Posts by Shane Handler

While he is certainly a household name as the bass player for Phish, Mike Gordon’s interests and passions range far beyond just playing the four string with one of the world

Conscious hip-hop, combining steady beats and heavy rhythms, with political and social commentary may not be a new phenomenon. But with artists such as The Roots and Talib Kweli gaining momentum to new live audiences outside the hip-hop realm, it

Over the course of four records, Sacramento, California based rockers Cake, have fashioned their knack by releasing intelligent, cynical, offbeat and one hundred percent eclectic rock and roll. From the hit singles, “The Distance” and “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” to their quirky arrangements of well known tunes, to continually surprising the ears of their listeners with novel sounds, Cake always remains fresh.

With an extensive career that stretches far and wide beyond his Bela Fleck & the Flecktones fame, including award winning solo albums and his own touring band, The Mu

With a recent record release and a new band

Writing songs that explore the back roads of American music, and launching these traditions in adventurous new directions, Jay Farrar continues to reinvent his own sound with his latest release – Terroir Blues. With the launch of his own record label, Act/Resist Records, and the reissue of Uncle Tupelo

As the former vocalist for the 1990s Burlington, Vermont band The Pants, Tom Lawson is no stranger to pushing his creative endeavors on stage front and center. After viewing his “Autommatics, Semi-Automatics, Re-Dos and Hard Labor,” painting exhibit at the Firehouse Gallery in Burlington, Vermont, you get an immediate sense that Lawson thrives on creativity, as his new stage transforms to an array of plywood, canvas, and paints into an improvised array of energy.

In just under three years, Robert Randolph is already breaking new ground within music circles that thrive on forging ahead. His unique playing style is certainly bending the rules of the pedal steel guitar, and his live shows are often powerful occasions, but his gifts go further than the notes. By taking the celebratory spirit of his church beginnings, and moving it from the pews into the clubs, Randolph, along with the appropriately entitled – The Family Band- is unleashing a fresh brand of “positive soul rock,” that strives on making people feel good.

Guster has come a long way from their days in the early 90

Verbena

Greg Kessler has a natural ability to candidly capture musicians and the world in their most natural states. From Karl Denson, Phish, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones to Death Valley National Park, Europe, and the art of dance, Kessler delivers to us a fresh view of both humans and nature.

Dispersed throughout the eclectic sets at the 2nd Annual Bonnaroo Music Festival held in Manchester, Tennessee, many artists attended intimate press conferences in order to answer media questions, express their various thoughts on the event, and offer general comments about the industry and specifically the ever-changing improvisational scene. There were many poignant moments, and equally as many humorous ones. Here is a collection of some of our favorites.

Eighteen years since their formation, the Jayhawks might finally have the breakthrough album they have been destined to record with Rainy Day Music

The San Francisco based five-piece Vue, has been rolling along for four years and are about to undergo a big switch. The switch that so many indie bands before them have taken: jumping from an indie to a major label. Though guitarist Jonah Buffa won’t hesitate to tell you that his band’s success has been totally impulsive, when he exclaims, “who let us in the backdoor and left the door unlocked?”

Although nationally regarded for his keyboard work in the Trey Anastasio Band, Ray Paczkowski’s jazz trio Vorcza has recently released their debut release – Maximalist. Solidified in a traditional jazz foundation, the three members capture the music of the precise moment through rhythmic and harmonic explorations that involve shake your ass funk, mellow jazz and progressive instrumental improvisations.

In the mid 1970

What started as an annual birthday celebration for Frank Zappa, has matured into the most popular Zappa tribute act in the world. Founder, Andre Cholomondeley, has spearheaded his zealous interest and enthusiasm for his inspirational figure into a well-oiled music machine assembling parts consisting of original members from prior Zappa recordings and tours.

Incorporating movement into a photograph translates into the continually expansive and inventive video medium. In “Epic Moments,” at the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts in Burlington, VT, Kristin Humbargar has realistically translated everyday experiences into black and white films of symbolism and depth.

The Jazz Mandolin Project has just released Jungle Tango, perhaps the band

In New Orleans, the Crescent City on the banks of the Mississippi River Delta, burgeons a marvelous place that rings with spontaneous energy, life and music that is truly “Naw’lins.” Most people heading down there later this month for the cultural odyssey known as Jazz Fest will most likely stumble across a fresh player in the live music scene, Performance Painter Frenchy.