I used to be in a band called Toad the Wet Sprocket. We hadn't played together for a few years now, but did a few shows this summer. A good time was had by all. I still play lots of (well, some of) those songs live solo, just in case you were wondering. I also have a side project with the members of Nickel Creek called Mutual Admiration Society.

My family only made it through a four months of a planned ten month trip, due to an unexpected family emrgency. Now that I'm coming back home, I'll abandon the travel blog and return to my old one: Glen Phillips (really creative, I know).

My last record, Mr Lemons, came out May. It's green. It's pretty good, too.
More info at another time.
Be well -g

“A near-ideal balance of irreverence, chops, discipline, and originality...” – THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

For The Waybacks, musical evolution is a way of life and a spectator sport. They’re as uninhibited and unpredictable as the eclectic San Francisco Bay area that claims them, but their experiments are invariably sharp-witted and musically dazzling. They’ve been through changes for sure. Shake-ups even. Now configured as a four-piece with a full arsenal of acoustic and electric instruments, The Waybacks introduce Loaded, the boldest, rangiest and most exciting album of their career. Produced by Nashville bassist Byron House, the folky underpinnings are still there, but after years of playing a huge range of venues and festivals (including some major gigs with Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir) and reconfiguring themselves around the hot guitar of James Nash and the fiddle virtuosity of Warren Hood, The Waybacks are enjoying a refreshed repertoire – one that’s touched by Memphis soul, roadhouse boogie, Parisian swing, classical, vintage blue pop and much more besides.

By stepping forward as songwriters and assembling their first project of entirely original music, they’ve found a new collective voice before our ears. You’ll talk about it even though you may not be able to describe it. Just evolve along with them and you’ll be glad you did.

"This record really does feel like our coming out party in a lot of ways," remarks Chatham County Line songwriter Dave Wilson in his signature deliberate drawl. "Before, we were trying to fit into this one niche because of the instruments we like to play. But now we just look at our instruments as our instruments and it's all about taking that and evolving into the band we are and want to be." Banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bass certainly conjure certain musical images to mind, and in the past CCL had been content to play the part - a fun loving bluegrass band touring endlessly, summers full of festivals and hi-jinx. But now with the release of their aptly titled fourth album IV, Dave and the band are ready to get down to business, "We started the band as a way to hang out and drink beer. Slowly it turns into a career. This record is about growing up and becoming a band."

All proceeds donated to American Cancer Society. Doors Open at 6:30 pm (Silent Auction begins for sporting event tickets, restaurants, salons & more!). For tickets, purchase here at jamminjava.com or if you prefer to make your check out directly to American Cancer Society, contact jammin4acure@verizon.net for additional information.

She is returning this fall with its long-awaited full-length follow-up, Double Standards. The beauty and true genius in Patti's music comes from its ability to display both smooth and harder edges. Her unmistakable voice encapsulates this duality—both warmly familiar and rugged at the same time.

Patti and her band perform exceptional originals and some great cover versions. It's honest pop/rock delivered as only Patti can.

Michael Imperioli was born in Mt. Vernon, New York, on March 26, 1966. His film work began in the late 1980s. An early part that brought him recognition was in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990), as Spider, a local kid who works for the gangsters and has a run-in with a psychopathic mob soldier played by Joe Pesci. He worked throughout the 1990s in the New York independent film industry, especially as a regular in Spike Lee's movies, appearing in Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992), Clockers (1995), Girl 6 (1996) and Summer of Sam (1999), generally playing working-class Italian-Americans from the "outer boroughs." While rooted in the New York movie scene, Imperioli also worked in Hollywood in the mid-'90s, in the formulaic movies Bad Boys (1995) and Last Man Standing (1996/I).

In 1999 Imperioli was cast in "The Sopranos" (1999) as Christopher Moltisanti, a low-ranking soldier in the Soprano crime organization whose family connections to street boss Tony Soprano move him up the ladder in the organization. Imperioli's multi-layered portrayal of such an unappealing character is a real highlight of the series and earned him an Emmy and a SAG award.

Imperioli has long been active in the New York theater scene as well, having written, directed, produced or starred in numerous plays. He was a founder, along with Lili Taylor (his then-girlfriend and co-star in Household Saints (1993)) of the downtown theater company Machine Full. He has also written several episodes of "The Sopranos" and was a writer on Lee's "Summer of Sam," which he also executive-produced.

Although most famous for his prominent part in "The Sopranos," Imperioli has worked on other television programs as well, including "Law & Order" (1990), "New York Undercover" (1994) and "NYPD Blue" (1993). He is married and has three children.

“When you combine an earthy, easygoing songwriting style, the influence of Donny Hathaway and Paul Simon and a penchant for warm, understated instrumentation, there’s a good chance you’ll get ear-pleasing results. Micah Dalton has, and he calls it ‘alt. soul.’”—THE NASHVILLE SCENE

Tom Russell was born in Los Angeles in 1952 and now makes his home on the border of El Paso-Juarez. He graduated from the University of California with a Master's Degree in Criminology, taught school in Nigeria during the Biafran War, and then relocated to Vancouver. He began his music career in the bars of Vancouver's skid row. He has since lived in Austin, San Francisco, New York and, finally, on a 2.68 badlands farm in the desert of West Texas. He is a painter, novelist, filmmaker, and acclaimed songwriter. His recent recording is "Wounded Heart of America," which features lost tracks of people who have recorded Tom's songs, from Johnny Cash and Doug Sahm, to Joe Ely, Jerry Jeff Walker, Nanci Griffith, Iris Dement and Dave Van Ronk. The record also includes Tom's recording of "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall?" which he performed on his fourth appearance on Late Night with David Letterman TV show, August 21, 2007.

Tom Russell has recorded one DVD and 21 albums of original material. His songs have been recorded by Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Johnny Cash, KD Lang, Nanci Griffith, Doug Sahm, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, and 100's of others. He is credited, along with Dave Alvin, with establishing the Americana radio format with their co-produced tribute to Merle Haggard, Tulare Dust, released on Hightone in 1994. The Columbus Other wrote: "Russell seems to have invented and keeps reinventing the Americana genre. He goes from strength to strength.

It's as if Muhammed Ali were knocking-out opponents at age 60....Russell is the only writer of his generation who grows stronger with each release." His songs have appeared in a dozen films, including Songcatcher and Tremors. Russell has published three books: a detective novel, a songwriting compendium of quotes with Sylvia Tyson, and a book of letters with Charles Bukowski. His paintings were recently featured in Paste Magazine and a major exhibition of his artwork took place at Yard Dog Folk Art Gallery, Austin, Texas from February to April 2006. His art can be purchased at www.yarddog.com. Russell recently completed a four part Radio documentary on the America Cowboy for BBC Radio Two which will air in November 2007. He is also working on a film about a ranch woman in the California West.

Come ready to see the guys a little out of their comfort-zone - without their band, without noisy electric guitars. Come ready for a good time.

Combining roots reggae, progressive rock, and experimental dub, Passafire has crafted a recognizable sound all their own. Nick Kubley's tight and versatile drumming paired with his brother Will's innovative, effects-heavy bass work creates a textured rhythmic backdrop. Ted Bowne's soulful, dubbed-out vocals and solid guitar riffs mesh seamlessly with Adam Willis' vintage keys and colorful synths.

Hailing from Oslo, Norway, founding member and lead singer/electric mandolinist, Lief Sorbye, is recognized as a driving force in the modern folk-rock movement. Fiddler Michael Mullen, a favorite with the fans, is the original fiddler for the group. Bassist Damien Gonzalez, a native Californian, is also an accomplished drummer and didgeridoo player who may occasionally breathe fire. Native of Devon, England, and a former member of the UK's folk-rock band Equation, guitarist James Crocker combines a deep-rooted British folk sensibility with a life-long rock experience. Cuban-born drummer Adolfo Lazo, an original Tempest member, colors the band's sound with inventive percussion.

Born and raised in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Chris Merritt began experimenting with songwriting at age 7. Support and encouragement from family, friends, and even an influential babysitter helped Chris have the confidence to further pursue his passion for composition. Piano happened to be the first available means for Chris' creative expression and his talent and technical ability were quickly evident on the instrument. Chris, however, was equally intrigued by percussion, guitar, saxophone, and his own voice. He toyed with as many sounds as were available to him and constantly searched for more sonic possibilities.

Hailing from the small New England town of Boston, Jim's Big Ego has carved a unique place in the the music world by rocking harder, fresher, louder, sweeter and better than everyone else.

Jim's Big Ego's secret to awesomeness is singer, songwriter, super genius, Jim Infantino. Armed with the innate ability to create songs that are more brilliant than all others in history, Infantino gives the band the gift of greatness.

Jim's Big Ego compares itself to such major players as The Great Wall of China, The Grand Canyon, Antarctica, and other things you can see from space. However, when pressed to label their music, they name their genre of music "Unpop for the Unpopulous".

While the debate still rages over whether the band's formation was a matter of divine providence or historical inevitability, one fact remains clear: if the world ended today, Jim's Big Ego would die happy knowing that they were more talented than Oasis, more popular than Terrence Trent D'Arby and richer than MC Hammer.

YAP Improv Comedy Troupe is back! If you loved Whose Line Is It Anyway?, than you will love YAP. This is a comedy show made up entirely on the spot based on audience suggestions. This is a family show so bring the kids!! Tickets are only $10.00 for persons 13 and over and $5.00 for kids 12 and under. Always remember that no matter what stress you have in your daily lives, laughter will always make you feel better! Hope to see you there!

Ms. Reagon is a classic “talent deserving wider recognition”—not just a hipster’s oddball taste. It’s a safe bet that she’ll never be a superstar as she shows zero interest in bending herself to fashion, glamour or trend, but her talent is as accessible as it is huge. Boasting a voice that can be either confessional or soul-shout broad and a bona fide songwriting talent, Toshi Reagon is a treasure waiting to be found.... Pop Matters

...And still mixing it up. “Have You Heard,” Reagon’s sixth release, has her moving from rousing gospel-flavored refrains (the album’s title track) and churning soul grooves (“Didn’t I Tell You”) to tender reflections (“You“), political laments (“Down to the Water”) and a vintage rock cover (“Heartbreak Hotel”). The Washington Post

Infinitely wise beyond his twenty years, Bo Jankans sees beyond the façade of iced-out chains or backpacks and quite simply stays true to self. His focus lies with the rhyme, not the look - with the message, not the punch line. A student of the art form since a pre-teen, his days are filled with translating his everyday experiences as an American youth into compositions full of weaving hooks and catchy choruses. These experiences were the nucleus of his debut effort “Up Until Now” released in 2007 which features production from the who’s who of producers in the mid-Atlantic area. Bo Knows The Music.

That Crenshaw has never quite equaled his de-but isn't so much a slight on him as an indication of just how completely he realized his ambitions, fusing hillbilly twang, Motown's tambourine-inflected groove, and brisk Beatles-by-way-of- Everly Broth-ers melodies. His recordings all inevitably are dis-tinguished by his concisely inventive guitar playing, boyish tenor vocals, and songs addressing love's post-adolescent gray areas. Their charm lies as much in what he steadfastly leaves out: cleverness, earnestness, sanctimony. - Rolling Stone

The band stepped back into studio in the Summer of 2006 to cut five new tracks with Barber. They released the five track EP, “Anywhere But Here”, in November 2006. The new EP was received extremely well, selling 3,000+ CDs, and 41,000+ digital singles in 2007. After a few line-up changes the band rounded out to a four-piece. The quartet - Cook, his cousin and bassist Will Cook, drummer Bobby Morgenthaler and guitarist Pat Jenkins - hit the road in May 2007 for their first East Coast tour. The band spent the Fall of 2007 writing for their full-length debut; and now, with a handful of great songs, they are eager to record their new record, hit the road and see what lies ahead.

DAVID FAGIN, mouthpiece for indie pop icons The Rosenbergs, is currently on tour with Tannenbaum “because Staples isn’t hiring right now.” David has been a guest on the Dennis Miller and Howard Stern shows, and finally made his parents proud when he lectured on the business of music at Harvard Law School. His songs have been heard on Dawson’s Creek, Party Of Five, One Tree Hill and Queer Eye, among other TV shows. AllMusic.com hailed the Rosenbergs for “a clever, incessantly buoyant pop sound that could compare to the brightest days of Cheap Trick.” David hopes to one day open a hair salon in Boca called “Bagels and Locks.”

The Alexandria Kleztet is an exciting and innovative klezmer band based out of the Washington/Baltimore region. Since they first began performing together in May 1998, the unusual instrumentation and original approach of The Alexandria Kleztet has been delighting audiences in Washington, DC., Virginia, Maryland, and beyond. With the release of their albums Close Enough for Klezmer, Delusions of Klezmer, and Y2Klezmer, the band can share its unique style of "alternative klezmer" with local listeners and audiences worldwide.

By 2002 the thing had run it's cliched course; the group's fortunes were dwindling and, dropped by a record firm grown weary of their whining, the two chief writers put the band into cryogenic suspension and set about writing two LPs; a Justin Currie Alone affair and an entirely co-written electronic pop masterpiece. Justin's solo record is called "What Is Love For?" and features eleven thunderously dreary dirges many of which he is currently airing live to pained looking crowds of people in dingy Glasgow basements. When forced by penury, politeness or acute fear he can sometimes also be heard to trawl out tired versions of his withered hits.

Justin is unmarried and lives a quiet life of standing up and sitting down in Scotland with his two pet television sets.

TAMPEP - www.tampep.com
TAMPEP was founded in 1993 in response to the needs of migrant sex workers across Europe. It operates a community development and participation model, which is rooted within the equalities and human rights framework, lays the foundation for equitable access to support and services for migrant sex workers and seeks to give voice to migrant sex workers.

The Kpsowa Foundation, Sierra Leone- West Africa - www.bumpenya.com
The purpose of The Kpsowa Foundation is to raise funds to rebuild a boarding school in the village of Bumpe, Sierra Leone, West Africa that was decimated by the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) during the 11 year rebel war. (1994-2002)

Making Noise, Inc. aims to use art and knowledge to empower groups for the goal of active participation in eliminating social injustices in African countries. We believe the beginning of action is truth. It is knowledge that stirs the movement of the masses, and Making Noise aims to do that. The spirit of MN is based on the understanding that these elements are powerful, and when combined have the ability to change even the darkest of situations. By "making noise" through advocacy and social mobilization, we are seeking to expose the injustices that secretly keep millions of children in bondage, women under subjection, and families under persecution.

FROM THE OUTSKIRTS OF BABYLON COMES A SOUND RICH WITH INFLUENCE FROM THE LIKES OF REVOLUTIONARY MUSIC MAKERS SUCH AS BAD BRAINS, RUN DMC, FISHBONE, AND PUBLIC ENEMY. ABSTRACT ROOTS ROCK MUSIC FUSED WITH INTELLI-RHYME TACTICKS AND SOULFULLY BLENDED SINGING. A SOUND SO RAW THAT IT HAD TO HAVE COME OUTTA BABYLON, THE CENTER OF ALL THAT MUST BE DESTROYED IN THE NAME OF TRUE REVOLUTION. MUSIC WITH A MESSAGE.

Teitur; (tie'tor) is a singular name for a singular man. Hailing from the Faroe Islands Teitur is an artist whose songs remind you what music can do for the soul. Teitur first came to the attention of the world with the release of his 2003 debut album Poetry & Aeroplanes, which won him rave reviews.

"The airy gossamer arrangements (and) dreamy vocals evoke the reveries of a romantic troubadour musing out loud as he travels the world."New York Times "If voices could glow, his would be shimmering somewhere between the stars in his eyes and the cold ground."Boston Globe "The early promise (is realised) in this sublimely uplifting collection of songs." Music Week

Thousands of fans who were captivated by his inspiring melodies and gentle but finely observed, often wry and quirkily observant lyrics. Since the release of his debut album, he has toured non-stop. Initially playing intimate acoustic shows, he slowly won over bigger and bigger audiences, fleshing out his live performances with a band and sometimes string quartet. Extensive touring included support slots for celebrity fans who include Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann and John Mayer. "(Poetry and Aeroplanes) may be one of the best albums to come along in the last five years. Music like this is jet fuel on the fire of a broken heart." (John Mayer - Esquire Magazine.)

His earliest musical influences were the post-pub singsongs that his parents used to have at their home when he was a toddler. Good, bad or indifferent, everyone had to sing. Today his unique sound reflects the influence of traditional Sean-Nós as well as his musical heroes: Bob Marley and Elvis Presley.