April Fools From Jambands.com

Betts at the Beacon



As the Allman Brothers Band continues its latest historic New York City run, none other than Dickey Betts made a dramatic appearance at the Beacon last night. With little fanfare, Betts’ charged into “Blue Sky” at the Beacon Diner in Tamaqua, PA. In appreciation for some fresh squeezed lemonade and a slice of blueberry pie, Betts performed “Blue Sky” and an inspired “Ramblin’ Man” after which he was informed he would still have to pay for the lemonade and pie.


Bonnaroo Breaks out of the Indie-rock Box



After years as the country’s premier indie-rock festival, Bonnaroo has embraced the eclectic for year six. In addition to marquee indie-rock names like Franz Ferdinand, the White Stripes, and the Decemberists, the multi-day gathering has booked several representatives of the emerging “jamband scene” including Widespread Panic, the String Cheese Incident, and Keller Williams. “This style of music has taken us pretty far, but we don’t want to be known as just an indie-rock festival” Superfly’s Jonathan Mayers says. “While some other festivals have dipped their toes into the jamband scene, those were just regional gatherings. We are going to be the country’s definitive jamband destination.”

In other news, veteran photographer Danny Clinch’s work will be featured in a new book documenting the festivals history, The Complete Bonnaroo 2004-2007. The coffee table book starts with the Los Lonely Boys, who opened the festival in 2004, and includes many of those bands often aligned with the “signature Bonnaroo sound,” including Radiohead, Modest Mouse, and Tool. Relix Contributing editor Tim Donnelly will supply the book’s introduction, “Emanating Goodness,” an essay on his surfing experiences with 2004 Bonnaroo performer Eddie Vedder.

The Bad Apple Music & Arts Festival



As our diligent readers may recall, last year many of Pittsburgh’s premiere music venues joined forces to host the inaugural Brown Apple Music & Arts Festival, the biggest celebration of pollution on the east coast in 2006. This year with the addition of a major pesticide sponsor, the event has expanded to three cities. Houston, Texas and Bakersfield, Calfornia are the latest additions to the rebranded Bad Apple Music & Arts Festival. 2007 will offer an expanded slate of free kids programs, as in an effort to celebrate the environmental impact of carbon dioxide, children will delight in the “pin the polar bear on the detached ice floe” game (which will be offered in addition to last year’s favorites such as the Sludgy Animal Jamboree, Powered by Friends of the Exxon Valdez).

Greyboy Smallstars



In the grand tradition of Mini-Kiss comes another musical collective comprised of players with small stature, big hearts and bigger chops. The Greyboy Smallstars will celebrate the sounds of West Coast Boogaloo with an estimable roster featuring Zach Roloff, Verne J. Troyer, Dylan Sprouse, former secretary of labor Robert Reich and Prince. DJ Kind Budnick produced the album and will appear with the Smallstars for select shows (and certainly on the inevitable Reunion Tour).

TranceGressions Radio



The Disco Biscuits have announced the debut of a new live recording series. TranceGressions_Lot_Broadcast_01 collects conversations surreptitiously recorded from police scanners outside the band’s fall 2006 tour. The debut offering delivers a dyslexic version of “We Entrapped Another Wook” that segues into “But Chief Wiggum Said We Could.” A series of web-only video reenactments currently is being filmed with host Molly Shannon.

Human Rights Groups Decry The XM/Sirius Merger



While the full approval from the Federal Government's Antitrust division is still pending, the proposed merger of the nation’s two Satellite radio operators has hit a new snag. Activists are now up in arms about leaked reports that in order to limit duplication, the two companies will physically merge selected staff members as well.

The proposed combination of Sirius Jam_On afternoon host Stef Scamardo and XM Fungus program director Lou Brutus, reportedly leaves Scamardo’s husband, guitarist Warren Haynes “concerned” (although the mutation likely will remain a big booster of the Mule). Meanwhile, Jam_On's Jonathan Schwartz will be fused with an XM DJ of the same name, who in a fortuitous turn of events, hosts XM’s High Standards channel.

As result of these complaints, it now appears that an alternate proposed amalgam of Sirius’ Jam_On and XM’s The Boneyard will be postponed pending proper parental filters.

Post-Jam Cruise Sets Sail in May



New York concert promoters Rocks Off will host the first annual Post-Jam Cruise this May. The multi-band gathering will feature 45-minute sets by the Benevento-Russo Duo, the SLIP (formerly The Slip), Dr. Dog, Apollo Sunshine, and Sam Champion. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James will host the event, which will serve as a benefit for Senior Editor Mike Greenhaus trademark application process. In addition, Scott Metzger will perform a solo set featuring material from his bands RANA, Bustle in Your Hedgerow, and Band of Changes. The cruise will set sail in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and travel along New York’s East River to Park Slope, making a stop along the way in Long Island City. No special guests are expected and no sit-ins are allowed.

Caps and Stems For The SLIP, JGYMFO For MOFRO



Over the past few months, in an effort to signal its repositioning into indie climes, avant-rock trio the Slip redubbed itself the SLIP (no, really). However, the veterans of the Jammys, the inaugural Jambands.com tour and our first ever New Groove of the Month have decided that the implications of the dramatic change from the Slip to the SLIP, seem to have eluded the fans of The Slip who continue to frequent the group’s shows. As a result, the band has moved beyond caps, adding an asterisk to the stem of its name.

When asked to comment what the asterisk is meant to signify, guitarist Brad Barr, reached on the road while enjoying a dinner of Lake Trout, commented, “It just defines us as something different. This isn’t The Slip, or even The SLIP, this is The SLIP*. We don't want to confuse our new heady new fan base. Wait no, I didn’t say heady. I don’t know what heady means. I meant those people heady-ing over to the Bar/None site to purchase our new studio record, Eisenhower."

Meanwhile, Florida-based band MOFRO, which recently changed its name to J.J. Grey and MOFRO to reflect the personal material on its Country Ghetto disc, has altered its moniker once again. The group will now be known as Jj. G.r.e.Y and MoFrO or JGYMFO for short. When asked about the change, Grey said, “The letters JGYMFO were just more personal to me than the letters jreof. Those letters reflect my inner turmoil.”