Besides a plethora of giant fiddle contests, I really have no festival experience to speak of. (Don’t get me wrong, fiddle participants can booze, substance-abuse, and play the shit out of acoustic instruments till the sun rises) But that's a different story.  Let's get back to Desert Rocks, and how I am so fulfilled with my first festival journey! It was a weekend of love and acceptance, filled with the young, the transient, the locals, and the Coloradoans (not all of them, but a lot).

Fans who have been streaming American Legacies, the unprecedented collaboration between bluegrass music’s legendary Del McCoury Band and New Orleans music giants, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, can finally snag a copy of the album for themselves today, April 12^th, as the set is released in multiple configurations designed to appeal to casual listeners and dedicated followers alike.  The musical partners are also celebrating the event with the release of a new video that gives a sneak peek at the cross-genre blend on both a musical and personal level, with comments from Del McCoury, the PHJB’s Ben Jaffe and more, available at http://www.mccourymusic.com/americanlegacies.cfm, where the curious can still stream the project in its entirety as well as order it directly from the source.

The set—and the joint tour organized to bring its music to venues around the country—have already gotten plenty of attention for its remarkable blend of traditions. The twin legacies of bluegrass and jazz are combined in ways that underline their points of contact while preserving their distinctive characteristics, as horns blend with string band instruments to produce something at once refreshingly new and yet profoundly familiar, from the opening, tradition-based “The Band’s In Town” through the closing “One More ‘Fore I Die.”  And whether they’re tackling a decades-old standard or a new composition, the two groups bring fierce musicianship, deep respect and a rollicking good humor to the musical table in a way that makes the joy of the encounter unmistakable.

Known as one of the premiere ambassadors of bluegrass, the Del McCoury Band is fronted by veteran Del McCoury, who apprenticed in the honkytonks of Baltimore and with Bill Monroe before starting his own band more than 40 years ago.  A hero to east coast bluegrass audiences through the 1970s and 1980s, he stepped onto the national stage with a move to Nashville in the early 1990s that started the Del McCoury Band on an unprecedented streak of International Bluegrass Music Association awards and international acclaim.  Today, McCoury, along with a band that includes his sons Ron and Rob, are admired by hard-core bluegrass traditionalists and eclectic music fans and stars alike as they make appearances everywhere from the Bonnaroo Music Festival to late night network TV shows to their own popular Delfest.  For millions of fans across the US and around the world, the Del McCoury Band is simply the face of bluegrass.

Founded just a few years before McCoury joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been carrying the distinctive sound of New Orleans jazz around the world on behalf of Preservation Hall, a unique venue that embodies the city’s musical legacy.  With a cast of musicians schooled through first-hand experience and apprenticeship into the music’s historic traditions, the PHJB has served as an irreplaceable, vital link to the earliest days of one of America’s most beloved forms of popular music, evoking the spirits of times past in an ever-evolving modern context that has found them traveling around the world.

--

Del McCoury/Preservation Hall Tour Dates:

April 13 - St. Charles, MO @ Family Arena
April 14 - Lawrence, KS @ University of Kansas- Leid Center
April 15 - Appleton, WI @ Fox Cities PAC
April 16 - Naperville, IL @ Pfeiffer Hall
April 17 - Fayetteville, AR @ Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center
April 19 - Wilmington, NC @ The Sarah Graham Kenan Memorial
May 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ UCLA- Royce Hall
May 27 - DelFest, Cumberland, MD
June 10 - Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN
July 7 - Winnipeg Folk Fest
August 6 - Edmonton Folk Fest

The 3^rd Annual Bring Our Music Back Festival (B.O.M.B. Fest) is back and bigger than ever! Bring Our Music Back, Inc. along with Frank Bombaci, Sr. and Frank Bombaci, Jr. are proud to announce the diverse group of artists that has been assembled for 2011. For the first time, this year’s festival, taking place over Memorial Day Weekend (May 28-29), will be at the Festival Grounds of B.O.M.B. Fest’s new site partner, Western Connecticut State University (43 Lake Ave, Danbury, CT 06810) in Danbury, CT — a short train ride from New York City, Boston, Providence and Philadelphia.  Tickets go on sale via BombFest.com at 6 a.m. EST on March 4^th.

B.O.M.B. Fest 2011 has assembled its most ambitious lineup to date, bringing together some of the best names in hip-hop, alternative and indie rock, giving the East Coast its own premiere music festival. The price for two-day passes will cost $109 go on sale on Friday, March 4^th at 6:00am EST. Official festival website can be found at www.bombfest.com.

All proceeds from the festival will benefit Bring Our Music Back, Inc. which is committed to providing music scholarships, music enrichment and education programs, music and healing initiatives and community support and outreach. In addition, one of this year’s charitable initiatives includes the creation of an Emerging Artist Scholarship Fund at Western Connecticut State University.

--

2011 B.O.M.B. Fest Lineup:

Weezer

Snoop Dogg

Wiz Khalifa

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Coheed And Cambria

Neon Trees

State Radio

George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic

The New Pornographers

Shpongle presents The Shpongletron Experience

Against Me!

Best Coast

HEALTH

RJD2

Titus Andronicus

The Cool Kids

Wavves

EOTO

Portugal. The Man

Man Man

Dum Dum Girls

The Felice Brothers

Dam-Funk

Freelance Whales

Holy Fuck

Daedelus

Quintron and Miss Pussycat

Dan Deacon

12th Planet

Free Energy

Woods

Real Estate

Nosaj Thing

The Hood Internet

Toubab Krewe

ESKMO

Small Black

River City Extension

Big Freedia

David Wax Museum

Roots of Creation

Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez

Walk the Moon

Also featuring more than 25 local artists!

The Rex Foundation is pleased to award the 2010 Ralph J. Gleason Award to Michael Franti. The $10,000 award is in memory of music journalist Ralph J. Gleason, a major figure in the advancement of music in America in the 1960s, including his being a long-time contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle, a founding editor of Rolling Stone Magazine and cofounder of the Monterey Jazz Festival.   Mr. Gleason's openness to new music and ideas transcended differences between generations and styles.

A Bay Area native, Michael Franti has been bringing our world exceptionally powerful, deeply felt music under a variety of names and in a wide range of genres for twenty years, from the intense punk rock of the Beatnigs, to the deeply political rap he made with the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, to his joyful and meaningful modern soul music with Spearhead, and now as Michael Franti & Spearhead.

As Rosalie Howarth, Rex Board member and KFOG Show Host and Director of Special Programming, explains, "The Ralph J. Gleason award honors people who strive to bring fresh cultural ideas and music to the mainstream public. Through his positive, inclusive lyrics, and his personal visits to strife-ridden areas such as Iraq, Palestine and Israel, Michael has seen first-hand the effects of war. He has taken his music to the people on the street, and absorbed their cultural influences in return, bringing them back to share at his annual free 'Power to the Peaceful' festival in Golden Gate Park, and on the silver screen with his powerful documentary 'I Know I'm Not Alone'.  Michael's unfailing optimism toward the human spirit and his tireless effort to spread peace and multiculturalism make him a world citizen and highly deserving recipient of the Rex Foundation Ralph Gleason Award."

Learn more about Michael Franti and his contributions from the following links:

Michael Franti CARE Soles4Souls Power to the Peaceful Stay Human

Franti states, "It's a huge honor to be recognized by the Rex Foundation for this award.  Being a fan of the Grateful Dead I know the diversity of its community and share the vision of creating togetherness and acceptance through music.  My musical message is much the same: If we can bring people together through the one-ness of music, it gives a starting point to address the larger needs of our communities and the world.  I am excited that music plays a greater role in the lives of all of us than ever before and the encouragement of this award reaffirms my faith that my journey has been worth every precious step!"

Furthering what the Grateful Dead started 27 years ago, the Rex Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization, endeavors to fund grassroots programs that are often under the radar of larger funding entities, yet work in bold, innovative ways to carry out essential work toward a healthy environment, promotion of the arts, protection of indigenous cultures, assisting others less fortunate, building strong communities, and educating children and adults.  The Rex Foundation has distributed $8.6 million in grants to over 1,000 programs across the U.S. and internationally, while also carrying out fundraising initiatives that foster creativity and positive community connections.  Visit www.rexfoundation.org for a complete list of grantees and information about current initiatives.

Ticket sales for the fifth annual YarmonyGrass Festival are now underway. The high country camping event known for unrivaled mountain activities and top shelf national talent will take place in Bond, CO on August 20-22nd offering concert goers an experience that is as good for the soul as it is for the ears.

2010 marks the five-year anniversary for the YarmonyGrass Festival - an intimate two-day camping event slated for late summer in the Colorado Rockies. In just a few short years the event has grown from a word of mouth gathering into a full-fledged festival specializing in all the activities the Colorado Rockies has to offer.

YarmonyGrass features an array of musical flavors including a two-night stand with the six-piece Americana outfit, Railroad Earth. Long time veterans of YarmonyGrass, Railroad Earth has built incredible steam over the past few years with notable performances on some of the most prestigious stages in the country, including Red Rocks, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits Festival, Telluride Bluegrass, Rothbury, 10,000 Lakes, and many more. Other notables include Bill Nershi (String Cheese Incident) performing with guitarist Scott Law and Tao Seeger, as well as Head for the Hills, Elephant Revival, EOTO, The Contribution and Kyle Hollingsworth Band - performing with DJ Logic and members of the Motet.

Each year the event strives to combine musical performances with unique outdoor activities such as rafting, a live music float trip, down home BBQ (hosted by members of Honkytonk Homeslice) and even a kickball tournament aimed at pitting festival attendees against their musical heros. Also featured at this year's event is a rare chance to go flyfishing with Railroad Earth's, Tim Carbone. This year's YarmonyGrass Festival will also feature a riverside bar, nestled on the banks of the Colorado river, featuring a full-slate of singer songwriters and acoustic performances as well as the one and only floating stage taking place on the river on Saturday afternoon with live music chosen by fan vote at www.yarmonygrass.com.

Don't miss this intimate event taking place this August outside of Vail in Bond, CO. Bring your family, bring your friends and don't forget to bring your bathing suit for the only live music and camping event in the Rockies where the outdoorsmen and music lover unite.]

Tickets: Advance 3-day tickets are now onsale at $149, with a gate ticket price of $160. Children ages 10 and under do not require a ticket. Tickets on sale at www.yarmonygrass.com.

YARMONYGRASS FESTIVAL is produced by Pure Productions & MAST Projects.

Additional promotional materials available online at www.yarmonygrass.com