Umphrey’s McGee has graced almost every stage of significance in their hometown of Chicago.  So when the opportunity arises to see them in a new venue there is a palpable sense of excitement and expectation. Such was the mood when guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger followed up their ...view article

Bluegrass in my mind is envisioned as a small town gathered together to enjoy a knee slap and a yee- haw as well as to enjoy the simple subtleties of the strings while letting the worries of everyday life be lifted with the steps and spins of dancing. Hot Buttered Rum with the Coop opening at Clearwater ...view article

The nonchalant atmosphere of a Monday evening slowly picked up pace at the Vogue as Los Angeles based Kraddy hit the stage. The speaker-shuddering bass drops moved the crowd from the bar onto the dance floor and warmed their bodies for the organic bass beats of EOTO. The DJ’s gear was perched and ...view article

The way music is produced and performed is growing at an astounding rate.  From the roots of acoustic music to amped up rock n’ roll and into the electronic revolution, the options available to the modern musician are more like a scientific lab, then the campfire jam from where it all started. ...view article

January 15th held a mellow afternoon in San Diego with just a small layer of hazy clouds in the sky, almost 70 degrees and no sign of rain.  However, in the San Diego House of Blues, weather fronts collided unleashing a powerful musical storm called Umphrey's McGee.17356

This six-headed, twelve-armed ...view article

We rose some time after dawn in a small bed and breakfast lodge in Sacramento and I was still suffering a bit of barrel fever from all the whiskey I'd drowned myself in the night before.  We had traveled East from San Francisco through the night to get a jump on the day.  We'd be riding plum through ...view article

Any moderately warm, sunny day spent in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is bound to be a good day.  This past weekend proved to be no exception to this general rule as people young and old packed the park for the 18th annual four day long Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.17356

Six stages ...view article

This year, Merlefest celebrated its 22nd year of music and art in the unbelievable heat of Wilkesboro, NC.  The festival boasted accommodations for young and old alike, mixing a variety of bluegrass knowns and unknowns with local art, food, and family activities. Smoking was not permitted during ...view article