Normally, we'd say it's safer to stay at home on Black Friday. But since it also happens to be Record Store Day and we've got a prime selection from WINTERLAND 5/30/71 being released for the first time ever and it'll be on 180-gram vinyl as a limited edition double-LP set of 7500 copies, well, we strongly endorse heading out to your local mom-n-pop shop. Sourced from the original reels of 1/4" tape, WINTERLAND 5/30/71 was mastered by Jeffrey Norman, the vinyl lacquers were cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and then pressed at RTI.

Fans of the Grateful Dead have yet another reason to rejoice as the Dark Star Orchestra team has released a soundboard recording of the first set of their October 13, 2012 performance at The Fillmore in San Francisco.

It's hard to imagine rock's greatest albums without their iconic covers, whose vivid imagery is so deeply ingrained in popular culture that they've become instantly recognizable to multiple generations of music fans. Now, some of classic rock's most beloved album covers are reborn with RedisCover Jigsaw Puzzles.

Jon McIntire, former manager of the Grateful Dead and New Riders of the Purple Sage, was also a longstanding member of the Rex Board of Directors, continuing for the rest of his life as an active member of the Rex Advisory Board.  On Thursday, February 16, 2012, Jon McIntire passed away.  We want to honor Jon and the tremendous gifts he has contributed to all of us who have had the privileg

Since I started reviewing shows, I have taken great care to listen not only to the music made on stage, but also to those who bring live improvisation to climactic heights with their ears and energy: the crowd. At any show, the canvas is always painted by the musicians, yet concomitantly framed by the listeners. Two crowd members, in particular, helped me frame Dark Star Orchestra’s superb tour closer at the Boulder Theater last Saturday.

How many Grateful Dead tribute bands does the scene need? The answer could be endlessly debated each way forever. I suppose it’s fair to say that since Dead music is a rolling snowball of endless genres, sporting both originals and reinvented covers with thirty years of varying performances where supposedly “no show was ever the same twice,” that room for countless cover acts isn’t unfound. After all, people still want to listen to their music, obsessively, even though they haven’t been around for seventeen years.