Coming Soon...

I will be writing a review of the Phil & Friends show in Boca Thursday night. The second I get a couple of minutes to sit at the computer it will be here for all to read, please be a little patient with me. Thanks!

Upcoming shows in South Florida

The summer is upon us and while it may be festical season for the rest of the country, we here in South Florida know that it is the best time to check out a few of the smaller acts touring the states.

First of all, Blueground Undergrass at the Culture Room, June 24. If you can't tell by their name, this band is all about bluegrass, they mix in some jazz and funk, but its mostly down and dirty southern bluegrass. Their live shows are an experience like no other.

Secondly, If I can control my enthusiasm....Les Claypool, at Revolution, July 7. Claypool, the legendary bassist will be bringing his insanity, and a bunch of new songs from his latest album, "Of Whales and Woe."

The next act comes to the Culture Room July 9, and is none other than Jorma and Jack....that's right, Hot Tuna is coming to South Florida. Hot Tuna has been playing together for over 50 years. The duo has perfected their sound through their years in Jefferson Airplane and beyond, and haven't sounded better.

To round out the month of July The Pnuma Trio will be stopping by the Culture Room July 18. In complete reverse of Hot Tuna's 50 years, The Trio has been together only one year. They are combining traditional jazz and funk with electric dance music, they've formed quite a following, especially after their Langerado performance.

Organ and Tissue Donation

This weekend is the long anticipated Phil Lesh & Friends show at Mizner Park Ampitheater. In honor of this occasion I thought I'd talk a little about a subject that is very important to Phil.

In 1998 Phil Lesh underwent a liver transplant and has been spreading the word on organ donation ever since.

According to the Donate Life website over 92,000 people are on waiting lists for organs and about 74 people will die each day waiting for transplants.

Being an organ and tissue donor is giving the gift of life. One person can donate their kidneys, heart, heart/lungs, skin, liver, pancreas, heart valves, corneas and bone marrow. This means that one individual can help as many as eight.

It is important to remember that the most important thing about becoming a donor is not to fill out a donor card, but to talk to your friends and family members about your decision.

You can read more about this topic or register as a donor at the Donate Life website.

Bonnaroo webcast.

This weekend is the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennesee.

For all of you that are lucky enough to be attending, I hope that you have an amazing time and that you are careful.

Tickets for the festival are sold out, but if your stuck here there is still a way to see the action. The AT&T Blue Room will be broadcasting live streams from bonnaroo for all of us to watch.

The webcast will not possibly be able to show every aspect of the festival, but it will include shows by Phil Lesh & Friends, Matisyahu, Ben Folds, Damian Marley, Bright Eyes and more.

Two local bands to check out.

South Florida has a wealth of local bands that hardly ever get enough press. B.O.B. and The Heavy Pets are 2 of these bands.
B.O.B. hails from Hollywood and plays a couple of times a month in the area. They play moslty covers of The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Phish and many others.
This is the perfect band to go see if you want to go hang out in a bar with a few people and listen to some good music. The crowd at every show is comprised mostly of people that know the band, which makes it feel like an inviting family environment.
You can find upcoming shows for B.O.B. at their myspace page.
The Heavy Pets are originally from Goshen, NY and have been playing together, under a few different monikers for ten years.
In May the band was selected as the High Times best unsigned band of the week, which is threatening to take our little South Florida secret to a main stage level.
The band will be embarking on an east coast tour in a few weeks, coming back to South Florida for one free show at the Scrapbar in Miami.
The Heavy Pets will be playing one last Ft. Lauderdale show before leaving for tour, so make sure you go and check them out this Saturday, June 17, at The Beach Bar.

Activist Alert!

Today is World Ocean Day, a day for us to celebrate our oceans and the connection we all have to the sea.

It is important for us to remember what the ocean does for us, and realize how we treat it. The sea provides most of the oxygen we breathe, provides us with food and medicines and regulates our climate. However, we have come close to stripping the ocean of its natural resources and used it as a dump for millions of tons of garbage.

World Ocean Day was created at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Each year events are planned throughout the country.

South Florida has only one event planned this year. This Saturday, June 11, O.N.E.W.I.L.D.W.O.R.L.D will be holding a meeting in Port St. Lucie to clean the beach and put up a new Adopt a Beach sign.

World Ocean Day is still not recognized by the United Nations, but there is a petition in the works. You can sign the petition at the World Ocean Day website.

The passing of a great artist

It is my sad task to inform all of my readers of the passing of Vince Welnick, age 55. Vince was the keyboard player for the Grateful Dead from 1990 until Jerry's death in 1995.He was an integral part of the scene and will be missed.

According to Reuters, Vince died in a hospital Friday after being taken from his home in Forestville, California. The cause of death appears to be suicide, according to the Sonama County Sheriff's Department.

Welnick played with The Tubes and Todd Rundgren before joining the Grateful Dead and continued to play solo shows when the band broke up in 1995.

Welnick is the third member of the Grateful Dead family to pass on in the last month. We also lost crew member Lawrence Shurtliff, also known as Ramrod, drummer Hamza El-Din and Jonathan Riester, long time road manager for the band.

Ok, enough with the reporting part, I saw Vince play a late night solo show at the Grateful Dead reunion, Alpine Valley Wisconsin, in 2002. He played in a barn at the campground I was staying at with my sister. After the show he could be seen walking through the large tent-filled field speaking to anyone that stopped him.

Vince was a part of the scene. He showed great spirit, honesty and devotion to his music, which was visable to anyone that ever saw a show. I don't know what led him to this untimely and sad end, but I hope that he finds peace and happiness wherever he is now.

To quote a song that Vince played quite a few times in his career with the Dead, "May the four winds blow you safely home."