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Goose performs on the first of two nights at The Chrysalis in Merriweather Park the evening of Aug. 12, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)
It’s difficult to keep tabs on the progress and achievements of some of the busiest and most prolific bands out there.
But you’d have to be intentionally ignoring live music news to have missed any recent updates on Goose, a group that began in earnest in 2014 and has experienced a recent rapid rise in popularity, including through the pandemic years.
Dead & Company perform at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, on July 8, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)
When illegitimate rumors circulated in the spring that Dead & Company would be hanging it up, Bobby Weir himself took to social media to dispel the fictitious storyline.
“News to me …,” he Tweeted in response to Rolling Stone’s incorrect April report on the modernized, legacy edition of the Grateful Dead, the band the now-grey but steadfast Weir helped steer for 30 years before it disbanded in 1995 following the death of Jerry Garcia.
In the wake of the cancellation of Dead & Company’s scheduled show in Saratoga Springs recently, buzz about a possible no-go in Northern Virginia seemed valid, as the father of star band member John Mayer had been hospitalized late in the week in an apparent medical emergency.
But, alas, Mayer’s father’s condition improved and the show would go on, as they say. And, upon announcing lot and show times on social media in the afternoon on July 8, Jiffy Lube Live was transformed a short while later into the larger-than-life celebration that follows this band wherever it goes in the same trademark fashion as the Grateful Dead.
Grahame Lesh leads Midnight North in a performance at The 8X10 in Baltimore on July 6, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)
When you’re born the son of one of the most respected musicians of all time, it takes courage and perseverance to carve your own original path and still honor your heritage.
Grahame Lesh is navigating such an extraordinary scenario with fortitude and class as one of two leading voices and guitars driving Midnight North, a band that got its start about 10 years ago in San Francisco and honed its sound through many a night at Marin County’s late, great Terrapin Crossroads and by way of ambitious touring all across the country.
Their energetic road trips brought Midnight North to spots throughout the DMV in recent years, and at a recent stop at The 8X10 in Baltimore, Grahame showed that his band’s diligence and consideration is indeed paying off in the form of one of the most endearing and dynamic outfits on tour today.
Originally released in 1990, The Black Crowes debut album Shake Your Money Maker was an out of the blue hit rock record in an era of Vanilla Ice, Wilson Phillips, and Mariah Carey. It’s also the band’s strongest album and the band would tour the world on the back of these songs for decades. Last week’s show at The Filene Center at Wolf Trap was a part of a Covid-delayed 30th anniversary tour of that album.
This version of the band only features two original members, the brothers Robinson, but they’re the ones that count. Flanked by lead singer Chris and guitarist Rich were drummer Brian Griffin, keyboardist Joel Robinow, guitarists Isaiah Mitchell and Charlie Starr, and bassist Sven Pipien, who has been in and out of the band since 1997.
Allie Kral of Yonder Mountain String Band plays the fiddle at the Charm City Bluegrass Festival in Baltimore on April 29, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)
For all of the challenges Baltimore might face as a city, a deficiency of live music is not one of them.
A thoroughfare for musicians making their way up and down the East Coast, and one rich with its own dynamic scene and culture, Baltimore has quietly maintained if not improved its reputation as one of the country’s leading music cities since being propped up by media in 2000s.
The Charm City Bluegrass Festival, held April 29 and 30 at Druid Hill Park, provided two days and nights of delightful live performances, sun-baked revelry and choice local food and beverage options for more than 1,000 attendees Friday and 3,000-plus on Saturday, only reaffirming Baltimore as an important and potentially underappreciated hub for influential and busy musicians.
Railroad Earth (Photo courtesy IVPR)
Easing into their third decade as a band, jam-scene pioneers Railroad Earth have been hard at work keeping their bluegrass soul and rock and roll spirit alive and well. On April 22nd, the next chapter of RRE will unfold with the release of their new album All For The Song; a 10-song collection filled with tales of biblical road-trip rainstorms, Louisiana getaways, and losing their brother too soon.
Meanwhile, Railroad Earth return to DC for a show at 9:30 Club on Thursday, March 24.
Rick Mitarotonda leads Goose on the first of back-to-back sold-out nights at 9:30 Club on March 1, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)
Few endeavors can be as damning out of the gate as charting the course of a jam band, a breed of live and recorded music that has — whether right or wrong — earned itself a preconceived reputation.
But take stock of the group that wears that tag like a badge of pride in grabbing the whole scene right by the short and fluffies.
Behold: Goose.
Galactic (Photo courtesy 7S Management)
New Orleans jam band Galactic are performing at 9:30 Club on Friday, March 18, and Parklife DC is giving away a pair of tickets for you to see the show! (Pssst: Galactic also perform on Saturday, March 19 if you prefer to go to that show.)
Tedeschi Trucks Band (Photo by Caitlin Moore)
Following a very challenging yet creative year, Americana roots and soul powerhouse, Tedeschi Trucks Band, eagerly returns to the road in 2022. Highlights include a series of multiple-night residencies in Washington DC (6), Nashville, TN (4), Chicago, IL (4), Red Bank, NJ (3), Port Chester, NY (3), and a two-night engagement in New Orleans, LA. Led by renowned guitarist Derek Trucks and singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, these shows will feature the full, reunited 12-piece band including new drummer Isaac Eady.
Railroad Earth (Photo by Shredded Elements Photography)
(Editor’s Note: This show is being postponed due to concerns related to COVID-19. Stay tuned for a new date!)
Railroad Earth, the terrific jam band collective, play 9:30 Club on Friday, Jan. 7.
In 2020, Railroad Earth were poised to release All for the Song, a new studio album, but apparently the band held the release through the pandemic lockdowns that hit the United States that year.