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ghostland observatory
(friday at midnight)
(AUSTIN) Welcome to the soul infused indie rock
dance party that is a Ghostland live show.
Electronic beats, urgent vocals and old school
guitar and drums delivered with equal parts
oomph and swagger. Glam rock melodies and
solid beats make for raucous dance music. The
frenetic showmanship of frontman Aaron Behrens
is Prince, Freddie Mercury and James Brown
channeled thru a heavy metal filter. He's a
truly unique, uncompromising and wildly brilliant
performer. Producer/ drummer Thomas
Turner is heavily influenced by
electronic artists such as Daft Punk, Laurent Garnier and Green Velvet, as well
as rockers such as The Animals, David Bowie, and
The Clash. Their sound is the culmination of
past influences and present inspiration, and can
only be described as ballsy. Then you throw in the Floydian
laser show in the high desert, and well........ Check them out in this video from
Austin City Limits:
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ivan
nevilles' dumpstaphunk
(saturday 10:20pm)
(NEW ORLEANS) Start
from the NOW, and go back from there, as there
is too much to be said about this funky
collective of cats. A live Dumpstaphunk
show begins simmering barely above the legal
speed limit, and then floors it from there.
Ridiculously danceable. Dig their live show with
caution, as the funk will hit the fan. Bonnie
Raitt calls Ivan the funkiest human gumbo on
planet earth. Born into the First Family of
Funk, Ivan has performed w/ the Stones, Robbie
Robertson, Keith Richards, Govt Mule (list too
long). Ian, son of Art, is a monster guitar wiz.
Tony Hall (Trey, Emmylou, Dave Mathews) on bass.
Nick Daniels (Neville Bros, Boz Scaggs, Etta
James, Wild Magnolias) on bass. Yes, two bass
players! Raymond Weber (Trey, Dirty Dozen)
on drums. Check out this recent article in
JAMBASE. Deep fried Naw'lins funk in the high
desert !!
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jj grey & mofro
(friday 10:20pm)
(Jacksonvillie, FL) From gritty funk to juke
joint romps to soulful country to
blistering rockers, JJ Grey & Mofro occupy a
distinctive place in the music world. Like the
best of the great southern novelists, JJ fills
his stories with details that are at once vivid,
personal, political and universal. His music
will make you smell the cypress trees, feel the
hot breeze, taste the ho-cakes, and remind you
that home is where the heart is. Their songs are
brilliant in their simplicity, evoking complex
emotions with a minimal amount of words. A live
show soulfully smolders thru gospel fried funk
then things truly hit the fan with straight
ahead rock n roll. Swampy, sweaty, dance
inducing madness prevails. JJ Grey
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trombone shorty & orleans avenue
(sunday 3:15pm)
(NEW ORLEANS)"UNBELIEVABLE! It’s just not anything you’re going to hear anywhere else.”
– The Edge
“Don’t get me wrong, we got it goin’ on in New Orleans, he is just better.”
– Allen Toussaint
“Troy possesses the rarest combination of talent, technical capability and down home soul.
I’m his biggest fan…”
– Wynton Marsalis
Hailing from Tremé, the most musical neighborhood (see: Satchmo!) in the most musical city – New Orleans,
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews has made the leap from child prodigy
(bandleader at age 6) to Professional Master Musician.
He plays both Trumpet & Trombone. He is a man to
be reckoned w/ on both. At 21 years old Troy has already experienced more than most musicians three times his age, and he has the chops to prove it.
Troy's music has reached innumerable music
lovers who will never forget his amazing live
performances with the Neville Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, U2, Green Day, Rebirth Brass Band and
more. With his band, Orleans Avenue, they
bring a combo of virtuosity & exuberance that is
high octane SuperRockFunk. Check out this
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zilla
(saturday 8:40pm)
(BOULDER) Zilla is a Colorado based trio of musicians with the live experience in mind. A 100% organic, improvised experience, each Zilla concert proves to be a completely new occurrence, with even the band members having no idea where the music will take them night after night. Relying on their uncanny ability to listen and incorporate their individual talents into a group focused brand of live electronic dance music, Zilla
is sweeping the country by storm with their rare
breed of beats, bass and uncontrollable musical
fury making each performance exactly what live
music is all about: spontaneity, grooves, and a
damn good dance party. Michael Travis
(String Cheese Incident)
on drums,
percussion and keys. Aaron Holstein (Vibesquad)
working guitar, bass and sampler. Jamie Janover
on hammered dulcimer, mini kit, electric sitar y
mucho mas.
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eric
mcfadden trio w/ bernie worrell
(sunday 1:35pm)
(SAN
FRAN) Since becoming George
Clinton's guitar player, Eric has turned into one of San Francisco's phantom treasures, a rarely glimpsed dark angel of blurred guitar strings, swinging dreadlocks and flashing teeth. This is
a rock thang, not undercooked noodling.
Bernie Worrell, founding member and musical
director of Parliament/Funkadelic (Atomic Dog,
Flashlight), joins the EMT for series of west
coast shows. After PFunk, Bernie joined the
Talking Heads, positively influencing their
funky years. A
classically trained (first concert at age 4)
musical innovator, rock and roll hall of fame
member (twice), and musical wizard, Bernie
and the EMT combine to make 3 + 1 = 10.
Drummer Paolo Baldi and acoustic bassist
James Whiton form the trio whose
electro-acoustic sound, impressionistic songs
and virtuoso antics suggest an obscenely
voluptuous hybrid of the Clash, Hendrix, Waits, Django
Reinhardt and spaghetti western composer Sergio
Leone. Whiton slaps, bows, maneuvers, and
manipulates his instrument with orchestral
precision and street corner desperation; the
perfect musical foil to Eric.
To learn more
about Bernie, check out this
VIDEO
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ON
THE ONE
(saturday 7:15pm)
(SAN DIEGO) Drum King John Staten (Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Giant People)
& long time friend & sax aficionado Jesse Molloy (Giant People)
joined to create On the One. Already proven road
dogs after logging over 400 nationwide shows
with Carlos Washington and the Giant People, On
the One is a result of their road proven
friendship. Brian Jordan (guitarist
w/ Karl D for 7 yrs) has joined OTO to raise the
funk bar even higher. Referred by many of today’s
top musicians as one of the best drummers in the
business, Staten drives On the One with his
hard-hitting hip-hop beats. Along with a never
ending swank of saxophone and groove aligned
bass, this raw blend of improv soul jazz booty
shakin' funk unites all that simply want to get
down and sweat.
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afromotive
(friday 8:55pm)
(COTE
D' IVOIRE/ASHEVILLE, NC) Afromotive is a 10-piece afrobeat ensemble from Asheville, NC. Frontman
Kevin Meyame leads The Afromotive with fellow Ivorian and master drummer
Adama Dembele on djembe and congas.
Dembele has toured several continents, and brings his family's 33 generations of music to Afromotive.
He has performed internationally with traditional drum groups Yelemba d’Abidjan and Ensemble Koteba.
Also from Cote D’Ivoire, West Africa, Kevin performed throughout Africa and France with the drum/dance troupe Tanably. Upon relocating to Asheville NC in 04, he formed Afromotive
along with bassist Ryan Reardon. Kevin sings in
French, English and his native language, Baoule, as well as providing polyrhythms on djembe and congas. Wailing solos. Fierce
grooves. A funkified dreamscape of sound. All you really need to know is how to move!
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dubconscious
(saturday
5:50pm)
(ATHENS, GA) Another
ripping collective of musicians out of Athens.
Dubconscious brings healthy servings of
spirituality, celebration, and social awareness
exemplified by reggae pioneers like Lee Perry,
King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, and The Gladiators.
They harness the energy and righteousness of the
genre, while transporting it into a deep fat
futuristic sound. They've opened for Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Burning Spear, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Culture, Mofro, Yellowman,
Steel Pulse, Mad Professor, and The Wailers.
Live, they are genuinely uplifting, magnetic and
engaging !
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b-side players
(friday 7:30pm)
(SAN DIEGO/TIJUANA) Sonidero style cumbia,
reggae-mariachi, a Fania-era salsa song, a straight-up Roy Ayers laced with habanero chilés,
and then Bob Marley comes back to life as a Chicano.
This diversity could seem preposterous if the
the the B-siders weren't so soulfully talented,
grounded and for real. Every breath blown into a
horn, every pluck of the guitar string and every
note that sung means something, and is obvious
to those that witness. They play the purest reggae, blending funk rhythms and Latin grooves.
Explosive and larger than life, the B-Side
Players are embarking on a quest for harmony and taking each of us with them on their fantastic journey.
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blvd
w/ mc souleye
(saturday at midnight)
(SF/CO) BLVD is at the forefront of the
burgeoning live electronic dance music scene in
San Francisco. They create an irresistible booty
shaking combination of house, breakbeats and
rock.....tailor made for the dance floor.
Souleye more than MC's: he floats atop with
amazing skill, grace, speed and consciousness.
His positivity is contagious. Souleyes' poignant
lyrics and timing meld seamlessly with the hard
driving funky beats being laid down by Dylan
(acoustic & electronic drums, samples), Tripp
(bass) and Curtis (guitar, synth, samples). The
result is indeed greater than the sum of these
musical peeps ! So darn funky they held down
residency at the famous Boom Boom Room in San
Francisco, and they regularly perform live at
dance clubs where only DJ's have ventured
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rose's pawn shop
(saturday 2:05pm)
(LA) With and arsenal of banjos, guitars, mandolin, fiddle, pedal steel, upright bass, and thundering drums, their sound is a wholesome mishmash of creek mud, rusty nails, and your moms cookin’. it’s sincere, straight forward and sexy as f***, effortlessly combining such disparate musical styles as rock, country, bluegrass, and punk to create and incomprehensibly smooth and accessible sound. with wisdom beyond their years, they fearlessly confront traditional country music themes of loss, lamentation, and redemption, while throwing in some drinking songs for good measure. Sure, they are borrowing pages from the books of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Bill Monroe, but Rose’s Pawn Shop tears them up and sets them afire with breakneck speed, bluegrass instrumentation, 3 and 4 part harmonies and lyrics that’ll break your heart. |
flowmotion
(saturday
3:30pm)
(SEATTLE) Energetic Hendrix-esque
guitar bravado. Driving funk bass lines. Gruff
vocals. Vocal harmonies. Stellar musicianship.
Flowmotions original compositions move
seamlessly through a liberating mixture of world
funk, jam rock and sweet balladry that beg for
total abandonement of self. Naturally compelling
and loveable sweat inducing purveyors of feel
good rock and roll with a bite, Flowmotion
unifies crowds. We are thrilled to have them
bring it south. If you've ever been in the NW
for a moment, you know of them and their Summer
Meltdown Festival (www.summermeltdown.com).
Watch some
Flowmotion
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luminescent
orchestrii
(sunday 12:10pm)
(NYC) Music to make you dance, kiss and scream. There's a fine
line between gypsy music and punk rock, and the Orchestrii falls
off it every show. With two fiddlers, a bassist and a guitarist
who sweats enough for all of them, the band stomps the stage,
thumps their strings and saws into their instruments. Frenzied
picking. Anachronistic minstrelsy. Madcap ethnic dance music.
Salty tangos. Hard rocking klezmer. Haunting Balkan
harmony. These audio tweaking irreverent composers / circus
musicians / appalachian fiddlers / punk rockers will move you in
more ways than one. Lush, raw and sexy ! |
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lynx
fea.
jamie janover
(friday 6:05pm)
(BOULDER) An innovator, no less. LYNX takes urban hip hop and live looping technology to an unexpected height fusing it with the acoustic soul of a prophet singing for justice. This 22 year old's determination to get her unique crowd bumpin' with beats and rhymes out of her heart and into the world have taken her
across the country, and on to the stage with THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT, MATISYAHU, KAN'NAL HAMSA LILA, ZILLA, BASSNECTAR, KID BEYOND, THAT 1 GUY and more. This Authentic and Unique Artist sculpts songs into dance grooves, hip hop in to folktronic and back again with an array of Loopers,
FX , guitars and a gorgeous singing voice. To top it off the
BEAT BOX (a vocal style with urban hip hop origins) flows to the
pulse of the street and your feet can't help but move! If you dig … Ani DiFranco, Keller Williams, Rahzel, or Michael Franti, you will dig LYNX!
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jethro jeremiah
(saturday 12:40pm)
(SAN FRAN) Jethro has a voice that melts all
within earshot. A Sam Cooke - Marvin Gaye - Bob
Marley - esque heart stopping goose bump
inducing beauty of a gift. Reggae inflected Big
Love soul oozes from his pores. Born at a
convention for midwives, raised on a commune in
Tennessee, Jethro landed in the Haight at age
20. From the streets, to the Fillmore, a
residency at the storied Storyville, and opening
for THE Ray Charles. Motown meets Marley
over a ska rock steady reggae gospel brunch. All
you can eat.
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amy lavere
(saturday 11:15am)
(LA)
"I want to pretend it's kind of this Classic Country/Gypsy/Jazz thing," says Amy
of her new album. Produced by none other than the legendary Jim
Dickinson. But her music is bigger than even that. Sexy tales of spooky love, twangy
ache, sultry torch and gutsy blues that is totally unpredictable
and relentlessly daring, the sound of an uncommon artist
unafraid to be exactly who she is. Described by The Chicago
Tribune as "a Southern girl thumping a doghouse bass bigger than
she is and singing in a woozy, whispery voice that casts an
intoxicating spell". Born unto a musical family on the
Louisiana/Texas border that moved 13 times in her teens, Amy
soaked up the musicality of Detroit, Nashville and Memphis (a
town that doesn't allow you to be trite she says). Jim
Dickinson claims she is one of the rare artists that has "it
all" ! |
sol
jibe
(sunday
4:55pm)
(RENO) Sol Jibe soaks their
sound in multiple nationalities and musical
genres, but their flavor transcends borders and
tastes; it's just foot stompin' soul stirring
goodness. One is mesmerized before their first
song is complete. An original blend of intricate
instrumentals, world rhythms and intensely
emotional vocal delivery make you feel stuck in
an elevator with Eddie Vedder and Rodrigo y
Gabriela. And a cooler full of bevvies and room
to dance.
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tribe-o
(friday 4:40pm)
(COACHELLA VALLEY)
Tribe-O Brings sweet riddims, positive vibrations, big ups and
love from the Coachella Valley. Founded in Miami, Tribe-O songs
speak of joy and pain, the human struggle, racism and equal
rights, yet is focused on positivity through reggae music.
Beautiful harmonies, mashin vibes, distinctive vocals and a deep
knowledge of many reggae styles make Tribe-0 irresistible.
Beautiful people making beautiful music ! |
mojow & the vibration army
(Sunday
10:45am)
(JOSHUA TREE/LA) Moriah(Mo) and John(Jo) Whoolilurie(W) make up the dynamic duo MoJoW & the Vibration Army. MoJoW’s show is an eclectic mix of original danceable compositions inspired by music from around the world. Jo’s live guitar, keyboard, beat-box, and vocal loops, combined with Mo’s deep bass grooves and a funky drummer, are the foundation of MoJoW’s music. Combined with conscious lyrics, vocal harmonies, and powerful sax, MoJoW creates a performance that is not only appealing to the ear and irresistible to the feet, but is also intriguing to watch. MoJoW has also been known to bring their funky wagon show wherever they go. The Vibration Army stands for using art and positivity as a way to make the world a better place.
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the loyd family
players
(saturday 5:05pm and all weekend)
(EVERYWHERE) Born in Chico, reared at Burning Man, and brought to urban fruition in Oakland's Mosswood Park and Lower Bottoms, the Loyd Family Players take the pulse of traditional Brazilian samba and twist it into a loud, sweaty, sexy muss that's all their very own. The ten-to-twenty-person coed percussion performance troupe swipes elements from hip-hop, dancehall, punk rock, drum n'bass, summer camp ... anything goes! With members hailing from such exotic locales as England, Brazil, Rome, Peru, Antarctica, St. Louis, and Long Island, the Loyds are a foxy, unstoppable (and unstoppably foxy) dance machine.
Dare to join them.
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