R.I.P. “Country Joe” McDonald, Grahame Lesh Honors Grateful Dead’s Free Concert History in San Francisco
Widespread Panic Head West, New Interview with Dave Harrington
Relix Daily
March 09, 2026
March 9, 2026
NEWS
“Country Joe” McDonald, the band leader who fronted Country Joe and the Fish, and the voice that captured the frustration of the Vietnam combat and transformed this into an anti-war song that became one of the signature moments at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in 1969, passed away on Saturday, March 7, 2026. He was 84 years old.
NEWS
Less than one week after its trial began, Live Nation has reached a settlement with the Department of Justice in the high-profile antitrust case that had threatened to break up the company and its Ticketmaster subsidiary.
If you haven’t been to New Orleans for Jazz Fest, you are missing out. Jazz Fest has over 600 artists on 14 stages spread over two weekends celebrating the music, food and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana alongside the biggest names in music. Don’t wait until next year. Single-day tickets and weekend wristbands are on sale now. Visit www.nojazzfest.com for all the details.
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NEWS
On Sunday, March 8, Bay Area musicians performed a concert in the spirit of the Grateful Dead. The free afternoon event took place in San Francisco’s Panhandle, where the artists involved played songs from the back of a flatbed truck equipped with the necessary instruments to induce an audience trance in the tradition of community-fueled exchange. The show honored the original band’s 1960s free concert legacy and its enduring commitment to creating a spectacle for its fans. Notably, the gig occurred on the 53rd anniversary of Ron "Pigpen" McKernan's passing.
When Robert Hunter passed away, scholars gathered at the Grateful Dead Scholars Caucus, February 19-22, 2020, the Grateful Dead section of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association, to honor his legacy through papers, readings, and reflection. This striking 12 x 18 inches poster, produced to commemorate the first scholarly celebration, features Herb Greene's classic portrait of Hunter, ca. 1974, one of the most beloved images of the Dead's preeminent lyricist. Authorized by Herb Greene and strictly limited to 100 copies, it stands as both a tribute to Hunter's towering artistic legacy and a piece of Grateful Dead scholarly history. Relix is pleased to offer the remaining stock.
NEWS
Widespread Panic have shared that they will return to Big Sky Country this summer. The Southern-bred jamband, known for its ability to extemporize and enrich material through segues, teases, and other valiant live approaches, will bring its tenacity for first-rate performances to KettleHouse Amphitheater, near Missoula, on July 7 and 8, 2026. The appearances mark the band’s first gigs in the region since 2016.
NEWS
On Saturday night, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy took the stage at Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Brooklyn Steel for the latest stop on their third-annual R.E.M. tribute tour. Just under a month into the revered actor and indie veteran’s run celebrating the 40th anniversary of Lifes Rich Pageant, the New York show was met with high expectations, given the unlikely duo’s record with courting guest spots from members of the honored alt-rock forerunners. Sure enough, Michael Stipe emerged at the end of the night to lead treatments of two tracks he hadn’t performed in 18 years.
FEATURE
Dave Harrington tirelessly crosses between musical worlds. Since 2011, he’s devised the menacing and mesmerizing sonic architecture of Darkside, his groundbreaking electronic project with Nicolas Jaar, featuring Tlacael Esparza since 2022. In the eight years between their debut and sophomore albums, he became a fixture of New York’s experimental underground, simultaneously lending his talents to jazz, psych and noise groups before moving out to Los Angeles and joining in the West Coast’s newly burgeoning scene. There, he connected with friends from other venerable indie outfits to form Taper’s Choice, the self-proclaimed “subversive jamband” supergroup that’s given him yet another avenue for exploration.
RECAP
On Saturday night, moe. closed out their four show run at the Ardmore Music Hall. The group welcomed guest musicians to the stage for the final two nights at the Pennsylvania venue. In addition, the band revisited a rarely performed original tune.
