While the Allman Brothers Band have been keeping a March musical tradition going since 1989 with their Beacon Theatre runs, Soulive has given life to a musical tradition all their own in Brooklyn. In 2010 Soulive played a 10-night, guest-laden residency at the Brooklyn Bowl titled “Bowlive.” Now in its fourth year, Soulive continues to top themselves with each successive Bowlive. From last night’s Bowlive IV opening show, the trio has laid the groundwork for raising the bar once again.

[All Photos by Andrew Blackstein]

Fusion-jammers Kung Fu kicked off the evening with a short but sweet set filled with potent improvisation. The Connecticut-based band is now in the midst of their fourth year together and continue to expertly mesh the sounds of the groups that spawned Kung Fu: The Breakfast, RAQ and Deep Banana Blackout. Guitarist Tim Palmieri and keyboardist Todd Stoops each have a unique style that’s so different from anybody else in the scene as it mixes speed and accuracy with an ear towards melody. I wasn’t the only one who wished there set went on longer.

When Soulive took the stage for their first set of Bowlive IV they were unaccompanied. Guitarist Eric Krasno, keyboardist Neal Evans and drummer Alan Evans showed off ther jazz-funk-groove hybrid sound on a run of four originals that kicked off the run with a bang. From the minute they started from 2007′s No Place Like Soul, it was clear Soulive would need no warm up. They hit it hard from the get go. Hat Trick, off 2009′s Up Here, shined the light on Kraz’s tasteful, soul-laden shredding. He’s got a sound and approach similar to John Scofield with a dirtier edge to it. Next, Soulive dipped towards the early days of the band by performing Shaheed from 2001′s Doin’ Something and Tuesday’s Night’s Squad.

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The Allman Brothers Band continued their 11-show residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Wednesday night. In line with what we reported, there were plenty of guests who sat in with the band at various points in the show.

[All Photos by Dino Perrucci]

For the first set, the Allmans mixed classics such as Midnight Rider and Good Clean Fun with the second-ever rendition of the Lesh/Haynes original Spots of Time. Towards the end of the set The Juke Horns emerged for a cover of It Makes No Difference, which was first played by the ABB during last year’s March Madness run. The horns stuck around for Don’t Keep Me Wondering and Same Thing. Blues Traveler harmonica wiz John Popper also helped out on the opening set-closing Same Thing.

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Soulive’s highly anticipated Bowlive IV residency at Brooklyn Bowl in NYC kicks off tomorrow night. Luther and Cody Dickinson were announced as special guests with the band leaving the door open for more artists to jam with them that night. This afternoon, we’ve found out one of these extra guests – none other than John Popper of Blues Traveler.

Popper’s @blues_traveler feed has been paying dividends today, as he already broke the news that he’ll be performing with the Allman Brothers Band this evening. Now, the harmonica master has revealed that he’ll jam with Eric Krasno and Soulive tomorrow. John was supposed to have played with Kraz last week at the first night of Bill Evans’ Soulgrass’s residency at the Blue Note, but had to bail as he was recovering from surgery. He considers tomorrow night “a cool makeup exam for me.”

We want to point your attention to John Popper’s Twitter feed @blues_traveler, where the Traveler front man has revealed that he will sit in with the Allman Brothers Band tonight at their fourth of 11 shows that make up this year’s March Madness Run.

Popper has sat in with the Allman Brothers Band a ridiculous 31 times since making his first appearance with the legendary band at Jones Beach on August 31, 1990. For a non-family member that has to be a record. The harmonica player has performed One Way Out with the Brothers 14 times and Statesboro Blues 13 times. His Beacon guest spots have been more diverse with Popper having sat in on In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, You Don’t Love Me, The Same Thing and other tunes over the years. Last year, the Blues Traveler front man actually got the lead the Allmans through one of his own tunes – Alone.

• Review and Photos: Last Night’s Allman Brothers Band Performance

With the Allmans debuting covers left and right this March Madness Run, we hope they have an interesting song or three picked out for Popper. What do you think they’ll play with him?

UPDATE: Commenter REL left a comment shortly after we posted our article with word of more guests who are expected to sit in tonight. Read THIS TWEET to find out who.

We’ve compiled a list of ALL John Popper sit ins with the Allman Brothers Band…

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Earlier today we posted a video of Bill Evans’ Soulgrass, Jake Cinninger, John Popper and John Medeski performing Glory by Umphrey’s McGee as shot by our pal LazyLightning55. Well LL has just posted another clip from the concert. Watch as the ensemble tackles Blues Traveler’s Runaround…

Bill Evans’ Soulgrass w/ Cinninger, Popper and Medeski

The residency continues tonight at the Blue Note with Medeski and Cinninger as announced guests.

Bill Evans’ Soulgrass’s guest-filled residency at the Blue Note in NYC continued last night, where the band was joined by Blues Traveler front man John Popper, keyboardist John Medeski and Umphrey’s McGee guitarist Jake Cinninger for an early and late set.

During the late set the ensemble offered a gorgeous take on UM staple Glory that featured Cinninger, Popper, Evans and Medeski each taking solos. Our pal LazyLightning55 caught the magical performance on video for our viewing pleasure. Take a look…

Bill Evans’ Soulgrass w/ Medeski, Popper and Cinninger

The residency continues tonight at the Blue Note with Medeski and Cinninger the announced guests.

It’s hard to believe YouTube is only seven-and-a-half years old as the video portal has become a ubiquitous part of life on the internet. In that time music fans have filled YouTube servers with video from the past which brings us to today’s B List topic. We’ve compiled a list of the oldest video on YouTube for 10 of the most successful bands to develop out of the jam scene.

These classic clips bring us back to a time when Al Schnier, John Medeski and Page McConnell had full heads of hair and gives us a look at the days when the members of these bands stood nearly on top of each at small gigs before they achieved success. Now, keep in mind that the footage needed to be worth watching to make our list, so even though there might be older videos out there for a few of these groups, but if you can’t see the band it defeats the purpose.

1. Medeski Martin and Wood – September 12, 1993

In searching for the oldest MMW video(s) on YouTube we hit paydirt with this one-hour, professionally-shot episode of Live at Lucille’s which was recorded at the Knoxville jazz club on September 12, 1993. John, Chris and Billy talk about their signature sound and roll through such classics as Syeeda’s Song Flute, Chubb Sub, Hermentos Daydream and Wiggly’s Way.

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Forgive me for those old enough to know this already, but there is a whole generation of jam fans that don’t realize the significance and impact that Blues Traveler played in not only helping to break the genre nationally, but also in spreading its gospel. Formed in Princeton back in 1987, John Popper & Co. are currently in the midst of celebrating not only their 25th anniversary, but also the 20th anniversary of the inaugural edition of H.O.R.D.E tour, which featured a who’s who of the jam world – Phish, Widespread Panic, Spin Doctors, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and Aquarium Rescue Unit. Relix’s recent cover story on how the tour came to be, and Blues Traveler’s role in it is a must read.

In the spirit of the H.O.R.D.E. tour, Blues Traveler will head out on the road with a couple of the fest’s alumni, Barenaked Ladies and Big Head Todd & The Monsters, as well as Cracker. for the Last Summer On Earth Tour. The 31-date, cross-country amphitheater tour, kicks off on July 6 at the Zoo in Toledo, Ohio. Prior to all that, Blues Traveler will release their tenth studio album Suzie Cracks the Whip, tomorrow, and recently released this somewhat cheesy music video for the record’s radio-friendly lead single You Don’t Have To Love Me. Let’s check it out…

H.O.R.D.E. founders Blues Traveler celebrate 25 years together in 2012, a year that also marks the 20th anniversary of the first H.O.R.D.E. Tour. The band members have all contributed personal photos from throughout their career to a gallery on Facebook that’s must-see material for Traveler fans.

Here’s a look at six other stories of note from this week…

• Even current Guns N’ Roses members want to see originals play HOF
• Grateful Dead to release July 31, 1974 performance as Dave’s Picks 2
• A website dedicated to the suckiness of a new Minn. venue goes live
• Squeeze will release a new live album and heads out on a long tour
• Tomorrow night’s Dumpstaphunk show will be webcast live at 10PM
• An epic Phish jam from 1994 finally surfaces on YouTube

Finally, a few days ago Camp Bisco organizers unveiled the lineup for this year’s festival. Joining the Disco Biscuits a top the bill are dubstep bigwigs Skrillex and Bassnectar. From our musical world, we’re excited to see Portugal. The Man, El Ten Eleven, Rubblebucket and Kung Fu make the lineup. The 11th installment of Camp Bisco is set to take place at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, New York on July 12 – 14. You can purchase $170 general admission tickets through the festival’s website. Here’s the complete listing of Camp Bisco artists announced thus far…

The Disco Biscuits; Bassnectar; Skrillex; Amon Tobin ISAM; Crystal Castles; Atmosphere; Big Boi; Shpongle presents The Masquerade; A-Trak; Lotus; Simian Mobile Disco (DJ set); Dada Life; Zeds Dead; Porter Robinson; Portugal. The Man; Big Gigantic; Bonobo (DJ set); Zedd; Mimosa; Daedelus; Holy Fuck; Mord Fustang; Break Science with Chali 2na; Kill the Noise; Rubblebucket; Gramatik; Tycho; Star Slinger; NiT GriT; Brothers Past; Archnemesis; El Ten Eleven; Craze; Alvin Risk; The M Machine; Zoogma; Eliot Lipp Live; 3LAU; Mansions on the Moon; Future Rock; Minnesota; The Knocks; Abakus; Thundercat; Shigeto; Ill-Esha; Killabits; Lance Herbstrong; Mux Mool; Orchard Lounge; Virtual Boy; DrFameus; Nick Catchdubs; Codes; JWLS; Star Eyes; Mindelixir; The Nadis Warriors; Paul Chambers; Inspired Flight; Freekbot; Alpha Data; Kung Fu; Manhattan Project; Rich Aucoin; HOTTUB; Xylos; Spiritual Rez; Bird of Prey; Revolvr and Michetti

New Jersey-bred jam legends Blues Traveler came to Brooklyn Bowl this past weekend for a pair of sold out performances at our favorite venue in New York City. The shows were a homecoming of sorts for the band, which cut its proverbial teeth at joints like the Wetlands Preserve and Nightingale’s during the late ’80s and early ’90s before finding commercial success.

[All photos by Rob Chapman]

The quintet was joined by quite a few guests over the course of the weekend including Paulie Z from Z02, Lisa Bouchelle, Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors, Matt Whyte of Earl Greyhound and John Cusimano of The Cringe. Even Rachel Ray, Cusimano’s wife, was in the house and left the band some deviled eggs, which we’d imagine were yum-o.

Photographer Rob Chapman was in the house for Saturday’s show. READ ON for a batch of Blues Traveler photos from Brooklyn Bowl by Rob…

It’s mostly a Rock & Roll recap here at Last Week’s Sauce. Notably, three of the bands (Blues Traveler, Pearl Jam, and Ween) all had their major studio debuts within one year of each other in 1990-1991. We round things out from the likes of jamband supergroup 30db covering Wilco and Keller Williams collaborating with his friends The Keels.

[Thanks to DATBRAD for this week's photo]

And we continue to take all the selected tracks, normalize them, create some simple fades and put it into one easy to download MP3 for you.

Click here to download the Last Week’s Sauce Podcast

Artist & Title: 30db – Handshake Drugs
Date & Venue: 2010-05-22 Berbati’s Pan – Portland, OR
Taper & Show Download: Mark Burgin

In the first edition of Last Week’s Sauce of the month we led off with a couple of tracks from 30db, which would normally mean I would ignore any new tapes that popped up. But a cover of Wilco’s Handshake Drugs is the type of thing we make exceptions for. Brendan Bayliss takes lead vocals on this one just a few months after Umphrey’s McGee debuted their cover of Wilco’s I Am Trying To Break Your Heart on Valentine’s Day. For the time being the full-band 30db gigs have past, but there is still one more chance to see Brendan Bayliss & Jeff Austin play the tunes from One Man Show: Thursday night at Summer Camp at 8pm at the Campfire stage.

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30db rips through The Beatles Don’t Let Me Down at The Fox in Boulder:

READ ON for tracks from Blues Traveler, Keller Williams & The Keels, Pearl Jam, and Ween…

On an evening when the attention of an entire city – and most of the Northeast – was turned to a small baseball game in the Bronx, jamband veterans Blues Traveler returned home to The Filmore New York at Irving Plaza for the first time in over a year. For over two hours, the band treated the packed house to classic covers, special guests, and their own hit singles.

Mixing Sublime’s, What I’ve Got and Cheap Trick’s, I Want You to Want Me, with Hook, The Mountains Win Again, and of course everyone’s favorite, Run-Around, John Popper invited old friends Jamie McLean to the stage for Mulling It Over (just weeks after his sit in at Sullivan Hall with former Spin Doctors lead Chris Barron) and the lovely Falu to join in on The Path.

With the evening winding down and news of the World Series victory spreading through the crowd, John and bassist Tad Kinchla (in an appropriately attired in a Yankee cap) began the encore with a Led Zepplin tease into a “Let’s Go Yankees” chant, before finishing up with Forever Owed and But Anyway and releasing the delirious crowd into the crisp night.

Set: How You Remember It> What’s For Breakfast, Girl Inside My Head> Slow Change, What I Got> Mulling It Over*, You, Me & Everything> NY Prophesies, The Mountains Win Again, The Beacons> I Want You To Want Me, Carolina Blues, Look Around, The Path**, Just For Me, Nail> Hook, Dropping Some NYC> Crash Burn> Dropping Some NYC, Run-Around

Encore: Forever Owed, But Anyway

* with Jamie McLean on guitar
** with Falu on vocals

READ ON for more of Jeremy’s Traveler photos…

Last Week’s Sauce is a recurring column featuring recordings of shows from the previous week. Thanks to tgaikdis for this week’s photo.

This week I wanted to add a theme to the selections as I did when we did an All-Bonnaroo edition. Last week ScottyB ran a great list of touring jambands that didn’t make it out of the 2000′s. The five groups featured in this piece are jambands that are indeed going to make it as touring bands carrying their respective ensembles into 2010 and hopefully well beyond.

Artist & Title: Blues Traveler – But Anyway
Date & Venue: 2009-10-06 The Paradise, Boston MA
Taper & Show Download: Dave Mallick

If longevity is the name of the game this week, Blues Traveler is a good band to lead off having formed in 1987 and put out their first album in 1990. Sure, they might not be playing arenas anymore (The Paradise in Boston is a room all of the other bands in this feature have outgrown), but they’re still out there gigging. Blues Traveler plays tonight at The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC.

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Video from the same show with Jamie McLean sitting in on guitar:

READ ON to hear more tracks from jambands that are set-on spanning at least three decades…

This song comes off a 1979 album by the Charlie Daniels Band titled Million Mile Reflections. Vassar Clements also deserves some songwriting credit, as he wrote the fiddle hook (basically) in his tune Lonesome Fiddle Blues.

For such a popular song, there are not a whole lot of real covers out there. Because of this, I’ve decided to include two renditions where the artist has made some slight changes to the subject matter of the song. If I had not done this – you would be looking at all jamband versions, and I try to avoid that the best I can.

The Contestants:

Blues Traveler: Leading off this week, we’ve got Blues Traveler who have had this cover as a staple in their repertoire for at least 12 years now (earliest recording on the LMA is 1997). Source: 8-22-1998

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Bonus Video From Wetlands 1998:

READ ON for the scoop on the rest of this week’s contestants…

This is the pop-up video version of the 1997 video…