Joe Russo's Almost Dead

Montclair, NJ was the place to be last Saturday night, as Joe Russo's Almost Dead packed the historic Wellmont Theater to cap off another enjoyable three night run in this vibrant New York City suburb. The line to enter the show wrapped around the corner as dead heads of all ages eagerly awaited a mind melting performance by this talented quintet, and they were not disappointed.

WOLF!, the treasured Brooklyn-based guitarist Scott Metzger's "Telecaster rock trio" with bassist Jon Shaw and drummer Taylor Floreth, returns after a six year hiatus with a new EP, Adult Entertainment, to be released via Royal Potato Family on October 28.

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.

Where to even begin when trying to tell you about the last ever Northwest String Summit? To put into words what this last gathering was, and the effect that this festival has had on the Northwest over the last 20 years is nearly impossible. After three long years of waiting out a pandemic, this gathering was what everyone’s heart needed. It truly was a labor of love, and you could feel it in every corner of the venue.

Sheryl Crow gets it – the beach life, that is. “All I wanna do is have some fun, until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard,” Crow sang on Sunday during a twilight set on the sand at Redondo Beach, just 15 miles south of the oceanfront Santa Monica Pier. One of the BeachLife Festival’s high-profile performers who first made waves toward prominence in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, Crow shared top billing with Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Stone Temple Pilots, 311, and the Steve Miller Band (who’s first hit was in 1968).

Northlands is ramping up and promises to be the biggest event in the region, with 15 bands over multiple stages.

“We super excited about this year,” says Northlands Director Seth McNally.  “We’ve curated a fantastic diversity of genres, basically an entire season worth of dynamic bands and lined them all up for one fantastic weekend of music.”