Today, the world lost an incomparable visionary and revolutionary spirit with the passing of Sylvester "Sly" Stone, the dynamic heart and soul behind the legendary group Sly and the Family Stone. Born on March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, and raised in Vallejo, California, Sly Stone didn't merely enter the music scene—he reshaped it entirely, blazing trails with infectious rhythms, groundbreaking style, and messages of unity and empowerment.

Beginning this Thursday, June 12, and running through Father’s Day, Sunday, June 15, the California Bluegrass Association (CBA) will celebrate a full half-century of music and community when the 50th Annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival fills Nevada County Fairgrounds with four days of nonstop picking, singing, and fellowship.

When classically trained pianist Kristina Marinova boards the psychedelic bus, she brings nothing but a grand piano—and proves that’s all she needs. Out June 6, 2025 on Navona Records, THE BUS CAME BY AND I GOT ON transforms eleven cornerstones of the Grateful Dead canon into a cinematic solo-piano experience that mirrors the arc of an early-’70s Dead show, complete with exploratory segues and encore-worthy fireworks.

With just weeks to go until the Fourth Annual Grassfire Festival roars to life at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park, fans of acoustic music and outdoor adventure are gearing up for four days of top-flight bluegrass, family fun and cliff-side thrills. From July 3 through July 6, the rugged beauty of Ohio’s most iconic swimming quarry will host an all-star roster of jam-grass legends, rising talents, and hands-on workshops—plus the biggest fireworks finale this side of the Appalachian Trail.

Relentless Beats revealed the full lineup for Goldrush: The Return to the West, its signature western-themed festival, set to gallop back into Rawhide Western Town on Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13, 2025. After a three-year hiatus, the historic town will once again resonate with state-of-the-art production and a star-studded roster of electronic and bass heavyweights.

Electronic-funk tastemakers The Floozies and globe-spanning experimental outfit Dirtwire will co-headline back-to-back Colorado performances this September, with support from beat-maker Flamingosis and psych-groove quartet Honeycomb. The pair’s “”New Sundown Tour”” touches down at Denver’s Levitt Pavilion on Friday, September 12, and moves an hour west to the Dillon Amphitheater on Saturday, September 13.

Portland’s favorite Grateful Dead tribute outfit, Caught Dead Handed, returns to the lush vineyards of Redgate Winery on Friday, June 14, for a free, all-ages (21+) evening of blazing hot jams. From 6:00 to 9:00 PM, the band will transport guests on a psych-folk journey through the Dead’s most beloved anthems, perfectly paired with Redgate’s award-winning wines and the rolling hills of Independence, Oregon.

Florida/Georgia Americana artist Nate Currin returns on August 1 with Ghost Town, a road-worn exploration of heartbreak set against folk-rock, bluegrass, honky-tonk blues and shimmering cosmic country. Written in the aftermath of a massive breakup, the album chronicles a cross-country journey through sorrow and renewal—where every highway mile unearths memories that linger like ghosts in the rearview.

Staci Gruber, the Boston-based singer-songwriter whose work bridges the emotional nuances of personal experience and the stories of others, today unveils her new country-Americana single, “Be Kind With My Heart.” Recorded in Nashville and produced by Erik Halbig (Ty Herndon, Jamie O’Neal), the emotive ballad addresses the aftermath of betrayal or infidelity and the universal need for kindness in the wake of heartbreak.

From the Dirt, the harmony-soaked Americana quartet from central Maryland, will officially release their sophomore album, Colored Edge of Memory, on June 27, 2025. Recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Jerry Brown (Doc Watson, Lucinda Williams, Watchhouse, Steep Canyon Rangers) at Chapel Hill’s Rubber Room studio, the ten-track collection melds Bluegrass, Celtic, Americana, and rock ’n’ roll influences into vivid narratives of heartache, addiction, love, loss, and loneliness.