It seems hard to believe that the gospel-infused, jam-blues-rock band The Word released their eponymous debut album some nine years ago – which has held up quite well over time. The band, which consists of the NMAS,  pedal-steel whiz Robert Randolph and keyboard extraordinaire John Medeski have only made a handful of sporadic appearances over the years since they originally toured behind the album. The super-group will come together once again  for a two-date New Year’s run playing shows in Philly and New York, as a warm-up before for their Jam Cruise 8 appearance.

If your not into a rare night with this jam super-group, than maybe you’ll be interested in hitting one of these recently announced tours…

• Hip-hop crew Goodie Mob reunite for a short run
• Jam-funk act Garage A Trois head out for a 12-date jaunt
• Garth Brooks comes out of retirement for a Las Vegas residency
• Singer-songwriter John Prine schedules shows into 2010
• Indie-act Cursive line up a southern swings of shows
• Raphael Saadiq puts together an extensive two-month tour

Finally, the folks behind All Tomorrow’s Parties sure know how to create advance buzz for their festivals. As we’ve previously mentioned, the newly reunited Pavement and Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening will curate their spring UK events. Well, the latest news to surface comes from none other that punk-legend Iggy Pop, who confirmed that he and The Stooges will be performing their classic album Raw Power at next fall’s ATP New York.

Jeffrey Greenblatt

Jeff joined the Hidden Track team full-time in 2008 and helps guide the site in his role as Managing Editor and Social Media Coordinator. Each week Jeff pens Pullin' 'Tubes, Tour Dates and Bloggy Goodness in addition to features, video posts and more. Jeff is a graduate of The George Washington University ('98), with a degree in Journalism, and has worked in the media and technology industry for the likes of MTV, VH1, A&E and Joost.

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