The buzz from the excited crowd anticipating two of the jam band's scene's most up and coming bands was fresh and impulsive. These are bands that have mostly broken through by their tediousness in touring and their successful musical appearances at major festivals such as Bonnaroo and Wakarusa.

The official launch of Page's tour was here in Philadelphia at the World Café Live about a month earlier than this show, and it was broadcasted live for WXPN. I played hooky from work that day to review that show, and on this night I expected many of the same songs from the new self-titled album.

RAQ came back to North by Northwest in Philadelphia on Cinco de Mayo after a terrific show in Virginia where die hard fans boarded a bus to follow them north to this Philly show. The momentum of RAQ is building, but they really seem to enjoy playing at this small almost secret venue tucked in a unique corner of the city. And after seeing them twice here, I don't blame them.

This was my first time in the old fashioned Theatre of the Living Arts since it has turned into the Fillmore at the TLA, and it was a very interesting bill for me. I am very familiar with the current afrobeat champions from Brooklyn, on the other hand, I've never heard of State Radio so I was interested in seeing a new band.

With the end of the String Cheese Incident looming, keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth debuted yet another side project aptly called soulside.  Of all his collaborations, this one might seem like the most odd of pairings:  Kyle, DJ Logic, and Speech of Arrested Development.  Flanked by Ryan Jalbert on guitar, Garrett Sayers on bass, and

It was in a small hipster bar in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia where I met the band for a pre-show birthday dinner for my good friend and road manager Ben Scrimali. The members of the band were extremely down to earth and friendly as we talked about Boulder and the ever changing music of the Motet. After we ate and drank it was time to be merry and mosey over to the Fire, another small bar in the big city.

It's been said that fine, delicate wines need to mature slowly. For bands, sometimes that's true. In GB Leighton's case, it has taken almost two decades of songwriting and serious performing to develop into a force that is poised to take on the musical world.  That maturing is grounded in Brian Leighton's songwriting, his powerful vocal delivery, and the backing of a phenomenally talented band.

"Conformity is nice but it will never tell you twice to live for fun!!!" - Stoops

Even the most die hard jam band fan will at one point crave something new and unusual, a step away from the traditional structure of lead guitar solos dragging on for minutes.  This doesn't mean that a fan of such musical structure needs to subject themselves to standardized pop music; it simply suggests that the listener might need to search for music made with more unconventional instruments.  The answer you seek lies not in a far away land but with Asheville, North Carolina's own Toubab Krewe.

I want to start by saying that this band is a must see adventure. Make no mistake about it; this is one of the unique and fun acts that I've seen since Hurra Torpedo last summer.