The 7th annual John Hartford Memorial Festival is in the books. We thought year 6 was great, well folks, you outdid yourselves. You brought friends that you love, and we grew. The general feeling was one of family and safety, and always, "laid back". Factor in the reason why you came and the reason why we do this. Music. The music of our namesake John Hartford, the music of our performers, our contestants, and your music.

After dropping a first phase lineup which boasted two nights of STS9, two nights of Lettuce and nearly 40 additional artists, Gem & Jam Festival continues to surpass the lofty levels set last year.

The three day music festival and carnival wrapped up Sunday night headlining a 90's punk band reunion performance with The Jawbreaker. This being the first time they have played together in 21 years. Seemingly an unimaginable feat, festival organizers have been able to tap into their deep connections again. Last year they got The Misfits to reunite. This speaks to the raw dedication and deep ties that the partnering organizers have forged over the years.

Trey Anastasio Band closed out Grace Potter’s Grand Point North festival in Burlington, Vermont last night. In years past, Potter has headlined both Saturday and Sunday night at the Festival. This year, Potter headlined Saturday night while turning over that spot to Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) on Sunday. (Grace performed a full set immediately before Trey.) This was the first show for TAB in Burlington since in October, 2011. Potter has performed on several bills with Anastasio over the years.

Today, SnowGlobe Music Festival released its highly anticipated artist lineup for the festival’s 7th annual New Year’s Eve celebration in South Lake Tahoe, California on December 29-31, 2017. The premiere 3-night outdoor festival returns to its home in the sublime Sierra Nevada Mountains hosting over 50 artists performing on 3 stages, culminating with a breathtaking fireworks display to ring in 2018 with style.

Whither Grace Potter? After more than a decade of constant touring, the Vermont-based rock n’ roller has been all but absent from the stage for the last year. She returned this weekend to host Grand Point North, the annual mini-festival on the waterfront in Burlington, VT, that was started in 2011 when her calling card read Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Like Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing, I have emerged from my Labor Day cocoon called North Coast Music Festival. In its 8th year, NCMF returned to Union Park Chicago for a real good time. Union Park is far from the commercial grade Grant Park of Lollapalooza. It’s more like the park that Will Smith sings about in Summertime, the 1996 classic Fresh Prince tune. It’s the kind with the basketball courts and girls playing double dutch and the smells of the grill sparking up nostalgia.

On the weekend of September 23 and 24, Williamsburg will be the place to be for jamband fans. Brooklyn Comes Alive, the multi-venue music festival that began in 2015, is returning this year with an expanded production that’s sure to make for a whole lot of incredible music and more than a few tough decisions. A wealth of supergroups, unique collaborations, and tribute sets throughout the lineup have left us without a clue of what to expect and all the more excited for it.

The 17th-annual Midpoint Music Festival (MPMF) has announced stage assignments and performance times for all participating performing acts. MPMF is a two-day festival event happening Saturday and Sunday, September 23-24, 2017 in downtown Cincinnati at the Taft Theatre, Cincinnati Masonic Center, and on an outdoor stage on 5th Street.

This year’s Louisville Kentucky’s Bourbon and Beyond Festival is being held September 23rd to 24th combines the best of music, drink and food. What better place to have a music festival revolving around Bourbon than Louisville Kentucky? The early forecast of upper 70 degrees for the weekend looks to be a beautiful one and the perfect time of year.