Dave Schools | Slide and Banjo

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.

Widespread Panic is Coconuts for Memphis

September 24, 2021
Marty Halpern

Widespread Panic has made Memphis a regular tour stop since the band got together. According to the Panic resource “Everyday Companion Online,” their first official show in the Bluff City was in April, 1989. Since then, they’ve seen local crowds swell from a couple of hundred to thousands. After 30-plus years of touring, WSP recently made a conscious decision to cut back their schedule, to “pass the baton” to a younger collection of musicians looking to expand their careers.

WSP returns to Memphis to headline Mempho Music Fest on October 1 and 2, and will hit the road for several multi-night residencies after that. Slideandbanjo.com’s Marty Halpern caught up with Panic percussionist Domingo “Sunny“ Ortiz to discuss the band’s past, present, and future.

Neal Casal tribute planned with Chris Robinson, Joe Russo, Dave Schools & more

September 12, 2019
Slide & Banjo

A tribute to Neal Casal has been announced for Wednesday, September 25 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Casal’s former bandmates and associates will get together to pay tribute; Casal tragically took his own life on August 26. The late guitarist last played with Circles Around the Sun but had played with Ryan Adams, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and the Hard Working Americans, and was a widely-respected session/studio guitarist.