At the heart of the Grateful Dead community is an ethos defined by peace, love, and communal harmony—a spirit that took root in the 1960s counterculture of San Francisco. Deadheads embrace open-mindedness, empathy, and a willingness to explore and share new experiences, both musical and personal. Their gatherings emphasize acceptance, freedom of expression, and unity, reflecting the band’s improvisational artistry and refusal to conform to the rigid norms of the corporate music industry.

George Thorogood, born on February 24, 1950, has spent decades electrifying audiences with his fiery slide guitar work, gritty vocals, and boisterous stage presence. Celebrating his 75th birthday is an excellent time to reflect on the remarkable journey he has undertaken with his long-standing band, The Delaware Destroyers, and to appreciate how his unique blend of blues and rock has influenced multiple generations of musicians.

New Orleans’ one and only Galactic and the legendary Soul Queen of New Orleans, GRAMMY® Award-winning singer Irma Thomas, have shared the second song from their all-new collaborative album, Audience With The Queen. The buoyant “Where I Belong” puts the listener squarely in Thomas’ world as she reflects on an incredible life in music.

Full Cord, the celebrated Michigan-based bluegrass ensemble, is building on the momentum of their 2022 double-win as IBMA Momentum Band of the Year and Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition champions with a brand-new single, “Annie Moved On.” Produced, recorded, and mixed by award-winning musician and Dark Shadow Recording founder Stephen Mougin, the tune delivers a riveting blend of tight harmonies and masterful instrumentation wrapped in a plaintive story of love gone wrong.

Catfood Records announces an April 1st release date for Make Them Dance, the new album from Blues Music Award-winning singer Johnny Rawls. Make Them Dance was produced by Grammy-winner Jim Gaines at his Bessie Blue Studio in Stantonville, Tennessee, and turned out to be the last recording by the beloved Gaines, who passed away last year.

Across the vast expanse of our universe, as revealed by telescopes like the James Webb and its discoveries of massive galaxies dwarfing our own, we’re reminded that humanity occupies just a tiny corner of an unimaginably vast cosmos. Yet, for millennia, religion has confined itself—and millions of believers—to narrowly defined stories originating from small geographical regions, ultimately dismissing or overshadowing the profound scientific truths that continuously reshape our understanding of reality.

Today, MonoNeon - the bass virtuoso and funk originalist teams up with comedian Katt Williams, the legendary George Clinton and the GRAMMY winning producer, songwriter and rapper James Fauntleroy (Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, SZA) to release “God Reason” - an interstellar journey out today via Floki Studios (Color Red). Listen HERE and watch the animated visualizer directed and created by Cody A. Banks.

Whether on archaeological digs or translating medieval poetry, the past has always been a north star for banjo player, songwriter, and author Max Wareham. So, when it came time for Wareham to record his debut album of banjo-forward tunes, commitment to the early innovators of the instrument shone front and center. Out now, Wareham’s new LP DAGGOMIT! not only features a tracklist of soulful original songs, but a cast of Nashville’s preeminent bluegrass pickers steeped in the same musical traditions Wareham holds so dear. 

The brand new 2025 remaster of the iconic opening track, “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway,” is available to hear for the first time across streaming platforms. Listen HERE.

Eastman School of Music, of the University of Rochester, is proud to share two new faculty hires in the Jazz & Contemporary Media (JCM) department, as well as a newly endowed concerts series, all serving to enhance the stellar reputation and offerings of Eastman jazz.