Just before Wakarusa breaks over the horizon, Grateful Web sent some questions to Wales-hailing band Rusty Shackle. A self-professed ‘dirty bluegrass folk ‘n’ roll’ band, Rusty Shackle has lots of personality and they’re bringing it to their first U.S. music festival. The 6-piece band features brass instruments, strings, percussion and vocals, not to mention some really awesome covers.

In a career that has spanned nearly two decades, California-based reggae rock band Slightly Stoopid has consistently pushed the boundaries of their respected genre with their seemingly endless tour schedule and eclectic blend of roots, reggae, punk, hip-hop, and funk. Since their self-titled debut release on Skunk Records in 1996, Slightly Stoopid has gone on to sell countless records and play massive shows spanning across the globe including Japan, Australia, Dominican Republic, and Portugal.

Michael Franti & Spearhead is kicking off their music and yoga tour – the Soulshine 2014 tour – at amphitheaters across the US this summer.  Yes, yoga – bring your mat.  Not only will fans jam out to music from Michael Franti & Spearhead and featured special guest artists (SOJA, Brett Dennen, and Trevor Hall), fans of all ages and all experience levels may optionally participate (before the concert) in the yoga session before the concert guided by acclaimed yoga gurus with live acoustic music by Michael Fra

Moon Honey, the New Orleans born quartet, is celebrating the release of their first full album, Hand-Painted Dream Photographs, with the completion of their US west coast tour.  Moon Honey’s love of the symphony and poetry is evident in the beautiful lyrics throughout this record and in the orchestrated tracks.  Violinists, harpists, horns and choirs have sat in with the band.

Dylan Muhlberg of Grateful Web. I am thrilled to be joined by Grammy Award winning bassist Victor Wooten. His virtuosic techniques have yielded an illustrious solo career and continuing collaborations with music legends of similar caliber such as Bela Fleck and Stanley Clarke.

Head for the Hills will perform at Pickin’ on the Poudre at the Mishawaka Amphitheatre to kick off the outdoor concert series on Saturday May 17, 2014.  Voted “Best in Bluegrass” by Denver Westword magazine, Head for the Hills needs no introduction in Colorado.  Though rooted in bluegrass, the Colorado-based quartet aspires musically well beyond the boundary of the genre’s tradition - just listen to “Never Does” from their latest album Blue Ruin for a dose of their sound.  In fact, sample

John Mayall is a bedrock of the blues music history.  Regarded as “The Godfather of British Blues”, John toured and led his band, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, during a pivotal, blues music movement in London during the 1960’s – about the time of The British Invasion.

Dylan Muhlberg of Grateful Web here with bay area rock legends Stu Allen and Greg Anton. Greg was the founding drummer of the bay area rock band Zero, a band that toured extensively through the 80s and 90s, as pivotal force in the psychedelic music revival.

I wanted to interview a member from The String Cheese Incident not because I have their whole collection, because I’m a huge fan or even because I’d seen a show of theirs before. Instead, the main driving force for my choice was because SCI is a mainstay in not only jam music but really in the music industry as a whole. It seems there aren’t a lot of bands these days that can keep a cohesive sound for 20+ years. So I know there’s something special about this band.

Grateful Web recently had a chance to speak with legendary bluegrass mandolinist, Jesse McReynolds. Jesse’s use of ‘crosspicking’, known as the ‘McReynolds style’ distinguished his picking from Bill Monroe and others. Jesse is a multiple Grammy award winner and in 1993 he was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.