut album. Next, it’s former Blips act J Roddy Walston & The Business, with the boozy rocker Don’t Break The Needle from their highly recommended debut.

Up next we’ve got San Francisco’s signature band, the good ol’ Grateful Dead, with the studio version of Truckin’ from American Beauty. We follow that up with one of the city’s psychedelic revivalists, Howlin’ Rain, with The Firing Of The Midnight Rain from there 2006 self-titled debut. Finally, we close things out with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street turning in this live performance of Badlands from Live: 1975-85, and KISS’ Ace Frehley doing New York Groove.

Over the past few days Summer Camp Music Festival organizers have been “leaking” additions to their lineup via Twitter and Facebook. Now that the leaks are concluded we know that 20 bands in total were added including Gov’t Mule, Pretty Lights, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Keller Williams and G. Love and Special Sauce. Also of note, Gigantic Underground Conspiracy featuring members of Big Gigantic, the Disco Biscuits and Conspirator will make an appearance at the fest.

Here’s the full list of Summer Camp additions:

Pretty Lights, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks Band, G. Love & Special Sauce, Gigantic Underground Conspiracy (Featuring members of Big Gigantic, the Disco Biscuits and Conspirator), Keller Williams, Zeds Dead, Shpongle presents The Masquerade, EOTO, Leftover Salmon, 12th Planet, FIGURE, Minnesota, araabMUZIK, Fareed Haque & MathGames, 16bit, Flinch, Chester Brown, The Car Thief

Summer Camp 2012 will take place at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illin. on Memorial Day Weekend. Not-so-early-bird tickets will set you back $160 + fees and are available through the event’s website. The initial artist announcement featured moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Primus, Bob Weir – Chris Robinson – Jackie Greene Acoustic Trio, Gogol Bordello, Ozomatli, Cornmeal, Victor Wooten, Greensky Bluegrass, Infamous Stringdusters, Hot Buttered Rum,Family Groove Company, DJ Solo, Positive Vibrations, Chicago Farmer, Spankalicious, The Giving Tree Band and Brainchild.

The members of the NYC-Freaks e-mail list/Yahoo Group celebrated another trip around the sun with their 12th annual Freaks Ball this weekend at Brooklyn Bowl. Both shows were sold out as Portugal. The Man and Sam Champion performed on Friday and last night’s gig featured the “just for this event” Freaks Ball Stars. Our pal Marc Millman was in the house on Saturday and has already uploaded a number of clips from the Ball Stars set.

Freaks Ball Stars – Fire On The Mountain

Ever think you’d hear Warren Haynes and Eric Krasno team up to cover Fire On The Mountain backed by The Duo and Ron Johnson? See the video above for their momentous version of the classic Grateful Dead tune, which also features Alecia Chakour on vocals. There’s also footage of the same group of musicians, along with core Ball Star guitarist Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds, crushing D’yer Mak’er by Led Zeppelin…

Freaks Ball Stars – D’yer Ma’ker

You can also watch the core band with Krasno and Chakour tackle Little Wing; with Krasno, Chakour and Haynes on You Don’t Know Nothing About Love and Roberts showing off his foot tambourine work on the most fitting encore – Freaking at the Freakers Ball. Yet the song that won the most raves from members of the influential taste-making group was a sizzling romp through While My Guitar Gently Weeps featuring the core band plus Scott Metzger, Eric Deutsch, Haynes and Krasno…

Freaks Ball Stars – While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Thanks to Marc for letting those of us who didn’t attend see some of the amazing music that transpired at the Bowl. Here’s to at least 12 more years of the Freaks!

HT faves Umphrey’s McGee returned to New York City this weekend for two sold-out shows at the Best Buy Theater. Last night the Chicago-based sextet celebrated the 14th anniversary of their first performance. For the first song of a two-song encore that closed the run, Umphrey’s welcomed longtime collaborator Jennifer Hartswick out to sing At Last in tribute to Etta James, who passed away on Friday. The second song of the encore, JaJunk, was dedicated to tour manager Don Richards, who is leaving the group’s employ after Mayan Holidaze.

We’ll have a full review and plenty of photos from Umphrey’s fantastic two-show run in a few days, but for now here’s the only video (ie. not the best quality) of At Last to surface thus far on YouTube…

Umphrey’s McGee w/ Jennifer Hartswick – At Last

[Via Endless Boundaries]

Wilco, a band that seems to gain more momentum, praise and buzz with every fuzzy Nels Cline guitar riff, will visit Conan tonight prior to three LA-area shows on Tuesday (Hollywood Palladium), Wednesday (Wiltern Theater) and Friday (Los Angeles Theater). Jeff Tweedy and company also recently announced that its annual Solid Sound Festival will take a hiatus in 2012 but will return to MASS MoCa in North Adams, Mass. in 2013.

Monday, January 23 [All Times ET]

• The Go Go’s: Behind the Music Remastered [VH1 Classic 10PM]
• Wilco on Conan [TBS 11PM]
• Snow Patrol on David Letterman (R) [CBS 11:35PM]
• Young the Giant on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]
• Beastie Boys: Fight for Your Revisited [Palladia 12:30AM]

Tuesday, January 24

• Mary J. Blige on Live! with Kelly [syndicated - check listings]
• Placido Domingo on Colbert Report [Comedy Central 11:30PM]
• Styx: One With Everything [HDNet 1PM]
• The Airbourne Toxic Event on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]
• The Killers: Live From Royal Albert Hall [Palladia 4AM]

Wednesday, January 25

• Green Day: Live at the Fox Theater [HDNet 9PM]
• Film: The Doors [VH1 Classic 9PM]
• Big Freedia on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]
• Weezer and Cold War Kids on Carson Daly (R) [NBC 1:35AM]
• Lou Reed: Transformer on Classic Albums [VH1 Classic 3AM]

Thursday, January 26

• John Fogerty: Part Two [HDNet 2PM]
• They Might Be Giants on Conan [TBS 11PM]
• Portugal.The Man on Carson Daly [NBC 1:35AM]
• Seal on Jimmy Kimmel [ABC 12:05AM]
• Queen: Queen Rock M ontreal [VH1 Classic 2:30AM]

As we head into the home stretch of the first month of the year, the release that I’ve been eagerly anticipating in the early stages of 2012 is Be The Void, the latest studio album from HT faves Dr. Dog, which hits stores via venerable indie label ANTI on February 7. Last month, along with revealing a slew of tour dates in support of the record, the Philly-based psych-pop act offered up a first taste of what’s to come with a very lo-fi homespun video for the album’s lead single, That Old Black Hole. The propulsive track, which features everything we’ve come to love about the band’s ability to mesh The Beatles and The Band, has gotten the proper music video treatment, with Dr. Dog showing off their goofy side. Let’s check it out…

Dr. Dog – That Old Black Hole

Dr. Dog kick off a lengthy winter tour on February 1, at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio and includes a two-night tour ending hometown stand at the Electric Factory on March 24 and 25.

Of the slew of quotable lines in the 1996 movie Swingers, there is one in the beginning casino scene where Vince Vaughn’s character Trent tells a cocktail waitress, “I want you to remember this face, here. Okay? This is the guy behind the guy behind the guy.” That line might be the best way to introduce you to Jonathan Wilson, who over the last few years has been “that guy,” working with an impressive laundry list of musicians as both a side man and a producer, while helping to revitalize the Laurel Canyon music scene.

Wilson, who originally hails from Forest Hills, North Carolina, has logged time in the studio with the likes of Chris Robinson, Vetiver, Erykah Badu,  Jenny Lewis and Elvis Costello, as well as produced J. Tillman’s (Fleet Foxes) upcoming record and both of Dawes’ studio albums at his Echo Park recording studio – Five Star Studio.

Wilson’s former home in Laurel Canyon had also been the site of much buzzed about private Wednesday night jam sessions that he began with Robinson back in 2006 and have featured another impressive list that reads like a who’s who of both classic rock and contemporary indie acts. While doing all these extracurricular activities, Wilson was also writing songs of his own and last year quietly released his proper debut album Gentle Spirit, a gentle sprawling 13-track album of sun-baked, psychedelic-tinged folk-rock, which became something of an under the radar critically acclaimed hit.

Let’s check out the music video for Desert Raven…

Yesterday we pointed you towards videos of the Freaks Ball Stars romping through assorted covers at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday night as part of Freaks Ball XII. Saturday’s main set featured the core Ball Stars band of Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Ron Johnson and Eddie Roberts joined by special guests such as Warren Haynes and Eric Krasno throughout the evening.

[All Photos by Michael Jurick]

Today, we wanted to show off photographer Michael Jurick’s outrageous snaps of the Ball Stars’ set. Visit Jurick’s website to see the photos in widescreen.

[Erik Deutsch, Marco Benevento, Ron Johnson, Eddie Roberts, Joe Russo, Scott Metzger, Warren Haynes and Eric Krasno]

[Krasno and Haynes In The Light]

[Kras Lays Into A Solo]

[Benevento, Alecia Chakour, Johnson and Haynes]

[Benevento, Chakour, Johnson, Roberts, Haynes, Russo & Krasno]

[Roberts and Krasno Call and Respond]

[Freaks Ball Vet Joe Russo Makes His Triumphant Return]

[Benevento, Johnson, Roberts, Krasno, Russo]

[Krasno and Roberts Show Each Other a Thing or Two]

[Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds Thrives as a Ball Star]

[Russo Makes It Look Easy, But You Know It's Not]

[The Chakour]

[Big Marco Smile]

Last May the Disco Biscuits descended upon Colorado for their third annual Bisco Inferno weekend. The jamtronica pioneers kicked off the action on the 26th and 27th with a pair of performances at Denver’s Ogden Theatre before heading to the world-renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a headlining set on the 28th. All three complete performances will be available on DVD, Blu-Ray and in a variety of downloadable formats on January 31 and we’re giving away a copy a day to a lucky reader each day this week.

For this video release, the Disco Biscuits have teamed up with TourGigs, who have provided fans a full range of purchase options including DVD ($25 per show), Blu-Ray ($30 per show), 480p Standard Definition video files ($15 per show), 1080p High Definition video files ($22 per show) and 1080p “Ultra Quality” video files ($30 per show). There’s a 15% discount for those who buy the same format of all three shows.

As part of our Everybody Wins When We Plug Something And In Return They Offer Us Free Shit To Give Away program, we’re teaming up with the band and TourGigs to premiere video of one full song each day from this release and we’re also giving away a copy of all three shows in DVD or Blu-Ray format. To enter our contest, simply leave a comment below telling us about your favorite Disco Biscuits jam of all-time. You can enter a second time by leaving a similar comment on the wall of the HT Facebook Page and a third time by following @hidden_track and tweeting the name and date of your favorite tDB jam (be sure to include both “@hidden_track” and #tdbferno” at the end of your tweet so that we see it). This is a quick contest, once the contest entry period closes on Tuesday at 11:59AM EST, we’ll tally all the entries from our comments section, Facebook and Twitter and pick one winner at random.

Here’s the fine print…

• To enter the contest, leave a comment below telling us the date and song featuring your favorite Disco Biscuits jam of all-time
• You can enter a second time by leaving a similar comment on the wall of the Hidden Track Facebook Page
• You can enter a third time by following @hidden_track and tweeting the name and date of your favorite tDB jam (be sure to include both “@hidden_track” and #tdbferno” at the end of your tweet so that we see it)
• Your comment(s) must be left by 11:59 AM EST on January 24
• Anybody entering more than once a piece on Facebook, Twitter and at the bottom of this post will be disqualified, tarred and feathered
• One winner will get a copy of all three shows (5/26, 27 or 28) in the format of their choice (DVD or Blu-Ray)
• HT staff members are not eligible to win

Now, we present the premiere of The Very Moon from the Disco Biscuits’ May 26, 2011 concert at the Ogden Theatre in Denver, Colorado…

I ran some Ratdog on Stormy Mondays not too long ago, back when Bobby’s postponed solo tour was supposed to take place, but that was before anyone knew Ratdog itself would make an appearance. On Wednesday of this week, an enhanced version of The Dog will play at Bobby’s TRI Studios, that golden room with its unparalleled sonics and web casting capabilities. The band will feature both Rob Wasserman and Robin Sylvester on bass (both played the inaugural TRI Bob Weir and Friends gig) and both Mark Karan and Steve Kimock on guitar. A lot of people who didn’t really like Ratdog will praise the ’07 shows where Kimock subbed in for an ailing Karan, but the fact is most of those shows weren’t so great.

Part of Ratdog’s strong suit was the ability to respond with pure quickness and turn on a dime, especially on Bobby’s drop segues, and that seemed to slip away during the Kimock gigs. He seemed unfamiliar with the transitions and with some of the covers and Ratdog originals. Also, Karan’s playing was perfect for the band and the band’s sound was built around him as he slipped and slid all over the material, lacing songs with bright leads and satisfying fills. That’s just not Kimock’s style. Not to say there weren’t brilliant moments at most shows and a few truly excellent gigs (Albany is the absolute highlight), but there wasn’t enough room for Steve to really work his long form magic. Ratdog with Kimock wasn’t quite Ratdog, nor was it quite Kimock, which was especially apparent because just before Karan’s cancer diagnosis, he was on fire.

I remember hearing people shouting “Mark!” the way they shout “Warren!” or even shouted “Jerry!” once upon a time. With that in mind, this week we’re going to the North West shows of 07 for a closing suite of Stuff (the improv/groove segment of the second set) > a short Milestones > a blazing Dear Prudence > Two Djinn, probably Ratdog’s best tune. It’s a high energy set with lots of amazing Mark Karan, not to mention the playing from the rest of the band. As always, enjoy!

• CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK’S MIX

Over the last few years M. Ward has been spending a good majority of his time concentrating on collaborative projects, with both the indie-folk super-group Monsters Of Folk, who released their debut in 2009; and She & Him, his vintage-pop collaboration with doe-eyed actress Zooey Deschanel, putting out their sophomore album, as well as a holiday record. For 2012, the singer-songwriter will go back to being a solo act, as Ward will release his seventh studio album A Wasteland Companion on April 10 via his longtime label Merge Records. The day following the album’s release, Matt will head out for a 20-date cross-country tour, which kicks off with a gig at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco, and will see him get support from Jonathan Richman, the newly reunited fiREHORSE and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo at various stops during the run.

If you’re not into a night with Matt’s brand of patina drenched sounds, then maybe you’ll be interested in hitting one of these recently announced tours…

• Death Cab For Cutie: World Tour (2/17 – 6/7)
• Bassnectar: Vava Voom Tour (4/11 – 5/12)
• School Of Seven Bells: Spring U.S. Tour (4/4 – 5/5)
• Plants & Animals: North American Tour (3/8 – 4/21)
• Florence & The Machine: Spring U.S. Tour (4/14 – 5/12)
• Portugal. The Man:Jägermeister Music Tour (4/3 – 5/6)
• Blitzen Trapper: March West Coast Tour (3/4 – 3/23)
• Brian Jonestown Massacre: Spring Tour (4/27 – 5/12)

While Wilco was out on the West Coast for their current tour, the group decided to swing by and visit their old pal Conan O’Brien. Last night, Jeff Tweedy and Co. performed two songs from The Whole Love for Conan’s TBS late-night talk show – the album’s title track and Dawned On Me. Dawned On Me was recorded for the web audience and didn’t actually air.

Here’s both tunes for your listening and viewing pleasures…

Wilco – Whole Love

[via The Audio Perv]

Wilco – Dawned On Me

New Jersey natives Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band have just announced the first leg of the 2012 Wrecking Ball World Tour, which will take the group across the country over the course of six weeks between March 18 and May 2. As part of the announcement, Springsteen lists the members of the E Street Band and in a bit of a surprise there’s no new sax player listed to fill the shoes of the late Clarence Clemons.

The tour kicks off on March 18 in Atlanta and features five dates in the New York City area – two at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey (April 3 and 4), two at Madison Square Garden (April 6 and 9) and one at the Prudential Center in Newark (May 2). The date in Newark ends the tour as currently scheduled.

Here’s the full announcement from Springsteen’s website…

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band launch the first US leg of the 2012 ‘Wrecking Ball’ World Tour on March 18 in Atlanta. Bruce Springsteen’s 17th studio album ‘Wrecking Ball’ will be released on Columbia Records on March 6.

“We Take Care Of Our Own,” the album’s first single,’ is “classic Springsteen” with “anguish and challenge [that] run thick and fast” (Rolling Stone); a “richly orchestrated Wall of Sound… that nods to the ‘Born to Run’ era” (Billboard).

The E Street Band’s members are: Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer; Nils Lofgren – guitar, vocals; Patti Scialfa – guitar, vocals; Garry Tallent – bass guitar; Stevie Van Zandt – guitar, vocals; and Max Weinberg – drums; with Soozie Tyrell – violin, guitar, vocals and Charlie Giordano – keyboards.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2012 Tour Dates:

US Tour Dates
March 18 – Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena (on sale Feb 4)
March 19 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum (on sale Feb 3)
March 23 – Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Times Forum (on sale Jan 28)
March 26 – Boston, MA – TD Garden (on sale Jan 28)
March 28 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center (on sale Jan 28)
March 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 1 – Washington, DC – Verizon Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 3 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center (on sale Jan 27)
April 4 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center (on sale Jan 27)
April 6 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (on sale Jan 27)
April 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (on sale Jan 27)
April 12 – Detroit, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills (on sale Jan 28)
April 13 – Buffalo, NY – First Niagara Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 16 – Albany, NY – Times Union Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 17 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena (on sale Jan 28)
April 24 – San Jose, CA – HP Pavilion (on sale Feb 3)
April 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (on sale Feb 3)
April 29 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (on sale now)
May 2 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center (on sale Jan 27)

European Tour Dates
May 13 – Seville, Spain – Estadio Olimpico (on sale now)
May 17 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadio Olimpico Lluis (on sale now)
May 18 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadio Olimpico Lluis (on sale now)
May 25 – Frankfurt, Germany – Commerzbank Arena (on sale now)
May 27 – Cologne, Germany – RheinEnergieStadion (on sale now)
May 28 – Landgraaf, Netherlands – Pinkpop (on sale 3 March)
May 30 – Berlin, Germany – Olympia Stadion (on sale now)
June 2 – San Sebastian, Spain – Estadio Anoeta (on sale now)
June 3 – Lisbon, Portugal – Rock in Lisbon (on sale now)
June 7 – Milan, Italy – Stadio Meaza (on sale now)
June 10 – Florence, Italy – Stadio Francesco (on sale now)
June 11 – Trieste, Italy – Stadio Trieste (on sale now)
June 17 – Madrid, Spain – Estadio Santago Bernabu (on sale now)
June 19 – Montpellier, France – Park & Suites Arena (on sale now)
June 21 – Sunderland, UK – Stadium of Light (on sale now)
June 22 – Manchester, UK – Etihad Stadium (on sale now)
June 24 – Isle of Wight, UK – Isle of Wight Festival (on sale now)
July 4 – Paris, France – Bercy (on sale now)
July 5 – Paris, France – Bercy (on sale now)
July 7 – Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival (on sale now)
July 9 – Zurich, Switzerland – Stadium Letzigrund (on sale now)
July 11 – Prague, Czech Republic – Synot Tip Arena (on sale now)
July 12 – Vienna, Austria – Ernst Happel Stadium (on sale now)
July 14 – London, UK – Hard Rock Calling (on sale now)
July 17 – Dublin, Ireland – RDS (on sale now)
July 18 – Dublin, Ireland – RDS (on sale now)
July 21 – Oslo, Norway – Valle Hoven (on sale now)
July 23 – Bergen, Norway – Koengen (on sale now)
July 24 – Bergen, Norway – Koengen (on sale now)
July 27 – Gothenberg, Sweden – Ullevi (on sale now)
July 28 – Gothenberg, Sweden – Ullevi (on sale now)
July 31 – Helsinki, Finland – Olympic Stadium (on sale Jan 25)