Bela Fleck, American born, was named after Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, Austrian composer Anton Webern and Czech composer Leoš Janáček. You could literally say he was born into music. He was drawn toward the banjo, the instrument for which he is most well-known, after hearing Earl Scruggs picking away. He formed Bela Fleck and the Flecktones with Wooten twenty three years ago and they haven't slowed down a bit. As with any group playing for over two decades, members have moved in and out of the project. However, tonight we get a taste of nostalgia: Bela will be playing with his original Flecktones once again at Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville, WA. Don't forget your chairs and/or blankets unless you want to shell out the extra bucks for reserved seating. more ›

Tonight, the banjos will be taking over Benaroya Hall. We think there's a banjo joke in there somewhere, but it's too early on a Monday morning to come up with it. Instead, we'll just sell you on the legendary Earl Scruggs, who's responsible for that three-finger picking style Seattlest prefers when attacking the famously untunable instrument. We caught Scruggs at the IBMA awards last year, and we can vouch for the fact that he's still got it after all these years. Go see a living legend in action. Check him: more ›

If you're unfamiliar, the quintet, based loosely in Lyons, Colo., started out with some exquisite renditions of old-timey standards like "Red Rocking Chair." , however, opened up a whole new can of worms when the g'Earls, as they call themselves, tried their hand at writing brand-new old-timey tunes. Banjo player Abigail Washburn (who's toured recently with banjo master Bela Fleck) writes sad and lonely, heart-wrenching tunes about longing and self-identity, while fiddler Raya Gellert's tunes are more hoe-downy. KC Groves tends more toward Dolly Parton-ish sentimentality, while Kristin Andreassen's compositions run the gamut. more ›

WAMU Zoo Tunes recently announced their upcoming concert lineup. Personally, we say Meh -- but we're not every day listeners of The Mountain, so to be honest, we don't even recognize half the names on this list. Herbie Hancock would probably be great. The guy's a jazz legend after all. more ›

Now that it officially feels like spring, it's time to start thinking about summer, and more specifically, the summer concert season. While the Bumbershoot lineup has been partially announced, and Sasquatch is right around the corner, there's a whole bunch of big shows going on sale this weekend. Cast your eyes upon their collective majesty: more ›