It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since the Benevento-Russo Duo and Mike Gordon collaborated on a wonderful 54-minute version of Foam that got the Phish community talking about just how good this pairing was. The 54-minute Foam, in which the trio explored many different jam spaces and worked in teases of Lengthwise, served as the entire first set for Mike and The Duo.

Considering what a depressing time the Spring of ’05 was for Phish fans who were only eight months removed from Coventry, this version of Foam gave us hope. Gordon was clearly on top of his game and collaborating with two ridiculously talented musicians who pushed him to glory. This morning an exceptional video of the entire game-changing Foam has surfaced on YouTube. Enjoy!

You can buy an MP3 or FLAC of this Foam via LivePhish.com.

In just a few hours what looks the be the best episode yet of Bob Weir’s Weir Here talk show will air on TRI Studios starting at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET. As previously reported, Weir’s Grateful Dead / Furthur band mate Phil Lesh will make his Weir Here debut this Wednesday and additional guests will include Grateful Dead roadie Steve Parish and GD legacy manager David Lemieux. Just in case the lineup for this episode wasn’t impressive enough, a pair of musical guests have just been revealed.

Weir and Lesh’s Furthur band mate Joe Russo and multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby will join the Weir Here festivities this evening for the Pigpen-themed episode. So be sure to tune in to TRI Studios at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM ET. If not, we’ll have a full report for you.

You can even watch right here…

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As previously reported, Marco Benevento will be a special guest of the Midnight Ramble Band on March 2nd at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York. Marco’s old Duo band mate, and a regular at recent Rambles, Furthur drummer Joe Russo will also guest at the March 2nd Midnight Ramble.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

Tickets, which run from $45 – $55, are available now through LevonHelm.com.

Singer/songwriter Chris Harford will bring his Band of Changes project to the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on March 8th. Backing Harford will be frequent collaborators Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo on guitar, Joe Russo on drums and Matt Kohut on bass. Tickets are available now for $10.

• List Time: 11 Best Songs by Ben Harper…And Someone Else
• Radiohead to head into to studio to record their next album at the end of the summer
• Cover Alert: The So So Glos tackle The Clash
• David Lee Roth told Rolling Stone that he wants bassist Michael Anthony back in Van Halen
• Download This: Levon & The Hawks – Pop Ivy’s – Port Dover, Ontario, CAN – 1964
• Sigur Ros are selling their own scented candles that smell like “driftwood campfire”

Finally, while it took roughly five years between The Strokes third and fourth studio albums, the New York City-based band won’t be keeping fans waiting quite as long this time around, as they will release their next full-length effort Comedown Machine on March 29. Late last month Julian Casablancas & Co. gave us our first taste of what’s to come with the synth-laden, disco-esque track One Way Trigger, that sounded more like Blondie than Velvet Underground. Yesterday, the band released the record’s second single, All The Time, which is very much vintage Strokes sounding.

Back on June 2nd, recent Princeton University graduate (Class of ’12) Brian Lesh teamed up with his father Phil, his brother Grahame, guitarist Stanley Jordan (Class of ’81), keyboardist Marco Benevento and drummer Joe Russo to play a special show at Dead Head Night at Terrace Club. The one-time ensemble tackled classic Dead tunes and covers from the likes of Mumford and Sons, The Band and Kings of Leon. Audio of the performance hadn’t circulated…until now.

Thanks to our friend Ben Markowitz for sharing this pristine recording of the festivities…

As our friends at Relix remarked, this performance marked the first time the members of the Benevento-Russo Duo performed together in a band that wasn’t Led Zep tribute act Bustle In Your Hedgerow since January’s Freaks Ball. The audio above appears to only be part of the show, with most of the songs Jordan sat in on missing. Hopefully the Terrace Club will post the rest.

One of the more exciting runs in post-Dead history came to a close last night when Phil Lesh, John Medeski, John Scofield, Warren Haynes and Joe Russo finished a three-night stand at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, Calif. As they did on the first two nights, the extremely talented combo  mixed classics from the Grateful Dead songbook with assorted covers.

[Photo by Scott Gordon]

Among the quintet, Warren Haynes was the lone member known for his singing so he handled vocals for most of the run with Phil chiming in from time to time. Last night saw the group deliver covers of Dear Mr. Fantasy, Amazing Grace, Blue Sky, Sunshine Of Your Love, Hallelujah, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Turn On Your Lovelight and Not Fade Away.

Our pal JRapp captured some audio from yesterday’s festivities. Check out the quintet’s gorgeous take on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah followed by a transcendent, 35-minute Dark Star > While My Guitar Gently Weeps > Dark Star segment that shows the power of this band…

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The Grate Room at Terrapin Crossroads has been re-opened after a renovation and following Thursday night’s opening performance featuring a variation on Furthur, the real fun began last night. Lesh put together one of the most talented bands in the history of his “Friends” projects for three nights running from yesterday until Sunday. Joining Phil for the three performances to kick off December at the San Rafael, Calif. venue are Furthur band mate Joe Russo on drums, MMW keyboardist John Medeski, ABB / Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes and jazz guitarist John Scofield.

[Photo by @tweeprise]

For yesterday’s first show, the dream ensemble mixed classics from the Grateful Dead song book with a handful of classic rock covers such as In Memory of Elizabeth Reed by the Allman Brothers Band and The Beatles’ She Said, She Said. Last night’s performance was webcast on a Pay-Per-View basis leading to speculation that the next two nights will be broadcast as well.

Watch a video of Shakedown Street that has popped up on YouTube…

Listen to Eyes > Liz Reed > Eyes and Scarlet > Fire from Set Two…

READ ON

Back in September Furthur / Bustle In Your Hedgerow drummer Joe Russo was a special guest at a Midnight Ramble held at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock and he’ll duplicate that feat on December 8th. Russo will perform Grateful Dead tunes and more with the Midnight Ramble Band, aka the Levon Helm Band. The Dirt Farmer Band, featuring members of Levon’s band, will open.

[Photo via @LevonHelmRamble]

Tickets are on sale now for this very special Ramble.

In between God Street Wine’s two reunions members of the band played a number of shows together with the exception of drummer Tom “Tomo” Osander who lives in Europe. Most performances featured guitarists Aaron Maxwell and Lo Faber while a handful also included bassist Dan Pifer and keyboardist Jon Bevo. When the foursome and old pal Jason Crosby teamed up to play Vibes in 2011 they had a secret weapon behind the kit  to add firepower to the end of the set – Joe Russo.

[Backstage Photo by Michael Weiss]

Russo was at the festival with headliners Furthur and didn’t have much prep time with the band before starting his guest spot. In fact, when they got together with Joe before the show, it was the first time most of the members of GSW had met him. Thankfully Russo was familiar with God Street Wine even responding something along the lines of “it’s cool dude, I have Bag [God Street's debut album]” to a query from Faber about his familiarity with a section of certain song. From the moment God Street Russo took the stage it was clear this was a good fit. “I remember feeling a collective nod from the guys when Joe hit that drum fill on the intro of Fortress of Solitude. I also remember looking back at Joe during Waiting for the Tide, and he was singing the Whoa, whoa, whoa…behind the kit. If I knew, I would have set up a mic for him!” GSW stage manager Michael Weiss told us.

Recently the Gathering of the Vibes YouTube channel was updated with a pair of videos from the performance. Check out Fortress of Solitude and Hammer & Spike…

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The members of the NYC-Freaks e-mail list/Yahoo Group celebrated another trip around the sun with their 12th annual Freaks Ball this weekend at Brooklyn Bowl. Both shows were sold out as Portugal. The Man and Sam Champion performed on Friday and last night’s gig featured the “just for this event” Freaks Ball Stars. Our pal Marc Millman was in the house on Saturday and has already uploaded a number of clips from the Ball Stars set.

Freaks Ball Stars – Fire On The Mountain

Ever think you’d hear Warren Haynes and Eric Krasno team up to cover Fire On The Mountain backed by The Duo and Ron Johnson? See the video above for their momentous version of the classic Grateful Dead tune, which also features Alecia Chakour on vocals. There’s also footage of the same group of musicians, along with core Ball Star guitarist Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds, crushing D’yer Mak’er by Led Zeppelin…

Freaks Ball Stars – D’yer Ma’ker

You can also watch the core band with Krasno and Chakour tackle Little Wing; with Krasno, Chakour and Haynes on You Don’t Know Nothing About Love and Roberts showing off his foot tambourine work on the most fitting encore – Freaking at the Freakers Ball. Yet the song that won the most raves from members of the influential taste-making group was a sizzling romp through While My Guitar Gently Weeps featuring the core band plus Scott Metzger, Eric Deutsch, Haynes and Krasno…

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Two members of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, launched their latest band, Furthur, with three shows at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, CA this past weekend that featured nearly every classic Dead song ever written.

Furthur – Casey Jones

Joining Phil and Bobby as part of Furthur were drummer extraordinaire “Sir” Joe Russo, guitarist John Kadlecik of quintessential Dead cover band the Dark Star Orchestra as well as Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti of RatDog.

You’d think Kadlecik – a guy who “plays” Jerry every night with his own band would sing all of Garcia’s parts, but Weir sang lead on a number of Jerry songs. Yet, the crowd would go nuts whenever Kadlecik stepped to the mic.

Let’s take a look at the setlists…

Friday, September 18

Set One: Jam> The Other One> The Wheel, Jack Straw> Music Never Stopped> Bird Song> Born Cross-Eyed> Let It Grow

Set Two: Lost Sailor> St. Of Circumstance, Althea, Scarlet Begonias> Fire On The Mountain, St. Stephen> The Eleven> Foxy Lady Jam> Terrapin Station> Not Fade Away

Encore: Donor Rap/Intros, Touch of Grey

READ ON for audio, video and more from Furthur…

Each year the taste makers of a Yahoo! group named NYC-Freaks come together to throw a party featuring some of their favorite “just about to break” bands. Freaks Ball VIII continues the trend on February 9 at Brooklyn’s Southpaw with a lineup featuring Bustle In Your Hedgerow, American Babies and a mystery band currently labeled The Bearded Ones.

Bustle members and Babies’ Scott Metzger and Sir Joe Russo will both be making their sixth consecutive Freaks Ball appearance, leading us to question whether anyone in the history of rock has been in more up-and-coming bands than those two. We’re still holding onto our Metzger rookie cards, just in case Go Home Hippie finally achieves Soulja Boy status.

Let’s see what else happened while you unwrapped gifts or ate Moo Shu Pork:

• Wired looks for Live Music Webcasting to start making sense in 2008
• Rush’s Neil Peart wins a Drummer of the Year awards for a change
• Jay-Z stepped down from his post of President at Def Jam
• The Lemonheads squeeze out a tasty show in Boston
• Screw Guitar Hero, try your hand at Heroin Hero
• James Brown’s family continues to fight over his estate a year after his death
• Uncle Neddy fills us in on the remaining shows of (the rest of) the year

Finally, we’d like to congratulate David Pirkle, Butch Weiss and Dean for winning our JamCam Episode 14: Wanee 2007 giveaway. It looks like Boxing Day picked up where Christmas left off for that lot.

Ever wanted to learn how to play drums from a loose-limbed wizard that looks like a fair-haired Trey? Now’s your chance: Sir Joe Russo’s teaching the public.

New Yorkers tomorrow night will be treated to the debut performance of Anti-Jazz Raygun, a trio that describes itself as “ImprAvant Death Rock.”

With his Duo partner Marco Benevento spending some time on the road with Matt Chamberlain and Reed Mathis, the world’s most underrated drummer is stepping out with a trio of his own. Joe Russo on Tuesday at 8 pm in the Old Office of the Knitting Factory will man the kit while his old Fat Mama run-in buddy, Jonathan Goldberger, adds guitar and “awesome noise.” Brandon Seabrook rounds out the group on the bass, guitar and “great things.” Feckin’ sweetness.

Can’t make it? Russo will also be playing drums for two American Babies shows this week — Thursday in Teaneck, New Jersey and Saturday in Philadelphia.

• Related Audio: Best Reason To Buy the Sun — Duo, 4/6/06
• Related Audio: Paranoid Android (Radiohead) > Paranoid Android Outro > Waltz #1 (Eliot Smith) — Duo, 3/8/05