For more than a decade, DeVotchKa has been melting its sweeping collection of influences into an authentic and totally original blend of rock 'n' roll.

If there’s any band out there that will make you go out on a school night and shake it, its Fort Collins based Euforquestra. Hell, I was running a fever that night and dragged my ass down to the party. Unfortunately I missed the first opening act Boom Chicken and most of Jet Edison’s set.

Dead Letters is the fully authorized portrayal of the Grateful Dead according to the world’s most devoted fan base: Deadheads. Beginning in their earliest days, the Grateful Dead saved tens of thousands of letters sent to them by Deadheads reflecting on the spectacular concerts they’d attended and requesting tickets.

What happens when you take the spirit of Dick's Picks and combine it with the very best aspects of Road Trips? Dave's Picks! Esteemed archivist, vaultmeister, and all-around Dead fiend David Lemieux will curate the finest unreleased shows from the master tapes, brought to life with HDCD sonics by Jeffrey Norman, period photos, and informative liner notes. All four CD releases in 2012 will be limited to 12,000 individually numbered copies.

Hard to believe, but we've been rolling out the Grateful Dead Almanac for about 18 years now, carrying on a time-honored tradition of keeping Dead Heads up to date on the latest developments in this still-evolving and vital musical and social community. But with this issue of the Almanac, you'll notice something a little different. As in, it's not made of paper.

These days, it’s hard to define them, isn’t it?  In a musical world full of niche genres and file sharing — everyone’s product may have a better chance of being heard, and that’s great.. But it — as a result of a larger pie of musical choice, gets diluted in value.  I think that’s why the live music experience provides for so many, what the recorded medium cannot.

Just one week left until the gates open for the inaugural Hangtown Halloween Ball – featuring Railroad Earth - in Placerville, CA, October 28-30 and the early weather forecast is looking stellar for festival-goers all weekend!

The 1990s were an excellent time to see live music. Not only were some of the oldest touring mainstays in their mature prime (i.e., Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Rush, Eric Clapton) but a legion of next generation bands were emerging as part of a new mentality of what it meant to have a tour following.

Since last spring when I missed Chromeo play the sold out show at the Ogden, I have been anxiously awaiting the dance party that Chromeo is.

With less than one month until the 5th Annual Bear Creek Music & Arts Festival kicks off, today event promoters have released the daily stage performance schedule here: www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com/artists/schedule. Music runs nearly round-the-clock music on 7 stages, including a Silent Disco stage new to Bear Creek this year.