Now in its 12th triumphant year, the Blues Caravan is a touring showcase for the hottest young acts on the Ruf label. With past treks helping launch stars including Joanne Shaw Taylor, Bart Walker and Samantha Fish, it’s a springboard for the blues scene’s next-big-things, and a magnet for fans who want to catch them before lift- off. In 2016, we’ve got a Blues Caravan lineup sure to raise the roof each night as it rolls across the USA and Europe.

The Blue Sisters are doing it for themselves…

Summer’s at its hottest in August, and so is Real Gone’s release schedule! Leading off is the first of three volumes of the complete Atlantic singles of the great Wilson Pickett. With such classic songs as “Mustang Sally,” “Land of 1000 Dances,” and “In the Midnight Hour,” this promises to be the year’s wickedest soul release. Then, Real Gone is releasing the first-ever live album on CD to capture the beloved new wave band The B-52’s in their early prime (1979 to be exact), complete with such classics as “Rock Lobster” and “Planet Claire.”

In a matter of days, old fans and new visitors will flock to a hidden gem within the beautiful Ozark Mountains. Deadhead Productions will be hosting a fantastic selection of bluegrass, jam and folk bands over Fourth of July weekend on Arkansas’ Mulberry Mountain. The festival will feature big names like Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB), Keller Williams and Buckethead.

Join Leftover Salmon for the 4th year of their SolShine Music Festival in Winter Park, CO August 11th-14th. This will be a full weekend of music featuring 2 FREE Leftover Salmon concerts consisting of 2 sets each night on August 13th & 14th!! Other music includes: The Record Company, Gipsy Moon, Trout Steak Revival, DeadPhish Orchestra, A special late night show with members of Leftover Salmon, The Sweet Lilles', and more!

Regina, Saskatchewan alt-country outlaws The Dead South will officially release their full-length debut album, Good Company, this past February through Curve Music/Entertainment One.

The Santa Fe Brewing Company’s new event space, The Bridge, opened Thursday June 9 with the Kingston, Jamaica group, Israel Vibration. Since the brewery and the concert venue are in the middle of vast expansion and remodeling, this first show was outdoors.

The last day of the second annual Music on the Mesa festival started out with blue skies and fluffy clouds, but the weather bureau promised rain. Here in New Mexico, we dance about that, especially in monsoon season, because it is arid here. With that in mind, I came prepared with my raingear to protect my camera.

Blackfoot, the Southern American rock band who were originally formed in 1970’s by current lead guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rickey Medlocke, are back with a new line-up and will release Southern Native on Loud & Proud Records, August 5, 2016.  Over the last two years, Medlocke wrote, performed on and produced Southern Native.

On 6/16/16, six new pieces and a video make their debut in the the fan funded Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, which gives supporters access to Ancient Future recordings as they are created. There are four new tracks, two of which feature two compositions, the first serving as an introduction to the second. There are now 13 tracks totaling 86 minutes and 51 seconds of music in the archive.

Today Working Californians (WCA) announced that tickets are now on sale for its 5th annual live Labor Day benefit concert, Labor Day Music Festival, set for September 5, 2016 at the LA Memorial Coliseum's Exposition Park.