Articles
It was a good day. Redondo Beach, California’s, inaugural BeachLife Festival got off to a splendid start on Friday, May 3, with Bob Weir, Chris Robinson, Slightly Stoopid, and Steel Pulse leading the way, and the undercard featuring lots of roots-reggae rock, all of which colorfully defined the SoCal beach vibe. Cool breezes from the adjacent Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean kept temperatures in the 60s while the early May SoCal sun beamed down on several thousand rosy-faced attendees.
Montana-bred bluegrass outfit Kitchen Dwellers are captivating fans across the country with their high-energy live performances and unique approach to traditional music that fans have dubbed Galaxy Grass. Formed while attending college at Montana State, the group has burst onto the bluegrass scene sharing the stage with acts such as Railroad Earth, Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters and Twiddle.
Cycles epitomize the power-trio format with ripping guitar, fat bass grooves played out through furious slapping, and dynamic drum beats flowing over intricate tempo changes. Each member wields a unique take on their instrument that when played together, forms a truly fresh and cohesive sound. Patrick Harvey commands the guitar with speed and precision reminiscent of Jimmy Herring while using his loop pedal virtually as its own instrument, a skill unique only to him.
Steely Dan and the Grateful Dead are both American musical treasures – but couldn’t be more different in their approach to music. The epitome of precision and setlist free, organic, and loose. Studio perfectionists and the omnipotent live music band. Yet in spite of these differences, many of us love both these bands. They’re huge parts of the soundtracks of our youth and present day. What better way to celebrate both bands then enjoying a merge of the two in a night of American rock-n-roll supremacy.
Los Angeles band, The Blood Moon Howlers, exclusively premiere their latest EP, Hangover Sessions today. The EP offers a stripped-down twist on 3 original songs that will appear on their full-length album, Mad Man’s Ruse, set to release this July.
Fans of the Grateful Dead have often heard unique and clever takes on some of the band’s biggest hits, but never one like this. Dale Ann Bradley, one of Bluegrass music’s top acts, has a new take on the 1970 track, “Ripple,” which has often been a favorite among the group’s fans.
Always on the radar of the folk and Americana faithful in the Philadelphia area, the Ardmore Music Hall will bring in a heaping helping of top notch singer-songwriters to their calendar for the spring season in the form of Canadian cowboy Colter Wall, Tennessee songwriter John Paul White (of The Civil Wars), and Midwestern songstress Lissie and two Philadelphia Folk Fest veterans in Memphis songstress Valerie June and outlaw country legend Steve Earle.
Phil Lesh & the Terrapin Family Band will be doing a deep dive double set for three hours to close out Friday night on the Woods Stage. Nathaniel Rateliff is bringing his full band The Night Sweats for a set of recent material Saturday and then closing out Sunday with a whole other band of friends to play acoustic roots versions of his earliest material!
Rebecca Pidgeon knows a thing or two about getting into character with her illustrious career as an actress with starring roles in acclaimed feature films (The Spanish Prisoner, Heist, Red), TV shows (Phil Spector, The Unit), and on stage at venerable theatres across the globe (Speed the Plow, Royal National Theatre, London; The Old Neighborhood, The Booth Theatre, Broadway). Pidgeon's prolific work as a songwriter and vocalist is akin to the self-immersion she undertakes for her mesmerizing performances on camera.
