Ten Toes Up

HGMN's 12th Annual Best of the Year Awards

STUDIO ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Dangermuffin - Olly Oxen Free CD - read our review

Runner up: Mac & Juice - Step Into the Light CD - read our review

LIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Ten Toes Up - Live Vol 2: From the Beaver Bar 12/31/11 CD

CUSTOMER'S CHOICE: Retail: Everyone Orchestra - Brooklyn Sessions CD - read our review
Wholesale: Papa Grows Funk - Needle in the Groove CD

NEW HGMN BAND OF THE YEAR: - Les Racquet - We were most impressed with this new addition to our network. Pick up their CD and catch a live show!

HGMN HALL OF FAME: Sim Redmond Band joins Lotus, Moses Guest, STS9, The Motet, Umphrey's McGee, The Recipe, Deep Banana Blackout, The Big Wu, Acoustic Syndicate, The Disco Biscuits & Keller Williams in this select list of bands that have helped define HGMN over the years.

HG REPS OF THE YEAR: Brian Riddell

HGMN VENUE OF THE YEAR: Martin's Downtown - Roanoke VA

HGMN JAMcaster OF THE YEAR: Cleveland Carlson - WUTC - Chattanooga, TN

Congrats to all the winners and thanks for making 2012 a year to remember!

HGMN Staff's Favorites of 2012:

LEE:
Favorite shows: BIG Something Costume Ball 10/27/2012 - Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, NC.  I saw this band more than any other in 2012 and this performance was one of the many highlights. Their set had an outer space theme. The band was wearing astronaut suits, stage was decorated like a spaceship, visuals and audio samples all played on the theme throughout the show. They busted out new covers to complement the theme like Intergalactic (Beastie Boys), Robot Rock (Daft Punk), Cosmic Girl (Jamiroquai) & Subterranean Homesick Alien (Radiohead).  Hear a recording here: http://archive.org/details/bs2012-10-27.bryonsos

Everyone Orchestra @ Jomeokee Music Festival 9/15/2012.  Matt Butler conducted an all star cast through some great improvisation. Players included: Jimmy Herring, Melvin Seals, George Porter Jr, Michael Kang, Al Schier, Vinnie Amico, Jennifer Hartswick, Jeff Sipe & more!  I hear it was all filmed - looking forward to seeing the results!

Albums: ALO - Sounds Like This CD
Conspirator - Unlocked - Live from the Georgia Theatre CD
Dangermuffin - Olly Oxen Free CD
Everyone Orchestra - Brooklyn Sessions CD
Jimmy Herring - Subject to Change Without Notice CD

ROBIE:
Favorite shows: Rubblebucket - 04/07/12 - Casbah - San Diego, CA
New Mastersounds - Bear Creek -11/11/12

Albums: Beat Connection - The Palace Garden
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
Wild Nothing - Nocturne
The New Mastersounds - Out on the Faultline CD
Beach House - Bloom

SHERRY:
Favorite shows: HGMN Showcase - Sol Roots, Dangermuffin & Les Racquet @ The Pour House Music Hall - Raleigh NC 10/25/2012
Jimmy Herring Band & Victor Wooten Band @ Carolina Theatre - Durham NC 11/4/2012

Albums:
The New Mastersounds - Out on the Faultline CD
Dangermuffin - Olly Oxen Free CD
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Live: Everybody's Talkin' 2CDs
Everyone Orchestra - Brooklyn Sessions CD
ALO - Sounds Like This CD


TREVOR:
Favorite shows: Conspirator - Floydfest 2012
The Mantras - Mantrabash 2012

Albums: Widespread Panic - Wood CD
Gov't Mule - The Georiga Bootleg Box (6 CDs)
Mac & Juice - Step Into the Light CD
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Live: Everybody's Talkin' 2CDs
Conspirator - Unlocked - Live from the Georgia Theatre CD

Last Week:

Yarn - Leftovers Volume 2 CD - Brooklyn-based Americana/Alt-Country band Yarn's sound owes as much to Gram Parsons and Earl Scruggs as to Jerry Garcia and Exile On Main Street-era Rolling Stones. Following in a fine tradition that includes forward thinking roots bands like The Flying Burrito Brothers and New Riders of The Purple Sage, Yarn weaves roots music idioms into a fresh sound that turns on hipsters and fans of country music alike, with technically impressive song-crafting and universal tales from the road of life.

Dark Star Orchestra - Live at Peach Music Festival 2012 (2 CDs) - Professionally recorded live at the Peach Music Festival August 10, 2012 Montage Mountain, PA.
1. Help On The Way (12:09) listen 2. Franklin's Tower (11:36) listen 3. Playing In The Band (13:06) listen 4. The Wheel (8:20) listen Disc 2 1. St. Stephen (8:03) listen 2. Iko Iko (9:10) listen 3. Why Don't We Do It In The Road (4:14) listen 4. Johnny B. Goode (4:32) listen

O.A.R. - Live at Peach Music Festival 2012 (2 CDs) - Professionally recorded live at the Peach Music Festival August 11, 2012 Montage Mountain, PA

Hackensaw Boys - Plow sticker

Phish - Star Lake 98 (2 DVDs) - All new 2-DVD set, recorded live on August 11, 1998 at Star Lake Amphitheatre in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. The Star Lake 98 show was the 20th of summer to display the loose, experimental vibe of a tour that began in Europe and jumped to the United States enroute to the summer's ending Lemonwheel festival.

"Star Lake 98" is the only full video show available in the Archives from Phish's Summer 1998 tour. The 2-DVD set was created from archival VHS videotapes of the 3-camera lawn screen feed. The audio was mixed from multi-track masters in stereo PCM and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (aspect Ratio 4:3, regions 1-6 NTSC) and clocks in at just about 2 hours and 50 minutes.

The introduction of a never-before-played cover each night earned the tour the nickname "the summer of covers" from fans and band alike and Star Lake's contribution was "Trench Town Rock." Star Lake also saw the return of "Time Loves A Hero" which was played for the first time in a decade and segued out of a sultry "Wolfman's Brother." An extended "Fee" extro and hot renditions of "Maze" and "Reba" set the stage for set II's super-swinging, ethereal "Runaway Jim" and the unusual pairing of "Meat" > "Limb By Limb". Local flavor of the Commonwealth was provided by "Bittersweet Motel" (the title of the Phish documentary recorded during the Europe dates) and "Wilson," King of Prussia.

Upcoming Events:

Dec 28-29 - NC Music & Arts Festival - Lexington, NC

Jan 31-Feb 4 - The Funky Leap Jam - Lakeland, FL

Feb 15-17 - Aura Music Festival - Live Oak, FL

Video of the Week:

The Mantras - Kinetic Bump (featuring Jake Cinninger) from their forthcoming CD - Jambands Ruinied My Life

Thanks for reading! Treat yourself to some good music this week.
- Lee Crumpton

New Releases:

Missing Cats - Larry Brown Amen CD - On Missing Cats' confident first album, 'Larry Brown Amen,' John 'Jojo' Hermann and Sherman Ewing flex their songwriting muscles and deliver a dramatic Alt/Blues/Rock collection of original songs. This is a rich CD, conceived by a pair of road warriors & friends who share a decades-long collaborative relationship.

Hermann describes the album as 'New York City meets Mississippi meets Athens, GA meets Nashville', and he's right. An array of artists dropped by the studio to lend their support to various tracks. Visitors included North Mississippi All Stars' Luther and Cody Dickenson, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Sam Bush, Jon Randall Stewart, Anthony Krizan, Jesse Alexander and more. The renowned musicians joined in as Hermann and Ewing record their album live in Nashville over a four-day period with Grammy nominated producer Jon Randall Stewart (Emmy Lou Harris, Sam Bush, and Lyle Lovett,) capturing the energy and electricity that the songs deserved.

Coming Soon:

The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter CD - The Avetts are back, produced again by Rick Rubin, with the much-anticipated follow-up to I and Love and You. The twelve songs on The Carpenter continue the band's exploration of the human condition. They will pull at your heart and make you stop and think. One moment filled with sunshine and happiness, the next sorrow and regret, they are always beautiful, always honest. Poetry from the soul. Fresh off the road and speaking from their hometown of Concord, North Carolina, Scott and Seth Avett agreed The Carpenter feels different to them, deeper, more meaningful, more starkly reflective of their own hopes and fears, than past efforts. They are wiser now, and more clear-eyed about the fragility and finiteness of life. The writing for The Carpenter reflects the brothers' journey toward growing older and the unavoidable realities that await.

"For me, in the process between I and Love and You and this album, there have really been three years of me trying to refine a series of steps of letting go of certain things I've held on to," Scott says. "This album feels much more like a whole of refined parts that work together -- sort of like a well-oiled motor -- than records in the past did. I feel it is much more a cohesive work."

Marco Benevento - TigerFace CD - Over three previous studio albums, pianist/sound-sculptor/songwriter Marco Benevento has set forth a vision for instrumental music that connects the dots between Explosions In The Sky and Tortoise on one side, Brian Eno and Brad Mehldau on the other.

On his fourth studio recording, 'Tigerface', the 34-year old artist takes the next step forward in this evolution. Benevento paints his songs in a myriad of sonic colors, shimmering in acoustic piano, synths and analog keyboards. The tunes themselves conceptualized from seemingly every wisp of melody, hook and cadence that's ever tickled his ear.

The album was recorded and mixed by Tom Biller (Silversun Pickups, Fiona Apple) and Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Akron/Family), while Benevento invited a stellar cast of musicians to help capture his ideas, including drummers Matt Chamberlain (Bill Frisell, Pearl Jam), John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea & The Cake) and Andrew Barr (The Barr Brothers), bassists Dave Dreiwitz (Ween), Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green) and Mike Gordon (Phish), violinist Ali Helnwein (Traction Avenue Chamber Orchestra) and saxophonist Stuart Bogie (Antibalas, Superhuman Happiness).

For the first time on record he uses vocals, inviting Kalmia Traver (Rubblebucket) to sing on the infectious dance rock rave-up 'Limbs Of A Pine' and the pastoral psych rock meditation 'This Is How It Goes'. Other standouts include the angelic Arcade Fire meets The Flaming Lips anthem 'Eagle Rock', the soaring garage psychedelia of 'Going West', the piano riff rock jaunt 'Escape Horse', and the happily lilting 'Fireworks', which bounces along like a long lost Italian folk song beamed down to him by ancestors from his father's homeland. As anybody who's seen Benevento perform live can attest, the pianist eyes closed, smile wide across his face, fingers free-flowing across the keys is a satellite to the muse. 'Tigerface', indeed, is the commitment to this idea; a record that rides the yes wave and in the process becomes a soundtrack for fellow travelers chasing the horizon ahead.

Last Week:

Ten Toes Up - Live Vol 2: From the Beaver Bar 12/31/11 CD - The second release in their "Live" series, Vol. 2 was recorded on New Year's Eve 2011 in front of an energetic hometown crowd. The set contains a mix of TTU show staple, and previously unrecorded material. Mixed by Nashville producer/engineer Mark Meeker, the disc captures the band in their element, and gives the listener the feeling of a night out with Ten Toes Up!

Ten Toes Up - Beverage koozie

Easy Star All-Stars - Thrillah CD -Easy Stars All-Stars pioneers of covering entire albums, something that has since caught on in many genres return with their 4th reggae tribute, this time tackling the Greatest Selling Album of All Time, 'Michael Jackson's Thriller'! The CD has two bonus dubs and vocals from Steel Pulse, The Green, Luciano, Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Mojo Morgan (Morgan Heritage), Cas Haley, Spragga Benz and more.

The Wood Brothers - Live Vol 2: Nail & Tooth CD - Volume 2 features the track Atlas from Oliver's days with Atlanta band King Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharp's song 'Up Above My Head', and crowd favorite 'Shoofly Pie'.

Following the release of 'Sky High', The Wood Brothers have received much attention & praise including a performance for Daytrotter Sessions, partnership with American Songwriter, and in-studio performances at numerous NPR stations.

In addition to the two live releases, this popular touring act is in the middle of their biggest year ever. With 100 dates scheduled, sell-outs in multiple cities and festival stops at DeLuna Fest and both Southern Ground Music & Food Festivals, The Wood Brothers continue to gain devoted fans at a rapid pace.

Upcoming Events:

Sept 6-9 - Culturefest - Pipestem, WV

Sept 7-9 - Catskill Chill - Hancock, NY

Sept 7-8 - r.evolution - Carolina Beach, NC

*Sept 14-16 - Jomeokee Music & Arts Festival - Pinnacle, NC

Sept 14-16 - Bristol Rhythm & Roots - Bristol, VA

Sept 14-16 - Wormtown Music Festival - Greenfield, MA

Sept 22-23 - French Broad Fall Fest - Hot Springs, NC

*Look for the HGMN Booth at these events

Video of the Week:

The Deluge - "So White and So Funky" - This song got stuck in my head after hearing them play it last weekend.

Thanks for reading! Treat yourself to some good music this week.
- Lee Crumpton

New Releases:

Ten Toes Up - Live Vol 2: From the Beaver Bar 12/31/11 CD - The second release in their "Live" series, Vol. 2 was recorded on New Year's Eve 2011 in front of an energetic hometown crowd. The set contains a mix of TTU show staple, and previously unrecorded material. Mixed by Nashville producer/engineer Mark Meeker, the disc captures the band in their element, and gives the listener the feeling of a night out with Ten Toes Up!

Ten Toes Up - Beverage koozie

Easy Star All-Stars - Thrillah CD -Easy Stars All-Stars pioneers of covering entire albums, something that has since caught on in many genres return with their 4th reggae tribute, this time tackling the Greatest Selling Album of All Time, 'Michael Jackson's Thriller'! The CD has two bonus dubs and vocals from Steel Pulse, The Green, Luciano, Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Mojo Morgan (Morgan Heritage), Cas Haley, Spragga Benz and more.

The Wood Brothers - Live Vol 2: Nail & Tooth CD - Volume 2 features the track Atlas from Oliver's days with Atlanta band King Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharp's song 'Up Above My Head', and crowd favorite 'Shoofly Pie'.

Following the release of 'Sky High', The Wood Brothers have received much attention & praise including a performance for Daytrotter Sessions, partnership with American Songwriter, and in-studio performances at numerous NPR stations.

In addition to the two live releases, this popular touring act is in the middle of their biggest year ever. With 100 dates scheduled, sell-outs in multiple cities and festival stops at DeLuna Fest and both Southern Ground Music & Food Festivals, The Wood Brothers continue to gain devoted fans at a rapid pace.

Coming Soon:

Missing Cats - Larry Brown Amen CD - On Missing Cats' confident first album, 'Larry Brown Amen,' John 'Jojo' Hermann and Sherman Ewing flex their songwriting muscles and deliver a dramatic Alt/Blues/Rock collection of original songs. This is a rich CD, conceived by a pair of road warriors & friends who share a decades-long collaborative relationship.

Hermann describes the album as 'New York City meets Mississippi meets Athens, GA meets Nashville', and he's right. An array of artists dropped by the studio to lend their support to various tracks. Visitors included North Mississippi All Stars' Luther and Cody Dickenson, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Sam Bush, Jon Randall Stewart, Anthony Krizan, Jesse Alexander and more. The renowned musicians joined in as Hermann and Ewing record their album live in Nashville over a four-day period with Grammy nominated producer Jon Randall Stewart (Emmy Lou Harris, Sam Bush, and Lyle Lovett,) capturing the energy and electricity that the songs deserved.

Last Week:

Jimmy Herring - Subject to Change Without Notice CD - Subject To Change Without Notice is the second solo album from American guitar hero Jimmy Herring which features mostly all original tunes as well as highlights such as amazing covers of the Mahavishnu Orchestra's Hope, George Harrison's Within You Without You and Jimmy McGriff's Miss Poopie. Joining Jimmy on lead guitar are such top notch musicians as Neal Fountain and Etienne Mbappe on the bass, Jeff Sipe and Tyler Greenwell on drums, Matt Slocum on piano and keyboards. Making special guest appearances on the album are Bela Fleck on banjo, Bill Evans on saxophones, and Nicky Sanders on the violin and Carter Herring on the cello.

Les Racquet - Be Water My Friend CD - Inspired by an interview with Kung Fu legend Bruce Li, the release Be Water My Friend indulges the listener at every turn with anecdote and metaphor, about the philosophy behind `being water" and the gentle reminder that life is beautiful. The CD was recorded at Drift Design Studios in Boston, MA in the winter of 2011, as the band was coming through during the first leg of their tour. Booked for only a weekend the trio made the most of their time, recording their favorite songs and a subsequent promotional video which were both released in early 2012. This recording is the first time that all three voices are a prominent melody. Also, the recording is a representation of a time when the band was learning how to live together on the road, how to share responsibility and maximize the efficiency it takes to be both musicians and promoters. The trio shows ultimate trust in one another as they spin intricate harmonies and solos amidst beautiful melodies and deep groves.

The Deluge - Elephant Graveyard CD - Elephant Graveyard is a freewheeling yarn with wildly expressive musical accompaniment. The second release from the Deluge is a departure from their first in so much as ascetic, but the spirit of storytelling is very evident on Graveyard. The record begins with the Otis Redding inspired Honest Man and moves seamlessly into the murder ballad Rosy. Each track differs vastly from the last and the inclusion of the Tom Scott cover, So White, is cleverly translated by the band's new rhythm section in the dynamic duo of Jeremy Merritt (drums) and George Westberry (bass). New guitarist, Daniel Serrif, displays his mastery of motivic development in his work on Let's Make Medicine, which begins with cerebral legato bends before it transforms into a downright raunchy rock and roll guitar solo. Chris Lord offers his melodic voicing throughout the entire record and is on full display on the track, Her Pride. Brandon Knox's voice also displays fluidity from liltingly sweet to shouting and screaming. The addition of Kofi Burbridge (ARU, Tedeschi Trucks Band) adds another eccentric voice to an already elaborate tapestry. All told, Elephant Graveyard is a diverse record that will keep the listener's head on a swivel.

Also available: The Deluge - Cryin' on the Vine CD

Mac & Juice - Step Into the Light CD - Mac & Juice's self-released album, Step into the Light, is not just a collection of songs but rather a personal stamp on their original music that has developed organically over the years. Because of the many genres of music coming to life on this album, it is challenging to put them into any one category. While crafting songs is serious business for Mac & Juice, what follows are bright, tight, beautifully rocking stories that come to life through moonlit vocals, thoughtful lyrics, and their two guitars which seem to channel the stories as well. Among the eleven songs, "Willie Nelson Song" and "One Hundred Dollars" plug songwriting influences such as Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, while "Johnny Gene" and "I'm Going Home" give a nod to authentic bluegrass. "Phoenix" and "She Don't Wanna Be" are straight driving rock songs with moving hooks. "Today," "Remembered as the Best" and "Countryside" will make you want to drive with the top down. "The Most Beautiful Thing" unveils jazz notes that are reminiscent of Stevie Wonder, but with their signature virtuoso brand. "Piece of Mind" ebbs and flows over a groove laden low end that spills into a lick-heavy guitar solo where Mac & Juice unleash their tandem jams.

Upcoming Events:

Aug 31- Sept 2 - Front Porch Festival - Stuart, VA

Aug 31 - Sept 1 - Guardian Angel Jam - Mebane, NC

Aug 31 - Sept 2 - Floyd Yoga Jam - Floyd, VA

Aug 31 - Sept 2 - Dark Star Jubilee - Thornville, OH

Aug 31 - Sept 2 - Green Mountain Eco Fest - Eldridge, MO

Aug 31 - Sept 2 - Upstate Boogie 3 - Lyons, NY

Sept 6-9 - Culturefest - Pipestem, WV

Sept 7-9 - Catskill Chill - Hancock, NY

Sept 7-8 - r.evolution - Carolina Beach, NC

*Sept 14-16 - Jomeokee Music & Arts Festival - Pinnacle, NC

Sept 14-16 - Bristol Rhythm & Roots - Bristol, VA

Sept 14-16 - Wormtown Music Festival - Greenfield, MA

Sept 22-23 - French Broad Fall Fest - Hot Springs, NC

*Look for the HGMN Booth at these events

Video of the Week:

Easy Star All Stars - Billie Jean (from Thrillah)

Thanks for reading! Treat yourself to some good music this week.
- Lee Crumpton

New Releases:

The Ragbirds - Travellin' Machine CD - After a highly successful 2011 The Ragbirds are kicking off a new year with the release of their 4th studio effort. In this exciting mew album the band has seamlessly blended a wide palette of musical genres into a fresh and cohesive 10-track package that is full of life and energy. It's rare to stumble upon a band that brings as much joy and creative flare to their music as the Ragbirds. Led by the energetic front woman, Erin Zindle, the band tastefully unites multi-cultural rhythms with a roots rock flavor that is as captivating and flirty, as it is smart. A bright and diverse addition to any music collection, the album provides charming, danceable songs that can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages.

Ten Toes Up - Sleeping Lion CD - For the third studio album, Ten Toes Up enlisted the help of South Carolina's Danielle Howle to occupy the producer's chair. Sleeping Lion puts forth an edgier sound than the previous efforts, but the groove stays present, and the influences remain diverse. Lyrics, and arrangements, are more polished here, which was illustrated by the amount of airplay that was generated by singles "Carolina Mess," "Set Me on Fire," and "This Fortune is Easy." WYAV 104.1 DJ, Scott Mann, says "Sleeping Lion is exactly what a great rock album should be. It's diverse, it sounds great loud, and the songs are played with skill!" The Surge Magazine's Paul Grimshaw says " The band embodies the Carolina sound- a mix of Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, and Allman Brothers Band- but, ultimately, all Ten Toes Up!"

Greensky Bluegass - Handguns CD - Greensky Bluegrass' 4th studio release, recorded in Jan. 2011, at Glenn Brown Productions in Lansing, MI. Using vintage analog gear, this record was captured on the same mixing console that produced, "Free Bird", and dozens of other mega-hits in Muscle Shoals, AL.

The Green - Ways & Means CD - Ways & Means is the amazing follow-up to the Green's award-winning debut album. Produced by the band itself, it features 14 songs demonstrating the full-range of this talented band's skills. From dancehall ("Decisions") to lovers rock ("She Was The Best") to classic roots ("Keep On") to unclassifiable genre-busting styles ("Good Vibration"), this album covers a lot of musical ground and is destined to be in the conversation for Reggae Album of the Year.

Jake Clayton's Barnyard Stomp T Shirt

Strange Arrangement T Shirt

Yonder Mountain String Band sticker

Ten Toes Up - Lion sticker

Coming Soon:

moe. - What Happened to the La Las - After twenty years together and nine studio albums, one might think moe. had pretty much done it all. Yet the famously independent-minded jam band is reaching for new ground on its latest project, What Happened To The LA LAs.

To begin with, moe. has signed with Sugar Hill Records, the band's first label sojourn in nearly a decade. The group also chose to work with an outside producer for the first time since 1998's Tin Cans & Car Tires, with John Travis (Kid Rock, Social Distortion, No Doubt) getting the call.

What Happened To The LA LAs features 10 tracks of compact melodies, each textured by moe.'s signature rock riffs and flourishes, and backed by a roller coaster ride of pulsing drums. It's that pure moe. sound which the band's ardent fans -- affectionately dubbed moe.rons -- have come to love over the band's decades of industrious touring.

Rodrigo y Gabriela and C.U.B.A. - Area 52 CD+DVD - Area 52 contains nine of Rod and Gab's favorite songs from their own catalogue re-arranged and re-configured for a 13-piece Cuban orchestra comprised of some of Havana's finest young players, collectively known as C.U.B.A. This two-disc set includes a 30-minute 'making-of' documentary on DVD.

With career sales in excess of 1.2 million albums, blockbuster movie scores, sell out world tours that span London to Los Angeles, Paris to Tokyo and Dublin to Sydney, and not forgetting the love and respect of fellow musicians like Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Al Di Meola and L Shankar, Rodrigo y Gabriela have worked hard to reach Area 52.

Last Week:

HGMN's 11th Annual Best of the Year Awards

STUDIO ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Ultraviolet Hippopotamus - Square Pegs, Round Holes CD - read our review

Runner up: Moksha - Here to Go - read our review

LIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR: The Silo Effect - Treehouse - read our review

CUSTOMER'S CHOICE: Retail: George Porter & Runin' Pardners - Can't Beat the Funk
Wholesale: SOJA - Born in Babylon

NEW HGMN BAND OF THE YEAR: Strange Arrangement - We were most impressed with this new addition to our network. Pick up their CD and catch a live show!

HGMN HALL OF FAME: LOTUS joins Moses Guest, STS9, The Motet, Umphrey's McGee, The Recipe, Deep Banana Blackout, The Big Wu, Acoustic Syndicate, The Disco Biscuits & Keller Williams in this select list of bands that have helped define HGMN over the years.

HG REPS OF THE YEAR: Brielle Martinez - Florida

HGMN VENUE OF THE YEAR: Georgia Theatre - Athens, GA

HGMN JAMcaster OF THE YEAR: WildmanSteve.com

Congrats to all the winners and thanks for making 2011 a year to remember!

HGMN Staff's Favorites of 2011:

LEE:
Favorite shows: The Motet - Suwannee Springfest 3.24.11 - definately the funkiest act I ever experienced at SpringFest and it had been way too long since my last Motet show.

Bear Creek Music Festival - This whole festival in general was great from beginning to end - almost any of the artists/sets from that could make this list. Some of my personal highlights included sets from Strange Arrangement, Juno What?, New Mastersounds, Snarky Puppy, MSMW & Lettuce.

Albums: Moksha - Here to Go
Strange Arrangement - Polygraph
Dub Is A Weapon - Vaporized
Andy Shaw Band - Own Resolve
Manhattan Project - Atomic Bomb Party Vol 2
* Honorable mention - BIG Something - Mad Science: Live at the Costume Ball - this came out just last week!


ROBIE:
Favorite shows: The Flaming Lips - Blackwater Music Festival 9.24.11

Lyrics Born - FloydFest 7.30.11

Albums: 1. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
2. Moksha - Here to Go
3. White Denim - D
4. Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming
5. Bon iver - Bon iver

SHERRY:
Favorite shows: Big Daddy Love - Sept 14th 2011 The Pour House, Raleigh NC
Strange Arrangement - Bear Creek 2011

Albums:Big Daddy Love - Let It Grow CD
Lotus - Lotus CD
Strange Arrangement - Polygraph CD
UV Hippo - Sq. Pegs, Round Holes CD
Cope - See CD

TREVOR:
Favorite shows: Discordian Society @2011 Sensational Spring Fling - May 14 2011
Imperial Blend @The Blind Tiger - Oct 15 2011

Albums: Ultraviolet Hippopotamus - Square Pegs, Round Holes CD
Lotus - Lotus CD
Big Daddy Love - Let It Grow CD
The New Mastersounds - Breaks from the Border CD
Home Grown 10 CD

J. EVAN WADE:
Favorite shows: "Groove in the Holler"
Big Something at the Costume Ball

Albums: 1.  Dub Is a Weapon - "Vaporized"
2.  Songs of Water - "The Sea has Spoken"
3.  Lizzy Ross Band - "Read Me Out Loud"
4.  UV Hippo - "Square Pegs, Round Holes"
5.  COPE - "See"

Upcoming Events:

March 22-25 - Suwannee Springfest - Live Oak, FL

Video of the Week:

The New Deal "Final Jam" on Jam Cruise 10 (Jan 12, 2012) Thanks for all the great music fellas - we'll miss you.

Thanks for reading! Treat yourself to some good music this week.
Lee Crumpton