Hard Working Americans, the new ensemble featuring veteran musicians Todd Snider, Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Neal Casal (Chris Robinson Brotherhood), Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi) and Duane Trucks (Col. Bruce Hampton), has announced dates for their first-ever tour to hit select cities. Hard Working Americans’ self-titled debut album will be released on January 21 via Melvin Records/Thirty Tigers.

Once again, Dark Star Orchestra kicks off the New Year in the cold reaches of the Upper Midwest, starting Winter Tour 2014 in Minneapolis before winding its way south with stops in Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Charlotte and Atlanta to name a few, until wrapping up with four nights in Florida.

Our final day on the mountain broke with the most gorgeous fall morning – the smell of camp stoves firing up simple breakfasts, the sound of distant birds giddy with the extravagant catch afforded them by the night’s rain, and the sweater-weather wake-up nip of a crisp autumn breeze tousling wet grass and sleepy-head hair all seemed like the sweet morning song of mother nature calling us forward and into the bright world to dance our joy into the soft, wet earth.

Freedom Is, written and recorded by Sophistafunk and produced by Jocko Randall at MoreSound Studios in Syracuse, NY, is driven by contrasting tones and texture, recreating the experience of being at one of the band's electrifying live shows. Instantly pulsing from powerful to smooth, the sound is raw, authentic and groovy. The music reflects the bands deep commitment to vintage keys, analog synth and scorching solos which are anchored by deep-pocket hip hop drums and fat funky bass lines.

Saturday was a wonderful day! It started with sunshine, birds and bluegrass and ended with stars, hippies and bluegrass. The day promised to be a great one just because of the fact it was the last day of the festival. The lineup was just as good as the other days, leaving nobody disappointed. I think the only person who was sad about Saturday was the nearly-legally-blind dude I met this morning who lost his glasses. Bummer.

Award-winning singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley will represent country music while crossing genres tomorrow on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Even avant-garde jazz needs structure. A boundless exploration of less touched musical realms still needs some foundation to stand on. Certain jazz purists don’t even consider fusion, free, or Avant-garde to be true jazz. I stand somewhere in between. The music of Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, and Ornette Coleman is as canonical as Duke Ellington or Bing Crosby. Evolution is vital to keep music interesting, especially in the richly complex world of jazz.

A true pioneer takes great risks, stepping out of the social norm to create something revolutionary and different. They visualize a new way of doing things by bringing a fresh perspective that could potentially change the game forever. These types of people are becoming few and far between, and in a music industry that running dry of inspirational ideas, we need these revolutionaries now more than ever.

As the precipitation begins to fall and the temperatures steadily drop here in the Rockies, the boys from Vermont rock band Twiddle have just completed another scorching Colorado run.

Ani DiFranco is a badass. Since early in her life she has chosen to be a leader against the conventional. At fifteen she legally chose to live on her own. At nineteen she began her own record label—Righteous Babe Records—in order to avoid the grasp of mainstream companies. And throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of multiple rallies fighting for women’s rights, encouraging people to vote, and just expressing what she truly believes. In short, DiFranco is not someone who can easily be ignored.