He’s been called “a revelation” by Rolling Stone. Woody Allen recruited him to score the theme for last year’s smash film Midnight in Paris, and he performed his original song “Bistro Fada” live during last night’s Academy Awards ceremony.

Head for the Hills has announced their annual Strings Ahead Spring Tour, which covers the Western US, Colorado & beyond. It kicks off in Austin, TX at SxSW & moves on to Salt Lake City, UT & then onward to the first annual Treefort Music Fest in Boise, ID.  The tour continues with a trip to the Pacific Northwest before moving down the western coast into AZ.

Spectrum Road is a groundbreaking collaboration between four giants of modern music: Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid, John Medeski and Cindy Blackman Santana.  Born from a shared passion for the music of legendary drummer Tony Williams, the band will release their self-titled debut album on June 5 through Palmetto Records. Later that week, Spectrum Road celebrates its arrival with a highly anticipated performance at Bonnaroo on June 9, which also serves as the first show of a U.S.

Bob Weir will perform with members of The National in “The Bridge Session,” a free webcast originating from Weir’s TRI Studios on March 24th.The event is produced by HeadCount, a non-profit organization that promotes voter registration and democratic participation.

The fifth annual Purple Hatter’s Ball returns to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL to honor the memory of longtime friend Rachel Hoffman. This three-day festival will be held May 11-13, 2012 and features a diverse lineup of musicians, including Break Science with Chali 2’Na, The Heavy Pets, Catfish Alliance, Earphunk and many more.

The 12th annual Summer Camp Music Festival added dozens of new artists in this late round of announcements, supplementing the weekend packed with music on seven stages.

This February, Widespread Panic proved that you can still get a lot done while sitting on the job, as they celebrated 25 years of southern rock improvisation with the Wood Tour.  Dave Schools said, “I think that most people don’t have a preconceived notion and they like the air of mystery.  I know we do.”  He could have easily been speaking about the Wood Tour.  For an all-acoustic set-list, Panic r

By the fall of 1994, the Grateful Dead scene was growing unmanageably large. Even large mainstay venues that the boys have been performing at for decades were too small anymore. The performance that used to be a not-so-well-kept secret had grown to sell out the largest football and soccer stadiums.

Paul Thorn took an unexpected detour on the road to recording a follow-up to his most successful release, 2010’s Pimps and Preachers. After writing many discs of semi-autobiographical tunes that have drawn comparisons to John Hiatt and John Prine, the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter — hailed as the “Mark Twain of Americana” — decided to do an album of covers. “I wanted to take a break from myself,” he reveals, “do something different, and just have fun.” The collection, entitled What The Hell Is Goin’ On?