There is something about the energy created by people coming together to hear the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. The first time I experienced this seemingly human-powered electricity was a few days before my 18th birthday, in 1994, in a parking lot near what was then the Boston Garden. When Jerry died the following summer, I found myself in a park sitting in a circle around a singular candle that seemed to burn for hours.

Scenes from “An Evening with Shovels and Rope” include: A baby’s carriage in front of a tour bus adjacent line that wrapped around the block; the look of confusion from fans as they pile in to find this general admission show to be completely seated; and Carrie Ann Hearst and Michael Trent taking the stage in pink velour matching dress and suit.

Shovels & Rope does what they want.

“I love Chicago, I swear,” Darryl Jones exclaimed at Chicago’s classy Park West, Friday evening. “Come home,” a warm voice beamed back. It truly felt like the super star bassist/band leader of the Darryl Jones Project had come home.  

Another smiling woman, Edna, there with her daughter, elaborated on why tonight was so special.  ‘Darryl was my locker partner. He played upright bass. I’ve seen him play with the Stones, but this is the first time I’ve heard him sing. It blew me away.”

Founding members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, of Grateful Dead fame, playing as a duo without a backing band for the first time together, ended their “Bobby and Phil Tour” with two, consecutive nights at the Chicago Theatre, after selling out New York’s Radio City Music Hall and Boston’s Wang Center.

Brother Jerome was founded by singer-songwriter Ryan Bria, as homage to his late brother Jerome “Drew” Bria, a peace-loving man who stood for righteousness, love and the transformative effects of music. These characteristics have been a foundation for the young band and inspiration for the new album. Progress is their first full length album, set to be released on April 6, 2018.

Whistle Down The Wind, the highly anticipated new album from Joan Baez, debuts this week at #18 on Billboard’s Top Current Albums chart and #4 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart—Baez’s strongest chart position since 1975’s Diamonds & Rust. The album is also finding success internationally debuting at #47 in the U.K., #36 in France, #6 in Sweden and #8 in Germany.

Consider for a moment just how much Tom Petty and his music is intertwined with American culture. He wrote and recorded songs that became the soundtrack to millions of people's lives, becoming a ubiquitously revered star in the process.

Independent country torchbearers Jason Boland & The Stragglers have announced their ninth studio album Hard Times Are Relative, releasing May 18th via Thirty Tigers. Together with his longtime band The Stragglers, Jason Boland has remained a true craftsman of genuine, no-frills country music for nearly two decades. In a genre that too often focuses on style over substance, Boland puts substance at the forefront with his intelligent, insightful lyricism that challenges listeners to think beyond the obvious.

97.3 KBCO (iHeartMedia-Denver) and Breckenridge Brewery are proud to announce details for On Tap with KBCO Live Music at Breckenridge Brewery. The first of three in the charity concert series presents Manchester Orchestra, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Phillip Phillips on May 13, 2018 at Breckenridge Brewery in Littleton, CO. Ticket proceeds benefit 1 Million 4 Anna Foundation, which helps fight the battle to eradicate Ewing Sarcoma, a bone and soft tissue cancer primarily in children and young adults.

“An American treasure came to the Tiny Desk and even premiered a new song,” NPR Music’s Bob Boilen declares. He continues, “John Prine is a truly legendary songwriter. For more than 45 years the 71-year-old artist has written some of the most powerful lyrics in the American music canon…Prine’s new songs are equally powerful…” Watch the full performance HERE.