March 2015

It is no secret that most Phish fans consider the band’s finest, or at least most grand, performances were heard over the 1999 New Year’s Eve run at Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in Florida.  Even the band members themselves have hinted that those shows may have been the pinnacle of their storied history.  Phish-heads have been clamoring for years that the organization needs to release legitimate soundboard copies of those epic NYE shows, and although those cries have so far proven fruitless the band has decided to deli

Years before the actual word 'jamband' emerged as a genre or even a word, the Home Grown Music Network was there helping talented independent bands reach fans on a new level. Through its nationwide collective of bands, venues, stores and fans the Home Grown Music Network (HGMN) has catalyzed two decades of incredible audio offerings including the 2004 launching of Harmonized Records, going on to introduce the world to such powerful scene bands such as Lotus, Perpetual Groove, Garaj Mahal, The Motet and more.

Lee Ann Womack wanted to do something special for Record Store Day, something that would strip the music down to its essence. Talking with husband/producer Frank Liddell, they decided to use one voice/one instrument. They called on Mark Knopfler/Steve Earle vet Richard Bennett, who brought several of his vintage guitars. The pair recorded several songs in an afternoon – and picked the best three for Trouble In Mind, a limited edition 12” vinyl.

This show was the icing on the cake of a super busy music weekend in the Mile High City. The Bluebird Theater played host to an ultra-talented bill. It was a cold and snowy night in Denver, but people still came out on a Sunday night to see one of the most talented bands in Colorado cover Ween’s famous Chocolate and Cheese album.

It was apparent as soon as Philadelphia-based electro-jam collection took the stage in chilly Minneapolis; Lotus meant business. Midway through their 2015 Winter Tour in support of their Gilded Age EP, Lotus set fire to the Land of 10,000 Frozen Lakes with a wide range of eclectic tunes from their extensive catalog, including a twenty-minute “Nematode>Sift>Nematode” segue and an impressive encore off their latest EP.