Foo Fighters, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Wyclef Jean, Fountains Of Wayne, Puddle Of Mudd, the Doors Of The 21st Century, the Offspring, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz and Twista are among the first acts confirmed for the 11th annual Music Midtown festival. The event will be held April 30 and May 1-2 on a 42-acre site in Atlanta; tickets go on-sale Saturday (March 13) via Ticketmaster.

Also set to appear are Trapt, Angie Stone, Cee-Lo, Chris Robinson and New Earth Mud, Damien Rice, Fuel, Joss Stone, Galactic, Musiq, Default, Journey, Smile Empty Soul, Gavin DeGraw, Switchfoot, Tantric, Steve Miller Band, Toby Lightman and Anthony Hamilton.

A host of additional acts are yet to be announced; the most up-to-date lineup can be found on the event’s official website.

Source:Billboard.com.

Lucinda Williams has canceled her remaining tour plans due to the passing of her mother. Her Website states that all tickets should be returned for refund at point-of-purchase, and that dates will most likely be rescheduled for August.

The canceled shows include her last four March concerts, in Nashville, Columbus, St. Louis and Kansas City, as well as an Australian jaunt in April. A Santa Barbara date with Willie Nelson and an appearance at the Doheny Heritage Music Festival in May are also off for now.

Source Pollstar.com.

A news post on the official DMB website states:

“We would like to thank everyone who responded to our previous festival surveys. We received a great response. As determined by the survey, the #1 choice for a festival location is the New York City metropolitan area and the July 4th weekend being the clear winner as a favorite date. We are pleased to report that we are developing a plan for an event at a unique site in the NYC metropolitan area for the Saturday and Sunday of July 4th weekend. As we continue with our planning, we would like to hear an update on the the interest for this idea. Please click here to respond.”

Put your dancing boots on and get ready for one heck of a hoedown, courtesy of some of the finest folk, bluegrass and country musicians in the business. Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Dobro master Jerry Douglas, head out on the Great High Mountain Tour this May, along with a stellar cast of roots musicians including Ralph Stanley, The Whites, The Cox Family, Norman & Nancy Blake, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus, Dirk Powell, Reeltime Travelers, Ollabelle and the Sacred Harp Singers.

The tour features music from the motion pictures “Cold Mountain” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Nine dates have been announced, beginning on Cinco De Mayo at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.
Krauss & Union Station were an integral part of the wildly successful Down From The Mountain tour back in 2002. That outing included Great High Mountain participants Stanley and The Nashville Bluegrass Band, along with Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless and more.

Given the similarities between the two tours, don’t be surprised if more dates get announced for this year’s jaunt. Down From The Mountain stretched for a good eight weeks.

Source pollstar.com.

Galactic, Particle and Robert Randolph and the Family Band are among the bands set to play Kansas’ inaugural Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival. Scheduled for June 18-20 at Clinton Lake State Park in Lawrence, the event will feature more than 50 acts on three stages leaning in the jam band vein, but covering various genres.

Also on board for the event are O.A.R., Leftover Salmon, the North Mississippi Allstars, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Derek Trucks Band, Indigenous, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Jazz Mandolin Project, the Samples and Sound Tribe Sector 9. Reggae act the Wailers has also confirmed its participation, as has rock group the Donnas, alt-country band BR-549 and hillbilly punk the Reverend Horton Heat.

Along with music, the weekend affair will boast activities such as mountain biking, disc golf, water sports and hiking, as well as plenty of food and provisions for revelers. “Once you hit the Wakarusa site, you won’t have to leave the grounds the entire weekend,” organizer John Brooks says. “Wakarusa is not just a concert. It’s a lifestyle and total outdoor experience focusing on good friends, good vibes and great memories.”

A limited amount of early bird tickets priced at $65 — including camping and parking — will go on sale Friday (March 12). Ticket prices will escalate to $75 through April 30, $95 during the month of May and $105 after June 1. A limited amount of $500 VIP packages include a pair of tickets, food and beverage, a premium camping location and access to a special viewing area at the Sundown stage.

For more information and the full lineup of performing artists, visit the festivals Web site.

Source billboard.com.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals have begun lining up summer European festival appearances. The group will hit the road beginning May 28 at Festimad in Madrid, Spain, and will play 11 additional dates, including Rock in Rio – Lisbon on May 29 and the Werchter Festival in Belgium on July 3.

Later in the summer, Harper and company will open for Dave Matthews Band Aug. 28-29 at the Home Depot Center in Carson City, Calif. Black Eyed Peas will also be on the bill. Harper is touring in support of his 2003 Virgin album “Diamonds in the Inside.”

According to a spokesperson, Harper will hit the studio this month with the Blind Boys Of Alabama and in the near future with his own band. As previously reported, the artist guests on upcoming albums by blues artist Charlie Musselwhite and veteran reggae combo Toots and the Maytals, due April 6 from Real World Records and V2, respectively.

Here are Ben Harper’s tour dates:

May 28: Madrid, Spain (Festimad)
May 29: Lisbon, Portugal (Rock in Rio – Lisbon)
June 1: Cournon, France (Zenith D’Auvergne)
June 3: Dresden, Germany (Alter Schlachthof)
June 4: Hamburg, Germany (Freilichtbuhne Stadtpark)
June 5: Nuremberg, Germany (Rock Im Park)
June 6: Nurburgring, Germany (Rock Am Ring)
June 11: Bayonne, France (Arenes)
June 16: Naples, Italy (Flegrea Arena)
June 17: Pisa, Italy (Piazza De Cavalieri)
June 22: London (Carling Apollo Hammersmith)
July 3: Werchter, Belgium (Rock Werchter Festival)
Aug. 28-29: Carson, Calif. (Home Depot Center, w/ Dave Matthews Band)

Source billboard.com.

The eagerly awaited Pixies ‘Best Of’ compilation and career-spanning DVD are to be released in May, coinciding with the band’s reunion tour.

The band’s former label 4AD issue the 23-track compilation Wave Of Mutilation and DVD called Pixies on May 3 (May 4 in the US), Billboard reports. This is shortly after the band’s co-headlining appearance at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California on May 1.

The DVD will feature eight Pixies videos, a 1988 concert taped at London’s Town And Country Club and the documentary Gouge, which features interviews with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, David Bowie and Bono.

The band play their first live shows in 12 years this spring, kicking off in Winnipeg on April 14. The jaunt includes an extensive trawl round the summer European festivals, a couple of dates supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a four-night, sold-out residency at London Brixton Academy.

A statement on the band’s new website pixiesmusic.com states: “The Pixies have rehearsed and they will rehearse again in March in a secret location in Los Angeles.

“Yes, they have decided which tunes they are doing. For the most part, they’ll be doing Pixies ‘ tunes. As for new songs, there’s a Latvian lullaby, a Czech dirge and a Bulgarian ballad.”

Source nme.com.

One of the East Coast’s longest running and most important festivals, Smilefest, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with another diverse and impressive lineup. The 2004 edition, which takes place July 22-25 at Van Hoy Farms in Union Grove, North Carolina, features performances by the Derek Trucks Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, Steve Kimock Band, Burning Spear, Keller Williams, Tony Rice Unit, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Garaj Mahal, and many others.

Once again, Smilefest comes complete with a wide range of activities to complement the three stages of music. An expanded and improved children’s area fosters a family-friendly atmosphere, while the late night cartoon and film corral add entertainment possibilities for the grownups. Community activism also plays an important role at Smilefest, where structures will be built on-site for Habitat for Humanity and voters will be registered in an effort to increase participation in the democratic process. The annual campsite decoration contest will once again be in place, except this time it will be judged by campers themselves. Look for Smilefest’s expanded Web site to launch in the coming weeks. Union Grove, North Carolina, is located on I-77, 12 miles north of Statesville and 60 miles north of Charlotte.

The full list of confirmed acts can be found at www.smilefest.com.

A stellar lineup is in store for one of the biggest roots music events of the year, coming up this spring. This year’s Doheny Heritage Music Festival boasts headliners James Brown and Los Lobos, as well as a staggering array of living legends and contemporary stars.

Taking place May 22-23 in Dana Point, Calif., the affair will feature multiple stages and a delicious assortment of thematic food vendors. In addition to the aforementioned acts, Etta James, Lucinda Williams, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, The Robert Cray Band, Keb’ Mo’, Charlie Musselwhite, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Koko Taylor, John Mayall and more are confirmed for the weekend fest.

Source pollstar.com.

Tributes to musician Horace Silver and producer Tommy LiPuma will play a special role in the 25th annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, set for April 14-25 at venues around the city. A jazz and hip-hop experiment, as well as performances by Regina Carter, Joe Zawinul and Brian Auger, will figure in the event’s silver anniversary.

David Sanborn, Al Jarreau, Joe Sample and others will perform the music of hard bop pioneer Silver, who early in his career played with the likes of Stan Getz and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, April 16 at the Allen Theatre. The next night, the same venue will host “The Art of LiPuma,” with Diana Krall, George Benson, Dr. John and Jimmy Scott paying tribute to the Verve chairman and legendary producer.

Drummer Bill Ransom and DJ Logic will ream up with saxophonist Mike Phillips to present “Jazz Meets Hip-Hop, Part 2,” April 19 at the Beachland Ballroom.

The Sam Rivers Trio will perform April 15 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Carter’s April 22 show will be staged at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Joe Zawinul Syndicate’s April 23 show will inhabit the CCC Metro Auditorium, while Auger’s April 25 concert will take place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

In addition to the many ticketed Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland events, the festival will also present free concerts at Tower City, the Beck Center for the Performing Arts and Karamu House.

Source billboard.com.