Live For Live Music

Starting this month, the New York City block that has been home to Jimi Hendrix‘s famed Electric Lady Studios since 1970 will permanently bear a new name: “Jimi Hendrix Way.”

The unveiling of the block's new permanent sign is due to take place on June 10th at the corner of 6th Avenue and West 8th Street in Greenwich Village—just a block from the recording studio where generations worth of iconic recordings by Hendrix and countless other artists have been put on wax.

The event will also serve as the public launch of a new national education partnership with TeachRock, expanding the organization's library of more than 500 free, standards-aligned lessons that use music and popular culture to teach history, social studies, language arts, and other core subjects.

A community initiative to co-name the block in honor of Jimi Hendrix dates back almost a decade. In 2024, after a series of fits and starts, and with Little Steven and TeachRock now involved in the push, the city unveiled a temporary "Jimi Hendrix Way" street sign. But shifting personnel in local politics stalled the process of codifying the tribute for the long term, forcing organizers to start again with the area's new Councilman. The permanent co-naming ceremony was initially scheduled for February of this year before inclement weather pushed it to June.

As TeachRock executive director Bill Carbone explained to Live For Live Music, "The street was temporarily renamed a few years ago, but the process to make it permanent wasn't completed. We're now making it permanent, and helping NYC students engage with Hendrix's legacy through a TeachRock music and STEAM lesson plan."

Read more about the Jimi Hendrix Way co-naming initiative and the upcoming dedication ceremony at the link in the comments.

Beneath a blanket of stars in Louisville, KY, on Thursday night, Oteil Burbridge offered a soothing tribute to his late Dead & Company bandmate, Bob Weir, with a cover of the Grateful Dead‘s “Standing on the Moon.” Joined by Steve Kimock (guitar), Jason Crosby (keys/violin), John Morgan Kimock (drums), Tom Guarna (guitar), and Lamar Williams Jr. (vocals), Oteil & Friends treated Iroquois Amphitheater to a blend of new original material and songs with deep roots across the jam-band landscape.

The band kicked off the evening with Guarna’s “Just Around the Corner” before quickly sliding into The Sensational Nightingales’ soulful “My Sisters and My Brothers.” From that point forward, Lamar’s powerhouse vocals had the audience locked in, carrying the early part of the evening with a collection of less familiar selections from Oteil and Lamar’s new collaborative album, ‘The Offering.’ As dusk settled over the amphitheater, the band capped off the first set with another gem from the Jerry Garcia Band repertoire, “Cats Down Under the Stars.”

The second set again leaned into fan-favorite territory with nods to The Allman Brothers Band and a beautifully executed version of JGB’s “Rubin & Cherise.” But the emotional centerpiece of the evening arrived when Oteil took the spotlight and honored Bobby with his personalized rendition of “Standing on the Moon”—a song Burbridge saw Weir sing many times throughout their years in Dead & Company.

For nearly eight minutes, time seemed to stop. The goosebump-inducing, “you had to be there” experience was a clear and present reminder of why live music still matters.

Check out some photos and videos from Oteil & Friends in Louisville courtesy of Michelle Berson at the link in the comments.

Anyone who has been to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival knows the feeling: It’s hot—Louisiana hot—and you’re power-walking as fast as the throngs of people coming from every direction will allow. There are four bands you want to see playing at once, twice as many food vendors you want to hit, and you’re still desperately searching for that one (now two!) mythical water refill station—but even with everything else going on, you find yourself transfixed by a painter capturing the colorful cacophony in real-time. In 2027, that ever-present artist, known simply as Frenchy, will log his 30th year live-painting Jazz Fest—an endeavor that has produced more than 500 paintings of some of the world’s most famous musicians in action.

For Frenchy, all those afternoons spent under the Louisiana sun have come in pursuit of a singular mission: documenting music visually, turning “notes into color,” and capturing acoustics on canvas.

Born Randy Leo Frechette in Lowell, MA, Frenchy got started live-painting concerts in the early 1990s thanks to a chance commission from the Heavy Metal Horns at a small club in Orlando, FL. He’s since chased that muse around the world—not just to concerts and music festivals but also to sporting events, including the Super Bowl, as the New Orleans Saints‘ official team artist.

Before all of those accolades, however, he was darting around every club in NOLA, painting four, five, even seven nights a week for years, preserving fleeting moments forever in time. As Frenchy explained to Live For Live Music, “As soon as I put brush to canvas, to that live music, to the energy of that band and the crowd dancing and freaking out—it was love at first sight. Love at first brush stroke. I knew in my heart and soul that I was going to paint live music for the rest of my life. That was the spark.”

Frenchy arrived in New Orleans on January 25th, 1997, his car packed with all the belongings he had to his name: a cardboard box of personal items, a basket of clothes, and about 20 paintings. By the end of April 1997, he had painted virtually every local band in the city’s famed music scene, as well as his first Jazz Fest.

As Frenchy developed his talents, New Orleans became a fundamental element of his personal and artistic identity. Brass bands, second lines, parades, and the vibrant diaspora that make up the native music community all influenced what would become his trademark style: lively dashes of color evoking the glow of the stage, musicians rendered in quasi-abstract fashion to convey their dynamic motion in the heat of their craft.

“Everything I do—whether it’s a live portrait of a band, a studio abstract, a portrait of a couple, or even a freaking teapot—has New Orleans in it,” he said. “Every brush stroke has the energy and love of this amazing city.”

"A lovely view of heaven, but I'd rather be with you."

Oteil & Friends Deliver Emotional "Standing On The Moon" For Bob Weir In Louisville Oteil Burbridge remembered his late Dead & Company bandmate Bob Weir with the Grateful Dead's "Standing On the Moon" in Kentucky.

Just announced! ⚡

Dweezil Zappa's DZ20 Like Father, Like Son Tour celebrates 20 years of performing his father's music.

Each show will bring 2+ hours of music spanning Frank Zappa’s storied career, featuring fan favorites, deep cuts, improvisational moments and more.

🎫 on sale this Fri 6/5 @ 10 AM local time: https://www.dweezilzappa.com/tour

Chicago party-funk septet Sneezy squeezed into the cozy backyard confines of the Sugarshack for an intimate performance earlier this year. The full nine-song set is available now on the ‘Sugarshack Sessions’ YouTube channel.

Over the past 11 years, the hallmark of the ‘Sugarshack Sessions’ has been bands stripping down their live sounds and unwinding in Bonita Springs, FL. Those who have seen Sneezy, however, can attest that “unwinding” isn’t necessarily in the band’s toolbox. At festivals nationwide, the band has built a reputation on daytime sets that get the blood flowing or late-night shows that are impossible to walk away from, no matter how tired you may be.

Filling the Sugarshack stage, the band’s setup looks about the same as usual, save for Austin Lutter switching from electric to acoustic guitar. Setting the vibe for the video, Destiny Pivonka lets it rip for the first 90 seconds of the opening “Not Sorry.”

Beyond instrumentation, the band’s onstage chemistry is what defines Sneezy, and that loose atmosphere breeds the feeling of a backyard kickback—something central to the mission of the ‘Sugarshack Sessions.’ But, missions aside, dynamic frontman Brett O’Connor can only keep his kinetic energy bottled up for so long before he goes testing the limits of a “seated performance” on the band’s trademark interpretation of BJ The Chicago Kid and Chance the Rapper‘s “Church in the Morning.”

Rather than some simplified acoustic rendering, the Sneezy ‘Sugarshack Sessions’ performance is the band being itself—because that’s all it can be. While the septet can fluctuate from vintage R&B to gospel to jam-funk, there’s only one level for Sneezy to be at. That might not always be Brett O’Connor hopping around the stage serenading you with his shirt off, but it is acoustic guitarist/backing vocalist/scarf guy Jack Holland squeaking rubber ducks into the mic. It’s keyboardist Danny Bauer doing robot noises while Brett smacks random notes on Danny’s keyboard. It’s all the ad-libs and smiles they do backing Brett up on “She’s So Hawt.” It’s Sneezy having the most fun out of anyone, any time the band plays onstage.

Watch the full Sneezy ‘Sugarshack Sessions’ performance at the link in the comments.

Goose will follow up the release of its sixth studio album, ‘BIG MODERN!’, with a big fall tour. The Connecticut indie-jam band announced the eight-city, 14-show sojourn ahead of ‘BIG MODERN!‘s release on Friday, June 12th.

After a trip out west, including a sold-out, two-night return to Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (8/27–8/28), Goose will kick off the 2026 fall tour with two nights at Kansas City’s Midland Theatre (11/3–11/4). After that, Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach, Trevor Weekz, and Cotter Ellis will set up for a three-night weekend run at Milwaukee’s Miller High Life Theatre (11/6–11/8).

The following week, Goose will head to Nashville to help break in The Truth (11/10–11/11). Live Nation’s new 4,400-capacity indoor venue, “built on three chords and the truth,” is slated to open in October. After that, the band will return to its home state of Connecticut for a pair of shows at Uncasville’s Mohegan Sun Arena, Goose’s first trip back to the arena since playing there with Trey Anastasio Band in 2022.

Following a pair of one-off shows in Portland, ME (11/15) and Charlottesville, VA (11/18), Goose will play two nights at Pittsburgh’s Citizens Live at The Wylie (11/19–11/20). Another 4,000-capacity Live Nation indoor venue with a similar layout to The Truth, Citizens Live is also due to open in October. Finally, the tour will wrap on Saturday, November 21st at Rochester, NY’s Blue Cross Arena.

See a detailed list of the band’s tour dates at the link in the comments.

Metallica's M72 World Tour is streaming now on nugs ⚡

Experience the thunderous live energy, massive stadium production, and crushing setlists from one of the biggest tours on the planet — available to stream anytime in HD audio. Relive every riff, solo, and crowd-shaking moment from the band’s epic No Repeat Weekend shows.

Start streaming at the link in the comments 👇

Austin’s LEVITATION festival has shared its nearly-complete lineup for 2026, a far-ranging roster led by American Football, Bikini Kill, Angine de Poitrine, Molchat Doma, and a Sunday headliner yet to be revealed. The festival will return to its original format, taking over a handful of venues across Austin, September 10th–13th.

LEVITATION’s 2026 lineup puts the festival’s stylistic diversity on full display. Sunday’s roster reflects the festival’s deep psych-rock roots (furbished by the Reverberation Appreciation Society Label), with Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Psychedelic P**n Crumpets, New Zealand’s Earth Tongue, Ty Segall acolyte Charles Moothart’s Primitive Ring, and stoner/doom heavies Elder and Messa.

The lineup features several legendary acts, including ’90s Washington punks Bikini Kill, Joy Division/New Order’s Peter Hook & The Light, and Gibby Haynes doing something billed as “Gibby Haynes: Bu****le Surfers Mania”. Whether that’s Gibby telling stories from the glory B-Hole days, playing music, or hyping up the band’s new documentary currently traveling the festival circuit, we have no idea. But it sounds exciting and a little bit scary.

Elsewhere, the LEVITATION lineup ranges from hardcore punk to electronic to industrial with Die Spitz, Arlo Parks, The Garden, Smerz, Cabaret Voltaire, Acopia, Man Or Astro-Man?, Los Thuthanaka, Monolord, Friko, Automatic, Sweeping Promises, and many more.

Last year, LEVITATION pivoted to a more traditional, festival-style format with bands playing all day at the Palmer Events Center. For 2026, however, the event will return to its longtime format of separately ticketed shows spread throughout Austin, with performances at Stubb’s, Radio/East, The 13th Floor, Mohawk, Hotel Vegas, 29th Street Ballroom, and Elysium.

Tickets for LEVITATION, including single-show tickets and four-day passes that grant access to every performance, are on sale now via the link in the comments.