Peter Rowan is a bluegrass master. His musical roots go back to Bill Monroe. He didn’t just hear Bill Monroe’s recordings – he played guitar and sang lead with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys in the mid-1960s. After stints in Earth Opera, Muleskinner, and the Marin County rock group Seatrain, he co-founded Old and in the Way with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Since then, he’s recorded more than 30 albums and earned six Grammy nominations. His classic originals include “Panama Red,” “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy,” and “Moonlight Midnight” – and he’s just released a new album, The Old School, with one traditional song and ten new originals that sound like future classics. “You’ve got to pick it clean / play it true / you know that’s the rule / of the old school,” he sings on the title cut, and he definitely follows his own advice.

“Playing thrills me now more than ever,” says legendary bass player and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Jack Casady.

As a Founding member of the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, Casady’s full driving tone and innovative melodic bass work has defined the role of bass guitar in Rock and Roll for decades. Liberating the bass from its traditional role as part of the rhythm section, Jack s pioneering approach has brought the instrument to the forefront. With sweeping chords and stormy melodic lines Jack’s bass distinguished not only Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna but also a variety of side projects and recordings with artists including Jimi Hendrix, David Crosby, Warren Zevon, Country Joe and The Fish, SVT, Rusted Root and Gov’t Mule.

“The main issue is I love to play the bass guitar,” says Jack. “The craftwork in really learning the subtleties of the instrument is a lifelong project.”

Photo by Ronald Rietman

Photos by Ronald Rietman

visit the Peter Rowan website

visit the Jack Casady website