Posts by Greg Ackerman

The recent stop by legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and his band in Austin on July 9th at the Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas raceway with support from none other than The Doobie Brothers was perhaps to remind us that legacy acts often get the short straw from music critics. Yet, the reality is […]

Greenville, South Carolina natives The Marcus King Band made a stop at the Boulder Theater Saturday, July 6th, performing following the Dead and Company tour finale at the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field. Fans in the know snapped up advance tickets early, leading to a sell-out well before the young (he’s 23) King’s band hit […]

Last weekend’s popular food and music event, Hot Luck Festival returned to Austin (May 23-26) with bigger musical guests, more celebrity chefs and an expanded marquee grilled meat happening, Al Fuego. The festival is organized by Aaron Franklin (Franklin BBQ), James Moody (The Mohawk) and Mike Thelin (Feast Portland co-founder). Amid a warming Austin, Hot […]

In case you haven’t noticed there appears to be a resurgence in popularity of artists who are put into the jam band bucket lately. A term that once held a negative connotation to hipsters and casual music fans, “jam band” has gained a new perspective as a crop of young and old fans discover acts […]

Austin rock band The Bright Light Social Hour (TBLSH) drop their third full-length album, Jude Vol I, tomorrow on local imprint Modern Outsider. The record was recorded at Sunset Studios in Los Angeles and produced by Chris Coady (Slowdive, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beach House) over two multi-week sessions at the end of 2017 and the start […]

When Low Cut Connie (LCC) announced back-to-back shows at Austin’s The Mohawk, we gleefully rubbed our hands together, knowing the beloved Red River venue was in for a treat as the South Philly band is among the best live acts currently touring. That might sound like hyperbole, but in the case of the piano-rockers, it’s […]

What happens when a future Austin City Limits Festival headliner and featured performer at this year’s festival tapes an Austin City Limits television episode? In the case of Atlanta’s Janelle Monae, it signals the elevation of a talented and underrated performer (she should have had ACL Fest headliner status) from successful status to full-blown superstar. […]

When music fans talk about the blues greats, titanic guitar players like Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Albert Collins and B.B. King are often mentioned. While those legends have left their earthly pursuits, one of their own soldiers on in the great tradition of American Delta blues guitar players, traveling from one city to the next, […]

Austin (more than most U.S. cities) has staked its reputation on hosting music festivals spanning multiple genres. While jam bands like Phish and Dead and Company have come through town, a festival featuring the music of the likes of The String Cheese Incident, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Leftover Salmon has not been a staple […]

When the inaugural Waterloo Music Festival was announced this year at Carson Creek Ranch next weekend (September 7-9), we scratched our heads a bit trying to figure out where this enterprise was coming from. The event organizers advertised three nights of String Cheese Incident performing with other bands. The puzzled look on our face was […]

Vermont jam legends Phish returned to Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas Tuesday, July 31 for the first time since their inaugural appearance at the Grand Prix racetrack venue in 2015. After completing a 9 show West Coast run, Phish hit the ground running in Austin despite typically warm seasonal weather kicking off with […]