DelFest 2025 Keeps It Rooted In Bluegrass & Americana With The Wood Brothers, Sierra Ferrell, Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth,Matteo Mancuso & More (FESTIVAL REVIEW)
Before each Memorial Day weekend in the Appalachian foothills of western Maryland, a unique phenomenon occurs. Tens of thousands of like-minded bluegrass-obsessed musical adventure seekers migrate to the welcoming confines of the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland, for a four-day experience that stands as the epitome of what a music festival should be: DelFest. […]
Ranking Goose’s Most Faithful Song Reinterpretations: The National, Pat Benatar, Nina Simone, Ilsey Juber & More
By all accounts, 2025 is shaping up to be the Year Of The Goose. That’s not to say that the Connecticut-based jam band’s arrow hasn’t already been pointing squarely up and to the right for quite some time now. After all, the group has been experiencing an unprecedented rise through the jam band ranks, particularly […]
Leftover Salmon Continue Formidable Album Output With Crafty/Well-Honed ‘Let’s Party About It’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Leftover Salmon are no strangers to a good time. After all, the Colorado-based progressive bluegrass trailblazers have been entertaining audiences nationwide for over thirty-five years, continually infusing a genuine festival-like atmosphere into their seemingly endless run of convivial live engagements. Though the sextet of elder-statesmen—consisting of Vince Herman (guitar), Drew Emmitt (guitar, mandolin), Greg Garrison (bass), Andy Thorn (banjo), Alwyn Robinson (drums), and Jay Starling (keys, dobro)—have […]
With ‘Everything Must Go,’ Goose Lays Collection Of Road Tested & New Material Into Gratifying Results (ALBUM REVIEW)
To say that things have changed for jam band darlings Goose since the 2022 release of their previous studio album, Dripfield, would be a stark understatement. A startling rise in the Connecticut-based ensemble’s popularity has seen the quartet – now consisting of Rick Mitarotonda (guitar), Peter Anspach (keys/guitar), Trevor Weekz (bass) and Cotter Ellis (drums) […]
Trey Anastasio Brings Entertaining Stories & Intimate Acoustic Song Reworkings To Washington D.C.’s Warner Theatre (SHOW REVIEW)
As hordes of fans filtered through the ornate lobby of Washington D.C’s historic Warner Theatre on April 4th, the sense of anticipation in the air was palpable. After all, it’s not every day that they get to experience Trey Anastasio, the beloved Phish frontman usually relegated to performing in cavernous arenas and amphitheaters at an […]
LaMP Keeps The Chops Mighty & The Grooves Tight On Dynamic ‘One Of Us’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
When Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (keys), and Scott Metzger (guitar)—collectively known as LaMP—piled into Ben Collette’s Tank Recording Studio in Burlington, VT, last summer, it was obvious they were going in with a genuine groupthink mindset. “If there is a theme to this record, it might be the three of us”, Paczkowski states in the liner notes to the […]
Bluegrass Mainstays The Seldom Scene Hit Home With Hearty ‘Remains To Be Scene’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
With over fifty years under their collective belts, no one could blame bluegrass mainstays The Seldom Scene for resting on their laurels and taking it easy. After all, the Bethesda, Maryland, area quintet has claimed authorship to an iconic discography consisting of over two dozen releases and has been an influential presence throughout the country’s […]
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers Navigate Relaxed & Expansive Arrangements At Washington D.C.’s Warner Theater (SHOW REVIEW)
Imagine sitting around a living room with a handful of your closest friends. At the same time, one of the most influential songwriters of this generation regales you with a seemingly endless supply of breathtaking performances and engrossing stories for an entire evening. This idyllic scenario played out Saturday evening at the historic Warner Theater […]
Billy Strings Harnesses Old West Vibes & Fiery Pickin’ Via ‘Highway Prayers’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Sensational. Hair-raising. Breathtaking. Brilliant. Since bursting onto the scene in 2017, countless writers, bloggers, critics, etc. – yours truly included – have exhausted nearly every superlative available to try to describe the monumental impact Billy Strings had on live music. And for good reason. After all, Strings’ meteoric rise through the musical ranks is, quite simply, unprecedented […]
Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival Wins Again With Daniel Donato, Cris Jacobs, Sam Bush, Leftover Salmon, Dirty Grass Players & More (FESTIVAL REVIEW/PHOTOS)
It was perhaps one minute into my brief interview with Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival co-founder John Way when the first interruption occurred. An incredibly polite middle-aged woman, adorned in a lime green sequined dress and a psychedelic array of face paint, excitedly approached Mr. Way to express her gratitude for the past two days. “This […]