Keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman has two reasons to celebrate. First, his outstanding career in music has just been recognized by Queen Elizabeth II, who named him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in her recent annual Birthday Honours.

And secondly, after 18 months of lockdown in the UK, he is finally able to announce the long-delayed follow-up to 2019’s sell-out The Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour with - The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour!

Culture Factory releases the vinyl John Hurlbut and Jorma Kaukonen: The River Flows Volume Two (CFU-01200) on Record Store Day July 17, 2021. Recorded last summer along with Volume One, this album continues along the same path. "Guitar maestro Kaukonen shares top billing with singer/guitarist John Hurlbut in a downhome session of remarkable six-string storytelling” said Sterophile and No Depression revealed "Kaukonen and Hurlbut view music as a conversation … What we hear in this acoustic marvel is an intimate tête-à-tête celebrating 40 years of friendship."

A hard-driving guitarist, singer & songwriter, Damon Fowler’s music is steeped with soul and representative of the many styles that make up American music's roots. He has gained his peers' respect given his featured slot in Butch Truck's Freight Train band and his side gig as guitarist in the Dickey Betts Band. Critics have compared Fowler's guitar work to Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck, while his slide guitar is reminiscent of the late Duane Allman.

With a new president, vaccines rolling out, and massive cultural changes underway, most of us are looking for a moment just to breathe. But not Joe Troop. As the GRAMMY-nominated bandleader for Che Apalache, Troop didn’t stop even for a second as COVID ravaged a whole year’s worth of performance dates. Instead he took to the rural roads of North Carolina and the American South, pushing to get out the vote among rural progressives and interviewing those most affected by Trump’s horrific policies.

Same Same But Different Festival just released phase-2 of its highly anticipated lineup, and although this year's events will look slightly different, it is gearing up for a four-day camping festival unlike any other. Phase-2 of the lineup includes artists such as STS9, LSDREAM, The Motet, Sunsquabi, Dirtwire, and more.

One of the foremost faces of the current progressive jazz movement, 2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated drummer/composer/producer Nate Smith has announced the release of his inspired new album, Kinfolk 2: See The Birds. The highly anticipated follow-up to 2017’s GRAMMY® Award-nominated Kinfolk: Postcards From Everywhere arrives via Edition Records on Friday, September 17; pre-orders are available now.