What do Donald Fagen, Phoebe Snow, Elvis Costello and Emmlou Harris have in common? They all showed up to sit in with Band vocalist/drummer/mandolin player Levon Helm at his Midnight Ramble sessions in Woodstock, NY. Improvised takes on Dylan tunes, Band songs and country folk traditionals ramble on long past the traditional hour and a half set of most musicians often lasting four hours or more. With a killer house band that includes daughter Amy, virtuoso guitarist Larry Cambell and a kickin' horn section, the Ramble has been a hot ticket since the sessions began in 2004 as a tribute to the travelling medicine shows Levon remembered from his youth. Ever the gracious host, Levon has been known to greet fans personally as they vie for one of the 125 available seats in the barn/recording studio of his hideaway nestled in the Catskill Mountains.

The Ramble starts up again on May 2nd and continues each Sat night throughout the month. Tickets are $150.00 each or $100.00 for three or more. So if you're looking for a musical road trip, this one promises to be one soul stirring celebration. For more info visit the Midnight Ramble.

Just when you think you've got your summer concert line up all figured out, the Lowell Spinners organization throws the ultimate curveball trumping all cards and announcing that Wilco will be playing LeLacheur Park on July 11th. By all accounts, last summer's Wilco show at Tanglewood was nothing short of awe inspiring and to think in a few short months Jeff Tweedy and crew will be bringing their pseudo-psychedelic-country pop sounds to Lowell, well, that's a concert worth getting excited about. Their latest release, 2007's Sky Blue Sky, harks back to the organic sounds of their brilliant debut Being There sounding right at home with Neil Young's Harvest and the Band's Big Pink. Crazy to think that Ani DiFranco AND Wilco will be performing by the banks of the Merrimack only a short paddle away from each other.

Tickets go on sale Saturday morning at 11:00 at wilcoworld.net. Not sure how they did it but the Spinners may have pulled off the biggest Lowell concert event of the year, quite possibly the last decade.

With the addition of Derek Trucks, Ronnie Earl and zydeco favorite Terrence Simien, the Lowell Summer Music Series is starting to look like a real sizzler. And with the hip hop/reggae feel good sounds of Michael Franti and Spearhead already in the lineup, this could be one summer to remember. Of all the great acts to grace the Boardinghouse stage in the coming months, working class songwriter Jakob Dylan and his band the Wallflowers could very well prove to be the highlight of the "09" season.

After dismal sales of their eponymous debut CD, the Wallflowers were dumped by Virgin. Their follow up, Bringing Down the Horse , brought the band out of obscurity producing two radio hits with One Headlight and the infectious 6th Avenue Heartache. Since then, the Wallflowers have recorded one solid album after the next sounding very comfortable in the company of fellow heartlanders like Springsteen and Petty.
Not to be overlooked is Dylan's 2008 solo release Seeing Things, an intimate and starkly bitttersweet album brimming with personal and politically charged songwriting.

Planning to attend any shows? How does this years lineup compare with past seasons? For a complete schedule visit the Lowell Summer Music Series.

The Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, NH continues to book some amazing acts: Rickie Lee Jones; Marc Cohn; Edgar Winter; Jonatha Brooke. And now they are partnering with a group in Salisbury to bring a Saturday night concert series to the beach with fireworks after each show. And best of all...it's FREE! Remember when the Boardinghouse concerts were a very affordable $5.00? Yeah, so they weren't pulling in the likes of Daryl Hall or Levon Helm, but in this economy, I'd take a free concert at the beach over $40.00 to see Joan Baez in my own backyard. Don't get me wrong...I love Boardinghouse; I don't think there is a prettier spot to see a summer show. But when you can see top notch musicians like harmonica legend James Montgomery, the Bruce Marshall Band or the Fools for free, and with an ocean view, that's well worth the 30 minute jaunt up 495. And one other thing...while Gloucester and Rockport continue to charge outrageous amounts to park at their pristine beaches, I'll happily fork over the $7.00 to park at the Salisbury Reservation any day.

For more info visit beachfests.org.

Etablished in 1804 by Napoleon, the Pere Lachaise Cemetery was originally considered to be too far removed from the Paris center attracting few funeral services. In a brilliant marketing campaign, the administrators had the remains of infamous lovers Abelard and Heloise transferred to the site and within a few years the cemetery population skyrocketed from a few hundred to 35,000. The cemetery is now home to over 300,000 including famous musicians Rossini, Bizet, Poulenc, and Chopin. One of the most visited graves, however, is tortured artist, poet, and Doors legend, the Lizard himself, Jim Morrison.

Acclaimed photographer Susan Wilson and violinist Rebecca Strauss have created a memorable and moving multi-media performance of slowly dissolving photographic images accompanied by commentary and live music from the Parisian cemetery’s famous composer-residents. Check it out Saturday, April 4th at the Indian Hill Music School in Littleton. show time is 7:30.

One final note: the Mt Auburn Cemetery was inspired by the Pere Lachaise with it's peaceful pathways and landscaped grounds providing a tranquil sleeping place for the departed. A few years later, the Lowell Cemetery modeled itself after Mount Auburn emphasizing the beauty of the surroundings and becoming one of the first garden cemeteries in the country.

To break up the doldrums of a gray, cold March, I recently showed the Malcolm McDowell narrated Beatles documentary The Complete Beatles to my eighth grade music class. Back in 1962, sound recording was still fairly primitive and I always marvel at George Martin talking about how Please Please Me was recorded in one day, one session: no mixing, no overdubs, no bouncing. The process simply consisted of setting up a few microphones and recording a performance.

In 1987, the Canadian based Cowboy Junkies took their hypnotic, dreamy, slightly narcotic songs to the Holy Trinity Church in Toronto, where with ONE microphone they recorded the infamous Trinity Sessions album in one night. Now, with more than 15 album releases, Trinity still shows the Junkies at their very best. Two years ago the band chose to re-record the entire album at Holy Trinity. With special guests Ryan Adams and Natalie Merchant lending their voices, the decision paid off and the Junkies released Trinity Revisited in an attempt to recapture the spirit and magic of the original. The result is proof enough just how well the songs stand the test of time.

Friday, April 3rd, you can get your Junkies fix when Margo Timmins, brothers Michael and Peter and bass player Alan Anton (all original members) play at the Nock Middle School Auditorium in Newburyport. Show starts at 8:00PM.

With every aspect of her life in disarray, alt country singer/songwriter Tift Merritt ended up in a tiny studio flat in Paris hoping the change would do her good. Sleeping along side her piano, she claims, were the best nights sleep she ever had. By the time she arrived back in Texas, most of the song ideas for her 2008 release Another Country, were sketched in her notebook. Parting ways with roots label Lost Highway, she signed with Fantasy Records and began recording the tracks for Another Country. The result was a beautifully intimate collection of songs with a restraint not found on her previous two releases: 2002's Bramble Rose and the soulful Tambourine from 2004.

For years Tift Merritt has been just under the radar. But with a voice that rivals both Linda Ronstadt for power and Emmylou Harris for frailty it's a wonder she isn't a household name. Something tells me she likes it better that way.

Tift plays Passim in Harvard Sq April 12th at 8:00. You won't be disappointed!

I've always had a soft spot for musicians who sacrifice fame and fortune to remain true to their own creative vision. Back in 1977, Rickie Lee Jones was waiting tables in LA when she met fellow beat musicians Chuck Weiss and Tom Waits. Barely in her 20s, she had the reputaton for being both streetwise and sophisticated. She became romantically involved with Tom Waits who once proclaimed, "You can learn a lot about a woman by getting totally smashed with her" referring to Rickie Lee. With the rocketing success of her self titled debut album, an instant radio hit with Chuck E.'s in Love and with her infamous white beret/black bra picture gracing the cover of Rolling Stone, it appeared that Rickie Lee Jones was destined for super stardom. Yet, despite a series of solid albums, Rickie Lee was never able to capture the popular success of her first record. Four albums later and ten years after her debut, the mysterious one released the critically acclaimed Flying Cowboys which produced a minor college radio hit with Satellites but which was modestly received by the general public.

April 15th, Rickie Lee Jones swings into the Tupelo Music Hall for an intimate night of music. The cozy, relaxed atmosphere that has made Tupelo a favorite spot for many touring musicians should provide the perfect backdrop to hear the "Duchess of Coolsville" performing songs from her 30 year career. Don't miss this one!

They covered Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive on their respectable second album Fashion Nugget and again used the same dead-pan, tongue in cheek tone for their interpretation of Bread's Guitar Man on their 2004 release Pressure Cheif. Love 'em or hate 'em, Cake brings their quirky blend of rap, funk, rock and country, (often laced with a solo trumpet line), to the LMA on Wednesday, May 27th. Cake is touring in support of a new record, which according to songwriter John McCrea, will be featuring a lot more piano based arrangements and a departure from the sound normally associated with a Cake record.

Nice to see the Auditorium steering away from the usual tribute band and country acts which have dominated the concert schedules of the past three or four years at this underutilized jewel of a venue. Still wish they'd get a little more creative in their booking strategies: a solo Elvis Costello show?; k.d. lang?; Boz Scaggs or any other big name not able to sell out a 15,000 seat venue but perfect for a modestly sized 3000 seat LMA? Is a vision of the Auditorium playing in the same leauge as the Orpheum or the Portsmouth Music Hall that much of a stretch?

On a separate note, while the powers that be shell out all kinds of $$ for a new city slogan, I'll forever remain enamored with the one that graces the side of my new trash barrel.

As we await one more blast of winter weather this weekend, any signs of spring are welcome. With 60 degree temps yesterday and the clocks turning ahead next Saturday, you can almost smell the sausages, onions and peppers at Fenway. Summer music venues are also beginning to announce their concert schedules and, despite the economy, things are looking good. Turning 110 this year, the Hampton Beach Casino kicks off the season with G Love and Special Sauce on Thursday, April 2nd and Tower of Power on Friday, April 3rd. TOP celebrated their 40th anniversary a few years back. The 10 peice band with the killer horn section turned out early 70's soul staples like What Is Hip? and You're Still a Young Man, and from all accounts, their live show still packs a punch.

Winding down the spring, Greatful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra plays the Casino for two nights on June 12th and 13th. Regardless of your musical tastes, the Casino should have something for you and if you're like me, nothing quite feels like summmer till you've seen one of your favorite acts lit up on the Casino marquee.

Anyone remember the scene with Susan Sarandon and her cello in Witches of Eastwick? Sunday, Feb 15th, violinist Nicola Benedetti, one of classical music's freshest faces and passionate inerpreters, will be performing as part of the afternoon chamber music series at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Nicola has been winning over audiences with her exquisite recording of Vaughn Williams' The Lark Ascending on the Deutsche Grammaphone label. Voted the BBCs Young Musician of the Year at 16, Nicola, all of 21 now, has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields among many others. Accompanying Nicola is Russian pianist Katya Apekisheva. Concert time is 1:30PM. Should be a great escape from those winter blues.

He was a member of the country-rock group Pure Prairie League. He turned down Mark Knopfler's offer to become a full time member of Dire Straits. He's won more Country Music Awards than any other performer including Entertainer of the Year and Best Male Vocalist. In 2000, he married christian rock sweetheart Amy Grant. But for all his accolades, Vince Gill is often overlooked in the one area where his true talent shines...he is a phenomenal guitarist, a true master of the telecaster.Beginning his career as a bluegrass traditionalist, Vince Gill was in high demand as a session musician performing with George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett and Reba McIntire to name a few. In the mid-eighties he crossed over to main stream country and became the darling of the Country Music Awards; he had the looks, the personality, and the chops to win the hearts of musicians, fans and country music execs alike. Since he began his solo career, he has sold more than 26 million albums.

June 10th, Vince Gill, (the actual person...not a tribute) plays the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now. Country music fan or not, don't miss the chance to see this multi-talented instrumentalist tear up the stage with his lightning fast licks. The guy can play!

Back in the late eighties I opened for Patty Griffin at Christophers (now Toad) in Porter Square. At the time, the Maine native and recent Florida transplant was waiting tables in Harvard Square and writing some songs on the side. Just before she took the stage she told me how nervous she was and how her guitar teacher had been the one to persuade her to perform her songs in front of a live audience. Mouths dropped as she began to sing and it was obvious she was someone very special, her soulful, bluesy and explosive voice becoming more confident with each song. It was one of those rare and magical moments you remember for a lifetime. Shortly thereafter she was signed to a major label. Her sixth album, 2007's Children Running Through, is a folk/rock masterpiece: evocative, haunting, raucous and inspiring, the powerful voice in full command.

Patty joins Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and guitar great Buddy Miller who has worked extensively with all three, in what is being billed as the Three Girls and Their Buddy Tour. Head north and catch the show at the historic and intimate Portsmouth Music Hall on February 8th or wait a few weeks and head south to the not so recently renovated Orpheum Theater in Boston on the 22nd. Regardless of the venue, this is a rare opportunity to see four incredible talents and four very close friends, sharing the stage for what promises to be an enchanting night of music.

Chris and Oliver Wood grew up in Boulder, CO before going their own separate ways after high school. Oliver headed south fronting King Johnson, a bluesy folk act that paid tribute to The Kings, (B.B and Freddie) and the Johnsons, (Robert and Luther). Chris ended up in New York as a founding member of the dynamic acid jazz trio Medeski, Martin and Wood. Jamming at various family functions and reunions, the Wood brothers started writing and recording together. Last years Loaded, released on Blue Note, is an eclectic mix of alernative folk with a rootsy, down-home feel reminiscent of the Band and Neil Young's Harvest. Oliver's whispy vocals at times sound eerily similar to Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Chris Wood's January 15th, the Wood Brothers are at Tupelo. It's just a hunch, but I have a feeling this cold be the first sleeper show of the new year.
Check them out on YouTube!

A few years back, Scott Weiland signed rock band Something to Burn to his own new record label Soft-Drive Records. Shortly there after his wife torched $10,000.00 worth of his clothes on the couple's front lawn. It's been an up and down ride for the former Stone Temple Pilots frontman and a ten year wait for the release of his second solo project. His first, 12 Bar Blues, was met with critical acclaim but had dismal sales. 2008's "Happy" in Galoshes, however, is a return to the Bowie influenced glam rock style that Weiland has always felt the most comfortable.

Last year Weiland lost his brother to a drug overdose and he has had to confront his own personal demons spending time in and out of drug and alcohol rehab. January 25th he's at the Paradise in support of Galoshes and if anyone could use a little fan support, it's Weiland. Here's hoping 2009 is the start of something good for this talented if not tormented singer.

Hard to believe Whiskeytown's critically acclaimed Pneumonia turns ten next month. Even harder to believe alt-country phenom Ryan Adams has just released his 10th full length album in 8 years. And although Cardinology lacks the lyrical intensity of Demolition or Jacksonville City Nights, it's subtle, intimate songwriting displays a grace and delicacy missing on earlier albums. The debate lingers... which Adams will stand the test of time: the drunk, loose cannon or the sober and mature troubador?

February 21st, Adams and the Cardinals play the Orpheum. And while competing performance spaces like the Patriot Center and the Casinos offer the glitz and the comfort, the haggard and weathered Orpheum has a mystique and aura all it's own. Couldn't think of a better venue to see this show. Not to be missed.

The album title was simple enough...19. After tearing up the British charts with her sultry phrasing and her powerful voice, Adele, now all of twenty, is rapidly building a devoted following in the States. Unjustly compared to British bad girl Amy Winehouse, Adele is more of a contemporary Dusty Springfield, and though her songs are jazz influenced, they are pure acoustic pop. Nominated for four Grammys including Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Adele's rise to the top was fast and furious. Her first single, the infectious Chasing Pavements , spent three weeks at #2 in Britain before exploding on the Biilboard charts. Appearances on SNL and Letterman have fueled her popularity in the US.

Wednesday, January 14th, Adele plays the Somerville Theater. This may be one of those rare opportunities to catch a glimpse at an artist who, by all accounts, is destined for stardom.

She was the voice of Josie in Josie and the Pussycats. She grew up across the street from Mark and Donnie Wahlberg in Dorchester. Most recently she was a back-up singer for Miley Cyrus. But on Monday and Tuesday night at the Paradise, Kay Hanley will be back doing what she does best: fronting the much loved and missed alt-rock band Letters to Cleo. From a whisper to a scream, Kay will be delivering all the LTC favorites like Here and Now from 1993's Aurora Gory Alice. The band is only playing three US cities: LA; New York; and Boston. Don't miss it!

For out door music venues throughout New England, Boarding House Park ranks near the very top. Where else can you see national acts like the Indigo Girls, Daryl Hall, and Bruce Hornsby at a fraction of the standard ticket price? Factor in the possibility of catching a fiery sky as the sun sets behind the mills and you have all the ingredients for a perfect summer night.

For a limited time, you can purchase a season pass to all shows for $225.00. That's roughly $11.00 a show! The line up won't be announced till February, but if the past few years are any indication, 2009 promises to be another fabulous season. Click the link above for more info.

The Bull Run continues to book some impressive shows for it's concert series. Thursday, December 4th, Leon Redbone croons his old timey mix of blues, jazz and ragtime at this Shirley restaurant and tavern. With his trademark baritone voice and Graucho Marx mustache, Leon has maintained his mysterious ways since bursting on to the scene in the mid 70's. He's acted along side Tom Waits, shared a microphone with Ringo Starr, and was featured on the Elf soundtrack. Should be a great show.

Friday the 5th it's the King of Dieselbilly and Lowell Folk Festival favorite Bill Kirchen who's touring behind his new album Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods. Guitar Player magazine called him the "Titan of the Telecaster." Anyone catch Bill trading licks with Red Volkaert at last summer's LFF? Mind blowing!

For a second there I was feeling obligated to write some white, fluffy flakes about the Jingle Ball at the Tsongas Arena. A big thank you to all those who shelled out the $100.00 a ticket; you spared me. Looks like a sold out show and considering the only name I recognized was Natasha Bedingfield, that's a good thing. I'll blame it on a generation gap or, more likely, a cultural one, but it sounds like a fun time. I'll keep my entertainment $$ on Aimee.

Shake off those winter blues at the warm and cozy Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, NH. December 5th Johnny A, master of tone and texture, brings his unique blend of blues, country, rock and jazz to the Granite State. December 13th Ronnie Earl promises to melt even the coldest heart with his hopeful and soulful six string slinging. (I saw him play at Boarding House and I swear I levitated. BB King once said he would be proud to call Ronnie his son.)

Finally, blues legend Johnny Winter slides into town for two shows on December 18th and 19th. Whenever I see Johnny Winter play I keep waiting for his guitar to either catch fire or just explode. The guy rips and rocks with the best of them.

And don't forget...it's BYOB!

If the thought of your retirement account being halfed isn't enough, you can jump start the merry making at Aimee Mann's third annual Christmas show at the intimate Somerville Theater in Davis Square. A variety show of sorts, this holiday concert has the melancholic troubador playing host to special guests including Glenn Phillps (Toad the Wet Sprocket). December 10th and 11th at 8:00PM. By past accounts this is one holiday show you don't want to miss.

Closer to home, Mannheim Steamroller plows into town at the LMA on December 7th and the Boston Pops swing by on the 20th. So deck the halls before trying to figure out how you're going to heat them!