The organizers of the Rockopelli Music Festival embody this ethos. For fourteen years, Rockopelli has brought together artists, activists, and musicians to support the Northwest Indiana community, channeling proceeds from the annual event into scholarships and local charities. Since its start in 2012, the festival has raised over $100,000 for student scholarships while donating to various local causes. This year’s charity event, held at Crown Point’s Bulldog Park, featured four diverse bands united by the same spirit of community.

Mr. Hat Presents, in collaboration with Harlan Records, invites the Bay Area to finish out the summer with SUNDAYS ARE DEAD, a free outdoor funky jam festival on Sunday, August 31, 2025, outside Harlan Records—just one block from Montgomery BART. From noon to 8:00 pm (live music from 1:00 pm), the street transforms into a family-friendly celebration featuring two groove-heavy bands putting their own spin on the Grateful Dead songbook and more, plus food and drinks for purchase, Shakedown Vendors, and a Kids Zone.

Rockopelli Music Fest 2025 lands at Bulldog Park on Saturday, August 23, 2025, for a high-energy, all-ages night of live music that supports music scholarships and local charities across Northwest Indiana and Chicago. Gates open at 3:30 p.m.; music starts at 4:00 p.m.

Haight-Ashbury will be the epicenter of the psychedelic revival as it welcomes Deadheads from near and far for a weekend-long series of GD60 on Haight Street with pre-shows and after-parties at O’Reilly’s Pub celebrating the music and legacy of the Grateful Dead from July 31—August 3.

Joe Marcinek’s latest release, The Groove Sessions, is a collection of jazz-funk tunes that will gently fry your mind with music at the highest intellectual level while never speaking down to you. This iteration of the Dead Funk Summit includes the amazing Greg Spero on keys, the Sanchez brothers—Ronnie (bass) and Manny (drums)—providing the rhythm section, Tracy Silverman on violin, Howard Levy on harmonica, and the incomparable Jesus Molina on piano.

The fourth annual Ramble Festival, taking place just outside Darlington, MD will kick off on October 10th and is thrilled to unveil the 2025 artist lineup including The California Honeydrops, The Infamous Stringdusters, Cris Jacobs, The Brothers Comatose, The Ramble Band Plays Dead (ft. Cris Jacobs), High Fade, Pappy, TreeSap (Cabinet Trio), and many more.  This festival is designed for those seeking more than just a music event—it's a community festival that embraces creativity and connection.

During the holidays, we come together to celebrate another year and share stories of our adventures. This year, Joe Marcinek has brought his extended family together to share the love of music and laughter. Calvin Rodgers, Sharay Reed, John Hanrahan, Pennal Johnson, and Rick King formed this year's Dead Funk Summit at Lincoln Hall, delivering a night of marvelous music performed by some of Chicago's preeminent musicians.

Winter has finally arrived in the Windy City. As the temperature drops, the streets come alive with the colors of the impending holidays, while brightly colored toy soldiers stand guard over shiny ornaments. The first celebrations of the season have reached the city, but the biting wind keeps shoppers and revelers moving quickly, seeking refuge indoors. What better time to take in a concert?

Gifting sprouts has become popular with festival attendees recently. The little green shoots are exchanged as a token symbolizing hope for a new friendship. The sprout is a new beginning, but it needs good ground, sun, and water to flourish. Festivals too are like the sprout. They need the right balance of an excellent location and vendors providing the foundation, sunny, warm entertainers, and the flow of patrons. Jamboozled 2024 was a first-time festival held at the Country Ranch in Mendota, Illinois, this September.

NEVER MISS A SUNDAY SHOW! Joe Marcinek (Dead Funk Summit) is a rising national star and he is making a rare North Bay appearance at charming Spancky's Bar in Cotati on Sunday January 21st with his friends the Sanchez Brothers from GrooveSession. This will be a high energy dance party!