For a weekday during spring break, the North Star Bar in Philadelphia was vacant, but the musicians came to play anyway.  Starting with the opening band, a new local jam band named Mogel's Brew, all of the musicians played with emotion and soul. It was really nice to see and hear a band that I would classify as a young jam band.

The North Mississippi Allstars decided to play a very unique acoustic tour. It wasn't the usual Mississippi foot stomping rockin' blues, but a mellow country blues that told a story and a history about a time and place much different from here and now. I saw the March 23rd show at the World Café Live in Philadelphia.

Normally I am a little skeptical of artists who release albums that are dubbed "B-sides" or "leftover recording material", because it usually is a feeble attempt to cash in on material that truly is b-grade.  However, this is not the case with the release of Umphreys McGee's The Bottom Half, which happens to boast some beautifully written and energetically recorded tracks from the Chicago-based rock outfit.

As my wife and I walked into the quiet venue to the opening sounds of vibraphonist Sean McCaul, we could hear the delicate clanking of forks, voices whispering, and the sonorous vibes echoing relaxing notes into the dining area. The venue was set up like a dining hall tonight with tables with groups of people gently conversing while McCaul supplied the ultimate background ambiance.

The only conversation topic welcomed by Page in this era of moving forward was the acknowledgment of being a Philly boy and his birth at Chestnut Hill Hospital. Page carefully deflected every question about Phish and his college thesis writing days at Goddard.

Tinnitus: the perception of sound in the ears or head where no external source is present. Someone with tinnitus often describes it as "ringing in the ears," but people report hearing all kinds of sounds: crickets, whooshing, pulsing, ocean waves, buzzing, even music.

Feb. 28, 2007 @ The World Café Live, Phila., PA with Earl Greyhound and Arizona Post show – Tom Hamilton's American Babies (upstairs World Café Live)

Unity, a seven member reggae band, set the lovin' vibe on opening night at last year's 10,000 Lakes Festival. Touring throughout Wisconsin, they rarely make it west so it was a rare treat to hear this band.

This past week the legendary Fox Theater in Boulder celebrated fifteen years of bringing exceptional music to Colorado.  The year was 1992 when Don Strasburg and his associates decided to turn the once rundown movie theater into one of the country's most popular music venues.  Since then, such celebrated artists as Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews Band,