Joe Lederman of The Dropa Stone Sits in with Albert Castiglia

- Ft. Lauderdale, FL

On Saturday November 28th, 2009, fans and music lovers at Maguires Hill 16, a prominent blues club in Ft. Lauderdale, FL were treated to a one of a kind performance. Famed blues virtuoso guitarist ALBERT CASTIGLIA was joined onstage for his final set of the evening by drummer Joe Lederman of THE DROPA STONE for an inspiring jam session.

Nationally acclaimed and regarded as one of the finest blues guitarists, Albert Castiglia was named “Best Blues Guitarist” by New Times Magazine in 1997 and is a 2009 BLUES MUSIC AWARDS SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINEE. Castiglia shows an expressiveness and originality in approach that identifies him as an emerging star within contemporary blues circles,” said Nashville’s City Paper.

Known for their avant-garde sound and psychedelic blend of rock and blues, The Dropa Stone’s Lederman fused crisply with the Castiglia band and even took off on an impressive drum solo which demonstrated his rock and jazz influences. Lederman just returned from a tour of the west coast where his band, The Dropa Stone performed at the renowned VIPER ROOM in Hollywood, CA.

The trio of Castiglia, Lederman and powerhouse bassist AJ Kelly then took off on a 30 minute encore that saw multiple improvised jams and rocking interpretations of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and the Grateful Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain.”

Check out some fan-shot videos of this performance HERE!

Empire State Building to Get Tie-Dye Lighting in Honor of Grateful Dead

GRATEFUL DEAD TO BE HONORED OCTOBER 19
IN NEW YORK CITY WITH SPECIAL LIGHTING OF
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN TIE-DYE COLORS

























BOB WEIR AND PHIL LESH IN MANHATTAN FOR
NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY FUNDRAISER OCTOBER 21

The Grateful Dead will be honored in New York City this Monday, October 19 when the Empire State Building is lit up with special tie-dye colors celebrating the group’s appearance in the city later that week. The color scheme will represent the group’s iconic imagery and psychedelic influences.

On Wednesday, October 21, Bob and Phil will attend a fundraiser at the New York Historical Society as part of an exhibit celebrating the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band. The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New York Historical Society traces the career and achievements of a band that became one of the significant cultural forces in 20th century America. Through a wealth of original artwork and documents including concert and recording posters, album art, large-scale marionettes and other stage props, banners and decorated fan mail, the exhibition will explore the musical creativity and influence of the Grateful Dead from 1965 to 1995, the sociological phenomenon of the Dead Heads and the enduring impact of the Dead’s pioneering approach to the music business. Materials in the exhibition will be drawn almost exclusively from the extraordinary holdings of the Grateful Dead Archive at the University of California Santa Cruz, established in 2008.

For more information on the NYHS exhibition,CLICK HERE.

Fourth of July Fest Review: The Dropa Stone

This past Saturday, rock trio THE DROPA STONE performed and headlined a 4th of July Festival in Orlando, Florida. Sponsored by Budweiser, TGI Fridays and Make a Wish Foundation, the day was filled with live music, spinning DJ’s, prize raffles and all sorts of surprises. Large crowds, vendors and staff were treated to an inspired hour ½ set by the trio, who showcased their virtoustic chops, high energy performance and improvised jams throughout the evening.

The Dropa Stone relied on front man Jon Meyers’ signature, unique vocals and psychedelic guitar work. Drummer Joe Lederman’s precise fills and multi-faceted grooves, combined with bassist Tony Barbieri’s sweet, savvy and melodic bass licks, allowed the band to display a keen sense of musical intellect, going from heavy rock, to blues, to jazz, to reggae and even performing a snippet of a classic Led Zeppelin tune, “How Many More Times.” This medium of dynamics and musical diversity is greatly missed in the modern rock scene. If one would have closed their eyes, you would not believe you were listening to a three piece band.

After speaking to the band backstage, it was evident that the trio’s chemistry isn’t limited to their live performance. “Playing outdoors is always fun, especially when you get to watch the sun set as you play,” said singer/guitarist Jon Meyers. Drummer Joe Lederman echoed those sentiments; “It definitely enables you to enter a state of musical harmony and create that 4th element onstage, said Lederman.

During the final song, a piece titled “Vectors,” the band went into a ferocious other worldly conclusion which took everyone by surprise. Utilizing avant-garde techniques with percussion and effects pedals, they mimicked sounds one would hear during an intense fireworks display.

It was most definitely a July 4th to remember!
You can learn more about the Dropa Stone at: www.TheDropaStone.com

Rothbury Festival Live Streaming

For those of us who were not lucky enough to get there this weekend, here is some relief thanks to Rumbum.com. Schedule is below!

http://rumbum.com/sections/54

Friday, July 3

1:45 p.m. - King Sunny Ade - LIVE

2:45 p.m. - Toubab Krewe - LIVE

3:30 p.m. - G. Love and Special Sauce - LIVE

5:00 p.m. - Keller Williams - LIVE

6:30 p.m. - Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley and NAS - LIVE

8:00 p.m. - Brett Dennen - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 3rd, 2 p.m. Performance)

8:45 p.m. - The String Cheese Incident - LIVE

12:30 a.m. - The Disco Biscuits - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 2nd Performance)
Saturday, July 4

1:30 p.m. - Ralph Stanley - LIVE

2:45 p.m. - Martin Sexton - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 3rd Performance)

3:30 p.m. - Jackie Green - LIVE

4:45 p.m. - Sun Volt - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 4th, 2:30 Performance)

5:30 p.m. - The Black Crowes - LIVE

7:00 p.m. - Railroad Earth - LIVE

8:30 p.m. - John Butler - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 4th, 6:45 Performance)

10:00 p.m. - Lotus - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 2nd Performance)

11:30 p.m. - STS9 - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 3rd Performance)
Sunday, July 5

1:45 p.m. - Toots and Maytals - LIVE

3:00 p.m. - Four Finger Five - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 4th Performance)

3:45 p.m. - Yonder Mountain String Band - LIVE

5:15 p.m. - The Hard Lessons - Delayed from Sherwood (ROTHBURY July 5, 1 p.m. Performance)

6:00 p.m. - Willie Nelson - LIVE

7:30 p.m. - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Delayed from Sherwood (ROTHBURY July 5th, 3:45 Performance)

8:45 p.m. - Flogging Molly - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 3rd Performance)

10:00 p.m. - Ani Difrance - Delayed from Sherwood (ROTHBURY July 5th, 7:15 Performance)

11:45 p.m. - Matisyahu - Delayed from Sherwood (ROTHBURY July 5, 5:30 Performance)

1:00 a.m. - Umphrey's McGee - Delayed from Ranch (ROTHBURY July 4th Performance)

THRILLER PRISON STYLE

FULL LINE-UP FOR VOODOO EXPERIENCE TO BE CONFIRMED IN THE COMING WEEKS

Widespread Panic To Play Voodoo Experience

This year, New Orleans residents and music fans traveling from around the world will witness history in the making as acclaimed Athens, GA band Widespread Panic take the stage this Halloween weekend at the Voodoo Experience. Details about Panic's performance will be released in the coming months, while news about the full Voodoo Experience (October 30, 31 and November 1) line-up is scheduled for later this month.

"We have discussed the idea of bringing these two New Orleans Halloween traditions together for years, it only took us 11 years to get it done," says Voodoo Experience founder and producer Stephen Rehage. "Voodoo and Panic kind of grew up together in New Orleans, endured and returned from the storm, so it's special for us to be working together with them."

Widespread Panic's John Bell says, "The Voodoo Experience has been kicking ass for ten years and adding to the spell New Orleans has on the rest of the country and beyond. We're proud to be included in the tradition. Hope it's scary."

The 11th annual Voodoo Experience will once again celebrate music, as well as New Orleans' bohemian culture, arts and cuisine. More than 160 bands will perform in three distinct performance areas - Le Ritual, Le Flambeau and Le Carnival - and eight stages each highlight a unique side of the personality of New Orleans.

For a limited time, three-day weekend tickets are $123, ALL IN with no additional fees; LOA Lounge VIP pass are $396, ALL IN with no additional fees and are available via Ticketmaster.com and the www.thevoodooexperience.com, where you can find further info about this event. - From http://www.jambase.com

http://www.thevoodooexperience.com/2009/

A Change Is Gonna Come

The Inspiration

Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.
The Production

We built a mobile recording studio, equipped with all the same equipment used in the best studios, and traveled to wherever the music took us. As technology changed, our power demands were downsized from golf cart batteries to car batteries, and finally to laptops. Similarly, the quality with which we were able to film and document the project was gradually upgraded from a variety of formats-- each the best we could attain at the time—finally to full HD.

One thing that never changed throughout the process was our commitment to create an environment for the musicians in which they could create freely and that placed no barriers between them and those who would eventually experience their music. By leading with that energy and intent everywhere we traveled, we were freely given access to musicians and locations that are usually inaccessible. In this respect, the inspiration that originally set us on this path became a co-creator of the project along with us!
The Effect

Over the course of this project, we decided it was not enough for our crew just to record and share this music with the world; we wanted to create a way to give back to the musicians and their communities that had shared so much with us. And so in 2007 we created the Playing for Change Foundation, a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation whose mission is to do just that. In early 2008, we established Timeless Media, a for-profit entity that funds and extends the work of Playing for Change. Later that year, Timeless Media entered into a joint venture with the Concord Music Group through the support of label co-owner and entertainment legend Norman Lear and Concord Music Group executive vice president of A&R John Burk. Our goal is to bring PFC’s music, videos and message to the widest possible audience.

Now, musicians from all over the world are brought together to perform benefit concerts that build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope. In addition to benefit concerts, the Playing for Change band also performs shows around the world. When audiences see and hear musicians who have traveled thousands of miles from their homes, united in purpose and chorus on one stage, everyone is touched by music's unifying power.

And now, everyone can participate in this transformative experience by joining the Playing for Change Movement. People are hosting screenings, musicians are holding benefit concerts of every size, fans are spreading the message of Playing for Change through our media, and this is only the beginning. Together, we will connect the world through music!

http://www.playingforchange.com/