Unify Fest 2016 at Ranchos de Las Golondrinas, outside of Santa Fe, hosted 200 performers and visionaries. Since I could only sample a bit here and there, here are more highlights of some of the acts, workshops, and ceremonies I saw over my four days there.

Day 2 Friday

Let me just say one word about Unify Fest: Awe-inspiring.

Going stronger than ever The Django Reinhardt NY Festival and The Allstars have taken the US by storm.  They are headed to NY from Paris.  They land at Birdland, their official home, where it all started in 2000, with an ‘idea’ inspired by Producers Ettore Stratta and Pat Philips due to their work with famed Jazz Violinist Stephane Grappelli, Django’s partner, back in the 30’s and 40’s when they took Europe and the world by storm.   The Producers set out to bring Django’s style out from underground to ‘overground’ and spread the word!  HOT JAZZ is better than ever a

Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival returns to MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA on June 23-25, 2017. Spanning three days and four stages, Solid Sound includes music by Wilco and its members’ side projects, as well as many other soon-to-be-announced musical performers. It also features a full comedy lineup programmed by festival alum John Hodgman, family fun for all ages, local food, craft beer, camping, naturalist activities and more.

For the first time, the earliest known studio recording by Jerry Garcia will be released on November 11 through Round Records/ATO Records. In 1962, Garcia and his folk/bluegrass quintet The Hart Valley Drifters went into Stanford University’s KZSU studio in Palo Alto, CA to record a session for the stations program Folk Time (also the album’s title). The lost session resided in a closet for nearly 50 years before the reels were unearthed in 2008 by former Stanford student Ted Claire, who produced and recorded the original session.

Beats Antique is excited to announce that their new album, Shadowbox, release through their own label, Beats Antique Records. Their 10th album out on October 5th commemorates their tenth year as a band. They’ve also mounted a larger-than-life cross-country tour that will take their vision to theaters across America. “Shadowbox is both the title of our new album, the theme of our tour, and our new store front in Berkeley CA.

On Oct. 4, 2016, I had the opportunity to catch Dark Star Orchestra in concert at the Lafayette Theater in Lafayette, IN. The experience was interesting, to say the very least.

The new solo album from fiddle player Jeremy Garrett of the Grammy-nominated Infamous Stringdusters’, The RV Sessions 2, is now available directly via

Steve will be joining Bob Weir's Campfire Tour on guitar and lapsteel (he may even dust off some pedal steel for this special occasion). After being a part of the recording session for Blue Mountain and also appearing on the new record, it's an honor for Steve to also participate in the tour. 

See you on the road!

TOUR DATES

Dance to LIVE Swing Era music from Flatirons Jazz Orchestra Featuring Deborah Stafford, at the Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe in Boulder.

Tickets at the door are only $15 and include FREE Swing Dance Lessons at 7pm, followed by three hours of Live Music from 8-1 1 pm. Doors open at 6. www.FlatironsJazzOrchestra.com