Quite possibly the most prestigious musical event today, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has hit the big 4-0 and in turn, has outdone itself in booking nothing less than the cream of the crop. The 2009 lineup is incredibly diverse, both stylistically and chronologically, and will take music from jazz, pop, rock, soul, gospel, folk, salsa, blues, R&B, funk, and lots of music rooted in Louisiana, such as Cajun and zydeco. The event is scheduled to take place the weekends of April 24-26 and April 30-May 3 and it's a wonder how they've managed to cram hundreds of artists into a mere seven days. There are so many artists that one wouldn't know where to start unless they have a specific genre in mind. So for now, let's extract some of the rock bands that will be playing.

Although an official schedule has yet to be released, the lineup has been broken up between the two weekends. During the first weekend, Dave Matthews Band will be featured as one of the headliners (sadly, sans the original sax player). Wilco, who strangely drew in a larger crowd than Rage Against the Machine at Lollapalooza, will undoubtedly be received with open arms.  Read more »

It'd be hard to disagree that this year's presidential election was full of some innovative, creative and down-right genius ideas at getting people to pay attention.  From the bottom to the top, everyone was encouraged to participate through mini-rallies, phone trees, social-networking websites and instant-relay message boards.

One of the most powerful techniques for getting out candidate's messages and getting the ear of the public was the use of music, music videos and the artists as spokesperson, and the Obama camp definitely owned this tactic.  Read more »

The summer rock festival is a hallowed tradition, and the mere mention of a Lollapalooza or a Bonnaroo calls to mind more than a few indelible images: The restless multitudes massed outside the brimming porta-potties, the eight-dollar hot dogs washed down with twelve-dollar beers, so many sunburned and shirtless party warriors being carried to the quiet mists of the chillout tent. The sun is out; people are on vacation; sometimes it rains, and we get naked in the mud.

The 10th annual Voodoo Music Experience will take place October 24-26. This year's festival, dubbed The Tenth Ritual, will be held once again in New Orleans' City Park. Voodoo will hold six stages, divided up into three sections: Le Ritual, Le Flambeau, and Le Carnival, inspired by the city's French culture.  Many of the attendees from last year's festival asked the question of how next year could follow a lineup headlined by Rage and Smashing Pumpkins.  Well folks, here's how:  Read more »

Despite the latest wave of inclement weather in the Houston area that has severely affected lots of undeserving Texans, the state's capital, Austin, continues to serve as an oasis of art, culture, and music.  Next weekend, Austin's Zilker Park will be flooded with an estimated 65,000 people (per day) for the 3-day, 8-stage, 130-band mega-festival, Austin City Limits.  As ACL has joined Bonnarroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza in the upper echelon of American festivals, it's safe to say that producers C3 will not put on an event without building up a lineup that makes Live Nation and Superfly Productions nervously tug at their collars.

 Read more »

The schedule for San Francisco's 2nd annual Treasure Island Music Festival is now available.  Following events like Outside Lands and Power to the Peaceful, this festival confirms San Francisco as having played one of the biggest roles in this year's summer/fall festival season.  And it's about damn time.  Golden Gate Park is one of the best places in the area (if not the country) to hold a large music festival, as is Treasure Island, located right in the middle of the San Francisco Bay.  Once a naval base and now pretty much just a small stretch of land connected to that big rock that the Bay Bridge runs through, it didn't really occur to most Bay Area residents to hold a music festival there.  But when the announcement came out that the event was to take place, everybody went, "Oh.  You know, that's actually a pretty sweet idea.  Why not?"  And as last year's debut of TIMF was such a success, all the kinks ought to be worked out by now and all the elements should be perfected.  Read more »