June 25, 2009

As we’re sure you’ve heard by now, Michael Jackson passed away this afternoon after paramedics found him in a coma at his home near Los Angeles. We’d like to pay tribute to the “King of Pop” by re-running an old column from March 6, 2008 featuring jambands covering his songs…

You’ve probably heard the bad news by now, Michael Jackson is at risk of losing his Xanadu of weirdness, Neverland Ranch. Unless he can come up with a cool $24.5 million to avoid foreclosure, it’s so long to everyone’s favorite funny farm. Well, don’t fret folks. We’ve arranged a Michael Jackson tribute concert to help raise money to save Neverland Ranch.

This week’s edition of Bust Outs includes some of the best and brightest musicians we know paying homage to the King of Pop himself. We had no idea what we were getting into with this one, because we were quick to discover that the Neverland Ranch edition should probably be segmented into a 12 part mini-series, but regardless we’ve weeded it down into a single veritable powerhouse of Michael Jackson teases, jams, and full length covers. So, get out your tight black pants and dancing loafers, because this is undeniably the best Bust Outs yet.

Read on for Jacko covers from the likes of Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Santana, Phish, RAQ, The Biscuits, Miles Davis, PGroove and more…

Yesterday, word came down that the name of the new Phish album will be Joy. While the band announced the tracklist last night on Phish.com, we’re still awaiting our first look at the cover art for the new release. We figured we’d take a shot – as we did for Wilco’s Wilco (The Album) – by proposing five different images that would work well as the cover art.

Here’s what our resident artists came up with…

1.

[By Monk]

READ ON for four more potential album covers for Phish’s Joy…

The latest release on STS9’s 1320 Records label, Peaceblaster : The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes, features remixes of songs from the group’s 2008 release, Peaceblaster, from a veritable all-star team

Here in the U.S., when we think about a summer music festival, we automatically think of multiple days, stages, camping and lineups of artists ranging from established to mega-star. The Fete de La Musique in Paris, which translates ever so creatively to, “The Festival of Music,” takes a completely different approach. Each year on the summer solstice (June 21st), musicians of all kinds inhabit virtually every nook and cranny of the City of Lights and transform the beautiful metropolis into one massive celebration.

[Photo via Fete de la musique Flickr]

What is so striking about the Fete de la Musique is not necessarily jaw-dropping exhibitions of music or big name draws, but rather, simply, the spirit the city takes on. From the early afternoon to the wee hours of the night, Paris pulses with energy as both natives and tourists from every country under the sun dance, drink, stroll and sing their way around the city as the musicians perform not on stage but in the midst of magnificent stone archways, outside the sidewalk cafes, at the foot of Notre Dame, in pubs, on the bridges of the Seine, in the courtyard of the Louvre and anywhere else where there is a plot of open air.

Interestingly, nearly all of the musicians are asked to perform for free and hence the entire festival is free. This means that across Paris and throughout France over 10,000 groups lay down their chops and try to win over passersbys – some succeeding, others failing miserably. READ ON…

Earlier today, our friends at HeadCount announced that music journalist Richard Gehr has been named as the editor of their blog. Gehr has been covering Phish and other jambands for

Here’s a clip from last night’s The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien of Wilco performing You Never Know along with guitarist Jimmy Vivino… Wilco – You Never Know – Conan