Whenever a big gig comes to Philadelphia you can count on WXPN to let us all join in the fun. WXPN will simulcast this evening’s My Morning Jacket show directly from the Festival Pier around 7:30PM. I know what I’m doing tonight.

Let’s take a look at what we missed this week…

• Jambase talks to Apollo Sunshine about Shall Noise Upon
• Boing Boing TV Plays The Building in NYC with David Byrne
• Jeff Tweedy treats Spanish crowds to some brand new music
• Lost!: What happened to our friends at The Daily Swarm site?
• Mike Berg of Van Ghost moves from promoter to performer
• Ryan Adams clarifies his use of the term “jam” for Relix

Unlike its sister festival Bonnaroo, music at Outside Lands will be ending promptly at 10 PM each night. Fret not though you late-night enthusiasts, there are plenty of options available for those who want to keep filling their ears with great tunes long into the night. Festival promoters will sponsoring official Night Shows at The Independent, in addition to some unofficial ones taking place around town too.

Here’s the breakdown…

Friday, August 22nd:

• Steel Pulse / DJ Funklor @ The Independent (Buy Tickets)
• The Golden Gate Gramble: The Skinny Singers/Ball Point Birds/Lebo/Big Light/Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers/DJ Superchill/And Many More Surprises TBA!!! @ 12 Galaxies
• Vinyl / DJ K-OS @ Boom Boom Room

Saturday August 23rd:

• Garage A Trois f. Stanton Moore, Skerik, Marco Benevento & Mike Dillon @ The Independent (Buy Tickets)
• Ryan Adams @ The Fillmore
• Eric McFadden Trio w. Rob Mercurio & Jeff Raines (of Galactic) @ Boom Boom Room

Once again it’s time for a special guest to take the reigns of the B List. This week, guitar-maker Andrew Olson of AO Guitars discusses his favorite axes of all-time. AO Guitars makes high-quality instruments for the discerning musician…

This article first ran on January 10, but we liked it so much we’re running it again while we get up to speed this morning after seein’ Wilco last night.

I am a full-on guitar addict — there’s no denying it, and I’m okay with that. It’s cool, however, because my job is guitars. By that rationale, if your work is also your addiction, you win as far as I’m concerned. So when I got the call from Master Scotty B to do this killer column on my top 10 Favorite Guitars, I thought it was going to be a piece o’ cake. The problem is, I’ve been in love with so many guitars over the years that picking 10 is damn near impossible.

I tried to compile actual players’ guitars for this list, as opposed to off-the-wall axes, because they have that certain mojo that gets you fired up and ready to do the power-slide across the stage, ala Pete Townshend or Jables. The ordering is also debatable — depending on what I’m currently listening to, any of these guitars cold be at the top of the list, but the top four (being handmade, one-of-a-kind guitars) really stand out to me due to their inspirations on me and the building of my guitars. Enjoy, and go hug a guitar. Read on for Andrew’s Top 10…

Since when did Ryan Adams transform into Garth Algar?

[Image via Bauer-Griffin, HT: Jezebel]

Leave a comment below with your best caption for this pic of Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore. The winner gets a copy of the Live Phish: Prague ‘98 CDs. Only one entry per IP address, and our ridiculously heady staff will select the best caption.

Most of the Grousing The Aisles columns I’ve written for this rag have had unifying themes that tie together the featured shows. This week I’m struggling to figure out what these bands have in common, besides the ability to drive their audiences crazy. So I’m copping out and calling this a Variety Pack edition of GTA. Don’t let that stop you from downloading any of these amazing recordings of Los Lobos, The Clash, moe., Ryan Adams, Uncle Tupelo and more…

Los Lobos 1/24/2008 DAUD [FLAC, MP3]

Photo by Adam Kaufman

East L.A. rockers Los Lobos surprised the crowd at the recent Voices of Latin Rock benefit show in San Francisco by performing an unannounced closing set. As if that weren’t enough, they also invited some legendary rock stars to the stage. George Clinton and Sly Stone joined the band for rough but ready versions of Thank You Fallentime Be Mice Elf Agin and I Want To Take You Higher. On the other hand, we’re sure the crowd wasn’t surprised when Stone quickly left the stage after banging out a few chords and singing a few lines. You can’t have it all.

Los Lobos, who has just embarked on a two-month tour, started their set with a batch of their greatest hits. For Mas Y Mas, the band invited Jackie Greene, Mic Gillette and Karl Perazzo to sit-in on what turned out to be a blistering version of the aggressively percussive tune. The highlight of the night came towards the end of the show when Mario Valenzuela, Richie Valens’ brother, came out for an energetic La Bamba > Good Lovin’ > La Bamba sequence. Over 30 years after releasing their first record, Los Lobos is still killin’ it on a nightly basis. Read on…

We’re getting closer and closer to Led Zeppelin’s return, which takes place in London just one week from Monday. The new issue of Rolling Stone contains a terrific feature by David Fricke about the circumstances that led up to the reunion, as well as a report from one of the band’s tightly guarded rehearsals. Jason Bonham got us excited when he described Zeppelin’s first attempt at playing No Quarter: “When the riff came in, there was this look that went around. It was brilliant.” Bring it on fellas, and then bring it to the States next summer.

Let’s see what else is happening on this final day of November:

• Radiohead announced a batch of European tour dates in June and July, leading to speculation they will play the states in May
• moe.’s new album, Sticks and Stones, will be released in January
• John Fogerty never thought hanging out with the Dead and dropping acid was a good idea — silly, John Fogerty
• A Hungarian Zappa freak has compiled a list of Zappa videos on the ‘nets
• The List gives us five reasons to go see Ryan Adams [via LHB]
• We thought we had seen the last of Tay Zonday, but we were wrong
• Former Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle got thrown in jail… again
• Our buddy Pete at IckMusic will DJ on Sirius’ Springsteen Channel
• Music Pirates are glad to see EMI will cut funding to trade groups
• Uncle Neddy gathers us ’round the fire to tell about two incredible shows he attended 15 years ago

Finally, we’re glad to see that the owners of Sweetwater have found a new home for the venue. Now they just need our help funding and permitting…

Is there anything cooler than the Live Music Archive? Where else could you possibly download or stream more than 44,000 shows by 2,650 different artists? If you listened to one show from the archive a day, it would take you over 120 years to make it through all the shows currently on there.

This week’s edition of Grousing The Aisles looks at three shows that have been uploaded to the LMA over the past few days, and we’ll also point you in the direction in a buncha other cool shows on that site.

Derek Trucks Band 11/8/2007 DAUD [FLAC, MP3, STREAM]

It’s clear that Derek Trucks has been spending more time with his solo band than playing with the Allman Brothers Band. The chemistry between Trucks and the members of his band is undeniable. Keyboardist Kofi Burbridge excels at laying down beautiful melodies, allowing Trucks’ solos to soar. Vocalist Mike Mattison’s soulful voice adds an extra layer of bluesy goodness to the mix. The dynamic rhythm section of Todd Smallie on bass, Yonrico Scott on drums and Count M’butu on percussion have jelled nicely providing a steady danceable beat.

The Derek Trucks Band showed off their potent formula for a crowd that seemed to lap it up at a recent show in Collingswood, NJ. Gonna Move works oh-so-nicely as a peppy opener, leading into a more bluesy segment of Volunteered Slavery and I’ll Find My Way. Trucks finally works some of his instrumental magic during a powerful solo during the traditional Hurts Me Too. Other highlights include Mattison’s growling delivery of Get Out of My Life Woman, as well as the impressive interplay between band members during My Favorite Things. Derek and his band bring their powerful show to the ‘burbs this weekend hitting Bridgeport, CT on Thursday, Englewood, NJ on Friday and Mamaroneck, NY on Saturday. Read on for more downloads…

October could be our favorite month to see live music, thanks in part to the temperate weather and full venue schedules. School’s finally back in session, leading most bands to play their own shows instead of the banding together for the shitty touring festivals that occur every summer. And the best part about October is that it peaks on Halloween, when bands pull out all the stops.

This week Grousing The Aisles looks at three fantastic shows from October, and then as an added bonus, we’ve rounded up links to Halloween show downloads from all across these United States. Be sure to read on after the jump to find links to downloads from Arcade Fire, Gov’t Mule, Ryan Adams and many more.

The Breakfast 10/27/2007 SBD MATRIX [MP3, FLAC, STREAM]:

Is it just us or does it seem like the unwritten ban on covering Phish songs has finally been lifted? The Breakfast celebrated Halloween by covering Lawn Boy in its entirety at their 9th annual Fonghoulish Freakout at the Higher Ground. Sure the vocals may have been a bit Bisco-esque, but The Breakfast showed incredible musicianship by nailing some of Phish’s most difficult passages with ease.

Photo and recording by Dave Pecoraro

Guitarist Tim Palmieri didn’t try to replicate Trey Anastasio’s tone. For instance, on Bathtub Gin, Palmieri played the solo using an envelope filter that made his guitar sound more like Jerry Garcia than Trey. Run Like An Antelope and Split Open and Melt featured some great interplay from all the members of the band including keyboardist Matt Oestreicher, who supposedly hadn’t heard any of Phish’s shit before starting with The Breakfast earlier this year.

Lawn Boy took up the majority of the show, but The Breakfast also played a number of their own complex compositions. The show started with a ripping jam that led into the Zappa-esque Buquebus (no Bangbus?). Other impressive originals included a heavy Food For Thought and the quirky Honey Butter. The gig seemed to gain major hippie cred points when Phish’s Mike Gordon came out wearing a mask to play bass on a bizarre cover of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive — that seemed to excite the audience more than any of the Lawn Boy covers.

Kudos to The Breakfast for allowing Dave Pecoraro to tape the show so everyone could check out their version of Lawn Boy within 48 hours of the show ending. In less than a week his recording has been downloaded by over 4,000 people who have now been exposed to the power of a good Breakfast. Read on for more…

This edition of Leftovers reads more like an NFL injury report, but rumors were flying yesterday that Led Zeppelin would cancel their upcoming reunion gig. So we were a bit relieved to see that the show will go on albeit two weeks later than originally planned. Guitarist Jimmy Page fractured his finger last week, leading the band to delay the Ahmet Ertegun tribute until December 10th.

Illness has also befallen an unnamed member of The Decemberists, which have just cancelled their fall tour after only two gigs. Rock bands are gonna start hiring trainers if this keeps up. Alright, so what else is out there today?

• You can now pre-order the limited edition book Pearl Jam vs. The Ames Brothers: 13 Years of Tour Posters
• Ryan Adams just played the music on Halloween
• Darryl from The Office sang Radiohead’s Creep with The Scrantones
• Zion Godchaux continues to impress with his jamtronica band Boombox
• Sufjan Stevens debuted his BQE epic at BAM last night; and Vulture names the Lamest Pop-Classical Crossovers in Music History
• Arcade Fire’s Win Butler gets hit in the face by a bottle in Nottingham
• Cream’s Disraeli Gears turns 40 this month
• Our buddy Ted Rockwell celebrates The Duo’s return to The Fox
• The Ramones former manager was viciously murdered in her apartment
• Battles weds sci-fi electro and brutal punk into a new brand of prog rock
• IckMusic profiles the zany March Forth Marching Band
• This review of Ween’s La Cucharacha could be MTV.com’s best ever post

Finally, I saw The Police on Halloween, and Andy Summers was nowhere near as impressive on guitar as he was when I saw them in August. Summers needs to be on his game for that band to thrive, so perhaps he should put the photography exhibits and documentaries on hold before Sting loses interest.

Wade Ellis Wilby has experienced many angles of the music industry. He’s written songs for Rane and headed up production at Higher Ground; these days he finds himself working for Umphrey’s McGee. On Saturday night, Wade caught Ryan Adams at the Chicago Theater just two short nights after Adams’ latest blowup. Wade filed the following report from the Adams frontlines…

The Chicago Theater is a Windy City landmark. When the movie palace first opened its doors on October 26, 1921, people hailed it as “The Wonder Theater of The World.” The light bulb design of the marquee made it look like it could have been ‘21 or ‘72. In front of The Chicago Theater, there is no time.

Photo by Chad Leo

I arrived to a sea of hipsters with angels on their arms, women far too beautiful to be walking in to a place this romantic with men so poorly refined. And therein lies the beauty of Ryan Adams: any suburban punk, Williamsburg Trust Rat or drunken cowboy can come and feel like a hero. The music has this cleansing ability, a vindication for everything you’re not going to apologize for and the person you just can’t stop being. There is nothing wrong with any of us. We’re just trying to get through this together. And there is no one more understanding of that than Adams. Read on for Wade’s great review of Adams’ return to the stage…