January 28, 2009

Hannah's Buddies Charity Event '09

John Bell of Widespread Panic shares information About Spinal Muscular Atrophy and The Charity Golf, Silent Auction, and Music event taking place for the 10th year in a row in Orlando, Fla. Feb. 27th & 28th

by Greg Lake

January 27, 2009

Jimmy Herring Band Tour 2009

Jimmy Herring (guitar), Oteil Burbridge(Bass), Jeff Sipe (Drums), Scott Kinsey (Keys), Greg Osby (sax)

Jimmy Herring has put together a solo band to tour behind his first solo album, Lifeboat. The Jimmy Herring Band will feature the guitarist’s Aquarium Rescue Unit collaborators Oteil Burbridge(bass) and Jeff Sipe (drums), along with Scott Kinsey (keyboards) and Greg Osby (saxophone). The group’s tour will kick off at Greenville, SC’s HandleBar on April 24, before making stops in Savannah (4/25), Athens (4/26), Macon, GA (4/28) and Charleston, SC (4/30). After a month off, the group will come together again for appearances at Wakarusa (6/4), as well in Telluride, CO (6/7), Boulder, (6/10), Ft. Collins (6/11) and Denver (6/12-13). In other news, Herring will join Audley Freed, Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, and Nick Govrik to form Trigger Hippy next month. The jam-rock group will make it debut at Macon’s Cox Capitol Theatre on February 7. The gig will benefit the Allman Brothers Band’s Big House Museum.
Upcoming Shows

Feb 7 2009 7:30PTrigger Hippy @Cox Capitol Theatre MaconApr 24 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @HandleBar Greenville, South CarolinaApr 25 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @The Melting Point Athens, GeorgiaApr 26 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Savannah Savannah, GeorgiaApr 28 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Cox Capitol Theatre Macon, GeorgiaApr 30 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @ Charleston, South CarolinaJun 4 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Wakarusa Music Festival ozark, ArkansasJun 7 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Telluride Town Park Stage Telluride, ColoradoJun 10 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Fox Theatre Boulder, ColoradoJun 11 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Aggies Theatre Ft Collins, ColoradoJun 12 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, ColoradoJun 13 2009 8:00PJimmy Herring Band @Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, Colorado



by Greg Lake

January 25, 2009

Dear Phish,

First, congratulations on your upcoming 2009, should be a very big and exciting year. During your "breakup" between 2004-2009, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and you were even individually quoted as saying at the time, "Trey (Anastasio) added in a statement on his web site, "New Orleans is in trouble, so music itself is in trouble...anything we can all do now to help is crucial. If you love music, please do whatever you can.""
Well, now that it's 2009 and you are out of retirement and again getting ready to play concerts, you have a great opportunity to “do something.” You've sold all the tickets to your first three shows at Hampton Coliseum in March and the demand for your Summer Tour dates is high and so no need to worry about your marketability even in these tough economic times. So, I present to you an opportunity to “do something,” play a benefit show (or two) in New Orleans as your comeback shows next month and donate all of the money, minus obvious expenses, like renting the arena, etc. to the city and to the important revitalization process. You know your return is going to be major news, so why not have this be an opportunity to show how much you want to give back? The Dead, for example just reunited, newsworthy, but also reunited for Barack Obama. See how that works? You could be newsworthy as reuniting, for New Orleans.
Luckily for you, two venues in town have a great window of opportunity for you to perform, the New Orleans Arena, capacity 20,000, is open from February 19-24 or the Lakefront Arena, capacity 10,000, is available February 20-25. That gives you a day of setup in either place, time for a show (or two) and a couple days to clean up the party. Don’t fret about the fans that already have tickets to Hampton, you “retired” remember? Just seeing you perform after five years is all that they ask for and to come back for such an important cause would be more than justifiable.
How much to charge? Well, if one tries to purchase tickets to your first announced show on March 6, 2009 through Ticketmaster, you are given a message, “Sorry, no exact matches were found, but other tickets may still be available,” at which point there is a prompt to buy tickets through TicketsNow, starting at $327. So, start there, $300 x 20,000 or even $300 x 10,000 + the boost to the city; restaurants, hotels, etc. (and right before Mardi Gras too, February 24), why not charge $500 a ticket, or even just do all different price levels from $1,000 to $300, after all it's the comeback show(s) and a benefit for New Orleans, "Phish's Mardi Gras" I can see it now, just think of what that can do…

by Greg Lake

January 21, 2009

10KLF Lineup July 22 - 25

The 10,000 Lakes Festival has announced Dave Matthews Band, two nights of Widespread Panic, and Wilco as headlining artists for four days of music and camping at the 7th annual music festival held at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota July 22 - 25.
The 10,000 Lakes Festival's artist lineup will feature over sixty acts performing on the festival's four stages. The first round of confirmed acts includes:
Dave Matthews Band Widespread Panic (2 nights) Wilco Umphrey's McGee Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings Railroad Earth Tea Leaf Green (2 nights) Junior Brown WookieFoot Trampled By Turtles Cloud Cult Everyone Orchestra Kathleen Edwards Pretty Lights BoomBox William Elliott Whitmore& many more! Located in Minnesota's beautiful North Country, the 10,000 Lakes Festival gives attendees an unmatched camping and musical experience. The Soo Pass Ranch's 500-acre grounds encompass expansive lakes and rolling forests, offering the natural beauty of over one mile of freshwater shoreline and spacious shaded camping. Numerous conveniences including over 100 hot water showers in multiple campgrounds, permanent bathroom facilities and running water stations provide an easy and enjoyable camping atmosphere.
A limited number of Tier 1 General Admission tickets are now available for $159 which includes four nights of music and camping. Upgraded VIP packages are available that offer a first-class festival experience including catered hot meals, drink tickets, two exclusive VIP Main Stage box seating areas as well as preferred camping located directly behind the Main Stage.
Children ages 6 and under are admitted at no charge with paid adults and children 6 to 11 are half price. Complete festival details including artist information, photos, campground reservations, event activities, and door to door directions (www.10klf.com/gettinghere.php) are available at www.10KLF.com.
Tier 1 Festival General Admission tickets, VIP tickets and campground reservations are now available online at www.10KLF.com, MusicToday Ticketing (http://10000lakestickets.musictoday.com), TicketMaster.com ( http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/49313/) and all TicketMaster locations.

by Greg Lake

January 20, 2009

Pnuma vs Paesano

The Pnuma Trio teams up with Paesano Productions for 3 very special live performances on the West Coast, January 29, 30, & 31, 2009.
Dynamic, scene-setting electronica youngsters The Pnuma Trio have been known for their forward-thinking compositions and moving, powerful improvisations since their explosion onto the scene in 2004. Not so young anymore, Ben Hazelgrove, Alex Botwin, and Lane Shaw are proud to call STS9's very hot 1320 Records their new home as they release their debut studio album, 'Character'. With a refined, glitch-informed electro/hip-hop feel and all the dynamic energy of their DJ-killing live show, this new album represents a significantly evolved version of Pnuma's futuristic sound; tighter, more focused, and higher resolution.
Kicking the weekend off will be a two night run at one of the hottest new venues in San Francisco , Mission Rock Café on Thursday, January 29 & Friday, January 30, 2009. This two level waterfront nightclub will no doubt provide the perfect location to let loose and get down.
Special guests at Mission Rock Café will include Abstract Rude one of hip-hop’s most accessible healers, Lynx & Jamie Janover elusive perfect balance between the acoustic and the electronic, The Flying Skulls a nu school, crunked-out three piece that plays live improvisational dub-step, breaks, and electro, and Launchpad Design painting live through out the entire weekend.
Then it’s off to beautiful South Lake Tahoe , NV Saturday, January 31, 2009 where the Opal Ultra Lounge in MontBleu Resort will host the final throw down of the weekend. The super chic hookah lounge opens up and goes late for a party like no other. Jacuzzi rooms available just upstairs, so you can stay in the same building and not miss a minute of music.
Special guests at Opal include Snareface of the Flying Skulls and DJ AD/AM drummer for Chip Chop & Absynth.
Don’t miss your chance to catch these amazing artists live on stage in incredible, intimate venues and pick up your new copy of ‘Character’.
Advance tickets are available at http://www.inticketing.com/ and special discount ticket packages are available for all nights.
For more Pnuma Trio http://www.pnumatrio.com/
More Paesano Productions http://www.paesanoproductions.com/



by Greg Lake

A Benefit For Sweetwater

To ancient Egyptians life was a quest for spiritual ascension which unfolded in stages — twelve in this life and a thirteenth beyond, thought to be the eternal afterlife. The number 13 therefore symbolized death, not in terms of dust and decay but as a glorious and desirable transformation. Happy New Year Sweetwater Fans!
The quest to keep Sweetwater's much anticipated transformation on track continues Friday, February 13, 2009 at the Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco. Join us at 8:00 pm for a fantastic evening of live music — with proceeds going toward the effort to re-open the legendary Marin music venue.
$15.00 at the door
8:00 PM — Members of the San Francisco Songwriter's Coalition, Featuring Performances by:: Joel Streeter, Megan Slankard, Eoin Harrington, Brad Brooks, Eliot Randall, Jesse Brewster, and Rick Hardin.
10:00 PM — Mike Gibbons
10:30 PM — Pine & Battery
11:00 PM — Aidan Hawken ** featuring members of Counting Crows, and Jerry Becker (member of Pat Monahan's band and touring member of Train)
ADDRESS: 1695 Polk Street (at Clay), San Francisco, CA 94109
From the North Bay Take the Lombard Street exit. take Lombard to Van Ness Ave. Turn right on Van Ness Ave. Turn left at Clay. Drive one block up to Polk and Clay. The Red Devil is on the corner of Polk and Clay. Victory!
From the East Bay Take Highway 80 across the Bay Bridge to the 101 North. Exit at Mission Street exit. Veer to your right onto Mission Street. Take your first left at Van Ness avenue. Go about 2 1/2 miles north up Van Ness Ave and make a right on Clay Street. Go one block up to the corner of Polk and Clay. Viola...
From the South Bay Take Highway 101 north to San Francisco. Stay on Highway 101 North until the Mission Street exit. Veer to your right on Mission Street. Take your first left at Van Ness Avenue. Go about 2/12 miles north up Van Ness Ave and make a right on Clay Street Go one block up to the corner of Polk and Clay. Look to your right. That's us waving. Now park!

by Greg Lake

January 18, 2009

Bush' Legacy - Lest We Forget (to push Obama for prosecutions)

George Walker Bush. 43rd president of the United States. His legacy (paraphrased from and (courtesy of Mr. Keith Olbermann)...

Al Qaeda & Iraq Prologue

  • Early in 2001 the U.S. fingered Al Qaeda for the bombing of the USS Cole. Bush counter-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke had a plan to take down Al Qaeda. Instead, by February, the NSC had already discussed invading Iraq, and had a plan for post-Saddam Iraq.
  • By March 5 Bush had a map ready for Iraqi oil exploration and a list of companies.
  • Al Qaeda? Rice told Clarke not to give Bush a lot of long memos; "not a big reader".
  • August 6, 2001: a CIA analyst briefs Bush on vacation: "Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S." Bush takes no action tells the briefer—quote "all right, you've covered your ass now."
  • Next month Clarke requests using new predator drones to kill Bin Laden. The Pentagon and CIA say no.
  • September 11th; Bush remains seated for several minutes to "avoid scaring school children by getting up and leaving". He then flies around the country and promises quote-"a full scale investigation to find those folks who did it".
  • Rumsfeld says Afghanistan does not have enough targets, we've got to do Iraq.
  • When the CIA traps Bin Laden at Tora Bora, it asks for 800 rangers to cut off his escape.
    Bush outsources the job to Pakistanis sympathetic to the Taliban. Bin Laden gets away.
  • In February General Tommy Franks tells a visiting Senator Bush is moving equipment out of Afghanistan so he can invade Iraq.
  • One of the men who prepped Rice for her testimony that Bush did not ignore pre 9-11 warnings later explains-quote "we cherry picked things to make it look like the president had been actually concerned about Al Qaeda. They didn't give a 'bleep' about Al Qaeda".
  • July and Britain's intel chief says Bush is "fixing intelligence and facts around the policy to take out Saddam".
  • January 03: Bush and Blair agree to invade in March, Mr. Bush still telling us he has not decided, telling Blair they should paint an airplane in UN colors, fly it over Iraq and provoke a response, a pretext for invasion.
    • The man who said it would take several hundred thousand troops; fired.
    • The man who said it would cost more than a hundred billion; fired.
    • The man who revealed Bush's yellowcake lie; smeared, his wife's covert status
      exposed. The White House liars who did it and covered it up; not fired. One convicted. Bush commutes his sentence.

Then, in Iraq, "stuff happens":

  • Iraq's army, disbanded.
  • The government de-Baathified.
  • 200,000 weapons, billions of dollars, just lost.
  • Foreign mercenaries immunized from justice.
  • Political hacks run the Green Zone.
  • Religious cleansing forcing one out of six Iraqis from their homes.
  • Abu Ghraib.
  • The insurgency.
  • Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Other "stuff" does not happen:
  • WMDs.
  • Post-war planning.
  • Body armor for our troops.
  • Vehicular armor for our troops.

The payoff?

  • Oil and billions for Halliburton, Blackwater and other companies.
  • Mr. Bush denies VA healthcare to 450,000 veterans.
  • Tries to raise veterans healthcare fees.
  • Blocks the new G.I. Bill.
  • Increases his own power with the USA PATRIOT Act.
  • Increases his own power with the Military Commissions Act.
  • Increases his own power with public orders exempting himself from a thousand laws.
  • Secretly exempts himself from the Presidential Records Act.
  • Secretly exempts himself from The Geneva Conventions.
  • Secretly exempts himself from FISA.
  • Sparks a mass rebellion at the Justice Department.
  • Secret star chambers for terrorism suspects, overturned by Hamdan v Rumsfeld.
  • Denying habeas corpus, overturned by Boumediene v Bush.
  • 200 renditionings.
  • Sleep deprivation.
  • Abuse.
  • Rumsfeld warned in 2002 that he was torturing, that it would jeopardize convictions.
  • Out of 550 at Gitmo, hundreds ultimately go free with no charges. Dozens are tortured; eight fatally. Three are convicted.
  • On U.S. soil twelve hundred immigrants rounded up, without due process, without bail, without court dates, without a single charge of terrorism.

It wasn't just Mr. Bush no longer subject to the rule of law:

  • He slashed regulations on everyone from banks to mining companies.
  • Appointed 98 lobbyists to oversee their own industries, weakening emission standards for mercury, and 650 different toxic chemicals. Regulators shared drugs, and their beds, with industry reps.
    • The Crandall Canyon mine owner told inspectors to back off because his buddy, Republican Mitch McConnell, was sleeping with their boss. McConnell's wife is Bush Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. Her agency overruled engineer concerns about Crandall Canyon and was found negligent after nine miners died in the collapse there.
  • Mr. Bush's hands off as Enron blacks out California, doubling electric bills.
  • After months of rejecting price caps, Mr. Bush bows to pressure. The blackouts end.
  • Mr. Bush further deregulates commodity futures, midwifing the birth of unregulated oil markets, which, just like Enron, jack up prices to an all time high, until Congress and both presidential candidates call for regulations and the prices fall.
  • Deregulating financial services and lax enforcement of remaining rules created a housing bubble, creating the mortgage crisis, creating then a credit crisis, devastating industries that rely on credit, from student loans to car dealers.

Firms that had survived the Great Depression could not survive Bush. Those that did got seven hundred billion dollars; no strings, no transparency, no idea whether it worked, unlike the auto bailout, which cut workers' salaries. A GOP memo called it "a chance to punish unions".

But Bush failed even when his party and his patrons did not stand to profit:
  • Investigators blamed management cost cutting communication for missed warnings about Columbia.
  • Bush administration convicts include sex offenders at Homeland Security, convicted liars, every kind of thief in the calendar, and, if you count things that were not prosecuted, the vice president of the United States actually shot a man in the face. The man apologized.

Mr. Bush faked the truth, all the time:

  • With paid propaganda in Iraq.
  • With paid propaganda on his education policy.
  • He tried to silence the truth about global warming.
  • He tried to silence the truth about rocket fuel in our water.
  • He tried to silence the truth about industry influence on energy policy.
  • He politicized the truth of science at NASA.
  • He politicized the truth of science at the EPA.
  • He politicized the truth of science at the National Cancer Institute.
  • He politicized the truth of science at Fish and Wildlife.
  • He politicized the truth of science at the FDA.

His lies; exposed by whistleblowers from the cabinet down:

  • "Complete BS," the treasury secretary said of Mr. Bush on his tax cuts.
  • Rice's mushroom cloud.
  • Powell's mobile labs.
  • Iraq and 9-11.
  • Jack Abramoff.
  • Jessica Lynch.
  • Pat Tillman.
  • Pat Tillman again.
  • Pat Tillman, again.
  • The air at Ground Zero; most responders still suffering respiratory problems.
  • Global warming.
  • Carbon emissions.
  • A Clear Skies initiative lowering air quality standards.
  • The Healthy Forests initiative increasing logging.
  • Faith-based initiatives.
  • The cost of medicare reform.
  • Fired US attorneys.
  • Politically synchronized terror alerts.
  • The surge causing insurgents to switch sides.
  • That abortion causes breast cancer.
  • That his first recession began under Clinton.
  • That he did not wiretap without warrants.
  • That we do not torture.
  • Tat American citizen John Walker Lindh's rights were not violated; that he refused the right to counsel.
  • "Heckuva job Brownie".
  • Some Katrina survivors still in trailers.
  • New Orleans still at just two-thirds its usual population.
  • The lie that no one could have predicted the economic crisis except the economists who did.
  • No one could have predicted 9-11 except one "ass-covering" CIA analyst, or thirty.
  • No one could have predicted the levee breach except, literally, Mr. Bill in a PSA that aired on TV a year before Katrina.
  • And Bush actually admitted that he lied about not firing Rumsfield because he did not want to tell the truth.

Look it up. Look it all up. All of it, all of it and more leaving us with ten trillion in debt to pay for 31% more in discretionary spending.

  • The Iraq War.
  • A 1.3 trillion dollar tax cut.
  • Median income down two thousand dollars.
  • Three-quarters of all income gains under Bush going to the richest one percent.
  • Unemployment up from 4.2 to 7.2 percent.
  • The Dow, down from 10,587 to 8,277.
  • Six million now more in poverty.
  • Seven million more now without health care.
  • Buying toxic goods from China.
  • Deadly cribs.
  • Outsourcing security to Dubai.
  • Sill unsecure in our ports and at our nuclear plants.
  • More dependent on foreign oil.
  • Out of the international criminal court.
  • Off the anti ballistic missle treaty.
  • Military readiness and standards down.
  • With two unfinished wars.
  • A nuclear North Korea.
  • Disengaged from the Palestinian problem.
  • Destabilizing eastern european diplomacy with anti-missile plans.
  • And unable to keep Russia out of Georgia.
  • 2000 miles of Appalachian streams destroyed by rubble from mountaintop mining. At his last G-8 summit he actually bid farewell to other world leaders saying quote—"goodbye from the world's greatest polluter".
  • Consistently undermining historic American reverence for the institutions that empower us:
    • Education? Now "academic elites".
    • And the law? "Activist judges".

And Bin Laden; living today in a Pakistani safe haven created by a truce endorsed and defended by George W. Bush.

And among all the gifts he gave to Bin Laden, the most awful, the most damaging not just to America but to the American ideal,
was to further Bin Laden's goal by making us act out of fear rather than fortitude, leaving us with precious little to cling to tonight save the one thing that might yet suffice:

hope.


January 14, 2009

Deal would see New Orleans' Saenger Theatre reopen by 2011

New Orleans officials today are set to announce an innovative plan for a city agency to take ownership of the majestic Saenger Theatre while leaving management in the hands of its longtime owners, who intend to reopen the shuttered playhouse by 2011.
The deal counts on $38 million in federal and state money and tax credits to restore the iconic movie palace that has festered since Hurricane Katrina. And while the transaction would take the building off the property tax rolls, it guarantees the city a minimum of $100,000 in rent payments annually, plus $50,000 a year toward major renovations, officials said Monday.
"We're hoping it will serve as a foundation for the resurgence of the other theaters along Canal Street, " including the Joy, State Palace and Orpheum, said Cindy Connick, executive director of the city agency that will administer the project.
"The Saenger is the sentimental favorite in the city. I have heard of more people who had their first date there, their first kiss, maybe saw their first Broadway show there, " she said. "It's important for the city to have the Saenger come back."
Under the deal, the property's current owner, Houston-based Saenger Theatre Partnership Ltd., would donate the property to the Canal Street Development Corp. in return for the right to operate the theater for at least 50 years, according to an attorney for the city agency and a partner in the management group.
The former owner also would manage a massive renovation with financing secured by the Canal Street agency, including $13 million in federal grants authorized by the state, said the attorney, Scott Whittaker.
The rest of the money would come from state and federal tax credits, including the new state benefit dubbed "Broadway South, " said Connick and Kirk Feldmann, the theater group partner.
"Tax credit investors have been identified. They're real. We're way down the road for all of that. The tax credit component is solid, " Feldmann said.
City officials are expected to sign an agreement today allowing the development corporation to administer the federal grants. Because the Saenger was privately owned at the time of the storm, the money would not be available without the public-private partnership.
Under its lease, the management group will commit to hosting at least 80 shows a year at the 2,700-seat theater and to selling 100,000 tickets annually, Whittaker said, though he said managers hope to draw closer to 160 shows every year.
The firm will pay $1 per ticket in rent, plus 50 cents per ticket toward renovations. The fees will be fixed for 10 years, and then increase with inflation.
If the thresholds are not met in the first three years, the city may seek a new manager, Whittaker said.
'Authentic restoration'
Built in 1927 at the corner of Canal and North Rampart streets, the Saenger was known as an ornate movie house before a 1979 makeover transformed it into the city's showcase for touring theater companies.
It was poised for a major renovation when Katrina struck, damaging the roof as well as the building's mechanical, operational and electrical systems.
Within months, city officials approached the Saenger Theatre Partnership with various proposals, including closing off a block of Iberville Street to accommodate large deliveries, Feldmann said.
Since then, he said, owners have invested "several million" dollars into roof repairs.
According to city records, the property was appraised this year at $1.58 million and billed for $22,826 in city property taxes. Likely owing to storm damage, the appraisal is only slightly less than the $1.7 million the property sold for in 1985, records show.
As part of its agreement with the Canal Street Development Corp., the theater group will oversee efforts to renovate with an eye toward the theater's original decor, including gold-leaf accents, life-size statues and lavish chandeliers, said David Anderson, another partner.
"Most of that has been lost because of the storm damage, " he said. "There is a huge amount of time and money that is going to into the authentic restoration of the interior."
Working together
The firm will be responsible for attracting major stage productions, comedy shows and musical acts, a task Feldmann said will be handled in tandem with another recently revived performance space in New Orleans.
Through its principals, Saenger Theater Partnership has close corporate ties with Arts Center Enterprises Inc., the firm hired to operate the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts, which reopened last week.
Feldmann said operating two theaters in post-Katrina New Orleans poses a risk because the level of demand for live performance is "unknown, " but the company at least will be able to ensure that runs of popular shows don't overlap.
"Hopefully, we can avoid the classic scenario of booking 'Cats' right on top of 'The Nutcracker, ' " he said.
Hopes are that both properties will attract a large local audience, as well as theater-goers from eastern Texas to Mississippi. The city likely will benefit from ongoing good will among producers, actors, musicians and other artists to help New Orleans get back on its feet, he said.
"There is a huge love affair with the entertainment community and their desire to come back to New Orleans and show their allegiance and support for this community, " Feldmann said. "They're dying to come."

by Greg Lake

Steve Kimock Crazy Engine Heads West

Steve Kimock will be hitting the road this spring with his new project Steve Kimock Crazy Engine. Exploring a new direction, Crazy Engine is a Steve Kimock project unlike any other. Pushing the boundaries of rock and roll, rhythm and blues, gospel and soul, the repertoire will include Kimock classics as well as an energized catalogue of covers and fresh material.
For nearly four decades Steve Kimock has earned a reputation as a guitarist with an enlightened approach to melodic improvisation and has captured audiences from around the globe with his tasteful guitar speak and brilliant tone. Labeled the “guitar monk” by Relix Magazine for his relentless pursuit of the art of guitar, Steve Kimock blends all of his influences, capturing the spirit of the music wherever he goes, while tuning into sounds from some unseen dimensions.
The long-awaited project will also feature legendary Hammond B3 player, Melvin Seals, best known for his work with the Jerry Garcia Band. The glistening new line up also includes the cookin’ rhythm section of Janis Wallin on bass (Family Groove Company) and Kimock’s own son, John Morgan Kimock on drums. Rounding out the configuration with their soulful crooning are “The Girls” on vocals, featuring Cheryl Rucker and Shirley Starks (Melvin Seals and JGB).
Crazy Engine will begin the ride on the West Coast in late March of 2009. With dates filling in quickly from coast to coast, there is no stopping the tour-de-force that moves Steve Kimock and his dynamic band.

TOUR DATES:03/26 – Crystal Bay Club – Crystal Bay, NV03/27 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco03/28 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco03/29 – Mystic Theatre – Petaluma, CA03/31 – Red Fox Tavern – Eureka, CA04/01 – Red Fox Tavern – Eureka, CA04/02 – The Domino Room – Bend, OR04/03 – Aladdin Theatre – Portland, OR04/04 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR04/05 – Big Room @ Sierra Nevada Brewing Company – Chico, CA

by Greg Lake

January 9, 2009

Wakarusa Initial Artist Announcement

Wakarusa is excited to welcome the following artists to the 2009 lineup: Yonder Mountain String Band (2 big sets!), STS9 (2 big sets!), Galactic (late night set), Buckethead (late night set), Sly & Robbie, Railroad Earth (2 sets), Cross Canadian Ragweed, Digable Planets, Porter, Batiste & Stoltz (2 sets), Steve Kimock & Crazy Engine, Perpetual Groove (2 sets), Split Lip Rayfield (2 sets), Lucero, The Egg, 20/20 Soundsystem, Jimmy Herring Band, Cornmeal (2 sets), EOTO, Boombox, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Secret Chiefs 3, Joe Purdy, Dirtfoot (2 sets), Pretty Lights, Big Smith (2 sets), Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Ott, Heavyweight Dub Champion, DJ Rekha, Underground Orchestra, Moonalice, My Dear Disco, Blue Mountain, Truckstop Honeymoon, Elephant Revival, Burnin' Smyrnans, Euforquestra, Hana Pestle . . . and many more to be announced!

by Greg Lake

Led Zeppelin 'will tour and record album with new singer'

Jimmy Page's manager today confirmed that Led Zeppelin are planning to tour and record a new album with a replacement singer for Robert Plant.
Plant confirmed in December that he wasn't interested in a full Led Zeppelin reunion, despite still remaining on good terms with his former bandmates.
In October, Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones hinted that the band were willing to continue with or without Plant.
Speaking about Led Zeppelin's future plans, Page's manager Peter Mensch confirmed that the band would indeed carry on - if they can find the right singer.
"Jimmy Page has been playing guitar professionally since he was 16 years old. Jimmy Page likes being a musician. That's what he does! He doesn't want to be a race car driver or a solicitor," Mensch told 6Music.
"So they [Page, Jones and drummer Jason Bonham] did the show [at London's O2 Arena in 2007] with Robert Plant; they had a really good time rehearsing, the three of them, before Robert showed up.
"And they decided that if they could find a singer that they thought would fit their bill – whatever their bill was at this stage in their career – that they'd make a record and go on tour.
Mensch said that he supported the trio's decision to carry on playing together, although he refused to comment on who Plant's replacement might be.
"John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page enjoy playing with each other, Jason Bonham is a really good drummer so why not? We just need to find a singer," he said.
While rumours of who Plant's replacement will be have included Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Mensch remained tight-lipped on the issue.
"It's gonna be a long and difficult process," he said. "And we're not soliciting people! So don't call me about it!"

by Greg Lake

January 5, 2009

The Dead To Tour In 2009

Happy New Year, everybody!! Hope and change are in the air! So what better way to kick off 2009 than to confirm what’s been buzzing in the rumor mill for some time: The Dead will be touring for the first time in more than four years, with nearly twenty shows spread across a month from mid-April through mid-May!

The lineup for this edition of The Dead will be the same one that rocked the house at Penn State last fall at the Obama benefit: The Core Four of Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, joined by guitar monster Warren Haynes and RatDog keyboard ace Jeff Chimenti (both veterans of the 2004 Dead "Wave That Flag" tour). The mood of the band for this Spring Fling is way up, so it’s sure to be a great tour!
Dead.net will be your official hub for ALL news about the tour, including dates and ticket info... and perhaps even a few surprises along the way!
So gas up the Tourmobile, get out that really wild tie-dye--you know, the one with the red spiral melting into the purple and green that’s in a heap of clothes in the back of your closet--and start getting into Show Shape!
You know it’s gonna get stranger, so let’s get on with the show...
April 12 Greensboro NC Greensboro Coliseum April 14 Washington DC Verizon Center April 15 Charlottesville VA John Paul Jones Arena April 17 Albany NY Times Union Center April 18 Worcester MA DCU Center April 19 Worcester MA DCU Center April 21 Buffalo NY HSBC Arena April 22 Wilkes-Barre PA Wachovia Arena @Casey Plaza April 24 Uniondale NY Nassau Coliseum April 25 New York NY Madison Square Garden April 26 Hartford CT XL Center April 28 E. Rutherford NJ IZOD Center April 29 E. Rutherford NJ IZOD Center May 1 Philadelphia PA Wachovia Spectrum May 2 Philadelphia PA Wachovia Spectrum May 5 Chicago IL All State Arena May 7 Denver CO Pepsi Center May 9 Los Angeles CA The Forum May 10 Mountain View CA Shoreline Amphitheater

by Greg Lake

10th Annual Hannah's Buddies Charity Classic

HOUSE OF BLUES PRESENTS 10TH ANNUAL HANNAH'S BUDDIES CHARITY CLASSIC FEAT. JOHN BELL & FRIENDS
House of Blues Orlando 1490 E. Buena Vista Dr. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830 407.934.BLUE
price : $39.50 date : Sat, February 28 door : 7:30pm show : 8:30pm genre : Jam Rock Roots Rock Rock age : all
http://hob.com/tickets/eventdetail.asp?eventid=55764

The Hannah's Buddies Charity Classic

The first Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic was held in Orlando in 1999. Seventy-five golfers gathered with John Bell of Widespread for a round of golf, dinner, silent auction and sold-out concert at the House of Blues. The golf tournament now occupies two golf courses with more than 250 golfers from around the country and the concert has continued to draw massive crowds and a variety of performers. It all started with Bell wanting to do something to help his goddaughter, Hannah, and children like her afflicted with the neuromuscular disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). In its first nine years, more than $1.5 million dollars has been raised for SMA research through this event. Year ten promises to bring even more needed funds for this fight against the number one genetic cause of death in children under two.
The Golf Tournament - The Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic is a four-person scramble played at Grand Cypress Golf Resort in Orlando on Friday. An 11:30 a.m. shotgun start sends more than 250 golfers onto the Nicklaus-designed courses to battle for great prizes and awards. The golfers range from scratch to high handicappers with a few first-time players sprinkled in for the fun. The competition is friendly and fierce at the same time – low score of 56 in 2008 took top honors by one stroke. Following the golf is a cocktail and award ceremony hosted by John Bell and entertainment provided by a regional music act.
The Dinner and Silent Auction at House of Blues - Participation in the golf tournament includes access for each golfer and their guest to the dinner and silent auction at the Orlando House of Blues on Saturday. The dinner consists of buffet of the infamous House of Blues Cajun-influenced cuisine. The silent auction consists of sports and music memorabilia displayed throughout the HOB music hall. Autographed music items from previous years have included guitars from Widespread Panic, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews as well as posters, photos and other musical instruments. Sports items have included autographed pin flags from the Major victories of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and others. The auction also offers great vacation destinations and packages donated by supporters across the U.S.
The John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash at House of Blues - The weekend climax occurs on Saturday night when the House of Blues doors open to the public for the JB and Friends Benefit Bash. John Bell invites his friends to join in a night of music always filled with surprises and great performances.
Previous individuals and bands that have performed with Bell at this event include North Mississippi All-Stars, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Galactic, Bobby Lee Rodgers and The CodeTalkers, Robert Randolph and his Family Band, Bloodkin, Barbara Cue, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Jerry Joseph, Kevn Kinney, Gibb Droll, JoJo Hermann, Michael Nichol and others.
http://hannahsbuddies.org/

by Greg Lake