COLORADO'S 'FINEST QUALITY' LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
P.O. BOX 830; NEDERLAND, COLORADO 80466
mike@michiganmike.com
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COLORADO'S 'FINEST QUALITY' LIVE ENTERTAINMENT P.O. BOX 830; NEDERLAND, COLORADO 80466 mike@michiganmike.com
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THIS PAGE IS  NedFest 2007 Band Bios JOHN "BLACKDOG" RIDNELL & GAIL "MOJO" MULDROW -- During its first cross-country tour, in 1991, Black Dog was four songs into its set in a St. Louis joint called Blueberry Hill when a guitar player named Chuck Berry walked in. Soon after, guitarist Jon Ridnell coaxed the legendary Berry into doing a few numbers. Berry took Ridnell's guitar “and tore the house up” with Johnnye B. Goode , Roll Over Beethoven , and other classics. “He put these deep scratches in my guitar,” says Jon. “If anybody else did that I'd choke them. But I treasure those scratches.” Black Dog was working its way from New York City to Colorado, and when the band reached its final gigs in the Rockies, Jon knew he had come home. Certified guitarslinger Jon “Black Dog” Ridnell (the nickname is a long story, but harks back to days of teenage excess and has since stuck with the band) grew up in Bronxville, NY. By the age of 15 he was fronting homespun garage bands and playing what he calls Bronx River Delta blues and rock and roll—Clapton, Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd, whatever he could cut his chops on. He and childhood friend Matt Baxter (Jefferson Airplane's After Bathing at Baxter's —that Baxter) launched a band called the Crucial Jive, until one day a young kid said, “What's so crucial about your jive?” The band morphed into The Jive, doing the obligatory house parties and teen dances. Jon had taken lessons from several teachers when one day he discovered records by jazz guitarist Link Chamberlain. “I tried to imitate what he was doing, but just had no foundation for it,” says John. Chamberlain took the kid under his wing and turned his head around in terms of what he taught and what he expected of his pupil. “If you're not really going to do it, don't do it,” Link told Jon. “If you're really going to do it, you should be practicing six hours a day.” It took Jon a little time to work up to that level of commitment, but he did. But Chamberlain died two years later, and Jon moved to Ithaca, New York, to test the college scene. He stayed seven years. “There were so many colleges there, so many frats, that it really was like Animal House.” Now based in Colorado, Jon and a rotating roster of top musicians have released a half dozen studio CDs and several lives discs, while Jon has issued one solo CD. And as Black Dog continues to cover a lot of musical ground, Jon finds himself and the band busier than ever—over 300 gigs last year showcasing their on-your-feet, contagious blend of blues rock funk and jazz. “We write and play as many styles as possible,” Jon says. “The rock and roll and blues are always there, of course, and we have a lot of original tunes as well. But depending on the gig we might even throw in our versions of Miles Davis or Duke Ellington. Whatever gets you moving.” As one CD title says, it's “For the Sake of the Groove. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio // Gail “Mojo” Muldrow has been compared to guitarist such as Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Albert Collins. A multi talented entertainer, she also plays Bass Guitar, Key’s and Drums. Her vocal versatility is amazing, reminding us of the time when singers all had a distinct difference to one another. Gladys, Aretha, Etta are obvious influences in her vocal style. Gail grew up at a time when rock and roll was forming. During the 50’s and 60’s, artist such as Ray Charles, Magalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, Nancy Wilson, Frank Sinatra, and many more were the background sounds of her youth. Her parents encouraged her to play music at a young age. Participating in church choir, honor choir, band, and theater throughout school. At age 17 Sly took her in and put her on a hit record “I Get High On YOU.” “My parents played the music that influences me to this day. In addition, my oldest brother John was a total record freak. I heard the top 10 hits as they came out every week. I knew all the words and would practice to the records that I liked” Gail started playing guitar at the age of 17. “Jimmy Hendrix died and I just had to start playing guitar. I never got to see him live and it motivated me to start playing.” Her parent’s friendship with the FAMILY STONE put her in a position to learn what it takes to be a professional. SLY took her in as family naming her ‘COUSIN GALE’ on the album ‘I GET HIGH ON YOU’. “FREDDY STONE was my guitar mentor. No one plays funk like him. In addition, if you were not there, you cannot get it.” The east bay brand of funk is unique to the world. Bands like Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power, Cold Blood, Santana, Chick Correa, John McLaughlin, Stanly Clark, and so many more bands were local and helped shape the way funk is played today. "I lived at Sly’s house in Novato in the 70’s. He liked us kids and let us use the gear at the Record Plant. Bobby Vega and Al Moody was my band. How cool is that? We were only 17." In 1974, Gail started receiving vocal coaching from the great Judy Davis. She remained a student until Judy died in 2001. Judy took a personal interest in Gail and gave special attention to her development as not only a singer, but also an all around professional. "Judy helped me define who I wanted to be as an entertainer. I came up with a cross between Tina Turner and Jimmy Hendrix, So I worked on that.” Gail continues to electrify large crowds. She has developed an acoustic solo act - full of classic songs and originals. Known for her knack of playing with the best players in the area, you never know who she may show up with next. BLUE TURTLE SEDUCTION started as a concept in the spring of 2001 in a backcountry community of Lake Tahoe, California. Its goal was to serve as a co-op for musicians to join and play their original material together. In February of 2002 a portion of those members took the step to solidify the line-up and commit to creating a successful endeavor into the broad musical world. Drawing upon its members diverse experiences and musical educations, Blue Turtle Seduction has thrived to offer a style that expands through a spectrum of their personal influences and fuse them together to form their “High-Altitude Bohemian Tribal Funk Grass” sound. The band grabs elements from various roots music and injects a flavor of Tahoe adrenaline, creating a form of lifestyle music that is defined through bluegrass, mountain-reggae, world music, organic hip-hop and funk. Blue Turtle Seduction sees its music as a constant evolution involving dedicated individuals who continually inspire each other as well as learn from each other. Their natural setting is in the live performance; they continue to build their fan base through compulsively danceable, energetically rewarding, celebratory shows. The band looks forward to venturing from its high Sierra home and expanding the experience on a regional, statewide, and nationwide level. The Blue Turtle is: Adam Navone (drums), Christian Zupancic (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Glenn Stewart (harmonica, vocals), Jay Seals (guitar, vocals) and Stephen Seals (bass). This Band's MySpace w/ Audio DANNY SHAFER "is a songwriter in every sense of the word", said Tom Plant, owner of The Acoustic Coffee House in Nederland, Colorado. With over 100 shows a year, his performance varies from Troubadour Fingerstyle to Country Blues, to his Full Americana band, The Red Glory Ramblers. In every setting, Danny brings his acclaimed songwriting. Jon Henderson, music coordinator, writes "Danny's band always holds an audience and rarely takes a break". This reputation has brought Danny to esteemed venues as The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, The Boulder Theater, The Fox Theatre, Swallow Hill, and also as a finalist in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's Troubadour contest in 2004. Varied, yet consistent, the Colorado Daily writes "Danny Shafer does it all!" This Band's MySpace w/ Audio THE ETHEREAL PLANE is a band from Boulder County, Colorado that brings together a diverse musical background to form a sound that is an ever expanding journey through fusion, funk and rock as well as improvisational exploration. Combining liquid rhythms and liberty bell-bottom bass with soaring guitars, synth, loops and soulful vocals, the goal of the music is to unify the positive collective energy of the crowd and the band... and to encourage its growth. The trio consists of Patrick Latella (electric guitar, 6 & 12 string acoustic guitars, synthesizer, and vocals), Edwin Hurwitz (electric bass, bass synth, and loops), and Jason Folsom (drums, percussion, and vocals), and the enhanced 8-10 piece Ethereal Plane that will be playing the Late Night party on Friday will be perfoming the On Air "Weep For The Moon" and "Shadow's Dream" epics. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio EUFORQUESTRA is an eclectic world-beat ensemble from Iowa City, IA with interests in different cultural and traditional musics from all over the globe. The band has made a mission statement out of preserving different traditions, undescriminatingly trying anything at least once and fusing different styles that appeal to them. The self-proclaimed "Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk" touches on such genres as Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban, Samba, Soca, Funk, Reggae, and Bluegrass. Though the band is relatively new, they have already been on extensive tours playing in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho and Montana, and have played such festivals as Moe's Summer Camp, Carbondale Mountain Fair, Sweat Pea Festival, Spookstock(Schwagstock), Euphio Campout and Wakarusa. In addition to these festivals, Euforquestra hosts its own annual celebration of community and music (Camp Euforia), which has grown over the last four years from a one dayparty to a full blown music festival. This year"s festival has expanded to two days and features two stages hosting 17 bands on the local, regional and national circuits (including Euforquestra, Public Property, Chicago Afrobeat Project, Cornmeal, Family Groove Company and much more). What makes this band special is that something new is always being performed by Eufórquestra as new projects drive the band into further musical studies. For example, after months of research and composition the band recorded and released "Explorations in Afrobeat" in March 2006. Later that year, the majority of the Fall was spent preparing for a Halloween tributeto the Talking Heads with a fully costumed and choreographed performance of David Byrne"s 1984 cult-classic "Stop Making Sense". Check out Euforquestra. You'll hear something new, you'll dance, and you'll have a good time. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio Rooted in the tradition of bluegrass, the music of HEAD FOR THE HILLS is a high-energy mixture of homegrown compositions, traditional harmonies, and an innovative approach to improvisation that reflects the band's experiences living the mountain life. The group's lyrical nature and songwriting seems to evoke a feeling of inspiration in listeners, often embracing nature, personal epiphanies, or even their experiences growing up around Colorado ski towns. In the live setting, Head for the Hills can venture into a myriad of musical styles while staying in a context that is still widely respected by the traditional bluegrass community. The shared vision amongst the members of Head for the Hills is not only to carry on the spirit of bluegrass, but also to expand the general definition as we venture through the post-traditional bluegrass era. Head for the Hills seems to appeal to those who enjoy the sound of the bluegrass forefathers like John Hartford, David Grisman, or Bill Monroe, but also appeals to anybody who enjoys experiencing the excitement, innovation, or element of youth that is incorporated into each and every performance. The foundation of Head for the Hills stretches back several years to the mountain town of Golden, Colorado, but the current lineup prefers to call Fort Collins their home. In their short but prosperous career, Head for the Hills have had the honor of performing and sharing the stage with the legendary mandolin extraordinaire David Grisman, members of Yonder Mountain String Band, Pete Wernick (Hot Rize), Drew Emmitt, Hot Buttered Rum, and Benny Galloway and the Wayword Sons among others. For 2 years running, Head for the Hills successfully headlined & produced Pickin' on the Poudre, their own multi-day campout festival which attracted over 1,200 enthusiastic concertgoers to Northern Colorado. 2006's festivities included artists: Jeff Austin and Dave Johnston of Yonder Mountain String Band and members of Great American Taxi and Shanti Groove among many others. For their debut studio effort entitled, “Robber’s Roost,” Head for the Hills joined forces with the talented and revered producer/performer Sally Van Meter. Ms. Van Meter, among her impressive list of accomplishments, is credited for her 1994 Grammy Award Winning work on The Great Dobro Sessions as well as her work with Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, and David Grisman on The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers- A Tribute. In addition, she has produced albums and recordings for several artists including Yonder Mountain String Band and Open Road Bluegrass. David Glasser (Airshow Mastering) joined Head for the Hills in the mastering process of “Robber’s Roost.” Glasser’s credits include two Grammy’s for his work on the culturally significant: Anthology of American Folk Music (1997), and Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton (2002). Glasser has also mastered over 60 Grammy nominated records. “Robber’s Roost” hosts many memorable studio collaborations. 2001’s 1st Place Rocky Grass Dobro Championship winner, Todd Livingston, joins Head for the Hills on both “Hornets Nest” and “Runaway”. Famed vocalist from the Arthur Lee Land Band, Ali Repetti, joins Head for the Hills on “The Creek Has Run Dry,” as does Sally Van Meter. Sally Van Meter joins on banjo and vocals as well for “Harvest Moon.” On “Robber’s Roost”, one can expect a collection of organic compositions ranging from traditional stylings to the progressive sound that has come to define these young musicians. With direction from two esteemed musical veterans, and an evolved perspective on acoustic roots music, Head for the Hills is primed and ready to bring their dynamic sound to the ears of listeners far wide. With just a few short years of existence, there is really no telling what is in store for these young Colorado pickers. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio IAN BEERT: Sometimes we stumble upon the things that change our lives, sometimes they smack us right in the face. As he wandered into the rabbit hole of music during his suburban Chicago high school experience, Ian Beert found himself in a world he could not escape, and would never even think to try. Ian found in music what everyone does: the expression of feelings and experiences that transcends and connects everyone. Ian discovered his talent as a 16-year old, surprising his friends with a warm, and powerful voice and a natural, smooth, and energetic ability at the guitar. Experimenting with all colors of music: classical, jazz, blues, pop, rock, hip-hop, and the jam-band scene, Beert started to create songs that captured the experiences of his life. As a 21- year old at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the only difference is surprising musical maturity, a charming and familiar stage presence, and 5 more years of experiences with relationships, romance, struggle, perseverance, and faith. Ian’s voice reaches listeners’ ears with the kind of graceful and catchy melodies that you scream at the top of your lungs while driving down the highway. Whether its through the speakers of your car, sitting around at a party with a few guitars, or on stage in front of an adoring crowd, Ian invites his audience in for a conversation on the “big stuff” in life: love, pain, goofin’ around (he has been know to throw out a Britney Spears cover or two), loss, laughter, hope, and faith. “Music connects people unlike anything else,” says Beert, “there is something divine in it, and I have tasted of that, and I know pretty much everyone else has too. We all know those songs that make us feel alive, elevated, and connected. I mean who hasn’t caught themselves jumping around, dancing, and laughing all by themselves in their underwear during some song that just moves your soul? I mean its one of my favorite things to do. If I have lived like that, and written songs that make people do that, then I can’t ask for anything more.” It is this down to earth, playful sincerity that distinguishes Ian, on and off the stage. This personality drips from his music and gets all over those who are graced by it. Regardless of the setting, listeners will have encountered something real and full of soul, and they will have gotten their face rocked off. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio JASON SCROGGINS is the guitarist from Shanti Groove. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio KISSIDOGU, a West African percussion and dance troupe, was established in late 2004 by master drummer and dancer Fara Tolno from Guinea, West Africa. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio The driving force behind THE MOTET has always been one of musical exploration and innovation. After a line up change and months of collective song writing The Motet has entered into a new and exciting musical territory. Fusing instrumental, indie-rock, and electronically textured improvisation, The Motet has been born again, exploring a vast musical landscape that can only be described as intelligent. "Our tendency to avoid being pigeon-holed is a reflection of who we are as musicians," said Motet founder and drummer Dave Watts. "We try to be open-minded about how we approach different genres and traditions." Open-mindedness and a desire to seek out fresh and creative music has always been the key driving force behind The Motet. When The Motet formed in 1998, Watts was the primary song-writer, but now every member of the band is contributing their compositions and arrangements to the group’s repertoire. "I wrote and/or arranged just about all of the material on the new album, but now that the rest of the group is participating in song-writing, it's really becoming an exciting endeavor," said Watts. "I'm looking forward to a new era." The influences of bass player, Garrett Sayers in particular, represents a new paradigm for The Motet. "In regards to what I listen to, I’m drawn to songwriting and general emotion," he told Bass Player Magazine. "It’s a reaction from playing and listening to jazz as a teenager. At one point, I realized that jazz didn’t inspire me as much as bands like Radiohead and Boards of Canada. So I gravitated more toward song-oriented indie-rock and electronic music, which has been my focus ever since.” Drummer Dave Watts remains the backbone of the Motet sound composing a tight rhythm section with bassist, Sayers who is complimented by guitarist Ryan Jalbert, keyboardist Adam Revell, and saxophonist Dominic Lalli. Together they collectively add a rich and organic texture to The Motet sound. Once again, The Motet has mastered the delicate task of reinventing their sound while staying true to their roots and fans. The band’s vast influences and improvisational exploration have them headed in a new direction that is sure to please fans, both old and new. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio ONDA (Spanish for "vibe") is a nine-piece Latin dance band that quickly made a name for itself as one of the best dance bands on the Boulder scene.Founded in 2000,it's music is a wonderful blend of traditional Latin songs and rhythms with funk,Latin jazz,cumbia,boogaloo and modern jam arrangements. ONDA's repertoire is diverse and eclectic.Salsa to Sinatra to Santana and beyond,a wide range of Caribbean sounds that will move any feet,appeal to any ear.Frontman/lead vocalist Roberto Sequeira heads a crew whose members are veterans of the Boulder/Denver afro-cuban, jazz and Latin music scene. Since it's inception,ONDA has been about more than just music; presenting the relationship between music, audience and band, the collective spirit of the whole experience, and the respect and corazon of the Latin American family. ONDA's live performance is energetic and uplifting, tasteful and suave, informative and entertaining. ONDA brings the vibe and something everybody can move to! This Band's MySpace w/ Audio PATRICK LATELLA has been composing in Colorado for nine years, and finds inspiration in the majestic mountains, enchanted forests, and endless skies of the West. His compositions have been featured in the Warren Miller Ski Movies, "Endless Winter" and "Snowriders II". This Band's MySpace w/ Audio SALEM has been recording and performing nationwide since 2005. Currently, they has landed a soundtrack in the new Warren Miller ski and snowboard film, "Off the Grid". You can see the new film on the "Off the Grid" national tour starting in October. Salem music will also be featured in one of Wink Inc. Productions extreme sports films that will be released 2006. Todd Anders Johnson and Salem are now featured in Modern Drummer magazine in the “On the Move” column in the November 2006 edition. Salem is delighted to be sponsored by Nantucket's Triple Eight Distillers, a micro-distillery that is distributed throughout the east coast. Salem has performed at Triple Eight Distillers events and we will team up for Salem east coast tours in the near future. Currently, the CD, Selected, is available at live shows and online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/salem. The CD was reviewed by CD BABY: "The only thing better than great hip hop is diversified hip hop- and that's what we have here. From Seattle, these creative fellows weave together everything from classical music to Afro-Cuban rhythms to jazz and even a hint of lounge and R&B. Fans of alternative hip hop and urban representation need to do their sweet selves a big favor and give Selected a long listen. Weaving in intelligence and beat-oriented styles similar to Spearhead/Michael Franti in more than one place, these Northwesterners have it all wrapped up in friendly little 10-track disc." Salem has been featured as an editor's pick on CDBABY.COM website in the Urban/R&B genre and as an editor's pick on the UBL.COM website in the Latin category. This summer, Salem toured to the Seattle area in June, to Alaska for 2 weeks in July and to Southeast Alaska in August. The group has been performing regularly throughout Colorado since January 2006. In October and November, 2005, Salem performed three successful two-week US tours to the East Coast, Alaska and from Seattle to Colorado. The group will be performing in Washington state and Idaho in October and November. Salem songs have been performed nationally alongside acts such as De La Soul, Rebirth Brass Band, The Motet, Zilla, Toshi Regan, Seven Nations, Tom Landa and the Paperboys, Steve Earle and Flowmotion. Salem 2005 festival dates include the Seattle Folklife Festival on the Mother Jones stage, Anchorage’s Live After Five Series and the Southeast Alaska State Fair. Interviews and reviews about Salem have been featured in Nantucket’s two main newspapers, The Independent and the Inquirer and Mirror, Boston University’s Daily Free Press, Portland’s Phoenix, The Anchorage Free Press, Homer News, Fairbanks Daily News Miner, Juneau Empire, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Lewiston Tribune, and the Northwest Jazz Chronicle. Salem music has been played on radio stations nationwide and the group has had radio interviews in Boston, Nantucket, Burlington, Seattle, Idaho, Homer, Anchorage, Girdwood, Fairbanks, Seward, Haines, and Juneau. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio SAM BUSH BAND has more than earned the moniker 'King of Newgrass', though he admits a certain discomfort with it. As cofounder and leader of the seminal progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival through 18 years during the 1970s and 80s, Bush may not be the only person responsible for newgrass, the wild bluegrass stepchild that features rock n roll grooves and extended virtuosic jams, but since New Grass Revival's dissolution in 1989, Bush has certainly been one of the most brilliant of newgrasss many bright lights. Besides helming the ever-popular Sam Bush Band, featured on the upcoming release Laps in Seven, the mandolin prodigy from Kentucky has been a prodigious influence on musicians young and old. Bands like Nickel Creek, Yonder Mountain String Band, and String Cheese Incident, to name just a few, are indebted to Bushs example, not only in his wide-ranging choice of material and rock-based acoustic grooves, but by his captivating, high-energy live shows, which have made him an in demand headliner, and fan fave at important festivals like NedFest, Telluride and MerleFest. When not heading his own band, Bush has spent the past 15 years as a supersideman with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, and the Flecktones; spearheaded boundary-stretching collaborations with Edgar Meyer, Mark OConnor, and David Grisman, and driven nearly every bluegrass supergroup imaginable with his inimitable mandolin playing. "I wanted to try something different", Bush says of how he approached the new record, inadvertently defining his lifelong approach to music. "I wanted to shake things up a bit while still displaying the live sound of the road band". Bush's band is a tight crew of Nashvilles most in demand studio musicians, including (previous 2005) guitarist Keith Sewell (Stephen Mougin has joined the band since the recording was made as guitar picker/harmony vocalist), Byron House on bass, Chris Brown on drums and banjoist Scott Vestal. Vestal's presence marks one of the striking differences that Bush was aiming for. His dynamic, inventive playing will certainly remind listeners of the last days of New Grass Revival, which, of course, featured a young Béla Fleck. "I cant tell you how much I love playing with Scott," Sam says of his most recent banjo buddy. "He can play everything, but he doesnt feel compelled to put it in every song." In addition to giving his band room to romp, the something different that Bush was looking for often occurs when one of his many special guests joins the proceedings. For example, the opening track, Julie Miller's "The River's Gonna Run" features Bush's old boss Emmylou Harris in a duet vocal with Bush, as well as the electric and acoustic guitar playing of Buddy Miller. "Buddy gets a sound out of an acoustic guitar that bluegrassers dont get", says Bush. "He's all about painting the landscape. He doesnt try to stand out, he just tries to make a big wall of sound, and boy he really does on this track." Such a powerful, rockin and emotional opener needed a strong follow up, and it got one -- probably the most traditional-sounding bluegrass cut on any of Bush's solo CDs, the Charlie Monroe classic "Bringing in the Georgia Mail", which features the Sam Bush Band doing what they do best: throwing down the bluegrass gauntlet and waiting to see if anyone is brave enough to pick it up. Not many who hear this rousing rendition will be so bold. After establishing both his rock and bluegrass credentials, Bush spends much of Laps in Seven paying tribute to old friends and musical influences. John Hartford's "On the Road" gives worthy respect to his dear, departed cohort and a natural for Bushs flexible band. "New Grass Revival used to play that song with John a lot", Bush recalls. "For a few years, 1975-80 or so, we played a lot of shows with John". And that was one of the more fun ones to jam on. Though the song is in 5/4, the rhythm flows naturally from Hartfords lyrical phrasing, creating the kind of complex yet accessible song that Bush and company revel in. "I Wanna Do Right", a rendre hommage to Gulf Coast hurricane survivors was co-written by Bush and Jeff Black , a favorite writer on previous Bush recordings, and features an R&B duet with Little Feats own Shaun Murphy (who also arranged back-up vocals of the Do-Right Singers). Darrell Scott, another talented former guitar picker in the SBB, contributes yet another of his extraordinary songs, a lyrical and haunting version of "River Take Me". Other Bush friends and favorites include Leon Russell's "Ballad For a Soldier", as timely a song now as it was years ago when he wrote it, and Robbie Fulk's "Where Theres a Road", a story for touring musicians everywhere. Bush has written a number of songs with songwriter John Pennell, and the latest is "Riding that Bluegrass Train", which gives a nod to bluegrass/newgrass music, horse racing, and Baltimore banjoist Walter Hensley, whose 1960s recording Pickin' on New Grass, was the first place Bush heard the words that would come to define his music. To give it that high-lonesome sound, Bush called on Tim O'Brien to sing the high harmony vocals. "Tim and I play the same instruments so we hardly ever get to play on the same records, Bush says. Tim just nailed the harmony, it was effortless." Though Bush is most often known as a mandolinist, he's also a champion fiddler and on two tracks he pays tribute to two violinists who helped push his fiddle playing into the rock arena when he was a youngster. On the rock classic "White Bird", Bush and Andrea Zonn update violinist David LaFlamme's enduring composition, both vocally and in a soaring violin arrangement that expands and improves on the original. The recording of Jean-Luc Ponty's "New Country", which has been a live Sam Bush Band fave, includes a scintillating performance by Ponty himself, playing twin fiddles with Bush. This track is the result of a meeting at last summers Telluride Bluegrass Festival, at which Ponty sat in with Bush and company. "I've been a fan of Jean-Luc since his first record, Sunday Walk, came out in America, says Bush. He is the king of jazz-rock violin. He was at Telluride playing with another trio, so I asked him if he would play New Country with us. To be standing there looking over at him right beside me was a dream come true, something I never imagined could happen. So I thought it would be great to get him to record it, too. We recorded the track and sent it to him in France. When we got it back and I heard the beauty of his playing, tears just streamed down my face. It was as joyful a moment as Ive ever had. It's nice to be 54 years old and still just be totally overwhelmed by something, says Bush of recording with Ponty. I was just as excited as I would have been if it happened when I was 16, when I first heard him." Rounding out this musical adventure are two of Bushs signature instrumentals. This recording features "The Dolphin Dance" and "Laps In Seven", a drinking tune written by Sam, Byron and Scott and inspired by Bush's dog Ozzie. Sam Bush's ability to be continually touched and amazed by new music may be the quality that makes him such a successful and virtuosic performer and band leader. He helped create newgrass music almost 35 years ago, but Laps in Seven is evidence that hes still as vital a presence on the acoustic music scene as ever: still making new sounds, still rockin out on great songs, and still pushing the bar higher for the legions of his protégés, fans and friends. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio STANTON MOORE TRIO featuring Robert Walter & Will Bernard - Born and raised in New Orleans (and living there still, when he’s not on the road), Stanton Moore is very much a product of geography, culture and creative networking. He grew up in the thriving music scene of his hometown that included Professor Longhair, Doctor John, the Meters and countless other Big Easy mainstays. In the early ‘90s, Moore hooked up with guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio and keyboardist Rich Vogel and saxophonist Ben Ellman to form the New Orleans-based “steam-roller” funk band known as Galactic. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in music and business from Loyola University, Moore and the band made their first record (the widely acclaimed Coolin’ Off) and hit the road to do nearly 200 gigs a year for the first ten years of Galactic’s existence. The band has since released five more albums since Coolin’ Off, and continues to amass a worldwide audience via recording and touring globally. Aided by eight-string guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Skerik (Les Claypool, John Scofield, Roger Waters), Moore launched his solo career in the late ‘90s with the All Kooked Out!, an album recorded in New Orleans just after Mardi Gras in 1998 and released later that year. In addition to the Moore-Hunter-Skerik core, All Kooked Out! also featured a handful of New Orleans horn players, including Brent Rose, Brian Seeger, Matt Perrine, Ben Ellman, and former Sun Ra trumpeter Michael Ray. Moore extended the solo discography with the 2001 release of Flyin’ the Koop (Verve/Blue Thumb). In the midst of Moore’s All Kooked Out! sessions, yet another concept was taking shape. Outtakes from the session turned into the first Garage a Trois release, Mysteryfunk (1999). In 2000, the trio was augmented by percussionist Mike Dillon (Les Claypool, Ani DeFranco) and has since released two more albums – Emphasizer in 2003 and Outre Mer (on Telarc) in 2005 – both with Moore behind the drum kit. Moore continues his Telarc affiliation with the September 2006 release of III, his third solo recording. In addition to a trademark sound that Modern Drummer calls “infectious, jazz-meets-Bonham, nouveau second-line,” III also features organist Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars, The Head Hunters), guitarist Will Bernard (T.J. Kirk, Doctor Lonnie Smith), along with a few special guests: Skerik and trombonist Mark Mullins (Galactic, Bonerama, Harry Connick, Jr., Better Than Ezra).The album was recorded at the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Moore has also been keeping busy with a myriad of side projects. In 2005, he released an educational project covering his approach to New Orleans drumming called Take It to the Street, comprised of a book/CD and two DVDs. The project has been very well received and has won numerous accolades, including 4.5- and 5-star ratings from Modern Drummer magazine and first and second place in the 2006 MD readers poll. The project covers both the traditional and modern approaches to new Orleans second-line drumming and features the Dirty Dozen, George Porter, Jr., and Ivan Neville. To support this project, Moore has been traveling the globe performing one-man clinics (sometimes with band support) and master classes. He has appeared at the Modern Drummer Festival weekend, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), Drummer’s Collective (NYC) and Drummer Live (the main UK drum magazine’s festival). He stays very involved in education, constantly teaching private lessons in New Orleans and on the road. He was a contributing writer for Drum! magazine and is currently a regular writer for Modern Drummer, which featured him on their April 2004 cover. Showing a rare versatility, he appeared (within the same year) on Heavy Metal Grammy nominees Corrosion of Conformity’s In the Arms of God, Irma Thomas’ After the Rain and Robert Walter’s Super Heavy Organ. In 2005, he launched a signature line of cymbals with Bosphorus Cymbals and a signature drum stick with the Vic Firth stick company. Despite some severe property damage and other personal setbacks in the aftermath of Katrina, Moore was quick to lend a hand to other drummers in New Orleans by donating cymbals and other gear to musicians whose equipment was damaged by the storm. He has also played a number of benefit concerts in the past year to help raise money for Katrina victims. He recently spearheaded the Tipitina’s Music Workshop to work with young and developing musicians in the New Orleans area. The workshop will focus on the preservation of New Orleans music and culture and will host a rotating cast of well known local and national musicians to work with the attendees. He continues to play dates throughout the Big Easy as well as globally with an ever-evolving cast of musicians: John Scofield; Karl Denson; George Porter, Jr., and Leo Nocentelli (of the Meters); Charlie Hunter; Warren Haynes; John Medeski and John Wood (of Medeski, Martin and Wood); Donald Harrison Jr.; Robert Walter; the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars; the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; Corrosion of Conformity; and Irma Thomas to name a few. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio STEVE KIMOCK with George Porter Jr., Russell Batiste & Brian Stoltz: “Music is about the feeling you get when listening to good music. It comes from an emotional place in the performer and creates a succession of feeling states in the listener,” Steve explains. “The mystery of this art, the paradox, and duality of its realization, lie in the translation between its creation as a unique and deeply personal statement from the performer, and its perception as common, universally held emotions by the listener.” Like many people, Kimock at first, fell under the spell of The Beatles, but he also had an aunt, Dorothy Siftar, who played the Philadelphia Folk Festival with Pete Seeger, so his musical horizons were broadened at a young age. When a cousin came home from the service with a gold Les Paul, Kimock was hooked. He got a guitar and played it 12 hours a day, every day. He still does. “I occasionally put it down to take a shower or eat some food,” he jokes, but he’s still in love with the guitar and all its stringed relations. After the usual high school bands, Kimock joined the Goodman Brothers Band. The group moved to California in 1976. Kimock’s first home was a cabin in Marin, directly behind the Ali Akbar Khan School of Music. Every morning he woke to the sound of sarods and sitars, inspiring the interest in the music of other cultures that still colors his own compositions. “I like music of cultures that predate the keyboard. I enjoy the natural temperament more than the 12 equal divisions of the octave. That’s why I like the blues.” For the rest of his career Kimock has balanced his own bands with freelance session and touring work. After a stint with Martin Fierro in The Underdogs, he joined The Heart of Gold Band with Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Godchaux and drummer Greg Anton. Kimock and Anton split to start Zero, a project that lasted 15 years. “The music was eclectic, instrumental but not jazz fusion, mostly with a folk/Americana flavor, but open to anything.” Steve Kimock & Friends was both more focused and less formal than Zero. “We were R&B and blues based, more likely to cover old tunes than create new ones. A bar band without a bar.” KVHW was a collaboration with Bobby Vega, Alan Hertz and Ray White, a brilliant short-lived band with a set list of great covers and original compositions. Unfortunately, all the players were so busy that the band couldn’t survive. Six years ago Kimock put together the Steve Kimock Band. When Rodney Holmes joined five years ago, everything clicked into place. Eudemonic is SKB’s much anticipated first studio album. Forty plus years into a rich and vibrant musical career, this release confirms: Kimock is the stuff that musical legends are made of. ///// George Porter, Jr.’s career proves that he is the premiere bass player and performer. Unmatched and in a league of his own, his career has spanned nearly thirty years working with artists as diverse as Robbie Robertson, Tori Amos, David Byrne and Earl King. Further inspection at the roster of artist with whom he has performed is a virtual Who’s who of the entertainment field. Beginning in the 60's, his career started with Eddie Bo and Irving bannister & His All-stars. His recording career also began at that time, recording hundreds of songs with Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Lee Dorsey and Johnny Adams. 1965 began a collaboration that has lasted to this day with the Legendary Meters, considered by many, the best Rock-Fusion Band in the world. The seventies and eighties took George Porter, Jr. into the realms of Rock and Pop working with Dr. John, Paul McCartney, Robert Palmer, Patti Labelle and Jimmy Buffett, amongst others. The nineties might very well prove the most auspicious, as he gains further recognition due to his work with Robbie Robertson, David Byrne, Tori Amos, Gov't Mule and The Funky Meters. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, George Porter, Jr. continues to live there; although his career has kept him on the road a good deal of the time. When not touring he can be found in the recording studio, performing in New Orleans, or sharing valued time with his wife Ara, and family. ///// Russell Batiste Jr.'s father, David Batiste, was leader of a family band, David Batiste and the Gladiators, credited by many with being one of the most pioneering funk bands. The Batiste family is one of New Orleans' most prolific musical families, with the Batiste Brothers Band and David Batiste and the Gladiators now playing regularly. Batiste children and grandchildren can be found playing with scores of other bands as well as leading their own projects. Russell began playing drums at age four and began sitting in with the family band at age seven. He was playing saxophone in the school band by fifth grade and can now hold his own on keyboards, trumpet, bass and guitar. He attended St. Augustine High School and was a member of the nationally known Marching One Hundred Band, playing in the drum section and writing cadences that are still heard during Mardi Gras parade season even today. He attended Southern University of New Orleans on a music scholarship, studying under the renown Edward "Kidd" Jordan. He left college after two years when he began traveling with the Charmaine Neville Band. He continues his love of marching bands by acting as assistant director of Redeemer-Seaton High School when his schedule permits. Russell left the Charmaine Neville Band in 1989 to join with Art Neville and George Porter Jr. of the Meters and guitarist Brian Stoltz to form the Funky Meters. Russell was with George Porter and the Runnin' Pardners for many years and has played with a wide variety of performers including Harry Connick, Jr., Champion Jack Dupree, Robbie Robertson, Maceo Parker, Vida Blue as well as local and regional bands too numerous to mention. Along with Bonerama and his own band, Orkestra from da Hood, he continues to play with The Funky Meters and Porter Batiste Stoltz. ///// Brian Stoltz has been gathering fans around the world and with the release of his two solo CD's, East Of Rampart Street and God, Guns & Money, he is becoming known as New Orleans' premiere guitarist and songwriter. He has, in equal measure, based his career on virtuosity, raw emotion and a blistering signature style. While touring and recording for 10 years with the world renowned Neville Brothers, he has created fluid and coherent bodies of work on his own. In addition to being in demand as a phenomenal guitarist, his skill as a songwriter has caught the attention of artists like Aaron Neville, the Neville Brothers, blues artist Coco Montoya, The Wild Magnolias, zydeco artist Zachary Richard and writer/film director John Sayles. Brian has continually fought to break the stereotype as a mere funk guitarist. Playing with articulate schemes - as Bob Dylan described him - his awesome virtuosity and unmistakable sound has been featured on recordings by artists as diverse as Dylan, Edie Brickell, Linda Ronstadt, the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, the funky Meters and Aaron Neville, to name a few. His television appearances includes The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, Austin City Limits, Cinemax and Showtime specials, and concerts with the Grateful Dead. Ever socially conscious, Brian toured, along with the Neville Brothers, U2, Peter Gabriel, the Police and Lou Reed as the torch-bearers of the first Amnesty International Tour in 1986 to raise consciousness of the fate of political prisoners around the world. He has received awards from CMJ (College Music Journal) and the New Music Corporation for Lifetime Achievement. His co-written Healing Chant, performed by the Neville Brothers, won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental in 1991. Brian was nominated for a 2004 Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues category for his solo rendition of You Gotta Move on Telarc Records' Preachin' The Blues: The Music Of Mississippi Fred McDowell. He has performed on numerous music videos and his songs and performances have been called the highlight of film soundtracks such as the legendary John Sayles' City of Hope and Robert Townsend's The Mighty Quinn. Brian now shares his time between writing and touring with Porter-Batiste-Stoltz and his ongoing explorations as a writer for his individual projects. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio TIFFANY CHRISTOPHER and I met when I was handing out NedFest fliers at Wakarusa last year. She took me back to her campsite, seranaded me, and I have been hooked ever since. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio TONY FURTADO BAND: From the very first moments of "Used," which opens Tony Furtado's new album, Thirteen (coming Jan. 23 on Funzalo Records), it's clear that the prodigious instrumentalist turned singer/songwriter is a man on a mission. This bracing rocker, with its galloping ZZ Top groove and restless Tom Petty vibe, establishes the album's interlocked themes of "good luck/bad luck/no luck" (as Furtado puts it) on both the personal and political levels, while a phalanx of fretted instruments provides a thrillingly visceral reminder of Furtado's prowess as an ax wielder of the first order. On Thirteen, this rapidly maturing artist fulfills the immense promise of his 2004 breakthrough These Chains, his initial foray into songwriting and singing. While Furtado's 2005 outing, the literally solo Bare Bones, pushed the technical envelope as he recorded his own one-man tour, the expansive Thirteen reveals an artist with a great deal on his mind and a full arsenal of skills with which to express his thoughts and feelings in a captivating way. "These Chains was my first serious attempt at songwriting," says Furtado, "so it was a trial by fire, with a bit of experimentation. This time I had the chance to go deeper." Recorded to 16-track, two-inch analog tape during the summer of 2006 at Tucson's Wavelab Studios (a favorite venue for Calexico, Neko Case, M. Ward, Iron & Wine and other cult heroes), the album features an all-star cast including keyboardists Sean Slade (whose production credits include Uncle Tupelo and Radiohead) and Jim Dickinson (producer of the seminal Ry Cooder albums that inspired Furtado to take up the slide guitar), bassist Dusty Wakeman (whose resume includes three previous Furtado LPs, Dwight Yoakam and Lucinda Williams), drummer Winston Watson (who has played with Dylan and Giant Sand) and Wavelab's own Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Case, Iron & Wine), who produced and engineered. Furtado admits the gathering of heavyweights gave him pause going in. "At first I was worried that it might be a clash of the titans," he admits. "But after we got together and started talking about the material, hanging out and playing, my fears quickly dissipated. Plus, that studio is packed with old instruments, and all the guitars hanging on the walls create a sonic aura. There are some bizarre instruments there that I threw on the tracks." On this project, Furtado's playing and the considerable acumen of his all-star studio band was fully focused on the 10 Furtado originals and three well-chosen covers that comprise Thirteen. The dreamlike "California Flood," which is "wrapped around old memories of weekends on a boat in the Sacramento Delta," deals in vividly metaphorical detail with a child's struggles to understand the mysterious workings of the adult world. For "Another Man," a bitter breakup song he confesses was based on personal experience, Furtado references the blues epic "When the Levee Breaks" (famously rendered by Led Zeppelin), in effect splitting the distance between emotional tumult and self-mocking irony. Furtado started the faux-confessional "The Alcohol" while living in L.A. and reading a lot of Charles Bukowski. "It’s like a love song to drinking, almost," he jokes. "I noticed I was drinking more when I was reading Bukowski. And one night, after I came home from a drinking session on Ventura Blvd., I wrote a couple verses and a chorus. Months late, after I moved to Portland, I hammered out the rest of it with [acclaimed Nashville-based singer/songwriter] Amelia White." The album's title song and centerpiece is far more solemn. "Thirteen" recounts the January 2006 Sago mine disaster, which trapped 13 men, only one of whom survived. "I've heard so many mining songs in my folk history, and I've sung so many topical songs in the past, that writing and singing it felt natural to me," Furtado notes. By giving the song the textures, cadence and language of Appalachian traditional music, the artist places the Sago disaster in its proper historical context while also giving it the universal resonance of tragedy. Similarly, "Hurtin' My Right Side" is a modern-day take on another roots idiom with which Furtado is thoroughly familiar - prison work songs and field hollers. He adapted the traditional piece, which he describes as "spellbinding," expanding it with a bridge and chorus. Embracing female harmonies further enrich the overarching humanity in Furtado's understated, quintessentially Californian singing. The blended voices bring an intriguing new dimension to Furtado's renditions of the thematically apt "Won't Get Fooled Again" from the Who and "Fortunate Son" from Creedence Clearwater Revival. Further, given Furtado's thematic focus on luck in both the personal and political realms, these songs, which he'd discovered as a boy while working through his parents' record collection, lock right into place. A third cover, Furtado's whimsical take on Elton John's "Take Me to the Pilot," allows this musically and conceptually dense song cycle to catch its breath before soldiering on. Most of the songs took shape during an intensive period of reflection and creative outpourings in Furtado's present home in Portland. "The past year has been an interesting time of growth for me," he explains. "When I first moved back, I knew I wasn't going to be hitting the road for a while, so I set up a couple of local weekly gigs to try out new songs and keep my chops up, and I also got some watercolors and taught myself to paint. I used to be a sculptor, so I got a bunch of clay, set up a little shop in my basement and started working that side of my brain. At the same time I was reading poetry and fiction, and I got an iPod and filled it up with music from the Kinks, the Who, Tom Waits, the Band and Elliott Smith, whose music had a big influence on me - the abstract quality of his lyrics but also the catchy, Beatlesque melodies. And every day I'd pick up the guitar to see what would come out. I ended up having a lot of songs to choose from." He chose them wisely. Furtado, who grew up in Pleasanton, Calif., in the East Bay, took up the banjo at 12 and was hailed as a prodigy at age 19. As he was cementing his reputation as a banjoist extraordinaire, Furtado was also developing himself into an equally virtuosic slide guitarist. And now, with Thirteen, this restless artist makes an exponential leap into the wide-open spaces of mythopoetic America, a terrain inhabited by such personal heroes as Cooder, the Band, Creedence, Petty and Waits. No two ways about it – this heartfelt, multileveled work completes Tony Furtado's ascent from the folk circuit to the big leagues. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio VINCE HERMAN & THE GREAT AMERICAN TAXI - Things come and go, ebb and flow in the jamband world. Your favorite bands have probably gone through lineup changes, breakups or hiatuses (hiataii?) over the years. With the flourishing new band Great American Taxi, your next favorite band is harnessing some of the momentum of change and reining it in to form a tight vortex of Americana roots rocking and rolling. This collective was initially formed as a one-off jam session for a charity event in Boulder, CO in the spring of 2005. Now approaching a year of collaboration, the five-piece core of the group is making waves all over the place in the Colorado high country and across the plains of the Midwest. Headed up by former Leftover Salmon front man and Master of Festivaaaal Ceremonies Vince Herman, these guys are ready to pick you up and take you anywhere your rump-shaking self needs to go. Chicks dig drummers. At least, that's the story to which Jake Coffin, Boulder local and seasoned touring veteran, is sticking. Jake is a high energy, swinging impresario of the skins who keeps the meter running and the trips on time. Brian Schey is the one-man support group for the band, holding down the one and laying out the launching pad when its time to depart. As a long time collaborator with Jake, Schey knows where and when to report with the funky bass line that keeps the wheels spinning smoothly. Our man with the plan, Chad Staehly, hailing from Fort Collins, is the gas in the tank, both on and off the stage. On any given Taxi ride, Staehly can be found in the driver's seat behind the keys, filling it in, rounding it out and generally making the melodies and rhythms jump up and shake your bones. But make no mistake about it, Staehly hands out solo breaks and hotel keys with equal proficiency, as he is the default manager and kitten herder for the group as well. And last but certainly not least is the turbo-booster axe slinger Jefferson Hamer. Hamer has most recently been with the Single Malt Band as a multi-instrumentalist and is using this more electric platform to showcase his high octane Texas-twang-meets-high-country-wail style. As a songwriter and guitar stuntman, Hamer shows a wide variety of skill and dexterity in his playing and is sure to make your ear and your booty both jump up and get down. Keep your eyes peeled for great original tunes like American Way and Ride when you make it to a show or three, and don't be surprised when the Great American Taxi ride takes you further on down the line. This Band's MySpace w/ Audio |
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