duende – [duen-de] (noun) 1. a quality of inspiration and passion 2. A heightened sense of emotion, expression and authenticity 3. a spirit

Duende, the title of The Band of Heathens’ fifth studio album (and eighth overall), marks their tenth anniversary as a group, and it certainly applies to its overall theme about the collective search for connection and communion in a technology-fueled world increasingly splintered, distracted and lonely. As band co-founder Ed Jurdi, who first learned of the term, explains, “It’s the essence of the artist,” or as partner Gordy Quist says, “It’s a word we don’t have an equivalent for in English, Artistically, that’s where we tried to set the bar, to do what this band does best.”

Indeed, Duende lives up to those high ideals, a stylistically diverse effort that takes a leap beyond their last, more acoustic, introspective effort, 2013’s Sunday Morning Record, with an eclectic batch of material that shows where The Band of Heathens has been, but more importantly, where they are going.

There are high-energy rockers like the Keith Richards-Chuck Berry guitars and barrelhouse piano in “Trouble Came Early” as well as the Grateful Dead-by-way-of J.J. Cale Oklahoma boogie in “Keys to the Kingdom,” and the New Riders pedal steel country twang of “Green Grass of California,” an ode to the more potent strains of sensimilla on the dispensary shelf and a fervent plea to “legalize it.”

Duende also touches on some of The Band of Heathens’ favorite topics, from the sacrifices of a life lived on the road (“All I’m Asking”) to the limits of materialism (“Keys to the Kingdom”), social media absorption (“Cracking the Code”), and a moving depiction of Mexican immigration in an age of increased discrimination (“Road Dust Wheels”).

Thematically, Quist’s “Cracking the Code” comes closest to reiterating the album’s desire to reconsider the value of relationships and priorities in a world of virtual reality and social media. “While modern technology has certainly allowed us to stay in touch over vast distances – something a band that lives on the road certainly appreciates – it doesn’t really provide the authentic connection we crave,” says Gordy. “We’ve created a portal through which we lose ourselves and miss what’s really going on right in front of us, hiding the fact our supposed connected culture can be a really lonely place.”

“I feel the album brings together all our influences, everything we’ve done over the years as a band,” explains Jurdi. “We’ve touched on every part of our career… our roots, some singer/songwriter contemplative stuff, some high-energy rock ‘n’ roll. It’s all us, the record we were supposed to make. Ten years later, that’s what keeps us coming back.”

Engineer/co-producer Jim Vollentine (Spoon, White Rabbits, …And You’ll Know Us by the Trail of Dead) helped the album’s diversity sound coherent, adding unique touches such as mellotron and drum machines to the loping rockabilly of tracks like “All I’m Asking.”

The term “Americana” was practically invented to describe The Band of Heathens’ approach, which has mutated almost as much as the genre to which they’re identified. And while the Rolling Stones and The Beatles remain touchstones on songs like “Sugar Queen” and “Deep Is Love,” respectively, influences as diverse as Sly and the Family Stone (in the psychedelic fuzz-tones of “Daddy Long Legs”) and Latin music (“Road Dust Wheels”) also rear their heads. Literary inspirations also come into play, ranging from a character in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar depicted in as a strutting cougar in “Sugar Queen” (“She even talks dirty/When she’s on her knees to pray”) to Tom Standage’s A History of the World in Six Glasses, which recounts how beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and Coca-Cola have shaped culture and civilization to modern times (“Trouble Came Early”).

Duende is The Band of Heathens playing to their strengths, unapologetically constructed as an old-school 10-track, two-sided vinyl album (which it will be released as, with a second disc encompassing four songs from their Green Grass EP released earlier this year).

With Duende, the proof is in the results. Let them change your mind.

“This is a band that possesses a soulful magic and heart you don’t find in many young bands. This is real art." – Danny Harlen Mote, Lucky Trend Music

Twin brothers Eric and Kyle Travers have been making music and stunning audiences since they first began performing together at 13 years old.

In 2012 the twin brothers formed their latest project, Travers Brothership, an Alternative, Soul, and Funk ensemble based out of Asheville, NC.

It is safe to say The Brothership stands out amongst most acts climbing the charts in the U.S. today. Why do they stand out so boldly amongst the others? They care to make each concert a unique and unforgettable experience. Utilizing the band's unmatched live energy and superior songwriting, they create a live atmosphere that transforms an audience into a community. A Travers Brothership concert is best described as a wild block party, and this is a party you don't wanna miss.

Following the success of the "I Don't Mind EP" the band began touring nationally in 2013 and has since performed 400+ concerts across the United States. The band has shared the stage with many accomplished acts such as: Charles Bradley, Taj Mahal, String Cheese Incident, Blues Traveler, The Marcus King Band, Robert Randolph, Leftover Salmon, Trombone Shorty, Rebirth Brass Band, Dr. John, and many more.

Over the course of two national tours the band began work with Grammy award winning producer, Juan "Pericles" Covaz, and Grammy nominated engineer, Matt Williams. Following recording sessions at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL and The Eagle Room in Asheville, NC the band's first album "A Way To Survive" was complete.

"A Way To Survive" was released in 2016 to critical acclaim and outstanding reviews. The album has won numerous awards including "Best Studio Album of 2016" at Homegrown Music Network, and has received airplay on radio stations throughout the U.S. and beyond.

Following the success of their first record, the band was voted "Best Alternative Band of 2016" by the readers of Asheville's Mountain Xpress, confirming the bands status as a staple of the Southeast music scene.

Travers Brothership is currently touring the U.S. in support of "A Way To Survive" and writing songs for their highly anticipated sophomore release.

"There are hundreds of great bands aiming for the major leagues, but few of them bring such a complete package as Travers Brothership. In this horse race, I've found where I'm putting my money." - Brian Swenk, Homegrown Music Network

For more than 30 years, Jerry Joseph has been strapping on a guitar and chasing down truth, understanding and soul with a tenacity and resonant skill that mark him as a hard charging kindred spirit to Joe Strummer, Warren Zevon and Patti Smith. While not a household name or critic's darling, Joseph is the archetypal musician's musician, something resoundingly clear in his live performances, as well as his studio work.

Joseph first came to prominence in the mid-1980s with still-beloved cult band Little Women, a reggae-rock proto-jam band that dominated the Rocky Mountain club scene for nearly a decade, and notably helped break jam giants Widespread Panic, who looked up to Joseph and opened for his band before rising to prominence. In fact, Joseph wrote many of Panic's favorite concert staples, including such blazing epics as North, Chainsaw City and Climb to Safety.

Steve Drizos and Steve James Wright are also musical lifers working steadily for decades both as sparring partners to Jerry Joseph and elsewhere. Drizos was a member of acoustic Dexter Grove from 1995-2004, a band that performed over 1,500 shows nationally. Drizos produced the live Jackmormons record Badlandia and co-produced Happy Book, as well as performing and recording with such luminaries as Dave Mason and Jim Capaldi (of Traffic), Widespread Panic, The Decemberists, moe., Merle Saunders, Eric McFadden, and dozens of local Portland artists.

Steve James Wright has been a complement to Joseph since almost Day One, as the guitarist for Little Women and an outstanding player in his own right. After taking some time off, James graciously and expertly moved over to bass to bring back a slinkier, funkier and more psychedelic mood to the Jackmormons sound. His deep knowledge of the material and his more melodic style now combine to challenge the band to find its finest grooves.

Joseph’s influences are many and varied. “Columbia Record Club used to have 20 records for a penny and I filled out form after form, and these boxes of records came to my house and my parents would flip out. Those were my influences,” says Joseph. “I was a kid, so I was as into The Monkees as I was The Beatles. Then, my mother would tell you, it was all over on my 9th or 10th birthday with [Black Sabbath's] Master of Reality and Steppenwolf Live. Then at 12, it was jazz. I saw every jazz act that toured in the 70s…Herbie Hancock and Tower of Power after we went to see Steely Dan. All that and then my older babysitter bought me Exile on Main Street and I saw [Bob Marley and] The Wailers in 1976 and moved to New Zealand. And then The Clash came out and changed my life. But I also loved ZZ Top and all those guitar bands. When I lived in New Zealand, I sat in my window and read Lord of the Rings while listening to prog like Gentle Giant and Camel. Later, I learned a lot from Chris Whitley touring around Europe with him.”

Meanwhile, Joseph is steadily extending his global reach, taking advantage of the Internet's ability to find audiences worldwide with tours in Southeast Asia, Europe, Central America, Israel, Lebanon, Ireland, England and elsewhere. Joseph is a hyper-gifted American singer-songwriter finding appreciation beyond his own country's borders, an endlessly insightful rabble-rouser and back street shaman. His creative tendrils extend beyond the Jackmormons into everything from extensive solo work to rangy rock juggernaut Stockholm Syndrome (where Joseph plays with Widespread Panic's Dave Schools, Bay Area guitar marvel Eric McFadden, Gov't Mule's Danny Louis, and percussionist Wally Ingram), and a host of unreleased work.

Despite the sort of roadblocks and turns of fortune that usually crush most musicians, Joseph survives, and in fact, thrives in a way that's heartening and stirring, as anyone who has seen a live show can testify.

Good Enough For Good Times features Galactic bassist Rob Mercurio and guitarist Jeff Raines, keyboardist Joe Ashlar and drummer Simon Lott. Jazz-funk and rare groove instrumentals make up the bulk of the Good Enough for Good Times repertoire. The musicians draw on the Blue Note Records catalog of the ‘60s and ‘70s, referencing classic albums by the likes of guitarist Grant Green and saxophonist Lou Donaldson. As with Galactic, improvisations figure prominently.

Hailing from the east side GA town of Augusta, FUNK YOU is an outgoing burst of energy that is continually climbing their way to the top of the music scene. This "funk" oriented outfit projects multiple musical styles focusing mainly on dance driven grooves with powerful clean vocals. Incorporating intriguing musical composition, tasteful lyrics, and crowd captivating live performances, FUNK YOU is surely to make an imprint on your musical taste.FUNK YOU provides the audience with a furious fusion of influences ranging from Umphrey's Mcgee, Lettuce, James brown, and Stevie Wonder. By colliding funk, jam, rock, fusion, and prog into one uniform sound, these guys will keep your jaw dropped and your feet moving without stopping. Their songs combine lush ambiance, catchy vocals, and intense shredding simultaneously into a unique well defined sound.For three years the band has been building their fan base in the southern local markets of Atlanta, Augusta,Athens, Statesboro, Milledgeville, Savannah and Macon. They have numerous sold out shows in Augusta and also at the Georgia Theater in Athens. With performances alongside Maceo Parker & Fred Wesley (James Brown horn section), Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Tea Leaf Green, Robert Randolph, Snarky Puppy, and Moon Taxi, the band is paving their way to the festival circuit. FUNK YOU was voted best R&B band by August Magazine and was named Relix Magazine's "Artist On the Rise" in their July/August 2013 issue.