jam band

Song of the Day: “Easter in Quarantine” by Umphrey’s McGee

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Umphrey’s McGee (Photo courtesy IVPR)

Not unlike the rest of the country and the world, improv-rock gurus Umphrey’s McGee have found themselves with an empty-for-now itinerary and, in isolation, the strange daily balance of making sense of it all and making use of the extra time. Today, UM released “Easter in Quarantine.”

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Live Review: Tedeschi Trucks Band @ Warner Theatre — 2/21/20

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Derek Trucks (left) and Susan Tedeschi perform with their 12-piece supergroup, Tedeschi Trucks Band, at Warner Theatre, Feb. 21, 2020. (Photo by Ari Strauss)

February in DC, for the past five years, means the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the 12-piece blues-rock supergroup lead by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, holds an annual residency at historic Warner Theatre. This year’s residency included four sold out shows over two consecutive weekends, Feb. 14 and 15, and Feb. 21 and 22.

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Live Review: Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt (of Leftover Salmon) @ City Winery — 2/11/20

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Vince Herman of Leftover Salman performs at MerleFest 2017 on April 28, 2017. (Photo by cp_thornton)

Before Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt took the stage at City Winery, they were preceded by a brief reading from Tim Newby’s book, Leftover Salmon: 30 Years of Festival. The reading detailed the earliest origins of America’s premier “polyethnic Cajun slamgrass band,” (a term which, Vince joked, “has really pigeonholed us”), when Vince and Drew met in 1985. Over the next few years, Vince would play guitar in the Left Hand String Band, and Drew played several instruments, especially the mandolin, in the Salmon Heads.

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Live Review: Spafford @ 9:30 Club — 2/5/20

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Spafford performs at 9:30 Club on Feb. 5, 2020. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)

One of the many pleasures of blogging for Parklife DC is getting exposed to myriad types of music throughout the DC metro area. Whether it’s experiencing a new local player putting her/ his voice out there in the cacophony of great area performers or seeing established national touring bands with huge loyal followings, the thrill of documenting live music (to my mind, its purest form) is indeed a privilege. For someone like me, with a foot in the past and one stepping into the future, I get to tread a musical path that stretches out in many directions.

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Interview: Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon (@ City Winery, 2/11/20)

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Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt (Photo by Bob Charmichael)

Vince Herman is one of the founding members of the Colorado “jamgrass” (bluegrass jamband) group Leftover Salmon. A guitarist and songwriter, Vince has, with mandolinist Drew Emmitt, formed the core of Leftover Salmon for 30 years.

In this conversation, Vince and Parklife DC’s Mark Engleson discuss the band, his influences, the band’s forays into Colorado’s marijuana industry, and his upcoming show with Drew at the City Winery in DC on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

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Live Review: Twiddle @ 9:30 Club — 1/25/20

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Twiddle performs at the House of Blues in Boston on Dec. 31, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Gardecki)

If you had said the word “twiddle” to me three years ago, it would’ve meant virtually nothing. Twiddle your thumbs? I never really understood that anyways. Fast forward to present day — the moment I see the word “Twiddle” next to a date and location in DC, I’m ecstatic. That’s how I felt when I found out one of my favorite bands, Twiddle, was making a stop at the 9:30 Club. I couldn’t wait to see them again.

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Preview: Greensky Bluegrass @ The Anthem, 1/31/20 + 2/1/20

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Greensky Bluegrass (Photo courtesy One in a Million Media)

Greensky Bluegrass, renowned for bringing rock ‘n’ roll showmanship to high-energy bluegrass, appears at The Anthem for two shows — Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1! Grab a two-night pass to see both shows at a discount!

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