Concerts on the Commons

opener: Strumbucket

Proving that soul music can be exponentially greater than the sum of its parts, the Nth Power is on a mission to share the light.  Formed during an impromptu late-night jam at Jazz fest 2012 in New Orleans, the relentlessly funky and soulful band believes in music as a higher power tapping into and energy that is simultaneously sexy and spiritual, with a songs that will inspire audiences to dance, groove, make love or just stand there with goose bumps. The trio hails from diverse musical backgrounds, races and creeds. Female powerhouse Nikki Glaspie was Beyonce’s world touring drummer for five years before she joined Ivan Nevilles funk outfit, Dumpstaphunk. Bassist Nate Edgar of Groovechild and John Browns Body perfectly compliments singer and guitarist Nick Cassarino who came from the Jennifer Harswick Band and toured with Big Daddy Kane.

openers: Wendy Colonna and Ginger Leigh

Born and raised in Idaho, Jeff Crosby has been sharing his unique perspective of Americana throughout the US and Europe over the past decade. After moving to Los Angeles CA in 2012, Crosby landed 2 songs ("This Old Town" and "Oh Love, Oh Lord") on the hit FX series Sons of Anarchy which has led to the band continually performing over 200 shows a year throughout the US and Europe. Additionally, Crosby spent 2015-16 on the road playing lead guitar for Widespread Panic song-writer Jerry Joseph, as well as for Austin TX road warriors Reckless Kelly in 2019. Crosby has co-written songs featured on Micky & The Motorcars recent release Long Time Comin’ and Reckless Kelly’s American Girls/American Jackpot. After spending 3 years based in Nashville TN, Crosby has returned to Idaho.

opener: Melissa Carper

Blending virtuosic instrumental acrobatics with riveting lyrical craftsmanship, The Lil Smokies have earned a reputation as one of the most electrifying acts in modern American roots music thanks to their exhilarating live show and critically acclaimed studio output. Since forming on the streets of Missoula, Montana, where the group got its start busking back in 2009, the band has performed everywhere from Red Rocks to The Rialto and captivated festival audiences at Telluride, High Sierra, LOCKN’, Freshgrass, FloydFest, and countless more. Their latest album, 2020’s Tornillo, showcases the hard touring four-piece at its most adventurous, teaming up with producer Bill Reynolds (The Avett Brothers, Band Of Horses) for a genre-bending joyride from the hills of Laurel Canyon to the wide-open deserts of West Texas.

opener: STiLGONE

Doom Flamingo is a multi-headed synth rock sexy-tet with a Jekyll and Hyde element to the songwriting. Top Gun guitar riffs and Miami Beach poolside lounge-vibes, are all at once contrasted with eerie darksynth soundscapes reminiscent of old John Carpenter films. Doom Flamingo came together organically through friendships and past collaborations in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina and features dynamic vocals alongside a powerhouse of musicians and soaring instrumentation. “We just want to make people dance, It’s a ritual.”

openers: Vamoose and Sunday Killers

Some music cannot be found on a map or within iTunes categories.  Some music is so original it seems snatched from the great, invisible substrata that runs below all human activity, a sound aching to be born without a flag or fixed allegiance – free, questing, overflowing with immediate, tangible life.  This is the music of Toubab Krewe, the vibrant instrumental powerhouse that creates a sonic Pangaea that lustily swirls together rock, African traditions, jam sensibilities, international folk strains and more.  Toubab carries echoes of African greats like Ali Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab and Salif Keita, no doubt picked up during the group's travels to study and live in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Mali. This is a band that actively draws inspiration from whatever source floats into their purview, something they've exhibited in their decade and a half of heavy gigging, including regular appearances at major U.S. festivals like Bonnaroo, High Sierra, Rothbury and Wakarusa, and abroad at such legendary gatherings as the Festival In The Desert in Essakane, Mali.

opener: JCB plays the music of Jerry Garcia Band

The High Hawks are a group of musical friends who hail from various jam and Americana bands: Vince Herman, frontman and festival ring leader from Leftover Salmon; Tim Carbone, ace fiddler and multi-instrumentalist from Railroad Earth; Adam Greuel, ring leader and guitarist from Horseshoes & Hand Grenades; Chad Staehly, keyboardist from Hard Working Americans; Brian Adams bassist for DeadPhish Orchestra; and Will Trask, drummer from Great American Taxi. The six musicians/raconteurs were looking for a way to play music together, so they formed The High Hawks in 2019 and released their eponymous debut in 2021. “We have a real common musical bond, and we just wanted to find a reason to hang out as birds of a feather and play tunes with each other,” Herman explains. The band will release its second full length album, Mother Nature’s Show, on February 16, 2024, via indie roots label LoHi Records. 

Prepare for JCB with Jerry Garcia Band's top hits: