Posts by Jason Gershuny

Karl Denson is on a major roll. Having just returned from an epic Australian tour with the Rolling Stones, the saxophonist extraordinaire has rejoined his usual musical crew of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe to tour the country playing their unique style of boogaloo funk and soul, and taking a set to honor the self proclaimed kings […]

It is a rare opportunity to be a firsthand witness to a major crossroad in a band’s evolution, especially when the band has been in the music game for 22 years. Fresh off the busiest year of touring that The String Cheese Incident has done in almost a decade, there is much rejoicing in Cheese […]

The seven piece funk ensemble The Motet have dubbed their sold out New Year’s Eve party as Funklandia and will be hosting the celebration at Portland Oregon’s Crystal Ballroom to ring in 2015. They are bringing their talented friends The Polyrhythmics, DJ Weather, and special guest Jennifer Hartswick to bolster the bounce of the non-stop […]

For 26 years now, Portland, Oregon’s Waterfront Blues Festival has brought top-notch musicians from all around the world to perform to the masses with the idyllic cityscape and Willamette River as the perfect festival backdrop. All of the proceeds raised during the festival, which was more than $1.3 million dollars, benefited the Oregon Food Bank. […]

When an annual musical event crosses over the “decade” line of yearly operations, it moves from to the status of a festival to the status as a summer music institution. The Northwest String Summit, which takes place at Horning’s Hideout near Portland Oregon from July 21st-24th, is about to cross that threshold to become an institution and solidify its’ status as a must see event for any fan of bluegrass music and a great time.

For nine years now, summer time in the Pacific Northwest has been graced with the musical bounty that is Yonder Mountain String Band’s annual Northwest String Summit. Not only has this festival brought some of the most influential bluegrass pickers of both national and international fame together in Oregon, but this conflux of incredible talent has continued to grace the northwest at one of the most intimate and beautiful venues in the nation, Horning's Hideout. Glide had a chance to talk to Jeff Austin about String Summit's of past and present. 

There is a sonic rumbling that is emanating from the historic musical underground of Brooklyn, New York, and it has caused booties to shake and quake all over the nation this summer. The Pimps of Joytime, in only their third year of existence, have spent the last few months on the road spreading their sound to the masses offering up their musical menu of funk, soul, Latin, and afrobeat grooves.  

Just two brief days before the upcoming Northwest String Summitt, Glide Magazine got a unique opportunity to check in and chat with one of the two producers of the festival, Greg Friedman about what the festival is all about, what exactly goes into making it all happen, and what are his favorite memories from the last eight years of working the magic behind the scenes.

Yet with change comes the development of fresh ideas and music. Hot Buttered Rum has always been innovative in their pursuit of pushing their own musical evolution, and since the break up they have added Everyone Orchestra Drummer/ Conductor Matt Butler to sit in as another piece to their dynamic musical puzzle.

One weekend in Portland  Oregon reinforced the notion that there is nothing better than a communal vortex of celebrations. All at once we were lucky enough to celebrate Valentines Day, the 150th birthday of Oregon, and the reemergence and rebirth of Portland’s Jazz fest. Any one of these events would have been enough reason to celebrate, but when all were combined in a single weekend, the parade of musical talent that graced our city tapped an energy that transcended any one stage.

A true test of a band’s flexibility relates to their ability to adapt to their environments by playing the crowd’s taste in a given city, and using the time of day and location of the venue to get the biggest response from the audience. Sound Tribe Sector 9, who tend to thrive in a late night dance party setting, had the challenge of adapting their style to meet the sunshine soaked outdoor vibe of Portland Oregon’s Edgefield.

In the west coast for a little more than a decade, there have been certain musical performers who have dramatically influenced the local music scene. At this year’s String Summit deep in the lush green forest of Horning’s Hideout, many of those musical icons came together to jam and celebrate in style….With Yonder Mountain String Band, members of the String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, and Keller Williams all in tow,

Following the release of their newest album Amen Corner, Railroad Earth took their west coast tour through Portland’s Crystal Ballroom on June 20th to ring in the summer solstice in style. In teaming up with Portland’s own prankster production team of Peak Experience, RRE decided to bring more than just their own special sound to the mix; they brought a horn section, a rocking guest guitarist in the form of Scott Law, a top notch opening act of Greensky Bluegrass, and more eye candy and costumes than most shows this side of Ringling Brothers.

Some traditions lose their magic after a few years, but thankfully the Pangaea Project benefit shows continue to bring the community together on so many levels, and continue to provide some of the most magical musical moments Portland sees each spring.

The Greyboy Allstars tend to exist where the musical culmination of funk, soul, jazz, groove and rock converge. This eclectic musical mish-mosh is in the midst of a national tour that brought them through Portland Oregon’s Roseland Theater on Friday March 28th.  As always they were greeted with much of the famed Pacific Northwest hospitality, and as the night progressed it once again became clear that we love the Allstars here in Oregon.

P.B.S. (Porter, Batiste, Stoltz) is finally getting the opportunity to cool their heels a bit after an extended West coast tour that took them to cities large and small. Along the way in Portland Oregon, Glide had the opportunity to sit down with George Porter Jr., Russell Batiste Jr., and Brian Stoltz to talk about the rigors and realities of life on the road, the inspirational process of creating music together, and George Porter Jr.’s obsession with the internet.

The Floydian Slips are no mere cover band, and the cannon that they focus on is quite deep to say the least. This Oregon based eight piece ensemble recreates a Pink Floyd experience with tremendous accuracy and intensity.

On a dark and rain soaked evening in Portland Oregon, Lotus brought a fiery energy to the Hawthorne Theater that truly lit up the night. They were joined with the up and coming funk band the Bridge, and that one two punch was just what Portland needed to shake free from the gloomy grip of the raging storm outside.

For bluegrass lovers in the great North woods, there is nothing quite like the annual Northwest String Summit. This year marked the 6th year of this amazing festival, and if you like intense collaborations of talented musicians who pick and pluck gorgeous music anywhere from the stage to the campground, then this is the place for you.

The High Sierra Music Festival is marking its seventeenth year of existence by once again bringing a wide range of musical talent to multiple stages from July 5th through the 8th in beautiful Quincy California. As always, High Sierra looks to be an epic weekend of world class music, incredible artistic displays, and jubilant merrymaking for musicians and fan alike.