Jarod Gregory's Profile

The Cripple Creek Music Festival is coming to Fort Mitchell, KY, on October 20th.

The John Hartford Memorial Festival held its 8th annual event over this past weekend (5/30 to 6/2) at the Bill Monroe Music Park and Campground in Bean Blossom, Indiana. The bluegrass and roots festival bills itself as “The Most Laid Back Festival in America”- and after spending just one day and night there I’m certainly not going to dispute it.

Dead & Company kicked off their 3rd summer tour in as many years on Wednesday in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir (rhythm guitar, vocals) and the “Rhythm Devils” Billy Kreutzmann (drums) and Mickey Hart (percussion) have been joined by long-time Dead collaborator Jeff Chimenti (piano/keyboards), former Allman Brothers and Aquarium Rescue Unit member Otiel Burbridge (bass) and John Mayer (guitar) since the band’s inception in the fall of 2015.

The John Hartford Memorial Festival (May 30 to June 2) is billed as “The Most Laid-Back Festival in America” and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has gone and would disagree. The 8th annual bluegrass and camping festival nestled up in the rolling hills of beautiful Bean Blossom, IN, has quietly put together one of the summer’s best bluegrass festival lineups–and it all takes place just 2 hours from Cincinnati.

Billy Strings brought his barn-burning bluegrass show through the SGHR on Tuesday night. Billy (William Apostol) with bandmates Billy Failing (banjo), Jarrod Walker (Mandolin) and Royal Masat (bass) have perfected a special kind of bluegrass that is at times more traditional than the typical modern “jamgrass” bands on the scene while still reaching peak moments of psychedelic improvisation that make even veteran bluegrass bands blush.

Seattle’s non-profit radio station KEXP put on a livestream of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio on their YouTube channel during the 2017 Upstream Music Fest. The video of the performance since has over 300,000 views, including views from Terry and Bob Cole of Colemine Records label and Plaid Room Records located in Loveland.

Keller Williams is known for a lot of things. He has his funk/soul group More Than A Little. He has recorded multiple bluegrass albums with husband/wife duo Jenny and Larry Keel as Keller and the Keels. He’s best known for his one-man show that he’s bringing to the Octave on April 24.

I got the chance to meet Billy Strings (William Apostol) and talk to him about his psychedelic-tinged bluegrass band’s upcoming April 24 show at the SGHR while backstage at the Columbus BrewGrass Festival in early March. Billy Strings had just finished a tour opening for bluegrass heavy hitters Greensky Bluegrass, and I was curious whether the band had a different mindset when opening vs. the headlining tour that is coming through the SGHR.

The Wood Brothers–Oliver and Chris Wood with multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix–are bringing their tour to a sold out Taft Ballroom on April 17 with the incredibly impressive Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers as the opening act. The trio has an enormous sound that is going to blow the roof off the intimate Taft ballroom.

It was a celebration of the first full day of spring and the 3rd anniversary of the opening of Madison Live!, and they definitely knew who to call for such an occasion. Wisconsin-based Horseshoes & Hand Grenades brought their roving bluegrass jubilee to the small shotgun-style venue next to the Madison Theater.

As sure the moisture will freeze inside your noise on a Wisconsin January morning, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades have found a way to package that existence in song and deliver it as pure Americana goodness.

I recently got the chance to chat with rock and hall of famer and grammy-award winning artist Graham Nash and discuss his upcoming show at Memorial Hall on March 13, and it was clear that he’s as passionate about music now as he’s ever been. When I spoke to Graham, he was one night into his current tour and was nothing less than excited.