With the 20th anniversary celebration of Gathering of the Vibes right around the corner, we wanted to take a good look at some of the highly anticipated acts on this top notch lineup. These acts and many more will be gracing the stage in Bridgeport, CT from July 30th – August 2nd for what is sure to be yet another weekend of great music and vibes.

Tickets and more information can be found on the festival’s website!

The String Cheese Incident w/ David Grisman and Peter Rowan

If there is one band in the jamband scene that knows how to bring the right vibes, it is the String Cheese Incident. It’s hard to believe the Colorado-based group has never played the festival before, but we are happy to see them on the bill this year. And they are bringing along fellow Jerry Garcia partners in crime David Grisman and Peter Rowan for a special tribute set. This is a definite must-see performance. Please play the Rowan-penned “Sweet Melinda”!

Greensky Bluegrass

The boys from Greensky are on fire right now, and don’t sleep on this early day set. We know, it’s an earlier Saturday day set, but just get your butt over to the main stage and thank us later. These guys transcend the entire bluegrass genre and are taking it to new places, with Paul Hoffman’s smooth vocal delivery and the band’s knack at story-telling taking their music to great heights. There is a reason their last album, If Sorrows Swim, was L4LM’s #1 album of 2014. Check out “Windshield” below:

Doyle Bramhall II

If you are not familiar with Doyle Bramhall II, get familiar. This Texas-born guitarist is blues to the bone, as his father played drums for legendary bluesmen Lightnin’ Hopkins and Freddie King and was a lifelong collaborator with childhood friends Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan. The southpaw guitarist, who plays his axe strung upside down, has made quite the name for himself as he has toured and recorded with the likes of Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Elton John and Jimmy Vaughan over the years. Check out the video of Bramhall performing his own “Smokestack” below, and at the end of the video as the band is jamming you can hear some Hendrix-like licks taking place.

Warren Haynes ft. Railroad Earth

One of the most anticipated albums of the year brings with it one of the most anticipated live shows of the year. We don’t think it’s a stretch that they go hand in hand with one another, right? The 13-track album, Ashes & Dust (check L4LM’s review here), spearheaded by Haynes (who was backed by Railroad Earth on the album) is unlike anything we have heard from the Gov’t Mule and Allman Brothers guitarist. This should be a great set!

Warren Haynes & The Seaside All-Stars

Haynes will be leading a band consisting of George Porter Jr., Branford Marsalis, Joe Russo, Jackie Greene, Marco Benevento and “Friends” (just that word makes our minds race with the possibilities). As this is the first time this collaboration is playing together, we have no videos to show you, and no idea what magic this ensemble is going to create on stage. Just use your imagination, and we are sure everything will be just fine.

 

Electron

If you are looking to get your late-night dance on then make your way over to Electron after the String Cheese Incident ends. The side-project of The Disco Biscuits’ Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner, American Babies/Joe Russo’s Almost Dead guitarist Tom Hamilton and Lotus drummer Mike Greenfield will keep things going as the band jams out Brownstein-penned Biscuits songs and some covers along the way. Watch their recent face-melting VIP set from Electric Forest here.

 

Wilco

Already one of the best and most unique alt-rock bands in the world today, Wilco definitely knows how to keep things interesting as they just surprised the music world by releasing a full album of new music, titled Star Wars, for free the other day. The reason? Just because. As lead man Jeff Tweedy said, “It felt like it would be fun. What’s more fun than a surprise?” Listen to the album below, and download it for free HERE.

 

Oktopus ft. Todd Stoops and Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident)

A new project that will be making its debut at Vibes, this should make for an interesting late-night set. While the pair have never performed together as Oktopus, anyone who was at The Capitol Theatre for SCI’s performances last November will certainly enjoy reliving this sit-in from Stoops on the song “Rosie”.

Billy & The Kids

Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann brings along his “kids”, JRAD/American Babies’ guitarist Tom Hamilton, Disco Biscuits’ keyboardist Aron Magner, and Tea Leaf Green bassist Reed Mathis. Breathing new life into classic music, the quartet formed last year and has been on a tear ever since. Check out full show footage from their set back in March at the Cap, which included some additional guitarwork from Robert Randolph.

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

Karl Denson is the man. After a full fledged tour with The Rolling Stones, his Tiny Universe band is sounding funkier than ever. Not to mention the return of Alan Evans (Soulive) behind the kit! Here they are with frequent Stones collaborator, pianist Chuck Leavell.

Lettuce

If you want to get funky, there simply isn’t a group better in the game right now than our boys in Lettuce. The Brooklyn based ensemble just wrapped up a run with Umphrey’s McGee, bringing the heat with collaborations and high energy each and every night. These guys will funk you up!

                       

****  Check here for ticket, camping, full lineup, and additional Gathering Of The Vibes information ***