THE 2008 FESTIVAL SEASON BEGINS!

"10, 000 years can give you such a crank in the neck!" -Robin Williams as the all powerful genie in Disney's Aladdin.


I feel like we have been waiting FOREVER to launch RFW 2008. That almost sounds futuristic. After our Matt Costa reconnection, Ben and I went back to the drawing boards to plan out this coming year, festivals and start getting an idea of which ones would be legendary and which ones would probably fall short. With Bonnaroo throwing a curve ball with their lineup and Coachella keeping it simple in comparison to last years mega lineup, Roving Festival Writer assures you that we will let you know the ins and outs of the BEST fests of this year.

!!!!!MATT COSTA UPDATE!!!!

We have received a nice amount of emails both out of concern and awareness with the recent happenings surrounding Matt Costa. For those that are still unaware, Matt has had quite the difficult past weeks on tour with two significant events happening. First, I woke up to a message from Chris Fenn, the very kind manager of Matt, letting me and many others aware that Matt Costa's gear had been stolen. Instead of taking journalistic liberties with his words, here is a copy of the mass distributed message from Chris:

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"MATT COSTA GEAR STOLEN IN WINNIPEG! HELP REQUESTED!"

Dear Friends,
We need your help. At some point between 11:30PM on Saturday, February 16th and 12Noon on Sunday, February 17th the following pieces of musical gear and equipment were stolen from the inside of The Garrick Centre in Winnipeg, MB. All of the items listed below belong to Matt Costa and/or members of his band, the items had been locked inside The Garrick Centre for overnight storage as this was reportedly safer than leaving them in our trailer on the streets of Winnipeg.

Matt Costa – Stolen Gear List
(Winnipeg's Garrick Centre on 2/17/08)

1 each – Gibson J-45 Acoustic Guitar, Natural
1 each – Gibson ES335 Electric Guitar, Seafoam Blue
1 each – Epiphone EL-OO Acoustic Guitar, Sunburst, w/ Seymour Duncan Mag Mic Pickup
1 each – Fender Custom Shop Nocaster Relic Electric Guitar, Blonde
1 each – Fender Custom Shop 1963 Telecaster Relic Electric Guitar, Lake Placid Blue
1 each – 1953 Supro Lap Steel Guitar, Salmon Mother Of Pearl
1 each – Kentucky Mandolin, Sunburst
1 each – Fender Custom Shop 59' Relic Precision Bass Blonde
1 each – Ashdown EVOII500 Bass Head w/ Road Case
1 each - 1973 Marshall Lead Bass 20 Guitar Head w/ Orange Anvil Case
1 each - Fulltone Tube Tape Echo, Black, w/ Road Case
1 each - Calzone Briefcase w/ Boss Tuner, Sans Amp & Three Monster Cables
1 each – Anvil Briefcase
1 each – Countryman D.I.

There will be a reward for anyone that provides information leading to the recovery of any of these items and that person's identity will of course remain confidential.
Please contact Chris Fenn w/ any information, chris@mattcosta.com
Thanks in advance for your help.

Chris Fenn -

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As if that wasn't strenuous enough on the shoulders of Matt and his team, this past Wednesday on my way to the radio station, I received a second notice from Chris via Myspace, alerting everyone of a show cancellation in Madison, WI. Once again, here is the note (and pictures) Chris sent out at 4:00 p.m. on 02-20-08:

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Just a quick note to let you know that tonight's show in Madison, WI is canceled due to an unfortunate accident. On the way to Madison, Matt Costa's van & trailer slid off the road. Piano player, Jacob Sahagen was injured and is currently recovering from minor injuries at a local hospital. Of course we apologize for the cancellation of tonight's show and have every intention of resuming the tour in Chicago on Friday night at The Double Door. If you had plans of attending please know that we will do our best to make a timely return to your city. Thanks for your continued support and understanding. Chris-

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Wow- thank the higher powers that be that everyone made it out alright.

Yesterday, the Costa Camp released this statement :

Feb 22, 2008

Anyone with information related to the gear that was stolen from Matt Costa and his band at The Garrick Centre in Winnipeg, MB on the morning of February 17th should contact Detective Duncan Paterson with the Winnipeg Police Department.

Detective Duncan Paterson
(204) 986-7890
Any help recovering the items and/or apprehending the thieves is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
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So here is the deal - here @ RFW we are doing EVERYTHING in our power to make sure Matt has a FANTASTIC time in Ann Arbor, MI - home of the MI Wolverines and the conception town of Rufus Wainwright (a fun little fact I learned from his mother, folk gem and legend Kate McGarrigle). Tomorrow we are hitting the town with friends and fans alike, posting Matt Costa posters everywhere, asking random folk for opinions on tracks from his new album Unfamiliar Faces, trying to spread the awareness and love about Costa at another Ann Arbor Borders Bookstore appearance and show that evening at the Blind Pig.

Because of the new album, extensive tour schedule this year and newsworthy events, we are making Matt Costa a 2008 Spotlight Artist here at RFW. Check back to our site for information and updates directly from Matt and his team as we bring you the inside coverage of Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces 2008 tour.

First up - PART 1 of Matt Costa (upload coming shortly). Stay tuned for Borders show post wrap update (with media) as well as footage of Matt in Ann Arbor at the Blind Pig. Only here at RFW!

-Rashon A. Massey