Photo Galleries | Slide and Banjo

Dave Matthews Band Worth the Three Year Wait

May 26, 2023
Marty Halpern

After a three year delay, Dave Matthews Band finally made it to the newly refurbished BankPlus Amphitheater in Southaven MS for a jam band show jam packed with people and great music. The outdoor venue just south of Memphis TN has only hosted a handful of events since reopening after an $11 million makeover.

Matthews and his cohorts took the stage as the sun was setting on a beautiful mid south evening. The band spent the next two plus hours covering classics from the decades old DMB catalogue while introducing several songs off their just released 10th studio album “Walk Around the Moon.”

The band was in top form, grinning ear to ear as they traded solos back and forth all night. Matthew’s wit was also in top form entertaining the crowd with his deadpan musings throughout the show. DMB will stay on the road the next couple of months supporting their latest release.

Below are pictures from the show and a video of Matthew’s take on The Commodores “Brick House.”

Dave Matthews Band Southaven MS 5/24/23

Pig, Come On Come On, Sweet, Madman’s Eyes, Crush, All You Wanted Was Tomorrow, Warehouse, Looking for a Vein, Grey Street, The Space Between, It Could Happen, Lie In Our Graves, Walk Around the Moon, Monsters, Kill the Preacher, Why I Am, You and Me, Jimi Thing, Brick House

E: Singing From the Windows, Break Free, Louisiana Bayou.

Karina Rykman’s Bass Melting New Orleans Debut

May 9, 2023
Marty Halpern

Karina Rykman and her band brought the heat to their New Orleans debut. That heat from the stage mixed with the heat from a sold out Blue Nile 1:30 a.m. crowd caused her bass to melt… literally. Towards the end of the set, Rykman informed the sweaty crowd several of the frets on her bass had melted. Undaunted by the unprecedented turn of events, Rykman shrugged it off making the most of the working notes on her guitar.

There was no warm up period for Rykman or the crowd. From the first note of “Joyride,” the pace didn’t slow the rest of the night (or early morning). Rykman, with guitarist Adam November and Chris Corsico on drums showed off the precision they’ve developed playing these songs on the road. Rykman pal Marlo Shankweiler joined the festivities for “Skylark/Slow Lark.”

After the show Rykman expressed her gratitude via Instagram. “So beyond grateful to get to play New Orleans with my band for the first time! Thank you endlessly for selling it out and brining your insane energy from 1:45 am – 3:45am!”

This show is a perfect example of what’s ahead for Rykman. Yes, she’s still the always smiling and bouncy Karina everyone loves. But when Rykman hits the stage, buckle up. Corsico’s pace on the drums seems impossible to maintain for an entire show. So fast and continually diverse it will grab your attention immediately. He has also joined Rykman as the drummer for his “cousin” Marco Benevento’s band. November, a techno-wizard, is just getting started creating unique tones and effects to run through his guitar. His guitar playing is already very good. As that grows combined with the technological elements he can create, the sky is the limit.

Rykman has numerous festival gigs on her schedule. Amazingly, she still hasn’t released her long overdue debut album which should be announced at any time. Below is the setlist for Rykman’s Blue Nile show. There’s also a video of concert staple “Pepper” as well as Rykman frolicking in the crowd and spinning around the stage on her back as only she can.

Blue Nile 5/6/23 – Joyride, Plants, Arbitrary, Dirty South, City Kids, New Song, Pepper, Chaise Lounge, Skylark/Slowlark, No Occasion, Psycho Killer, Hardest Button, Atom Dance (w. Family Affair), Elevator.

Photo Gallery: Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass, 9/1/22, Memphis

September 2, 2022
Josh Mintz

On September 1, Keller Williams teamed up with the Hillbenders to create Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass. They played to a packed Memphis crowd at the Overton Park Shell for a benefit for the Church Health Center, a medical clinic that benefits the underserved community. Here’s a glimpse at the action.

Mempho Music Festival returns with a musical vengeance

October 15, 2021
Slide & Banjo

As Covid-19 ravaged the globe, the concert industry was hit harder than most. Touring musicians, their crews, music venues…few were spared the hardship of a world that just shut down. As vaccines became readily available, though, there was a glimmer of hope; the industry adapted, and music fans once again were able to watch the bands they love. 2021 Mempho Music Fest, headlined by Widespread Panic and the Avett Brothers, returned the first weekend of October and provided a cathartic release for bands and fans alike.

Jimmy Herring and the 5 of 7, Atlanta, 11/20/19

November 27, 2019
Slide & Banjo

Photos: Michael Saba
Before heading across the ocean to play a string of dates in Japan, Jimmy Herring brought his band, the 5 of 7, to the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia on November 20, 2019 to play one last show on American soil. Photographer Michael Saba was there to capture the hometown show.

Billy Strings, Asheville, 10/31/19

November 4, 2019
Slide & Banjo

Photos: Brad Kuntz
There aren’t many names out there right now that are hotter than Billy Strings. The Lansing, Michigan-born William Apostle brought his band to The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC for a Clockwork Orange-themed Halloween show, and we had Brad Kuntz on the scene to capture the magic.

Dumpstaphunk, Mobile, 10/5/19

October 9, 2019
Slide & Banjo

Photos: Josh Mintz
On October 5, Dumpstaphunk took the stage on a humid night at Mobile, Alabam’s Flavor Fest on Dauphin. Fronted by Ivan Neville, part of the royal New Orleans music family (son of Aaron), Dumpstaphunk is what their name sounds like – funk.

Hot August Music Festival 2019

September 12, 2019
Slide & Banjo

Hot August Music Festival takes place every year in Cockeysville, Maryland. The 2019 edition had a solid lineup, headlined by Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. The lineup was diverse; the top of it was rounded out by Billy Strings, Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band, Samantha Fish, and Turkuaz.

Sam Holt Band: Remembering Mikey, 8/10/19

August 14, 2019
Slide & Banjo

Widespread Panic’s guitarist, Michael Houser, was a musical luminary that was taken from the world too soon. Each year, on August 10, Mikey’s former guitar tech, Sam Holt (Sam Holt Band, Outformation), pays celebrates his late mentor with Remembering Mikey, a tribute concert. This year’s show was at Atlanta’s Terminal West, and photographer Michael Saba was there to capture the magic.

Donna the Buffalo, 6/30/19

July 16, 2019
Slide & Banjo

Photos by Josh Mintz

The Levitt Shell is an outdoor venue in Memphis, TN that once hosted Elvis. After falling into decay, it was renovated and now hosts a free concert series twice a year in the spring and fall. Donna the Buffalo took the stage on June 30 for a solid Sunday evening set.