A nasty day in February became much brighter when my Treo blew up as texts started flying in informing me that Rothbury 2009 was officially on.  After months of speculation and discussion about leases and bankruptcy and rumors of a possible alien abduction of any confirmed artists, this was fabulous news!

ROTHBURY unveils the "2-Day Sat & Sun Ticket," a reduced rate ticket that allows access to the show on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5.  Also announced today, the lineup schedule for ROTHBURY 2009 headliners - The String Cheese Incident (their only 2009 performance) will top the bill on Friday, July 3; The Dead (their only summer appearance) will headline on Saturday, July 4; and Bob Dylan and His Band and Willie Nelson & Family will wrap up the weekend on Sunday, July 5.

As the last notes of music rang out over the hillside and crews began dismantling stages, preliminary estimates showed that over the festival's four days more than 70,000 music fans filled the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro for MerleFest 2009, presented by Lowe's.  The weather in western North Carolina felt more like summer than spring, with sunny days and high temperatures in the '80s.  One storm blew through on Friday evening, delaying some of the performances for just a few minutes.

The 10,000 Lakes Festival (10KLF) announces single day tickets will be made available for Saturday, July 25.  A limited number of single day 10KLF music-only festival tickets go on sale Friday, April 24, starting at $75 for general admission and $99 for general admission and overnight camping.

The clock is ticking down the hours and minutes to MerleFest 2009, presented by Lowe's, which will begin its 22nd year of "Music, Moments and Memories" next Thursday, April 23, and wind up on Sunday, April 26, on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

The Northwest's premier acoustic music festival returns for its eighth year to beautiful Horning's Hideout in North Plains, Oregon, on July 17-18-19.  The family friendly event boasts three days of nearly all-acoustic music, culminating each night with main stage performances from musical hosts Yonder Mountain String Band, this year joined by special guest Danny Barnes (Danny Barnes with Bad Livers, Tim O'Brien Band).  Yonder Mountain String Band has been called the fastest growing acoustic band in history.

Guerilla Union has announced initial details for the 2009 installment of the critically acclaimed festival series ROCK THE BELLS--North America’s only hip-hop festival. Teaming with Budweiser for this year’s ROCK THE BELLS 2009 FESTIVAL SERIES, the festival features such headliners as Nas & Damian “Jr Gong” Marley, The Roots, Big Boi and Common plus many more major hip-hop artists.

Two SONIC BLOOM Festival Pre-Parties set for Boulder and Denver will give fans a lot to dream about in the two months leading up to the actual festival, where the magic of music, dance, art and human performance will meld into a three-day never-world of electronic music and camping. The first installment of this year’s festivities will descend on the Fox Theatre April 24, with the party moving south to legendary Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom the next day.

Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment are pleased to announce that the third annual Treasure Island Music Festival will take place on Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18, 2009. Saturday will feature two stages of electronic and dance oriented acts and Sunday will feature a compelling line up of national and local indie rock artists.

Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) will be among several extraordinary musical artists to perform at the 14th Annual Gathering of the Vibes, July 23-26, 2009, at Seaside Park, Bridgeport, Connecticut.