Take a bunch of rabid music fans, throw them on a luxury cruiseliner, sail ‘em out to the jurisdiction-less “international waters” and pack the boat with about 30 bands and individual musicians — now I don’t usually recommend beating yourself about the face, neck, chest, breast and head, but if you can’t have fun on that five-day excursion, you might as well begin knocking yourself unconscious.

And such is Jam Cruise, the weeklong vacation-slash-concert now in its sixth year. The MSC Lirica departed from Ft. Lauderdale on January 4th and docked in Honduras and Cozumel along the way; and, in between, the boat played host to countless concerts, sit-ins, super-jams and seafaring spunions. The artist list featured notables like Warren Haynes and moe.’s Al Schnier, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the Funky Meters and Toots & the Maytals, Galactic and Soulive, Perpetual Groove and New Monsoon, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Steve Kimock, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Lotus and more.

Oh, and hey, that guy in the green shirt at the kit looks familiar. I doubt anyone chatted up Jon Fishman (of the Johnny B. Fishman Jazz Ensemble, I’m told) at the pool that week. So take a trip with us as we look back at Jam Cruise 6, told through the photographic stylings of the gifted and talented Dave Vann. Read on after the jump for a full gallery, as well as videos and downloads from the boat…

We wrap up our photographic coverage of the inaugural Echo Project with our best gallery yet, a fantastic mix of live action shots and backstage portraits. In this last installment you’ll see shit so close it’ll absolutely frighten you, like this first picture, which proves Phil Lesh may in fact be the Cryptkeeper.

We’d like to extend a hearty expression of gratitude and a heaping helpful of praise to the incomparable Dave Vann, who piggybacked on his incredible Hardly Strictly Bluegrass gallery to bring us this top-drawer photo coverage of last weekend’s festival in Fairburn, Georgia. And if you haven’t checked out his ridiculous shots from the action on Friday and Saturday, may you die of gonorrhea and rot in hell (laces out!). Okay, that’s a bit harsh, but shame on you.

Like the previous two days, this final gallery includes a great mix of jambands, indie rock bands, electronic acts, hip-hoppers and more. So read on after the jump for Dave’s full gallery of Phil Lesh & Friends, former Black Crowes lead guitarist Marc Ford, Umphrey’s McGee, RAQ, Spoon, The Bravery, ALO, The Roots, RJD2, Dirty Dozen Brass Band guitarist Jamie McLean and, what would a festival be without the “How youuuu feeeeeelin’?” stylings of Michael Franti & Spearhead.

And remember, if you’d like to fill us in on your own personal Echo Project experience, leave the world a message in the comments section…

Want free tickets and press access to any show you want this summer? Do you like to write about and take pictures at concerts? If you answered yes to those questions, check out Billboard’s Mobile Beat contest.

Billboard is teaming up with LG to offer the winners press passes to any concert they want and a heady camera phone. In exchange they promise to post their photos and a brief review of each performance they attend. Two winners will be picked from every major metropolitan area. Simply create a photo montage of your own photos and write a 100-word essay on why you want to be a Billboard blogger. Check out the Mobile Beat web site for more information or to enter the contest.

We hope someone from our audience wins — we don’t want bunch of emo kids filing dour rants on why Dashboard Confessional has sold out.

We got plenty of links this week, so let’s get down to business:

• Prince to play a seven week residency in Los Angeles?!?!
• The Smashing Pumpkins returned to the stage last night with new band members and a varied setlist
• The American Babies are featured on Cold Turkey 611
• The lineup for the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks is out
• Ray White will be Zappa Plays Zappa’s special guest this summer
• Where did this amazing footage of Bjork’s entire Coachella set come from? [via Large Hearted Boy]
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Squeeze - Part One
• Lefsetz Letter takes on the $3,000 concert series
• Two great David Lee Roth-era Van Halen Bootlegs from The Roadhouse
• Burning Oak profiles Friday’s Summer Camp festival performers
• Sirius is launching a Grateful Dead channel — the Dead also continue to kick down serious jams through the Taper’s Section
• Leftover Salmon’s 2007 lineup includes Jeff Sipe
• Richard Thompson is touring the country this summer
• Watch the first episode of Flight of the Conchords, a Tenacious D-esque new comedy that debuts in June on HBO
• Velvet Revolver is teaming up with Alice In Chains for a August - October tour
• Stewart Copeland wants the Police to change up their setlist
• Michael Franti found out how the inmates at San Quentin prison were feelin’
• The confirmed schedule for Central Park SummerStage is out
• Syd Barrett had quite a bit of loot stashed before his death

As always, please let us know if we missed anything below….

It’ll be more patchouli than pacifiers, blotter than beans. The Deadheads must be much happier than the Biscokids today following Jam Cruise’s initial lineup announcement that includes Dark Star Orchestra and Warren Haynes making their first appearance on the six-day floating party festival at sea.

On January 4th, 2008, Jam Cruise 6 will depart from Ft. Lauderdale with a full boat and a lineup of musicians that mixes heady ship vets with a couple of new additions. Soulive, Toots and the Maytals, Sharon Jones, and The Funky Meters join Warren Haynes and DSO amongst the newcomers. Returnees include Karl Denson, Perpetual Groove, Galactic, and Yonder Mountain String Band. And it’s officially a festival: Michael Franti will be on the boat. How you feeelin? Seasick!

Noticeably absent from the initial lineup are Jam Cruise fixtures Umphrey’s McGee and the Disco Biscuits (no B.D. Eggman Revisited?). Strange, seeing as this is one festival that doesn’t even attempt to book bands outside of the scene. You won’t find Dr. Dog or Kings of Leon chillin’ on the Jam Cruise poop deck.

Rotan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico — two places we’ve never heard of — serve as the ports of call for this year’s festival. Read on full Jam Cruise 1-5 lineups and an insane amount of downloads from past Jam Cruises…

Michael Franti and Spearhead will be playing a special show for the prisoners at San Quentin on May 19. Hopefully Franti won’t get shanked by an inmate who gets asked “How you feelin’?” one time too many times. Franti also gets heady points for recently visiting and performing for wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Kudos bar. Elsewhere from the interweb:

• Genesis has added more dates to their upcoming tour
• A review of Bjork’s recent concert at Radio City Music Hall
• U2 to release a DVD from 1997’s PopMart tour
• Who woulda thunk Rick James and Neil Young had a history together?
• Large Hearted Boy is compiling a list of Coachella Festival downloads
• Bob Weir speaks with Rolling Stone
• Chicago Trib looks at the new trend of bands performing classic albums
• The New York Times defends nostalgia
• A new podcast chock full of Widespread Panic from Everyday Companion
• Some rare The Who MP3s
• Bridgeport is excited to get the Gathering of the Vibes back
• Tool adds a few more late July gigs
• Neddy lists the shows of the week
• Jefitoblog shares a sicky sicky Van Halen show from 1977
• Ace & Co. head to Yankee Stadium for Cinco de Mayo, Jerk-style

And make sure to read on to check out setlists from the weekend — this batch includes Arcade Fire, Gov’t Mule, moe., RAQ, TLG, Umphrey’s and many more…

The downloads from this weekend’s kickoff to festival season are starting to emerge, and we figured we’d throw them out as soon as they come to our attention. So here’s the first batch of torrents and sendspaces for you to devour, and we’ll update this post as often as we can.

My Morning Jacket 3/10/07 (FLAC)
Widespread Panic 3/11/07 (FLAC) (second source, third source 24-bit)
Tea Leaf Green 3/9/07 (FLAC)
Tea Leaf Green late-night 3/8/07 (FLAC)
Greyboy Allstars 3/10/07 (FLAC) (second source)
Medeski, Martin & Wood 3/10/07 (FLAC)
Perpetual Groove 3/10/07 (FLAC)
Girl Talk 3/11/07 (sendspace mp3)
JJ Grey & MOFRO 3/10/07 (FLAC)
JJ Grey and MOFRO late-night 3/10/07 (FLAC)
The Slip 3/10/07 (FLAC)
Los Lobos 3/11/07 (FLAC)
Galactic 3/9/07 (FLAC)
Soulive 3/10/07 (FLAC)
Jake Shimabukuro 3/11/07 (FLAC) (second source 24-bit)
Sound Tribe Sector 9 3/9/07 (FLAC) (second source 16-bit)
STS9 DVD VIDEO 3/9/07
Matisyahu 3/11/07 (FLAC)
Explosions in the Sky 3/11/07 (sendspace mp3)
The Hold Steady 3/9/07 (FLAC)
Trey Anastasio 3/9/07 — Friday festival set (FLAC)
Trey Anastasio 3/8/07 — Thursday Revolution show (FLAC)
Lotus 3/11/07 (FLAC)
Michael Franti & Spearhead 3/10/07 (FLAC) and (sendspace mp3)
Apollo Sunshine 3/10/07 (FLAC)
New Monsoon 3/8/07 Late-night (FLAC)
The Heavy Pets (SonicBids Winner) 3/9/07 (FLAC) (second source)
Toubab Krewe 3/10/07 (24-bit)
No. Miss. All Stars late-night 3/10/07 (FLAC)
Taj Mahal 3/11/07 (FLAC)
Toots and the Maytals 3/11/07 (FLAC)
Pepper 3/11/07 (FLAC)
OFFICIAL RELEASES

Widespread Panic
moe.
Disco Biscuits
Sound Tribe Sector 9 (festival and late-night)

Stay tuned, and if you come across anything we haven’t posted yet, either hit us in the comments below or send me a note at ace@glidemagazine.com.

(And many thanks to Mike Pellen for being awesome with the updates…)

We’re planning to bring you as much coverage of the kickoff to festival season as possible, just because we can. And if you think we’re gonna play it straight, you’ve got the wrong guys (or you’ve fucked with the wrong Marine).

Some photos are posted below and individual set reviews and downloads are forthcoming, but here are some general news and notes from Langerado…

–I want to resist the massive, ongoing My Morning Jacket bukkake film the music blogs are creating together, but they really are that damn good: They just fuck your face more than any band I’ve ever seen. MMJ’s especially talented at hitting that high peak and wailing on it for a while instead of letting it back down, and every time that happens I picture Kelly Preston in Jerry Maguire screaming “Don’t ever stop fucking me!” Every single time. Um, am I alone in that?

–The Swamp Tent wasn’t all that crowded for Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, and I’m thinking this was probably the biggest mistake many people made during the festival. I’m all for moe., but Malkmus’ band is incredible and the Langerado faithful have fewer opportunities to see his shows. Throw in the fact that he’s an equal opportunity employer –- the chicks in the band are fucking amazing — and this was a must-watch performance. SuperDee turned to me at one point and said, “He really makes me want to do heroin.” I think she was kidding, but I agree.

–Michael Franti really fits in well in South Florida. He asks “How you feeeeelin’?” more than most Jewish mothers and grandmothers I know. If this whole musician thing doesn’t work out for him, I suggest Franti move down there and open up a delicatessen specializing in chicken soup. Franti’s set was enjoyable, the highlight being the cover of What I Got > Sesame Street > What I Got.

Read on for more thoughts and briefs from the weekend that was…