Phil and the Osophers will release a new EP of holiday songs entitled "It's Christmas Time With Phil and the Osophers" digitally on December 6.  The five original songs include "Brutus The Backup Reindeer," which tells the story of a reindeer named Brutus who's asked to help pull Santa's sleigh when another reindeer comes down with the flu.

In between east coast NYE shows with the New Deal and Brothers Past (in Baltimore and Richmond, respectively), Eliot Lipp will bounce to Lake Tahoe, CA for a coveted December 30 main stage slot at the inaugural Snowglobe Music Festival.

Guitarist Dave Stryker, who got his start working with Jack McDuff and Stanley Turrentine stretches the boundaries of the organ sound while keeping the groove deep on his new CD "Blue Strike" (SteepleChase 31729).  Once again Dave teams with young Hammond organ phenom Jared Gold, as well as legendary drummer Billy Hart, and adds to the front line two rising stars with their own sounds;

The Felice Brothers will wind down a very busy 2011 in style with two New Year's shows in the northeast, performing on December 30th at Daniel Street in Milford, CT and on December 31st for a hometown show at Club Helsinki in Hudson, NY. The band, who are currently overseas at the start of a 17-date European tour, wrapped up their eight and a half week long national US tour on November 19th.

With a guy like Stephen Stills, an icon of 60s folk rock and roll, you can’t help but wonder how the passing of time might figure in to a live performance. Decades after his heyday, Stills still came in with his A-game at the Ogden Theater in Denver on Sunday.