In a land abundant with Grateful Dead tribute bands, Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) on February 2 in Sacramento, California, strengthened its unofficial claim as the quintessential torch bearers. Flanked by a devoted and euphoric nearly sold-out audience at the 975-capacity Crest Theatre, the band on this night didn’t replicate an actual Grateful Dead show as they are inclined to do.

Arts & Crafts is proud to announce today’s premiere of “The Moment Is A Wild Place,” the latest single from the long-fabled collaboration between Gord Downie, late frontman of legendary Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, and GRAMMY® Award-winning producer/musician Bob Rock. The epic ballad heralds the upcoming release of Lustre Parfait, the ninth album to bear Downie’s name outside of The Tragically Hip, and the first to bear Rock’s.

Celebrated alt-country band Rusty Truck has announced that Sheryl Crow will join the band for their Grand Ole Opry debut on February 28. RT frontman Mark Seliger, who also happens to be one of the modern era’s preeminent portrait photographers, has captured countless photos of Crow over the past three decades, including her iconic 1996 cover of Rolling Stone and her Be Myself album cover in 2016. Crow is featured on Rusty Truck’s latest single “Find My Way” and will join the band for the first-ever live performance of the song during RT’s Opry debut on February 28.

On Monday, January 23, Backline announced Break The Barriers; a movement that aims to end the stigma around mental health by asking participants to commit to taking care of their own mental health, and take action to address and dismantle the systemic and historical barriers that BIPOC communities face when seeking mental health care.

On March 17, guitar virtuoso Julian Lage will release The Layers, a stunning companion piece to his acclaimed 2022 album View With A Room. The collection features six original pieces recorded during the same sessions which found Lage discovering new orchestrational possibilities by augmenting his deeply attuned trio of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King with the addition of fellow guitar icon Bill Frisell.

Sparks will fly Fourth of July weekend at The Caverns when a new bluegrass festival emerges from Payne’s Cove featuring a cavalcade of award-winning bluegrass artists. On July 1 & 2, 2023, The Caverns presents the inaugural Big Mouth Bluegrass Festival.

Sometimes, inspiration strikes in the strangest of places. According to three-time Juno Award nominee Del Barber, his new tune, “Still Got You,” flashed before his eyes while he was taking a leak outside one night on his little farm in western Manitoba. “The stars looked like they were crammed in the sky like sardines, the wolves were howling, cows were bawling,” Barber remembers. “I had my dog Fischer next to me.

 “It’s exciting to work with talented people outside the strict structure of a band,” says bassist/singer James Searl of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS). That statement rang true during the creation of their diverse new album Love In Time, which comes out April 7th via Easy Star Records. Influenced by the need for more social and personal connection during the pandemic, GPGDS wanted to lean into the “squad” in their name by working and collaborating with artists outside of their tight knit circle.

Three-time Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Joe Henry has just released his latest work All The Eye Can See. Henry, who also took upon the role as producer, recorded his most personal album to-date in the comfort of his home. A video of the artist performing the song “Karen Dalton” at his home studio gives an insight of this process. It premieres today at 16.00 CET / 12.00 pm ET / 09.00 am PT on the earMUSIC YouTube channel.

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has just released the groundbreaking new album Ears of the People: Ekonting Songs from Senegal and The Gambia that represents the first full length representation of the West African ekonting. Considered the key ancestor of the American banjo, the ekonting is alive and well in West Africa, telling the stories of the artists who love it today. And yet it still exhibits some of the same or similar playing techniques as the American banjo, separated by centuries and some of the worst history in the world.