“Who told you I was a musician?” – Leon Redbone

Keb’ Mo’, just ending a tour with Taj Mahal, was back to himself with jokes, stories and all his hits.

The powerhouse sounds of Memphis, Chicago, New Orleans and Jamaica join notable DC talent in a memorable day and night of music and festivities galore.

“I think what’s most intrinsic to an original songwriter is their perspective and their ability to see something in a way that maybe is simple but hasn’t yet been expressed that way.” – Lukas Nelson

“I was always a lonely kid. I turned into a lonely adolescent, a deeply troubled teenager and an angry young woman with a lot of justifiable demons.” – Janiva Magness

“Forty years ago, us three teenagers started a little band to play a musical style that had long since passed, and most folks had never heard of, this Rockabilly music.” – Brian Setzer

“Going in with every artist you need to know where they come from, the kind of music they play, and the personality they have. Knowing this sets the stage for various possibilities.” – Robert Mugge

Illiterate Light’s swift come-up belies some humble roots, as they’ve gone from touring the mid-Atlantic on bicycle to being signed by Atlantic Records.

The band billed this as “An Intimate Night with Shinedown at The Fillmore”, then they blew the roof off and then some.

“Soul Explosion” refers to the period in 1969 when Stax was rebuilding itself as an independent label, after leaving Atlantic Records and its music catalog behind.