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KDTU has electrified audiences around the world for over 25 years from the fields of Naeba in Japan at the infamous Fuji Rock Festival to the hallowed stage of Madison Square Garden where they previously joined the Dave Matthews Band and The Godfather of Soul, James Brown. From performing as Sexual Chocolate (Karl was in the original band in the movie Coming To America and its sequel) at the Outside Lands Music festival in San Francisco, to being the first late night act at the inaugural Bonnaroo festival, KDTU have been a dominating force in music for the past 25 years.
All-night, sold-out concerts during Jazzfest in New Orleans have featured sit ins by everyone from Lenny Kravitz & Steve Winwood (with whom Karl has recorded and toured) to avant garde luminaries Marc Ribot & Boyfriend. Chuck Leavell and Bernard Fowler (Karl’s bandmates in The Rolling Stones where Karl replaced the great Bobby Keys as saxophonist in 2014) have joined onstage and on record, as have Lukas Nelson, John Oates, Michael Franti, Warren Haynes, Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, Big Daddy Kane, Roy Hargrove, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Joshua Redman, Marcus King, and Bernie Worrell, among others.
Touring the country with the Allman Brothers, My Morning Jacket, D’Angelo, The Roots, Public Enemy, Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead, Parliament Funkadelic, Slightly Stoopid, Widespread Panic, very few concert goers have been untouched by the Tiny Universe live. In addition to KDTU, Karl Denson aka “Diesel” is a founding member of the seminal groove act The Greyboy Allstars.
Danielle Barker: Vocals
SNACKTIME is Philadelphia’s already beloved seven-piece band, blazing a path cut from their soul, funk, punk, rock, jazz, hip-hop, and R&B influences. Created during the height of the pandemic, the group began performing free shows in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square that combined their love of music, food, and togetherness. They quickly amassed huge crowds and became a symbol of positivity and lockdown release, while showcasing the richness of their city’s musical history and community. This progressed to sold-out headlining shows in Philly, NYC, Miami, and LA, plus performances at festivals including Life Is Beautiful (Las Vegas, NV), Sea.Hear.Now (Asbury Park, NJ), Sound on Sound (Bridgeport, CT), and Eric Andre’s 40th Birthday Party (New York City).
Performing "The Wall" in it's entirety
The Machine has forged a 30+ year reputation of extending the musical legacy of Pink Floyd. The New York-based quartet performs a diverse mix of The Floyd’s extensive 16-album repertoire, complete with faithful renditions of popular hits as well as obscure gems.
With stellar musicianship and passionate delivery, The Machine explores collective improvisation rivaling that of an early 1970’s Pink Floyd, while their use of expanded theatrical elements and elaborate stage displays and lighting continues The Floyd spirit of the 1980’s. The band is also known for recreating entire albums as a part of their show, accepting requests from fans, and for taking an A – Z approach in which one song is played for every letter of the alphabet.
The Machine has sold out theaters, premier showcase rooms and casinos across North America, Europe and Asia, performed at renowned music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Riverbend, and Gathering of the Vibes, and shared the stage with full symphony orchestras, including the Atlanta, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Charlotte and San Diego Symphonies, as well as the Buffalo Philharmonic.
The band features founding member Tahrah Cohen (drums), longtime bandmates Scott Chasolen (keys, vocals) and Ryan Ball (guitar, vocals), and newest member Chris DeAngelis (bass, lead vocals). The band continues on to celebrate the music of Pink Floyd and to honor the life of Joe Pascarell, who co-founded the band with Tahrah in 1988.
“They duplicate the sound and hits of Pink Floyd with chilling accuracy, and they play for a hell of a long time.”
Rolling Stone Magazine
“These guys are great!”
Spin Magazine
“The Machine look nothing like Pink Floyd, but that doesn’t matter – they sound exactly like Pink Floyd, and that’s what counts.”
Spin Magazine
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers — Spirit Trail: 25th Anniversary Tour
Based out of Williamsburg, VA, Hornsby first rose to national prominence with The Way It Is, his 1986 Grammy-winning debut album with The Range. The title track became the most-played song on American radio in 1987 while Tupac Shakur’s timeless song “Changes” builds on “The Way It Is” and set the stage for many subsequent versions of the track. In 1991 Hornsby collaborated with Bonnie Raitt, playing on her iconic hit “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
Additionally, Hornsby was a part-time member of the Grateful Dead from September 1990 to March 1992, performing over 100 concerts in America and Europe. The 13-time Grammy nominee has also solidified his status as a highly sought-after collaborator. Hornsby’s own 23 albums have sold over 11 million copies worldwide, and he has appeared on over 100 records including releases with Bob Dylan, Don Henley, the Grateful Dead, Stevie Nicks, Ricky Skaggs, Bob Seger, Chaka Khan, Bon Iver, Brandon Flowers, Bonnie Raitt, Sting, Mavis Staples, Willie Nelson and more. His most recent studio album, ‘Flicted, was released in May ‘22.
Everclear
Everclear, one of the leading alternative rock bands to emerge from the ‘90s, celebrated their 30th Anniversary in 2022, and founder, vocalist and guitarist Art Alexakis has made it clear that he has no plans to slow down. Since forming in 1992, Everclear has enjoyed a lengthy career by any measure, spanning 11 studio releases, including four that have been certified Gold or Platinum, selling over 6 million records, and achieving 12 Top 40 Hit Singles on Mainstream Rock, Alternative, and Adult Top 40 radio, including “Santa Monica,” “Father of Mine,” “I Will Buy You A New Life,” “Wonderful” and “Everything To Everyone,” as well as numerous videos, thousands of shows, and various other accolades, including a 1998 Grammy nomination.
Marcy Playground
90’s alternative rockers Marcy Playground celebrated their 20 year veterancy in the music industry in 2017. That year marked the anniversary of their 1997 self-titled debut album, which included the hit single “Sex and Candy”. In celebration of the anniversary, Slow Down Sounds released the album on vinyl for the first time ever. The album went platinum back in 1997, selling 1.4 million copies, while the radio classic “Sex and Candy” spent a then record 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.
Jimmie's Chicken Shack
Jimmie's Chicken Shack is an American alternative rock band from Annapolis, Maryland. They are best known for their single "High". In 1996 they signed to Elton John's Rocket Records and released two major-label albums, Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope and Bring Your Own Stereo. Both LPs enjoyed minor chart, radio, and MTV success and produced their best known hits "High" and "Do Right." After years of squabbling with their label and finally being set free from their contract, the band subsequently released two more albums independently, Re.Present and Fail on Cue
“Our band has so many different sides and personalities to it,” says Boy Named Banjo’s Barton Davies. “One minute we might be singing bluegrass harmonies around a condenser mic, and the next we’ve got these big, distorted guitars and pounding, rock and roll drums. This album feels like the first time we’ve been able to capture it all at once, the first time we’ve been able to bottle that live energy and share it on a record.”
Dusk, Boy Named Banjo’s exhilarating new album, is indeed an electrifying dose of lightning in a bottle, one that explores the full sonic and emotional spectrum of the band’s rich, eclectic sound, from late-night, feel-good, fall-in-love party anthems to stripped-down, introspective meditations on loneliness, loss, and letting go. The writing is keen and incisive here, artfully grappling with lust and longing, hope and heartbreak, regret and redemption, and the Nashville five-piece’s performances are nothing short of exhilarating, blurring the lines between Music Row and Laurel Canyon with lush harmonies and bold, cinematic arrangements. The result is a masterfully crafted, larger-than-life major label debut from a band that continues to grow by leaps and bounds with every release, an ambitious, emotional whirlwind that embraces the bitter with the sweet at every turn.
“We wanted to make a big statement with our first full-length release on Mercury,” says guitarist William Reames. ”Our influences have always been really broad and our sound has always been really wide-ranging, and we didn’t want to shy away from that. At the end of the day, this is who we are.”
Launched while Davies and Reames were still just students in high school, Boy Named Banjo got its start busking on the streets of Nashville, where a passing tourist inadvertently named the group by yelling, “Play that banjo, boy!” as Davies picked outside Robert’s Western World. Performing initially as a trio with fellow classmate Willard Logan on mandolin, the group began life as an old-school string band, but their sound quickly evolved into something more adventurous with the addition of bassist Ford Garrard and drummer Sam McCullough, who joined after returning home from college.
“We’re not a band that just got thrown together in the studio,” explains Reames, who splits songwriting and vocal duties with Davies. “We’re a group of best friends who’ve been doing this together since we were kids, and it shows in our music. We’ve spent a lot of time finding ourselves and our sound.”
That evolution is plain to hear across the group’s remarkable catalog. Their bare bones, self-released 2012 debut, The Tanglewood Sessions, helped earn the band a spot at Bonnaroo, while their more fleshed-out 2014 follow-up, Long Story Short, led to festival slots everywhere from Hangout to Dierks Bentley’s Seven Peaks, and their pop-tinged 2021 EP, Circles, landed them performances at the Ryman and the Grand Ole Opry alongside dates supporting the likes of Kip Moore, Hank Williams, Jr., Old Crow Medicine Show, and the Cadillac Three. With their star on the rise, the obvious next step might have been to chase a hit single at country radio, but Boy Named Banjo had bigger plans.
“We tour too much to live off one song at a time,” says bassist Ford Garrard, “so we decided to just quietly start cutting a full album on our own.”
Working out of a series of makeshift studios with longtime collaborator Oscar Charles (Charlie Worsham, Chase Rice), the band began laying down what would become Dusk in secret, experimenting with new sounds and recording techniques as they chased the freewheeling excitement and undeniable emotional impact of their live shows.
“We probably could have gotten canned for going rogue like that,” Reames confesses, “but when we invited our team to hear what we’d been working on, everybody came around and got onboard.”
Take a listen to album opener “Something ’Bout A Sunset” and it’s easy to hear why. “Something ’bout a sunset / Just before the world goes dark,” Davies sings over pulsating drums, his voice reveling in the promise of new love and infinite possibility. “The stars in your eyes / A fire in my heart.” Like much of the album, the track works its way to a soaring, ecstatic crescendo, rising and falling until it loses itself in a moment of complete and utter transcendence. The rousing “Young Forever” celebrates the joy in letting go and being present, while the explosive “Heart Attack” mixes rock muscle with country twang as it embraces the euphoria of lust and infatuation, and the rollicking “Whiskey Dreams” leaves its troubles and worries by the wayside.
“A lot of the tunes on this album are drinking songs,” says Davies, “the kind of thing you’d want to hear at a show with a beer in your hand. But on a deeper level, there are warning signs, all these little red flags you might be willing to ignore because you’re young and in love and having fun.”
Every party has to end sometime, and by Dusks’s conclusion, the writing is on the wall. The tender “Goodbyes Are Sad” aims to make peace with the inevitable, no matter how painful it may be; the resilient “Lonely In This Town” picks up the pieces after being left behind; and the aching “Opposite Directions” closes the album by cutting its losses and walking away.
“We wanted these songs to take you on a journey,” Davies explains. “You start out soaking in a sunset with someone you think you’ll be with forever, and by the end, you’re going your separate ways and coming to terms with heartbreak and moving on.”
Rather than tying things up neatly, Dusk ends on something of a cliffhanger, dangling by a thread in the face of the messy, complicated, confusing reality of growing up, of falling in and out of love all in the same night. But don’t worry: this story’s far from over, and Boy Named Banjo’s just getting started. Stay tuned for the next chapter…
Under the tutelage of legendary Jersey Shore saxophonist Screamin’ Steve Barlotta, The Sensational Soul Cruisers bring to you their Destination Soultown Show. This Concert focuses on iconic Classic Soul & Motown music from the period of time generally between the birth of Motown in 1960 to the release of Michael Jackson’s all-time selling Thriller Album in 1983.
Joined by 11 performers including a horn section, keyboardists, 4 vocalists and an incredible Rock & Soul rhythm section, the Destination Soultown Experience recreates a note for note and absolutely live choreographed duplication of these classic tunes, from the early pioneers of Motown, Stax Records, Carolina Beach Music and The Sound of Philadelphia. Sprinkled throughout the show you will hear the sounds of artists like : Four Tops, Temptations, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone, The Spinners, Earth Wind & Fire, Edwin Starr, Sam & Dave, Carl Carton, Otis Redding, The Delfonics, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, The Manhattans, Barry White, The Commodores, The Stylistics with many more soulful gems and surprises! The show touches on the crème de la crème of this vast catalogue from the Doo-Wop sounds of the Flamingos “I only have eyes for you” to very danceable “Ladies Night” by Kool and the Gang. With their multimedia video backdrop this show transcends generations making it one to be loved by all.
The Sensational Soul Cruisers are not just another 11-man vocal harmony group with horns. While it is still sometimes possible to find a band featuring a similar line up of instruments, it is unlikely that you will ever find another that performs with as much energy, passion, and talent as these guys. From their humble beginnings rehearsing in Freehold Borough at the chicken coops on Route 33 to the basement of the Cycle Shop on Throckmorton Street, this band has come a long way from its “Eddie and the Cruisers” days to become one of New Jersey’s best kept secrets.
Under the tutelage of legendary Jersey Shore sax player Screamin’ Steve Barlotta, who has been the captain of this fantastic soul cruise for over 30 years, who has catapulted this band from the recesses of a dingy basement to over 200 performances a year while capturing the true essence of the Jersey Shore sound and its true R&B roots. Fortunately for those of us that feel that the sound of classic Philly Soul, Motown, Disco, Stax, and the music of The Temptations, Four Tops, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, The Trammps and other such groups was and still is some of the best music ever recorded or played live, there will be plenty of chances to see the Sensational Soul Cruisers perform this year and for many years to come. While the band travels to and plays concerts in theaters, clubs, public festivals, and private events throughout the country, they will be spending quite a bit of time up & down the east coast this year.
Over the past 3 decades the Soul Cruisers have been fortunate enough to grace the stage with many great artist from Bruce Springsteen, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Gloria Gaynor, Gary US Bonds, John Cafferty, Southside Johnny, The Emotions, Bon Jovi, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder. As well as being the long time favorite house band at New York City’s famed Copacabana.
Band Members:
Screamin’ Steve Barlotta – Tenor Saxophone
Stan Tartas – Bass Guitar
Sir Michael Winstanley – Keyboards
Matt Curran – Drums
Dr. Steve Hyde– Trumpet
JC Rossetti – Guitar & Vocals
Gabriel Morris – Vocals
Michael Hartsfield – Vocals
Eric Barney – Vocals
Ronnie Wah Wah Anthony – Vocals
Pete Maurer – Trombone
Todd Rundgren on Tour
Fans never know what to expect from a Todd Rundgren show, which is a testament to his range as a musician. For example, his "The Individualist, A True Star" tour was named so because of its unique format: Along with a set of hits, Rundgren also performed a side of his seminal 1973 LP A Wizard, a True Star. In cities with multiple shows booked, the musician played a different side of the album each night.
No matter where Rundgren's creative muse takes him on a given tour, what stands out is his voice — an instrument that can handle both growling rock and blue-eyed soul — and his charismatic stage presence. Thanks to this versatility, Rundgren has also toured as part of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band and, as a solo artist, opened for Hall & Oates and teamed up with Joe Jackson for a co-headlining tour. In 2019, he joined forces with the Monkees' Micky Dolenz, Christopher Cross and Badfinger's Joey Molland for the "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles' White Album" tour.
Todd Rundgren in Concert
Todd Rundgren first broke into the music business in the late '60s with the band Nazz, for whom he wrote "Open Your Eyes" and "Hello It's Me." He then released several solo albums, including 1972's Something/Anything? (which featured a re-recording of "Hello It's Me") and then founded the rock band Utopia, a group that drew on prog, power-pop and new wave. In 1983, Rundgren released one of his best-known songs, "Bang the Drum All Day."
In addition to his own work, Rundgren is also a well-respected studio artist who's produced albums for Hall & Oates, XTC, Psychedelic Furs and Meat Loaf. Rundgren has also continued to release solo albums, including 2017's White Knight, which featured guest spots from Robyn, Joe Walsh and Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor.
Multi-platinum entertainer SARA EVANS is at the top of her game. As the fifth most-played female artist at country radio in nearly the last two decades — her five No. 1 singles include “No Place That Far,” “Suds In The Bucket, “A Real Fine Place To Start,” “Born to Fly,” and “A Little Bit Stronger,” which spent 2 weeks in the top spot and was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. Sara’s “stunning, country voice” (Rolling Stone) has earned her the prestigious Academy of Country Music Top Female vocalist accolade as well as numerous American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Association, CMT and Grammy Awards nominations. In addition, the CMA awarded Video of the Year honors for her hit chart-topping single, "Born to Fly" from her landmark double-platinum album of the same name. Evans’ discography also includes the platinum-selling studio albums Real Fine Place and Restless as well as the gold-certified projects Stronger and No Place That Far.
Sara has continued to forge her bold, creative path with Copy That, which opened at #1 on the iTunes Country chart, released on her own Born To Fly Records on May 15, 2020. The 13-song collection, spanning six decades, showcased Evans’ distinctive creative stamp on some of the most iconic songs in country and pop music, songs that have inspired her life and career, as well as shining a spotlight on some little-known gems. Copy That follows her critically acclaimed Words, which debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart in 2017. Last year brought album and touring collaborations with her children, Avery and Olivia Barker, for The Barker Family Band.
Sara released her memoir, Born To Fly, on September 8, 2020 through Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Named after her landmark double-platinum album, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, Born To Fly finds Evans opening up and sharing stories not only about her career and what it is like living in the spotlight, but about what inspires her and how her faith keeps her strong.
Sara Evans Web Links:
www.Twitter.com/SaraEvansMusic
Multi-platinum entertainer SARA EVANS is at the top of her game. As the fifth most-played female artist at country radio in nearly the last two decades — her five No. 1 singles include “No Place That Far,” “Suds In The Bucket, “A Real Fine Place To Start,” “Born to Fly,” and “A Little Bit Stronger,” which spent 2 weeks in the top spot and was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. Sara’s “stunning, country voice” (Rolling Stone) has earned her the prestigious Academy of Country Music Top Female vocalist accolade as well as numerous American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Association, CMT and Grammy Awards nominations. In addition, the CMA awarded Video of the Year honors for her hit chart-topping single, "Born to Fly" from her landmark double-platinum album of the same name. Evans’ discography also includes the platinum-selling studio albums Real Fine Place and Restless as well as the gold-certified projects Stronger and No Place That Far.
Sara has continued to forge her bold, creative path with Copy That, which opened at #1 on the iTunes Country chart, released on her own Born To Fly Records on May 15, 2020. The 13-song collection, spanning six decades, showcased Evans’ distinctive creative stamp on some of the most iconic songs in country and pop music, songs that have inspired her life and career, as well as shining a spotlight on some little-known gems. Copy That follows her critically acclaimed Words, which debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart in 2017. Last year brought album and touring collaborations with her children, Avery and Olivia Barker, for The Barker Family Band.
Sara released her memoir, Born To Fly, on September 8, 2020 through Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Named after her landmark double-platinum album, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, Born To Fly finds Evans opening up and sharing stories not only about her career and what it is like living in the spotlight, but about what inspires her and how her faith keeps her strong.
Sara Evans Web Links:
www.Twitter.com/SaraEvansMusic
Homegrown Music Series Presents Twin Creeks Stringband
Drawing deeply from local traditions along a southern stretch of the Virginia Blue Ridge, the Twin Creeks Stringband’s sound is one that is rooted and yet singularly unique. Their compelling combination of spirited string band dance numbers with classic song repertoire is a formula well-suited for entertaining crowds at dances and concerts throughout the region - and it doesn’t take long to understand why they are the perennial favorite of so many locals. With Chris Prillaman’s powerfully syncopated fiddling, Jason Hambrick’s soaring vocals and thundering guitar runs, and Jared Boyd’s ever tasteful banjo work, all anchored by Stacy Boyd’s impeccable groove on the bass, Twin Creeks Stringband embodies an ideal convergence of the best of Southwest Virginia’s musical traditions.
Is there another songwriter so fearless and inventive? Bending decades of pop music into new shapes, Neko Case wields her voice like a kiss and her metaphors like a baseball bat. She has cast the fishing net of her career wide—from Seattle and Vancouver to Chicago and Stockholm, setting up her home base on a farm in New England.
Gathering power year after year, Neko sings with the fierce abandon of a newborn infant crying in a basket in the woods. Since escaping the labels of country and Americana, the gorgeous train-whistle vocals of her early career sit submerged in her later style, where their ghost can appear any minute. When her voice jumps an octave, it’s almost visible, like sparks at night. “I never knew where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do with my voice,” she says, “but I just wanted to do it so bad.”
With a career spanning over twenty years, she has famously collaborated with The New Pornographers and Case/Lang/Veirs in addition to releasing many critically acclaimed solo albums, including ‘Fox Confessor Brings The Flood’, ‘Middle Cyclone’ and most recently 2018’s ‘Hell-On’.
New York, NY—June 5, 2024
Grand Central Publishing (GCP) announced today the forthcoming publication of THE HARDER I
FIGHT THE MORE I LOVE YOU, a memoir by acclaimed singer-songwriter Neko Case. Colin
Dickerman, VP and Editorial Director, Non-Fiction at GCP acquired the world rights from
Jennifer Gates at Aevitas Creative Management. The book will be published by GCP in North
America in hardcover, e-book and an audio edition by Hachette Audio on January 28, 2025 and
is now available to preorder at online booksellers everywhere.https://nekocase.ffm.to/theharderifight
Imaad Wasif
Imaad Wasif operates as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and dark poet, mixing surrealism in his lyrics with the modalities of East Indian music, Americana and psychedelic rock.
DTB offers everything you want in a roots band — songs that matter, a groove that makes you dance, an audience that spans generations, and a musical voice that evokes a sense of community. Dance in the Street, their first new album in five years, captures the dynamic energy that has earned the band the love and respect of their fans, “the Herd”, for thirty years.
Donna The Buffalo is well known for their lyrics about human potential and community. Throughout Dance in the Street, Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins, the band’s co-founders, share songs of social commentary and self empowerment. “We feel the album provides an enjoyable ride between the general and the personal, from both male and female perspectives,” says Puryear.
Puryear took it upon himself to write a topical song after a friend slyly commented, “We could use some songs like you used to write.” That off-handed remark led directly to “Dance in the Street,” which falls somewhere between Bob Dylan and Bob Marley.
Before the gold and platinum albums, before the MTV hits and critical renown, power-pop and alternative-rock pioneer Matthew Sweet was just a 13-year-old bass player sitting alone in his Nebraska bedroom, daydreaming of a life spent making music. “I was just starting to write songs and play a little guitar and I had this thought: I wonder if when I’m old and I’ve been around music a really long time, I might suddenly just be able to play lead guitar without ever properly learning how. Maybe if you just play a really long time, it just kind of comes together? And the funny thing is, it did. I’m able to.”
On Catspaw, his 15th studio album, due out January 15, 2021 on Omnivore Recordings, Matthew Sweet cranks his vintage amplifiers and steps into a role previously played by some of his generation’s most unique and incendiary lead guitarists from Richard Lloyd (Television) to Robert Quine (Lou Reed) and Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & the Voidoids). Though Catspaw is absent of his famous collaborators, their presence is felt in the mark they left on Sweet’s guitar work. His solos are audacious, confrontational, and inspired.
“I play free form,” he says. “Nothing is too labored over and that was important. It’s spontaneous. The more you can do that, the more organic it is.” He refined his style over decades of collaborating with great guitarists. “Richard’s [Lloyd] playing influenced me a lot — the ambition he has, that feeling when he just lets loose. I not only related to the approach, I related to it musically. I was also developing my ear over time. Now I can hear where I want a lead line to go.”
Catspaw is guitar-driven: 12 songs, lean and consistent, direct, and notably darker than Sweet’s recent song-cycles. Apparent in tracks like “Best of Me” and album-opener “Blown Away,” the inner-turmoil harkens back to the angst of 1993’s Altered Beast. But where Beast was the self-interrogation of an artist in his mid-20s, Catspaw is the confessions of a career artist, mature and assured in his craft and achingly transparent in his confrontations of aging and the search for meaning. “I’m trying to get my head around getting older, I want to let go, I want to tell the ugly truth … I want to do all kinds of different things in my head and they really popped out in these songs.”
In true Sweet fashion, Catspaw’s mischievous title was born from equal parts grappling with his own mortality and some television obscura from his childhood. “I learned the term from a 1967 Star Trek episode I adored as a kid. (The storyline features a gigantic feline villain). “Recently I heard “catspaw” again and started looking up definitions. I really connected to the idea of the certain and deadly inevitable — the pounce. Don’t ever forget life is totally cruel and the catspaw is already coming down on you.”
But despair is not the conclusion of Catspaw; one song, “Challenge the Gods” urges quite the opposite. “That song is about defiance. I’m saying, ‘to hell with fate and gods and things like that.’ Like Dylan Thomas said, ‘Rage against the dying of the light.’” Bolstered by a layer of chugging rhythm guitars, this pick-me-up anthem is his “I Won’t Back Down” — “Rise above, take your place / Punch the world in the face,” he sings.
Catspaw was finished just before COVID-19 struck, but tonally it feels right on time. “It really feels like the fruit of the pandemic,” says the artist. This is at least partially due to how it was written and recorded: aside from excellent drumming by longtime collaborator Ric Menck (Velvet Crush), this is Matthew Sweet’s first entirely solo effort. Sweet handles all of it: recording, mixing, Höfner bass, electric guitars, and Pet Sounds-like background vocals. Catspaw was recorded in his beloved home studio, Black Squirrel Submarine (named in part for the dark wooden interior). Prefiguring the quarantine and social distancing era, Sweet has created something whole and beautiful within the confines of isolation. It’s a testament to the potency of art-making in solitude.
“For me, being an artist is ultimately a solitary thing,” he allows. “I’ve taken comfort in that as I’ve grown older. Success and people come and go in life, but I know I will always be making music and that it continues to be fun and intriguing — that mystery of discovering what a song is going to become.” Catspaw is the latest product of a remarkably fertile period that began when Matthew and his wife returned to his native Nebraska in 2013 after two decades of living and working in the Hollywood Hills.
While recent efforts Tomorrow Forever (2017) and Tomorrow’s Daughter (2018) derive their strength from a diversity of textures and moods, Catspaw strikes with a uniformity of intent and focus. The soft, natural psychedelia of “Drifting” and “Hold on Tight” provide subtle shifts in landscape, while the longing of “Come Home” once again reiterates Sweet’s uncanny ability to capture the wavelike motion of heartache. Overall, these songs create a pleasing sensation of a prolonged, happy blur. The effect is reminiscent of Cheap Trick’s debut LP or Big Star’s Radio City, products of a bygone era of record-making when long-form flow and coherence — the exact amount of time it took to share a joint with a friend or build up the courage for that first kiss — were essential to a successful album.
It was this quality that found Catspaw a home on Omnivore Recordings. “They loved the wholeness of it,” says Matthew. “They understood it and for that reason I was really excited to give it to them.” Catspaw was mastered by industry legend Bob Ludwig.
Matthew Sweet’s journey began with a move to Athens, Ga. in the early 1980s at the urging of his pen pal, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. As a student at University of Georgia, he was immersed in the college town’s burgeoning alternative rock scene, playing in pioneering acts like Oh-OK and the Buzz of Delight. At 20, he left Georgia for New York City and a major deal with Columbia, where he released his debut solo album, Inside, in 1986. Earth, his 1989 follow-up on A&M, showcased a songwriter with extraordinary pop sensibility on the cusp of something greater. A year later, amid the smoldering ashes of heartbreak and divorce and an escape from New York to the outskirts of Princeton, New Jersey, Sweet composed the songs that became 1991’s Girlfriend, lighting the fuse for the creative triumph and commercial breakthrough that his longtime supporters in the industry knew to be inevitable. “When you’re young, you feel it differently. It’s life or death. I remember it so clearly.” Singles “Girlfriend” and “I’ve Been Waiting,” paired with their Japanese anime-laced music videos (a novelty to the American market at the time), won Sweet a lifelong international following. Altered Beast (1993) continued the hot streak with singles “Ugly Truth” and “Time Capsule,” while 1995’s 100% Fun single “Sick of Myself” reached #2 on rock radio, breaking him even wider.
Sweet continued to evolve over a string of well-received albums in the early 2000s. In 2006, he joined forces with Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs to record a series of covers from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, Under the Covers, Vol. 1–3. Sweet’s music has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and games, including Austin Powers, Guitar Hero II, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, and Scooby-Doo, among many others. Sweet was a lead consultant on Tim Burton’s Margaret Keane biopic Big Eyes in 2014.
And he’s still checking accomplishments off the list — Catspaw is the latest. “I realized after I’d finished the record that I had made it just after turning 55 and that was coincidentally the exact age I fantasized I would be all those years ago when I was hoping someday I’d be able to play lead guitar on my own album.”
Eric Gales grew up in a musical family with four brothers, two of them who learned to play the guitar upside down and left-handed in the same fashion that Eric does. Eric released his first record at Age 16 for Elektra records to an amazing response from the media and music fans around the globe. Guitar World Magazine’s Reader’s Poll named Eric as “Best New Talent,” in 1991. After recording a second record for Elektra, all three brothers teamed up for The Gales Bros. “Left Hand Brand” which was recorded for the House of Blues label in 1996.
Through the years, it would not be unusual to look out in the audience and see artists like Carlos Santana, Eric Johnson, B. B. King, and Eric Clapton, looking on with interest as Eric took his guitar and worked crowd after crowd into a frenzy. The new millennium presented fresh opportunities for Eric. He was signed to a deal with Nightbird Records which was affiliated with the Hendrix family and distributed through MCA/Universal. Under this deal, Eric recorded the critically acclaimed record “That’s What I Am” in 2001 and hit the road, mesmerizing fans around the world with his uncanny connection to his guitar.
As both an African-American left-handed guitarist of extraordinary ability and an expressive vocalist, it is natural for people to compare Eric to Hendrix. But Eric has developed a unique hybrid blues/rock sound that also draws upon influences as diverse as Albert King and Frank Gambale. A unique amalgam of styles, Eric Gales stands head and shoulders among other guitarists in his genre.
Mathias Lattin
Mathias Lattin won the 2023 International Blues Challenge and Best Guitarist at the tender of 20-years old; conceivably making him the youngest to win both.
The grandson of NBA Hall of Famer, David “Big Daddy” Lattin, he displays his talent on the stage not the basketball court. He is a 2020 graduate of Houston’s acclaimed Kinder High School of Performing and Visual Arts. He began his foray into the Houston Blues scene when he was 12 years old. Jonn Del Toro Richardson invited him to attend the weekly Blues jam he hosted at The Big Easy. He garnered national attention when he joined the Keeshea Pratt Band (IBC 2018) in 2020. After touring with the Keeshea Pratt Band and joining Brazilian Bluesman Cris Crochemore for the 2022 IBC, Mathias decided to take a shot at the IBC as front man.
Ashes & Arrows, a dynamic country/rock band born from the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, and alps of Arrowtown, New Zealand, is making waves with their captivating blend of strong harmonies, poignant lyrics, and infectious on-stage presence.
Drawing inspiration from NEEDTOBREATHE, Judah & The Lion, & The Avett Brothers, Ashes & Arrows craft songs that are both uniquely original and authentically heartfelt.
Thier musical journey began at an open mic night in downtown Asheville in 2021, where their individual music paths converged. United by a shared passion for music, Ciaran McMeeken, Benjamin Voigt & Jonathan Calhoun rediscovered the joy of performing and together found their collective voice.
Launching their debut EP, 'Forward,' in the fall of 2022, they have swiftly captured the attention of audiences worldwide. The EP has garnered thousands of streams, while their engaging videos have amassed millions of views on TikTok and Facebook. This early success is a testament to the band's compelling musicality and their adeptness at connecting with vast and diverse audiences.
Now, with an upcoming album produced by the acclaimed Jamie Tate in Nashville, TN, they aim to contribute meaningfully and playfully to the global music landscape, aspiring to make a positive impact through their distinctive sound, playful nature and sincere expression.
Ashes & Arrows are offering a harmonious blend of influences that promises to resonate far beyond their mountainous origin
ZOSO Celebrates 28 Years as America’s Premier Led Zeppelin Tribute Band
Over the 28 years and over 4500 shows since ZOSO came together as a group in the mid-‘90s, the
seemingly tireless quartet has continued to earn its well-deserved reputation as being, in the words of The
L.A. Times, “head and shoulders above all other Led Zeppelin tributes.”
ZOSO doesn’t cut corners on either the look or sound of Led Zeppelin. Instead, the band draws
liberally and meticulously from Led Zeppelin’s recorded live and studio output to present a vivid performance
picture of the classic live Zeppelin of 1968-1977. No wonder the St. Petersburg Times noted that, in addition
to their virtuosity and spot-on visual presentation, ZOSO is also “the most exacting of all the Led Zeppelin
tributes.” The Chicago Sun-Times put it even more succinctly: “[ZOSO is] the closest to the original of any
Led Zeppelin tribute.”
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music band that emerged from San Francisco's North Beach club scene in 1957. With their unique sound and rich tradition of American folk music, the Trio quickly rose to fame during the late 50s and early 60s, influencing the musical tastes of a generation. Their unprecedented record sales and worldwide fame cemented their status as one of the most influential bands in music history. Today, The Kingston Trio continues to inspire and entertain audiences with their timeless music and captivating performances.
Hosted by retired NCIS Special Agent Joe Kennedy, Cold Case Live is an evening for True Crime fans nationwide - in depth
insight into some of America’s most notorious cold cases.
Prepare for an evening of shocking revelations and first-hand investigator insight as our host walks us through the process of solving a cold case. Over a 90 min period, our host will delve into four crimes - two that have been solved and two that remain unsolved. The first three are well known - The Zodiac Killer, The Golden State Killer and The Black Dahlia.
We will explore the reasons these cases went cold for so long and what happened to bring them back to life. The fourth is a case that has remained cold and is less well known and will remain a mystery.
This is a show that will be full of shock revelations, audience interactivity and amazing insight. In a time
when True Crime has never been more popular, this first-ever event will explore the depths of cold cases
like no other event before.
Also available (additional ticket required)
Meet & Greet Package - $100 (this is an add-on. This does not include your ticket (ticket to the performance must be purchased first)
Music is a powerful means of expression, and rarely has a young performer displayed better command than singer-songwriter Maggie Rose. Unencumbered by genre, she does everything completely and with unflinching honesty. Showcasing a strong, warm voice that is alternately playful or poignant, her gift for penning insightful songs and delivering them with emotional punch is evident. Known for her blend of rock, soul and Americana-folk stylings, she has crafted albums filled with potent songs, each one anchored by her riveting vocals.
A 7-foot clown walks into a bar. He motions for a soda water and sits there staring at his drink. The year was 1998 and Puddles had wandered into the Star Community Bar in Atlanta, GA where bartender Big Mike Geier first laid eyes on the sad, silent clown.
“There was a heaviness about him,” says Geier. “I could tell he wasn’t in the mood to chat, so I pretty much left him alone except to pass him the mustard when he pulled an onion and a heel of bread out of his pocket. A couple weeks later, he came by the bar and gave me a flyer to a show he was doing at a flea market. The sound system at that flea market was crap, but his voice was something else. I’ve been in my share of bands and wasn’t expecting much from a clown singing karaoke from a boombox. But I’ll be damned if his singing didn’t get me all choked up.”
The two soon became close friends, with Big Mike acting somewhat as a confidant, and the pair travel all over with Puddles Pity Party, Mike speaking on behalf of Puddles since the clown chooses to stay silent.
Originally from River City before kicking around Atlanta, the sulking serenader gained momentum after hitting the road as guest performer on the 2010 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live tour and 2013 Eels tour and making special appearances at Seattle’s Teatro ZinZanni and NYC’s Sleep No More.
It was Halloween 2013 when Puddles then collaborated with Postmodern Jukebox to record an epic version of Lorde’s hit song “Royals,” which instantly went viral on YouTube, having received over 34 million views so far. You may also recognize Puddles as quarter-finalist from Season 12 of America’s Got Talent and most recently on AGT’s The Champions 2020. The “sad clown with the golden voice” has captivated audiences and media from around the world, building a fan base of more than 495,000 on Facebook and nearly 900,000 subscribers to the Puddles Pity Party YouTube channel.
Puddles has since performed around the planet, garnering rave reviews at festivals like Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Perth Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Fest, Belgium’s Gent Fest, Just For Laughs, Festival Supreme, Outside Lands, SketchFest and the Kennedy Center’s District of Comedy Festival. And he has sold out shows all over from Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, Revolution Hall in Portland, The Fonda in L.A., The Vic Chicago, Wilbur Theatre Boston, Gramercy Theatre NYC and Soho Theatre London. Puddles was a feature performer in La Soiree’s 2014 Southbank show in London, which won the Olivier Award. He was handpicked by Neil Patrick Harris to perform Just for Laugh’s “Circus Awesomeus,” gala filmed for HBO Canada and in 2019, he enjoyed a Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace.
In 2020, with touring and live concerts halted in the wake of the pandemic, Puddles stayed busy producing more than a dozen episodes of his Still Sequestered Show, a musical variety show online series that features lots of special guests like Jack Black, Weird Al, Penn Jillette, Tim Heidecker, Mark Ryden, Neil Hamburger, Rebekah Del Rio, Sid Krofft, Michael Des Barres, Petra Haden, David Dastmalchian, Cait O’Riordan, Michael Stipe, Patton Oswalt, Nicole Atkins, El Vez, Mastodon, Amy LaVere, Jake La Botz and Jolie Holland. You can watch these episodes via the Video On Demand page of this website.
In 2022, Puddles performed a duet with the iconic Eric Idle in Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon filmed for CBS and was a surprise guest on the Season 4 finale of ABC’s The Conners. He also toured with Tenacious D and landed the coveted John Lewis Holiday advert in the UK with a cover of “All the Small Things” that he recorded with Postmodern Jukebox. In 2023, Puddles was a performer on The Joco Cruise and later that year, Puddles sang “Maids Can’t Mop Up Memories” on Neil Hamburger’s star-studded album Seasonal Depression Suite. Another notable Neil, Mr. Gaiman, featured Puddles as guest performer in his specially curated gala for The Art of Elysium in Los Angeles in 2024. And Tool’s Maynard James Keenan invited Puddles to perform on stage with him during the Sessanta Tour.
“Puddles gives an emotive performance that resonates with all kinds of folks,” says Geier. “The crowd really responds to him. There’s something about a giant sad singing clown that comforts us, let’s us know it’s ok to feel, to show our feelings. It’s a sad and beautiful world, and we’re all in it together, even when we’re totally alone.”
Take a journey back in time to the life and music of “The Man in Black” performed by Cash Unchained. The band has been nationally sought after while touring all over US bringing the sights and sounds of the legendary Johnny Cash.
Johnny Cash may not have been the greatest singer or musical technician, but his sound was unforgettable. Steady like a train, sharp like a razor, with the perfect blend of country, rock ‘n’ roll, and folk music, Cash paved the way for artists of all genres for years to come. Without Johnny Cash, we wouldn’t have some of the finest music we’ve all enjoyed over the past 6 decades. Performed by some of the finest musicians in the state of Virginia, James Tamelcoff III captures Cash’s trademark baritone voice, while his band delivers the infectious, driving rhythm of the Tennessee Three.
“This is a band you know would be killer live”
-Robin Hilton, All Songs Considered, 2024
Established in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Palmyra explores the fusion of traditional folk string instruments, lush harmony, and earnest songwriting. The trio, now based in Richmond, captures the collective spirit of three Virginia natives: Teddy Chipouras, Mānoa Bell, and Sasha Landon. Often described as a distant cousin to The Avett Brothers and The Wood Brothers, Palmyra nods toward Appalachian and Midwestern Americana, with intricate arrangements that create the illusion of a full, larger-than-three ensemble.
The breakout folk trio has worked diligently to cement themselves as an unmistakable force in the Americana music landscape at large. Their forward momentum is propelled by their craftsmanship and dedication to an intimate performance experience; at the heart of the Palmyra is the evident love and regard that the three musicians share for each other and their craft.
Palmyra has directly supported Watchhouse, Mipso, and Illiterate Light, and has won honors and recognition from institutions including the historic Newport Folk Festival, American Songwriter, The Boston Globe, NPR, Under The Radar Magazine, Americanafest, and Merlefest. They were named one of NPR’s “Best New Artists of 2024”.
Shinyribs defies genres as a sonic melting pot of Texas Blues, New Orleans R&B funk, horn- driven Memphis Soul, country twang, border music, big band swing, and roots-rock. The Austin-based nine-piece (sometimes 10-piece) supergroup is led by Kevin Russell, the charismatic frontman with colorful suits and extravagant shoes who continuously swaps out an electric guitar for a ukulele and never falls short of creating a cinematic experience with on- stage antics that often include him donning a light-up cloak or leading a conga line through the crowd.
Shinyribs was named ‘Best Austin Band’ at the Austin Chronicle’s Austin Music Awards in 2017 and 2018.
DISCOGRAPHY:
Well After Awhile (2010)
Gulf Coast Museum (2013)
Okra Candy (2015)
I Got your Medicine (2017)
The Kringle Tingle (2018)
Fog & Bling (2019)
Late Night TV Gold (2021)
Transit Damage (2023)
Grace Bowers was baptized by rock ‘n’ roll music. She cut her teeth on sweat soaked stages inside dive bars and found fellowship in the divine playing of B.B. King. She once studied six-string scripture – written by Slash and Leslie West – for hours a day, mastering her favorite riffs on a ‘61 cherry-finished Gibson SG.
As an up-and-comer in Nashville, Dolly Parton recruited her for a network television special and Tyler Childers requested that she join him on stage. She’s played with a who’s-who of three-chord storytellers and guitar-pickin’ torchbearers – Lainey Wilson, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Susan Tedeschi, to name a few.
And she’s not yet old enough to graduate high school. Phenom? Wunderkind? … Prodigy? No matter what label may be pinned to Bowers, she’s just a teenager who’s putting her faith in rock ‘n’ roll – one song at a time.
“[It’s] a cool thing,” Bowers said. “It blows people’s minds that I’m a 17-year-old girl, playing guitar. And as much as I hate being labeled as that, it’s true.”
But Bowers isn’t just a sought-after 17-year-old guitarist storming jam sessions with her Gibson and a gold-blonde mop of shoulder-length curls, of course. She’s a bandleader and songwriter preparing to leave her mark on some of the biggest stages in music. Her debut album, Wine On Venus – produced by ace guitarist and songwriter John Osborne (of hitmaking country group Brothers Osborne) – hits turntables and streaming services later this year.
Listeners get a first taste of the album on lead single and standout number “Tell Me Why U Do That,” where Bowers and her band – affectionately called The Hodge Podge – deliver a throwback, feel-good tune that comes jam-packed with funk grooves, soul-inspired melodies and a stop-you-in-your-tracks guitar solo. It’s the type of song that dares listeners not to stand up and sing along.
Bowers co-wrote “Tell Me Why U Do That” alongside Osborne and his singer-songwriter wife Lucie Silvas, plus Nashville artist-songwriters Meg Mcree and Ben Chapman.
“I hope this is the one that gets stuck in people’s heads,” Bowers said, with a laugh.
“Tell Me Why U Do That” and the rest of Wine On Venus showcases Bowers’ journey from a teenager who livestreamed bedroom practice sessions on Reddit – sometimes to 20,000+ viewers, no less – to a bona fide album-maker with more than 200,000 followers on Instagram. She picked up the acoustic guitar as a nine-year-old obsessed with so-called “cheesy” hair metal videos. A few years later, her fandom progressed to blues music after she stumbled across B.B. King while shuffling through radio stations in her mom’s car. The proverbial floodgates opened, leading her to discover essential blues artists Mississippi John Hurt, T. Bone Walker and others.
A native of Northern California, Bowers and her family relocated to Nashville two-and-a-half years ago, weeks before her freshman year of high school (Bowers now studies online). Not yet old enough to drive, she continued to grow her audience on social media, becoming a Gibson-endorsed artist by age 14.
She found her way to performing live, taking her skills to dive bars and pay-at-the-door rock clubs before graduating to guest spots at Newport Folk Festival, Nashville’s Big Bash New Year’s Eve concert and her own fundraising gig for victims of the city’s Covenant School shooting in 2023, among others.
How did one teenager cover so much musical ground in such a short time? “Lots of practice,” she said. “Lots of cutting teeth. Lots of not saying ‘no’ to people when I should’ve. Just being stubborn and persistent. I have worked my ass off to make this happen. Just hard work.”
On the album, Bowers and The Hodge Podge graduate from traditional rock and blues influence to sounds inspired by Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone, she said. The group takes its name from a mixed bag of players that Bowers would invite to share the stage with on a given night. Despite now being a solidified group, the name stuck. The Hodge Podge includes vocalist Esther Okai-Tetteh, bassist Eric Fortaleza, drummer Brandon Combs, guitarist Prince Parker and keys player Joshua Blaylock.
Bowers co-wrote most of Wine On Venus in songwriting circles – a creative exercise that took her “a hot second” to comfortably navigate. But listeners wouldn’t know a first-timer was behind much of Wine On Venus; that’s clear on “Holding On To Something,” a savvy and confident number anchored by a riff Bowers began toying with years ago, she said. The song features a slow-building solo that culminates with harmonized playing and a high-flying howl from Okai-Tetteh.
“I never forgot [that riff] and I was jamming on it one day with a friend of mine. We were writing some lyrics to it and we called over Esther,” she said. “This was the first time we had ever written [together]. It turned out to be that song.”
And Wine On Venus features a cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Dance To The Music” that takes on a Hodge Podge twist.
“It was just fun,” Bowers said, recalling the cover session with a laugh. “If you listen to it, you can hear all of our voices in the background throughout the entire song, which I thought was a cool thing to keep in. That one took us a couple hours to knock out. It was a fun, easy song.”
This year, Bowers and the band take Wine On Venus on the road for a run of dream-making festival shows, including slots at BottleRock Napa Valley, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Bourbon & Beyond and Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, among others.
But a booked schedule doesn’t mean Bowers isn’t already thinking about the next project. Like most people who believe in something, she wants to find out where this rock ‘n’ roll journey leads her.
“I love it,” she said. “Seeing where I can go with it, I still have so much to learn.”