aka Dr. John, the Night Tripper, and featuring an astonishing cast including Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, Widespread Panic, Warren Haynes, Allen Toussaint and many others… plus, of course, the good Doctor himself.

Shortly after the previously mentioned Disco Biscuits collaborations in DC and Bridgeport, Kreutzmann got an unexpected invitation to put together a spur-of-the-moment combo to play the Lockn' Festival, in part to fill a gap left in the lineup when Bob Weir cancelled his appearance (more about that in a moment). And so, Bill Kreutzmann's Locknstep Allstars were born — a wonderfully spontaneous coalition of old and new friends, including players from a younger generation deeply influenced by the Grateful Dead and some longtime colleagues in the mix as well. The core band includedAron Magner (of the Disco Biscuits, whose acquaintance Bill had made just weeks before at those collaborative gigs), Tom Hamilton (from American Babies and Joe Russo's Almost Dead), Steve Kimock and Oteil Burbridge (with Kreutzmann dubbing the ensemble "Billy and the Kids"). Joining in for a few tunes each were the great Taj Mahal, Keller Williams and Papa Mali. And in one of the evening's highlights, a Kreutzmann drum solo magically turned into a trio when, from the festival's adjacent other stage, String Cheese Incident drummer and percussionist Michael Travis and Jason Hann (who perform as EOTO), joined in.

In recent weeks, Bill has had a flurry of public appearances. In light of all the sudden activity, Kreutzmann has become increasingly active on his Facebook page - he surprised