Things are getting a little chilly around the country but two groups that are sure to heat up every room they play are Cris Jacobs Band and Midnight North. Ten dates throughout the Northeast and Midwest, there are sure to be collaborations along the way between the groups.

Music-fan tribes of all stripes gathered for the Independence Day weekend to luxuriate in the 29th annual High Sierra Music Festival in tiny Quincy, California, basking in the music, vibes, joy, and friendships old and new. Over the four-day celebration, among the beautiful clear-aired mountainous sky and mountains, fun oozed everywhere, from the scheduled and numerous unscheduled live performances and collaborations to the often luxurious and nicely appointed home bases set up in the campgrounds.

Downtown New York City saw the return of an amazing yearly musical event this past weekend, The Tree of Life Benefit. Created by music lover and activist Robert S. Rosman and his family, Tree of Life gathers big names of the metro jam scene and beyond to deliver memorable nights of collaborative music in an intimate setting. It all raises funds for Ferncliff Manor, a school specializing in the care and treatment of individuals with disabilities.

This week, members of The Terrapin Family Band are scheduled to perform two back to back nights in New York. On Thursday February 7, TFB members Grahame Lesh, Ross James, Jason Crosby, and Alex Koford will take to NYC’s Brooklyn Bowl to host a tribute to the late songwriter and poet John Perry Barlow. For that show, they will be joined by musicians Jerry and Aishlin Harrison, Elliott Peck, Brian Stollery, and others.

Elliott Peck’s debut solo project, “Further From The Storm,” received No. 1-with-a-bullet ranking from the sold-out audience at her recent CD-release event in San Rafael, Calif. Peck and her guest musicians triumphed, both in the first set, which contained live renderings of 10 of 11 tracks off the new record, and the second set, which as Peck foreshadowed at the show’s outset, “We’ll take a break and have a big ol’ party, Terrapin style!”

“Love Will See You Through: Terrapin Nation for Butte County – A Musical Benefit for Victims of the Camp Fire” brought together Phil Lesh and a whole lot of friends for a stunning performance at a very sold-out Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, Calif., on December 19.

San Francisco-area songstress and Blue Rose Music artist Elliott Peck released her video for “Out Sailing” – the title track from her latest album release, Further From The Storm – exclusively with Wide Open Country yesterday (11/5).

Several Bay Area musicians who were already friends on and off the stage appeared together at The Fillmore in San Francisco on June 9 to spotlight Blue Rose Music’s stable of artists, and of more importance to raise money and awareness for the Blue Rose Foundation, which commits itself to preschool scholarships for impoverished children.

Follwing Phil Lesh's Capitol Theater show on May 29th be sure to catch Alexander Nelson (Jackie Green's brother) along with Elliott Peck in New York City at the American Beauty bar.

You can purchase tickets here.