It’s summertime. The casual days seem so much more as long days leak into evenings and the music never stops. The pop tune Let Her Go has infiltrated nearly every radio station and TV commercial as a seemingly background noise we have all become accustomed to.  It got me thinking about Pete Jive.

In just a couple weeks, Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, Oregon will be hosting the 13^th Annual, Northwest String Summit. Not only is this festival held in one of the most visually appealing venues in the country, there’s a stellar line up, great people, and lots of things to do even for the young ones of your group. Check out this interview with Skye Macdonald, the promoter for this amazing festival, and see why you should be so excited for this year’s bluegrass extravaganza.

GW: So who all are you playing with this weekend?Chaddy: We’re just kinda cruising around. We’ve got some buddies here. A couple of the Spoonfed guys are doing their vacation and we had the weekend off so we thought we’d come up and be a part of the magical festival here.GW: Have you guys ever been to this festival?Matt: Oh year. This is our 5th or 6th year – we’ve played here almost every year since they moved it up to the mountain. Last night we sat in with Wookiefoot and Nahko.

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.