Ben Sparaco and The New Effect formed in 2017 when Florida-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist began playing with drummer Anthony Quirk and bassist Adam Discipio. Now based in the flourishing musical oasis of Nashville, TN, Ben and the band have maintained a massive touring schedule, cutting their teeth playing coast to coast in clubs, theaters, and festivals.

Sparaco spent his teen years making a name for himself in the jam scene of the southeast, having played with the likes of Oteil Burbridge (Dead and Company, The Allman Brothers Band), G. Love and Special Sauce, North Mississippi Allstars, and touring with Butch Trucks and The Freight train Band in 2016. After recording his 2016 release “Bring the Jubilee EP” with a Florida-based group of musicians, he moved to Nashville. There, he amassed a group of some of Nashville’s finest to record his debut solo record “Wooden” with producer Ross Holmes (Mumford and Sons, Bruce Hornsby, Warren Haynes), which also featured a guest appearance from Luther Dickinson.

After finalizing The New Effect’s powerful lineup with Berklee College of Music graduates Quirk and Discipio, Sparaco’s songwriting started drifting from his southern rock roots, showing indie rock, new wave, and pop influences, evident on the EP “Greetings, from Ben Sparaco and The New Effect” and the following 2018 single “Scared of The Dark.” With major support slots, festival appearances, and headlining shows across the U.S. in 2019, Ben Sparaco and The New Effect are ones to watch.

Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights first began to take shape when childhood friends Jonathan and Kansas began playing guitar in their teens. With shared common influences ranging from the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin and Jimi Henrix to Bob Dylan, The Band and Muddy Waters; the two were compelled to write and play together. From the start it was JT on vocals, playing a mean, bluesy lead guitar, with Kansas on rythym adding a harder rock edge, a combo that was instantly right. Several years and incarnations later, they were joined by musical prodigy Nick Jay on bass and a hard-hitting drummer from Oklahoma named Jordan Cain. The core of the band was at last in place and the sound began to gel.

After being together for less than a month, the four piece went into the studio to record HOT TROTTIN’ - a raucous and enjoyable journey from start to finish. Produced by Jonathan and engineered by Chris Bell, who’s work with Erykah Badu, The Polyphonic Spree and The Eagles had made an impression on the band. Tracks include “Gypsy Woman,” A rock jam lamenting over a girl that keeps appearing and disappearing carelessly. “She's From The Other Side,” a blues influenced tune about the dangerous women of the world. “Time For Love,” an upbeat ballad that talks about coming together under the umbrella of Love and “Sunshine,” a waltz written about the feelings a past relationship evoked. It’s a stunning first effort for any band, particularly for a group of guys that had been playing together for just three short weeks.

With their album in hand they hit the road. The live show continued to evolve when Mo Brown joined the band a few months later. Brown’s spine-tingling vocals were a force that JT wanted not just in the background, but as a staple in their live show out front. With the recent addition of Cain’s wife Bethany on harmony vocals and keyboard player Beau Bedford, the bands has filled out their sound and completed the puzzle. Finally, the chemistry is right. Night after night, they deliver a wall of sound with a groove so undeniable, it makes fans rise to their feet and stand at attention. The band is tight and Jonathan’s raw energy coupled with blazing guitar work and rugged vocals has heads turning.

The band is playing over 200 shows a year and have opened for the likes of Heart, The Black Crowes, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Erykah badu, The Arc Angels, Deep Purple, Leon Russell, Kool And The Gang, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stoney LaRue, and O.A.R.. That is a heafty list considering the band has only been playing live shows together since January of 2007, less than a year and a half ago.

They have quickly become one of the hottest bands in the region with a buzz that has made its way to New York and Los Angeles and recently signed with F-Stop Music (Atlantic Records).

Copper Chief

With rock ’n' roll attitude and a grassroots country approach, Copper Chief is comprised of Mike Valliere (vocals, guitar), Rio Tripiano (vocals, lead guitar), Justin Lusk (vocals, bass), and John Jammall II (drums). This Austin/New Braunfels, TX based outfit has been tearing down highways from coast to coast over the last year and were recently featured as finalists on USA's "Real Country" with Travis Tritt along with being voted the Texas Regional Radio Report’s “New Band of the Year 2019”. A bucket of personality, tight three-part harmonies, undeniable Texas swagger, and intricate musicianship blend seamlessly together as the foundations of this group. They have produced a truly unique blend, drawing from the musical canons of several Southern styles including roots, rock 'n' roll, country, soul, swamp, psychedelic, and blues. This unapologetic sound paired with their high energy and free flowing live show has been hailed as a refreshing experience among today's musical climate. The debut, self-titled album released December 2017 has spawned 2 singles and was met with acclaim from both fans and radio personalities alike. 

Copper Chief is a central Texas band with deep roots compromised of four country boys that just love to rock n’ roll. Their music can be described as a breath of fresh air while puffing your favorite smoke. They may have been too busy playing with fire to have ever even picked up a genre rulebook, but the band draws from every corner of the musical canon while touching on several southern sounds that come together to birth a sonic experience hard to pin down.

While Mike Valliere was completing his time at University of Texas in Austin, he played solo acoustic shows to make tuition, rent, and even a little beer money. During the winter of 2013 he headed up to Steamboat, Colorado to Music Fest, an annual music festival featuring Texas music that thousands of fans and artists alike make the pilgrimage to every year. Rio Tripiano happened to be in Steamboat playing the festival with his band too. The two musicians ended up meeting at one of the infamous penthouse parties. It was fate. After a long night together, it became apparent they shared many similar ideas and tastes in music.

They exchanged numbers and life carried on. But, soon after Music fest Rio ended up in Austin and posted on Facebook that he was in town. Mike responded and invited him to play a show or two while he was staying in town. So, Rio came to Austin with his guitars, $80, a box of cereal and ended up exactly where he belonged.

Over the next two years Mike and Rio played together around Austin and the central Texas area. The guys decided one night over a few backyard bottles to put their hearts in it and form a solid band to make soulful, original music. Fortunately, Rio and Mike both knew a bass player who just so happened to also be a close friend and would fit their vision. Enter Justin Lusk. The 3 harmonized their vocals and jammed together all over Texas with Mike on rhythm guitar, Rio playing lead and Justin on bass. They developed their original style while living on the road.

One night on the way back from a show in Louisiana, Mike called a friend asking for someone to fill in on drums. As luck would have it, he was introduced to John Joseph Jammal II. In 2015 John began playing with the band at their Sunday night residency and was invited to play a few shows with them locally. After one particular gig thatearlyfall,thegroupwentoutto6th streettodosomereveling.ThatnightJohn became a permanent member of the band. Copper Chief was born.

Within a few short weeks Copper Chief found themselves in a double wide trailer in Stephenville, TX cutting an album at Boyd Street Studios (now Melody Mountain Studios). They reunited with friends Ben Hussey and Josh Serrato to produce their debut, self-titled album.

This album was the brain child of all the elite members of this outfit. In the studio the songs took on a life of their own through collaboration and flare of each member. The journey turned into a roller-coaster of songs for the listener. From songs like “Jericho”, written about growing up and realizing the need to open oneself to real love, to wild stories of voodoo and a romp through New Orleans like “Faster Than The

Flame”, all the way down to “Muddy Water”, that will have you feeling high on top of the world, the first album says “Hello, we are Copper Chief. Now watch this!”

Since the release of “Copper Chief” the band has been burning a path across Texas and the surrounding states to steadily growing crowds. They have shared themselves and their music with countless fans at festivals and sold out shows and take pride in their high energy performances.

Copper Chief makes the music that flows through them naturally. They aren’t afraid to show who they are individually or as a whole. They aren’t afraid to carve their own place out on the musical landscape of the world. And they certainly aren’t afraid to play with the knife sharp enough to carve that place out.

Seth Power
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6OIXNsC1G1XobycFW9G14S?si=LaJWnAJCR6yHxYI2Gl57Yg

The Quiet Calm
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0WsiJGm3A70yaXgpQZGgkc?si=nafZoChORASdLnCis7y5jQ

Stonewalls
https://stonewallsmusic.bandcamp.com/releases

Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster

What does a songwriter who has mined darkness do when he finds a measure of contentment?

This was the challenge that faced Fayetteville, AR songwriter Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster when writing his new album ‘Take Heart, Take Care.’ A songwriter who had success with Water Liars and Marie/Lepanto (his collaboration with Will Johnson of Centro-Matic) and has earned acclaim from NPR, Billboard, NY Times, and Paste Magazine now took time to reassess his writing process. Kinkel-Schuster, who everyone calls Pete, says, “I had, more than anything else, good things to say, and ironically I was unsure of how to say them. I’d spent so long yawping at perceived darkness both real and imagined, internal and external, that I was in a sense starting from scratch, learning to express something good in a way that didn’t feel cheap or silly or disingenuous to me.”

“It took a long time, relatively speaking,” he says, continuing, “It involved a lot more patience and consistency.” He is talking about songwriting but could be talking about the work of showing up for life. He lists the means that helped with the latter, all as if still unfolding: “Learning to stop making the same mistakes over and over. Moving to Arkansas. Meeting my partner. Finding peace and stability at home but being able to keep working. Finding a balance between all of these things. Being sober for a number of years and working on upkeep.”

This balance of which he speaks comes through in ‘Take Heart, Take Care.’ Characters are drawn to and away from other people. They seek both risk and comfort. In the album opener “Plenty Wonder,” he sings of the concept, allowing himself “Plenty wonder in this world still to be found.” The notion of balance comes up yet again when singer and songwriter Julien Baker reacts to the album. She says, "’Take Heart, Take Care’ is a beautiful intersection of grit and tenderness.  Pete’s lyrics are immediately intimate; brutal enough to swear at you, but familiar enough to dispense gentle wisdom in its plainest form. This record is an appeal to the essentially human, a perfect balance of poetry and candor, full of soul-feeding truth and heart-breaking honesty."

Several songs look back at a younger self with curiosity. “Friend of Mine” belies the camaraderie of youth; “Cut Your Teeth” is about seeing abrasiveness around us but then finding and cherishing “a deep and gentle welcome place inside” and remembering the journey that brought you there and the maintenance needed to keep perspective. It also powerfully alternates from fingerpicked acoustic guitar to hails of overdrive.

“Name What You Are” may be the most autobiographical song here (a medium in which Pete does not usually traffic). “It’s being quietly amazed at the places and conditions you put yourself in and why and what that meant at the time and what that means now having more or less dedicated your life to it. 

The atmosphere of ‘what the hell’s going’ on but it not mattering as much as that you’re simply doing it. For lifers in terms of making music, I would hope it might pretty true.” Yet the fingerpicked guitar and melody is more about the reflection back than the manic activity remembered. When asked about the song, Pete quotes Harry Crews, “Survival is triumph enough.”

Several songs, such as “Take Heart, Take Care,” are in the second person as if speaking directly to those out there who can identify with his earlier, darker experiences. He sings, “Time, time is the mender, whose strange mechanics, yet untold, bid us rise entwined together.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and novelist Forrest Gander notes how this technique makes the listener lean in, saying, "You'll notice a little delay in the timing as the tunes of JPKS' "Take Heart, Take Care" back-eddy while he leans into and opens up the song's long vowels. It's almost as though the singer were pausing for a friend—that's us—to catch up, to keep him company just before he turns to dive into the reprise. In fact, friendship is a recurring theme in this album. The second song is ‘Friend of Mine’ but other lyrics remind us ‘to keep it close’ so that what counts doesn't go ‘asunder.’ Pete's voice has an easy, unfeigned sweetness tinged with melancholy, and its warmth blows convincingly behind the alternately precise and fuzzy guitar notation that gives the album its definitive sound."

The intimacy that Gander and Baker observe comes of both form and function for Pete: a desire to keep things simple aesthetically but also the limitations of time and money. His bandmate in Marie/Lepanto, Will Johnson, taught him by example how to build a record by yourself; Pete followed this method, playing all of the instruments except keyboards. “Will is a hero of mine and I’d grown to admire his way of working. We made the Marie/Lepanto record in 3 ½ - 4 days and looking back, I was taken aback that we were able to do that. I take a lot of cues from Will,” he reflects. It freed him. The effect is cinematic yet direct, wind across the plains at times, humidity you can feel at others, and the occasional glimpse of a promised coastline, all of it from a view always in motion.

The sounds also provide a backdrop of a complicated world for Pete to approach his type of makeshift, hard-won providence. The underlying message is of hope, to others as well as himself. He states, “Here I’ve fumbled my way, as always, and of necessity, into a collection of songs that hold a light to the joys and comforts of life not given up on, those that appear over time as we are looking elsewhere, to surprise and delight us when we need them most. Sure, it’s me, so there are glimpses of and nods to the dark, but the dark is not winning anymore. I simply mean to acknowledge its presence. To me, that’s the most fundamental job of songs, of stories, of all art—to be allies, friends, companions, when we need them most and it’s my hope that these songs can do that work in a world that seems to need it.”

So what does a songwriter do when he finds contentment? He tries to pass on what he knows in hopes of helping the next person.

Spencer Thomas

Spencer Thomas drummer, singer of Young Valley just released his new solo record Hangin' Tough.

“More often than I’d like to admit, I found myself paralyzed to my bed,” said Jackson, Mississippi native Spencer Thomas about the lows of his early twenties. In his last years pursuing a voice degree at Delta State University in the Mississippi Delta, Thomas found just how debilitating mental illness could be. “I would have anxiety so bad that I would seize. My brain would shut down, and depression followed after. These spells subsided the more I worked on songs.”

Spencer had begun to collaborate with his best friend Zach Lovett and started to understand it’s more than a creative outlet. “The lowly moments turned into opportunities to write songs.” As their college band dissolved, the two went onto form Young Valley along with Zach’s twin brother Dylan Lovett.

“Zach taught me so much about writing, and I absorbed everything I could. He had been doing it for much longer and knew what made a song work. He helped me find my own identity.” The songwriting team took Young Valley on the road.

Spencer dropped out of school, moved back to Jackson, and toured with Young Valley heavily for the next five years playing the drums and singing, sharing the stage with acts like Lucero, Lilly Hiatt, American Aquarium, and Futurebirds. “I’d get the Don Henley or the Levon Helm comment all the time. It was hard as hell to learn to play drums and sing at the same time, but I managed. I always wanted to play in a real band.”

All the while, Thomas had written a few songs in his own time that didn’t fit the mold Young Valley had created. “We tried some tunes of mine that were a little more personal, and they didn’t quite fit, so I put them in my back pocket.” As Thomas’s influences matured, he realized the kind of songwriter he wanted to be. “I love guys like Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, and Bruce Springsteen. They sing for all people and took so many risks as songwriters with their sounds changing from record to record. Their creative freedom was astounding.”

After Petty’s death late 2017, Spencer decided to book studio dates for the songs he saved up on the side. “We’re only on this earth for so long. Tom Petty left behind a legacy and songs over a 40-year career and I said ‘I want to do that.’” Young Valley had just finished the final touches on their self-titled record in Water Valley, Mississippi with Matt Patton (Drive-By Truckers) and Bronson Tew (Fat Possum, Dial Back Sound), who welcomed Thomas in to bring his own record to life.

Teaming up with Tew as his producer/engineer/bass player, Young Valley band mates Ethan Frink (drums) and Kell Kellum (guitar), and Jay Gonzalez on organ (Drive-By Truckers), Hangin’ Tough was tracked in February 2018. “A lot of these songs come full circle to talk about depression. ‘State & Downing’ is about feeling stagnant. ‘Lift Me Up’ is about asking a loved one if they can help you when you are low. Many of these were born from dark places.’” Influenced by Jeff Lynne’s production style, Tew adopted the mantra “broad strokes” in order to preserve the magic within the song. “I let a close friend hear the record when it was finally mastered, and he sent me the text message ‘You wrote an album about depression—and it’s beautiful.”

Rooted in triple-stacked harmonies, southern storytelling, and cosmic country twang, Cordovas create their own version of American roots-rock with That Santa Fe Channel.

The album marks the band's ATO Records debut, arriving after more than a half-decade's worth of international touring, communal living, and shared songwriting sessions. It's a timely - and timeless - version of a sound that's existed for 50 years, ever since pioneers like the Grateful Dead and the Allman Bothers Band blurred the lines between rock, country, and amplified folk music. If That Santa Fe Channel nods to the band's influences, though, it's still a fiercely unique album, recorded in a series of live takes that shine a light not only on Cordovas' songwriting chops, but their strength as a raw, rugged live band, as well.

That Santa Fe Channel was produced by the Milk Carton Kids' Kenneth Pattengale in East Nashville, not far from the home that doubles as the band's rehearsal space, headquarters, and shared living quarters. There, in a converted barn behind the property's main house, the guys logged countless hours fine-tuning a sound that's already earned praise from outlets like NPR Music and Rolling Stone, who described the group as "the harmony-heavy, guitar-fueled house band at a Big Pink keg party in 1968." With its western wooziness and siesta-friendly swagger, That Santa Fe Channel also nods to the band's other home bases: Southern California, where bassist and band leader Joe Firstman lived for years; and Todos Santos, Mexico, where Cordovas' five members travel every winter to write new songs, sharpen old standbys, and oversee the acclaimed Tropic of Cancer Concert Series. The result is a record that's steeped in
- but not limited to - southern sounds and California charm. It's American music without borders.

Years before Cordovas' formation, Firstman traveled the country as a solo musician. Raised in North Carolina, he moved to Hollywood as a determined 20 year-old, signing a major-label deal with Atlantic Records in 2002. His debut album, War of Women, hit stores one year later. When a dizzying blur of acclaimed shows - including opening dates for Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson - weren't enough to satisfy the expectations of a big-budget record label, Firstman lost his contract and took a new job as music director on Last Call with Carson Daly. It was good work, with Firstman performing nightly alongside first-rate musicians like Thundercat and Kamasi Washington. Still, the need to create his own music was ever-present. With Cordovas, he's found his ultimate vehicle: a collaborative band with multiple lead singers and a collective approach not only to songwriting, but to existing. Cordovas aren't just bandmates. They're roommates. They're co-conspirators. They're a family.

"The Cordovas are a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week job," clarifies Firstman, who shares the bandd's roster with drummer Graham Spillman, keyboardist Sevans Henderson, and dueling lead guitarists Lucca Soria and Toby Weaver. "You're always on call to play, to adapt to another man's idea, to pick up a guitar or look at a lyrics sheet. We're eating dinner together, hanging out together, and making art. We don't have rehearsal times, because rehearsal is always. You have to honor the art first, and everything else comes second."

Living in such close quarters - both at home and on the road - has turned Cordovas into a band of brothers. Stop by the band's East Nashville compound and you may find Soria and Weaver picking their way through bluegrass songs inside the barn, while Firstman wraps up family dinner in the kitchen and Spillman fixes the band's RV outside. There's a communal vibe to the band's existence that bleeds over into their songs, where it's often hard to pinpoint a single person's voice in those thick, swooning harmonies. That Santa Fe Channel is the soundtrack to that communal existence: a collection of songs written together, performed together, and lived together.

And what a soundtrack it is. There's the Band-influenced boogie-woogie of "Standin'; on the Porch," full of blue notes and pedal steel. There's the layered melodies of "I'm the One Who Needs You Tonight,: the classic chord changes of "Selfish Loner," the barroom piano of "Step Back Red," and the hungover charm of the album's opener, "This Town's a Drag," which finds Firstman searching for illegal thrills in a dry town. Together, That Santa Fe Channel's nine songs paint the picture of a band on the rise, heading for a horizon whose beauty can match their own.

Featured:

Rolling Stone -

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/10-best-country-americana-songs-week-hunter-hayes-lera-lynn-709997/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country-lists/10-best-country-and-americana-songs-of-the-week-florida-georgia-line-jason-eady-629295/cordovas-this-towns-a-drag-628857/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country-lists/10-new-country-artists-you-need-to-know-june-2017-198976/cordovas-200368/

Billboard -

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8469281/cordovas-that-santa-fe-channel-album-premiere

Saturated in soul and marinated in the love of music comes The Quickening out of New Orleans, LA. After parting ways with the Flow Tribe in 2012, guitarist and song writer Blake Quick has assembled a panel of musicians that have enhanced the meaning of "feel good music." Prepare to be blown away by the luscious vocal pairings between the stunning Rachel "Mama Ray" Murray and Quick. The two have a chemistry that boils with excitement and defies the term "frontman" into one cohesive partnership. The rhythm section, coupled by Al Small on bass and Jeff Jani on drums, seem to have a marriage to the groove that Quick lays down. The secret weapon of the band is the fluid steel guitar playing by the one and only Dave Easley; whose instrument drives the band through fearless improvisations. The rest of the band is a revolving door of sorts; always welcoming New Orleans' finest to the band by including their horns and various woodwind and string instruments. The band has already made a huge impact in the New Orleans community and are eager to spread the word like butter across the US. 

(Quick·en·ing): 1: to make alive; 2: to come to life; especially: to enter into a phase of active growth and development ; 3: to shine more 

The Red Not Chili Peppers pay tribute to the ultimate funk rock quartet – a band who has transcended three decades of chart topping success as well as developed one of the largest die-hard followings in the world.  Come be reminded of the hits and high energy performances that brought the Chili Pepper’s international acclaim!  Having performed many of the country’s most prestigious concert halls as well as every major tribute festival, the Red Not’s sincere devotion to that classic Chili Pepper sound is filling venues and rocking people’s socks off around the US and abroad.  With the ability to span over thirty years of hits and hundreds of songs, every show provides a unique, high energy, and organic live music experience.

"For folks who need a Peppers fix, the Red Nots are as close as it gets to the real thing."

      - The Virginia Pilot -

LITZ brings together a wide array of musical influences ranging from funk, jam, go-go, soul, electronica and just about everywhere in between to amalgamate a new sound for the ears of the world. Their sound strides to sonically transport it's listeners to another planet free of the stress, struggles, and tribulations of modern-day life through the use of funky horn riffs, wah-wah keys, pounding bass, driving/progressive rhythms and melt your face guitar.

Featuring Original lead singer of The Georgia Satellites; writer and voice of “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”; featuring lead guitarist Warner Hodges (of Jason & The Scorchers) 

The Georgia Satellites were one of the most ferocious bands of the 80’s. What set them apart from the other 100,000 bands who cranked their amps up to eleven was that their wild riffs and tanked up cries came from a band who, from the start, understood it’s place in the rock tradition and fought hard to solidify it with each recording.

The story starts in the early 80’s at Hedgen’s, a “country club for the spiritually impoverished and emotionally destitute” as chief songwriter Dan Baird would later identify it. Bassist Keith Christopher, drummer Mauro Magellan and guitarists Dan Baird and Rick Richards were all playing on the Atlanta circuit in various bar bands such as The Hellhounds, The Brains and The Woodpeckers. These bands would gradually morph into the original Georgia Satellites, who signed to same the same management company as country-rock pioneers, Jason & The Scorchers, more of whom later.

#1 fan and road manager Kevin Jennings, sold an EP of early Satellites records to an independent UK record label, Making Waves, who released them as the Keep The Faith ep. The ep provoked an extraordinary response from the UK music press, which, in turn, woke up the previously indifferent US music industry. Elektra records quickly signed them and their first single, Keep Your Hands To Yourself, became a runaway hit. It reached #2 on the singles chart and their eponymous debut album reached the same position on the album charts. Both album and single only being kept off their respective #1 slots by Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet and Livin’ On A Prayer. A second hit single, Battleship Chains consolidated their success.

Where the Satellites really earned their reputation though, was with their live shows. All those years of three sets a night, paid dividends laid waste to audiences across the States and particular, Europe, which took the band to it’s collective heart, a love affair that continues to this day.

Two more Elekra LP’s, Open All Night and the remarkable In The Land Of Salvation And Sin, plus a cover of The Singing Blue Jeans, Hippy Hippy Shake, on the Tom Cruise movie soundtrack, Cocktail followed, but by the early 90’s, all those years of incessant touring had taken their toll and the band split. Dan Baird went on to a successful solo career with Rick Rubin’s Def American, scoring major hits with the album Love Songs From The Hearing Impaired and the single I Love You Period. A second LP, the critically acclaimed Buffalo Nickel followed and Dan also developed as a career as a highly sought after producer.

The rhythm section on both solo albums were Keith Christopher (bass) and former Georgia Satellites drummer Mauro Magellan, the duo responsible for a large part of Dan’s trademark sound.

Jump to 2007 and the band was completed by Jason And The Scorchers founder member and guitarist extraordinaire, Warner E. Hodges. The quartet released their debut album in 2008, championed by Alan Jones (Uncut), Scott Rowley (Classic Rock) and Bob Harris.

The band appeared at the Sweden Rock festival in 2009 and Hard Rock Hell in 2011 and 2012. In 2012 they headlined the prestigious Kilkenny Festival in Ireland. They have established an annual series of concerts in London that attract fans from all around the world.

In 2013, Circus Life, the long awaited follow up to the debut album, was released and attracted great reviews across Europe. The album was also their first CD to get a full USA release and their first album to album to appear as a vinyl release.

2014 saw long term bassist Keith Christopher replaced by ex Bonafide man Micke Nilsson as their touring schedule stepped up, seeing shows in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, UK and USA. The last night of the 2014 tour will see the band play their first ever acoustic show before a sold out London audience.

Few bands arouse a crowd into a collective shake like Flow Tribe. The six-member band’s onstage chemistry reflects a seamless combination of soul and movement that hits the audience within the first few notes. Virgin listeners and avid fans alike are drawn in by the distinctive sound that feels both familiar and original. From major festival stages around the world to leading a parade down the street, this is a group of professional musicians who’ve found their passion, and are living a dream where everyone’s welcome.

Second line brass and Cuban-Caribbean rhythms meld with R&B, soul, rock, and hip-hop beats in high-energy performances that turn every show into a celebration. New Orleans is influence itself, the unparalleled free and easy city weaving its way into track after track of original scores that make up a single definition of sound, which Flow Tribe has dubbed “backbone-cracking music.”

K.C. O’Rorke (vocals, trumpet), John-Michael Early (harmonica, washboard, vocals, keyboard), Nick Solnick (drums), Chad Penot (bass, vocals), Bryan Santos (guitar, timbales), and Mario Palmisano (guitar) are native New Orleanians and high school pals who’ve been writing music and playing live shows since the band’s inception in 2004. Post graduation, they went their separate ways, but after Katrina, each returned to their hometown, inherently becoming active members in the rebuilding of a community that’s stronger than ever.

In 2017 Flow Tribe teamed up with legendary Hip Hop producer Mannie Fresh (Lil Wayne, Big Tymers) to create the album “BOSS”. The album reached #55 on the Billboard R&B charts and #5 on the Relix/Jambands.com chart reflecting the diversity of sound represented on the album. After relentless touring, Flow Tribe completed building a state of the art studio in New Orleans called Downman Sounds. They are now putting the finishing touches on a 2-part EP coming out in late 2018 and 2019. 

Featuring: Drums - Neal "Fro" Evans (Dopapod)

Trombone - Scott Flynn (Odesza & Pretty Lights) 

Bass - Dan Africano (John Brown's Body)

Halloween kickoff with Elephant Wrecking Ball.  Elephant Wrecking Ball is an instrumental, electronic, trombone-led power trio that successfully weaves a variety of influences from jazz, hip hop, electro and the avant-garde. Coupling a grounded sense of discipline with exuberant musical exploration, they are dedicated to making music that is unlike any other, constantly striving for a memorable, new sound.

Comprised of Scott Flynn on the trombone, Dan Africano on Bass, and Neal “Fro!” Evans on the drums, the three musicians have an extensive list of musical credentials, having performed and recorded with the likes of John Brown’s Body, Dopapod, Turkuaz, Pretty Lights, Ghost Light, Big Daddy Kane, Odesza, Break Science, and many others.

T R O M B O N E  / SCOTT FLYNND R U M S  / NEAL EVANSB A S S / DAN AFRICANO

PRESS:… "inter-stellar tunes which reach beyond the means of reasonable music imagination."- Hypemag

An engine room oiled up with jazz, funk, dub, and the outer cosmos.- My Secret Boston

"Accosting and deliberate, Elephant Wrecking Ball is something fresh."- Performer Magazine

Elephant Wrecking Ball’s music matches its name in the sense that the rhythm the trio creates stomps around with strength and aplomb. On the other hand, it’s so precise the band could have called itself something like Surgical Knife. - Daily Camera // Boulder, CO

Magic Beans

The Magic Beans are a band with a passion for music that is as infectious as their songs, both of which have gained them national notoriety in a short time. Much like modern music lovers, the band’s sound isn’t confined to one-genre. The Beans strive to be as inclusive as possible by skirting the lines between many genres within their unique sound. Listeners are left with a danceable ode to funk, rock, bluegrass, livetronica, americana, world, prog, and more. Music can encompass so many different feels and emotions. That is why the group strives to pull from many unique influences to produce music that moves both your mind and feet.

The group uses no pre-recorded tracks or samples in favor of a more traditional approach to music; original songwriting and continually pushing the envelope are what have set this group apart. Whether you like ballads or bangers, the Beans have something you will enjoy. Seamlessly combining clever songs with modern dance music, The Magic Beans are an original band you have to see.

Mungion

Chicago-based jam outfit Mungion has been turning heads since bursting onto the scene in the spring of last year. With excitement building from their exploratory live outings, Mungion’s steadily growing fan base received the band’s first full-length studio offering, Scary Blankets. The inspiration of their jam scene peers is evident throughout. “Schvingo” and “Hindsight,” built from catchy, strolling bass lines and prog-guitar wailing both deliver handily, displaying the influences of well-loved acts on the band, from Pat Metheny to Frank Zappa to Jimmy Herring and beyond.

When you see their live show it’s very evident that there’s a clear intention to create a set of music that is rich, varied and immersive — not just a collection of tunes, but a cohesive, complex sonic story that keeps people on their toes dancing. Mungion has just began to scratch the surface.

TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOYFULL. Rybolt Productions Presents a Special 2 Night Event of Joyfunk with CBDB.

“Jamband of the Year” & “Studio Album of the Year” Reddit 2018

CBDB is a progressive rock, jam-band from Alabama and their music is spreading from the southeast across the nation like wildfire. Defining a newfound, southern blend of joyous and progressive rock n roll, they channel a sonic mix of soulful vocals and virtuosic musicianship with smart, tasteful songwriting. On stage, each member of CBDB fluidly plays between complex composition and loose exploratory improvisation creating an incredible and unique live experience.

CBDB has played major festivals including Hulaween, Okeechobee, Sweetwater 420, Summer Camp, Electric Forest, Sloss, Aura, Backwoods, Euphoria, and The Werk Out. They’ve also shared the stage with the likes of Umphrey's McGee, Papadosio, Galactic, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Perpetual Groove, The Wailers, Blues Traveler, and many more.

With their latest release, an impressive third full-length album titled ‘Out of Line’ - recorded at Zac Brown’s legendary Southern Ground Nashville studio - CBDB is set to take the country by storm. Soaring monthly listeners and followers have further propelled their growth & continue to bring the band widespread attention, interest, and new fans daily. Dive into CBDB's eclectic catalogue of tunes today and catch them live on tour near you soon!

TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOYFULL. Rybolt Productions Presents a Special 2 Night Event of Joyfunk with CBDB.

“Jamband of the Year” & “Studio Album of the Year” Reddit 2018

CBDB is a progressive rock, jam-band from Alabama and their music is spreading from the southeast across the nation like wildfire. Defining a newfound, southern blend of joyous and progressive rock n roll, they channel a sonic mix of soulful vocals and virtuosic musicianship with smart, tasteful songwriting. On stage, each member of CBDB fluidly plays between complex composition and loose exploratory improvisation creating an incredible and unique live experience.

CBDB has played major festivals including Hulaween, Okeechobee, Sweetwater 420, Summer Camp, Electric Forest, Sloss, Aura, Backwoods, Euphoria, and The Werk Out. They’ve also shared the stage with the likes of Umphrey's McGee, Papadosio, Galactic, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Perpetual Groove, The Wailers, Blues Traveler, and many more.

With their latest release, an impressive third full-length album titled ‘Out of Line’ - recorded at Zac Brown’s legendary Southern Ground Nashville studio - CBDB is set to take the country by storm. Soaring monthly listeners and followers have further propelled their growth & continue to bring the band widespread attention, interest, and new fans daily. Dive into CBDB's eclectic catalogue of tunes today and catch them live on tour near you soon!