It’s been another great summer for live music in Colorado. From the majestic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison to the main stage at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the state has again proven itself to be a major destination for all kinds of acts. As the season winds down and the weather (hopefully) starts to get cooler, the local boys of Yonder Mountain String Band still have one trick up their respective sleeve.

The final day of Outside Lands came and went, and I have never been more upset to see a festival end. My body, on the other hand, is thrilled. I spent the cloudy “Sunday Funday” of Golden Gate Park’s music festival planted at Land’s End Stage in Polo Field, determined to see Jack White with my own eyes as opposed to on the Megatron screen.

The campground was filled with the sounds of mandolin and bass into the wee hours before the Rhythms on the Rio festival officially opened. The Scrugglers kept us early campers warm at the huge community fire in the middle of the campground.

The fog didn’t let up for day two of San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival, and neither did the crowds. It seemed that no matter where you stood, there was a constant stream of people passing you either way. I set off to play fangirl today, and I succeeded.

My feet are aching, my throat is hoarse, and my ears are muffled. That can only mean one thing: Outside Lands day one was a success.

Well, the sky looks as if it’s clearing over the Rio Grande River in South Fork, Colorado. The festival grounds was busy today with stage construction and setting up shaded seating and booths….in the rain. It wasn’t a Midwestern downpour but one of those gentle southern Colorado rains that soaks into the ground. It made setting up tents a bit of a trick, but early campers like myself were game and just danced in the rain in t-shirts and jeans as we stretched rain flies and pounded in stakes.

I decided to check out the Dawg Daze of Summer Festival this year because of three reasons: it was a great birthday outing for my girlfriend and me, I wanted to see JJ Grey and Mofro and it sounded low-key. The list of reasons I’ll be going back next year is much larger.

Festivals are always welcome in the NYC area that don't involve traveling to New Jersey (All Points West), electronic dance music (Electric Zoo) or taking a crowded ferry (Governors Ball, HARD Fest, Rock The Bells). So, it's a shame that NYC was not as receptive to the inaugural year of Catalpa, which was held in the convenient location of Randall's Island.

Beech Mountain will see festival goers from across the country flood Eastern America’s Highest Town and enter through the wardrobe and into the parody land of GNARNIA. The all star musical lineup will perform against the backdrop of a stunning view that extends for a hundred miles making it one of the most unique and picturesque festivals of all the lands.GNARNIA is becoming one of the most arts-saturated events on the East Coast.

As Tim O’Brien and Friends kicked off the final set of RockyGrass 2012, I planted my feet a couple of yards behind the elevated stage. The canopy of treetops overhead, awash in color from the stage lights, absorbed a light drizzle. To my right, the deity of all double bassists, Edgar Meyer, calmly warmed up next to the main stage staircase.