Like many of today's bands, Umphrey's McGee has found itself debating the question of how to best release new music into the market. Some musicians and industry professionals have gone as far as to declare the album a dying format. Especially with younger music fans, the iPod and similar devices has changed the way they listen to music. They want to download their favorite songs and aren't as interested in buying full albums by their favorite artists. %u2028  

This wasn't a plentiful year for CD and DVD box sets, but there weren't many misses in this year’s crop of releases, either. Here are the best of the bunch to my ears and eyes, from Springsteen and Hendrix box sets to DVDs of legendary 'Soul Train' and 'T.A.M.I. Show' performances.  

The Country Throwdown Tour offers something new as the first traveling, all-day, multistage festival in mainstream Country. The most established act performing is Montgomery Gentry, who’s joined on the main stage by Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town (pictured) and Jack Ingram. Friday at Riverbend.  

Kevin Lyman has seen the future of Country music, and he's bringing it to an amphitheater near you in the form of the Country Throwdown Tour. Featuring a bill dominated by the scene's rising stars, the package tour on several levels embodies the new world Lyman expects the Country music industry and its artists to face in the not-distant future.  

The economy may have been in its worst recession since The Great Depression, but that didn’t stop record companies from putting out a bumper crop of box sets in 2009. Here’s a look at the best of the bunch, any of which would make great gifts this holiday season.   

Maybe record labels knew much sooner than Washington and the economic experts that hard times were coming, as 2008 will go down as one of the leanest of years for box sets. But here are several 2008 box sets that are worth the price (usually $50 and up), as well as some other releases that are good fits on this year’s shopping lists.  

It's been demonstrated time and again that the Warped Tour provides great exposure for Modern Rock bands. My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and the All-American Rejects are among the bands whose stints on Warped served as a springboard to major success. Add Mayday Parade to that list.  

It's been demonstrated time and again that the Warped Tour provides great exposure for Modern Rock bands that get to play on the tour. My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and the All-American Rejects are among the bands whose stints on Warped served as a springboard to major success. Add Mayday Parade to that list. They play Bogart's at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with All Time Low, The Maine and Every Avenue.  

"(Touring) again in America is actually quite refreshing," Harris said says in a recent phone interview. "You go back to basics again. You get reminded what it was like starting off in the U.K. And so that's exciting. "Obviously the rooms are smaller and the crowds are smaller, but it makes no difference," he continues.  

It might seem like a letdown for a group like The Kooks to tour the United States. The band is a major headliner in the U.K., playing prestigious festivals and arenas in that country, where its two albums, Inside In/Inside Out and their latest album Konk, have been million-selling hits. But stateside, The Kooks are playing clubs. They play Bogarts at 8 p.m. with guests The Whigs.