I saw great sets by Jerrod Simpson and Gypsy Wind, playing wicked bluegrass and something I always love to hear, Grateful Dead songs.

The Dunedin Community Garden provides a place where individuals and families can successfully grow their own fresh, healthy produce and socialize with other gardeners, run by a group of dedicated community members who love to garden. The garden also includes specially positioned ADA plots for community members with disabilities. The Community Garden Association offers expert gardening advice through workshops and seminars and has tools and wheelbarrows for loan to members who want to use them. It's purpose is to offer organic garden space to the people of Dunedin who share a common interest in gardening and to serve as an educational resource for students, schools and the community, to build the community through gardening and to expand and improve Dunedin's green spaces.

To participate, gardeners must follow organic gardening principles and refrain from using any pesticides or herbicides. They are also encouraged to donate excess produce to local food banks or their neighbors. Garden plots can be rented out for the year for a fee of $25 plus a refundable $25 deposit, and a commitment to contribute volunteer hours to overall garden improvement. For more information or to become a member, contact the Dunedin Community Garden Association at (727) 733-2928.

Comic Books and Rock and Roll are the themes for the upcoming Super Sidekick Records Super Power Happy Hour on Friday, April 8 at The Local 662. The label's press and publications showcase will feature their newest band, Escape Tonight, and even includes free beer. The first 100 guests will get a 12 oz bottle of specially brewed Super Sidekick IPA.

Escape Tonight and Super Sidekick associates, No Inside will play along with From This Fire, FLF from Ft. Myers and more.There will be booths for all the bands, Super Sidekick, Chalmers Brewing Co., Ace High Printing (http://acehighprinting.com), and Vocess Art & Music Magazine, Drunk Dialing with Slackertown (http:/slackertown.com) and a live podcast booth with Q's House Radio (http:'qshouse.com). VIP Ticket packages are available for $35 for 2 passes, door entry is $10, $8 in advance. For tickets and more information about Super Sidekick, visit supersidekickrecords.com. You can check out all the Super Sidekick bands there and order copies of their ongoing comic book saga, The Adventures of Super Russ, named after founder Russell Fama.

Exene Cervenka released her new album, The Excitement of Maybe on March 8. Punk news.org called it "a beautiful album, resplendent with a sound that is almost impossible not to enjoy." The album features Dave Alvin from The Blasters and The Knitters on guitar.

"I listened to love songs on the AM radio in an old 1959 Dodge," Exene said about the all love song folk and alt. country album. "It the early sixties heard song after great song, and almost all of them love songs. Sad ones, happy ones, funky ones, tragic ones. That's what the five-year-old Exene figured out. But love on the other hand, I can't seem to figure out.

"I work hard to create songs people want to hear," she said. "I write from a very emotional place. It doesn't matter what you're writing about -- some guy long gone, your husband -- but the songs ultimately are about (the listener). The word "I" doesn't mean you're singing about yourself, it means giving someone to sing along to."

Exene talked more about The Excitement of Maybe and her belief that folk is the new punk rock in an interview with OC Weekly before her Mar. 11 benefit performance for Sweet Relief. "I love it when people get together," she said. "I think that's the essence of punk rock. It's not the music and the fashion. It's not superficial."

"Punk Rock was an alarm we were sounding that things were going to be bad unless we did something to change it," she said. "How are The Knitters punk rock? How is Johnny Cash, the most punk rock person of all time, punk rock. It's about a revolutionary way of thinking. It's anti-corporate and human rights oriented..."
Exene moved to Orange County two years ago. The album was written in her new home there, where she says it is easy for her to organize shows. She will host a monthly music showcase at a clothing store in Orange, CA called Moonlight Graham beginning in April.

The benefit for Sweet Relief, a musician's fund that provides financial assistance to career musicians struggling while they face illness, disability or age-related problems, is an act of giving back, she said, after their assistance to her during her bout with MS.

"Insurance is impossible to get after you've been diagnosed," she said. 'They're really good about getting the money to whoever needs it, and I support them in every way."

Cervenka said she is not currently debilitated by the disease. "There are a wide range of symptoms that come from MS," she said. "and right now it's not affecting me. Some people don’t even know they have it. I'm extremely lucky that I"m out working, and if I have to stop, I'll stop.

Exene performed six shows at the SXSW Festival in Austin last month and covered the event in a daily tour journal for Heard Mentality, the OC Weekly's Music Blog. One of her performances was for WMNF on a stage for Florida bands, "...because I'm from Florida and they were nice to ask me..." She later named The Sleepy Vikings her favorite band from the event. She also sat in with The Old 97s at their show at Antones with Emmy Lou Harris, playing "Four Leaf Clover," a song she
says they play together every time they are in the same town.

Her SXSW journal is an excellent chance to see America's oldest music festival from an experienced insider's view. "It's the 25th year of SXSW. I think I've done at least 10 of these." she writes. "I love Austin and I love SXSW, even though it's a tough gig in some ways. But where can you walk to the restaurant next to your hotel and see Roky Erickson playing with Billy Gibbons." You can read her SXSW journal online here.

Exene is on tour in support of The Excitement of Maybe through April 22 with Kevin Seconds of Seven Seconds.

Soundgarden just released their first live album ever, Live on I-5, on Mar. 22. The album, taken from the West Coast side of their 1996 tour, is a collection they have always intended to release and finally have. And, it contains a cover of The Stooges "Search and Destroy." The band invited their fans to stream the album from its website for free in the days leading up to its release.

The Track Listing in full is 1. Spoonman / 2. Searching With My Good Eye Closed / 3. Let Me Drown, All recorded live at Crosby Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, CA , November 30, 1996 / 4. Head Down recorded live at Mercer Arena, Seattle, WA on December 18, 1996 / 5. Outshined, recorded live at Crosby Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, CA on November 30, 1996 / 6. Rusty Cage recorded live at Pacific National Exhibition Forum, Vancouver, BC, Canada on December 7, 1996 / 7. Burden In My Hand recorded live at Salem Armory, Salem, OR, December 8, 1996 / 8. Helter Skelter / 9. Boot Camp, Both recorded live at Crosby Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, CA, November 30, 1996 / 10. Nothing To Say, recorded live at Mercer Arena, Seattle, WA – December 18, 1996 / 11. Slaves And Bulldozers / 12. Dusty / 13. Fell On Black Days, All recorded live at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA on December 5, 1996 / 14. Search And Destroy, recorded live at Mercer Arena, Seattle, WA on December 18, 1996 / 15. Ty Cobb, recorded live at Crosby Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, CA on November 30, 1996 / 16. Black Hole Sun. recorded live at Mercer Arena, Seattle, WA on December 17, 1996 / 17. Jesus Christ Pose. recorded live at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA on December 5, 1996

On Feb. 15 the band announced that they will be releasing new material soon and already have some cool new songs.

Meanwhile, SG singer Chris Cornell took off on his solo acoustic Songbook tour on Fri. Mar. 25.

"There's this kind of thought that has always followed me which was, 'How much of a musician are you, really, if you can't just walk into a room, pick up an instrument and entertain people by yourself by playing some songs," he told Billboard.com in an interview released the day before the tour's start.

In the article he said that he had enjoyed his solo acoustic performances onstage with Audioslave and Soundgarden. "It gave the audience a break from the sonic assault, he said. 'I guess there was something about that I liked."

He also talked about recording Soundgarden's new album in his studio in Seattle. "We're pretty far into our record now," he said. 'I don't really know how to describe it musically...it's very diverse. I can tell you that."

"We went into this with the idea that we wouldn't worry about scheduling or timing. We would worry about making a great record," he said.

Bootsy Collins was recently named Mayor of Funk's Capital in an excellent interview on WNYC's Soundcheck about his new album, The Funk Capital of The World. You can stream the interview here or download it to enjoy at leisure.

The Tubes will release a digitally remastered version of The Completion Backward Principle on April 5 with bonus tracks "Tube Talk," "What's Wrong With Me," "Sport Fans" and "Gonna Get It Next Time" and new liner notes by rock journalist Brett Milano and recent interviews with Fee Waybill and Roger Steen. The 1981 album produced the #7 US Single for The Tubes, "Talk To You Later." They're on tour now in the East and will be playing in California all summer. Read about their adventures at http://thetubes.com/news. Did you know that Vince Welnick, later of The Grateful Dead, was a founding member of the Tubes and remained in the band until 1979 when he left to tour with Todd Rundgren? It's true. He joined The Dead in 1980.

Dan Bern recently wrote some songs for the CW Show, "Hellcats." The first, "Born On Halloween," aired on Mar. 1 sung both by the actresses on the show and by Dan. Get more info on the Hellcats site.

Our own beloved Variety Workshop have been named the Official Festival Opener for this year's Sunfest in West Palm Beach, April 27- May 1. VW kicks off Florida's largest waterfront music and art festival, now in its 29th year, on the Bank of America stage at 5 pm Wednesday, while Bobby Lee Rodgers starts things off on the Tire Kingdom Stage. The Funky Seeds will play on Sunday on the BOA stage.

Sunfest headliners this year include MGMT, Cee Lo Green, The Avett Brothers, Sublime with Rome, Greg Allman, Circa Survive, Mann Feat. Rock It Scientists and Jason Mraz, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Earth, Wind and Fire, Jeff Beck and even Styx.

The headliner schedule is :
Wed., April 27: The Supervillains/ Sublime with Rome, evening, Bank Of America Stage / The Avett Brothers, evening, Tire Kingdom Stage

Thurs., April 28: Brooke Fraser / Jason Mraz, evening, Bank of America Stage / Cee Lo Green, evening, Tire Kingdom Stage

Fri., April 29: Circa Survive / Anberlin / Taking Back Sunday, evening, Bank of America Stage / Cherry Poppin’ Daddies / Gregg Allman, evening, Tire Kingdom Stage / Mann featuring Rock It! Scientists / Mike Posner, evening, FPL Stage
Sat., April 30: Miami’s Panic Bomber / Ziggy Marley / Never Shout Never, afternoon, Bank of America Stage / Toad the Wet Sprocket, afternoon, FPL Stage / Styx, evening, Tire Kingdom Stage / MGMT, evening, Bank of America Stage / Prince Royce, evening, FPL Stage

Sun., May 1: O.A.R., afternoon, Bank of America Stage / Preservation Hall Jazz Band, afternoon, Tire Kingdom Stage / Sick Puppies, afternoon, FPL Stage / Earth, Wind & Fire, evening, Bank of America Stage /
Neon Trees, evening, FPL Stage / Jeff Beck, evening, Tire Kingdom Stage

Visit http://www.sunfest.com/ for more info and tickets.

In related news, when I was talking to Evan B of Variety Workshop at Mardi Gras, he told me about his new project, Fuck Yeah, with Brad from VW and Evan Gilmore from The Taints on bass. Look for their first shows soon.

The Bounce House, the new band started by Ben Plott of The Trio, plays their first full show at Jollimons on April 9.

Festival fun will continue with The Second Annual Orange Blossom Jamboree at The Sertoma Youth Ranch Music Park in Brooksville, Fri. May 20 to Sun. May 22 with the following sick lineup:
Friday May 20
Fungus Garden Reverb, 11 am / Bride of Chaotica, 12 pm / BlessEd, 1 pm / The Halifax Contraband, 2 pm / Greenland is Melting, 3 pm / The Human Condition, 4 pm / Amy Hendrickson & Prime Directive, 5 pm / Johnny Cakes & 4 Horsemen, 6 pm / Skull and Bone, 7 pm / Middle Rhythm Session, 8 pm / Funky Seeds, 9 pm / Robot Ears, 10 pm / Cope, 11 pm / ALL CAPITAL KYLE, 12:30 am /
Saturday May 21
Hand Drumming Class, 10 am / New Gravity, 10:30 am / Burlington Breeze Project, 11:25 am / The Transfers, 12:20 pm / Elephant Gun, 1:15 pm / The Onvi Sound System, 2:10 pm / Honey Henny Lime, 3:05 pm / funkUs, 4 pm / SoSoS.5 pm / Saltwater Grass, 6 pm / Crazy Fingers, 7 pm / Green Sunshine, 8 pm / 3rd Stone, 9 pm / Cypress, 10 pm / The Heavy Pets, 11 pm / Legacy, 12:30 am /
Sunday, May 22
ChiGong Meditation Class, 9 am / Scholars Word, 9:30 am / Wester Joseph, 10:30 am / VeeFinger, 11:30 am / Legacy, 12:30 pm / The Rooze, 1:30 pm / Coolest Campsite Award, 2:30 pm / Worldwide Zoo, 2:45 pm / 3rd Stone, 4 pm
Advance tickets are $45 for a weekend pass, which includes all the music and two nights of camping. Water and electric upgrades are available for an additional $40 in advance. Kids 12 and under are free with a paid adult admission. According to their website, Brooksville's beautiful Sertoma Youth Ranch is one of the nicest places to camp anywhere with plenty of clean restrooms and hot showers.

Visit the OBJ website for more information or to purchase tickets, www.orangeblossomjamboree.com or email orangeblossomjamboree@live.com.

Well, that's all for now. See you out soon I hope! XOXOXOX