After a downright cold and sometimes chaotic night during the opening of the Bonnaroo campgrounds, the festival began to run much more smoothly as the gates of Centeroo opened just after noon on Thursday, June 13th. Partly cloudy skies gave way to an unseasonably pleasant and chilly afternoon as many of the 80,000 people attending the sold-out event swarmed into the concert area. Bonnaroo has become a virtual gathering of musical tribes from different generations.

Not much has been heard from Grace Potter since her appearance last year at her signature music festival, Grand Point North, a small-scale two-day fest staged on the edge of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. Potter was going through a host of personal changes in 2017 and had put music aside for much of the year. But she was back on stage this weekend, headlining both nights of the fest with a new – and very able – backing band, and debuting a handful of songs slated for a forthcoming album that Potter hopes to release in 2019. 

After a surprisingly dry and sunny first day on Mulberry Mountain, Wakarusa is off to a great start. The impending doom of rain made some people prepare a little bit more for this weekend. And maybe they'll have prepared for a reason, because there's rain on the horizon today (Friday).

Upon first listening to Caroline Rose’s America Religious (releasing July 2), I found it fresh and catchy. On my second listen, I settled in and it opened up to me – or I to it. In the lyrics I found political and social commentary nestled into the metaphors, and a little bit more of a lead foot as I drove down the road. I found a friend in her music; one who thinks similarly to me and who cares about the big picture and all its little breath-beings.

After setting out on a drive that became a near-endless journey traversing across the thick and thin of Middle America, Caroline Rose returned back east with books full of stories and poems that would become the songs of America Religious, a record that delves neck-deep in topics most people wouldn’t dare to discuss at the dinner table.

After setting out on a drive that turned into a near-endless journey criss-crossing the back roads of Middle America, Caroline Rose returned back east with books full of stories and poems that would become the songs of America Religious, a record that delves neck-deep in topics most people wouldn’t dare to discuss at the dinner table.

America Religious is a 12-track collection of stories and poetry set against a gritty landscape of Roots-inspired Rock, Americana, Folk, Gospel, and Rhythm & Blues. Caroline Rose and partner Jer Coons cover all elements from production and recording to mixing and engineering, as well as playing nearly all the instruments themselves (lap steel, cello, organ, mandolin, and drums to name a few).