Legendary Jerry Garcia Band organist Melvin Seals is a special guest Saturday night at the Fitzgerald Theater as Mark Joseph and Heatbox both release albums at the historic St. Paul venue.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard announced the bulk of its touring plans for 2024, with shows in Europe, four festival appearances in South America and two legs of touring in North America. Most of those shows are in the U.S., though there are a few dates in Canada. They also plan on playing three acoustic shows in the U.K., Detroit and San Diego. This is an addition to the previously announced marathon 3-hour shows in Hamburg, Germany, Forest Hills Stadium in New York, Chicago, Washington’s Gorge, and Austin, Texas.

Billy Strings closed out his Renewal Festival in Buena Vista, Colo., with surprise appearances before and after his band’s two-set headlining set, that included originals and covers of Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” and John Hartford’s “All Fall Down,” among many others.

Billy Strings’ opening day of third annual Renewal Festival in Buena Vista, Colo., was a jam-packed day, with lots of music, sit-ins withe likes of Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt, and playing and pickin’ deep into the night.

A lot happened while Jam in the Stream’s editor was away, off the grid, for a month. Here’s a wrap-up of the biggest news regarding Phish and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard during that time.

Minneapolis-based Mae Simpson released “Cap Guns” today, the first song off their upcoming album.

There’s a lot of buzz around the song and this 7-piece band that features saxophonist Brian “Snowman” Powers, who also produced the album.

The Current made the single its Song of the Day today. The song is available on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Monday night is not a normal Monday night.

It’s followed by the Fourth of July, so there’s two shows of interest happening in the Twin Cities.

First, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is at the Palace Theatre.

Then, Minneapolis jam band Twine will be playing an after-show at KJ’s Hideaway, a short walk away, right afterwards.

Tuesday is our nation’s birthday (hopefully, you have that day off). So everybody wins!

King Gizzard’s tour finale at Hollywood Bowl Wednesday was one part tribute and one part victory lap, a three-hour exclamation point on an incredible tour that never let off the gas, rain or shine, for 15 shows.

Especially the last.

The show started off with a four-song tribute to Broderick Smith, who initially was to perform (likely those same) songs from the 2013 Eyes Like The Sky LP, the band’s second album.

Smith wrote and narrated the album, which is something like a Spaghetti Western audio book.

Smith is the father of the band’s entertainer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny-Smith. Smith profoundly influenced both Kenny-Smith and the band itself, and it is plain to see. Smith was a British-born Australian entertainer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who fronted several Australian rock bands such as Sundown, Carson, and the Dingoes.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard saved something special for their last of three shows at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, Wash.

Despite having one show left in their tour – a marathon set at Hollywood Bowl Wednesday – this was the last show on the “residency” portion of their tour, where they played multiple nights at four locations.

This last show contained several songs that hadn’t been played this tour, including saving one of their most beloved songs to close out the show.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard played “Static Electricity,” and “Work This Time,” in their second of three shows at Remlinger Farms outside of Seattle on Saturday. The band has two more shows left in their U.S. Residency Tour, with one more show at Remlinger Farms tonight, and a marathon set at Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s Stu Mackenzie and Joey Walker came out dressed in fishing bibs as they took to another rainy stage at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, Wash. They were opening a three-night run, the last extended residency stop, on their 15-show U.S. Residency Tour, which concludes Wednesday with a marathon show at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard played “Change” for the first time during the final of three shows at Chicago’s Salt Shed. It was somewhat of a reward for fans who had been soaked by rains for hours to see the band at the venue’s outdoor stage setup.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard returned to Chicago on a cold and windy night. Even as they played a venue that blocked the view of their backdrop, they won over new fans with a show that highlighted their heavy mode as well as improvisational talent.

King Gizzard played for the first or second time, “Satan Speeds Up,” a psychedelic classic the band put out back in 2014 at their day-time show at Red Rocks in Colorado Thursday. Read more about the show in this writeup.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard played to the Colorado crowd in their first of three shows at Red Rocks Wednesday night. They debuted two songs, “Motor Spirit,” and “Hate Dancin’.” The band has two more shows there Thursday, June 8.

King Gizzard’s final of four shows at The Caverns in Tennessee was a special one.

Not just because it was one of their rare acoustic performances.

There were so many things worth noting about this one, from some deep jams to a dedication.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard celebrated Pride Month in rural Tennessee by dressing in drag at their third show in a row at The Caverns Saturday.

The band debuted “Witchcraft,” the fourth song they have live-debuted in as many shows on this U.S. Residency Tour. The song is off the forthcoming LP, PetroDragonic Apocalypse, which is due out June 16.

And guitarist Joey Walker, looking ahead to tonight’s acoustic theme, wondered out loud about the whereabouts of the Nashville-based guitar virtuoso Billy Strings.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard gave fans the live debut of “Astroturf,” at the second of two shows in the underground amphitheater at The Caverns in Pelham, Tenn., June 2. It was the first time the band played live anything off their last album, Changes, released last October. That was one highlight in a show full of highlights, with inspired jamming and great song selection including four songs from the 2014 album I’m In Your Mind Fuzz to start the show and “K.G.L.W” to close it out loud.

Jam in the Stream’s show story for Night 1 at The Caverns June 1, 2023. This writeup is a working document, with updates forthcoming.

If you like chill psychedelic music but don’t already know about Mcbaise, you should probably read this. Heck, if you do know about him, you will want to read this lengthy piece based on an interview conducted at a London pub with the musician and illustrator behind the project, McBess. It was a wide-ranging interview that touched a lot on what inspires the artist. He also opines about King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, if you read deep enough. Mcbaise is one of the biggest musical geniuses that nobody has ever heard of. Now you know.

The Minnesota Zoo has brought back live music, which was ended during the pandemic. While five shows were held last year, there will be nine such events this year, each with a themed night and all local musical performers, including Chicken Wire Empire, The Cactus Blossoms, Frogleg and Mae Simpson.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard don’t appear to be short on creativity at the moment. Ahead of their U.S. residency tour, which kicks off in Boston May 28, the band just released a music video for “Gila Moster” and is planning to drop their 24th studio album on June 16.

Jam in the Stream was on site for Phish’s Hollywood Bowl run at the end of their 2023 Spring Tour on the West Coast. This is the first of three show write-ups of those shows, this being of the third and final show of the run, on April 23, 2023.

The Kitchen Dwellers are one of the most exciting bands touring on the jamgrass scene right now, a psychedelic mix bluegrass, folk and rock. Guitarist Max Davies gave answered some questions from Jam in the Stream. The Dwellers, along with Sicard Hollow, are touring the east coast and Midwest, with stops in Pawtucket, R.I.,(tonight, April 27), Brooklyn (April 28), Washington, D.C. (April 29), Buffalo, N.Y. (April 30), Ferndale, Mich. (May 2), Indianapolis (May 3), Kalamazoo, Mich., (May 4), Chicago (May 5), and Milwaukee (May 6).

Jam in the Stream weighs in not on the Goose show itself, per say, that rolled through Minnesota Sunday but the polarizing aspect that three up-and-coming bands have sparked the past few years. It’s OK to like, or not like, any or all of them. But it would be better if we all just remembered to be kind to one another.

Minneapolis jamgrass quartet Buffalo Galaxy heads out to Colorado this week for four shows. The band has more shows booked in May, festival appearances booked in June and is working on an album. A single, including music video, is on track to be released in the next month.

This week, a pair of artists announced pop-up shows independently of each other. String Cheese Incident is doing a free show at Chicago radio station 93xrt (details on acquiring tickets included in story) April 28. Also, Adam Greuel and the Space Burritos announced a pop-up show Linneman’s Riverwest Inn on Saturday, April 15.

Phish fans in Los Angeles early for the Hollywood Bowl run – and anyone into psychedelic rock – should head over to the El Rey Theatre on April 20 to catch Los Bitchos. The London-based quartet opened for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard on their tour of Europe last month and won over many new fans.

Phish announced it would be webcasting its entire 8-show spring run, starting with Friday’s show at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. A discounted HD pass for the entire run is $200. UPDATED: Instructions for getting the extra 25 percent discount for LivePhish+ subscribers.

Drummer Mark Levy, of Circles Around The Sun, sat down with Jam in the Stream before the band’s March 15 show at the Turf Club in St. Paul. He discussed a range topics, including the way the body and mind react to listening to extended instrumentals, the way he has approached the role of beat keeper, and Billy String surprise sit in at a late-nite after party in February.

Victor Wooten, who played two sets April 4 at the Dakota Jazz Club, couldn’t get enough of playing with his brothers. The four men made their way over to Bunkers after their two Dakota shows and let out some energy, joined by Sonny T.

Check out Jam in the Stream’s first album review. It’s London-based Mcbaise’s debut 2014 album Seabass, which is somewhat of a postcard to the South of France, where the musician/illustrator grew up. Periodically, Jam in the Stream will review albums new and old from a variety of genres, from fusion jazz to psychedelic rock. Mcbaise, while known by some, comes up with some of the coolest songs too many people have never heard. Also, look out for an interview with Mcbaise later this month.

The Bob Pat Band celebrated the birthday of Bob Pat with a free show at 56 Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis Saturday April 1. The band kept the jams coming for two sets as the 56 Brewing concert hall filled in, many of Bob Pat’s friend showing up for the occasion.

Lotus postponed their April tour of the western U.S. and announced four shows to benefit the family of percussionist Chuck Morris. Morris, along with his 20-year-old son, Charley, disappeared March 16 on a kayaking trip on Beaver Lake (with a surface area of 44 square miles) in the Arkansas Ozarks.

Chuck Morris was only prioritizing his family and the need to connect with the natural world when tragedy found him. That’s what makes it so hard to process.

Serra Petale of Los Bitchos gave an interview to Jam in the Stream before opening up for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at the Sentrum Scene in Oslo, Norway March 8. Petale, a long-time fan of King Gizz, talked about the experience opening up for the Australian psych rock band, her own band’s roots in cumbia and how Los Bitchos wound up having an all-female core.

The Krasno/Moore Project, with guitarist Eric Krasno and drummer Stanton Moore, is touring the U.S. right now. They cut an album covering female greats from Aretha Franklin to Billie Eilish.

They have dates still in Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard sensed the Prague crowd wanted it hot and heavy and they delivered a banger of a show, easing up with some funk, blues and soul late in the two-hour set. The three levels of the Lucerna Velky Sal, a theater used for high school prom and ballroom dancing competitions, were piping hot; a blast of hot air billowed out of the venue’s front door for at least 45 minutes after the show.

Though he’s covered the outdoors for many of the last 22 years, the writer hasn’t had a column touching on the topic since 2004. With the launch of this blog in February, the option to write such a piece, however irregularly, opened back up. Here is the first such effort, though, warning, it rambles on and hits on a number of related topics including the northern lights, Lake of the Woods, and John Hartford covering John McLaughlin.

Seamus Patrick Kobayashi O’Connor has been attempting to attend and live stream every show on King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s 17-show tour through Europe and the U.K.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard took their 17-show tour of Europe to Oslo, Norway's Sentrum Scene, the perfect backdrop for the incredible visual element to their live shows. It turned out to be Jam in the Stream’s favorite show of the first five attended, though one show remains tonight in Prague.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard heated up a repurposed brewery on a cold, winter night in Stockholm, Sweden.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard hit its stride three shows into their March tour of Europe and the U.K. The band fed off the energy of a mosh-happy, metal-thirsty Dutch crowd that was rewarded with the debut of “Gila Monster.”

King Gizzard continued their European tour in Amsterdam on March 3, at circular former gas storage facility that has a beautiful second life as a concert venue. Part of the crowd at Amsterdam’s Gashouder sat down and “rowed the boat” when the band teased “Dripping Tap,” during “Mr. Beat.”

PARIS — King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard opened their March tour of Europe with “Rattlesnake,” at the Zenith on March 2.

N.J.-based Dogs in a Pile is on tour, with Midwest, Northeast and Colorado dates scheduled, as well as an opening slot for the Disco Biscuits at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, N.Y. Minneapolis string band Buffalo Galaxy opens for them when they hit Minneapolis March 3.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw this band play in person — a Phish after party in Chicago, following the Saturday show of Phish’s 2017 Northerly Island run. Casal had a way of stretching out an idea in such a tasteful and exploratory way, and the band used its spacey, soul-driven instrumentals to express emotions with notes instead of words.

WARNING: This post is written by a Phish nerd, taking a closer look at the band’s recently announced summer tour schedule. That includes a few words on the band’s 7-night run at Madison Square Garden, where as many as 16 shows were rumored (to one-up Harry Styles’ 15 sellouts last summer, or so that wicked rumor went).

In a co-headlined bill, singer Jon Sullivan delivered Max Graham’s vocals for Kind Country Band, keeping the memory of the late mandolinist alive, before taking the stage with his own band at the Hook & Ladder Theater in Minneapolis Feb. 10.

It’s taken me a couple of days to recover from what was the first Ice Dance Music Festival at Heidel House Hotel & Conference Center in Green Lake, Wis.

Would do again.

Up here in the cold, frozen tundra, we’re always looking for fun shit to do come late winter that doesn’t necessarily involve plane tickets south (one day, Phish Mexico, one day).

After his Saturday night show (the third and final show of a three-night run at 1st Bank Center), Billy showed up unannounced at Knew Conscious, an intimate 450-person music venue/art gallery/club to sit in with a lineup billed with guitarist Ross James (Terrapin Family Band) and banjoist Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon and their Electric Dead Grass project featuring bass player Garrett Sayers (The Motet) and drummer Mark Levy (Circles Around the Sun). They jammed until about 4 in the morning — the stuff of my dreams.

The main goal of this page is to share the best music – old and new – I’ve come across over the last several decades, and tell the stories around the music. I’ve nourished my musical understanding by collecting wax LPs and attending live shows. I played several instruments as a kid, still dabble with several, but I’m more of a fan. A love for the jazz fusion era naturally led me to jam music, which I love as much for its range in style as the improvisation it inspires. Warning: I’m a sucker for 30-minute Phish jams, especially ones where the notes tell stories and transport listeners through space and time. I’ll review both live shows from both far and near to my Twin Cities home. There’ll be news and features about bands, musicians, and people in and around the music scene, stories about people connecting with wilderness or just being outside (something we can’t seem to get enough of these days), and links to my writing published elsewhere. Look for tour news as well as info on couch tour (aka live music streams) for several bands I’ll be following.