On the Beat: New Music From Phish and a Family Folk Affair in Grafton

Living in the spawning grounds of jam-band giants Phish has some funny side effects. For instance, if the number of locals in their forties and fifties taking sudden trips to Las Vegas has been on the rise in the past month — probably in tandem with TSA confiscations of THC edibles — that's because the Phab Phour just wrapped up a four-show residency at the new, cutting-edge venue, Sphere. All those fans traveling to Sin City to get lost in the sauce can enjoy a fresh catch: The band released a new single, "Evolve," earlier this month. A mid-tempo rocker featuring smooth harmonies and a surprisingly succinct run time of just more than four minutes, the tune is a harbinger of a brand-new full-length LP, also titled Evolve, that drops on Friday, July 12. With the announcement came news of a summer tour, launching in July with a show in Mansfield, Mass. Two families steeped in the folk music tradition will play a double bill in Grafton on Saturday, May 4. Noted music journalist John Lomax III, a member of one of the most famous families in the history of the genre, is bringing his "Lomax on Lomax" show to the Brick Meeting House. In a sort of jukebox musical, Lomax sings classics such as "Home on the Range" and "Red River Valley." Opening the show is another famous folk family, the Speckers, featuring fiddle legend John Specker and his daughters, Ida Mae and Lila. Tickets are available for $20 at the door the night of the performance. Eye on the Scene Last week's highlights from photographer Luke Awtry The High Breaks, Jay Peak Pump House Indoor Waterpark, Jay, Saturday, April 20: It usually takes a lot of convincing to get me out of Burlington for an entire day. But on Friday night, while we were backstage at Higher Ground (happy birthday, DJ Craig Mitchell!), guitarist Matt Hagen mentioned that his surf band the High Breaks were playing a "beach party" at Jay Peak the following afternoon. Though I tend to prefer a nice, mellow high behind closed doors with a guitar or cat within reach, the spontaneous decision to head north for a 420 water park adventure was the right one. What a scene. The band played in the bar area, and its sound carried all the way across the park to the top of the…