The Inaugural Interlocken Music Festival 2013
The Interlocken Music Festival, is now known as the Lockn' Festival. For all the up to date news on the festival go to their current website at: www.locknfestival.com/.
The annual four-day music festival continues to be held at Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia. The festival focuses primarily on jam bands and other music improvisation acts.
Its inaugural event took place September 5–8, 2013, drawing nearly 25,000 fans and featuring some incredible bands.
This was the official site for the 2013 Interlocken Music Festival.
Content is from the site's 2013 archived pages.
Take a nostalgic trip back to the 2013 the Interlocken Music Festival
May 16, 2013
PRESS RELEASE:
INTRODUCING INTERLOCKEN MUSIC FESTIVAL – INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
NEW 4-DAY MUSIC FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE SEPTEMBER 5 – 8 AT OAK RIDGE FARM IN ARRINGTON, VA, 35 MILES SOUTH OF CHARLOTTESVILLE
NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE, FURTHUR, ZAC BROWN OF ZAC BROWN BAND, THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT, THE BLACK CROWES, AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
TICKETS GO ON SALE:
General "Early-Bird" On-Sale: May 23 at 10:00 am EST
Interlocken, a 4-day music festival, with an emphasis on world class music, locally sourced food and sustainability, is confirmed to take place September 5 – 8 at Oak Ridge Farm at the foot of the Blue Ridge in Central Virginia, a mere 35 miles south of Charlottesville, and approximately 100 miles from both Washington, DC, and Richmond, VA. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Furthur, Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band, The String Cheese Incident, and The Black Crowes will perform. Many of the artists will be performing at Interlocken over multiple days, and will be featured in unique and exciting artist pairings - with additional artists to be announced soon.
Interlocken was created by industry veterans Dave Frey and Peter Shapiro. Frey founded the HORDE Festival while Shapiro owned New York City’s historic rock club, “Wetlands Preserve.” He also produced U2’s award-winning film U23D and currently publishes Relix Magazine as well as being the proprietor of Brooklyn Bowl and The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. With the pedigree of these two producers, Interlocken is set to be one of the country’s most unique and dynamic events. Frey and Shapiro’s sense for innovation and creativity together with the backdrop of this beautiful setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains is certain to make for an unforgettable weekend.
Interlocken was named for traditions central to both Frey and Shapiro: The inter-locking performances presented at Wetlands and the continuous uninterrupted music featured between the two stages at HORDE. Interlocken’s conceptual theme will touch all elements of the event: “when something ends, another begins.” This simple yet powerful ethos of sustainability will be integrated into camping, lodging, food, drink, transport offerings as well as specialized onsite activities.
“Most festivals these days are trying to be everything to everyone -- very eclectic with an emphasis on a large number of artists in various genres,” says Shapiro. “With Interlocken, we want to break away from that mold and create something more identifiable and distinct.”
Interlocken's two main stages will feature full two-hour sets that will run seamlessly from one to the other without breaks between performances, giving the audience a unique and singular experience as the music will be continuous throughout the weekend. The emphasis will be on quality over quantity, as fewer bands will be playing longer sets and many of the featured artists will perform multiple sets on different days.
After looking at several sites around the US, Frey and Shapiro decided upon Oak Ridge in Nelson County for its majestic beauty, size, and proximity to Charlottesville. Its infrastructure and acreage allow it to naturally accommodate mass gatherings. The estate has 4,800-plus-acres and is privately owned; it was originally deeded to two Bristol merchants by the King of England. The most well known owner was Thomas Ryan, a Wall Street financier, who used the property as a rural retreat and built a professional sized steeplechase racetrack for his horses and a private railroad station. After the Holland family purchased Oak Ridge in 1989, John C. Holland, Jr. placed high priority on restoring the Oak Ridge racetrack using reclaimed building materials. The festival will take place on that racetrack, which is the length of six football fields. The town of Arrington in Nelson County has a stop sign, a post office, a general store and a recycling center. Over the past 10 years, local craft breweries and, most recently, local hard cider distilleries, have joined several local wineries -- some dating back to the Thomas Jefferson era. Nelson County is a well-known destination for the outdoor recreation enthusiast and is becoming a hotbed of locally made small-batch craft spirits. The festival will offer general camping in the stunning surrounding Blue Ridge area as well as VIP camping inside the concert site.
“We are very excited to welcome the Interlocken festival to Oak Ridge,” says Oak Ridge owner Rhonda Holland. “Several concert promoters have approached us in the past about using the track. We have always been concerned about the impact that this would have on the surrounding community and the land. Dave and Peter have a history of caring about the communities and land where they produce events. We look forward to working with the Interlocken team for many years to come.”
Since both Frey and Shapiro have a strong history of running environmentally conscious organizations, Interlocken will be a particularly green undertaking, utilizing carbon offsetting, locally sourced food, recycling programs and many more initiatives. The festival has engaged a person closely associated with the property who is a local sustainable food provider to help Interlocken source food, beverages and services from the Central Virginia.
“As a life-long concert goer, Peter has a fan-first approach to the events he produces and I think his audiences respond to that as they feel his respect and generosity,” says Frey. “He creates events that he would want to attend himself, and that really sets them apart from everything else out there.”
For more information, please contact:
Ken Weinstein
Big Hassle Media
"I attended this festival with my boyfriend and we were both blown away by some of the artists. The coolest thing is that we actually got to meet Jimmy Cliff after his set. One of his percussionists was wearing the same flashy Batman t shirt that I was wearing and this caused us to compare notes about the best sources for Batman shirts. Turns out we both shop at the same online store - moonatmidnight.com - and we both think this is the best place for Batman T shirts because of the huge selection and the best prices but even more so because of the large images that let you see all the details. None of the Amazon stores come close. Jimmy was interested in our convo and I offered to buy him one using my phone. I ended up showing him how to place an order for a Batman Begins T shirt shipped to his nephew who happens to also be a fan of the Dark Knight! I'm still amazed that this actually happened! So clearly one of the most memorable festivals for me. And I credit Batman for making this happen." Janice Phelps
Schedule
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 5
The String Cheese Incident
Gov't Mule
The String Cheese Incident
Warren Haynes Band
Keller & the Keels
FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 6
FURTHUR featuring
Phil Lesh & Bob Weir
ZAC BROWN INCIDENT
FURTHUR featuring
Phil Lesh & Bob Weir
The String Cheese Incident
Jimmy Cliff
Founding Fathers
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 7
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
FURTHUR featuring
Phil Lesh & Bob Weir PLAY Workingman’s Dead & MORE
WIDESPREAD PANIC with JOHN FOGERTY sitting in
THE BLACK CROWES
Punch Brothers
Pegi Young & The Survivors
Love Canon
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 8
FURTHUR featuring
Phil Lesh & Bob Weir
WIDESPREAD PANIC
THE BLACK CROWES
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Hackensaw Boys
schedule subject to change
Some of the Bands That Will Be Appearing
Jimmy Cliff
"I got one more shot at the goal/Straight from my soul/I'm in control," sings reggae legend Jimmy Cliff on "One More," the lead track from REBIRTH, the new Universal Music Enterprises album from the Grammy-winning musician, actor, singer, songwriter, producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, produced by punk icon Tim Armstrong, of Rancid and Operation Ivy fame.
The release, his first studio album in seven years, is the next step in their collaboration on last year's Sacred Fire EP, an effort Rolling Stone called Cliff's "best music in decades... [his] tenor still soars." With the groundbreaking 1972 film The Harder They Come celebrating its 40th anniversary, Cliff—who starred in the movie and contributed the title cut, "You Can Get It If You Really Want," "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Sitting in Limbo" to the soundtrack—is still going strong in a career that has spanned almost 50 years and includes his native Jamaica's highest honor, the Order of Merit. In REBIRTH's autobiographical "Reggae Music," Cliff recounts going to see famed Jamaican producer Leslie Kong in 1962 to convince him to work with him, releasing Cliff's first hit, "Hurricane Hattie," when he was just 14.
"Jimmy is one of my musical heroes and I've been responding to his music my entire life," said Armstrong, who had never met Cliff before, but was once recommended to him by mutual friend Joe Strummer of The Clash. Gathering Armstrong's studio band, the Engine Room (bassist/percussionist J Bonner, drum/percussionist Scott Abels, organ/percussionist Dan Boer and piano/lead guitarist Kevin Bivona), the first song they tackled was a cover of Rancid's "Ruby Soho," a ska-tinged number from the band's 1995 album ...And Out Came the Wolves about a musician having to tell his lover he's headed for the road.
"I had no idea it was one of Tim's songs, but I liked it and could identify with the sentiments," said Cliff. "I never really had the opportunity to hear his music, but it was a great thing how we hit if off in the studio."
They also worked on a cover of The Clash's "The Guns of Brixton," a song about the growing tension in Brixton at the time. Ironically, Strummer's last session ever was with Cliff on "Over the Border, a song from Jimmy's 2004 album, Black Magic. It was at that time Joe talked up Armstrong as someone who might make a good collaborator for him.
"It was inspiring working with Tim because even the sound of the album feels like we went back to the '60s and '70s," said Cliff. "I had forgotten about a lot of the sounds and the instruments we used then, and we brought that all back."
"Now the tides have turned/And the rewards we have earned/Bringing us good feeling/Set our hearts a-reeling." "Our Ship Is Sailing"
While REBIRTH is named after what Cliff perceives as his own artistic revival, the reggae pioneer has never really been away, working with a who's-who of other rock legends over the years, including the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello and Annie Lennox, his songs covered by the likes of Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Cher, New Order and Fiona Apple. His patented sweet tenor is the most recognizable vocal in reggae along with his only fellow Jamaican Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Bob Marley. Last year, he made a triumphant appearance at the Bonnaroo festival that put him back on the pop music map.
"The album is about my rebirth as an artist and as a man, but also about the rebirth of the world," says the man whose 1970 "Vietnam," has been dubbed by Bob Dylan "the greatest protest song ever written," and served as a centerpiece in Paul Simon's acclaimed 2011 tour, the performer citing it as his original inspiration to record "Mother and Child Reunion" with Cliff's band in Jamaica.
Never a stranger to politics, Jimmy continues as a voice of power and conscience, especially on songs like the opener, "World Upside Down," a song written by the late reggae pioneer Joe Higgs back in the '70s with lyrics updated by Cliff. "I made it for the world today," he added.
Other socially conscious songs on REBIRTH include "Children's Bread," with its harsh refrain, "They took the children's bread and give it to the dogs... The time has come for us to right the wrongs." Much of the material was inspired by his tour of African countries like Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
"Africa is like an injection for me," he explained. "Being there gave me that high feeling—the songs just poured out."
"Let's keep on moving...There ain't no stopping until we say so" "Our Ship Is Sailing"
But it is the more personal songs, like "One More," "Reggae Music" and "Our Ship is Sailing" which get to the heart of Jimmy Cliff's music, and his own artistic renewal as he heads out on a summer tour that began in Brooklyn in June with a concert streamed on NPR Music. Among his future plans are more acting roles, including a possible sequel to The Harder They Come, as well as continuing to write songs inspired by the classic soundtrack.
"I have not become the artist I believe I am," he told Rolling Stone last year. "I'm not done at all. I want to become a stadium act."
REBIRTH is the next step in that direction.
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The String Cheese Incident
Over the past decade, The String Cheese Incident has emerged as one of America's most significant independent bands. Born in 1993 in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, SCI has since released 6 albums, 3 DVDs and countless live recordings from their relentless tour schedule. Their 14 year history is packed full of surreal experiences, epic moments, groundbreaking involvement and huge accomplishments. They have been recognized for their commitment to musical creativity and integrity, for their community spirit, philanthropic endeavors, and for their innovative approach to the business of music.
When The String Cheese Incident's growth first started gaining momentum over a decade ago, when the internet was just beginning to take hold and the major-label business model was failing, the band decided to make music on their own terms.
Since then, The String Cheese Incident has gone on to carve out a completely different approach to the business of music; they are truly pioneers of a new way of “making a band.” With the World Wide Web as their tool, SCI was among the first artists to disseminate information via the internet, such as tour dates, release information, and other news, to their growing fan base. Rather than doing business on such terms as “the bottom line,” The String Cheese Incident put their music and their fans first, opening companies of their own, including a ticketing company, a merchandise company and a fan travel agency, to best serve their community. The band's record label, SCI Fidelity Records, has always operated under the same ideals. Even early on, SCI Fidelity embraced downloadable music and file sharing, delivering SCI's “On the Road” series, where every show the band plays is made available for download on the internet. Whether they realized it at the time or not, The String Cheese Incident was inventing grassroots band development. Today, literally hundreds of bands are using some version of this same approach to building a band.
The String Cheese Incident's commitment goes well beyond their immediate community, and even beyond the music community as a whole. Early on, the band took a serious interest in giving back to the communities that they visited, and they were among the first performers to encourage “Green” shows and tours. SCI's support has helped give rise to such not-for-profit organizations as Conscious Alliance, Rock the Earth, and Head Count. In 2002, when the band's right to sell tickets to their own shows became threatened by ticketing giant Ticketmaster, the band stood strong for the independent music community and filed a lawsuit against the company. All the while, The String Cheese Incident has stayed committed to music as a creative endeavor, not just in their recordings but also in their live performances. The list of SCI's special guests and collaborators is long and diverse. Their annual events such as Horning's Hideout, and holiday shows such as New Year’s and Halloween, have helped redefine the concert experience and has garnered the band a reputation as live music vibe innovators.
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Pegi Young & The Survivors
Singer-songwriter Pegi Young has said, “I’m just trying to tell some stories and make music that I can get behind.” That conviction has never rung truer than on her latest album, Bracing For Impact . Her third release, and second for Vapor Records, the 11-song disc spotlights Pegi’s beautifully spare and resonant vocals, world-weary and eloquent lyricism, and hushed yet immediate emotional landscape.
Bracing For Impact features Pegi once again accompanied by her acclaimed recording and touring band, The Survivors: legendary keyboard player Spooner Oldham on piano, bassist Rick “The Bass Player” Rosas, guitarist Kelvin Holly, and drummer Phil Jones. The album was produced by Pegi Young with The Survivors, with the exception of the final track, “Song For A Baby Girl,” produced by Elliot Mazer (who co-produced Young’s last full-length, Foul Deeds).
Eight of the album’s 11 songs are originals written by Pegi Young, with highlights including “Flatline Mama”—featuring a horn section and background vocals from The Watson Twins—“No Heart Beats Sound,” and “Trouble In A Bottle.” Neil Young wrote the rollicking “Doghouse,” and contributes background vocals and harmonica as well. Neil is also featured playing electric guitar on “Lie” and “Song For A Baby Girl,” and on harmonica for “Number 9 Train,” written by the late bluesman Tarheel Slim. On “I Don’t Want To Talk About It”—a song by Crazy Horse’s Danny Whitten that first appeared on that group’s 1971 album—Chandra Watson delivers additional vocals.
Bracing For Impact follows up 2010’s Foul Deeds, which Pegi co-produced with veteran multi-instrumentalist Ben Keith (who passed away shortly after the album’s release). In addition to her own compositions—with highlights including “Broken Vows,” “Starting Over,” “Traveling,” and the title track—Foul Deeds features Pegi’s distinctive interpretations of four songs by others: Will Jennings' “Pleasing to Me,” Lucinda Williams' “Side of the Road,” Devendra Banhart's “Body Breaks,” and B. Boatman's “Blue Sunday.” Throughout, Pegi displays an uncanny knack for cutting to the heart of thorny emotional issues and difficult truths.
Pegi first became known through her longtime role as backup singer—onstage and on record—for Neil Young, her husband of three decades. She debuted as a solo artist with a self-titled 2007 album that Allmusic.com described as “loose, relaxed, and flows from beginning to end...it's an intimate, hopeful and melancholy look at life and love from a songwriter who has been there.” Pegi Young—also co-produced by Ben Keith—features guest appearances from Neil Young (guitar), Marty Stuart (mandolin), The Jordinaires (background vocals), and a mix of personally charged originals and inspired covers, including songs by Joe Sample, Jimmy Buffet, and Will Jennings.
With Bracing For Impact, Pegi continues her progression as a singer-songwriter whose work is defined by uncommon grace, affecting warmth, and heartbreaking honesty. “I don't write happy songs, and the songs I'm attracted to tend to be kind of melancholy,” Young has observed. “I don't really know why that is, but that's just how they come to me, and I have to let 'em come on through.”
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John Fogerty
Before John Fogerty wrote a song for everyone -- and the man has written many of popular music's most timeless standards like "Proud Mary," "Fortunate Son," "Born On The Bayou" and "Who'll Stop The Rain" to name just a few -- he first wrote songs for himself.
"Every now and then, I did try and write a song for everyone, but it would all start because I would feel something deeply and personally that would mean a lot to me," Fogerty explains today. "Something in the world would strike me as being bad or tragic or unfair like in 'Fortunate Son' and so I would get pissed off in a way that was very personal. Then as I was in the writing process, I would try to make the statement larger than just myself, and so in some small way, some songs became universal. But it wasn't ever calculating. I couldn't write commercials and jingles. I just began to think of ways to make the songs larger than myself, and the songs just kept growing."
Wrote a Song For Everyone is a testament to the fact that the songs written by John Fogerty over the past forty-five years continue to speak in a powerful way to generations of music makers and music lovers. The stellar result is a heartfelt celebration of the impact Fogerty's iconic songbook that find Fogerty working together with some of the most acclaimed and popular artists in music today. As Fogerty explains, "Writing songs can be very private, but making music is best made with other people. And on this album, I've had the honor of making music with many of my favorite people in music now."
Wrote a Song For Everyone is a very big and moving album that reminds us once again how profoundly universal the songs John Fogerty has written truly are. "I must say that every now and then, there's a song I've written that I felt like existed before me, and 'Proud Mary' is definitely one of them," says Fogerty. "There's other songs around in the world that feel like that -- certainly more than a few by Dylan and the Beatles, to put myself in some very exclusive company. But in an abstract way, I'm kind of detached from it. I don't walk around like I'm Irving Berlin. I think I'm an All American kid, so it blows me away to be associated with a song like that because in my heart of hearts, I know it's pretty good. I felt like something or someone had touched me with that song. That was the first one like that. But I don't think I was ever the spokesman of my generation. Bob Dylan can have that title. I used to joke around about that – like "Someone hand me the phone now -- I need to get in touch with my generation."
Wrote a Song for Everyone takes its fitting title for a Fogerty song that first appeared on Green River, the 1969 album by Creedence Clearwater Revival, the legendary group that Fogerty led so brilliantly. "My wife Julie came up with calling this album Wrote a Song For Everyone, and the second she said it, I was like 'Of course,' because it made so much sense," Fogerty explains. "We didn't have a title when we started. I would blanche when someone called it Duets. I feel like that title has been used. Julie had suggested the project, and her idea was a little different and more interesting than how I perceive most of these get-togethers. Julie said, 'Instead of these people doing your songs for you, why don't you pick some great people work together and create something different and unique?' She got it. Then the light finally went on in my head that I could get to meet some of my favorite artists and make a record with them. Suddenly, this get together became an very exciting prospect."
"It dawned on me gradually that I could work with this new generation of men and women I admire who are full of music," Fogerty says. "But as time went on we realized we should tell them what the project was, let it resonate with them, and see if they had a concept so that they could bring their own thing to the process. We wanted to leave room for the artists to have a vision about it or pick a song rather than me trying to horse collar everyone. Sometimes I would go to them with an idea about the song, but all the artists had their take on how it should go. I love that because that's what made it interesting so that it's not just a copy of the original."
Here's what John Fogerty had to say about the collaborators with whom he shared some of his greatest songs on Wrote a Song For Everyone:
FOO FIGHTERS ("Fortunate Son")
I am a rock & roll kid. I grew up on mainstream AM rock and roll as rock and roll was being born. I heard some Sun, some Chess from Chicago, and suddenly there was Elvis on Ed Sullivan and everyone knew what rock was. When you walk in the room and the Foo Fighters are blasting away, and you're standing next to Dave Grohl and singing "Fortunate Son" you feel you're at the center of everything. I've gotten to know Dave a little bit, and we even sat down one day and wrote some, and I'm here to say that he and his band really are carrying the flag of rock and roll today. There are no bones about it – and I'm glad he's the one doing it. Dave has hit the rock and roll bulls-eye. And we've had a great musical connection -- it's not just about our mutual love of flannel.
KEITH URBAN ("Almost Saturday Night")
I've known Keith Urban for a while now. We did a CMT Crossroads together about 2005, and I was honored he wanted to do it with me. It took me a while to say yes, as it usually does, and I'm glad I did since we had a blast. I have known Keith so long that my wife Julie was giving Keith dating advice – before he met Nicole. Keith is just a great singer and guitar player, and a great guy too. We did something together for Neil Young at his MusicCares event -- and for this album we had a blast doing "Almost Saturday Night" which was on my 1975 solo album John Fogerty, and keeps coming back to life over the years. "The first time I recorded it alone, so it's great to share the song now with a musician of Keith's caliber.
SHANE & TYLER FOGERTY ("Lodi")
As a proud father, it was kind of a dream for me to get the chance to record "Lodi" again with my two talented sons, Shane and Tyler. When we first starting talking about how to do "Lodi," the guys wanted to take the song in more of a Fleet Foxes direction, but I more and more felt like it should have a bluesier sound than that. Eventually, we figured it all out, and we made things even better, we got to record "Lodi" at Abbey Road studios while I was on tour. How was recording at Abbey Road? Well, as you might guess, it was Fabulous.
NEW SONG ("Mystic Highway")
"Mystic Highway" is one of the two new songs on the album, but it's a title that I first jotted down in my notebook many years ago. Some songs take their time coming, but they can be well worth waiting for all the same. I thought writing a few new songs for this album was an important challenge. I'm still just as passionate as ever about making music, and I wanted the new songs to earn their place on this album. I guess it's fitting that "Mystic Highway" is a long trip of a song."
MIRANDA LAMBERT WITH TOM MORELO ("Wrote a Song For Everyone")
The first cut we actually did was with Miranda, who I have become a huge fan of in recent years. These are all people who I buy their records. I like what they do. So the fact that they feel the same way means so much to me. Somehow Miranda found a day to do this the weekend before her latest album was coming out. Her calendar was totally full, yet she penciled me in and I was touched that she insisted on finding the time to work with me in the middle of all the demands coming her way. During a run-through, Miranda called out for a "face-melting guitar solo" after a verse. And in the end, boy, did we get one -- thanks to Tom Morello who came in and really blew me away.
ZAC BROWN BAND ("Bad Moon Rising")
Songs are living things, and their tone and meaning keep changing based on the times, and based on your life too. This latest version of "Bad Moon Rising" has a lot of the love and joy and the Zac Brown Band puts into their unique and rootsy music. I love what Zac and the band brought to the song and this recording. This is a group that has made it big by being very true to themselves, and that's because they know who they are. They have a little jam band in them, and it really was a pleasure to jam with Zac and the guys.
MY MORNING JACKET ("Long as I Can See the Light")
I'd listened to a few of My Morning Jacket songs, and have been hearing how great they are for years. I was very happy to hear that they were thrilled like kids to record this song with me, and when we got together at Blackbird, so was I. It took a little while to get the song in their comfort zone, but then they zeroed in like great bands do. I think when people hear our version of "Long as I Can See the Light" they will be pleasantly surprised. It's not exactly like the original -- it's clearly an artistic vision – and a really radiant record with such a vibe about it. They choose an interesting song and brought a lot of character and soul to it. This is very fresh and different, but true to the spirit of the song.
KID ROCK ("Born on the Bayou")
I've gotten to know Kid Rock a little bit more over the last few months and he's a delightful guy. Bob Seger kept talking about Kid Rock, and eventually we went to his place and hung out in LA. "Born on the Bayou" came out really cool. Kid Rock has a unique sound, and it makes the track all the more fun.
NEW SONG ("TRAIN OF FOOLS")
At the risk of sounding too pleased with myself, I am very proud of this new song. It's a pretty dark song that has some rage in it, but I believe that it's a very righteous rage. As a writer and a man, I've always thought a lot about what's right and what's wrong. So this song is a dark ride, but musically it's one I loved taking.
DAWES ("Someday Never Comes")
I think that it was originally my kids and Bill Bentley at Vanguard's idea to record with Dawes. They had a lot more music in them than I ever expected. They're the kind of the new country rock folk band that I'm coming to discover and appreciate through my kids. The guys really impressed me as solid musicians who were willing and able to explore. Our version of "Someday Never Comes" turned out really nice, and the two brothers – Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith -- do that brother thing like the Everly Brothers, and that always works for me.
BOB SEGER ("Who'll Stop The Rain")
Bob and I met once at one of my shows way, way back, and then he came to see me in Detroit in the 90s. He had stepped back from music then, and he was more into sailing at that point. I don't think I was bold enough to ask him to do something then, but his wife was elbowing him. He didn't seem that interested and I understood that because I went through my own long period of not wanting to make music and join the human race again. When you're ready, you're ready. Generally, if someone is good and can do it and isn't, there are some pretty good reasons, and you have to respect that. How does he sound? He sounds great. We recorded at Blackbird in Nashville, he was strumming and singing "Who'll Stop The Rain" and once I heard that, I knew we needed to get that spirit rather than just remake the Creedence record. I was hearing the voice of Bob alone with a guitar, and we needed to start there. Bob strums unusually and soulfully, and the chords sounded almost like "Night Moves."
BRAD PAISLEY ("Hot Rod Heart")
I revere Brad because he's so incredibly musical. I revere him more like the older artists who I look up to – which is funny because he's a lot younger than me. We had met before and traded licks, and I knew he was a gear head like me. I told him how I loved his instrumental album Play – which is something I had thought about doing. I knew he loved great cars and old guitars and played the heck out of them. He suggested doing "Hot Rod Heart" from my 1997 album Blue Moon Swamp – which was so cool. Most people would pick one of the big monsters. Brad told me when he was 13 he played "Centerfield" at some festival. He turned it into a Tele song. This is kind of a new golden age for country guitar guys, and Brad deserves lots of credit for that.
ALAN JACKSON ("Have You Ever Seen The Rain?")
I'm a huge fan of Alan's, and have been one for a long, long time. He always seemed tied to that Golden Age when lots of country records were also rock & roll records -- starting with "Blue Suede Shoes." Alan's sound is rooted in that golden age. In my mind, everyone would approve -- the great country artists and the great rockers. I was a little intimidated, but it turned out I didn't have to worry – he liked me too. I had lived in Nashville for a year around the turn of the century, and we recorded in this place I had passed by many times called The Castle just south of Nashville. That's where Alan made his sound. He had his producer Keith Stegall there. This was his team and cats like Brent Mason. We did "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" and I'd see his mic technique, and his sound sent chills up my spine. It blew my friggin' mind to be there getting that Alan Jackson sound. In my eyes it's like recording with Lincoln – pretty cool.
JENNIFER HUDSON WITH ALLEN TOUSSAINT AND THE REBIRTH BRASS BAND ("Proud Mary")
"Proud Mary" is a song I wrote that has a lot of history. Sometimes I pinch myself knowing I was the one who wrote that song; I am very proud of it. The way it came together was special and means a lot to me. It started with a different song of mine that I was trying to rearrange, and I vaguely suggested maybe it should have a bit of New Orleans in it. My wife Julie said, "No! John, it should be Proud Mary, and you have to do it full-on New Orleans-style – Cajun, Zydeco, horns…all of it!" It made so much sense and worked so beautifully. The lovely thing is that Jennifer is who she is – she's so full of heart and soul. There are a lot of people who sing well in this world, but Jennifer gets in front of a microphone and she isn't like anyone else in the world. She's one of a kind and I'm just glad to capture it on this song. We went to New Orleans and worked with the legendary Allen Toussaint and The Rebirth Brass Band. The experience was wild, and eventually we figured out how to capture it all here. It's something of which we can all be proud."
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For John Fogerty, Wrote a Song For Everyone is truly the album of a lifetime, and yet at the same time it is a new and vital piece of music that brings this legend together with some new fans and friends that happen to be some of the most exciting names in music today. "I'm honored and humbled that my music still means something to so many people including the artists on this album," Fogerty says. "I love making music. So the idea that I get to do this for a living still instead of selling insurance, well, that means the world to me."
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The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes–Chris Robinson (lead vocals, guitar), Rich Robinson (guitar, vocals), Steve Gorman (drums), Sven Pipien (bass), Adam MacDougall (keyboards) and new member Jackie Greene (guitar, vocals)–have sold over 35 million albums and are known as one of rock's best live acts.
These powerful performances are captured on their newest release WISER FOR THE TIME, a four-sided vinyl collection and double album digital download. They're currently touring the U.S. on their “Lay Down With Number 13” tour, their first tour since recently ending a two-year hiatus. The trek launched with five sold-out U.K. shows and and is now in progress in the U.S., continuing through June 2. After that, the band will return to Europe for a leg of dates June 18 to July 6, including headlining shows, festivals and two stadium concerts with Bruce Springsteen.
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Furthur featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir
Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh & Bob Weir to Take It Furthur at Interlocken Festival
Continuing their successful summer tour, former Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh & Bob Weir and their band Furthur will perform at the Interlocken Festival which will be held at September 5 – 8 at Oak Ridge Farm which is located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Arrington, VA.
Fans can expect Lesh & Weir to push the musical envelope with jaw-dropping improvisations and loving renditions of Grateful Dead classics, with an all star band that includes keyboardist Jeff Chimenti (RatDog), drummer Joe Russo (Benevento - Russo Duo, Trey Anastasio), guitarist John Kadlecik (Dark Star Orchestra), and vocalists Sunshine Becker and Jeff Pehrson.
New and old fans of the Grateful Dead alike will be entranced as Phil & Bob take the musical journey “furthur”, exploring some of the Grateful Dead’s most beloved songs in a tour that promises to keep the feet stomping and the bodies shaking.