The Name of the Magazine is Relix, Not Re-Lix

RELIX MEDIA GROUP ACQUIRES RELIX MAGAZINE,

RELIX.COM AND JAMBANDS.COM

HISTORIC MUSIC MAGAZINE TO RELAUNCH WITH JUNE ISSUE;

REDESIGNED WEBSITES TO GO ONLINE WITHIN COMING MONTHS

May 4, 2009 – New York, NY – Relix Media Group, LLC announced today that it has acquired Relix magazine, Relix.com, and Jambands.com from previous owner Zenbu Media. Relix Media Group is a newly formed team of private investors led by music and film entrepreneur Peter Shapiro and former Zenbu Media employees. Shapiro will become Publisher of the iconic music title and longtime Editor-in-Chief Josh Baron will remain in place and be appointed to the management team.

In addition to Shapiro and Baron, Relix Media Group’s executive management team will include Associate Publisher, Senior Vice President, Rachel Seiden; Executive Editor, Senior Vice President of Digital, Dean Budnick; Executive Editor, Vice President of Relix Media Group, Mike Greenhaus; Chief Financial Officer, Dale Hirschman; and Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Cole Boyle. All members of Relix Media Group’s new team are veterans of the magazine.

“We look at the change of ownership as chapter three in the Relix story,” says Baron.“ “Ironically, at a difficult time in the magazine industry, Relix is stronger than it has ever been on both the editorial and business sides. We're confident that the new team in place, along with Peter's diverse background as a club owner of The Wetlands and now Brooklyn Bowl, plus his involvement in films like U23D, will help strategically grow the company.”

“Live music isn’t going anywhere,” adds Shapiro. “Relix’s core is live music and we will document and embrace that every step of the way. We will use the respected Relix brand as an anchor, and expand from there. With this new, yet familiar, team in-place we feel strongly that we have a strong and vibrant magazine on all levels and we're all very excited about the opportunity to build on Relix’s venerable 35-year history.

"Personally, I am thrilled to continue the forward-thinking leadership that Steve Bernstein brought to the magazine since he became publisher in 2000. We will also, of course, respect the iconic legacy and tradition created by Relix’s founders Les Kippel and Toni Brown over three decades ago. They have all dedicated themselves to Relix and made it what it is today, and I plan on bringing that same passion as publisher."

Founded in 1974 as a hand-stapled newsletter for Grateful Dead fans and tape traders, Relix magazine has evolved over the last 35-years into the leading source for fans of live music. These days the brand, which also includes, Relix.com and Jambands.com, offers readers rare insight and exclusive coverage on some of the world’s leading artists. Recent features include profiles on The Allman Brothers Band, The Clash, Neil Young, Black Crowes, Mars Volta, Beastie Boys, Miles Davis, Conor Oberst and Ryan Adams and many others. As noted industry critic Bob Lefestz noted earlier this year, Relix is “more Rolling Stone than Rolling Stone.”

Relix will relaunch under the direction of new ownership with the June issue, while the newly branded web properties will go online within the coming months. The magazine, which will hit newsstands on May 19, will profile Phish in their first cover story since announcing reunion plans last year.

Please click here to subscribe

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish and the Beastie Boys to Play Bonnaroo

As I posted in the mother country (Relix/Jambands.com)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish and the Beastie Boys have been confirmed as headliners for the eighth annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. As previously reported, the four-day event will take place from June 11-14 in Manchester, TN. Other marquee acts scheduled to appear include industrial arena-rockers Nine Inch Nails, Talking Heads visionary David Byrne, indie/alt-country powerhouse Wilco, soul legend Al Green, rap icon Snoop Dogg, seminal country musician Merle Haggard and singer/songwriter Elvis Costello, who will deliver a rare solo set.

Phish and Bruce Springsteen are both major coups for the festival, which has its roots in the jam and classic-rock scenes. Both artists will make their only U.S. 2008 festival appearances at the four-day event, squashing rumors that Phish will play Rothbury and Outside Lands later this summer. In addition to a full two-set headlining performance, Phish will deliver a special late-night set as guitarist Trey Anastasio did in 2005.

“Their presence at Bonnaroo holds a great deal of significance -- besides the fact that each of its members has shown the event great support, performing at the festival in various incarnations over the years, Phish’s own festivals were notably one of the major inspirations for Bonnaroo’s creation and operational strategies,” the festival’s organizers said in a statement. “Many of the organizers of those events (large scale, multi-day camping festivals with Phish as the solo performer) were brought on to help birth Bonnaroo in 2002, and continue to play a major role in the festival to this day.”

Festival producer Ashley Capps, of AC Entertainment, is quick to emphasize the importance the organizers of Phish’s multi-day large-scale events had on Bonnaroo. “They worked with us from the very beginning and many of them remain core to our staff and making Bonnaroo what it is today,” Capps told Relix/Jambands.com. “Phish is going to offer a late-night set as well as more of a headlining situation.”

Bonnaroo has spent the past few years actively diversifying its lineup, so it is no surprise that this year’s offerings will feature touchstone acts from an incredible mix of genres. Hip-hop influenced soul singer Erykah Badu will make her Bonnaroo debut a year after My Morning Jacket covered her “Tyrone,” while festival staple Ben Harper will return with his new rock band Relentless7. Though this year is the Beastie Boys’ first appearance at Bonnaroo, longtime Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike spun at the second annual Bonnaroo in 2003, and keyboardist Money Mark appeared at the festival this past summer. International DJ Paul Oakenfold will also make his first appearance at the festival.

“Both Nine Inch Nails and Erykah Badu are acts who we have talked about trying to get for a while,” Capps continues. “They are both fantastic live acts and that is always core to the Bonnaroo aesthetic—looking to artists who deliver fantastic live performances. Erykah will add another dimension and she will fit right in.” Though Capps is hesitant to talk about Nine Inch Nail’s set time, he says the three-dimensional group will have “a very special spot on the festival’s lineup.”

Other returning favorites include prog-metal titans The Mars Volta, blues-jam stars Gov’t Mule, violin wiz, Andrew Bird, jam favorites moe., indie-pop collective The Decemberists and experimental laptop DJ Girl Talk. Synth-pop buzzband MGMT will also graduate from last year’s Thursday night showcase spot to a proper festival set. In addition, New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, hard-rock band Coheed and Cambria and Stax keyboardist Booker T. Jones will all take part in the multi-day event. Coheed and Combria have worked their way onto the jamband circuit in recent months thanks to appearances at Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam and a confirmed spot at Mountain Jam, while Jones will be backed by Bonnaroo favorites Drive-By Truckers.

As in years past, the festival has confirmed a number of indie favorites, including Band of Horses, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bon Iver, Of Montreal, Animal Collective, Gomez, Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, The Ting Tings, Grizzly Bear, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Crystal Castles, Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, Okkervil River, St. Vincent, Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Cherryholmes and Yeasayer.

The festival will also appeal to its core jam and roots-music audience with appearances by Lucinda Williams, Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Galactic, The Del McCoury Band, David Grisman Quintet, Alejandro Escovedo, Robert Earl Keen, Citizen Cope, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Kaki King, Tift Merritt, Brett Dennen, Todd Snider, Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue and Toubab Krewe.

“The stars aligned this year,” Capps says. “The breadth and depth of what the festival has to offer is beyond anything we have offered. We are so excited by the variety of bluegrass and acoustic music alongside DJ and electric acts. We also have some fantastic African bands on the lineup.”

This year’s world music acts include afro-beat heirs Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, Nigerian singer and guitarist King Sunny Adé, Malian singer Vieux Farka Touré and reggae troubadours Midnite.

Having booked Tool and Metallica in 2007 and 2008, respectively, Bonnaroo will also appeal to fans of harder music by offering performances by Down, Portugal. The Man and People Under the Stairs. Other left-field additions include hip-hop songstress Santogold, soul singer Raphael Saadiq and hip-hop duo The Knux.

Bonnaroo has helped breed a number of bands over the years, from My Morning Jacket to Kings of Leon, and this spring the festival has also confirmed a handful of up-and-coming bands, including country crossover Zac Brown Band (which played the festival in 2007), synth-rockers Chairlift, local bluegrass group The SteelDrivers, organic rockers The Low Anthem, retro-indie hybrid Delta Spirit, Fat Possum recording artist A.A. Bondy, bluegrass/country/folk fusion The Lovell Sisters and Canadian Americana stars--and Relix favorites--Alberta Cross.

Given the current state of the economy, the festival is now offering a special payment plan in which tickets will be available for five payments of $50.00 plus applicable fees. In addition, fans will have the option to purchase a Bonnaroo Green Ticket that will help to support the development and implementation of sustainable improvements at the festival for years to come.

As part of this initial Bonnaroo 2009 artist announcement, festival organizers have teamed up with Ghost Robot to create an innovative video that incorporates a new experimental process called stratostencil animation. The video can be viewed at Bonnaroo.com.

Below is the complete artist lineup:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Phish (2 Shows)

Beastie Boys

Nine Inch Nails

David Byrne

Wilco

Al Green

Snoop Dogg

Elvis Costello Solo

Erykah Badu

Paul Oakenfold

Ben Harper and Relentless7

The Mars Volta

TV on the Radio

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Band of Horses

Gov’t Mule

Andrew Bird

Merle Haggard

MGMT

moe.

Girl Talk

Bon Iver

Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Galactic

The Del McCoury Band

of Montreal

Allen Toussaint

Coheed and Cambria

Booker T & the DBTs

David Grisman Quintet

Lucinda Williams

Animal Collective

Gomez

Neko Case

Down

Jenny Lewis

Santogold

Robert Earl Keen

Citizen Cope

Femi Kuti and the Positive Force

The Ting Tings

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Kaki King

Grizzly Bear

King Sunny Adé

Okkervil River

St. Vincent

Zac Brown Band

Raphael Saadiq

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Crystal Castles

Tift Merritt

Brett Dennen

Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue

Toubab Krewe

People Under the Stairs

Alejandro Escovedo

Vieux Farka Touré

Elvis Perkins In Dearland

Cherryholmes

Yeasayer

Todd Snider

Chairlift

Portugal. The Man.

The SteelDrivers

Midnite

The Knux

The Low Anthem

Delta Spirit

A.A. Bondy

The Lovell Sisters

Alberta Cross

Twitter Typos

Been digging the Twitter this weekend. So far I've learned that Trey saw Neil Young and Wilco at MSG, brunch was popularized in the late 19th century and that people don't seem to mind my typos so much if they are under 140 characters. To see for yourself, please click here.

Auld Lang Syne Encore: Bob Weir, Billy Martin, Marco Benevento, Broken Social Scene, STS9 and More

Final Relix and Jambands.com Year in Review, reposted on my personal blog for your procrastinating pleasure

Auld Lang Syne Encore: Bob Weir, Billy Martin, Marco Benevento, Broken Social Scene, STS9 and More
Mike Greenhaus
2009-01-29

It may only be late-January, but 2008 already feels like a year ago. You can blame it on the fast pace of modern technology or the historical events that took place on Januay 20th or, heck, the fact that my calendar is already jam-packed through August thanks to the simultaneous return of Phish, The Dead and the Allman Brothers Band. But before we close books on 2008 and hit the road to if veggie burrito prices have dropped from 1-for-3, 2-for-5 during the recession, we figured we should check in with one final group of musicians, managers, writers and other industry insiders featured in the pages of Relix and on Jambands.com throughout 2008. What singer made babies and what drummer saw the Black Crowes? Which Candian loved New Zealand and what Brit took to Tokyo? Who is pumped for Phish, who will settle for the McLovins and will Obama finally surpass Jerry Garcia as the most cited musician in the site’s 10-year history. Read on to see for yourself and be sure to check out Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 to hear what Dave Schools, Mike Gordon, Michael Kang, Marc Brownstein, My Morning Jacket, Brendan Bayliss, Grace Potter, Patterson Hood, Vince Herman, Mark Karan and a slew of other musicians will remember about the past twelve months.

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BOB WEIR

What will you remember most about 2008?
Come on, what do you think?

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Band of Brotherz

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Band of Brotherz rough mixes

What was your favorite live performance
RatDog in Washington DC the night after the election. Not because it was us, but because of the night.

Please click here for a recent site interview with Bob Weir

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BILLY MARTIN

What will you remember most about 2008?
Election night. Strangely, I took an old high school friend to see his favorite band (The Black Crowes) and I got to see my good friend Luther Dickenson play with them, which was great. After the show, as we were driving out of the parking lot we drove right through the heart of Times Square and hundreds of thousands of people were cheering with the news that Obama was winning. All the monitors were lit up with various news stations regarding the election. My heart was in my throat and it was incredible. I wish I had my camera. I'll never forget that moment.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
The Fuzz

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Probably Music of Indonesia, Vol. 2: Indonesian Popular Music

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
My favorite with MMW? I think the recent Radiolarians 3 performance in Petaluma, California

Please click here for a recent site interview with Billy Martin

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VINNIE AMICO (moe.)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Electing a new president...

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Phish

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Damian Marley, Welcome to Jamrock

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
moe.down 2008, Presidents of the USA

Please click here for a recent site interview with moe.

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DAVID MURPHY (STS9)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Barack Obama winning the presidency...

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Collective Efforts

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Ghostland Observatory

Please click here for a recent site interview with David Murphy.

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RYAN MILLER (GUSTER)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Baby Making.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Prince. This will be his year again. One can dream....

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Harry Nilsson, Nilsson Schmilsson and M. Ward, Post-War.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Dirty Projectors at Williamsburg Music Hall

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MARCO BENEVENTO

What will you remember most about 2008?
Marco Benevento Trio with Fishman. He's a wealth of knowledge and a badass, indeed!

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Surprise Me Mr. Davis

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often
Jim Noir Tower Of Love

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
!!! at Evolve Fest, Nova Scoti

Please click here for a recent site interview with Marco Benevento.

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JASON COLTON (RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Discovering Portland, Oregon over six trips there.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
I just listened to a band called Blind Pilot, out of the aforementioned Portland, Oregon that I liked a lot. At times, they sound like Shins/Iron and Wine/Elliot Smith with Beirut-y horns, but still very unique. Also Other Lives, from Stillwater, OK. Debut album comes out this year and it's gorgeous and sad.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Delta Spirit’s Ode to Sunshine - the soundtrack to all the traveling I did last summer. Amplified and rocking and sublime all at once.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
It would have to be The Dodos at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar here in Charlottesville last March. I had never heard a note before I walked in, and was freaking out the whole show. Powerful especially in an intimate space.

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ANNABEL LUKINS STELLING (JAM CRUISE, LANGERADO)

What will you remember most about 2008?
President-Elect Barack Obama walking down the runway in Chicago with his family, hand in hand, America going NUTS, arriving at the podium and stating with pride: “This is your victory.”

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Toubab Krewe. These guys are an under-appreciated group of worldly spiritual musicians. Spawning from places like Africa, playing harp-lutes and other unique instruments, this band has got energy coming out of their energy. Percussion based
rock and roll meets mystical rhythm. Check them out!

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Michael Franti’s All Rebel Rockers. I have made a lifelong commitment to Michael and the band to support them. But that doesn't mean that I am going to love everything they do. So I was weary upon my first listen of ARR, mostly because I love his ballads and Reggae isn't my favorite genre. Well, let's just throw all my expectations out the window. The album is a complete rock-reggae throw down. Plus, there ARE ballads, they are just different than his other ones. I can't get it out of my car. The songs are mightily rhythmic, the lyrics are profound. Each tune is catchy and becomes more familiar after each listen. I love All Rebel Rockers, Michael and the boys continue to push themselves toward personal and powerful songs full of spirit and life.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Obviously, this is a tough question for any music lover. So, the editors usually let me get away with two. First up, Broken Social Scene, Sonic Stage - Bonnaroo. Now, I book/manage/emcee this stage and I absolutely cherish my job. So when I approached BSS to play a 2nd gratis performance, they agreed. The beauty of the stage is that bands strip down from their typical set and perform more of an acoustic. Albeit not acoustic, but definitely not a full set up, Broken Social Scene rocked the Sonic Stage like almost no other band has ever in the 5 years I have been running it. It was over the top energy and excitement for 30 minutes straight. And what was almost even more gratifying was the
crowd, BSS broke the record for the most fans watching a band at my tiny 15x15 outdoor stage on the grass, over 2000.

I am much more personally connected to the 2nd one: Primus - Rothbury late night set. I have told the readers that Bela Fleck is my favorite musician. Well, Les Claypool is right behind him. Primus, along with 30-feet high blow up spacemen, lit up the forest in Michigan with force. Every song hit you in the belly, as Les' slap happy bass was
loud and at the same time commanded beautiful noise. The show was over 2 hours and I didn't leave my spot, I was close to being in a trance. Their tour manager/sound man is my good buddy, and showed me from the soundboard how unpredictable the band is, throwing riffs and jams toward him without any warning. He laughed out loud at 3am while saying, "they keep me on my toes." These guys still bring the heat with their twisted rock driven progressive freak out music. It's weird, it's out there, and I LOVE it.

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RICHARD GEHR (VILLAGE VOICE, THE PHISH BOOK)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The international economic collapse, alas.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Uh, Phish?

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Racional and Racional Vol. 2 by Brazilian soul star Tim Maia.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music, 12/4/08

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TOMMY “TNT” BRENNECK (THE DAP-KINGS, BUDOS BAND)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The night Obama won the election.

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Charles Bradley

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Neil Young, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
The Daptone Family Obama fundraiser at Southpaw featuring Naomi Shelton
and the Gospel Queens, Menahan Street Band featuring Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and the Budos Band.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Roger Waters-Pepsi Center, Denver

Please click here for a recent interview with TNT.

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ERIC KRASNO (SOULIVE, LETTUCE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Definitely Obama being elected president. A huge moment in history.

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Nigel Hall and The London Souls

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Popular Machine EP by Van Hunt and The Way I See It by Raphael Saadiq

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Stevie Wonder at JazzFest in New Orleans!!

Please click here for a recent interview with Eric Krasno

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SIMON ALLEN (NEW MASTERSOUNDS)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Our gig at Club Quattro in Tokyo 12/9

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
The Pimps of Joytime

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
The Flight of the Conchords

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Lonnie Smith trio featuring Melvin Sparks and Eric Kalb at Sela Bar, Leeds on my birthday 10/28/08

Please click here for a profile of the New Mastersounds’ fan site.

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NATHANIEL D. RATELIFF (BORN IN THE FLOOD/THE WHEEL)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Getting married to my wonderful wife who has been very supportive. I had the opportunity to travel across America with two of my closest friends.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
I hope that this year will be the year that The Wheel / Born In The Flood will be the bands to look out for

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
I know that they're older records but Arcade Fire, The Funeral and Spoon
Kill the Moon Light. I love these and listen to them a lot

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KEVIN MORRIS (MADISON HOUSE/SCI FIDELITY)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Barack Obama

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Younger Brother

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Drive-By Truckers, Brighter than Creation's Dark and Hold Steady, Stay Positive

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Winwood/Clapton MSG and Pearl Jam at Bonnaroo and Drive-By Truckers and Hold Steady at the Ryman

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FUTURE ROCK

What will you remember most about 2008?
Barack Obama getting elected.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Tobacco (Black Moth Super Rainbow side project)

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Crystal Castles Crystal Castles

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Mickey Kellerman - Booka Shade at Lollapalooza, Chicago IL
Felix Moreno - MGMT at Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland
Darren Heitz - Battles at Double Door, Chicago IL

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CHRIS THEBERGE (GROOVE COLLECTIVE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The birth of my second baby boy Misha Alexander

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Dre Marciano - an up & coming young MC that I am helping with producer Spanky Nieves.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Hmmm ..difficult -- had a lot on rotation --new and old -- definitely lots of Nas, Skynyrd and Fania all-stars

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Performing ceremonial drumming for 10 Traditional Africa Kings at Harvard University [video link here for those interested]

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BRENDAN CANNING (BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
That I was a lucky little shit who got to play in New Zealand, Singapore, Tai Pei, take a little break on the beaches of Mexico, then hit Turkey, Russia, Finland, finish out the year of my album being released in style with a matching sequence jacket and shorts,
choreographed dance routines a la Material Girl.....oh ya, stuck my mug in the Jenn Aniston paparazzi shots before our performance on The Late Show.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Deerhunter

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes Most often?
Nigerian Sounds 1970-6.(on my turntable-Technics 1200)

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Coney Island-Siren Fest. With all the lights of the carnival, it was hard to conceive that an ambulance pulled within fifty meters of the stage because a woman was going into labour.

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ADAM HAFT (LAS TORTUGAS)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Most memorable: I will remember Obama giving all of us some inspiration and hope for future

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Led Zeppelin (I can dream, right?)

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes Most often?
Album most often played in my ipod: Raconteurs-Consolers of the Lonely.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
David Byrne at Davies Symphony Hall, SF, CA, doing Eno/Byrne material

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PETE FRANCIS (THE FLYERS, DISPATCH)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The election of Barack Obama.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Waldeck

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Modern Guilt, Beck

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood

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ZACH GILL (JACK JOHNSON, ALO)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Barack Obama 's acceptance speech

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
I’m excited to see what the guys from ALO do in 2009.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Both Regina Spektor albums.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
I performed with Jack Johnson in Barcelona, sometime in July, and something special happened. One of those transcendent moments between audience and musician, where everything seemed right in the world, and suddenly I felt like I was in a sacred space and I knew everything would be all right

Please click here for a recent interview with Zach Gill

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JASON ISBELL

What will you remember most about 2008?
The Tour of Terror. Early in the year, we had a three-month trip that included a van burglary worth 20 grand, each member of the band catching the flu, and a drummer that bailed and went home halfway in. Then we got to tour the Midwest in February. Nice weather up there.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Jeez, I'm kinda hoping...

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. I think that makes three years in a row.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
We played with Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel (same guys, different songs and clothes) in Holland in May, and I can't remember seeing or hearing anything better.

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TIM WALTHER (ALL GOOD FESTIVAL, WALTHER PRODUCTIONS)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The election of Obama for President

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Lotus

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Michael Franti and Spearhead - All Rebel Rockers

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
David Byrne at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore

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DAVE MARGULIES (HIGH SIERRA)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Most memorable moment for me in 2008 is the collective feeling of hope felt worldwide on election night and in particular the events and Obama speech from Grant Park in Chicago. In the same breath on a negative note but equally as memorable is the deep economic recession and job layoffs affecting millions of Americans and the future of our country. Runner up would be the white collar crimes of corporate gangsters such as Bernie Madoff. If you're asking this question in relation to music it was the continued proliferation of festivals and especially the mega-festivals. The more and bigger the festivals get the more I yearn for the cozy, more intimate festival experience, but then again I'm not 19 or even 29, or even 39 anymore...

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
The Avett Brothers.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Ernest Ranglin Below The Bassline. This CD came out in 1996 and has perhaps been my most played CD for every year since...If you're asking about a "new" CD, it would have to be the talented troubadour Nathan Moore's In His Own Worlds.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Stevie Wonder at the New Orleans jazz & Heritage Festival and Wilco at the Jackson Hole Music Festival

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JEREMY BLACK (APOLLO SUNSHINE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Losing my virginity

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Drug Rug

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Ratatat, LP3

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Neon Neon, November 6 at The Tripod in Dublin Ireland

Please click here for a review of Apollo Sunshine’s latest release

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CHRIS BERRY (PANJEA)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Laying down tracks in the studio after hearing Obamas acceptance speech.

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Any band that can’t be easily labeled or any band that doesn’t fit into a genre box.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Toumani Diabate

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Singing for a Native American Elder and her daughter at Earthdance. (It was just the three of us just before Panjea’s set).

Please click here for a interview with Panjea’s Michael Kang

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KEN HAYS (GATHERING OF THE VIBES)

What will you remember most about 2008?
I would have to say being a part of HeadCount and seeing millions of Americans unite around one common cause...change! Sitting back in my living room watching hundreds of thousands of people celebrate the election results in Chicago's Grant Park was unbelievable & inspiring.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Phish, The Dead (hopeful!) & the McLovins :)

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky. I never gave them a real listening before, but after seeing them open for Neil at MSG, these guys got it going on!

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
I've gotta say, my favorite set of 2008 took place Sunday at the Vibes with the Sam Bush's band. It was 80 degrees and sunny, and I remember Sam & Co. lifting the Vibe to a higher level. Smiles radiating from the stage, to the crowd, to the cops, and to me. it was one of those Kodak moments I'll never forget.

Please click here for an interview with Ken Hays

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ANDY HURWITZ (ROPEADOPE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Obama. Everything else is just a footnote (including the Phillies winning the World Series!).

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Grimace Federation. Straight from Philly, they're gonna shake shit up.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
The Wood Brothers - Ways Not to Lose. Not necessarily my favorite album of the year, but definitely the one I listened to the most.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Scotty Hard benefit at the Highline Ballroom.

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G. LOVE

What will you remember most about 2008?
Being a rough year but meeting the love of my life. Headlining Red Rocks and Barack Obama being elected. Having so much bad shit happen because of my injury but also finding the strength and stamina to overcome everything and stay positive. And right now I'm ending on a real musical high as I've just been shedding a lot and feeling so reconnected with my music. After not being able to sing or play the harmonica for months, music is just pouring out. That feels good. So fuck it, it’s been a great year.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
I hope its gonna be me.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Hmmmm lately been rocking Finely Quaye, Liquid Swords by GZA and I've been
listening to the Roots a lot. Then of course the blues is always on.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Hmm. I think the Raconteurs shows I saw in NYC and Boston this past summer. Also, John Butler Trio is an amazing band and I had the pleasure of seeing them every night this summer. John is one of the best players and most engaging performers I've ever watched.

Please click here for a review of G. Love’s latest album

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SANDY SOHCOT (REX FOUNDATION)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The presidential election providing a glimmer of hope in the wake of the financial downturn and other disturbing aspects of the sitting administration.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
The Brass Mafia (check them out!)

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Shining Star - Jerry Garcia

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Dark Star Orchestra at the Nokia on November 29, 2008

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REID GENAUER

What will you remember most about 2008?
Don't need to scratch my head for too too long on this one - OBAMA!

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Theresa Anderson - the truth is she IS a band unto herself.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Bill Evans - Riverside Profiles

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
The most memorable show I saw in 2008 was Colin Quinn (comedian)- I
laughed so hard I felt sick.

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SCOTT METZGER (AMERICAN BABIES, RANA, BUSTLE IN YOUR HEDGEGROW)

What will you remember most about 2008?
For me it's a tie... Obviously Barack Obama being nominated for President is a monumental occurrence. It's a once in a couple of lifetimes type of thing and I am proud of all of us for making it happen. Thank God that dude won. And, almost equally as important, the Phillies winning the World Series for the second time in their franchise history. I was at game 5 (both of them) with my dad when they won it all and it was easily one of the best nights of my life. Goosebumps.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009
McLovins, obviously.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Mostly mixes that friends have made for me. As far as proper albums go, it's another tie...Chet Atkins and Les Paul Chester and Lester and The Boredoms’ Pop Tatari.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Neil Young had been on my list of guys to see for a long, long time, but I had never been able to make it happen. I finally got to see him and his band (with Wilco and Everest) at the Garden on 12-15-08. It was absolutely disgusting. He and his band kicked out the jams for two and half hours straight and showed the crowd no mercy. Add on the fact that Wilco, who is one of my favs (I mean, Nels? C'MON!), were on the bill I'd say it wasn't only my favorite show of '08, but would rank very high in my favorite shows of all time.

Please click here for a review of American Babies’ debut album

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BRIDGET PLEINES (GROOVE ON MUSIC)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Isn't it somewhat a sign of unity that everyone is saying Obama? His acceptance speech moved me to tears and made me feel filled with hope. Check out Ani Difranco's song November 4th, 2008 about that night, it is amazing "A neighborhood was a neighborhood like it hadn't been in years".

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Cornmeal. I love what they are doing musically and their energy on stage is infectious. Also, The Hen House prowlers - great traditional bluegrass from Chicago. Oh yeah - and The Punch Brothers. They are just too good.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Quite frankly, my answer for all questions on here could be The Punch Brothers, but this one for sure. I can not go a day without listening to The Punch Brothers, Punch. The musicianship from each player in that band is ridiculous and humbling - Chris Thile on mandolin, Noam Pikelny on banjo (he's one to watch for sure), Gabe Witcher on fiddle, Chris Eldridge on guitar, and Greg Garrison on bass - they just blow me away. They are taking bluegrass instruments into another realm, really inventive stuff on that album, you can see so many influences on this album from bluegrass to classical to Radiohead. The 4 piece movement "The Blind Leaving the Blind" continues to blow my mind.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
I want to say the Punch Brothers at Dunegrass, but I am beginning to sound like a broken record. There were so many amazing live performances this year, its hard to say. But, Banyan at Summer Camp was unbelievable. There are so many great musicians in that band and their energy is off the charts. And Wisdom doing the live painting just blows me away. This was the only band I closed my office for during the festival so I could check them out and it was SO worth it. Also, Leftover Salmon at Dunegrass.

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MASON JENNINGS

What will you remember most about 2008?
Spending time with my family. Going to Hawaii, Japan, Chile and Europe.
Obama getting elected.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
The Carter Family

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
The Carter Family -Wildwood Flower

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
The Bad Plus at the Jazz Cafe in London.

Please click here for a recent site interview with Mason Jennings

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BRIAN STOLTZ (PBS)

What will you remember most about 2008?
I cherish the memory of riding late in the dark on a cold night, pulling into Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. The February Full Snow Moon had past, but was still bright enough to glisten on the clouds of frozen-over snow. The stars twinkled like diamonds against a deep, violet sky. Driving up the mountain, twisting between high snow banks - through an occasional clearing you could see lights shining in the distance from the cottages and chalets in the adjacent mountains. All of this left me with a feeling very much like being in the Himalayas. Twisting around the last turn we came upon scenery
so majestic that I became overwhelmed for a lingering moment. I felt I was transported back in time to an enchanted, ancient village in the Alps, but in some other dimension. We crossed a small, snow-clad bridge with a partially frozen stream trickling half-heartily below. The lights from the shops and Swiss chalets gleamed ahead. I was trying to absorb the entire scene at once and hold on to it. It was like stepping into a child's
enchanted fairy-tale storybook. It was so beautiful. I was quickly slapped back into reality as we pulled up to the venue that we were playing that night. Taos is a mystical, magical place - a very spiritual place. I'll hold this
memory forever.

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
A group called MyNameIsJohnMichael. This is a band led by John Michael Rouchell, an artist from New Orleans. He is a young guitarist, singer/songwriter and multi-talented instrumentalist with producer skills that precede him. In a moribund town like New Orleans, he is a true renaissance man. On a dare, he set out at the beginning of the year to
write, record and release one song a week for the entire year. He's pulled it off and you can hear and download the songs at www.mynameisjohnmichael.com.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
The Raconteurs’ Consolers Of The Lonely. This record slaps you in the face and wakes you up - like hearing The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Queen all at the same time. And I have to support homeboy Brendan Benson.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
The Raconteurs at Bonnaroo 6.13.08 - This show slammed. This band is creating a whole new genre for themselves. Maybe they should call it. uh. ROCK 'N ROLL!

Please click here for a recent site interview with Brian Stoltz

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MATT POND (MATT POND PA)

What will you remember most about 2008?
I remember swimming with a million jellyfish in the Mediterranean. It's the only memory I wish I could physically retrieve.

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
Weird Owl has a record coming on out on Tee Pee Records. They are definitely under-heard.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Lykke Li, Youth Novels

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Monotonix during CMJ. If I'd been inclined, I could've crapped my pants.

Please click here for a Matt Pond PA performance on Cold Turkey

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MICHAEL FALZARANO (NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The Election of Barack Obama, and The New Riders of the Purple Sage being kicked out of a KOA campground by the police in Shreveport, Louisiana for disorderly conduct. I don't know if it was The Dim Lights, The Thick Smoke or The Loud, Loud music but we didn't even make it to midnight.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Ryan Montbleau

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Bob Dylan, Modern Times

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
The New Riders at the Mystic Theater with special guests Jack Casady, Mark Karan, Pete Sears, G.E. Smith and Barry Sless

Please click here for a recenr site interview with Michael Falzarano

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BRIAN HASS (JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY)

What will you remember most about 2008?
I will remember JFJO's fourth European tour and how intensely magical it was. I will also remember playing in front of Seven Thousand people at the Lincoln Center outdoor bandshell.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Considering JFJO is about to start playing Beethoven's Third and Sixth Symphonies live with arrangements by Reed Mathis, I would say that Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is the band to watch. What band will I be trying to fly to and see somewhere when I am not on the road? The Brad Mehldau Trio.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Abdullah Ibrahim's African Magic

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
My favorite live performance was the Wayne Shorter Quartet at Newport Jazz Fest.

Please click here for a review of a recent JFJO show

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LUKE MILLER (LOTUS)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Obama getting elected and the Phillies winning the World Series.

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Hot Chip

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
As audience member: Fleet Foxes at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. As performer: Rothbury.

Please click here for a recent interview with Lotus

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JEFF COFFIN (FLECKTONES, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Is it 2008 already?

Who’s the band to watch in 2009?
Radiohead...to hear what they come up with next.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Dafnis Prieto Taking the Soul for a Walk

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Sitting in Ornette Coleman's loft in NYC listening to him play!

Mike Greenhaus blogs at www.greenhauseffect.com.

The Cardinals Not Breaking Up, Ryan Adams Still Crazy

Here is what I know (and posted on Relix/Jambands tonight)

Only hours after announcing that he plans to break up the Cardinals and step away from the music world entirely, Ryan Adams has retracted his latest statements. “Of course everything I said got taken out of context, as always” Adams wrote on his blog this evening. “I did not say I was quitting. I said was taking a step back. So thanks…..thanks again.”

Adams’ retraction came shortly after numerous online magazines and fan sites linked to the early afternoon blog post. In that long-winded post Adams declared, “Maybe we will play again sometime and maybe I will work my way back into some kind of music situation, but this is the time for me to step back now, to reel it in.”

The erratic singer/songwriter pulled down the statement almost immediately after the post hit the blogosphere. At first he replaced his seemingly heartfelt words with a blog about cereal, but eventually posted the abovementioned retraction.

Adams closed his latest entry with a stab at the media. The image-heavy blast includes a black and white photo of a Dunkin' Donuts advertisement and a billboard declaring "Christ Died for Our Sins," a series of UFO shots and an extended caption that reads “this was in the 70’s and if what i read is right a crap in pants moment- made the headlines- they ( if that is a they in there) kept on cruising- is suspect to DunkinDonuts ( i mean, that would be my hang after that kind of a trip) what ev.”

Here is what I speculate (but decided to just share with friends)

At 11:58 AM Ryan Adams broke up the Cardinals. At 1:15 PM Ryan took a nap, had lunch, reunited the band, put on some Mastadon, grabbed some coffee and scheduled a reunion
tour for next fall.

Unfortunately, they also put too much milk in his coffee, he cried and he decided to break up the band again. Hopefully he enjoys his milk and cookies tonight and decides to reunite the band next week.

Auld Lang Syne Set 3: Michael Kang, Patterson Hood, Vince Herman, The National, Mark Karan, The Fab Faux, The Mars Volta and More

Auld Lang Syne Set 3: Michael Kang, Patterson Hood, Vince Herman, The National, Mark Karan, The Fab Faux, The Mars Volta and More
Mike Greenhaus
2009-01-07

The third installment in our annual retrospective is our most eclectic, featuring contributions from the likes of String Cheese Incident mandolin-wiz Michael Kang, Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood, Leftover Salmin co-founder Vince Herman, RatDog guitarist Mark Karan, National vistionary Matt Berninger, Fab Faux Beatles expert Rich Pagano and even Mars Volta prog-drummer Thomas Pridgen. We find out who weathered the rain to see My Morning Jacket’s Bonnaroo set, who scored a surprise main stage spot at the legendary Newport Folk Fest and who opened his ears to world music and rediscovered the rustic sounds of Americana. What’s more, we find out who loves David Byrne’s new collaboration with Brian Eno, who can’t get enough of Railroad Earth’s Amen Corner and who’s just excited to hear some new Phish.

If that’s not enough, please glance back at Auld Lang Syne Set 1 and Set 2 to hear from Dave Schools, Mike Gordon, My Morning Jacket, Marc Brownstein, Brendan Bayliss, Chris Frantz, Reed Mathis, Grace Potter, Toubab Krewe and a number of other artists we regularly cover on Jambands.com and in the pages of Relix magazine. We’ll be back next week with one encore edition of Auld Lang Syne as well, so be sure to check back for our fourth and final installment.

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MICHAEL KANG (STRING CHEESE INCIDENT, PANJEA, OUR FUTURE NOW)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The year that the White House turned into the Black House baby!

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
As far as bands to watch in 2009, I'd have to say Phish........

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
My most listened to album in 2008 was Fallou Dieng, Feuk Djouf, and Mala
Rodriguez, Alevosia.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Favorite Live Show....Thievery Corporation, Rothbury 08

Click here for a recent site interview with Michael Kang

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PATTERSON HOOD (DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Obama!!!!

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
I wish I knew. I have an advance copy of The Dexateens next album Singlewide and it's fantastic. it would be in my top 5 if it were out right now. (Note: I produced their last album but not the next one, but I love the next one much better than the one I was involved in.)

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
I've probably played the last Iron & Wine album (The Shepherd’s Dog) from last year more than anything all year. It's still growing on me. I love the vinyl / mp3 combination that allows one to buy the record and download it for free. I fought hard to have our last album configured that way, but lost.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Alejandro Escovedo at the Continental Club in Austin, TX last September during the ACL Fest Weekend. He played for hours with boundless energy and enthusiasm and hot Hispanic girls go go dancing on the side of the stage. Transcendent.

Click here for a review of a recent Drive-By Truckers performance

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VINCE HERMAN (LEFTOVER SALMON, GREAT AMERICAN TAXI)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The thing I remember most is waiting for George to be out of office.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
The bands to watch in 2009 are Great American Taxi and Elephant Revival

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Railroad Earth, Amen Corner.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Favorite live show of 2008 was the Mark Vann foundation show at the Boulder theatre December 6th

Click here for a recent site interview with Vince Herman

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MATT BERNINGER (THE NATIONAL)

What will you remember most about 2008?
When my homestate, Ohio, turned blue on November 4th.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
I'll be watching The Strokes. I predict a reinvention.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
I've had a CD that's actually been physically stuck in my MacBook for six months. It's a band Scott and I were in during college called Nancy. We labeled the disc with stickers that must have peeled up causing the jam. This is not thinly disguised self-promotion. It's really stuck in there. I've tried everything.

The album I listened to the most is The Walkmen - You & Me

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Hank Williams Jr. performing at the McCain-Palin victory party on Fox News. That was awesome.

Click here for a recent site interview with Matt Berninger

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JOSH BARON (RELIX MAGAZINE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
While there were plenty musical highlights, my most memorable moments are non-musical: Obama winning, my girlfriend's mother passing and me proposing later that day (her mother thankfully knew that that was the day a few weeks in advance).

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Tough call as there are so many great ones on the come up. Can I say a few? Everest should have a good year. The Handsome Furs could be poised to take it to the next level.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Something of a three-way tie: Bon Iver (For Emma, Forever Ago), Ryan Adams
(Cardinology) and, though it's not yet released, I really have listened to as much as anything else this year: M.Ward (Hold Time).

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
While I saw some incredible performances from Ryan Adams and Toumani Diabate, my hat goes off to Tom Waits. I flew south for two shows, Birmingham and Atlanta and both were absolutely stellar. Waits is in a league of his own.

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MARK KARAN (RATDOG)

What will you remember most about 2008?
OBAMA fer sure...

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Wilco

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Stephen Bruton, From the Five

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Playing with RatDog the night after election night in D.C.

Click here for a recent Jambands.com Readers Interview with Mark Karan

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RICH PAGANO (FAB FAUX)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Two Fab Faux memories: the audience frenzy that we experienced while performing at The Jammys when Trey Anastasio came out to join us on guitar for “My Guitar Gently Weeps” and then a few months later, selling out Radio City Music Hall for our 10th Anniversary show.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Rich Pagano and the SugarCane Cups (debut CD)

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Blodwyn Pig - Getting To This

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Levon Helm and band live in Stamford, CT

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ICE CREAM MAN

What will you remember most about 2008?
I had a new ice cream truck to drive around the country, Newt, and that made life a lot easier. I was able to hit up a lot more places and didn't have to worry about breaking down before going to a festival or children's hospital. ah.....

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
I think Animal Collective will finally take off. Not just in the minds of the critics but their
new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, should finally catch on with a bigger audience. They're helping to lay the groundwork for the future of music.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
I rank my favorite albums of the year by the ones I listened to the most. 2008 was a great year. I wish my iTunes setup was accurate cuz it'd be a lot easier to tell ya but living outta an ice cream truck for six months means I'm listening to a lot of stuff via mp3 players which don't keep track. I'd have to say I've probably listened to Helio Sequence's new album the most in 2008. Saw them at Crystal Ballroom in Portland during Music Fest Northwest which was one of my favorite shows too. I'm a big fan of the new Of Montreal album too.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
It’s funny because I couldn't really even see the band but Sigur Ros at Bonnaroo was my favorite show of the year. I forgot I was such a big fan then started wandering over during their first song. I ended up sitting in front of the bass speakers on the other side of the crowd control barrier and didn't move for a couple hours. 1-3 in the morning, stuff
like that only happens at Bonnaroo.

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J. BAU (HARD HEAD MANAGEMENT)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Hope, Change, and Happiness.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
(TIE)The Avett Brothers & Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Though not my favorite, over the last 8 months, I found myself being drawn
back to Chinese Democracy (first the leak and then the retail) just to see
how the hell it could take 14 years to make a record. I still don't have the
answer. Right now, I can't stop listening to the new TV On The Radio.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo. Hands Down.

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EVAN WINIKER (STEEL TRAIN)

What will you remember most about 2008?
It’s tough to say one thing because so much happened, if i had to say two things it would be the recession and the election.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
I’ve got a few: Fleet Foxes, Girl Talk and Dr. Dog. They're all semi-big
but i think in the next year they are gonna become three of the most
important musical acts in America.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Fleet Foxes, self-titled

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Wilco at Lollapalooza

Click here to read Evan Winiker’s 2008 film reviews for Jambands.com

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ROB MARSCHER (MATISYAHU, AGP)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Obama won the presidency and I joined Matisyahu's band.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Matisyahu. We had an instant connection when we first started playing together last spring - improvising and experimenting - and that has grown immensely through this year's touring. I'm looking forward to working on more new material in 2009 and continuing to work on our sound as we hit festivals and cities around the world.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Oracular Spectacular by MGMT. "Time To Pretend" and "Kids" got a lot of play in the dressing room before we'd hit the stage. "Evil Urges" by MMJ gets honorable mention.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
The Pemberton festival in British Columbia was very cool. My Morning Jacket, Flaming Lips, Black Mountain, and Tom Petty all sounded great. Playing on the stage surrounded by all those mountains was pretty magical.

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DAVID GANS (SOLO ARTIST, THE GRATEFUL DEAD HOUR)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The election of Barack Obama.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Boris Garcia

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Railroad Earth, Amen Corner

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Rubber Souldiers at MagnoliaFest 10/25/08

Click here for a recent site interview with David Gans

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BOB STIRNER (BORIS GARCIA)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Recording and touring behind Boris Garcia's latest Once More Into The Bliss

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Why Boris Garcia....of course!!!

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Amen Corner by Railroad Earth....amazing.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Live / On air, David Gan's / KPFA radio performance with Mark Karan and Peter Rowan sitting in....too much fun!!!

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DAN SHAW (10,000 LAKES FESTIVAL)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The Presidential election. It was encouraging to see so many people involved in the process and seeing so much passion for change. And as a bonus we got to witness a slew of amazing artists play at the rallies. There were some incredibly bizarre and great lineup combinations that will never happen again.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Kinetix, as well as The Hue

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
David Byrne's Everything That Happens Will Happen Today and Shpongle’s Are You Shpongled. The shuffle on my iPod really likes Shpongle a lot.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
I was lucky enough to catch David Byrne at the Playhouse in Cleveland. Really, really great. Catch it if you can.

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ETHAN SCHWARTZ (LANGERADO)

What will you remember most about 2008?
The first car rolling through the gates at Big Cypress - It was an 8 years in the making event and when that first car rolled through I got tears in my eyes. It will remain a lasting memory of a week that professionally and personally was one of the toughest of my life, but absolutely worthwhile in every aspect. I'm truly grateful that we were able to put on Langerado at that incredible site, even if it was only for one year.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
I'm excited to see what Muse does this year. They are one of the biggest bands in the world but aren't getting the love in the States like they should be. But everyone I have ever talked to who has seen them live has been converted.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
OK Computer - Radiohead, The 3 EP's - The Beta Band, Sumday - Grandaddy, Absolution - Muse, Party - Nick Swardson, Binaural - Pearl Jam, 7-6-98, Prague - Phish, Dear Science - TV on the Radio

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
The Beastie Boys from Langerado. 25,000 people just getting nuts in the middle of the Everglades. Wondering to myself if 25 years ago riding in the school bus listening to License to Ill did I ever imagine I would have been throwing a Beastie Boys show in the swamp. Close runner up - Gogol Bordello at the Culture Room. I've seen a thousand shows at the Culture Room and the energy in there was un-fucking-believable that night.

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GREG MCLOUGHLIN (BUZZUNIVERSE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
11 PM when Obama's face appeared on NBC as officially President... I was alone but
shared the moments with hundreds of friends on Facebook as we continually updated
our statuses with joyful, hopeful messages, and I balled in tears watching the speech in Grant Park, so proud to witness one of the greatest moments in world history.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Natural Breakdown... Just watch... They're playing theaters already and their
spiritual message is connecting with a lot of people...

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Leroy Justice – Revolution’s Son

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Self: BuzzUniverse at Gathering of the Vibes... I've attended several vibes' and
always dreamed of performing there... It was about 110 degrees on stage in the sun,
and we rocked it like it was the last set of our lives.

Other: Bruce Springsteen at Hersheypark Stadium... I skipped all of the local Bruce
shows this year and trekked to Hershey, PA on a Tuesday instead... We all know Bruce
eats up the Small Town USA thing, and I knew the show would be special.

Click here for a review of BuzzUniverse’s latest CD

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TOM HAMILTON (AMERICAN BABIES, BROTHERS PAST)

What will you remember most about 2008?
This past summer American Babies played the Newport Folk Festival. That alone would have been enough to mention. What made that day even more memorable was after our set in the small tent we were informed that the Marley Brothers were not going to make it to the festival on time, and we were asked to play a second set on the Main Stage. It couldn't have gotten any better.

Who's the band to watch in 2009?
I think that Dr. Dog is the best band in America right now and I feel that 2009 will be full of great things for and from them.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
She and Him - Volume One

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Cat Power - Newport Folk Festival. Chan Marshall owned the stage. Her undeniable voice, absolutely stunning looks, and commanding stage presence had me mesmerized.

Click here for a review of American Babies’ debut CD

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MARTIN PERNA (ANTIBALAS, TV ON THE RADIO)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Getting married and cooking for 150 people after our caterer ran off with our money!

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Ocote Soul Sounds: (Antibalas meets Grammy-nominated Grupo Fantasma) and their new album Coconut Rock coming out in May or June of 2009

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Budos Band

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Antibalas live at Womad Festival in Gran Canaria, 2008. 12,000 people packing the plaza at midnight watching us for free. It doesn't get better than that!

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ED ANDERSON (BACKYARD TIRE FIRE)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Recording at Sun Studio, sitting in with Los Lobos, having the band be personal guests of George Wendt on Broadway in NYC to see him star in Hairspray and having him show up at our gig the next night, plus touring with bands like Cracker, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Rev. Horton Heat, etc., etc.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Backyard Fucking Tire Fire

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Opening for Los Lobos on October 25 at the Bloomington Center For the Performing Arts in Bloomington, IL. They were the coolest guys and they had us come up and play with them at the end of their set. A few days later Steve Berlin called and is going to produce our next record in Feb. 09!

Click here for a recent interview with Backyard Tire Fire

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SCOTT BERNSTEIN (HIDDEN TRACK)

What will you remember most about 2008?
I'll remember 2008 as the year of too many festivals. It seemed like there was a festival every weekend from March until October and many of the new ones were clunkers. There aren't enough touring bands out there to keep lineups fresh and imaginative, a problem that I only see getting worse in 2009.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
I've got three completely different acts that I'm keeping my eye on.

1.Phish - Their reunion can really go either way. Unrealistic expectations can
do them in once again or they can rise to the challenge and reclaim their
post as the country's most inventive live act.

2. McLovins - These kids are way too young to be so good. Even the most jaded of jamfans appreciates their talents.

3. Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer aka Lonely Island - their debut disc, Incredibad, promises to have you jizzing in your pants with laughter.

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
I can still listen to The Raconteurs' Consolers of the Lonely over and over and over again without getting sick of it. A great all killer, no filler album from top to bottom.

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Paul Simon - Under African Skies at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Watching Paul and Ladysmith Black Mambazo sing “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” and David Byrne claim ownership of “I Know What I Know” are among the most blissful moments of music I've ever experienced. It made me feel bad that I only paid $50 to see this show. I felt so bad I gave the venue more money. You're looking at a paid supporter of the BAM!

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STEVE ADAMS (ALO, BIG LIGHT)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Feeling excited about a presidential candidate and seeing him win! Touring with Tea Leaf Green. Making friends with Big Light. Discovering The Better World Shopping Guide. And getting a horoscope that told me this would be the best year of my life.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Jackie Greene, The Mother Hips, Big Light...

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Tea Leaf Green - Raise Up The Tent
Nicki Bluhm - Toby's Song
The Lovin' Spoonful - Platinum & Gold Collection

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo. Great late night set in the pouring rain. Chali 2Na backed by Galactic at Bonnaroo, super great jam session. The Golden Gate Gramble at 12 Galaxies in San Francisco featuring Skinny Singers, Ball Point Birds, Lebo, Big Light and Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, plus a sweet gramble at the end of the night.

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DAVE KATZ (EKOOSTIK HOOKAH)

What will you remember most about 2008?
Hookahville XXX

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Way too many to name

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Genesis, Trick of the Tail

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Abagail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet with Bela Fleck

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WHITLEY

What will you remember most about 2008?
Getting a great light house in my hometown and growing an awesome vegetable patch.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Seagull, from Melbourne, Australia

What album appeared in your CD player or iTunes most often?
Liam Finn, I'll Be Lightning

What was your favorite live performance from 2008?
Whitley/ Ben Kweller at Antones, Austin

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THOMAS PRIDGEN (THE MARS VOLTA)

What will you remember most about 2008?
I remember our tour because we toured this whole year straight no stop— like slaves. I remember all that because we just came back from South America, Europe, Japan, did the whole states thing again. That was big for me because I feel like I really did get to see everything. Sometimes you feel like you’ve seen stuff, but this year I really saw it all.
That and I have a two-year-old boy and I just got him a drum set and I just figured out that he’s left handed. Just watching him play is a highlight. I learned when I was three and he’s hella better than me.

Who is the band to watch in 2009?
Damn, that is a good question. We just recorded a new record and to me it’s the best. When I first heard Goliath, I didn’t hear it until it almost came out, so I was like damn, this is sick shit! Cause when I was in the studio I was stressin’ out! ‘Cause when I was in the studio I was learning all of John Theodore’s parts which is crazy! Because it was 20 eight-minute songs. I was learning them and I was stressin’ out. By the time I got to record I didn’t know what to expect because I had never recorded with Omar as far as doing a record. It was a lot of pressure. When I first got in the band I never even tripped. Now this one, the new one we just did that isn’t titled yet, I enjoyed it way more because I knew what to expect from Omar, I knew what to expect from everybody. I could sit down and relax and just do what I do. You feel me? So I think the major thing for our band is going to be our next record because for me I think it’s the best record Omar has ever produced as far as his arrangements and I just like the music a lot. Like the last record, was like I’m gonna show you all that we gotta new drummer. Now it’s like we’re gonna show you that we’re still killin’ it. There’s like ballads on it. We sound like we’ve kicked it longer than two years.

What songs to do you listen to most on your iPod/iTunes?
Damn, I’ve been listening to a lot of Stewart Copeland. A LOT OF STEWART COPELAND. I have his live Police video, where he has his video camera next to the drums and it’s like his own documentary of the Police tours. He’s just hella dope. I’ve been trying to listen to all the people that all the cats that I listen to listen to. Going back and listening to hella Ginger Baker and shit. My girl is like I’ve heard Cream like a million times. I’m like I know; I’m only listening to it because I’m listening to Ginger Baker. I’ve been listening to a lot of like Afro-beat music, like Fela and a lot of other hip-hop stuff. But my iPod has been down. So I’ve just been listening to what I’ve been able to listen to. That’s crazy. I’m gonna go. That’s going to be crazy. A lotta people who are going to go are going be like damn. I’m sure at first people are going to be like yeah I’m just gonna go, but when they actually see it everyone is like DAMN! Like I was in Mexico when Obama won so everything is so crazy to me.

What was your favorite live performance of 2008?
That we did? My favorite one, Detour Fest in L.A. because we rarely ever play L.A. and when we do I just like the crowds. I like the rowdy crowds, like the crowds that are rowdy for no reason. That’s how it was, it was cool. So I gotta say the L.A. crowd. Backstage wasn’t all fun, but the show was tight. Dang! I didn’t go to any shows that weren’t our own, honestly. What shows? I like the Battles, you know them? That guy, the drummer from Helmet, he plays in that band. They’re pretty tight. I like seeing them. I haven’t seen much because I just end up seeing the bands we go on tour with. Sometimes I don’t even listen to them because some of these bands after a while— you just get a headache. I’ve been watching a lotta videos though. I’d gotta say probably that Police thing, even though that’s not new. That’s the tightest thing I’ve seen. I like going back. You gotta take it back.

Mike Greenhaus’ New Year’s resolution is to blog more at www.greenhauseffect.com. He thanks Randy Ray for his extra eyes on this week’s Auld Lang Syne Set 3