Scott Bernstein

HT fave Marco Benevento will perform a solo piano show at City Winery in NYC on November 1st and thanks to eMusic you can win the opportunity to have dinner

Jam Cruise 9 will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale on January 4th filled to the brim with amazing artists and the band fans who love them. Today, we present another Jam Cruise Files column which profiles a band or musician scheduled to rock the MSC Poesia between January 4 & 9. This installment of JC Files features DJ – and HT contributor – Wade “Wyllys” Wilby who worked in production and as an LD on three previous cruises before he was welcomed back as an artist this time around for Jam Cruise 9.

[Photo by Michael Kommesar]

Name / Jam Cruise 9 Gig: Wade “Wyllys” Wilby / DJ
Bands: New York Hustler Ensemble, AMBIENt
Past Jam Cruise Experience: Light Designer (JC4, JC5, JC6)
2010: Toured the Midwest, opened for members of Umphrey’s & The Egg and is set to embark on a tour of the Southeast with Perpetual Groove

Hidden Track: On a past Jam Cruise you worked on the production end of things, is it as hard to load equipment onto a boat as it seems?

Wyllys: It sure is. The Florida wind is your main enemy because everything comes over the side of the boat via crane. I believe “huge ass crane” is the technical term. The backline (rented musical equipment), sound and lighting come over in boxes that the crane sends over the side of the boat and us monkeys below have to stabilize the crate, bring it to landing, unload and repeat ad nauseum. Those aren’t that bad.

The most terrifying thing to come over the side of the boat is the main stage for the pool deck, which is the trailer portion of a tractor trailer. One of those blowing around in the florida wind can cause you to really re-think your career choice. We then move all the gear to their respective places inside the boat, literally building some “venues” where no venue existed before in some cases. Very challenging to say the least.

READ ON for more of our chat with Wyllys…

My Morning Jacket kicked off their “album run” at Terminal 5 in New York City last night where they performed their debut LP, Tennessee Fire, in its entirety as well

Mike Gordon’s The Mossery @ Kenny’s Castaways, October 18

Last night, the intimate Kenny’s Castaways club was transformed into “The Mossery” for an incredibly unique event to celebrate the release of bassist Mike Gordon’s new LP, Moss. Not only could attendees pose for Moss-y photos, obtain “moss-taches” and meet a live owl, but the event gave musicians of all talent levels a chance to jam with Gordon, drummer Joe Russo and a few members of Mike’s band over the course of two separate shows.

[All photos by Jeremy Gordon]

I must admit, I was worried The Mossery would turn into a shit show with incapable musicians rotating in and out with the house band – which consisted for the early show of Gordon, Russo and guitarist Scott Murawski. Luckily, the shit show never developed as a number of  impressive guitarists, bassists, percussion players and keyboardists made the most of this rare opportunity to jam with some of the best cats in the biz. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of cringe worthy moments and the near two-hour set had its ups and downs, but for the most part this “experiment” worked out and was entertaining for those who weren’t on stage.

Word spread far and wide about The Mossery over the past few days leading to a two-block line outside of the 175-person capacity club. There were a bunch of musicians who arrived well before the 7:30PM opening intent on jamming with Mike. Stage Manager Chris Friday kept a list of those who wanted to jam and did an exceptional job of rotating the jammers on and off of the stage and Mike did his best to play to the talents of those up there with him. READ ON for more on Mike Gordon’s The Mossery event…

In one of the cutest videos we’ll probably ever post on the ol’ HT, Keller Williams performs My Neighbor Is Happy Again from his forthcoming children’s album, Kids, along with

The two-year period marking the Grateful Dead Vault’s transition from the band’s hands to Rhino when no archival releases came out seems like a distant memory now as the record

The Midnight Ramble featuring MMJ, October 16

With no opening band, a Midnight Ramble at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock is one of the most unique live music experiences one can get. When you add one of the best bands in rock, My Morning Jacket, and another music legend, Donald Fagen, to the bill, you’re set up for a once-in-a-lifetime performance that borders on indescribable…though I’ll give it a shot.

[Stock Photos from Levon’s Facebook Page]

Every aspect of the Ramble experience is very different from your typical concert. From the moment you enter the wooded environs of Levon’s home you pick up on a special energy that only exists at that barn. Attendees are encouraged to bring a snack or appetizer to share with the rest of the 150-person crowd leaving Levon’s garage filled with all sorts of cookies, crudities and chips for everyone to enjoy. You don’t have to worry about the light from a cell phone interrupting your experience as a “no cell phone rule” is strictly enforced in the concert area. No photos are allowed and concertgoers are told to respect one another, though that wouldn’t be an issue.

My Morning Jacket came on around 8 and played to the vibe of their surroundings. There was no cape for Jim James and drummer Patrick Hallahan played Levon’s kit a bit more delicately than he would his own. Golden was the perfect opener and you could hear a pin drop as the quintet laid into the gorgeous tune. While James was more laidback than usual – there wasn’t too much room for him to run around – he clearly put his heart and soul into the delivery of each song winning over the few in the audience who weren’t familiar with MMJ.

READ ON for more on last Saturday’s Midnight Ramble…

The Beastie Boys’ latest LP, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1, was originally due for release in September of ’09, but that date was delayed indefinitely after Adam “MCA” Yauch was