March 16, 2007

Everyone I know that’s attended the High Sierra Music Festival over the past few years swears to everything holy that it’s the greatest thing since bread sliced by width. I’ve never been out there, but I’m tempted to find out.

High Sierra announced its no-frills, no-Coachella-influenced lineup today, and the initial announcement includes Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, Les Claypool, Galactic, Del McCoury Band, Soulive, Mavis Staples, Tea Leaf Green, ALO, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, JJ Grey & MOFRO, Hot Buttered Rum, The New Mastersounds, Bobby Previte’s Coalition of the Willing, Toubab Krewe, Outformation and Ryan Montbleau Band. Pretty solid. Tickets are on sale.

Read on below for the entire High Sierra lineup…

J.J. Cale joined Eric Clapton and his band for a number of songs at Clapton’s concert in San Diego last night. Cale, who wrote such Clapton hits as Cocaine and After Midnight, joined the band for those songs and Anyway the Wind Blows, Don’t Cry Sister Cry, It’s Easy, and Who Am I Telling You. Derek, JJ, and Eric? It doesn’t get more badass than those three trading licks.

Cale has always been a hero to Clapton, and the two recently collaborated to release The Road To Escondido. For those of us that missed this epic sit-in last night don’t fret: The show was recorded for an upcoming DVD release.

Clapton’s tour rolls on, but Derek Trucks will be sitting out a few gigs in order to play with the Allman Brothers Band at the upcoming Beacon Theater run.

Thanks to Nedly from the Eric Clapton forum for the photos. Read on for the remaining dates on Clapton’s March and April tour…

When I saw Jimmy Herring rip shit up during his Widespread Panic debut at Radio City Music Hall back in September, I remember thinking “If this is how they sound now, I can only imagine how they will sound with a full tour under their belts.”

This past weekend we saw the fruits of their labor. I caught Panic’s headlining set to close out this year’s Langerado festival, and it’s clear that the band has now fully integrated Herring’s sound with incredible success.

After an amazing-yet-tiring weekend, I was looking forward to getting my inner hippie on and dancing the night away with some Widespread Panic. The band opened with Hope In A Hopeless World and I got a little sad when they referenced New York City, knowing that my amazing trip to Florida was fading fast. At the end of Hope, Herring got his first chance to shred, and looking around you could see jaws dropping everywhere. Read on for more of Scotty’s review…

I came at Bill Laswell through a back door, and somehow that seems appropriate when jousting with a man whose mission it is to cause cultures to collide and reap

As if there weren’t enough unbelievable reunions happening this summer, we found a very interesting item from the Rush and Molloy gossip column in Wednesday’s New York Daily News. I