buddy guy

Sorry things have been so quiet around here lately, but we just moved shop and are waiting for our internet to be installed. We will be back in full force this week as we take Austin by storm for SXSW, so stay tuned for tons of coverage in the coming days.

Smack dab in the middle of their famed run at New York's newly refurbished Beacon Theatre, the Allman Brothers Band invited a few choice guests to perform with them throughout the night. The first guest spot came from classic blues legend Buddy Guy, who took the stage with the already stellar guitar section of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks to perform through the Brother's hits "The Sky Is Crying" and "You Don't Love Me." Soon, the stage became a bit more crowded when Phish's Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell emerged from the wings for a nasty version of "Southbound." The second set found Anastasio and McConnell returning to the stage for the classic jam traditional "I Know You Rider" as well as "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" before leaving the band to finish out the rest of their set guest free. We found a few videos from the night posted on the front page of our friends over at Coventry Music Blog that we thought you all might like to check out.

The 2008 edition of the Houston International Festival started on Saturday, April 19th with headliner Buddy Guy, and other intriguing acts like "The Great Lady of Soul" Bettye Lavette, Houston's own D.R.U.M., and Austinites/Prince collaborators Grupo Fantasma.

Read more about the first day of iFest after the jump

One of the events I look forward to most in Houston every year is the International Festival. This year's iFest (the 37th edition) aims the spotlight on Africa, and it's scheduled to take place April 19-20 and April 25-27 in downtown Houston. Rather than focusing on one country this year (as is typically the case), diverse performances and activities are planned to highlight the "three journeys of Africans: original human migration out of Africa, the tragedy of forced migration out of Africa, and the cultural journey back to Africa and globalization." This year's performance schedule was released today and includes the likes of The Wailers, Trombone Shorty, and Bettye LaVette, as well as cultural events such as Ethiopian and Kenyan fashion shows.

More iFest info after the jump