By far the most anticipated concert of the summer at Shoreline Amphitheater, the gigantic outdoor venue in Mountain View, California, was Phish on August 5. I had been growing out my lengthy beard and counting down the days for most of July it seemed.

It was the Friday before school started at the University of Colorado, and downtown Boulder was alive with activity.  For months the town had enjoyed the relative tranquility of student-free summer – parking spaces were abundant, tables were available, the Hill wasn’t littered with Key Lite cans and the omni-present red plastic cups that represent frat life at universities nationwide.  Boulder is a different place in the summer, and when school begins again in the fall our little town starts to feel a bit more big city.  But there was still one more weekend before classes sta

Umphrey's McGee is gearing up for a busy fall season that will take them to all parts of the U.S, including some final festival stops of 2009 - Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival, moe.Down, and Telluride Blues and Brews - and a special Halloween play in Yosemite, California.

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey have announced a 34-city North American tour in September and October to support their new EP, One Day In Brooklyn. The band will begin the trek in their home state of Oklahoma before hitting Texas for two nights and then heading west where they'll work their way up the left coast to Seattle. After one night back in Tulsa for a release party and performance, they'll immediately join Phish bassist Mike Gordon as opening support on seven shows.

When spirituality comes to mind, it seems most often images and associations with well practiced religions such as Christianity and Judaism are the first to surface. With his thoughtful lyrics though, set to a musical style at it's most basic classified as a fusion of reggae and rock, Trevor Hall embraces a different meaning of spirituality.

Friday August 14th was a night of firsts. I'd never been to Mishawaka, I'd never seen these bands all at the same show, and I'd never really talked to any of them.

Quote of the day, heard while in the audience for the last few minutes of an enjoyable-but-forgettable set by Tea Leaf Green:

"They all died at 27 full of drugs and insane, so I made a conscious decision to make my role models change."

One landmark gig at this year's 10KLF was Everyone Orchestra – a staple of this festival, playing their fifth consecutive year.  EO is an ever-changing super-group of musicians collected by conductor Matt Butler to jam on extended guided improvisations.  Using a dry erase board, B