Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation (Lidkercow Ltd.) Folksy but freakish Portlanders Blitzen Trapper have yet to be scooped up by Zach Braff, but that's probably only because they're still on the fringes of too weird. Yet, between soothing and familiar odes to old Grateful Dead tunes and powerful plays towards anti-genre adorableness, the odd sextet manage to capture the listener's attention while totally defying their own. Eccentric, playful and genuine songs fuse 70's goofball... more ›

It's the Saturday Hatha instructor at YogaYoga South, or the rocker guy with spikey hair at Walgreens. It's one of the Lone Star Rollergirls, or your favorite downtown gallery owner. more ›

Late last night a fire broke out in the San Jacinto building located near San Jacinto and Trinity. The most damage was apparently suffered by KOOP Studios and Sweatbox Records. Firefighters arrived on the scene to extinguish the flames, and three of the fighters suffered smoke inhalation. We are sad to see the home to some great community radio and the recording space of so many local bands take such a blow. Reports are... more ›

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of one of the most beloved musicians in the history of rock & roll – Jerry Garcia. After decades of fighting addiction and illness, Jerry Garcia finally lost his battles and passed away from heart complications that were exacerbated by his sleep apnea. The begrudging leader of the ship of fools that was the extended Grateful Dead family, Garcia was a musical virtuoso and an American icon. His passing left a hole in Americana roots and rock music that will never be filled. We still remember receiving the dreaded news over the phone in the middle of the night. After seeing several shows in a row of extremely diminished performances, we expected his passing to come sooner rather than later, but we were still devastated and carry around heavy hearts on the anniversary of that sad day. more ›

In 1965, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzman came together to form the band that would become the Grateful Dead. Forty years later, Phil Lesh is still truckin’. Lesh is the first member of the legendary band to write a memoir of his time spent traveling and playing with the band, and he will be signing his book, Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead, this Friday at Book People. more ›