Last week, the CMJ Music and Film Festival took over New York with over 900 concerts and daily panels with some of music’s top experts placing educated bets on where the music business is and where it is going. Buzz bands like Givers, the Postelles and the Duke Spirit were among the hottest acts, while label-, blog-, and artist-specific showcases featured the best of the up-and-coming talent.

Congratulations to rock ‘n roll photography mecca the Morrison Hotel Gallery for 10 years of showcasing some of the most iconic images in music! A celebration was held on October 13 at the Cutting Room in NYC. On hand for the celebration were a gaggle of venerable rock photographers including Mick Rock, Bob Gruen, and gallery co-owner Henry Diltz. The night included performances by the reunited Modern Folk Quartet, Tangiers Blues Band, Jonathan Edwards and more.

Sad news: the UK folk hero Bert Jansch died on October 5 following a long battle with lung cancer. Jansch, who was known as “the British Bob Dylan,” was a founding member of Pentangle, an alternative folk band that inspired future musicians like Pete Doherty and Paul Simon. In 2003, Jansch was included in Rolling Stone’s “Top 100 Guitarists of All Time” list, as well as Elmore's recent list of Twenty Great Guitarists You May Have Missed.. His last solo album, The Black Swan, was released to critical acclaim in 2007.

The music community experienced another tragedy on October 12 when longtime Charlie Daniels Band keyboard player Joel “Taz” DiGregorio was killed in a single-car accident near Nashville. DiGregorio was en route to meet the band’s bus on the way to a gig at the Cumming Country Fair. In addition to serving as a band member for over 40 years, he co-wrote some of the most well-known CDB songs, including “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” He was 67 years old.

What rocker opened a pay-what-you-wish restaurant in a former auto-body shop in central New Jersey on October 19? If you guessed the Boss, think again. It’s the Garden State’s other native son, Jon Bon Jovi. Called The Soul Kitchen, it’s a spin-off of a soup kitchen where Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea, regularly volunteer. But the restaurant isn’t just for those in need of a good meal – anyone can come and eat and contribute what they wish. “If you want to make a difference, leave a $20 in the envelope on the table,” Bon Jovi told Entertainment Weekly. “This is not a soup kitchen. You can come here with the dignity of linens and silver, and you’re served a healthy, nutritious meal.”

Thank You For Smoking actor Aaron Eckhart has been cast as Dennis Wilson in The Drummer, a film about the former Beach Boy’s life. Eckhart is reportedly taking piano and drum lessons to prepare for the role, and will do his own singing. Co-produced by Carl B. and Jennifer Wilson, Dennis’ children, the film will be directed/written by the duo responsible for the smash film Bottle Shock, Randall Miller and Jody Savin. The biopic will focus on the time around Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue album up until his 1983 drowning death. It’s expected to film next spring and summer.

Back on the Farm: How Nelson, Mellencamp, Young and Farm Aid helped save farms. Got food? Thank a farmer.

Opening Act: Snippets, some fun, some sad. Guess-the-covers test, mobsters, BBQ and fond goodbyes

Kickin’ in Your Stall: Carl Gustafson reminds tour managers to mind their manners

Influences: Sons of musicians make music with their kid brothers; Don Everly and Luther Dickinson draw on Dad’s influence and make it their own

On The Record: The North Mississippi Allstars pay tribute to their own guiding star, Jim Dickinson, father of two of the Allstars and guiding light to many a record career, with Keys to the Kingdom. Others are headed elsewhere, e.g., Popa Chubby Back To New York City, Mason Jennings to Minnesota; Chris Isaak catches a shuttle to Beyond the Sun, JJ Grey and Mofro head for Brighter Days, while the Parlor Mob goes to the Dogs. George Strait is only Here for a Good Time, but Patti Smith, predictably, goes Outside Society. Keep the faith, Patti!

 Re.Issues: Charles “Packy” Axton, sideman saxophonist, was virtually unknown outside Memphis, but a reissue may help spread the word. Elvis, Miles Davis and Paul McCartney need no boost, but return in better form. Blues pioneer Alberta Hunter’s reissue should produce new fans

Pet Sounds: Sunny summer songs for gloomy winter days

What’d I Say: Jim Hynes pinpoints game-changing albums for five rising artists

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning: John Kuroski goes inside the Wall of Sound

Also Appearing: Read Carl Gustafson’s wild tales of life as a bluesman in It Ain’t Just Blues, It’s Showtime, then hear audience-participation stories of the Felice Brothers, Beirut and the Mickey Hart Band

Collecting: The Detroit sound has distinct voices—Mitch Ryder pioneered one of them. Arnie Goodman spins essential Detroit Wheels