The newly formed Phil Lesh/Bob Weir band Furthur is keeping the spirit of the Grateful Dead alive for fans this summer. Joining the two former Dead members in Furthur is Benevento/Russo Duo drummer Joe Russo, John Kadlecik of nationally succesful Dead cover group Dark Star Orchestra, and Jeff Chimenti of Weir’s band Ratdog. Furthur just riddled off a set at The Allgood Festival in Masontown, West Virginia that included Dead favorites like Big Railroad Blues, Scarlet Begonias, Fire on the Mountain, and Sugar Magnolia. The huge Jam Band community that flocks to festivals like Allgood, Bonnaroo, and 10,000 Lakes Festival is based off what Jerry Garcia, Weir, Lesh, and the Grateful Dead started in the 1960’s. Although Weir and Lesh have entertained a lot of fans with their respective projects (Ratdog, Phil Lesh & Friends), jam music fans simply love seeing the two Dead member on the stage. Furthur will continue to tour this summer up until their stop at Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival on August 14th in the familiar town of San Francisco, CA.

Counting Crows announced today that they would be hitting the road this summer beginning on July 3rd at Milwaukee’s Summerfest Festival. Joining Adam Duritz and company will be a band made in their image, Augustana. The San Diego-based band will join forces with Counting Crows and Michael Franti and Spearhead on The Saturday Day Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus & Medicine Show. Augustana took off back in 2005 with their release of their debut single “Boston”. Their second album, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt, was released in 2008 to critical applause. Lead singer/songwriter Dan Layus has often praised Counting Crows as a big influence, and now he will have a chance to join his heroes on a full tour. Duritz recently returned the favor to Layus tweeting, “Listening to the new unreleased Augustana album…Their best work ever”. The tour takes both bands across the country and finishes in Highland Park, IL in late August.

Paul McCartney tickets might be selling out around the world for his Up & Coming Tour, but that doesn’t mean the former Beatle doesn’t have the time to help his common musician. While vacationing with then-wife Heather Mills, Paul McCartney came across entertainer Glenn Aitken a few years ago. The huge Beatles fan was performing at a resort in the Maldives when Sir Paul asked him to play them a song while they dined. McCartney was impressed with Aitken’s original music and vowed to help him win a recording contract when he returned to England. Aitken moved to London and is releasing his debut album, Extraordinary Lives, this year. McCartney even recorded a song with Aitken for the album.

The festivities in Manchester, TN have kicked off for this summer’s Bonnaroo Music Festival. The four-day festival has become one of the most popular in the United States for it’s diverse line up of talented acts. Headlining this year’s festival is the Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, and Jay Z. The lineup ranges from jam music (Umphrey’s Magee), indie (Phoenix), rap (Kid Cudi), soul (Stevie Wonder), dance-punk (LCD Soundsystem), and comedy (Conan O’Brien). One highlight should be The Flaming Lips performance of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon with Stardeath and the White Dwarfs on Friday night. Legendary artists Jeff Beck, Jimmy Cliff, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, and John Prine will perform this year at Bonnaroo as well.

Things are getting bigger and bigger for Brooklyn’s finest, The National, with the release of their 6th album, High Violet. The National are currently signed to 4AD, a British independent record label, but the band is still recieving a new level of media attention with High Violet. Bandmates Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, and Scott Devendorf are hitting the road hard this year with dates scheduled  in the US and Europe from June through November. Critics have hailed High Violet, much likes its predecessors, as another fine example of the band’s brilliance saying “The National rarely miss; when they aim for powerful or poetic, they get there.” The National have also been frequenting the late night television seen playing “Afraid of Everyone” on Dave Letterman and “Anyone’s Ghost” on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It’s great to see such a great indie band get the attention it deserves eleven years after their formation. Expect to be seeing a lot more The National.

With their refreshing 80’s new wave sound, The Drums have made their way across the Atlantic from New York City to the cover of NME,  the UK’s biggest music magazine. Labeled as part of “The American Invasion” of indie bands invading England, The Drums told the British paper that they are unafraid of crossing over to the main stream. The Drums sound like a really good 80’s new wave band, but don’t sound dated. Lead singer Jonathan Pierce is a completely unafraid performer. Displaying his unique dance moves in the bands video for their single “Best Friend”, Pierce is incredibly engaging. The Drums quickly became an underground sensation in New York City after moving there in 2009. Their self titled debut album will be released on June 7th on Island Records. The Drums will be opening for the Kings of Leon in London and supporting Florence & the Machine on her tour this summer.

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys will be touring both North America and Europe this year aggressively beginning on May 25th at The Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah. Having just released their seventh album, Brothers, on May 18th, the Black Keys will make stops in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Denver, and a few more cities before heading over to Europe. They will be playing shows in England, Ireland, France, Belgium, and Holland until they return to the State in July. To get a sneak peek of what you’ll see live, tune into Dave Letterman next Tuesday night to see them perform. Festivals The Black Keys will be playing include Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits Festival. To hear the lead single “Tighten Up” off Brothers and see a plastic T-Rex in action check out this clip.

Last night in Jacksonville 15,000 country music fans with Tim McGraw tickets entered Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. They left feeling like they got there money’s worth. McGraw ran through the hits including “I Like It, I Love It”, “Live Like You Were Dying”, and “The Cowboy In Me”, but also pulled out a surprise cover that got the crowd going crazy. With the help of Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Johnny Van Zant, McGraw rocked an awesome version of Sweet Home Alabama. The 43-year-old will be crisscrossing the United States up until August with supporting act Lady Antebellum. The three piece act, Lady Antebellum is one of the hottest new bands to make it big in Nashville in recent years, so die hard country fans will get to see two big acts for the price of one on the Southern Voice Tour. Go see Tim when he comes to your town, but don’t be surprised if he has a surprise for you.

Fox’s comedy/musical hit, Glee, is coming to the stage for a limited engagement four city tour this spring. The demand at the box office has inspired the show’s creators to add extra dates in Los Angeles and New York. The tour will be promoting the second of Glee’s first season on Fox which starts airing on April 13th. The tour will include performances from the majority of the cast expect for Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch. Glee: The Music, Volume 1 and Volume 2 are both certified gold in the US, selling over 2 million in downloaded material. The rest of the season should be entertaining with guest appearances from Madonna, Olivia-Newton John, and Neil Patrick Harris. Glee tickets are still available for purchase, but seats are being filled quickly. The tour makes stops in New York, LA, Phoenix, and Chicago.

One of the biggest touring acts this summer will undoubtedly be Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with the band heading out on a huge tour of North America in 2010. Petty & Co. will be promoting their first studio album in eight years, Mojo. There last album, The Last DJ, was torn apart in the press, so fans are hoping this album will live up to their expectations. Every fan who buys a ticket for the tour will receive a free download of two tracks of Mojo and eight live tracks once the tour is completed. Tom Petty & Heartbreakers have consistently been one of the most successful touring bands for their hit-heavy concerts. We could be seeing some big things from the boys from Gainesville this year.