Trey Anastasio and his Classic TAB ensemble take the stage at the Jefferson Theatre in Charlottesville, VA shortly for the first of 16 shows on this tour. Tonight’s show is a benefit for the Kristine Anastasio Manning Memorial Fund on what have been Trey’s sister’s 47th birthday.

This afternoon,  Jambands.com posted a great interview by Randy Ray of Classic TAB trumpet wiz and vocalist Jennifer Hartswick. Keep your eyes on Hidden Track for setlists, recaps and photos all tour long and be sure to enter YEMblog’s Trifecta Contest for a chance to win a Big Red bobblehead.

Here’s six other links to keep you busy this afternoon…

• The New York Times enjoyed The Who’s performance
• Beck and Feist will guest on Jamie Lidell’s brand-new LP
• Snooki from MTV’s Jersey Shore interviews Phoenix
• Band and Horses and Robert Randolph will open for WSP
• Check out this collection of 50 The Decemberists covers
• Outformation announces a four-show “Farewell Tour”

While the String Cheese Incident may be getting back together, that doesn’t mean the Kyle Hollingsworth Band won’t continue to tour. The Kyle Band’s 2010 touring slate begins with three shows in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains – March 12 at The Eldo in Crested Butte,  March 13 at Agave in Avon and March 14 at three20south Breckenridge, CO. Speaking of Kyle and String Cheese, Relix has posted a video of Kyle’s impromptu performance with SCI bandmate Keith Moseley from Jam Cruise 8.

Phil Lesh and Bob Weir’s Furthur project kicked off their first lengthy tour on Friday night in Miami and continued on to Orlando on Saturday reaching deep into the Dead’s repertoire to fill the setlists. For this tour, Weir and Lesh are joined by Furthur regulars Jay Lane (percussion), Joe Russo (drums), Jeff Chimenti (keys) and John Kadlecik (guitar). The vocals have been bolstered by the addition of vocalists Zoe Becker and Sunshine Garcia Becker.

Audio of both the Miami show and the Orlando show is already available on the Live Music Archive. Here are the setlists from the Furthur Florida shows. We’ve hyperlinked to videos where available…

February 5 – Miami, FL

Set 1: Jam> Born Cross-Eyed> The Music Never Stopped> Ramble On Rose> The Golden Road To Unlimited Devotion> Dear Mr. Fantasy> On The Road Again> Franklin’s Tower

Set 2: Throwing Stones> Viola Lee Blues> Mason’s Children> Viola Lee Blues, Good Lovin’, Lady With A Fan> Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street, China Cat Sunflower> I Know You Rider, Donor Rap
Encore: Ripple

February 6 – Orlando, FL

Set 1: One More Saturday Night> Bertha, The Race Is On, It Must Have Been The Roses, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Reuben And Cherise> Deep Elem Blues> Deal

Set 2: After Midnight> Next Time You See Me, Althea, Cryptical Envelopment, Wharf Rat, The Other One, The Wheel, Going Down The Road Feeling Bad, And We Bid You Good Night, Donor Rap
Encore: US Blues> Touch Of Grey [via Philzone.com]

Furthur Tour continues tonight at The Tabernacle in Atlanta.

As we head deeper into 2010, one of the records that we here at HT are most looking forward to is The Winter of Mixed Drinks, the awesomely- titled third studio album from Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit which drops on March 9 via Fat Cat Records. Back in fall, Scott Hutchison & Co. gave fans a taste of what was to come when they released the album’s first single, Swim Until You Can’t See Land, as a digital download and 7″.

With their new album less than a month away, the band has recently revealed a full schedule of tour dates in support that kicks off with a pair of high profile appearances at SXSW and Coachella, before they hit the road for a 24-date cross-country run. Prior to all that, Frightened Rabbit has released the video for the album’s second single – Nothing Like You. Give it a listen…

If the first two singles are any indication of what the rest of the album will sound like, we should be in store for another batch of emotionally laden songs with Hutchison’s powerfully wise ruminations on relationships and life.

Gov’t Mule brought their By A Thread tour to Milwaukee on February 3rd and played a concert that showcased the band’s current sound. Warren and his bandmates squeezed in a few new tunes from By A Thread along with some classic Mule jams. Chicago’s Steepwater Band warmed up the crowd inside the rather cold Rave venue with their fun Americana style of hard rock.

Mule came out swinging with Brand New Angel, and really hit one out of the park with their new tune Brokedown On The Brazos – a testament to just how well the new material blends with the old. I’ve heard Warren say recently that Mule is taking a step forward and back at the same time with their new songs and bassist. Having now heard the album, By A Thread, a few times and having seen bassist Jorgen Carlsson tackle Mule songs old and new, there is something uncanny about the style and tone of his bass that is indeed warm and familiar. It should be exciting to see this lineup mature and evolve as new material is released in the future. Other highlights of the evening for me included a Beatles medley of She Said, She Said that evolved into Tomorrow Never Knows, Any Open Window and Mule standards Blind Man In The Dark & Soulshine.

As everyone knows, Warren is one of the hardest working musicians out there, lending his efforts mostly to The Allman Brothers Band and The Dead when he’s not playing with Mule. As good as Warren is fronting those bands, it’s great to see him in his natural environment doing his own thing. He was all smiles from the time he walked out onstage to the last bars of Soulshine, played shortly after midnight. You can clearly see the passion and joy he has for the music.

Set 1: Brand New Angel, Broke Down On The Brazos, Lay Your Burden Down, Endless Parade, Birth Of The Mule, She Said, She Said > Tomorrow Never Knows, Time To Confess, Driving Rain

Set 2: Far Away, Inside Outside Woman Blues, Any Open Window, Left Coast Groovies > Drums, Brighter Days > Like Flies, Blind Man In The Dark with Ain’t No Sunshine Intro

Encore: Frozen Fear, Soulshine with Gospel Intro

READ ON for a gallery of John’s Gov’t Mule photos…

As a teaser between albums, Cold War Kids released Behave Yourself – a digital-only EP late last year. The soul-rock band, who recently wrapped up a mini-tour, head into the studio this month to record the follow-up to their 2008 release Loyalty to Loyalty. Here’s the band’s Wes Anderson-inspired Audience Of One video directed by their friend Vern Moen…

Cold War Kids – Audience Of One

Shot during his first-ever tour of Europe, Marvin Gaye’s Greatest Hits Live in ‘76 (Wednesday, 11PM – Ovation) features some of the R&B legend’s greatest songs including Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, I Heard It Through The Grapevine and What’s Going On, performed in Amsterdam.

Monday, February 8 (All times ET)

• Eric Clapton: Standing at the Crossroads [Ovation Noon]
• Johnny Cash: Half Mile a Day [Ovation 1PM]
• Metallica: Behind the Music [VH1 Classic 1:30PM]
• Classic Albums: Bob Marley, Catch a Fire [VH1 Classic 5:30PM]
• Chelsea Lately: Ozzy Osbourne [E! 11PM]

Tuesday, February 9

• Snoop Dogg: Storytellers [Palladia 11AM]
• The Doors: No One Here Gets Out Alive [VH1 Classic 5PM]
• Jeff Beck: Live at Ronnie Scott’s [Palladia 5PM]
• Alice Cooper: Prime Cuts [VH1 Classic 6PM]
• Lady GaGa: London Live [Palladia 12:30AM]

Wednesday, February 10

• Katy Perry: Unplugged [Palladia 7PM]
• Tina Turner: Wildest Dreams [Ovation 9PM]
• Spectacle w/Elvis Costello: Sheryl Crow [Sundance 10PM]
• Documentary: Soul Train, The Hippest Trip in America [VH1 Classic 10PM]
• Marvin Gaye: Greatest Hits Live in ‘76 [Ovation 11PM]

Thursday, February 11

• Pete Townshend: Biography [BIO 8AM]
• Tina Turner: Live  in Holland [Palladia 10AM]
• Quincy Jones: Listen Up! [Palladia Noon]
• Led Zeppelin: Biography [BIO 8PM]
• Miles Davis: A Different Kind of Blue [Ovation 9PM]

Before we take off for the weekend, we wanted to share a video put together by Slate that ponders the question – “what if famous filmmakers directed the Super Bowl?” Check out this video for faux trailers from Tarantino, David Lynch, Wes Anderson, Jean-Luc Godard and Werner Herzog.

[Slate V via Vulture]

Do you have any predictions for Sunday’s big game? As a Jets fan, I’m most excited for The Who’s halftime show. I think the Colts are going to romp. Let us know your thoughts on the Super Bowl by leaving a comment below…

Freak-rock faves Ween took an extended hiatus from Late Summer 2008 to Late Summer 2009 and then didn’t play all that many shows upon their return. This year looks to be much more brown as the band announced they “plan to do a bunch of touring in 2010.” Up first for Gener, Deaner and the boys are four shows in the Mid-Atlantic and South in April.

Ween – The H.I.V. Song (Live 2005)

On April 6th, Ween will return to Richmond, VA for a show at The National. April 7th finds the band at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem, NC.  After a day off, Ween finishes the run with a show on the 9th at “Thomas Morre” (perhaps Thomas Wolfe?) in Asheville, NC and the 10th at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. Tickets for all four shows go on sale next Friday, February 12.

Fifty-one years ago this past Wednesday, a plane carrying rock legends Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa killing all three musicians and the pilot. Not only did we lose three incredible artists, but we also lost a shrewd businessman in the form of Buddy Holly. The record labels held all the power in those early days of rock and roll, so it took a bit of inventiveness for artists to get what they wanted.

Buddy Holly – The Phone Call

The video above contains a recording Holly made of a conversation with Decca Records executive Paul Cohen in which Buddy tried to get the rights to release recordings he made for the label. Decca doesn’t have much interest in releasing Holly’s music but has even less interest in letting Holly release his material elsewhere. Despite Cohen’s douchebaggery Buddy remains cool, calm and extremely respectful. Eventually, Holly did get his music released by putting it out under “The Crickets” moniker and went on to achieve fame and commercial success before that fateful night in Iowa. Listening to stuff like this makes us feel better about major labels getting their asses handed to them these days. [Hypebot via The Daily Swarm]

Phish became my favorite band in 1994 and since that time they’ve remained my favorite band, but just before I got into the world of jam my favorite band was The Lemonheads. Evan Dando’s power-pop outfit captured my attention with their quick and catchy tunes that resonated with this young kid from the Jersey suburbs. Last Friday night, I relived my youth when I caught Evan Dando at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ.

Evan Dando @ Maxwell’s – Hannah and Gabi

My older sister got me into The Lemonheads and it was a thrill for me to take her to this concert the way she took me to Roseland in 1993 to see the band in their glory days. We got to the grungy club at 10:30 giving us a chance to see three songs by the opening band, The Candles. Led by lead singer Josh Lattanzi, The Candles seem to have picked up when The Lemonheads left off with jangly rock tunes that would be more radio-friendly if it was 1994. The Candles’ last tune, Here or Gone, was the best of the bunch and reminded me of The Strokes musically and Buffalo Tom lyrically.

Shortly after 11PM, Evan Dando took the stage wearing a construction helmet and a bulky winter coat. Mr. Dando hasn’t exactly aged well as you could see each of the past seventeen years on his face. What didn’t change was the music. Evan ran through many Lemonheads classics, a few solo numbers and a couple of fantastic covers over the course of the 70-minute set. As a jam fan, it was refreshing to see a bunch of three-minute tunes back-to-back; there were no seven-minute noodle jams at Maxwell’s.

READ ON for more from Scotty on Evan Dando @ Maxwell’s…