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.

Otis Taylor held his inaugural Otis Taylor Trance Blues Jam Festival with guitarists Bob Margolin and Mato Nanji; banjo legends Tony Trischka and Don Vappe; and bass players George Porter Jr. and Cassie Taylor over Thanksgiving weekend.The festival was a three-day event of workshops and jams Taylor held at the Boul

Over the past year’s Bill Monroe Centennial there have been numerous anthologies of various artists doing their versions of his music, restating the enormity of Bill Monroe’s legacy on the entire field of bluegrass music.

Conspirator, the full band featuring Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner of The Disco Biscuits, guitarist Chris Michetti, and a cast of the live music scene’s best drummers, has announced the 3-week “BLIZZARD OF BEATS TOUR – WINTER 2012” for February 2012 performances throughout Colorado and the Midwest. Tickets for all shows are available from individual venue ticketing.

Mark Vann’s spirit parted company with his body on March 4, 2002. Mark consistently lived by the motto of “Go Big!”. He applied this motto to both playing music and his unending willingness to offer his time and knowledge to teach anybody who wanted to learn. He encouraged others to “Dream Big”, “Go Big”, and “Pick Big”, and personally supported their efforts to do so.

After a highly successful 2011 The Ragbirds are kicking off a new year with the release of their 4th studio effort, Travelin’ Machine on January 1st, 2012. In this exciting new album the band has seamlessly blended a wide palette of musical genres into a fresh and cohesive 10-track package that is full of life and energy.It’s rare to stumble upon a band that brings as much joy and creative flare to their music as the Ragbirds.

New Orleans jazz legends Preservation Hall Jazz Band are pleased to announce the special guests that will join them on stage for their 50th anniversary performance.  On January 7th, 2012 at 8:00pm they will grace the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, with special guests My Morning Jacket, Del McCoury Band, Trombone Shorty, GIVERS, Allen Toussaint, Blind Boys of Alabama, Tao Seeger, & Mos Def.Tickets for what is bound to be an unforgettable night go on sale December 2nd and are availabl