Interviews

Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, perform with a well-honed and solid power – always in the groove from their years of experience and mutual inspiration.  From their days playing together as teenagers in the Washington, DC area, through years of inventive Psychedelic rock in San Francisco (1996 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, 2016 GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients), to their acoustic and electric blues sound, no one has more consistently led American music for the last 50 years than Jorma Ka

Ian Anderson, once and always front man of the legendary Jethro Tull is embarking on two major projects: a new album in which he and a British string quartet created of reworked Tull classics, as well as some major U.S. touring of a program dubbed, “Jethro Tull, performed by Ian Anderson.” Anderson took time recently to speak to Grateful Web via telephone.

GW: To help set the scene, from where are you speaking to me today? 

IA: My office in Southwest England.

The Nashville-based Wood Brothers are adroit practitioners of a timeless, exhilarating art. Like the mythical F.S. Walcott Rabbit’s Foot Minstrels, the Wood Brothers travel backroads and alleyways, opening hidden doors to magic places where music cures any disquieting ailment. Their authentic, American blend of blues, country, rock, gospel and R&B serves a satisfying account of the nation’s complex twisting of cultural roots.

There was a multitude of high profile musical gatherings taking place across Hollywood this weekend of the Grammys. Meanwhile, a fascinating musical discussion happened in front of a small, lucky crowd of fans and journalists on Thursday evening, February 9 at the Record Parlour in Hollywood.

Just over a year old and riding on the wave of their self-titled release, Cycles have discovered their role as a breathe of fresh air in the world of Jambands. Michael Wood, Patrick Harvey, and Tucker McClung meld to form one single powerful sonic force that’s been thrilling people around the country. Relentless touring has sharpened their skills and strengthened the musical bond between them.

Grateful Web recently had an enlightening chat with Don Strasburg. He’s a veteran promoter, talent-buyer and co-owner of Boulder’s Z2 Entertainment. Strasburg along with a group of other young entrepreneurs opened The Fox Theater in Boulder, Colorado in 1992. Ambitiously booking New Orleans funk-founders The Meters as their first gig, the rest is history and The Fox is one of America’s top intimate venue spaces.

Holly Bowling's latest release from Royal Potato Family titled 'Better Left Unsung' is a collection of classical solo piano improvisations and arrangements of the music of The Grateful Dead.

Bowling possesses a devotion to improvisational rock music and the vision to painstakingly transcribe “jam” masterworks note-for-note, arranging them for solo piano and improvising upon what was already written.

Still in her early twenties, there’s a sophisticated elegance that radiates around singer, songwriter and brass connoisseur Natalie Cressman. This rare aura can be felt not only through her demanding stage presence, or incredibly complex and layered compositions, but also through her kind, gentle tone and easy-going demeanor.

Grateful Web recently had a unique opportunity to speak with veteran psychedelic guitarist, producer and composer Henry Kaiser. Few have as vast of a musical resume as Kaiser, who has contributed to countless studio recordings both as bandleader and accompaniment. His inventiveness has additionally yielded a long list of film scoring credits and soundtrack work. While Kaiser is frequently busy and rarely promoting a certain singular work, Dylan Muhlberg focused the conversation on Kaiser’s potent new album Ocean of Storms.