The inaugural BeachLife Nights, a two-day “concert in the sand” presented on October 18 and 19 along the Redondo Beach waterfront, was an unmitigated success. A boutique version of the grander BeachLife Fest, which typically takes place in May, it featured eight bands with a concentration on reggae/roots-influenced rock, including Michael Franti & Spearhead, Iration, Fortunate Youth, SOJA, English Beat, and Anuhea.

What makes a great festival? Great bands are essential. A beautiful venue with plenty of space to spread out? That’s a bonus. And let’s not forget about vendors with delicious food and unique items to explore. But perhaps most importantly, a great festival has a spirit of community and a setting so inviting you’d visit even without a festival. Enter Bluegrass Island Music Festival in Manteo, North Carolina—probably the best festival you haven’t heard of, until now.

“You might say ‘Second Best’ was a song 30 years in the making,” says Aaron Burdett of his new single for Organic Records — his first release since 2022’s “Denver Plane,” which dropped shortly after he joined the award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers. Listeners with good memories will recall that the Rangers were name-checked in that humorous song, recorded just months before Burdett was offered the gig.

Goose's performance at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC, on October 25, 2024, was a poignant blend of artistry and altruism, held as a benefit for Hurricane Helene relief. In partnership with Conscious Alliance, the Connecticut-based rock band raised money in support of local organizations like BeLoved Asheville and Hearts with Hands, who are  providing immediate assistance to those in need following the devastation of Hurricane Helene.