Weeks ago 17 year-old Ruby Jane not only graduated from high school, but released her first solo album. The Texas based fiddler and multi-instrumentalist has been playing music since her youth and has been rewarded numerous awards and shared the stage with the likes of Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett.

With the recently released EP titled Pull Factors, the New York based instrumental rock-fusion quartet Tauk has exploded on the music scene. But long before this summer’s myriad music festivals, Junior High friends, guitarist Matt Jalbert, bassist Charlie Dolan, and keyboardist Alric "A.C." Carter cultivated an eclectic collective.

Two years ago New York band Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds hit the scene with their first self titled record. Now with a second record under the belt the band is still on the road touring the country as they play small town venues and big city festivals. Fusing the musical backgrounds and influences of nine different musicians into one unit, the Dirty Birds are a powerhouse of soul, funk, rock and a little bit of country.

Eliot Lipp’s recent album, Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake, may be a mouthful but it’s definitely tasty. A connoisseur of hip-hop, jazz fusion, folk and techno, Lipp blends genres together but still leave some chunky knock. Just listen to “On N’ On”.

Grateful Web’s Dylan Muhlberg recently had an opportunity to speak with Yonder Mountain bassist Ben Kaufmann and banjo player, Dave Johnston.  Ben and Dave talked about their busy summer festival season, how they tweak their set lists a touch for different festival demographics and the re-emergence of their hometown festival, Kinfolk Celebration, happening later this summer, in Lyon

If there’s anything I can say about The Infamous Stringdusters, it’s that they are wonderful musicians and beautiful people. Not only do they live to bring music into this world, but they also live to educate; this became obvious to me in less than 10 minutes after meeting Andy Falco (guitar/vocals) and Travis Book (bass) for the first time.

On Thursday, May 24^th singer-songwriter Michelle McAfee took to the courtyard of Denver’s Quixote’s True Blue Cafe to kick off her summer tour. Originally from the mountains of Nederland, Colorado, McAfee ventured to the whiskey-stained streets of Nashville, Tennessee, years prior to become a professional songwriter.

The Grateful Web’s Bailey Elise McBride recently had the chance to speak with Jacob Hemphill of DC-based reggae band SOJA while at Wakarusa Music Festival in Ozark, Ark. The two discussed SOJA’s first experience at an American festival, their latest album and why international audiences find SOJA’s music so appealing.

Grateful Web’s Angela Gattuso recently had an opportunity to speak to Dan Smyers, from the Nashville-based rock duo, Bonaventure.  They spoke about the band’s influences, their debut album, Come Hell or High Water, and what would Dave Grohl do.

Grateful Web recently got the chance to sit down with jazz guitar player Wayne Krantz. We talked about his upcoming summer tour, the sound of his new album, Howie 61, and the relationship between composition and improvisation.

GW: So I know you're getting ready for a summer tour in Europe. What are you and your band doing to prepare?