I just returned from a Musical Sojourn in Porto, Portugal, a weeklong musical experience featuring ALO’s Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, Natalie Cressman and Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band and multiple other projects), Nikki Bluhm, members of Greensky Bluegrass, Fruition and Railroad Earth, and many other artists from the extended jam and bluegrass world. This was a unique and intimate event with six days and nights of musical tourism in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. (The entire musician list is at the end of this article.)

EO Worldwide, a new company founded by Matt Butler, presents ‘A Musical Sojourn in Porto’ in Porto, Portugal in October 2023. Best known as the founder and conductor of the Everyone Orchestra for over 20 years - conducting more than 1000 unique musicians amidst 500 shows - Matt Butler’s creative connection to the dynamic community of world-renowned musicians is the foundation for the distinctive musical connectivity of EO Worldwide's Musical Sojourns.

As an alternative to the traditional campout festival, the fourth 4848 Festival is once again offering festival and music lovers an evolved summer experience. Taking place July 13 - 15 atop Snowshoe Mountain in Snowshoe, WV (at 4848’ above sea level), patrons get everything a festival has to offer, while experiencing premier accommodations within the resort’s Mountain Village, complete with modern amenities atypical to a three-day summer festival.

4848 Festival performing artists include:

For fans of the jam, the end of the year represents some of the best opportunities for the live music experience. Whether it be Phish, The String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic or any host of improvisational groups with their multi-night events, ticket holders salivate at the possibilities of seeing shows night after night as well as the crown jewel of ear and eye candy that is December 31st.

A rollicking “Cumberland Blues,” the Appalachian-bluegrass-style Grateful Dead tune that opened the first of two shows at The Warfield in San Francisco on December 27, was a microcosm of the mighty capabilities of this formulation of Phil Lesh & Friends.

Performing at their improvisational best, Ghost Light stopped at Harlow’s in Sacramento on December 14, and their exploratory, psychedelic-tinged jams anchored within an passionate alt-rock fierceness and accentuated by plenty of instrumental peaks of intensity, highlighted the stretched-out nature of the symphonic selections bestowed on the visibly appreciative audience.

Today, Greensky Bluegrass are thrilled to announce the first ever, Camp Greensky Iceland. CGI will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland June 3-5 at the iconic Eldborg Hall, located within the Harpa Concert and Conference Centre.  A limited number of All Access ticket packages and Reserved Seating 3-day packages are available.  Pre-sale Lottery registration is now open at https://www.greenskyiniceland.com/presale.

After over two and a half years, the jam band super group Ghost Light finally returned to the New York City metro area last week. This absence was not by choice, as COVID-19 forced many cancellations for this band, including a 2022 winter tour that included an appearance at the iconic Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY. This quintet of all-star musicians took the delays in stride, and used the time to record their sophomore album, The Healing.

The inaugural Sacred Rose Fest is less than 2 weeks away. For the first time ever there will be a weekend full of music as diverse as the Grateful Dead in its current form. Phil Lesh playing with Nels Cline and Jeff Tweedy as well as Karl Denson, Stu Allen, Grahame Lesh, Jeff Chimenti, and Elliott Peck all in one headlining slot!?! Khruangbin, JRAD, Umphrey’s McGee, Disco Biscuits, Lotus, Elliott Peck’s Midnight North, Holly Bowling, and the Gone Gone Beyond are kicking it all off?!? The list is exciting and inviting.