Grateful Dead / Furthur bassist Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads venue has just announced a full slate of performances set for the first three weeks of May. The action starts on May 3rd with an Infamous Stringdusters show which The Terrapin Family Band will open and continues on May 5th when Phil will perform with The Terrapin Family Band as a benefit concert for the Unbroken Chain Foundation. Then, on May 10th, The Black Crowes’ Jackie Greene will Ramble with Phil and Furthur members John Kadlecik, Joe Russo and Jeff Chimenti.

Lesh will bring back his Telstar night of “improvisation and psychedelic music” on May 12th when he’ll perform with Kadlecik, Russo, Chimenti and Anders Osborne. TC will throw a “Spring Fling House Party” on the 13th featuring Lesh, Kadlecik, Russo, Chimenti and Osborne along with the Terrapin Family Band. On May 15th, Phil will offer up a “Rockin’ Ramble” along with Kadlecik, Russo, Chimenti and Osborne. The announced shows come to a close with three Rambles on May 16th – 18th that will find Lesh performing with Kadlecik, Russo, Chimenti and Luther Dickinson.

Tickets for every show besides the Stringdusters (tickets for that show are onsale now) will be available at the Terrapin Crossroads Box Office on Thursday, April 18th, starting at 3:00 PM. The Terrapin Family Band will play for those queuing up for tickets. Remaining ducats will be available for purchase online on Saturday, April 20th. Here’s more details on each May Terrapin Crossroads show…

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UPDATE 6:45PM ET: We came across of a video of the tour debut of Space Captain and added it.

We weren’t the only ones surprised to see The Black Crowes bring on Jackie Greene to fill the lead guitar role that Marc Ford, Paul Stacey and Luther Dickinson handled since 2005 for their new tour which kicked off on Sunday in England. Greene is more known for his singing voice, supporting work and versatility than for his ability to shred. However after listening to a handful of tracks from Sunday and a few videos from Monday, we’ve been very impressed with Greene’s contributions.

[Photo by @carnellzoso]

Not only does Greene add another dimension with his mandolin playing, but he’s delivered crushing guitar solos in lead-heavy songs such as Jealous Again, Wiser Time and Morning Song. Don’t take our word for it, here’s audio and video of the aforementioned tracks to see if you agree…

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For a new series of West Coast Rambles at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, Calif., Furthur / Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh will team up with Jackie Greene and Jackie’s new Black Crowes band mate Adam McDougall as well as guitarist Neal Casal and drummer Tony Leone for a four-night stand. The shows will take place on February 7th to 10th and are slated to start at 7PM each night.

Tickets for these performances are on sale today at the venue’s box office and will be available online starting tomorrow through the Terrapin Crossroads’ website. The first set of 2013 West Coast Rambles, featuring HT faves God Street Wine, take place this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Yesterday, The Black Crowes’ website was updated to reflect a series of spring tour dates that marks the band’s return to the road. These dates were the only information shared at the time, but today the band has put out a press release announcing a new live album and a change to the lineup.

HT fave Jackie Greene will join the band on guitar and vocals, adding to a lineup that already includes Chris Robinson, Rich Robinson, Steve Gorman, Adam MacDougall and Sven Pipien. Greene has spent time in bands with Chris Robinson (Weir/Robinson/Greene) and Gorman (Trigger Hippy) and replaces Luther Dickinson who toured with the band in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

The other big news from the press release is that the Crowes will put out a live album on vinyl dubbed Wiser For The Time (Silver Arrow/Megaforce Records) consisting of 26 songs (15 acoustic and 11 electric) from the band’s five-night, sold-out NYC performances in the fall of 2010. Wiser For The Time will also be available as a double album digital download. You can download Under A Mountain from the new release here. Finally, the Crowes’ new tour has a name: “Lay Down With Number 13.”

Bob Weir showed off a bevy of his bromances last night at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, where he was joined by friends Jonathan Wilson, Rob Wasserman and Jackie Greene for a guest-filled second set of his “solo acoustic” show. Greene was aboard as the opening act, but the other two were more than welcomed unannounced guests.

Greene kicked off the show with a solo set of his own that saw Wasserman and Wilson emerge for Nobody’s Fault But Mine and You Can’t Lose What You Never Had. Weir’s first set mostly featured Dead tunes and songs from his solo repertoire. Wilson came out towards the end of the opening stanza for Days Between followed by a Wasserman sit-in on RatDog staple Two Djinn.

12/8/2012 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

Set I (Jackie Greene): Rob Wasserman and Jonathan Wilson sat in on “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” and “You Can’t Lose What You Never Had”

Set II (Bob Weir): Hell in a Bucket, Playin in the Band > She Belongs to Me, Shade of Grey > Big Bad Blues > Black-Throated Wind, Loose Lucy, Cassidy, Days Between*, Two Djinn+

Set III (Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Jackie Greene, & Jonathan Wilson): West L.A. Fadeaway, Bird Song > Standing on Shaky Ground > Franklin’s Tower

Encore (Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Jackie Greene, & Jonathan Wilson): Ripple
*-w/ Jonathan Wilson; +-w/ Rob Wasserman

[via RatDogDotOrg's Facebook Page]

Weir’s second set consisted of Bobby, Jonathan, Jackie and Rob teaming up for West L.A. Fadeaway, Bird Song, Standing On Shaky Ground (Bowen, Hazel, Boyd) and Franklin’s Tower. For the encore, all three guests stuck around to help out Bobby on Ripple. Weir and Greene’s acoustic tour continues tonight in Bakersfield.

Check out a batch of fresh videos from the show hot out of the YouTube oven…

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Jackie Greene describes his forthcoming album as “simple songs,” and we’re guessing it’s going to be a more intimate, self-contained affair than his most recent efforts, seeing as he’ll play all of the instruments and he’s also planning to pare down the final material from some 25 originals he’s been working on.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

Where he gets the time to do so much writing, it’s much tougher to say. The new, as-yet-untitled album is the latest milestone in a particularly charmed career that’s already seen several strong releases, a steady graduation from small clubs to theater-level gigs all over the country, and continued national exposure with both his own band and thanks to his ongoing collaborations with the likes of Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Chris Robinson, Warren Haynes and other jam scene luminaries.

“Phil [Lesh] once told me: ‘Don’t be afraid to fail.’ It stuck with me. You can try things on stage. Any idea is game. Some of them work, some don’t. That’s how the opera is made.” – Jackie Greene

Greene, who’s also, it must be noted, a particularly engaging blogger, has been a little tough to get ahold of in recent weeks, so we asked him to field a few questions via e-mail. He and the Jackie Greene Band kicked off a month-long, 18-date tour last week in the Southeastern U.S.

HIDDEN TRACK: What do these new songs sound like, compared to your last few albums

JACKIE GREENE: I’d say much more acoustic, for lack of a better word but that might change. Lots of ballads. Simple songs. I feel like the last record was too complicated for most people.

HT: You’re opting to play every instrument on the album yourself. Sounds liberating! Why this approach?

JG: We’ll see how that goes. I’ve done it before. I have a certain luxury of time and my own studio. That means things can change drastically.

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Singer/songwriter and HT fave Jackie Greene recently decided to take a break from social networking. Over the course of the 17-day hiatus close friends he encountered in “the real world” told him online reactions to his sudden disappearance included “Is He Dead?” “Did He Retire?” and “I Hope He’s Okay.” Turns out the opposite was true, Jackie was having too good a time living his life to be bothered with Twitter and Facebook. In a thought-provoking blog entry titled “The Evaporation of The Genuine Self,” the brilliant musician explains why he took the break, why he’s bewildered at the reaction to his hiatus and why he felt the need to return to social networking.

Here’s six other stories of note on this last Monday of July…

• Hear Animal Collective’s New Single, Today’s Supernatural
• Watch This: The History of Wooing In Popular Song
• Charlie Dirksen Breaks Down The Recent Phish Tour
• List Time: Glide on The Best Albums of 2012 (So Far)
• Ben Folds Explains Why He Reunited Ben Folds Five
• The New York Times on the Recent Pop Memoir Trend 

Before we go, a Tenacious D concert at the House of Blues in Las Vegas was cut short on Saturday night when an attendee was stabbed as part of a melee that broke out. The stabbing led to Tenacious D leaving the stage about halfway through their planned performance. The LVPD is still investigating the incident after releasing two suspected participants who have been cleared.

Phil Lesh’s years in the making music venue, Terrapin Crossroads, opened last night in San Rafael, California, where the Grateful Dead / Furthur bassist greeted those who attended the “casual opening” with handshakes and smiles. Many of Lesh’s musical friends came out to perform in front the approximately 200 attendees including Jaz Sawyer, Nicki and Tim Bluhm, Jeff Chimenti and Jackie Greene as well as Phil’s son Grahame.

[Image by Grahame Lesh]

The makeshift band tore through covers and originals from the Grateful Dead repertoire as well as a few tunes from Tim and Nicki’s catalog. Thanks to DrStuartLevine1 we can check out a video of The Leshes rocking out Bertha along with Jackie Greene, Jaz Sawyer and Jeff Chimenti from opening night…

Terrapin Crossroads Casual Opening – Bertha

Many of the same participants are expected back at Terrapin Crossroads tonight.

Warren Haynes’ annual Christmas Jam got off to a rousing start last night at the Pre-Jam, which was held at Asheville’s Orange Peel. The evening featured short sets from many of the acts scheduled to perform at the Civic Center tonight. Phil Lesh’s latest Phil and Friends outfit closed out the show marking the first P&F performance since 2008.

[Photo of Bela Set from @TourTweet]

Haynes kicked off the Pre-Jam with a few, choice solo acoustic tunes (River’s Gonna Rise, A Friend to You) before welcoming up his Gov’t Mule band mate Matt Abts and Planet of the Abts. Another of Warren’s Mule cohorts, Danny Louis, added trombone to a few songs at the end of PoA’s set. Xmas Jam regular Kevn Kinney graced the stage next with his “friends” and played Here Come The Regulars and A Good Country Mile. Next up was Jackie Greene and Friends, a band put together especially for the occasion which featured Joe Russo on drums and ended with a scorching take on Don’t Let Me Down featuring Warren Haynes on guitar. Following Greene was a jazz-laden set by Bela Fleck, Jeff Sipe, Casey Driessan, Taylor Lee and Bill Evans. Then, Los Lobos delivered a seven-song set that included a sit-in from Haynes on Killing Floor as a tribute to the late Hubert Sumlin. Warren also guested on 300 Pounds of Joy and Mas Y Mas.

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Phish bassist Mike Gordon has sure made the rounds with performers at Higher Ground of late. In addition to his guest spot with the Spin Doctors on Sunday, Cactus sat in with the Jackie Greene band for a gorgeous take on the Grateful Dead classic Sugaree last Tuesday at the Burlington venue. Gordon pays tribute to Phil Lesh’s bass part while still adding in a few ridiculous licks of his own.

Jackie Greene & Mike Gordon – Sugaree 

Jackie Greene @ City Winery, June 8

Over the last few years Jackie Greene has dazzled legions of Deadheads during his stint in Phil & Friends with his soulful voice and ability to deftly switch from guitar to keys. Last Tuesday night the 29-year-old singer-songwriter, who has been putting out albums of his own since 2002, was in town to play an intimate sold out gig at the haute music venue City Winery.

[All Photos By Jeremy Gordon]

The show, broadcast live on WFUV, got underway shortly after 8PM as light from the setting sun and passing traffic headed to the Holland Tunnel poured into the large floor to ceiling windows of the street level restaurant-concert hall. The seated audience, who were enjoying gastropub fare and sipping on fine vintages, whooped enthusiastically as Greene took the stage with his three-piece backing band.

Dressed coolly in a black vest, t-shirt and white fedora Greene kicked things off with the mellow country-rock grooves of Shaky Ground, the lead track from his upcoming album Till The Light Comes, that hits stores on June 29. Greene used the majority of his hour-long set to showcase material from the new record to a very receptive audience that often shouted his name between tunes, performing most of the ten track album which he co-produced with Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips.

READ ON for more thoughts and pictures from Jackie’s show…

Sure, Jackie Greene helped earn a name for himself with a long stint as a member of Phil & Friends, but the Bay Area-based singer-songwriter is also an accomplished artist on his own. The talented Greene will release his sixth studio album Till The Light Comes on June 29 and recently unveiled the Jay Blakesberg-directed video for Medicine…

Jackie Greene – Medicine

Mr. Greene has a handful of dates scattered throughout the summer, including a stop at this weekend’s Mountain Jam, as well as appearances at Gathering Of The Vibes and the inaugural Nateva Music Festival.

KINK.FM Earth Day Concert, April 22 @ Aladdin in Portland, OR

There’s this radio station in Portland, Oregon that has as their catch phrase “True to the music”, and that station is KINK.FM. Our wonderful little secret, music-wise, until the internet made radio accessible to the world. The folks at KINK have always kept true to form, letting the quality of music determine playlists. Well that, and surveys of their listeners. I’ve never listened to this station and heard anything I couldn’t appreciate. They, like their listening faithful, genuinely love music.

KINK.FM has always been active in the community and puts on a yearly Earth Day Benefit show at the Aladdin Theater in Portland. They always include stellar entertainers (In the past John Hiatt, Dr. John and The Neville Brothers have headlined) and almost always sell out. This year was no exception, with One Eskimo opening for Jackie Greene.

The line to enter the venue stretched around the block, with 15 minutes until the doors opened. The crowd was about evenly split for which performer they were more anxious to see. Portland has always had a warm spot in its heart for Greene and he makes the journey up from his bay area home pretty regularly. But One Eskimo had been through town only once before, opening for Tori Amos and there were plenty of folks from that show in line tonight. I have to admit, I was curious to see how their clever self-titled CD would translate onstage.

READ ON for more from AJ on KINK’s Earth Day show…

This past weekend I was explaining the concept of Last Week’s Sauce to a friend of mine and they said, “Oh, so it’s like a Podcast of music that happened the previous week.” I explained yes that it was, but that I don’t compile all the tracks into one file, I just download them…do some edits and normalizing and we embed them individually on our site. Then it occurred to me that it would be just a little more work to essentially make this a Podcast as well. So for the first time this week, you can download all of this week’s selections in one easy to transport MP3. Click here to download this week’s selections. The rest of the piece will continue as it always has, with the audio embedded directly into the piece individually.

[Thanks to kcmoejoe for this week's photo]

Artist & Title: Jackie Greene – I Don’t Live In A Dream
Date & Venue: 2010-03-07 SPACE, Evanston IL
Taper & Show Download: arzjr

Jackie Greene is on the road in a slightly more stripped down setup than you are used to seeing from him live. The shows are being billed as the Jackie Greene Acoustic trio, and he has regularly been performing a few songs solo acoustic as well. He certainly has the song catalog to effectively pull this off. Greene plays tonight at Old Rock House in St. Louis.

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READ ON for tracks from Lettuce, RRE, Stockholm Syndrome and Wilco…

We have a lot of good audio and video to throw at you from last week, Furthur is back on the road for a major tour and Trey Anastasio is out on the road solo for the first time in over a year. Also Umphrey’s McGee seems to have worked their way into three different bands entries this week. Check out what’s below to see which band had a member sit-in with UM and which one took a veiled jab at either the band or the fans, or possibly neither.

[Thanks to j5brock for this week's photo]

Artist & Title: Furthur – It Must Have Been The Roses
Date & Venue: 2010-02-06 Hard Rock Live, Orlando FL
Taper & Show Download: marcus

Somewhat quietly, Zoe Ellis and Sunshine Garcia have been added to Furthur to help out in the vocals department. This rendition of this great slow Jerry tune sounds fantastic and most certainly benefits from their addition. Furthur plays tonight at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte.

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Dear Mr. Fantasy Video from the night before:

READ ON to stream the rest of this week’s selections…