Hartamophone

It took me months to realize what you did here. Well played. You're too good for us.

Saw the JSB addition. Very cool. Would love to see those guys play a little more regularly, although I assume that's unlikely.

Bruh.

I dig 'em, and agree that their vocals are one thing that sets them apart. Their fans can be a little...ummm...intense about them, but I had a great time when I saw them with Trey in Syracuse last year.

Hello old friend.

Is this the twelve-song album game?

Edger! Hi! I hadn't seen him since he "scaled up" either. My last Billy shows prior to this run were probably around 2018 or 2019 when he was still opening up for Greensky. Whole different ballgame now. Quite a spectacle, in the best way. As for the Dead covers thing, there actually was a bit of a statement about it. Someone on IG noted that there hadn't been any Dead covers in a while. Billy himself commented to say it was a conscious decision on his part because, among other things, he grew tired of people yelling out requests for those songs at his shows and he wants to leave those songs to other people. He's done some great things with that catalog over the past 2-3 years especially, but I get why he would want to step back from it. Here's a little write-up about it: https://www.jambase.com/article/billy-strings-grateful-dead-covers

Just back from two nights in Vermont with Billy. So, so good. The songwriting, the picking, the harmonies, the jamming. Such an all-around powerhouse.

Just snagged tickets for Syracuse in December, on a Saturday night no less. Wheeee! (Including a Dead cover here even though he doesn't play Dead songs anymore.)

https://archive.org/details/jsb-gtb2002-11-15 (Interrupted by the debut of "Now and Then," but still.)

Jimmy Swift Band and Grand Theft Bus have announced a four date run of seamless set shows in the Maritimes this summer. As someone who lived out east in the early-2000s and saw those bands a bajillion times, this is exciting news to me. July 19th - Charlottetown July 20th - Moncton July 21st - Saint John July 22nd - Halifax I'm a little overdue for an East Coast trip anyway, so I might try to swing the Halifax show.

Aloha.

Whoops, you're right that is a Sunday. Which means it conflicts with the *second* night of Billy Strings in Vermont.

Syracuse on a Saturday looks good from Ottawa, although it's the same night as Billy Strings in Vermont. Nice problem to have.

Goose are playing The Tonight Show this evening, December 7th.

Edger! Bummer that we missed you. I thought the show was absolute fire, and exactly what we were hoping for. Goose were fantastic and had the whole arena locked in like it was a 100-person club show. They were obviously super focused and their playing was tight as hell. TAB was a blast, just like they always are. And I loved the interplay between Trey and Rick from Goose. It's one thing to see Trey play with someone else as a sit-in or one-off, but it was clear that he and Rick have been pushing each other on this tour, and it was a real treat to watch them taking risks and playing off of each other. Call and response, solos, guitarmonies, so much going on. Spectacular, really. We ended up sitting basically in the front row beside the stage (the section was almost entirely empty, which was odd for a sold-out GA show). I posted a couple of pictures and a video clip here: https://twitter.com/Hartamophone/status/1594124129422262280?s=20&t=SBsMJbXgIv49erg2aFCwyg From that vantage point we could really see the interplay among the members of both bands, on and off stage. It was fun to see them work things out on the fly (not a setlist or chart anywhere in sight), and we were able to watch them huddle up and plan the encore before they headed back out. Super cool. Awesome running into Phorbesie and Northern Wish, too, both entirely coincidentally. The drive home was a little nuts heading right through that snowstorm. We didn't get back to Ottawa until around 4:00 on Saturday morning, but it was entirely worth it. Such a beauty of a night.

Billy Strings sat in last night! Hope they left something in the tank for Syracuse tonight. I know I’ll see a few of you there. Pumped.

Anyone here on the Goose train? I've been listening casually for a few months. Really diggin' 'em. Making the trek to Syracuse on Friday to see them with TAB. Should be a great one.

Over here, big time. Saw him a few times opening up for Greensky around 2017 / 2018, but he has obviously blasted off into the stratosphere since then, and for good reason. Crazy to see a jamgrass guy doing full-on arena tours, but it seems there's no stopping him. So much fun to watch.

Booche went. Looked awesome.

Ticket prices are surprisingly high for this on the secondary market. I'm not sure about the last time they played Toronto, but in 2013 you almost couldn't give away seats in the shed. I'm not complaining, though - the increased demand is nice to see.

That's a beefy lineup for a one-day festival.

That venue looks pretty sweet, at least in the pictures I've seen on social media.

A little of this, a little of that, and a whole lot of "How y'all feelin'?!" I'm going to prioritize Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and the RATM / Run the Jewels show. Don't think I'll make more than those two nights, but really I'm just glad to see this happening again. This is one year where, for me, the idea of Bluesfest is just as important as the lineup. July 7 Alanna Sterling Alessia Cara Angelique Francis Band Bombino Dean Lewis Jessia JoJo Worthington Ocean Alley Sarah McLachlan Vanessa Collier July 8 Amanda Lowe Jack Johnson Jeremy Dutcher Lia Mack & Ben Tami Neilson Tash Sultana The New Pornographers The Texas Horns July 9 Anders Drerup Band Anthony Geraci Band Colin James Emilie Steele & The Deal Femi Kuti & The Positive Force Gavin McLeod Luke Combs The Revivalists July 10 Alanis Morissette Étoile Noire Garbage Josephine Leone MacKenzie Porter Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Renée Landry Sophia Radisch Sue Foley July 12 Crown Lands Emma Armstrong ft. A Short Walk To Pluto Frase Jontavious Willis Lyle Odjick & The Northern Steam Marshmello Michael Franti & Spearhead SAINt JHN Three Days Grace July 13 Alexisonfire Charlie Cunningham Chicano Batman JP Saxe Mia Kelly Millencolin Mischa Nikki Hill Raul Midón Sum 41 Vicki Brittle July 14 Braden Foulkes Crash Test Dummies Gentlemen Of The Woods Janette King Lucy Dacus Luke Bryan Matthew Chaffey Sacha The Tea Party Wide Mouth Mason July 15 Jessica Pearson & The East Wind Milky Chance Okies Rage Against The Machine Run The Jewels Tal Wilkenfeld The Commotions The Day Dreamers July 16 Big Zee cleopatrick Cooper Brothers Southern Rock All-Star Revue Crystal Shawanda Grandson Lia Kloud Slack Bridges TLC Sly High July 17 Aysanabee Bonnie Doon Jon Rivera OK Naledi The Beaches The National