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In the most exciting baseball/music collaboration since MTV’s Rock n’ Jock, Hidden Track is kicking off our preview of the 2007 Major League Baseball season today. Over the first six months of our existence we have stayed completely focused on music. But Ace and I are just such big baseball fans that we wanted to tie our two passions together in an interesting way.

We have talked to a number of your favorite musicians about their love for America’s Pastime, and over the next few weeks we will bring you their thoughts on the upcoming season. And at the All-Star break and at the end of the season we will check back with these guys to see how things have turned out.

Today we start with an essay on being a Pirate fan by Umphrey’s McGee bassist Ryan Stasik. Stasik grew up as a diehard Pirate and Steeler fan in Pittsburgh. Here’s Ryan’s take on his beloved and dreadful Bucs prospects for 2007…

Where to begin is the question when you have witnessed every season go under .500 since the days of Bonds (beat it), Bonilla, and my hero Andy Van Slyke in 1992. Well, let’s start with hope since we finished the second half of the ’06 season over .500 and out of the cellar in the NL Central by a game to the Cubs. What a day it is to brag about your team being better than the Cubs!

Here we are again ready for a new season and living in Chicago I am able to breathe that hope in the air for those dreadfully cursed Cubs and their fans, yet I am a realist and know both our teams will blow it! The Pirates by playing like a high school team bountiful of errors and mental mistakes, and the Cubs by injuries and long lasting slumps.

Read on for Ryan’s full preview of the Pirates upcoming season…

Earlier this week we announced the return of music’s biggest dork: Phil Lesh has been nursed back to health and he’ll play two shows at SOB’s in New York. But

Asheville, North Carolina city councilman Carl Mumpower was granted free access to Friday night’s RatDog concert, and he shared some astute observations with the city manager. Kick down to get

Want some Canadian lovin’ in your Minnesota summer? The 10,000 Lakes Festival today announced the addition of some more bands to the lineup, including our northern neighbor’s heroes, The Tragically

I must admit up top, Jupiter One doesn’t exactly jive with the rest of the music we regularly feature on this here blog. Nonetheless, tonight at the Mercury Lounge this

January and February are typically off months for live music. Gig news flies fast and furious, but there isn’t much in the way of actual music. March, on the other hand, has been filled to the brim with great tunes like motherfuckin’ Maxwell House.

This week’s edition of Grousing The Aisles looks at four stellar shows from the month of March, three of which took place this past weekend.

JJ Grey and MOFRO 03/23/07 DAUD (FLAC, MP3, STREAM):

At Langerado Ace and I finally had a chance to talk to J.J. Grey about his decision to change the name of the band to J.J. Grey and Mofro. After seeing their set at Langerado and listening to this show from Denver’s Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, it’s pretty clear how personal these songs are to Grey.

Songs like How Junior Got His Head Put Out, War, and Country Ghetto crackle with emotion that reaches deep within the listener. I feel bad now that I thought he just changed the name of the band to get more notoriety. Um, oops.

But seriously if you haven’t checked out J.J. Grey and Mofro in concert since they put out Country Ghetto, run to the closest show and check out their performance. The addition of a horn section makes all the difference in the world for this band.

Read on for the rest of this week’s Grousing The Aisles…

I’ve seen Tea Leaf Green a few times before, and I’ve always left confused about how people have fallen in love with this band. Sure they know how to rock, but what makes them different than any other jamband? And how come my partner on this here blog won’t shut the fuck up about how they’re the best band on the road?

This past weekend, I finally got what all the fuss is about. I entered the venue with vague thoughts of leaving at setbreak, as I was feeling a tad weary entering the show. But from the opening notes of Taught To Be Proud through the third encore of AC/DC’s Have A Drink On Me, the members of Tea Leaf Green had the sold-out audience at Irving Plaza wrapped around their collective fingers. Hell, I would have stayed for a third set.

One of the first distinctions I noticed between the Irving gig and some previous TLG shows was the emergence of a powerhouse light show. TLG’s new LD, Alan Sezack, was not only completely in command of the outrageous psychedelic-tinged lights, he also was grooving hard to every note the band was playing. Impressive stuff.

I spoke with drummer Scotty Rager about the shift in the quality of the lights. “I felt a huge difference the first time Alan operated the lights,” he said. “He knows our music so well.” Rager also noted the ancillary benefits of the rockin’ light show: “The audience can trip out to the lights while we jam.” Look for more from Scotty coming soon in the Hidden Track Baseball Preview.

Read on for more from the show and some fantastic photos of the evening from The Coach, one of HT’s best friends, Adam Kaufman…

Tuesday brought 70-degree weather and sunshine to the New York City area, and I think I’m coming to the conclusion that I hate winter. Spring, on the other hand; that’s

You like lists? Here’s a some sick news from the Beastie Boys: 1. we have a new record coming out 2. it’s gonna be sick 3. we’re playing a bunch

Phil Lesh will return to the stage for two shows in what looks to be a good sign that he has put his recent health problems behind him. The former