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Larry Keel

Larry Keel Experience @ Gypsy Sally's - Friday, January 12th, 2018

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Larry Keel Experience @ Gypsy Sally's - Friday, January 12th, 2018

Gypsy Sally's
Washington, DC
Friday, January 12th, 2018
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 9:00pm
Support: The Woodshedders

I have it on good authority that Larry Keel Experience [Larry Keel (guitar), Jenny Keel (bass), & Jared Pool (mandolin)] are "ready to whoop it up big time!!" tomorrow when they headline Gypsy Sally's in Washington, DC! Larry Keel is a lot of things: he's a flat pickin' guitar legend, an avid fisherman, a lover of nature, peace, and equality...but one thing he's not is a liar. So, when Larry tells me they're "ready to whoop it up big time!!" I tend to believe him. 

If you've been there before, you know how small Gypsy Sally's is (est. 300 capacity), so don't sleep on getting tickets! 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

My favorite description of Larry Keel and his playing comes from Greensky Bluegrass...dobroist?...dobroer?...dobro player, Anders Beck: 

“Larry is the yin and the yang...he will break your heart with a waltz, but he can also scare the hell out of you in the next song. He plays on the edge...no, strike that - he creates genius guitar solos while staring over the edge and laughing maniacally.” — Anders Beck, Greensky Bluegrass

The Woodshedders will be getitng the party started, so don't be late!

*click on images to enlarge...*

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Strings & Sol Festival 2016 - Preview

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Strings & Sol Festival 2016 - Preview

Strings and Sol Festival 2016 Preview

for The Lot Scene by Parker and Will

“Just what is Strings & Sol,” you ask?  “Why only the best little bluegrass festy north of the Equator!” comes the reply.  For the uninitiated, S&S is so often that ‘bucket list’ festival, that brass ring of bluegrass bodaciousness that eludes the grasp until that first year of attendance, until those first magical moments in Mexico with your brand new Strings and Sol Family.  Sol Family.  Exactly.  And, for those returning usual suspects, those yearning for that ‘summer camp’ feeling from youth mixed with magnificent music, pool-time paradise, liberally-supplied libations, and exquisite evenings shared with friends and fellow fans, Strings & Sol promises to be all they remember it to be.  And more.  So much more.  Three years in for us here at The Lot Scene and the upward spiral in amazing energy and overall awesomeness of this festival is visibly apparent from all angles.  Cloud 9 runs a very tight and professional ship in general and S&S is no exception.  For our money, this is one of the very best planned, best organized, and best executed festival experiences in our community today.  The overall participant experience is super positive and seems to leave returning folks hoping for more, more, more…that is, if the crazy fast sell-out situation this year is any indication.  But, the fun is just around the corner — only a week away from today, in fact, good people!  So, keep getting your pool floats, sippy cups, costumes, and smiles ready this week in preparation and take a gander below at some good info for your time down in Mexico.  Looking forward to seeing you all at the Sapphire!!  Safe travels, everyone!!

Leftover Salmon and Friends

Leftover Salmon and Friends

Strings & Sol added a new dimension this year on Saturday afternoon with an "Unplugged" session from Greensky Bluegrass. It was especially good and something I hope they continue in years to come. GSBG opened the session on 12 Dec 2015 with "Old Barns" as seen here.

Definitely Not to Be Missed for S&S 2016

1.  Greensky Bluegrass’ pool set from 2-3:30PM on Sunday — these are the types of specialty sets that really set Strings & Sol apart from other festivals you’ve been to. Anyone who caught Greensky’s early afternoon set at the Palapa last year can tell you just how unique an experience these sets can be. The pool set is even a bit later than their Palapa set was last time, so hopefully Max Berde can drag himself out of bed in time to make it this year.

2.  Getting to know the NOW Sapphire Staff — supreme friendliness, outstanding service, and a generally lovely disposition make the resort staff at S&S some of the best we’ve ever encountered.  They love the fest and the music and they’ll definitely love getting to know you.  In fact, many veterans count several friends amongst the staff.  And tipping, of course, is always appreciated.  Your good time is their good time.

3.  Railroad Earth’s Sunset Show from 4-6PM on Saturday — there is nothing quite like sending the Sol off to bed once again than with those fine fellows from New Jersey!  Seriously, a sunset spent on the beach with RRE is magical all in its own amazing way and should be on your list as well.

4.  Unplugged in the Palapa with The Infamous Stringdusters from 6:30-7:30PM on Sunday — yet another incredible and unique offering from S&S.  What a fantastic way to experience such a dynamic band as The Dusters!!  This one’s gonna be very worth it.

5.  Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass from 1-2:30AM on Monday in the Palapa - if you have never seen one of Mr. Williams’ Grateful Grass shows before, then we tell you, you are in for a treat.  Especially with this line-up to choose from.  And, if you have seen one or more before, then you know they aren’t to be missed.  How fortunate we get our very own at S&S this year!!  Really psyched to see that lineup and the setlist — should make for a fantastic closer to the festival.  And with the Dead, no doubt.  Stellar.  

6.  The Positive Legacy Silent Auction from 4-7:10PM on Monday — this auction helps to support a great cause from a fantastic organization.  Positive Legacy puts together the best in music memorabilia and art each year making for one heck of a fantastic opportunity for S&S festival goers.  So many unique pieces up for auction and to help do some good in the world.  Not bad, right?  Not bad, indeed!

7.  A couple of these we can keep nice and simple:  Don’t miss anything involving Larry Keel…

8.  …or anything involving Danny Barnes.  Pretty straightforward there, right?  

9.  Playing in the Sand from 6:15-7PM on Saturday at the Swing Bar — come out and hear your fellow Sol Sisters and Sol Brothers jamming out beach bar style.  Always a good time and you never know who might show up!!

10.  Late nights at the Swing Bar or around the adult pool…so much fun!  Community, conversation, music, merriment, and any number of things await those who brave the wee hours of the morning at Strings & Sol.  Besides, the coffee at the Sapphire is nice and strong!  And for thosewho really know how not to under do it, keep that Swing Bar party going until the sun rises. Trust us, you won't be the only one, and the photo ops can be both hilarious and breathtakingly beautiful.

And so, with that, friends, we look forward to seeing you down south in the warmer climes, drink in hand, feet in sand, head high in the skies of music and magic moments soaring above the Sapphire.  Can’t wait to see those pool floats!!

All the best and iiHASTA MEXICO, AMIGOS!!

-TLS

Greensky Bluegrass

Greensky Bluegrass

Thursday, 10 Dec 2015, was one hot opening night of music at Strings and Sol this year. So many great bands and so much incredible music from each. No exception was Leftover Salmon with sizzlin' good guests Sam Bush on fiddle and Jay Starling on dobro -- magnificent!!

Image Gallery from past Strings & Sols:

Friday's fiery sunset brought with a simmering set from Railroad Earth on 11 Dec 2015 at Strings & Sol 4. Here is the second song from their set: "Lordy, Lordy". Hope you enjoy!! Recorded on tripod. Apologies for the adverse wind effects.

iiVAMOS A STRINGS AND SOL!!

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BIG NEWS FROM KELLER WILLIAMS TODAY!!!

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BIG NEWS FROM KELLER WILLIAMS TODAY!!!

Keller Williams Releases New EP:  Bluhm

A collection of Tim Bluhm covers featuring Jackie Greene, Reed Mathis, Jason Crosby, Larry and Jenny Keel with 100% of proceeds benefiting Tim Bluhm’s medical fund.

Hey there, Friends of the Scene!!  Some lovely news for all of us who love us some Keller Williams:  he is releasing some brand spanking new music today!!  Featuring a powerhouse group of friends and guests, this album is also for a great cause making it all the more special a surprise for this Tuesday.  Please take a read below for more info on the EP from Keller's camp:

"Today, independent recording artist Keller Williams releases Bluhm, a five track EP benefitting fellow musician Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips who, in the fall of 2015, was severely injured in a speed flying accident. Since his accident, Tim has undergone a number of surgeries incurring upwards of $50,000 in uninsured medical expenses. Keller has been a longtime fan of Tim Bluhm, whom he describes as “the epitome of a west coast songwriter.” Inspired by Tim’s plight, Keller wanted to support Tim and his music by releasing Bluhm and giving 100% of the net proceeds to Tim Bluhm’s medical fund.

For the Bluhm recording, Keller rallied an all-star west coast crew of musicians and some old time friends to collaborate on this five track EP. Bluhm features performances by Jackie Greene, Reed Mathis, Jason Crosby, and Larry and Jenny Keel. “I looked at it as a perfect excuse to record five of my favorite Tim Bluhm songs with all the proceeds going to help him get back on his foot,” says Williams. Bluhm is available for digital download through livedownloads.com and iTunes.

As always, Keller is a busy man this summer. In addition to recording Bluhm, he is travelling the country hitting many festivals with some of his fan-favorite projects and working on a new KWahtro record to be released in the coming months. You can catch Keller Williams at the shows listed below and stay tuned for a Fall Tour announcement coming in July!"

Bluhm Track Listing:

"Smoke" (Jackie Greene, banjitar & vocals; Reed Mathis bass; Keller Williams, guitar & vocals)

"Spotless As You" (Reed Mathis, bass; Keller Williams, guitar & vocals)

"Esmerelda" (Jackie Greene, dobro & vocals; Reed Mathis, bass; Keller Williams, guitar & vocals)

"Gold Plated" (Reed Mathis, bass; Keller Williams, guitar & vocals)

"Do it on the Strings" (Larry Keel, guitar & vocals; Jenny Keel, bass & vocals; Jason Crosby, fiddle; Keller Williams, mandola & vocals)

Keller Williams Tour Dates:

6/30 Party in the Park | Rochester, NY | More Than A Little 7/01 Grateful Fest | Garrettsville, OH | More Than A Little

7/02 Paradise on the Point | Cincinnati, OH | Keller Williams Solo

7/03 Highberry Music Festival | Ozark, AR | Keller Williams Solo

7/09 Blissfest | Harbor Springs, MI | Keller Williams Solo

7/15 Terrapin Crossroads | San Rafael, CA | Keller Williams Solo

7/16-17 Northwest String Summit | North Plains, OR | More Than A Little & Keller Williams’
Grateful Gospel

7/21 Jerry Jam Music Festival | Bath, NY | Keller Williams Solo

7/22 Be Kind Gathering | Harrodsburg, KY | Keller Williams Solo

7/23 Live from the Underground | McMinnville, TN | Keller Williams Solo w/ special guest
Zach Deputy

7/30-31 Floyd Fest | Floyd, VA | Keller Williams Solo, Keller & The Keels, More Than A Little                                                                                                                                                         

8/04 The Peace Center for the Performing Arts | Greenville, SC | Keller Williams Solo                                                                                                                                          

8/05 Brooklyn Performing Arts Center | Wilmington, NC | Keller Williams Solo

8/06 Levon Helm Studios | Woodstock, NY | Keller Williams Solo

8/07 Jonathan Edwards Winery | North Stonington, CT | Keller Williams Solo

8/20 Camp Barefoot | Elkins, WV | Keller Williams Solo & Keller Loves Canon

8/27-28 LOCKN’ Festival | Arrington, VA | Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass & Keller Williams’
Grateful Gospel

9/02 Bell’s Brewery | Kalamazoo, WI | More Than A Little

9/02-04 Shoe Fest | Manteno, IL | More Than A Little

9/04 The Bootleg | St. Louis, MO | More Than A Little

9/08 Jackson Hole Center for the Arts | Jackson Hole, WY | Shut the Folk Up & Listen ft. Leo
Kottke

9/09 The Mishawaka Amphitheatre | Bellvue, CO | Keller Williams Solo, Keller & his
Compadres ft. Jeff Austin, Jay Starling, Bridget Law and Keith Moseley w/ special guest
Trout Steak Revival

9/10 The Mishawaka Amphitheatre | Bellvue, CO | More Than A Little with special guest
Andy Frasco

9/16-18 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion | Bristol, TN | Keller Williams Solo

9/22-24 Resonance Music & Arts Festival | Thornville, OH | Keller Williams and special guests                                                                                                                                        

9/23-25 Catskill Chill | Lakewood, PA | Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass

10/22 The Georgia Theatre | Athens, GA | KWahtro with special guest Zach Deputy

11/12 The Orange Peel | Asheville, NC | KWahtro with special guest TBA

12/09-13 Strings & Sol | Puerto Morelos, Mexico | Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass, Keller & the
Keels

Additional dates to be announced.

Tickets and Info available at www.kellerwilliams.net

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WinterWonderGrass 2016 Survival Guide

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WinterWonderGrass 2016 Survival Guide

Fruition's Jay Cobb Anderson

Fruition's Jay Cobb Anderson

 

2015 WinterWonderGrass Recap

What better way to get ready for this year's festival than to take a walk down memory lane care of our dear friends at The Mischief Collective?  Please take a look at the following links for insights into last year's WinterWonderGrass experience (both CO and CA):

15 Ways WinterWonderGrass Will Warm Your Heart

"7. The Crowd

The Sweet Lillies provided Leftover Salmon fans with a fantastic opening set at Agave on Saturday night. Their drummer for the evening, Jake Wolf, who also happens to be an Avon councilman, stepped forward to share the feedback he’d been receiving from the locals- that WinterWonderGrass attendees hold a reputation for being the most kind, respectful, and dedicated to the music. If you care to surround yourself with people who are passionate about bluegrass…WinterWonderGrass is the place to do so."

WinterWonderGrass Tahoe 2015 - 5 Artist Profiles

Artist Profile:  Chris Pandolfi

"TMC: Is there a moment in particular from any of the four installments of the festival, including Tahoe, that stands out to you?

CP: I’ll never forget standing on stage the first year, trying to stay warm, wondering who’s idea it was to have an outdoor bluegrass festival in Colorado during the winter. And then all the sudden it started to dump snow from above, and all that ski town energy came pouring up onto the stage. The lights caught the snow and suddenly you could see forever—the energy became overwhelming. The music just came to life and it went down as one of our most memorable Stringduster sets of the year."

And be sure to be on the lookout for members of both The Mischief Collective and The Lot Scene all around WonderGrass this year.  Who knows just what sort of insanity we'll be getting up to?  Wanna join in The Mischief Scene shenanigannery?  Well then come on and get your crazy on with us WWG-style!!

Andy Thorn and Tyler Grant

Andy Thorn and Tyler Grant

WinterWonderGrass 2016 Survival Guide

WinterWonderGrass is a fest quite unlike any other given its time of year and location.  Snow is almost a surety in the Rocky Mountains surrounding Avon, CO.  As such, it pays to remember all the right gear and clothing — trust us, you don’t want to be caught unawares…or you’re gonna have a bad time.  Beer and bluegrass is the name of the game and with so many great breweries representing at WWG this year, how can you go wrong?  And that music lineup!  Forget about it, right??  So, speaking from some experience with WonderGrass, we’d like to offer up a little friendly advice for those going this year.

THE BEERS

So many delicious brews to choose and you can hit every one!  A word to the wise, the altitude is a real thing when it comes to boozing in the mountains.  Please be safe and stay hydrated to keep yourself in raging shape.  There’s a ton of amazing music in store for the weekend — you wouldn’t want to be a festy casualty.  But enough of the dire warnings…here are our brewery recommendations for you this year:

Beers Not To Be Missed:

  • Breckenridge Brewery

  • Avery

  • Oskar Blues

  • Lefthand

  • Odell

The Wood Brothers

The Wood Brothers

THE MUSIC

How could you make a mistake when it comes to ANY of this lineup?  With a schedule jam-packed full of amazing main stage and incredible secondary stage acts, it can be so hard to decide whom to see.  Based on the schedule, here are the bands that we would recommend as “must sees” for WWG 2016:

Music Not To Be Missed:

Friday

  • The Travelin’ McCourys

  • Larry Keel’s WWG All Stars

  • Leftover Salmon

  • The Grant Farm

Saturday

  • Peter Rowan & Friends

  • Fruition

  • Greensky Bluegrass

  • Larry Keel

  • Billy Strings

Sunday

  • WWG All Stars

  • Paul Hoffman

  • Dustbowl Revival

  • The Lil’ Smokies

  • Greensky Bluegrass

Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon

Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon

THE LATE NIGHT

You really can’t go wrong when it comes to late night at WWG.  So many choices between such great music.  All the venues are incredible, small, intimate spaces that provide the perfect backdrop for the nighttime crawl.  Here is our plan for late night festivities:

Late Night Not To Be Missed:

  • Friday - The Travelin’ McCourys OR The Grant Farm with Town Cavalry

  • Saturday - The Lil’ Smokies/Billy Strings

  • Sunday - Dustbowl Revival and WWG Allstars

 

Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon

Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon

There you have it, friends -- our 2016 WonderGrass Survival Guide.  We're looking forward to seeing you all out in Avon this year.  Safe travels to the fest this year -- let's all hope for great weather on I-70!!!  

Let's get ready to WonderGrass!!!

- The Lot Scene (Will and Parker) and The Mischief Collective (Hilary and Tory)

The "Mischief Scene"

The "Mischief Scene"

PS - Be sure to find The Lot Scene to get your complimentary commemorative button for this year!!  Look for our top hats and our rubber chicken buddy!!

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