BOOM DRAW is a 6-piece reggae band specializing in the sweet and soulful sounds of foundation-era rocksteady music. Hailing from Santa Cruz, they feature an all-star, multi-generational lineup of dedicated singers and players known for backing countless Jamaican reggae artists on tour and in the studio. Locally, BOOM DRAW’s ranks include members of Santa Cruz and Bay Area reggae institutions like Pure Roots, Dub Congress, Inka Inka, Root Awakening, the Rastafarians, the Sugarbeats, and more.  Their mission: to rock a dancefloor near you with "boom draws" — strictly classic songs drawn from reggae's early years, when the vibes were crucial and the rhythm was king. 

Laura T Lewis writes songs with the soul of a time long-passed, and the spirit to withstand the passage of time. Expect lyrically driven, folk-inspired melodies fueled by love, loss, and a sense of humor. 

The trio configuration also includes Ryan Avellone (formerly of The Brothers Comatose) on guitar and mandolin, and Jeff Kissell (Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra) on upright bass. These three friends came together in 2022, curious about what they might find at the intersection of their musical tastes and experiences. So far, it’s been a lot of laughter and magic. 

He joined the Black Crowes in late 1991. Ford toured and recorded on three of the Crowes’ finest albums--The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, Amorica, and Three Snakes and One Charm. Ford’s tenure in the Crowes found the group operating at a zenith. He rejoined the Crowes in 2005-2006 when they toured and released The Lost Crowes--two albums the band never released when he was a member. 

Marc has since made 7 solo albums and toured extensively as a solo artist. Among his other touring experience includes playing with Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals in 2003, with legendary R&B artist Booker T Jones and his band in 2009, and more recently with the Magpie Salute. His recent studio album, "The Vulture" was recorded on analog tape at mastermind John Vanderslide’s Tiny Telephone Studios located in the mission district of San Francisco. The Vulture emits Ford’s greatest strengths: soulful musicianship, memorable songs and an emotive groove. Ford explained the ethos of these new compositions: “If Holy Ghost was Sunday morning, then The Vulture is Saturday night…” 

​Over the years, he’s created his own stellar sound that meets all the rigid standards of excellence… now, it’s harvest time for Marc Ford.

KAREETA
Kareeta rose from the swamps and southern delta heat during the uncertain Spring of 2020. Emerging as a fully formed amalgamation of the music that shaped its core, the band assembled in California and recorded their debut LP in Oakland with producer and musician Greg Loiacono (Mother Hips, Green Leaf Rustlers) at the controls. The music is an all-night drive pushing you deeper into the dial with broken characters and stories of red sky redemption silhouetting every ache.

For over thirty years, the Chilean band Gondwana has been touring, performing, and recording uninterrupted. Emerging from the underground music scene during the brutal dictatorship of Agusto Pinochet, Gondwana brings forth a fresh blend of Latin and Jamaican rhythms among other influences such as Rock n’ Roll and soul. With pulsating energy and a smooth, original sound, eight polished musicians are the soul of Chile's number one reggae band.  

Through songs dealing with various themes such as romantic love, general love, universal unity, social consciousness, uprising, and spiritual praise, Gondwana reveals both positive and realists messages that serve as an uplifting force for fans of all musical genres. Spirit-moving falsetto notes, bubbling bass, hard drums, guitar solos and arrangements, and horns are the primary ingredients found in the highly acclaimed band’s music.

They are back. Not because the 20th anniversary of a debut album usually demands it. Dengue Fever are back because they wanted to. Eight years after the release of The Deepest Lake, as new generations of listeners are catching up to the same omnivorous music taste the band has practiced since its inception, a new album, Ting Mong  (September 15) captures yet another enthralling dimension of their genre-defying journey. Where most returns favour clamour and bombast, Ting Mong seeks the sonic balm these times so desperately need. 

Before the world went into full apocalypse mode, Dengue Fever were already looking for peace and quiet. Once the touring cycle of 2015’s The Deepest Lake was over, they were a band whose members needed time to focus on different ventures, whether those might be family or visual arts, session work or…metal detecting. 

Never really on hiatus, band members were soon drawn back to each other. Ask them, and they’ll tell you that they are a band because they’re family first. 

In March 2020, and unceremoniously coinciding with the beginning of COVID lockdowns, The James Hunter Six released another sublime offering of no-nonsense rhythm and blues. Recorded and produced by Bosco Mann, Nick of Time (2020) is a shining example of how a master songsmith can continually draw fresh water from a bottomless well. In addition to the up-tempo, swinging R&B that put The James Hunter Six on the map, Nick of Time explores so much more.

The band was a big part of the 1980s Roots Rock/Americana movement that included Los Lobos, The Blasters, Lone Justice, Rank & File, Jason & The Scorchers and The Long Ryders, just to name a few.  They are continuously mentioned as a major influence on many of the acts on the current American scene.

Honest, soulful, and bearing a sound all their own, Wood Belly sprouted from the roots of bluegrass to notch a  unique home in the broader Americana scene and continues to captivate audiences across the country en route.  With an unrelenting dedication to original songwriting, harmony singing, and artful arrangements, the quintet  is forging a sound that is based in newgrass and flavored with alt-country, rock, and just enough jam to glue it all  together.  

Wood Belly established themselves as a staple of the Colorado and national acoustic music scene by winning the 2018 Telluride Bluegrass festival band competition and being nominated for an IBMA award. Bluegrass Today  said “Even now, it’s safe to determine that they’re ones to watch...the freshness and vitality they bear elevates  their standing and assures their status as instant contenders”. That freshness continues today as the band takes  on a new shape. With a restructuring of the rhythm section, Wood Belly has opened up a world of dynamic  range and dimension to be explored. 

Adding a drummer was a bold move for a band rooted in Bluegrass tradition, but a creative and adaptive  musician like Dylan French was an easy call. The band has always strived to play to the song and give each  composition just what it needs, which is why French is a perfect fit. He is well versed in a variety of styles and has quickly made his own imprint on the Wood Belly sound.  

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brennan Mackey had been on the band's radar for a long time.  Having already carved out a following in Denver and beyond with his own indie rock band King Cardinal, his  writing, singing, and bass playing bring a fresh color palette to Wood Belly's already distinguished sound.  

One of the longstanding pillars of Wood Belly is creative investment of all members and an unwavering  dedication to creating a well-rounded, original sound. This pillar, presented in a new light, remains unbroken.

Lucky Chops VIP Experience

It’s a New Day.  Join us.

Lucky Chops is hosting VIP events prior to the show, giving a chance for their fans to get together and celebrate good music in a small setting.

VIP attendees will be treated to an exclusive performance, story telling, a question and answer session with the band, photo and autograph sessions and everyone will walk away with exclusive merchandise only available to VIPs at each show.

VIP Experiences include:

• Early entrance and crowd-free merchandise shopping
• ​A commemorative VIP show pass laminate and lanyard
• Individual photo opportunity with the members of Lucky Chops
• Autograph session with Lucky Chops
• Group question and answer session with Lucky Chops -- ask your most burning question to the band!
• Private performance by Lucky Chops

Lucky Chops comes at you with every hue on the rainbow.

Lucky Chops is big, brassy, and unapologetically bold. The six piece band has united audiences in more than 30 countries in thousands of shows, hard driving grooves and potent singable melodies. The irresistible groove that is Lucky Chops is led by co-founder Josh Holcomb’s soulful trombone, Daro Behroozi’s soaring sax and Joshua Gawel’s powerful trumpet.

Born in the streets of New York City’s multicultural melting pot the band pays homage to America’s New Orleans brass band tradition while fusing their sound with eclectic rock, Caribbean, Arabic, Eastern European, funk, jazz, ska, gospel, and EDM.

“Our strength is having individual members who get to express themselves as part of a whole that is more than the sum of its parts,” says Behroozi, a Brooklyn native whose polyglot Iranian/Dutch/French/German background has led to his interest in everything from Middle Eastern sounds to the tradition of the Balkan brass bands.

Starting in the underground halls of New York City’s subway stations, Lucky Chops first learned to entertain by busking for crowds from all over the world. Their talent did not go unnoticed, as a video of their mash-up of Lipps, Inc.’s “Funkytown” and James Brown’s “I Feel Good,” which has amassed hundreds of millions of views across social media and led to an online subscriber base almost two million strong.

The band returns to the road for the first time since the end of 2019, and on the heels of the release of their second full-length album, New Day, released in September of 2022. They just returned from a month long, 22 city tour of Europe and will soon be heading back out for a tour of the US in early 2023.

Formed in 1994, Dub Congress remains a prime mover in the West Coast reggae and dub scene. Best known for their influential 2002 album Down in Santa Cruz – a wry tribute to their hometown, and arguably the city’s definitive musical statement of that era – they unofficially retired in 2009, then made a surprise comeback in 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of the band’s formation. 

Now, for their very first post-pandemic performance, Dub Congress returns to Moe’s Alley, where they will once again bless the stage with their heavyweight brand of reggae, dancehall, and dub. 

Dub Congress in 2023 still features a classic lineup of original members: On lead vocals and guitar, Nathan Martisius, whose conscious, visionary songwriting and off-the-dome freestyles have always benchmarked the band’s approach. On lead guitar, Ehrin Poklen, whose unique plucking style is a treasured and essential feature of the Dub Congress sound. On keyboards, Danny Dub, a veteran bubbler with a long list of touring and recording credits, including stints with The Itals, Fiji, Inka Inka, and Native Elements. On drums, Aaron Sonnenshine (AKA Sunshine), whose booming kick drum and crashing cymbals mark a style that traces back to the heaviest roots reggae of the 1970s. And making his Dub Congress debut at Moe’s Alley, new bassist Matt Barnett joins the crew for the first time, bringing a blast of fresh energy to the band’s three-decade legacy.

Common Nation of Sorrow opens with “Some Strange Notion”, an anthemic song from which the album title is drawn. Featuring the distinct outlaw country drumming and vocals of Miles Miller (Sturgill Simpson/Tyler Childers), contrasted with a phased-out string section and seemingly socialist rallying cry, the track pulls together the many elements of the record in a way that eerily reflects its lyrical content; “But now, some strange notion has taken ahold of us "It’s the common nation of sorrow, hear the boots march through the dust/ when so much pain is intertwined, there are none who can tear it down/ you cannot bury those already resting beneath the ground,” sings Baiman. “This song was deeply inspired by the idea of generational activism”, she says. “The realization that sometimes it takes several generations of work to see any change or progress, and the tenacity and determination which that idea requires.”

Now, at 21 years old, he’s poised to become one of music’s most intriguing new artists with the release of his Dave Cobb-produced debut album, Factories, Farms & Amphetamines, via Elektra/Low Country Sound. Across the album’s ten tracks, Elkins crafts sharp observations informed by his working-class upbringing, infusing his music with rich personal experience.

Jordan Smart is a singer-songwriter currently based in Ludlow, KY. His songs echo between the prominent fingerpicking patterns of John Fahey and the Dylanesque vocal style of The Tallest Man on Earth. He flows with the current of the folk revival movement, which continues to course through the mainstream and underground channels today. But below the superficial labels lay the heart of the matter that distinguishes Smart from the bulk of other aspiring folk musicians.

Smart, 31, is a father. He grew up with humble beginnings, hitchhiked across the United States and slept under bridges. His life flashed before his eyes on a few occasions, but lives to tell the tale by the grace of good luck. Smart even found himself as a musical guest for Bernie Sanders during his presidential race in 2016. Through it all, Smart offers a remarkable level of sincerity and clarity that is few and far between.

The Seshen is a San Francisco Bay Area six-piece band whose songs exist between the lines: in the space between waking and dreaming, ego and collective consciousness, at that blurred horizon where earth meets sea meets sky.

Anchored by Lalin St. Juste’s sly, silvery vocals (which draw frequent comparisons to Erykah Badu) and cerebral yet danceable rhythms from producer-bassist Akiyoshi Ehara, their music pulls from a deep well of electronic influences, R&B, and indie rock. Drummer Chris Thalmann, keyboard/synth player Mahesh Rao, percussionist Mirza Kopelman and sequencer Kumar Butler make the music three-dimensional, blending live and digital instrumentation for a mercurial, transportive sound. Since 2012, the Seshen’s live show has earned them critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase on multiple continents, as they’ve shared stages with the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, PetiteNoir, Tune-Yards, and Thundercat.

CYAN (February 28, 2020 - Tru Thoughts Recordings) is the band’s most vulnerable, compelling work to date. Over a spacious, at times tumultuous sonic landscape that leans on live instrumentation, St. Juste sings of a reckoning: a hero’s journey through confusion and self-doubt, depression, and ultimately forging a way out toward the light. CYAN is a story about saving yourself. There’s death, rebirth, and a chance to look square in the mirror for the first time in a long while. To dive deep in search of a new life—one stripped of pretense or protective armor, for better or for worse.

The Sam Chase has a voice like a Nun on the lam with a mouthful of cigarettes and curse words in a lonely bar, drunkenly dancing next to a broken jukebox. His songs are scribbled, not written, on lipstick and sweat stained motel bed sheets because he likes the way the ink bleeds. His guitar runs on diesel and leaks like the morning after too much Whiskey. This is a show you’ll probably want to tattoo on your body so everyone will know that you knew him before he was cool.

Hailing from the hills of San Francisco, California, Sam and his band whom he lovingly refers to as The Untraditional, take to stages all over the country with a virulent and frenetic passion which many history buffs might liken to the Norse warriors known as The Berserkers, who were known to have fought their battles with an uncontrollable, trance-like fury. Norse literature notes that they would work themselves into a rage before battle, consuming drugged foods, and dressed in nothing but their enemies blood. The Sam Chase and The Untraditional do maintain that spirit, but leave the drugged foods and enemies blood up to the discretion of the crowd.

ALVIE & THE BREAKFAST PIGS
Loud. Fast. Rock n’ roll. We didn’t come to reinvent the wheel, we’re not here serving a brand new cuisine. We’re serving up those classic high gain recipes you grew up on. It’s burgers and fries out here in the dives of San Francisco, cuz we know you’re hungry. 

We left our hometown of Phoenix in 2015. We landed in San Francisco hoping to plant roots in the legendary music scene we had heard so much about. We arrived at a time when many artists were fleeing to cheaper pastures as tech companies dominated the city. Ridiculous rent, and crazy high prices were not enough to break our spirits.

The word legend certainly applies to Lydia Pense and Cold Blood…and not in some past tense-make-a-living-as-an-oldies-act sort of way either. Pense can still shout like a 60's soul diva and purr a slow blues tune with spine-tingling subtlety.

Cold Blood, as a whole, features a stellar group of musicians who have been playing together for nearly 20 years including Steve Dunne on guitar, Steve Salinas on keyboards, a gritty-growling horn section comprised of Rich Armstrong and Rob Zuckerman along with a stellar rhythm section featuring Evan Palmerston on bass and T Moran on drums. The band members are all veteran Bay Area musicians who have played with many great artists including Elvin Bishop, Jefferson Starship, Boz Skaggs, Albert Collins and more.

Of course there is Lydia who still has the chops with the patina of a seasoned veteran who's done and seen it all. Together she and the band continue to twist together R&B, (both Old School and New School); into something that doesn't have a label... On any given night, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood power through their historic essentials, like "You Got Me Hummin'," "I Just Want To Make Love To You," "I'm A Good Woman," and "Down to the Bone."

It's been a long road, over 40 years to be exact with a break somewhere in the middle.  But, Lydia and the band are living proof that a little time off can be a really good thing. With their new CD, "Soul Of The Gypsy" turning heads across the country, fans are remembering just what has been missing from music in the last few decades. The 12 songs exemplify how a performer can take great strides forward, without forgetting her roots.  Using "Soul Of The Gypsy" as their muse there is a renewed interest in live performances, from both the band, and venue owners. Cold Blood is booking dozens of shows across the country, entertaining generations of club, theatre and festival goers.

And, of course, anything Lydia sings is sung well.

She has a list of famous admirers that includes Bonnie Raitt, Michelle Shocked, David Lee Roth, even Janis Joplin back in the day.

Alex Lucero is a musical anomaly. His presence on and off the stage is nothing less than an overload of love and positivity that you can’t help falling in love with. His humble soul and outstanding musical talent makes him a must see show to music lovers far and wide.

Born and raised in small-town Oakdale, California, Alex began developing his musical prowess at the age of 16 by performing live throughout his local scene, turning heads everywhere he played. His velvety, gravel vocals and bass/ guitar playing transforms any room he performs.

At the age of 23, Alex moved to Santa Cruz, Ca, to pursue music full time. Influenced by the soul music of the ‘60s and ’70s, Alex successfully blends the styles of his idols, meshing Soul, Blues, and Americana music, while making it distinctly his own.

Since the beginning of Alex’s music venture, he’s independently released 6 full length albums. Five of which are with The Live Again Band and one solo project that was recorded and produced by his good friend Adam Patterson with The Expendables, entitled “Shine”. Whether solo or accompanied with the band, all of Alex’s projects showcase the raw abilities of his unbelievable voice and musicianship.

His records have received a phenomenal local response enabling Alex to maintain a serious presence and following, playing weekly in both the San Francisco Bay Area and all over Santa Cruz County averaging 300 shows a year! In 2019, Lucero has made strides expanding the magnitude of his live shows, including major venue support spots at the Saratoga Mountain Winery and The Catalyst for names such as Chaka Khan, Michael McDonald, The Monophonics and many more.

Alex Lucero & Band have become a go-to talent in the Bay Area selling out local venues and generating recognizable attention from all angles and genres.

¿Qiensave? (Quien-Sa-Be) is a Cumbia Urbana group from Salinas California with roots stretching back to Michoacán, Mexico.  ¿Qiensave? creates high energy dance music that has fortunately blessed the band with the opportunity to perform throughout Californian, Arizona, Mexico, Colombia, and Virtually. While ¿Qiensave? has existed as a musical entity since 2009. Within the last few years, the band has picked up steam through touring, releasing their album “Como Ver Te” in 2016 and “Mujer” in 2019. 

In 2020 ¿Qiensave? released two singles. The first being a cover  of Chico Che’s cult classic “Mata De Mota'', which features Los Angeles based Psychedelic Cumbia band Tropa Magica, and the second single released is a retro sounding quebradita produced by Eduardo Arenas of Chicano Batman called “El DUI”. Most recently ¿Qiensave? released their latest single “La Poderosa'' on International Women’s Day, as the song is a celebration of la poderosa women who have supported the band along their journey. ¿Qiensave? Is currently promoting their latest single “La Poderosa'', which was released on international Women’s Day.

¿Qiensave? Consist of six members who are, Carlos L Cortez (Rhythm Guitar/Vox), Alejandro Gomez (Lead Guitar/Vox), Mario Cortez (Guida/Keyboard/Vox), Ricardo Cortez (Drums/Vox), William Cortez (Bass), and Matty Segura (Procussion). ¿Qiensave? has shared the stage with acts like Grupo Kual, La Misa Negra, Celso Piña, La Santa Cecilia, Las Cafeteras, Little Jesus, Fuerza de Tijuana, É. Arenas, Tropa Magica, La Ronda Bogotá, Bang Data, and La Septima Banda among others.

“It was a return to embracing our influences, our natural instincts, the way we sound when we get on stage,” says guitarist-vocalist Gordy Quist. “Many times in the past, we'd take a song and stretch to make it into something else sonically, because that's exciting and fun to do in the studio. This time around, we tried to use some restraint and embraced our first instincts, trusting the songs were strong enough. With the subject matter, there’s a sentiment of focusing on what's important as we go through this journey together—don't waste time, because this is all we've got.”

“Gordy and I each have a natural sound when we sing, but there's something even more special and unique when our voices blend together” says guitarist-vocalist Ed Jurdi. “So it was just about harnessing and embracing that. Good, mid-tempo rock and roll—that's our breadbasket, and there's not a lot of that music being made right now.”

Right before the pandemic, Mower signed to Philadelphia record label Born Losers, then released her debut album Ablation in May 2020. The album received enthusiastic accolades from publications and found many fans, even though it could only be shared over the internet. 

Since the pandemic, They/Live has finally entered the physical world, bringing a three-piece band of multi-instrumentalists to the stage.

Born in Dallas, a then four-year-old Halford nestled into the back seat of his family’s ‘59 El Dorado en route to Los Angeles. His father’s work caused the family to relocate — a trend that would continue until Halford became an adult. Despite moving up and down the coastline on multiple occasions, Halford found solace in surfing. In a world where much was uncertain, “shooting the tube” became one of the few constants in Halford’s life, providing him an escape from both his parents’ fluctuating income and sobriety.  

Mira gained international attention on the live-streaming app Periscope, garnering 50k+ viewers per show every night. She scheduled her performance with the time change in mind to maximize her European audience. Since the, she has continued to grow and expand her reach across the country and all over the world. In 2019, Goto won the Nexties Musician of the Year award and in 2020 and 2021 she won the Santa Cruz Good Times’ Musician of the Year.

Formed in 1995 by Makoto Kawabata at the same time as the Acid Mothers Temple Soul Collective. The group released its debut album in 1997 on PSF Records (Japan), and it was selected as one of the year's best albums in the The Wire magazine (UK). In 1998 the group played their first tours of the US and Europe. Since then the group has released a huge number of albums on labels from many different countries. As of 2017, the group has released around 80 albums. Every year since 1998, they have toured extensively in the US and Europe, and more recently have started performing around Asia and in Japan too. The group has performed in collaboration with many musicians including psychedelic originators Gong and Guru Guru, Simeon (Silver Apples), Nik Turner (Hawkwind), and the Occitanian trad sinder Rosina de Peira. Japanese collaborators have included Afrirampo, Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins), Maso Yamazaki (Masonna), Seiichi Yamamoto (Boredoms), Jun Kuriyama (The Ox), and many others. 

To begin with the group had a floating line-up with contributions from many members of the AMT Soul Collective. But as tours became more frequent, the group began to coalesce around a core touring line-up. Other bands were created with Acid Mothers Temple as part of their name (AMT & The Cosmic Inferno, AMT SWR, AMT & The Space Paranoid, AMT & Infinity Rising Zero, Acid Mothers Gong, Acid Mothers Guru Guru, Acid Moon Temple, etc.), but AMT & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. has continued to function as the mothership and main lineage for all our activities. 

In 2016, 21 years since the group's founding, there was a major shift in the line-up and "Next Generation" was added to the name. We now view the first 20 years as chapter one in our story, and we are now turning the page to start chapter two. 

The group played more than 100 shows in each year, toured in Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and Asia, also Japan. They also played many festivals (Glastonbury Festival in UK, Levitation in US and France, Rock In Opposition in France, Standon Calling in UK, Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film, Video & Music Festival in Malaysia, LUC fest 貴人散步音樂節 in Taiwan, etc).

During the pandemic, they launched their official Bandcamp, have released more than 60 albums (including many unreleased materials), and have toured in Japan in each year. And they played the streaming festival “Levitation Sessions”. They organized “Acid Mothers Olympic 2021” against “Tokyo Olympics 2021”, they originated and played a new style of “music sports”.

Finally the group restarted to the first European tour in Autumn 2022, also the first North American tour in Spring 2023, after the pandemic.

LowDown kick started 2023 with the release of the sun-drenched soul and jazz-infused single Call Me. It was followed by the summer release of Take Me Away, which is a club inspired dance floor lover's track. 

LowDown maintains a constant performing and touring schedule, blessing every venue with their unique blend across multiple genres, and showcasing their ability to amplify the energy of any room with their positive and infectious spirit.

LowDown Brass Band has built a highly-impressive discography, accumulating over 1.1 million streams across Spotify alone with notable performances at The Montreal Jazz Festival, Winnipeg Folk Fest, SummerCamp, Vancouver Jazz Fest, Folk Alliance, Green River Fest, Chicago Jazz, Aspen Jazz Fest, Mile of Music, Alaska’s infamous Salmon Fest, and opening runs with Galactic, Bon Jovi, and others. 

"It felt like the right time to make something that was entirely my own vision," he says. "This is a record that guitar players will love, but at its core, it's really a song record. It's an album about who I am, where I come from, and what I believe in."

Duane had spent 10 years playing guitar alongside his father, legendary Allman Brothers Band guitarist/vocalist Dickey Betts. He released an EP, Sketches of American Music and co-founded the Allman Betts Band.

Even so, the need to create a full-length solo LP gnawed at him; one that nodded to his roots while simultaneously pushing ahead. Following his instincts, Duane took up an offer from friends Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks to record at their Swamp Raga Studio in Jacksonville. The album was cut to 2-inch analog tape during a series of live studio performances.

Offering a timeless version of American music that could have blanketed FM radio airwaves during any number of decades, Wild & Precious Life is full of sharply-crafted songs written in a state of deep reflection. It captures the emotional release of overcoming struggle, appreciating life's fleeting nature, and celebrating the joy of being present. Joined by his band Palmetto Motel, Duane and company will tour the U.S. throughout 2023 in support of the collection. Wild and precious, indeed.

A celebrated singer and songwriter, Alejandro Escovedo has as eclectic a background and body of work as any rock artist of his generation. As comfortable performing with a string ensemble as he is with an amped-up power trio, and as likely to bare his soul in his lyrics as he is to display some serious rock & roll swagger, Escovedo had already played an important role in punk (with the Nuns), roots rock (the True Believers), and alt-country (Rank & File) before he launched a solo career that's seen him work with everyone from John Cale to Bruce Springsteen. Beginning with 1992's Gravity, Escovedo's music has been consistently literate, ambitious, and eclectic, with 2001's A Man Under the Influence exploring different genres and approaches from track to track, while 2008's Real Animal and 2016's Burn Something Beautiful focused on passionate, guitar-based rock & roll. 2018's The Crossing (and its 2020 Spanish-language counterpart La Cruzada) told a richly detailed story of the immigrant experience.

Alejandro Escovedo was born in San Antonio, Texas on January 10, 1951, one of 12 children. His family was steeped in music: His father played in mariachi bands and swing combos both before and after he emigrated from Mexico to the United States. Alejandro's older brother Pete Escovedo is a jazz artist and studio musician; he was a member of Santana and founded the group Azteca. Another older brother, Coke Escovedo, also worked with both jazz and Latin groups, enjoyed a solo career, and was a member of Santana and Malo. Pete's daughter Sheila Escovedo became a pop star as Sheila E. Alejandro's younger brother Javier Escovedo founded the early Los Angeles punk band the Zeros. And another younger brother, Mario Escovedo, played in the hard rock outfit the Dragons.

Dragon Smoke formed in 2003 as a “Superjam” - part of the New Orleans Jazz Fest tradition of putting together a band of musicians who don’t normally play together and just see what happens. With the dual vocals of Neville and Lindell, matched with the Galactic rhythm section, the band quickly realized, “We are on to something!”.  The band has played during every Jazz Fest since its inception.  This inception took place at the tiny smokey Dragon’s Den Bar, hence the name – Dragon Smoke.

The music centers around Lindell’s blue-eyed soul, Neville’s funk and R&B, and Galactic’s groove. Besides annual trips to the West Coast the past 10 years, and a 2013 trip to the East Coast, this band has been strickly playing around New Orleans. With everyone in the band being a leader in their own right, it is rare to get this band together. And when it does, it shows that these guys are really having FUN!  From the interplay and communication between the members, you would think that Dragon Smoke has been touring for years.

Dragon Smoke is looking towards the future, with plans to write and record an album and to do more touring outside of New Orleans.  So be on the lookout for the Smoke—IF YOU SEE SMOKE, YOU KNOW YOU WILL SEE FIRE!

For 32 years, the NYC-based and critically acclaimed Slackers have been touring the world with their blend of Ska, Reggae, and Soul. 

Since 1991, the Slackers have released fifteen albums and countless singles, while their 1000s of live performances feed their fans with energetic sets of ecstatic music. 

The Slackers have been called ‘the Sound of New York’ by the New York Times. They were described by Brooklyn Vegan as a “clean mix of Ska, Reggae, and Soul that gets dirtied up by Vic Ruggiero’s tough New York accent.’ 

In the tradition of roving troubadours Jack has carried the seeds and pollens of story and song for decades from one place to another, from one generation to the next. They are timeless songs that outlast the musical trends of any given day. He wrote one of the first trucking songs-Cup of Coffee-recorded by Johnny Cash, championed the works of new singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Tim Hardin; and became a founding member of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. He continued the life of the traveling troubadour influencing Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Tom Russell, The Grateful Dead and countless others.

Ramblin' Jack is a two-time GRAMMY winner, National Medal Of Arts recipient, and in 2016, received a Folk Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award. Featured in the recent Rolling Thunder Revue film by Martin Scorcese and also in the early 2019 PBS release of the Woody Guthrie All Star Tribute Concert Center, Ramblin' Jack is an icon of American roots and folk music. A lover of storytelling and veteran troubadour style musician, on tour he is in his element and known for telling the tales gathered along his magnificent journey through the roots of Folk, Blues, Americana and Cowboy music and poetry. His permanently enshrined seat at Woodie Guthrie Center Theater in Tulsa, OK., sits among other greats, including Lead Belly, Cisco Houston and Pete Seeger.

"Nobody I know—and I mean nobody—has covered more ground and made more friends and sung more songs than the fellow you're about to meet right now. He's got a song and a friend for every mile behind him. Say hello to my good buddy, Ramblin' Jack Elliott." -Johnny Cash, The Johnny Cash Television Show, 1969.

The band's electric live performances have been flooring audiences ever since the group formed in New Orleans during an impromptu jam during Jazzfest nearly a decade ago. After an EP, studio album and two live albums, the band returned in 2021 in support of their second full-length studio release, Reverence, which was featured on the first-round nominations ballot for the 2022 Grammy Awards.

The Nth Power hails from diverse musical backgrounds, races and creeds, but the universal language of love and its power to change lives is the thread that binds them. The trio features drummer Nikki Glaspie, whose credentials include Beyonce, Maceo Parker, Dumpstaphunk and countless more; guitarist and lead vocalist Nick Cassarino, known best for his previous work with Jennifer Hartswick and Big Daddy Kane; and bassist Nate Edgar of reggae giant John Brown's Body.

WRECKLESS STRANGERS
Wreckless Strangers is a collective of six seasoned Bay Area musicians known for their collaborative songwriting and high-energy live shows, performing an infectious blend of music they call "California Americana Soul." The band features Amber Morris (Premier Bay Area vocalist and voice coach – members of Journey, Eric Martin Band) on vocals; David Noble (Poor Man's Whiskey, Pardon The Interruption) on lead guitar, vocals; Joshua Zucker (The Jones Gang, Rowan Brothers) on bass; Austin de Lone (Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, The Fabulous Thunderbirds) on keys, vocals; Mick Hellman (The Go To Hell Man Band) on drums and vocals; and Rob Anderson (repeat world champion cyclist) on guitar. Over the course of their six years together, the Wreckless Strangers have released two records and become fan favorites at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Their latest album, "When the Sun and a Blue Star Collide", was produced by GRAMMY-winning artist/producer/guitarist Colin Linden (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Keb' Mo’, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant).
 

“The hardest thing to do,” says internationally beloved soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro, “is be yourself, take some chances and bring your fans along with you.” Throughout his long, constantly evolving career, guitarist, singer and songwriter Tommy Castro has always remained true to himself while exploring, growing and creating new music, and he has taken his thousands of devoted fans right along with him. Since his solo debut in 1994, he’s made 16 albums— the last seven for Alligator—each its own unique chapter in the book of Tommy Castro. Ranging from horn-fueled R&B to piping hot blues to fiery, stripped- down rock ‘n’ roll, each release is solidly built upon Castro’s unshakable musical foundation—a dynamic mix of 1960s-influenced guitar-fueled blues, testifying Memphis-soaked blue-eyed soul and Latin-tinged East San Jose funk, all driven by Castro’s grab-you-by- the-collar vocals and passionate guitar work. Blues Revue declared, “Tommy Castro can do no wrong.”

For Castro’s new album, a roots music odyssey entitled Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came To Town, he tells a timeless story. This special project was composed by Castro along with Grammy Award- winning producer Tom Hambridge. Through its 13 songs, A Bluesman Came To Town tells the tale of a young man working on his family farm who gets bitten by the blues bug. He masters the guitar and heads out on the road seeking fame and fortune, only to find what he’s left behind is the treasure he’s been looking for. Each memorable song—from the blistering title track to the pleading Child Don’t Go to the hopeful I Caught A Break to the emotional Blues Prisoner—stands on its own, as well as contributing to the larger story.

In the end, the music industry is still sadly a man’s world and, as such, Loveless grew up in the spotlight (or perhaps, more accurately, the bar lights) while she was placed on a pedestal. Her voicemail greeting is a tongue-in-cheek ode to this: “Hi, this is Lydia Loveless, savior of cowpunk. Please leave a message and I will get back to you.” 

The time between their late adolescence to now is defined by a shelf full of records, hundreds of thousands of miles on the road, and a ribbon of heartbreaks pockmarking their trail. Loveless is a fiercely brave writer who bluntly assesses their life in song: their struggles with alcohol and depression, and the uncertainty of not only the future, but what piecing together the past will mean for the present. 

The Abyssinians are better known for their trio unique harmony roots and spiritual music. It is even said that Satta Massagana is the anthem for reggae music. After a string of hits, like Declaration of Rights, Forward unto Zion, Ymassgan African race and many more, the group never quite managed to break into the mainstream, although they seemed poised for international stardom during the early ’70s/and ’80s. The singers were all born in Kingston, Jamaica, the original member names are Donald and Linford Manning, and Bernard Collins. The group was formed in 1969. Then they recorded Satta Massagana at Coxson Dodd’s Studio 1 and self-released on their  Clinch Label.