After a summer playing dates with the likes of the Allman Brothers Band and Tedeschi Trucks, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals brought it all back home to Vermont for Grand Point North, the two-day music festival they host at Waterfront Park on the banks of Lake Champlain in downtown Burlington.

A side project of The Infamous Stringdusters, The Founding Fathers, Andy Falco and Chris Pandolfi combine their strings, pedals and whatever instrument is within reach to form as impressive of a duo as is out on the road today.  Their set:

Have A Cigar, Sitting on Top of the World, Ravi Shankar Jam>Listen To The Wind Blow>Ravi Shankar Jam, Fork in the Road, While My Guitar Gently Weeps

All the headliners delivered multiple performances that displayed why they were the headliners at Lockn’ Festival and all the up and comers gave performances that ensure that the state of the Jamband genre is in a very good place.  Much of the credit for the scene remaining so strong is due Phil Lesh.

Boston’s very own Boston Calling Music Festival proved to be an overwhelming success in its second round.  The skies were clear, the air crisp, and the breeze from the harbor was endlessly refreshing.  Once inside the event, attendees were greeted with not only the music coming from the stage but also with the smell of funnel cake, hamburgers, and french fries.  If that’s not enough to get your taste buds’ attention, the event also featured gourmet food stands such as a local flatbread company and a chicken-and-rice-themed vendor. 

There’s a lot to know about the who, what and why for this year’s Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Music Festival. The number one ‘who’ is you: you should be there. What? Yes…you. Why? Because Mulberry Mountain and all its musical wonder will never leave you, even if you eventually leave the mountain. The tagline for Wakarusa, another great festival on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas, is ‘Where music meets nature.’ That holds true for this festival, too.

Advannce tickets are now available for the exciting inaugural COASTLINE FESTIVAL taking place Saturday, November 9th in Tampa and Sunday, November 10th in West Palm Beach.  With all-day music on 2 stages, 11 bands, a wide array of food trucks, over 25 craft beers with a heavy tilt toward Florida’s own wildly popular hand craft brewers, and regionally renowned artists, COASTLINE FESTIVAL will have something for all.

In its first year WARMfest in Broad Ripple Park, Indianapolis, Indiana should be counted as a success. It was a great, and warm, way to spend my Labor Day Weekend. With six stages, one being a riverboat stage, this event was one of massive size and variety. I have been in Broad Ripple Park at least 20 times, and never realized how much space there truly was in my little town. WARMfest started off a bit rough on Saturday, getting rained out a few hours into the event.

The chill in the air and the familiar rumble of school buses tells us that summer is quietly coming to an end. If you were at Bumbershoot this past weekend, however, school lunches and winter jackets were far from a hot topic. In its 42nd year, Seattle’s music and arts festival was blessed with sunny skies, a distinct lineup, and its 7 millionth visitor ever.

Does the end of festival season leave you and your wallet feeling a little empty? Want to keep that great musical feeling going a little longer? Want to know how to do it at no cost to you? Want to know how to do all of this while helping kids in need? Well then my philanthropic, penny pinching, audiophile friend- The Life Is Good Festival, September 21st and 22nd at the fabulous Prowse Farm in Canton, MA can fulfill all of these needs and more. And did I mention the line-up?

In less than two weeks the beautiful grounds at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio will become alive again for the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival. September 12th-14th there will be a great family gathering featuring three sets of The Werks and tons of other great musicians along with camping, awesome venders, and some of the best people in the world.  This festival is truly a hidden gem in the Midwest jam band scene.Legend Valley is a great place to go for a festival.