Now that the weather is getting warmer and the calendar has turned to April, the festival season is in full swing. Next weekend the Allman Brothers Band and Live Nation bring their Wanee Festival to Live Oak, Florida’s Spirit of Suwannee Music Park for three full days and four nights of sets from a slew of HT faves and up-and-coming acts.

The action kicks off on Wednesday night, the 17th, with an afternoon and evening of music from the likes of Cope and Dumpstaphunk before Wanee gets in full swing on Thursday. We preview the festival with five things to look for / questions that will be answered by the time the final band leaves the stage at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park early on Sunday morning.

1. Will the Allman Brothers Band pick up where they left off at Beacon run?

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Please welcome our newest contributor, Robert Janoski, to preview this month’s TAB Tour.

For the 14th year of his namesake solo group’s existence, Trey Anastasio and his TAB ensemble will embark on a nine-show mini tour starting tomorrow at The Fillmore in Detroit, Michigan. In 2012, the early months that in 2010 and 2011 were reserved for TAB tours were given over to Trey’s symphony outings. These shows revealed nuances to Trey’s Phish and solo compositions unique to orchestral settings, and had fans pleasantly surprised. However, most still yearned for the frontman to direct his energy once again to the more accessible and cathartic Trey Anastasio Band.

With this extended eleven-month layoff period between the band’s last performance, energy is expectedly high leading up to these shows. Fans have crossed off the days until the 18th in anticipation of hearing debuts from Anastasio’s new album Traveler; four out of the ten songs on Traveler have yet to been performed publicly. Couple these reasons with the announcement detailing this iteration of TAB’s lineup and you’d have to be jaded not to feel some curiosity as to what these gigs will produce. Joining Anastasio for the tour are TAB mainstays in Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartswick, Russ Lawton, Tony Markellis and Ray Paczkowski, the new face of James Casey from Lettuce (who will be replacing Russell Remington on tenor saxophone) and a dearly missed percussionist in Cyro Baptista.

Here’s a pre-tour breakdown of the stops TAB will make on their autumnal sprint.

October 18th, 2012: The Fillmore – Detroit, MI (Capacity: 2,200)

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It’s been only five weeks since Phish capped off an outstanding first portion of their summer tour (which I called their “best in a decade“), but is it just me or does it seem like it’s been forever since SPAC? Tomorrow, the band will hit the stage again, to begin the second leg of their tour at Long Beach Arena in Southern California, and will likely play their final shows of 2012 until December. So, I figured it was the perfect time to take a look at what we can expect from Phish over the next two-and-a-half weeks, that hopefully allows them to build on the foundation they laid down earlier this summer. Of course, if this band has showed us anything over nearly 30 years, it’s that just when we think we have them figured out, they do something completely unexpected so bear that in mind.

[All Photos by Parker Harrington]

Although the second leg of this summer tour is a mere sprint, as opposed to a marathon, with only 13 shows in 19 days, contrasted to a much longer first leg, there are some extremely interesting points to be looked at. Most notably, the schedule does not bode well for the faint-of-heart traveler. With only two multi-night runs on this leg (San Francisco and Denver), Phish will hit California to kick things off before commencing a whirlwind cycle through the Midwest and Southeast for a week. That, along with the itinerary of the band playing six never-before-played venues this run (Long Beach Arena, Starlight Theatre,  Chaifetz Theatre and The Zoo), means the unexpected and anticipatory factors are very high on everyone’s radar. Toss in the fact that some of the shows are taking place in late August in some of the hottest locales in the country (Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma, to name a few), and these shows are poised to heat up – literally.

• Previously: A Look At Phish Summer Tour Leg Two Venues

But, as we’ve all seen throughout the band’s career, they tend to reward those diehards that brave the elements and make insane treks to follow them with some special surprises. (Um, Limestome, Maine, anybody?). This leg, with such a small snapshot, and basically concluding a banner year thus far, is sure to be no exception. So, now that the logistics have been addressed, let’s take a look at what we can expect musically from the boys.

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 Lollapalooza 2012 starts on Friday at Chicago’s Grant Park. We’re sending our friend Jimmy Coulas of Scents and Subtle Sounds to cover the three-day fest for us and he’s prepared a list of five can’t miss bands set to perform at this weekend’s event.

1. Black Sabbath

When: Friday 8:05 – 10PM
Where: Bud Light Stage

Heavy metal legends Black Sabbath will help close out the first night of Lollapalooza with their third and final gig of 2012. It’s been a tumultuous year for the reunited band as guitarist Tony Iommi battled Lymphoma and drummer Bill Ward declined to participate in the reunion. However, the band is marching on and according to Ozzy Osbourne, they are working on new material. While we might hear some of that new material, Ozzy and company will likely deliver a career spanning set that will undoubtedly draw a crowd of all ages.

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Words: Carla Danca

With only two weeks until the gates open at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, New York for Camp Bisco XI we took the opportunity to ask a few questions of festival organizer Meat Camp Production’s Kevin Earle. As you can see below, we were really intereste in understanding more about where the festival has come from and where it might be headed.

HIDDEN TRACK:  Over the past 11 years, there has been huge growth in the Electronic Dance Music scene and Camp Bisco has nurtured and grown along with it. The festival has also gotten mainstream attention from the Bob Lefsetz, the New York Times, and even 20/20, yet there are many who feel that the festival has moved away from its roots as a place for Disco Biscuits fans to gather. How do you balance the desires of the fans that have been coming since the beginning, while drawing in new attendees? Furthermore, the New York area has also seen an influx of other multi-day music events, does this put even more pressure on Camp to separate itself from the competition?

Kevin Earle:  The Disco Biscuits created the event in 1999 as a way to blend the traditional daytime music festival with the late night dance music culture that was becoming big around that time. We still use this formula as we [MCP Presents] book the festival. True, electronic music is on the rise and more and more music is shifting to that side of the fence, but we always try to keep our long term fans in mind and bring in acts that have been there from the beginning each year (Brother’s Past, Lotus, Sound Tribe, Umphrey’s McGee, Orchard Lounge, etc). Camp Bisco’s balance is naturally shifting towards electronic music because that is the way music is shifting as a whole, even the bands that we bring have electronic influences – LCD SoundSystem, Yeasayer, Cut Copy, Crystal Castles, etc. – because it’s what the fans want to see. We always listen to what the fans want, but it’s hard to please everyone.

[Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

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Michael Dorf sure knows how to put together tribute concerts. The impressario, who founded the Knitting Factory and City Winery, assembles top-notch lineups each year to perform at Carnegie Hall for a series of benefits that have honored the music of Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, R.E.M. and Bruce Springsteen since 2006. Tomorrow night he brings the series to Central Park SummerStage for an evening of Jimi Hendrix covers to raise money for the City Parks Foundation.

HT faves Soulive will be the house band for the performance and are expected to be joined by an all-star cast of guests throughout the evening to celebrate the life and music of Hendrix, who would’ve turned 70 this November. Announced performers include Wyclef Jean, Karl Denson, G. Love and Special Sauce, Bebel Gilberto, Amel Larrieux, Living Colour, The Roots, John Scofield and Keller Williams, with unannounced special guests also expected.

The event begins tomorrow at 6PM with a cocktail party that will be followed by dinner for Platinum and Gold table purchasers. Show time is scheduled for 8PM. Over the years Soulive has impressively covered a vast array of Hendrix tunes such as Manic Depression, Them Changes, Stone Free, Crosstown Traffic and Who Knows, making the trio a perfect fit for house band duty. Check out the group’s version of Manic Depression from February’s Bowlive III featuring Marco Benevento and Louis Kato…

Soulive (w/ Marco and Louis) – Manic Depression 

Next weekend the Allman Brothers Band will welcome a slew of their musical friends to gorgeous Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida for the Wanee Festival. Tickets are still available for under $200, but the price jumps once the gates open. Earlier this week the event’s schedule was released, so we thought we’d point out a handful of sets you need to see.

1. Allman Brothers Band (Friday and Saturday at 9:30PM)

Not only is the legendary rock band the host of Wanee, but the focus is on the group after the way the Beacon run ended. Gregg Allman has supposedly recovered from the back issues that forced him out of the final Beacon show. Considering the ties between nearly every act on the bill and the Allman Brothers Band, we can only imagine the tough choices ABB musical director Warren Haynes will have in picking guests for sit-ins during the band’s two sets. Stay tuned!

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Tomorrow night, March 24, at 9PM ET/6PM PT, Bob Weir’s state of the art TRI Studios facility will host a free live webcast called The Bridge Session. For this two-set webcast, which will be broadcast on Yahoo! Music and through TRIStudios.com, Weir has invited some unexpected, but talented guests: the Devendorf brothers from indie band The National and some of their good friends from Brooklyn – bandmate Aaron Dessner, Thomas Bartlett, Kyle Resnick, Walt Martin of The Walkmen, Conrad Doucette of Takka Takka and Sam Cohen and Josh Kaufman of Yellowbirds.

The Bridge Session is a musical event and roundtable discussion aiming to raise awareness about the American political environment and to garner interest for the sponsoring organization, HeadCount. It also brings together musicians from two different genres, and while this isn’t the most conventional band lineup, it’s for a cause that everyone involved works hard to support – political activism among young people, especially live music fans.

“A lot of my passion these days comes from that I have a couple of kids and I don’t think that an older electorate is going to necessarily vote my kids’ interests, like younger people would,” Weir told Hidden Track.

“I want to get younger people involved because that’s the future; I want to see them take hold of that so that my kids will benefit. Also, just world-view wise, I always have tended to side with a younger outlook politically; I’ve always voted, since I was able to. I didn’t get turned onto it, I was just motivated and I want the people of this generation to feel the same way,” Weird continued.

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It has been a colorful year of highs and lows for eclectic rockers Ween. The band entered 2011 on a low note with co-frontman Gene Ween’s January meltdown onstage in Vancouver. Luckily Ween bounced back with a string of fiery festival sets, an acoustic tour featuring Gene and bassist Dave Dreiwitz, the release of the Caesar Demos and a sold-out Halloween show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

To end the year right Ween is invading Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium for a three-night New Year’s Eve extravaganza starting tomorrow. According to the band’s website the boys are going to attempt to set a record for most songs played during a three-night stand. Adding to the excitement, this is the band’s first New Year’s run since 1998; there is no guessing what they will do. Hidden Track will be on the scene to count songs and recap all the glory. Tickets for all three nights are still available, including three-day packages.

Starting today, Wilco will bring the latest leg of their world tour in support of The Whole Love home to Chicago for five shows at five different venues across the city. This isn’t the first time Wilco has had a residency in the Windy City. Back in 2008, the band set up shop at the The Riviera Theatre and performed every song from each of their studio albums over five incredible nights. Let’s take a look at the venues on Wilco’s “Incredibly Shrinking Tour” of Chicago.

Civic Opera House

[Photo by Ardis Krainik]

Monday, December 12, 2011

Support: Nick Lowe
Capacity: 3,563
Previous Wilco Shows: None

The residency will begin with Wilco’s first ever show at the stunning Civic Opera House. The venue, which opened on November 4, 1929 features and art deco interior and is the permanent home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago. While it is highly unlikely, it would be awesome if Jim Cornelison would sing the national anthem before Wilco hit the stage.

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In what has become a staple of the yuletide season, Umphrey’s McGee guitarists Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss will host their Ninth Annual Acoustic Holiday Show at Chicago’s Park West on Saturday, December 10. Beginning in 2003 at the Bottom Lounge, the yearly event means a night in Chicago packed with acoustic takes on Umphrey’s tunes, new covers, a few guests and a healthy dose of holiday vibes.  In 2004 the show moved to the cozy confines Schuba’s Tavern with 2005’s show held at the Park West. It grew to The Vic Theatre in 2006 and 2007, before returning to its home at the more intimate Park West where it’s stayed since 2008.

Jake & Brendan w/ Chicago Children’s Choir – Merry Xmas (War Is Over)

While living in Chicago from 2004 to mid-2010 I made it a point to attend these shows knowing I was guaranteed an evening filled with fun, friends and some damn fine musicianship and never was I disappointed. Whether it’s an acoustic run through of In the Kitchen as winter literally wraps around Chicago, a killer Led Zeppelin cover bust out, or pulling former Lighting Director Adam Budney to sing a silly back-of-the-bus-penned-tune, Bayliss and Cinninger always mange to put on an entertaining and fresh show. There’s also the always fun aspect of getting to watch a nervous Bayliss play piano in front of a packed house or seeing Jake break-out his vintage bass guitar. If history is an indicator, expect UM percussionist Andy Farag to log a good deal of stage time and the rest of the UM crew to pop in as well.

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From their humble beginnings at their first-ever New Year’s show at Exhibition Hall in Boston’s World Trade Center in 1989 to their career high point for the biggest millennium concert in the world at Big Cypress in 1999, Phish has always pulled out all the stops for their New Year’s celebrations.

[Photo by Kenny Pusey]

Interestingly, the proud Vermonters have never once played New Year’s in their home state, opting instead for three of their most notable homes away from home – the greater Boston area, New York City and the climate-friendly settings of South Florida. This year, Phish returns to perhaps their ultimate home away from home – for both the band and fans – Madison Square Garden.

Nobody ever really knows what to expect when it comes to Phish, especially come New Year’s, but today we’ll take a look at history to highlight some of the great moments in years past and assess how similar elements could play out during this year’s festivities.

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The 2011 edition of the Bear Creek Arts & Music Festival kicks off in less than a week at the beautiful Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida with a half-day of performances on Wednesday, November 9, before full slates on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Often referred to as “Jam Cruise on land,” there’s a reason both performers and attendees leave Live Oak raving about the experience. There’s a family atmosphere which has been nurtured by organizers since the event’s first year and they intend to keep it that way despite Bear Creek’s continued growth.

With a long list of bands set to perform at Bear Creek’s seven stages, there’s some tough decisions to be had for festival attendees. We want to help, so for this week’s B List we’ve listed ten bands we think you should check out in Live Oak. Here’s what we got…

1. Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds

When and Where: Thursday 4PM, S0S Music Hall / Friday 5:45PM, Full Sail Stage
The Skinny: Sultry singer with powerful voice leads impressive nine-piece that mixes soul, rock and dirty funk.
Sample Video:

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Back in March, jam titans Widespread Panic taped their third performance for Austin City Limits’ PBS TV show. This weekend, that episode will hit the airwaves as part of ACL’s 37th season. The folks at Austin City Limits have shared a preview of this weekend’s episode. Take a look as Widespread Panic performs the Free Somehow track Up All Night…

Widespread Panic – Up All Night

We previously reported on the incredible lineup for the sophomore effort of the well received and successful Life is good Festival to be held at Prowse Farm in Canton, Mass. on September 24 and 25. Headliners The Avett Brothers, the Ryan Montbleau Band, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Hold Steady, Martin Sexton, Ray LaMontagne and the Levon Helm Band will all appear on the main stage.

In addition to these previously announced bands, musicians from the Boston Pops have signed on to play as well. World-class musicians from the Pops’ string and brass sections led by guest conductor Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) will join Brandi Carlile and The Levon Helm Band for portions of their individual sets on Sunday, September 25.

“The Boston Pops is pleased to be a part of the Life is good festival, and Daniel Bernard Roumain is an ideal partner in this endeavor. His ability to blend contemporary popular music with classical and illuminate the connections between the two is particularly suited to the Boston Pops tradition of presenting artists from across the musical spectrum,” said Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops. “Working collaboratively with the festival’s amazing artists to create great new music and support Life is good’s work to help kids is an exciting endeavor.”

READ ON for more additions to the bill…