Artists
Cuthbert Amphitheater on a beautiful early fall evening, a waxing moon shining through low scattered clouds, and Dark Star Orchestra kicking off the Fall Tour West...Nope, doesn't get much better than that. Although known for their awesome recreations of historic Grateful Dead shows, every now and then DSO will roll their own set lists at their audience like a pair of loaded dice and tonight was one of those shows.
In what has been one of their most prolific years in recent memory, The String Cheese Incident will kick off their 2015 Fall Tour in the Midwest October 14th and 15th with a two-night stand at the Skyway Theater in Minneapolis, marking their first return to the Twin Cities in nearly 13 years.
The genre of Jamtronica has its roots in unexpected places. Filled with elements of jazz, fusion and funk as well as club, dance and techno music. These are the descriptors of Jamtronica heavy weights and progenitors The New Deal. After over a decade of heavy touring and an unexpected hiatus, The New Deal is back and filled inspiration. I was lucky enough to catch The New Deal at the legendary Ogden Theater in Denver, CO.
Def Leppard's inaugural fan cruise, "Hysteria on the High Seas"--a four-day, four-night voyage out of Miami this January 21-25, aboard the MSC Divina--has announced a number of updates this week as the cruise is on the verge of selling out.
Tonight, Friday, September 25, Boulder, CO-based group BIG GIGANTIC will take the stage at the first of two sold-out nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. It's been a long road for saxophonist/producer Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken to "ROWDYTOWN IV," the fourth installment of their massive hometown experience. Their journey is beautifully captured in Dream Big: A Big Gigantic Story<
Playful yet angsty, soulful but light; the dual essence of California’s golden coast filled an almost sold out Bluebird Theater Monday night. If you’ve ever been to the beaches of Los Angeles at night, you know the warm, hazy magic that happens once the sun sets. The vibe is free, open - but underneath the surface people can be just as broken as they are elsewhere.
Music’s favorite pin up girl Heather Ballentine has released her debut album, The Cat’s Meow on Cool Cat Records and was produced by U.S. roots music legend and Grammy winner Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Roy Orbison, Lucinda Williams). The video for the current single “Kiss Me” showcases her 10 piece band including horns and her endearing performance style. https://youtu.be/TFWrSbqHKIY
ON THE BLUE--a leader in music cruise charter innovation--has officially announced their new craft beer and music cruise, titled THE LEBREWSKI CRUISE, the first cruise to marry craft beers and music from around the country, sailing out of Miami aboard the Norwegian Pearl from March 1-5, 2016.
Banjo player extraordinaire Danny Barnes is the 2015 recipient of the 6th annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Described as "one of a kind" and widely acknowledged as "one of the best banjo players in America," Barnes is recognized for his experimental sound. The raw and unpolished musical breadth of his compositions has propelled him across the industry today.
