Tedeschi Trucks Band Says “Let the Sun Shine!” Sunshine Music Festival, That Is!

The Tedeschi Trucks Band bring their musical explosion on wheels, better know as the Sunshine Music Festival, back to Florida for the fifth time in January. This annual outpouring of great music comes to St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park Saturday, January 14th, and then heads to Boca Raton Sunday at the Mizner Park Amphitheatre.

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The headliners need no introduction, really, a combination of two great musical forces in Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. This twelve-piece juggernaut is every bit the soul stew they aspire to be, melding funk, jazz, rock and blues into a brilliant amalgam. They are the very definition of a big band, 21st-century style.

TTB has become a household acronym, but so has JRAD. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is exactly what it sounds like: a superb Dead cover band. Russo’s partner Marco Benevento, Tommy Hamilton (American Babies), Scott Metzger and Dave Dreiwitz join him as they perform music from that revered canon.

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers are also on the bill. Whether you remember him for his hit “The Way It Is,” his gift of the 88s to the Grateful Dead in the wake of Brent Mydland’s death, or his outstanding concert performances, you’ll be thrilled to see what he and his… Noisemakers… have in store for you.

Mavis Staples.

That’s an complete paragraph all to itself. If you haven’t seen her perform, ‘prepare thyself to deal with a miracle’ (and thank you, Rahsaan).

From the iconic Traffic through a remarkable solo career with a brief stop through Fleetwood Mac, Dave Mason is one of rock’s real icons, author of “Feelin’ Alright,” “Only You Know and I Know,” “Shouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave,” “World in Changes” and “You Can All Join In.” And he cowrote “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” Enough said.

Railroad Earth is a band at the top of their game, which is Americana rock, but that doesn’t do this New Jersey sextet justice. They can do most anything. They played with Warren Haynes on his Ashes and Dust album and have delighted audiences everywhere with their versatility, including bluegrass, newgrass, roots and rock.

When it’s time to get down and dirty with Mississippi Hill Country blues, look no further than North Mississippi Allstars. This trio, including the Dickinson boys, Luther and Cody, have been “shakin’ it on down” for a long time.

The Greyhounds open the show with their stripped-down Austin blues dripping in powerful lyrics.

The Tedeschi Truck are insistent: LET THE SUN SHINE! LET THE SUNSHINE!

MusicFestNews agrees! We’ll see you there!

And here is a link to last year’s St. Pete fest.

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