We’re on the ninth week of Pickathon’s A Concert A Day and we’re rolling right into June with a ton of momentum thanks to all the donations that have been pouring in for MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund! We’ve got a special lineup this week as well, with Americana eclecticists Rising Appalachia who just laid down a great Tiny Desk Concert at NPR.

Deren Ney was inspired to pick up his first ax at a young age thanks to the 1985 classic movie, Back To The Future starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Over the years Ney has taken his lead guitar skills throughout the country touring with Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers. Grateful Web’s Christopher Snyder was able to catch up with Deren.

GW: How are you doing overall? Times are strange.

The Avett Brothers have announced they will make their debut appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on June 4th. They will be performing a song never performed on television from their 10th studio album Closer Than Together which was released last fall to critical acclaim.

Brandi Carlile will perform her GRAMMY Award-winning breakthrough album By The Way, I Forgive You in its entirety this coming Monday, June 1 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT via Veeps.com. Held on her birthday, the virtual concert is Carlile’s first full public performance held during quarantine with all proceeds benefiting her band and crew. Tickets are now available at brandicarlile.veeps.com.

As the wheels of the Grateful Dead keep turning, two of its founding members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, have found themselves traveling on different paths. Weir is currently a member of the supergroup Dead & Company with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, frequent collaborator Jeff Chimenti, and two other Grateful Dead members Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. Phil Lesh on the other hand operates the Dead-themed venue Terrapin Crossroads and performs with an ever-rotating cast of musicians in Phil Lesh and Friends.

The Fort Collins Musicians Association (FoCoMA), Odell Brewing, and Sustain Music & Nature have come together to produce a brand new, social distancing friendly concert series at the historic Holiday Twin Drive-In Theater. The summer live music series called the “FoCoMX Drive & Jive” will bring live music to the big screen every Tuesday night all summer long. The series will kick off on June 9th and will feature Northern Colorado bands playing live music to audiences safely watching from their cars.