Posts by Dave Goodwich

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 […]

 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 […]

After years of clamoring for an official live release, Billy Strings fans are finally getting their wish.  It’s somewhat surprising it took this long for the young firebrand to add a live component to his already impressive recording catalog. After all, arguably the main catalyst behind Strings’ explosive ascent through the music industry, one which […]

Studio albums have always occupied something of a unique niche throughout Phish’s forty-year history. After all, it’s no secret that the Vermont foursome have built their reputation as one of the most influential touring acts in the country around their immersive improv-laden live performances, effectively relegating their studio efforts as musical afterthoughts.  Now, that’s not […]

Del McCoury is a national treasure.  Since joining forces with Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys over sixty years ago, the affable guitarist and vocalist has left an indelible mark on the bluegrass world as we know it. Thanks to his seemingly ageless vocal abilities, uncanny songwriting, and infectious stage presence, McCoury’s influence has spread […]

Cris Jacobs is going back to his roots.  Saddled by some recent bouts with mental health issues, along with a self-proclaimed musical identity crisis, Jacobs recently found himself at something of a crossroads in his career. Unsure of his next steps, Jacobs took solace from a serendipitous backstage encounter with bluegrass legend Jerry Douglas.  Inspired […]

The Disco Biscuits are back. Now, I’m the first to admit that’s something of a misleading opening statement. After all, the Philadelphia-based transfusion quartet has been touring the country and churning out new music for nearly thirty years with nary an extended break or hiatus, but in the past year or so, something has changed. […]

Most touring musicians look forward to and cherish their time off from the road as a chance to unwind and revitalize themselves after enduring the rigors of cohabiting in tour buses and hotel rooms for months on end. Fortunately, Daniel Donato is not like most musicians.  Inspired by some sage advice he received from local […]

1998 was a formative year for Bruce Hornsby. As if playing a key role in the formation of a Grateful Dead redux – The Other Ones – and the massive coast-to-coast summer tour that accompanied it wasn’t enough, the Williamsburg, VA native still managed to find time to record a double album that continues to […]

On Monday (9/18), Jon Gutwillig and Aron Magner of the Disco Biscuits were four hours into a Zoom session with author Nicholas Schmidle, writing music for their new theater show, The Very Moon: A Steampunk Musical, when they asked for my advice about the show’s finale. “We need you to help us figure out the […]

When considering the metrics by which a successful music festival is measured, longevity is arguably at the top of the list.  After all, even the most eclectic lineups with the biggest names coupled with an array of modern amenities and conveniences don’t mean squat if fans aren’t clamoring to relive the experience year after year. […]

Bill Kreutzmann has been full of surprises in 2023. After delivering the shocking news in April that he would not be joining his lifelong musical brethren on Dead & Company’s final tour this summer, the Grateful Dead drummer delighted East Coast-centric Deadheads with the announcement that he would be reviving his beloved Billy & The […]

Attending a Phish show at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia is somewhat akin to stumbling upon a long-forgotten civilization. The kind historians marvel at for centuries while the rest of society does their best to sweep any notion of it under their collective rug, dismissing it as some farcical hippie fantasy. […]

For some Baltimore-area Phish fans, last night’s (7/6) Trey Anastasio Band performance at the Pier Six Pavillion was long overdue.  After a pair of previously canceled gigs (a July ‘93 Phish show was aborted due to poor ticket sales and a May ‘20 TAB concert fell victim to the pandemic-related shutdown) the affable guitarist was […]

After more than fifty years, the Grateful Dead’s long strange trip through Philadelphia has finally come to an end. Maybe.  Since 1968, when the Jerry Garcia and Pigpen-led iteration of the Dead first visited the City of Brotherly Love for a three-night run at the infamous Electric Factory, Philly has proudly counted itself as something […]

Shortly after bluegrass legend Del McCoury partnered up with Roy Carter of the High Sierra Music Festival in 2007, with the aim to bring a version of his wildly successful and eclectic festival to the east coast, McCoury knew he had found home.  After canvassing the mid-atlantic region for potential venues, Carter invited Del and […]

With their tenth studio album, jamgrass pioneers Leftover Salmon are paying homage to some of their earliest and most formidable musical influences.  Grass Roots, the group’s follow-up studio effort to their critically acclaimed 2021 release, Brand New Good Old Days, represents a unique entry in Leftover Salmon’s discography as it stands as the first LP […]

After six long years, Mike Gordon has finally added another notch to his solo discography belt. Flying Games (out 5/12) represents the sixth solo studio effort from the longtime Phish bassist and follows up his critically-acclaimed 2017 release OGOGO. Picking up where OGOGO left off, and with the same Grammy-winning engineer/producer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, The […]

To celebrate ten years of top-shelf local and national musical talents, regional craft beers and ciders, unique and familiar foods, a vast array of independent vendors, and a remarkably family-friendly atmosphere, the Charm City Bluegrass Festival has decided to return to its roots.  What began in 2013 as a relatively humble affair just north of […]

While it’s only been eight years since guitarist Neal Casal formed the ensemble after being tasked with providing incidental set break music for the “Fare Thee Well” concerts commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Grateful Dead, the group of instrumental firebrands – consisting of Dan Horne (bass), Mark Levy (drums) and Adam MacDougall (keys) – […]