Sunday, June 17, 3 p.m.
Father’s Day, RaptorFest, and the 14th Annual Crawfish Boil
North Mississippi Allstars
with special guest Futurebirds
North Mississippi Allstars (NMA) is led by brothers Luther and Cody Dickenson. Deeply rooted in American roots music and further steeped in the Hill Country Blues of their home state, the band is in their third decade of making greasy, blues-oriented rock & roll. The pair strikes a balance between Luther’s raw, organic slide guitar and Cody’s passion for drumming and electronic programming. While they’ve taken venerable cues from blues icons R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, NMA are very much a modern band that stays in the moment via high-energy, electrifying improvisation. They have the same mentality in the studio—no belaboring, just let it all hang out and clean up the mess later. Touring as a power trio with bassist/vocalist Carl Dufrene (of Anders Osborne), the band has released eight studio albums and even more live releases and EPs. NMAllstars.com
Futurebirds
Hailing from Athens, Geogia, Futurebirds’ music is a patchwork amalgam of influences, including twangy Southern rock, reverb-soaked psychedelia reminiscent of early My Morning Jacket, soaring guitar solos à la Neil Young and Crazy Horse, rhythmic jangle from that other Athens band REM, multi-part vocal harmonies, and lyrical slide guitar. FuturebirdsMusic.com
Sunday, June 30, 6 p.m.
Shinyribs
with special guest Aaron Davis & the Mystery Machine
Once you’ve seen Shinyribs’ Kevin Russell on-stage and heard his band’s music, it’s impossible to forget. Known for his outrageous outfits and antics, he’s a regular fashion icon, liable to turn up in anything from his lime-green sherbet leisure suit to a flashing LED cloak. One of the pioneers of the modern Americana movement as a member of The Gourds, Russell took his musical inspiration from the fertile Ark-La-Tex turf. He might not take himself too seriously, but he is dead-on serious about the eclectic blend of music he favors, combining Texas blues, New Orleans R&B funk, horn-driven Memphis soul, country twang, border music, big band swing, roots-rock, Tin Pan Alley and even punk. An eight-piece band, Shinyribs was named Best Austin Band for 2017, while their latest release, I Got Your Medicine, was tapped as Album of the Year at the Chronicle’s prestigious Austin Music Awards. Shinyribs.org
Friday, July 19, 6 p.m.
Hayes Carll
with special guest Sister Karee & the Other Brothers
A singer and heady songwriter with a rock & roll heart and a country soul, Hayes Carll’s signature cleverness and swagger have never been more evident. His 2019 release, What It Is, showcases a writer in his creative prime. Musically ambitious and lyrically deep, the record reveals an artist in the emotional and intellectual present. Carll’s regular-guy story songs have street smart, delivered with a Southern accent and a sharp point of view. With a list of accomplishments that include Americana Association Song of the Year (“She Left Me for Jesus”), a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song (“Chances Are”), and four albums in a row that reached number one of the Americana Airplay chart, its no wonder Carll is mentioned alongside Lone Star icons Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. HayesCarll.com
Friday, August 16, 6 p.m.
The Wood Brothers
with special guests Upstate and Wendy Colonna
Edgy, funky and rootsy, The Wood Brothers is comprised of brothers Chris (upright bass, vocals) and Oliver Wood (guitars, vocals) along with multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix (drums, piano, shuitar, vocals). Their understated sound is instantly identifiable. Folk, blues, gospel and jazz sum the Wood Brothers’ Americana, with Oliver’s distinctively modest but revivalistic vocals and Chris’s virtuosic bass chops defining the sound. The trio’s sixth outing, last year’s One Drop of Truth, was Grammy-nominated for Best Americana Album. It was self-produced and represents the Woodsiest release to date, solidifying the band’s adverseness to the corporate music industry while being fully deserving of its praise. At a point in their career where most artists would be looking to strategically position themselves for even greater commercial success, they instead turned to artistic expression in service of the muse. In chaotic times when honesty is in short supply and ulterior motives seem to always be at play, The Wood Brothers put faith in themselves and ultimately their audience by writing and recording a collection of songs that is honest and pure. TheWoodBros.com
Upstate
A sextet from Rhinebeck, NY, featuring a unique lineup of three female vocalists with bass, mandolin, and cajón, Upstate also has four contributing songwriters. Their adventurous blend of folk, R&B, jazz, gospel, and rock and roll was described by Chronogram as an “infectiously sunny organic stew,” while The Poughkeepsie Journal raved that the group “needs nothing more than their voices to channel rhythm and stoke your emotions.” UpstateLovesYou.com
Wendy Colonna
Wendy Colonna is a seasoned troubadour and a new mother who hails from the gulf coast of Louisiana and has called central Texas home since 2000. The Austin-American Statesman calls her “a force of nature” and the New York Times cited her sound as “ethereal.” Wendy’s songs echo soulful tales of joy, reclaimed innocence, joy, loss and celebration. Her resonant, signature, grit-infused-honey voice can moves from a sweet whisper to a full-on bayou-soul-shout without skipping a beat.
WendyColonna.com
Tuesday, August 20, 6 p.m.
Center for the Arts presents
Gov’t Mule at JacksonHoleLive!
It was 2004 when Gov’t Mule vocalist and guitarist extraordinaire Warren Hayes gazed up Snow King Mountain as a member of The Allman Brothers Band. Fifteen years later, the Grammy Award-winning frontman will make history again at Snow King Ball Park, this time with the rock and roll mystique of Gov’t Mule—Haynes, Matt Abts (drums), Danny Louis (keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals), and Jorgen Carlsson (bass). The band formed in 1994 and along the way, their catalog has impressively racked up 120 million Pandora plays, over sixty million Spotify streams, three million downloads from their official website, and millions of album sales.
The melting pot of rock, blues, soul and jazz, the quartet is equally recognized for its stirring songwriting and storytelling as it is for the improvisational virtuosity that fuels their countless live performances. The Allman’s influence is apparent, augmented in the early years with the psychedelic, bluesy feel of Cream, which evolved into an exploratory chemistry unto its own in the latter years. Synonymous with the “jam band” scene of the late 90s, Gov’t Mule’s music has galvanized a fan base of millions around the world, reaching a place of preeminence as one of the most timeless, revered and active bands in the world whose spot amongst rock titans remains unshakable. The “Summer of ‘19” tour marks the band’s 25th Anniversary. mule.net