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Live Review: Howard Jones w/ ABC and Haircut 100 @ TempleLive at the Columbus Athenaeum — 8/28/24

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Howard Jones
Howard Jones performs at the Columbus Athenaeum on August 28, 2024. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Howard Jones recalled visiting Columbus, Ohio, in the 1980s for a date on his One to One Tour. The club was packed, and tequila was flowing. Howard and his brother — bassist Martin Jones — may have enjoyed a drink or two while performing over a memorable night, the English musician recalled.

Sharing the story during his most recent visit to Columbus for a show at TempleLive at the Columbus Athenaeum, Howard and his present-day band showed the audience an equally good time over the course of a 14-song set that included One to One’s terrific “You Know I Love You, Don’t You?” No tequila was necessary for good vibes and rampant dancing to flow through a very full house.

Live Review: Steel Panther @ Club XL (Harrisburg, PA) — 8/27/24

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Steel Panther
Steel Panther performs at Club XL on August 27, 2024. (Photo by Michael Sprouse/Odd Rocker Photography)

Steel Panther’s recent concert at Club XL in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was a raucous celebration of glam metal, delivering everything fans expected from this outrageous band: blistering guitar solos, irreverent humor, and a setlist packed with their biggest hits. The night was a wild ride, full of energy and raunchy spectacle.

Live Review: Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls @ Wolf Trap — 8/25/24

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Indigo Girls
The Indigo Girls perform at Wolf Trap on August 25, 2024. (Photo by James Todd Miller)

Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls both made a huge splash with their self-titled albums, released in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Their popularity only grew over the next decade when they came out as lesbians and became queer icons who were able to stay true to their musical visions and to themselves while finding mainstream success. And each, in their own way, has inspired a number of musicians — particularly other women. Their distinctive styles were on full display in their recent appearance together at Wolf Trap.

Snapshots: Marcus Miller @ Rams Head on Stage — 8/24/24

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Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller performs at Rams Head on Stage on August 24, 2024. (Photo by Steve Satzberg)

Jazz bass great Marcus Miller recently dropped by Rams Head on Stage, where he showcased a few tunes that he wrote for Miles Davis in the 1980s!

Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show.

Live Review: LaMP @ Rams Head On Stage — 8/21/24

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LaMP at Rams Head On Stage Annapolis MD 08.21.24 35mm Film Photo by Casey Ryan Vock
LaMP — the trio of Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger, and Ray Paczkowski — performs at Rams Head On Stage on August 21, 2024. (35mm film photo by Casey Ryan Vock)

Creation happens when like-minded musicians get together and set themselves loose to wander. Certain venues just happen to benefit from a spiritual lift that can help add a little zest to improvisation. Nectar’s in Burlington, Vermont — where Phish played regularly in its early years — is that kind of place.

Still going strong, Nectar’s attracts creative and confident players who don’t just want to redo the same old songs but can thrive in the moment and will take risks to find something new.

LaMP was born there in this very manner back in 2018, when drummer Russ Lawton, guitarist Scott Metzger, and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski rolled into the storied bar and coalesced before the eyes of an intimate audience lucky enough to be on hand.

Live Review: Phish “Mondegreen” @ The Woodlands (Dover, Del.) — 8/15-8/18/24

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Phish Mondegreen
Phish performs on the second night of its four-day festival, Mondegreen, held Aug. 15 to 18, 2024, at The Woodlands outside Dover Motor Speedway in Delaware. (Photo by Casey Ryan Vock)

After 40-plus years and more than 2,000 gigs together, most bands wouldn’t feel tasked to outdo themselves.

But Phish — the improvisational rock quartet formed in a University of Vermont dorm room in 1983 — has tried to push the envelope in every way possible since its inception.

At Mondegreen, the band’s four-day festival held this month outside Dover Motor Speedway in Delaware, Phish proved that it’s not only the most capable rock band to ever grace a stage, but one of the most brilliant and industrious outfits of all time.

For three nights and an afternoon at the venue known as the Woodlands, Phish astonished tens of thousands of devotees with monumental sets of music featuring songs from across its expansive catalogue and some of its most beloved covers, too.

Live Review: Hot August Music Festival 2024 (feat. Grace Potter, Neal Francis, Eggy, Sam Grisman Project) @ Oregon Ridge Park — 8/10/24

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Hot August Music Festival
Grace Potter and her band enjoy the Hot August Music Festival on August 10, 2024. (Photo by Mark Raker)

Hot August Music Festival Shines Bright Despite Early Challenges
Words by Dan Rozman
Photos by Mark Raker

The Hot August Music Festival in 2024 was a festive celebration of music, community, and the free-spirited essence of summer.

This year’s festival featured an impressive lineup across two stages, offering non-stop music throughout the day. Headliners included the powerful vocals of Grace Potter, while the roster also boasted rising star Neal Francis, jam band favorite Eggy, and the eclectic Sam Grisman Project. Local talent shone with standout performances by Baltimore’s own Cris Jacobs, the energetic Pressing Strings, and guitar virtuoso Paul Reed Smith with his band Eightlock.

Live Review: Big Head Todd and the Monsters and Blues Traveler @ Wolf Trap — 8/23/24

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Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Big Head Todd and the Monsters perform at Wolf Trap on August 23, 2024. (Photo by James Todd Miller)

In the ’90s, a second wave of jam bands emerged, influenced by predecessors like the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. Two who broke out into the biggest success were Big Head Todd and the Monsters and Blues Traveler, who first came together on the HORDE Tour. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere, not to be confused with the faction, led by orcs, in World of Warcraft.)

At Wolf Trap, these two bands recently came together on the Blue Monsters Tour for a night of spontaneous musicianship and great songs.

Live Review: Wallows w/ Benee @ Merriweather Post Pavilion — 8/22/24

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Wallows
Wallows perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion on August 22, 2024. (Photo by Carolin Harvey)

When I saw that Wallows was set to play Merriweather Post Pavilion back in March, I couldn’t believe it. I remember the day their first single “Pleaser” was released back in 2017. I remember each subsequent single to come — everytime eagerly awaiting the next one.

Live Review: Willi Carlisle w/ Anna Tivel @ Union Stage — 8/22/24

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Willi Carlisle
Willi Carlisle performs at Union Stage on August 22, 2024. (Photo by James Todd Miller)

“This is going to be a test of my ADHD medication,” folk singer Willi Carlisle told the audience in his recent performance at Union Stage.

It was also a test of my ability to take notes and my memory; to say he spoke a mile a minute would be an understatement. (I quickly gave up on trying to write down his stage banter, as there was simply too much of it and he moved too quickly.) In his first headlining performance in the DC area, Willi proved to be an energetic, engaging, and entertaining performer.