A pair of sets from last summer's festivals take center stage on this week's program. The Steepwater Band made their way to JazzFest from Chicago to play their blues/rock. Their sixth studio album, Shake Your Faith, is their most collaborative effort to date. It was produced by Jim Wirt (Fiona Apple, Incubus) and had ample input from all four band members. Since forming in 1998, The Steepwater Band has released a combined 13 studio and live albums and DVDs.
The Erik Koskinen Band played the 37th annual Sioux River Folk Festival. Candor and craft fill Koskinen's tool box. Many of his songs have roots in the Upper Michigan Peninsula where he grew up. HIs family worked hard building log homes in the summer, but they also found time to take in plenty of bluegrass and traditional country music festivals. It's also when Koskinen began building a collection of cassette tapes of his favorite artists. Koskinen has been based in Minneapolis for the last dozen years.
