It's a fucked up world out there, and lately it seems to be getting worse by the day. The economy is crashing, the war seems never-ending, and Washington D.C. seems as silly and out of touch as ever. Maybe I'm more obsessive than most, more indignant too perhaps, but if you're like me, I recommend a heavy dose of lighthearted tunes to put you in a better state of mind. Everybody needs to escape occasionally, and music has always been a means to do so.

When Phish broke up the first and second time, there was a large void left in my life. Yours too, otherwise you probably wouldn't be reading this article. As I've eluded to in past reviews, the nomadic nature instilled in me by that foursome from the north lead me on many a fruitless, and sometimes fruitful quest to find new, interesting, dynamic and hypnotic sounds like those that I still long for.

"The show is tonight, not tomorrow." A statement like this one can upend your day and, for me, it did. Mere inches away from walking onto the ferry that would take me back to New York; I fielded a call from my incredibly observant wife.

Fans of Phish have been excited to receive a handful of official show releases over the past year, not to mention a bunch of great downloads and even a DVD concert.  Each one has given the listener a look back at the band at certain periods in their history, and reminds them just how incredible this group was back in the day.

September 4th, 2008, Boulder Theater

Family. Joyfulness. Community. Gettin' Down! These five words completely detail, although briefly, the majority of my experiences from the past Sound Tribe Sector 9 weekend.

Perhaps the greatest thing about music is that it knows no restraints.  Musicians explore this vast territory to varying degrees, and with varying levels of success.  Some choose to specify, and others choose to generalize.  The term "genre" has less and less significance all the time, obvious when you look at the staggering number of sub-niche's we need to describe just rock and roll.  Alternative, progressive, pop, punk, funk, fusion, indie, etc., etc.

Last week while reviewing the Backwoods Pondfest, I was fortunate enough to meet and talk to some of the members of the Rutland, VT band Twiddle.

I'm blessed to have a solid group of friends who love live music, generally as much as me. There is little in life I find more enjoyable than watching close friends I've taken to a new group or artist turn and give me that look of excitement and say "Wow, you were right! These guys are amazing!" This look and this line happened more than a handful of times at the latest New Mastersounds show at the Fox Theater up on the good old Hill in Boulder, CO.

The Chicago progressive jam outfit Umphrey's McGee brought their explosive live show back to Colorado over Labor Day weekend, and rained down a handful of stunning performances to the Rocky Mountain faithful.

I'm over my wishy-washy indecision about which show to review up next for y'all.