Vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Dann Ottemiller has been a staple of central Pennsylvania’s fertile music scene for over twenty years. In the late 1980’s, he co-founded Once Fish, a jam-band that attained considerable cult-status, embarked on a grueling self-financed cross-country tour as far west ...view article
What is it about certain bands that inspire fans to travel insane distances while on tour? Catching as many shows as they can possibly see in a limited amount of time? Some of my friends and family often question why I do it, why fly or drive thousands of combined miles to see the same band play ...view article
The chilly autumn night at the Lawn at White River Amphitheatre, opened by a single hum of Joe Kwon’s cello bow, succeed by Scott Avett’s palatable banjo melody that kicked off the night with “Go to Sleep” a tune off of the Avett Brothers 2007 release Emotionalism. The sold out venue instantly ...view article
When we woke up at the hotel Sunday morning it was raining hard. It looked like it had been raining all night. When we left the festival the previous evening things were really muddy, and we figured it was going to be even worse today. We checked the schedule and saw that things were getting ...view article
As the sun dropped behind the thick timberland's of the northwestern mitten, Umphrey’s McGee came out as cool as the air. Kris Myers and Joel Cummins were facing a double-header of music that evening, as they had just wrapped up another amazing set with their other project, Digital Tape Machine, ...view article
Located on the banks of the Des Moines River, the Simon Estes Amphitheater was the site of yet another Umphrey’s McGee ‘musical-Mona Lisa’. A truly beautiful setting for a night that would include some of summer’s most electric moments. The ever-present feeling of the impending Fourth of ...view article
Holidaze is not the kind of festival that anyone ends up at by accident or gets dragged to by a friend. It’s an exclusive event for only the most die hard of fans, of which even fewer make the cut to get tickets ten months in advance to see their favorite bands throw down on the beach at the ...view article
There is little comparison to the excitement of the thumping house beats, the funky rumble of a low bass line shaking the building and the infectious sonic articulation of synthesizers that can be found at a rave. Imagine that being topped off with soaring guitar licks and the interplay of four ...view article
Fourteen months ago, on Halloween, Umphrey's McGee played one of the most impressive shows I'd ever seen. The buzz surrounding the event was undeniable and the actual show was religious. At the time the band was on the precipice of some major changes. Light design artist Jefferson Waful was ...view article