What do you get when you take a batch of incredible songs, five veteran players who have never played together, with an arsenal of five musical minds working in unison to reinvent them? You get Hard Working Americans. Hard Working Americans is the self-titled debut from this new musicians’ collective, scheduled for a January 21 release on Melvin Records/Thirty Tigers. Genres meld seamlessly with the birth of this group, featuring artists from the Americana, singer/songwriter, experimental, jam and rock communities.

Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation and the Mimi Fishman Foundation have teamed up for an on-line charity auction featuring ticket packages for the Phish 2013 Fall tour.

Westword, Anthony’s Pizza and Pasta & Z2 Entertainment are proud to present The Last Waltz Revisited performed by Polytoxic at the Boulder Theater on Friday, November 22nd, 2013.  Tickets go on sale Friday, September 13th at 10:00 am for $15.00 in advance and $17.50 day of show.THE LAST WALTZ – Revisited (9th Annual)•     Culminates a canned food/desired hygiene items drive for the Denver Rescue Mission•   

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.

Knocking on your door this fall is iconic bass player George Porter Jr. with his band Runnin’ Pardners. Porter Jr. is a favorite on the live concert and festival circuit for his all-star collaborations. His Runnin’ Pardners side project features seasoned New Orleans funk musicians Brint Anderson (guitar), Michael Lemmler (keyboards), Khris Royal (saxophone), and Terrence Houston (drums).

In its first year WARMfest in Broad Ripple Park, Indianapolis, Indiana should be counted as a success. It was a great, and warm, way to spend my Labor Day Weekend. With six stages, one being a riverboat stage, this event was one of massive size and variety. I have been in Broad Ripple Park at least 20 times, and never realized how much space there truly was in my little town. WARMfest started off a bit rough on Saturday, getting rained out a few hours into the event.

The Del McCoury Band is currently in Guthrie, Oklahoma with Mumford and Sons at their Gentlemen of the Road festival!  Night one of Gentlemen of the Road was one for the books with Marcus Mumford (Mumford and Sons) and Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain String Band) sitting in for The Del McCoury Bands first set.  Also sitting in for the bands set were Larry Kell, Danny Barnes and Mumford fiddler Ross Holmes.

The chill in the air and the familiar rumble of school buses tells us that summer is quietly coming to an end. If you were at Bumbershoot this past weekend, however, school lunches and winter jackets were far from a hot topic. In its 42nd year, Seattle’s music and arts festival was blessed with sunny skies, a distinct lineup, and its 7 millionth visitor ever.

Does the end of festival season leave you and your wallet feeling a little empty? Want to keep that great musical feeling going a little longer? Want to know how to do it at no cost to you? Want to know how to do all of this while helping kids in need? Well then my philanthropic, penny pinching, audiophile friend- The Life Is Good Festival, September 21st and 22nd at the fabulous Prowse Farm in Canton, MA can fulfill all of these needs and more. And did I mention the line-up?

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.