As a 20-something – hell, as a 30-40-and 50-something – I spent time during many evenings watching, listening and dancing to live music. I developed relationships with musicians, from jazz to rock and folk to some absolutely non-categorizable stuff – I’m talking to you Jack Velker. 😉

In the end it led me to appreciate all those hard-working bands whose love for what they played and wrote led them to toss out a live performance  enthusiasm I felt warmed over enough to grab for myself. Today I include a few bands whose body of work mirrors this ethic.

First up – These guys are still traveling and making incredibly good music. They totally prefer live performances and they don’t need help in getting across what they love so much. This one goes a ways back, but it remains simply one of my all time favorite songs of any stripe:

Including the Neville Brothers is a true no brainer. These guys are peripatetic travelers and have been for decades. Rather than wait for their Big Hit, they rely on a fan base who love music and who appreciate the stunning talents of each member of this talented musical family. Quintessentially New Orleans, these guys are also quintessentially hard working.

I’m pretty sure this artist just gets better with age.

He just got back from touring pretty much all of South America.

Finally, a pure favorite of mine……..who just recently made a new album.