Reviews
Billy & the Kids made their San Francisco debut on Saturday, April 9, 2016, with a performance at The Warfield Theatre with The Greyboy Allstars supporting. The previous night was Billy & the Kids’ first show in northern California, as Bob Weir joined the gang up at Bob’s Mill Valley venue Sweetwater Music Hall, an event that certainly dominated conversation among
On Friday night, Goodnight, Texas & Midnight North descended on Phil Lesh’s own The Grate Room @ Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael. This was the first time GN, TX played together at Terrapin, meanwhile Midnight North has been a resident artist since their inception in 2013. The night was met with additional anticipation as Phil Lesh was billed as a guest bassist
“But see that you get on. That’s your job in this hard world, to keep your love alive and see that you get on, no matter what. Pull your act together and just go on.” –Stephen King, The Shining
Wednesday nights at Fayetteville’s Georges Majestic Lounge have a new level of expectations thanks to Yonder Mountain String Band. Warming up the stage, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades will be on tour with Yonder for the majority of spring. Yonder, opening their set with Red Bird, it seemed like conga lines swarmed to the garden stage from the patios and the front bar.
It’s been forty years since mandolinist and bandleader David Grisman began playing with his Quintet, a band that bended more genres into the bluegrass/acoustic idiom that ever before. His groundbreaking compositions sat nicely with the school of acoustic gypsy-swing first popularized in the United States by guitarist Django Reinhardt and fiddle player Stephane Grappelli. Entirely different than the “newgrass” music from his contemporaries John Hartford and Sam Bush, “Dawg” music was and still is truly a form of its own.
The storied bluegrass quintet Yonder Mountain String Band showered The Catalyst of downtown Santa Cruz, CA in full form on Wednesday night, March 23rd.
One week into their spring tour, Yonder and opening act Polecat are hitting on all cylinders. When asked about up and coming artists Dave Johnston, founding member and banjo player for Yonder, said they haven’t jammed with Polecat – yet.
On April 7th, 8th and 9th Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) will perform for the first time ever in Berkeley, CA. The performances will be held at the newly renovated UC Theatre.
Umphrey’s McGee concluded their 2016 Winter West Coast Tour at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The tour has been highlighted by a variety of bust-outs, debuts and collaborations and this night would prove to be no different. The crowd began filtering in more than 2 hours before Umphrey’s McGee was ready to start, and those that did were greeted with a fiery opening set from Prog-rock all-stars TAUK
Umphrey’s McGee, the sextet from South Bend, IN returned to the East Bay of Oakland, CA for their fifth consecutive appearance in as many years at the famed Fox Theater Friday night, March 25th.
One night from the official wrap of the Winter 2016 Tour, Umphrey’s McGee proved they have not lost their bag of tricks, nor is it even close to being empty.
Umphrey’s McGee returned to the road last night, March 24th at Harrah’s South Lake Tahoe South Shore Room inside the Stateline, NV hotel.
