As a child, Mike Gordon and his family took a trip to the Bahamas. It was there, sitting by the pool, that he first heard the smooth, calypso rhythms of the Mustangs. Years later he would bring “Ya Mar” to the Phish table, but those island sounds would stay with him for much longer.
Honky-tonk bars and love-sick cowboys aren’t exactly common on Long Island. And they certainly don’t make it into the New York punk scene. But somehow Earl Pickens managed to transition his Anti-Folk, East Village holler to more subdued, Lone Star drawl and do just that.
Matt Hales is Aqualung, or at least the most vital part of the English based band. Drawing vocal comparisons to Thom Yorke and musical hints to Coldplay and Keane, it’s been the “year of America” for Matt and his four-piece band, as they’ve traveled the U.S. for the better part of 2005.
Ben Harper has been on the scene now for over ten years, with six solid studio efforts under his belt, including last years critically acclaimed collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama, There Will Be A Light. But in today’s age of genre mashing, that’s not that impressive.
In the past few years, Widespread Panic has endured their share of grief, uncertainty and exhaustion. A break from the road was more than deserving, and in late March, the Athens, Georgia six piece returned from a 15 month hiatus clearly rejuvenated.
Arguably the most deranged techno band making records today, Combichrist is the side project of Icon of Coil
With all their talent, Bering Strait is bound to attract the kind of following of an influence like Nickel Creek.
Photos by George Weiss of the Big Summer Classic tour – featuring String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, Umphrey’s McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, Michael Franti & Spearhead, New Monsoon and Xavier Rudd.
Photos taken on July 8th and 9th at Alexian Field, Schaumburg, IL and July 10th at White River State Park, The Lawn, Indianapolis, IN
The Cowboy Junkies rarely record other songwriter’s material. However, when they do they are usually diamonds in the rough that only the hardcore fans of a particular artist have heard.
Happy anniversary High Sierra Music Festival! This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the best-managed, most enjoyable, and just plain old greatest festival on the planet. The beauty of this festival is there are so many diverse musical styles showcased throughout the weekend, that regardless of one
