1. Gregg Allman looks like the kind of people he sings about. This isn’t meant in a disparaging way. The man just has a lot of miles on his face – character lines, you could call them. And you feel that each line and crag in that face could tell a hundred stories. I’m not sure if Mick Jagger lives a single line in any of his songs anymore. But you get the feeling Gregg Allman still does. “I don’t own the clothes I’m wearing, and the road goes on forever.”2.

No other performer in bluegrass, living or dead, has shown more devoted revere for their specific roots than Del McCoury. When I interviewed Del for Grateful Web last year he explained that though he is thrilled that bluegrass is bigger today than it was back in the 40s and 50s, that nothing could replace that 50,000 watt clear channel radio station that aired performances from the Grand Ole’ Opry.

Type I: “I highly recommend getting this show. It blows night one out of the water. Man, now I can't wait for tomorrow after that display.” - Red

Type II: “Not bad 3 day run. expected way more from the boys knowing the 2012 shows were epic. Highlights: Sand, Piper, Chalkdust, legalize it, divided sky, moma dance. other than that tho average shows.” – dude

If Sound Tribe Sector 9 got a case of the spits, if “Coffee” and “Smithereens”-era El-P was swallowed by Deep Medi Musik, if RJD2 dosed yellow instead of smoking his jazzy tea—there you’ve got something close to Lotus’ new effort, Monks.It’s unsurprising that the veteran act’s production is top-notch as they bite their own studio pipeline for samples and breaks to create a thoro

Friday, August 16^th, 2013, at White River State Park in Indianapolis was perhaps my favorite night of the STUMS9 tour so far.  Maybe I love it so much it’s because it is in my hometown, but White River State Park is a great place to see a show. It was a beautiful summer night, not too hot, like it was last year, and there were wispy clouds in the sky.  The stage is set in downtown Indianapolis off of the canal that runs through the city.

The word “supergroup” has lost meaning in the music world. It’s been replaced by words such as “side project” or “collaboration” or “a bunch of friends.” Without trying to sound too curmudgeonly, they just don’t make supergroups like the Traveling Wilburys anymore. The closest thing we’ve gotten in the last few years was Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne. No doubt it was huge, but we all knew it was a one-time thing. While Kanye and Jay-Z are friends, both of them promote their own brand above all else.

There is nothing sneaky but plenty that is sly about the talents of the Henhouse Prowlers.  With the new album, Breaking Ground, the Henhouse Prowlers are musical examples of the expression, “old soul”.  They would fit right in barnstorming with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, playing the Grand Ole Opry with Flatt and Scruggs…suit and ties and all…or sharing a festival stage with Old and in the Way.  Combine that ability with their youthful, high energy live performances and you get a band that is bound to cover much mo

Bruce Hornsby is an American treasure who continues to be more than obliging when it comes to giving the people what they want.  From 1980’s pop star to worrying some folks at a nearby outdoor venue in 2013 regarding this show drawing “too many Hippies”, his career achievements stretch far and wide.  The collaborations over 30 years are truly impressive, varied and extensive with prime examples being Don Henley,

Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers’ self-titled sophomore album doesn’t drop until next week, but if the crowd at her sold out album release show on Tuesday night is any indication, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers is already a smash. The San Francisco-based band took the stage at the Lodge at the Regency to hearty cheers that began when guitarist Tim Bluhm (husband to Nicki and co-founder of The Mother Hips) stepped out to fine-tune his guitar.

Grateful Dead music continues to inspire and muse generations of contemporary musicians. When the band played, their music fostered an experience each night that transformed the ordinary bounds of everyday life beyond possibility. A trip into the transcendental. Even if the words and melodies were familiar to followers, something about their approach of spontaneity and improvisation combined with an overarching reworking of Americana made the music familiar and new simultaneously.