Quite possibly the most prestigious musical event today, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has hit the big 4-0 and in turn, has outdone itself in booking nothing less than the cream of the crop. The 2009 lineup is incredibly diverse, both stylistically and chronologically, and will take music from jazz, pop, rock, soul, gospel, folk, salsa, blues, R&B, funk, and lots of music rooted in Louisiana, such as Cajun and zydeco. The event is scheduled to take place the weekends of April 24-26 and April 30-May 3 and it's a wonder how they've managed to cram hundreds of artists into a mere seven days. There are so many artists that one wouldn't know where to start unless they have a specific genre in mind. So for now, let's extract some of the rock bands that will be playing.

Although an official schedule has yet to be released, the lineup has been broken up between the two weekends. During the first weekend, Dave Matthews Band will be featured as one of the headliners (sadly, sans the original sax player). Wilco, who strangely drew in a larger crowd than Rage Against the Machine at Lollapalooza, will undoubtedly be received with open arms.  Read more »

The seven-year-old Savannah Music Festival has established a reputation for interesting programming crossing diverse musical boundaries, but their just-announced 2009 program may be the event's most interesting and most diverse yet. With top artists in various genres of jazz, roots, blues, world music, and classical, the upcoming festival, set for March 19 to April 5, 2009, puts a feather in the historic city's cultural cap.

The event's more than 100 performances are programmed in themes, series and special events. Some of the highlights are as follows:

In roots categories, Long Time Travelin' is a celebration of American folk song traditions featuring Rayna Gellert of Uncle Earl, gospel bluegrasser Doyle Lawson and hosted by Americana singer-songwriter Jim Lauderback, while Roots & Twang is a concert serieis featuring Neko Case and Crooked Fingers, Punch Brothers with Chris Thile, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Lovell Sisters and more.  Read more »

The summer rock festival is a hallowed tradition, and the mere mention of a Lollapalooza or a Bonnaroo calls to mind more than a few indelible images: The restless multitudes massed outside the brimming porta-potties, the eight-dollar hot dogs washed down with twelve-dollar beers, so many sunburned and shirtless party warriors being carried to the quiet mists of the chillout tent. The sun is out; people are on vacation; sometimes it rains, and we get naked in the mud.

This past Sunday was one of those beautiful, crisp fall days.  The sun was shining brilliantly in a clear, blue sky.  The temperature got up to the upper 70s and there was a slight breeze.  And my son and I were attending our second Voodoo Fest and considering the time well spent!

Stephen Rehage lost thousands of dollars in the making of the first New Orleans Voodoo Experience, the outdoor music festival he first produced in 1999 that only drew about 8,000 people.

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Thousands of people packed Helena this past weekend and many are praising the 23rd installment of the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival as a success.  While event organizers are still busy tallying the final numbers, estimates reflect that 83,000 people attended the festival.  Average crowds ran approximately 35,000 on Friday while nearly 45,000 closed one of the largest free blues festivals on the planet Saturday night.

The 10th annual Voodoo Music Experience will take place October 24-26. This year's festival, dubbed The Tenth Ritual, will be held once again in New Orleans' City Park. Voodoo will hold six stages, divided up into three sections: Le Ritual, Le Flambeau, and Le Carnival, inspired by the city's French culture.  Many of the attendees from last year's festival asked the question of how next year could follow a lineup headlined by Rage and Smashing Pumpkins.  Well folks, here's how:  Read more »

After they had played Lightnin' Hopkins and the Reverend Gary Davis, and after they had delighted the crowd with their signature "Hesitation Blues," acoustic blues throwbacks Hot Tuna captured the spirit of the San Francisco Blues Festival with their final number of their Saturday afternoon set.

"I got the blues from my baby down by the San Francisco Bay...." The audience, basking in the September sun on the Great Meadow at Fort Mason, with the Golden Gate Bridge and bobbing sailboats in view at stage right, ate it up. "If I ever come back to stay, it'll be another brand new day, walking with my baby down by the San Francsico Bay."

The Hot Tuna performance was one highlight of the first day of the venerable festival, taking advantage of the glorious September weather overlooking the Bay at Fort Mason's Great Meadow. The other highlight came two hours later, when another legend from a seminal '60s rock band closed out an entertaining all-star blues revue featuring a cavalcade of electric blues performers. After all that great music, Elvin Bishop reminded fans of the fun and excitement that a high-powered blues rock can deliver.  Read more »