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Umphrey's McGee

"Umphrey's McGee stand revealed as consummate musical alchemists, deftly reconfiguring sounds from rock's vast panoply of styles." (Entertainment Weekly).

Fans who have followed Umphrey's McGee for any period of time know that there are only two guarantees: you never know what you’re going to get, and Umphrey’s always delivers.

How else can a band be relentlessly innovative in both music AND fan relations for 13+ years? The latest expected twist arrives in the form of their newest studio album (and first with ATO Records) ‘Death By Stereo’ (9/13), the follow up to 2009's ‘Mantis.’ ‘Mantis’ surprised fans with a collection of music never before played, and surprised the music industry with an innovative marketing campaign that catapulted the album PAST the Heatseekers chart, debuting at #62 on Billboard's “Top 200” chart without any radio play or television appearances.

‘Death By Stereo’s concise melodic approach and accessible songwriting is everything fans had hoped for, but not what anyone expected. ‘Death By Stereo’ is disarmingly straightforward. Sure, you can dance to it, but the clever arrangements, meticulously crafted chordal interplay, and virtuoso instrumentation put Umphrey's McGee in a category all their own.

“Our live show is malleable and every night is its own thing, where you never know where things are going to go,” keyboardist Joel Cummins explains. “People aren’t used to us playing three-and-a-half to four-minute songs back to back, so this album is a completely different experience than our live show, which is certainly something we were trying to do.”

Whereas this band’s stellar reputation is based on marathon concerts that mix original, technically demanding tunes with complex epics and, playful covers (ranging from Toto to Metallica), it has chosen the same kind of attention to melody, songcraft, and musicianship that make those artists stand apart. Umphrey’s chemistry, however, is something all its own, built upon a relentless live schedule of 100-plus shows a year, a solid base of musical training, and friendships that go back to when they walked in the shadows of the Golden Dome at the University of Notre Dame.

“The thing we realized pretty quickly is that music is secondary to our relationships,” guitarist/vocalist Brendan Bayliss points out. “If our relationships aren't strong, it heavily affects the music. Some bands don't speak to one another, they aren't friends, and I just don’t know how that works.”

While competition was admittedly slim when they formed at Notre Dame in 1997, the band immediately became a campus favorite. When Umphrey’s moved to Chicago, it brought its Fighting Irish bonafides with it, so its initial hometown Windy City shows were packed to the gills with South Bend alumni and friends. The underground network of tapers helped spread the word about the band, and the ND connection also served the guys on the road.

“The first time we went out west it was crazy,” Bayliss recalls. “It didn’t matter what town it was -- we knew somebody. I didn’t realize the reach of Notre Dame until after I graduated. I didn’t appreciate Notre Dame when I was there. Back then, I wouldn’t be caught dead in Notre Dame gear, but now I’m swimming in it and I wear it with pride.”

These days, the band plays for crowds from all over the US and beyond, and incorporates a sophisticated mix of cutting-edge technology, including a stellar light show. Its Stew Art concerts redefine live music as we know it, with fans texting to choose the direction of the band’s set, while the four-quarter UMBowls (each quarter has a different interactive theme) have quickly become landmark events not to be missed.

Umphrey’s tight-knit relationship with its rabid fanbase includes the band making recordings available of every live show since 2006, monthly podcasts, an extremely active presence on Facebook and Twitter, and digital “Easter Egg” hunts. This has led to a strong following throughout the U.S. and to successful international tours of Europe, Australia and Japan, where fans screamed out song titles even though they couldn’t speak a lick of English.

To date, the band has sold more than nearly 2 million tracks online and ‘Death by Stereo’ will only increase their reach. The album is produced by sonic wizards Manny Sanchez (Smashing Pumpkins, Fall Out Boy) and Kevin Browning, whose deep knowledge of analog and digital gear has helped the band craft its sound for years. With the band members also assisting with production, ‘DBS’ was recorded at Sanchez’s The IV Lab Studios in Chicago, with the exception of the raw Rolling Stones-y “Wellwishers,” which was done at Cinninger’s home-studio in Michigan.

The band now makes it a habit to keep at least some material fresh for the album, and the powerful one-two punch of multi-layered “Miami Virtue” and hard-charging “Domino Theory” do so on ‘DBS.’ Umphrey’s also offers a muscular studio version of “The Floor,” which was an indisputable hit of 2009’s Rothbury Festival where the band had 40,000 fans captivated. Moving from the Zeppelin-like groove of “Conduit” to the soulful “Booth Love” and the panoramic “Deeper,” ‘DBS’ reveals an incredibly broad range to the band’s songwriting.

Bringing it all back home for both fans and the band, the album closes with “Hajimemashite,” a song that’s title translates from Japanese as “nice to meet you” and whose origins can be traced all the way back to the band’s earliest days.

“Hajimemashite’ is one that we’ve been playing since our first show,” Cummins says. “It’s morphed and we’ve given it a unique studio treatment that captures its essence, but isn’t how we play it live. I think that will have some resonance with our fans. I like the idea of getting our fans excited with a mix of new and older material.”

One of the perks of Umphrey’s McGee is that it allows the band members to be fans themselves, having shared the stage with heroes like Huey Lewis, guitarist Stanley Jordan, John Oates, and jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, to name a few. Umphrey’s has even backed Lewis, gospel legend Mavis Staples and Sinead O’Connor for a classic version of “I’ll Take You There,” and they are regularly joined onstage by their peers.

“I can’t believe that we are 13 and half years in,” Bayliss points out with a mix of wonder and pride. “If someone told me that I would have been thinking: ‘No way! But sign me up. I’ll take it.’”

The Lumineers

IMP Presents

The Lumineers “Wesley Schultz, 9, who wants to be an artist, said, ‘I spend a lot of time on my drawings and it turns out good ’cause I’ve been practicing a lot.’” -The New York Times, 3/15/92

Twenty years ago, Wesley Schultz saw the future.

Back then, growing up in the New York City suburb of Ramsey, New Jersey, Wesley spent his days drawing. Today, as bandleader of The Lumineers, Wesley’s replaced his pencil with a guitar and his drawings with songs. He still practices a lot, and it still turns out good.

In the spring of 2005, childhood friends Wesley and Jeremiah began to collaborate, writing together and playing gigs around New York. After battling the city’s cutthroat music scene and impossibly high cost of living, the two decided to expand their horizons. They packed everything they owned—nothing more than a couple suitcases of clothes and a trailer full of musical instruments—and headed for Denver, Colorado. It was less a pilgrimage than act of stubborn hopefulness.

The first thing they did in Denver was place a Craigslist ad for a cellist, and the first person to respond was Neyla Pekarek, a classically trained Denver native. As a trio, they began playing at the Meadowlark, a gritty basement club where the city’s most talented songwriters gathered every Tuesday for an open mic and dollar PBRs. Neyla softened Wes and Jer’s rough edges while expanding her skills to mandolin and piano. And so The Lumineers sound took shape; an amalgam of heart-swelling stomp-and-clap acoustic rock, classic pop, and front-porch folk.

In 2011, an eponymous, self-recorded EP led to a self-booked tour, and before long The Lumineers started attracting devout fans, first across the Western US, then back in their old East Coast stamping grounds. Young, old and in-between, they’re drawn by songs like “Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love,” Americana-inflected barnburners in the vein of the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. They’re drawn by songs like “Slow it Down” and “Dead Sea,” slow, sultry ballads that suggest the raw revelations of Jeff Buckley and Ryan Adams. They’re drawn by the live Lumineers experience—a coming-together in musical solidarity against isolation, adversity, and despair.

The roots revival of the last few years has primed listeners for a new generation of rustic, heart-on-the-sleeve music—the kind that nods to tradition while setting off into uncharted territory. The Lumineers walk that line with an unerring gift for timeless melodies and soul-stirring lyrics

Powered by passion, ripened by hard work, The Lumineers have found their sound when the world needs it most.

Xavier Rudd

When he debuted in 2002 with the album To Let, Xavier Rudd began a journey that would see him become one of the most iconic voices in Australian music, literally and figuratively. With each new album, this journey has wound like a river making its way toward the ocean - twisting and turning, flowing and cascading as it relentlessly pushes forward.

Introducing himself as an artist of both imagination and conscience, To Let was definitive of Rudd's ability to marry uplifting music with thought-provoking themes and concepts. It was music that, one way or another, made you feel good. With an array of guitars, yidaki's (didgeridoos), stomp box and percussion, Xavier Rudd re-introduced a lot of Australians to the sounds and stories of the land's original owners, while introducing the rest of the world to an entirely new sound altogether.

Solace, Rudd's sophomore album of 2004, showcased the raw power of his songs by stripping them back to bare essentials. Recorded in Vancouver with friend and producer Todd Simko, Solace – far more than just a singer-songwriter album – captured the essence of Xavier Rudd's one-man-band dexterity. Rudd's spirituality permeated the songs on Solace with a masterfully emotional touch. Singles Let Me Be and Shelter captured a sentimental heart in wonderfully warm songs that resonated strongly with fans - the album debuting in the top 20 of the ARIA charts and having three of its songs voted into triple j's annual Hottest 100.

The next evolutionary step forward came a year later with the ARIA-nominated album, Food In The Belly. Once again recording in Vancouver, Rudd found a perfect middle-ground between the first two albums, but also introduced a more haunting and mournful sound to his repertoire. His ability to weave genres together had strengthened to the point where a once-undefined mixture of blues, reggae, indigenous and folk music was now simply his trademark.

The further into the world he travelled, the more Xavier Rudd's music became refined and seasoned with new influences. People were connecting strongly with what Xavier had to say, and what those words meant. Better People, the first single from the 2007 ARIA-nominated album White Moth, saw Xavier examine his position in this connectivity, singing 'and what I have could be a message / or just some words from my heart'... a recurring theme in Xavier's philosophies. Musically, however, it would be White Moth's edgier songs like Stargaze that would be the shape of things to come.

Released in 2008, and stunning fans with the heaviest musical departure of his career; Dark Shades Of Blue was unlike any previous Xavier Rudd album. Gritty, dark and incredibly dynamic, the album redefined Rudd as a lapsteel player and lyricist alike. While still deeply spiritual in his songwriting, Rudd presented a more introspective side on Dark Shades Of Blue that deeply connected with fans.

Returning to lighter shades for sixth album Koonyum Sun, by 2010 Xavier's music had, in a sense, come full-circle. Recorded as Xavier Rudd And Izintaba; Koonyum Sun featured a newfound collaboration with bassist Tio Moloantoa and percussionist Andile Nqubezelo, and saw Rudd return to his blues and roots foundations. Themes of love, respect and peace – a fixture throughout all of Rudd's work – were once again at the fore of his expression.

And so the journey continues....

Encompassing all of his musical and spiritual gifts; 2012's Spirit Bird is Xavier Rudd at his best.

Shaped by his history but continuing to break new ground, Xavier Rudd is at his most creative on Spirit Bird – once again painting breathtaking pictures with vivid, unmistakable tones. Hypnotic ceremonial rhythms ease effortlessly into tender folk songs. Gritty guitar blues sits perfectly alongside entrancing yidaki passages. Rudd's voice, and the voice of his ancestors, yet again bearing truth and knowledge.

At times Spirit Bird recalls the simplicity of Solace, and at others the electricity of Dark Shades Of Blue. There is the youthfulness of To Let, but the wisdom of Koonyum Sun. It is Xavier Rudd by every measure. And whether it is a message, or just some words from the heart; Spirit Bird is a defining moment in the evolution of one of Australia's most important artists. The moment where the river meets the ocean.

Nahko and Medicine For The People

Oregon-native Nahko, born a mix of Apache, Puerto Rican, and Filipino cultures and adopted into an American family, suffered an identity crisis from an early age. But the unifying power of music entered his life as a healing remedy, when he took up the piano at age six. Armed with his newfound talent, he set out to bridge the cultural gaps dividing his own psyche and began producing a public, musical journal of his journey toward personal, spiritual, and communal healing.

From his hometown of Portland to the shores of Hawaii or Bali, wherever he has traveled, Nahko is joined by a tribe of culturally alienated truth seekers for whom Nahko's story resonates with their own, and who find redemption in his voice, guitar, flute, and drum. Whether solo or with the dynamic group of musical troubadours known as "Medicine for the People," Nahko delivers a soulful dose of curative vibrations that moves audiences to dance, laugh, and cry. His 'spirited redemption music' lays bear the scars of cultural wounds, environmental wrongs, and social injustices. His lyrics bear the burden of heavy messages, but the load is lightened by agile melodies and driving rhythms that coerce all who bear witness into spirited, purifying, movement. His humor disarms, and his lyrical stories open listeners to the power of "Real Talk Music"—songs that reveal an honesty and depth so raw, it inspires an internal revival that echoes out into the world. Sometimes exuberant, sometimes savage, but always transformational, Nahko makes the movement move.

Acoustic & Electric Evening with The New Potato Caboose

"It all started in 1983 at Catholic University. Doug Pritchett, Don Laux, and John 'Red' Redling crossed paths. One saw another walking across campus with a guitar case, and each having long hair, kind of made an instant connection. So, in the dorm rooms and stairwells of Catholic U, these three started jamming and singing and they were all kinda blown away at how good it sounded and how easily they all fell in together. Thus, Wood 'n' Steel was born. An acoustic trio with three part harmonies playing everything from CSNY, the Beatles, the Dead, and Bob Dylan. Parties around campus turned into gigs at the Kerry to Derry pub.

Over the course of 1985-1986 drummer Chris Armenio, guitarist Rich Della Fera, and bassist Dana Smith became involved and the New Potato Caboose was born.

Back in the Day ... Did you know that bands like Widespread Panic, Blues traveler Dave Matthews, and Phish used to open up for NPC? The Caboose blazed a lot of trails up and down the east coast paving the way for a lot of jam bands who are really crankin' now. Cities including New York, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Boulder, Nashville, Atlanta , and Tuscaloosa were rocked and rocked hard by monthly recurring Caboose gigs that opened the eyes of college kids and club owners alike to the fact the rock & roll was still very alive and well and comin' to a town near you.

The hard work of Manager/Lyricist Mark Mondok, Booking Agent/Publicist/Promotion Director- Greg Robinson, and Promotion Assistant,Chris 'Lightnin' Rod' Lee, Road Manager Jimmy Paratore, and the excellent road crew of Jeff Wagner and Jeff Aquillia (sound), John Bartol (stage), and Chris Weber (lights) all worked behind the scenes in helping to make this band what it was. Of course the music was where it was at. Anywhere from 2 to 6 hours of driving, four and five hours of setup, and two hours of tear down was average for a standard three hour Caboose show.

A Benefit For Believe In Music featuring Dark Star Orchestra

Performing to critical acclaim worldwide for over 13 years and more than 1800 shows, Dark Star Orchestra continues the Grateful Dead concert experience. Their shows are built off the Dead's extensive catalog and the talent of these 7 fine musicians. On any given night the band will perform a show based on a set list from the Grateful Dead's 30 years of extensive touring or use their catalog to program a unique set list for the show. This allows fans both young and old to share in the experience. By recreating set lists from the past, and by developing their own sets of Dead songs, Dark Star Orchestra offers a continually evolving artistic outlet within this musical canon. Honoring both the band and the fans, Dark Star Orchestra's members seek out the unique style and sound of each era while simultaneously offering their own informed improvisations.

Dark Star Orchestra offers much more than the sound of the Grateful Dead, they truly encapsulate the energy and the experience. It's about a sense of familiarity. It's about a feeling that grabs listeners and takes over. It's about a contagious energy, ... in short, it's about the complete experience and consistent quality show that the fan receives when attending a Dark Star Orchestra show.

Dark Star Orchestra has performed throughout the United States and Europe. They continue to grow their fan base by playing at larger venues for two and even three nightstands as well as performing at major music festivals including Bonnaroo, All Good Festival, Gathering of the Vibes, Mountain Jam, Summer Camp, Wakarusa and 10,000 Lakes. In addition, Dark Star Orchestra hosts its own annual gathering, Gratefulfest, where they headline three nights and are joined by a mix of established and up and coming national touring acts.

Fans and critics haven't been the only people caught up in the spirit of a Dark Star show. The band has featured guest performances from original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, Vince Welnick, Tom Constanten and even toured with longtime Dead soundman, Dan Healy. Other notable guests have included Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish, Keller Williams, Warren Haynes, Steve Kimock, Peter Rowan, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and many more...

The Bridge

The fearless leaders of The Bridge have traveled an enormous distance to get where they are; all the way from living off-the-grid on a remote Hawaiian farm—in Kenny Liner's case—and chafing in the buttoned-down corporate world—in Cris Jacobs'—to making a formidable album that's fed by hometown roots and laced with wanderlust. It's called National Bohemian, a nod to both the Baltimore-based sextet's beloved local brew and their creatively rewarding but often unglamorous hard-touring lifestyle. It's also the work of a dexterous band of players to be reckoned with. And it's available February 1, 2011 on Woodberry Records/Thirty Tigers.

From the eleven new, original tracks, this much is clear: Jacobs (vocals and guitar), Liner (mandolin and beatboxing), Dave Markowitz (bass and vocals), Patrick Rainey (saxophone), Mike Gambone (drums) and Mark Brown (keyboards)—otherwise known as The Bridge—have come into their own, covering unbounded musical territory with no shortage of verve and striking a rare balance between high-quality songs and sharp instrumental interplay. They have the tools to see their expansive musical vision through, starting with the unorthodox nature of their lineup: string band elements powered by a plugged-in R&B- and roots rock-ready rhythm section, heated by keyboard and horn and, here and there, seasoned with syncopated beatboxing.

No less important is the fact that there are two distinct songwriting voices at the heart of the group—Liner's and Jacobs'. Says Steve Berlin, the forward-thinking Los Lobos multi-instrumentalist and producer who the band asked to helm the new project, "You get the two poles of Kenny and Cris being very different songwriters. Then you get also the wonderful places where they meet and interact and each affects the other. So you really get the nice Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards dichotomy."

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass is a dirty fightin', gator wrestlin', foot stompin' bluegrass-hip-hop project of Brooklyn based producer Rench, who has spent the last decade making gritty, soulful country hip-hop music that you will actually like.

Yeah, Gangstagrass did the theme song to Justified. Yeah, Rench and T.O.N.E-z got nominated for an Emmy for it. Yeah, this is real bluegrass pickers and real emcees making music. And yeah, we do it live too.

Star & Micey

It was a dark night, like many before it in Memphis, Tennessee. Joshua Andrew Cosby walked home from rehearsal with his guitar, case-less, slung over his back. A local homeless man flagged him down, not for money but for a story. He explained to Cosby how he had written a song about his ex-wife Micey. There, on that dimly lit street occurred an exchange, two men playing each other songs of heartbreak and the ultimate sacrifice. Upon parting ways, this man revealed his name to be Star. That name became the fixture for one of Memphis’ most inventive bands: Star & Micey. Its core members are listed as two brothers without the same last name, Geoff Smith and Joshua Cosby. It was merely coincidence that Cosby later met Nick Redmond at a local pub and began a relationship based on music and above all, brotherhood.

Wax Tailor

A multifaceted artist with three Victoires de la Musique nominations, France’s Grammy equivalent, Wax Tailor is one of the leading voices of the international post hip-hop and downtempo scenes. With 4 albums under his belt, as well as nearly 500 concerts in more than 50 countries, he entices fans worldwide with a unique musical blend of Hip-Hop, Soul and Funk enhanced by a sense of storytelling akin to a film director’s.

JC Le Saout, the man behind the Wax Tailor moniker, was a radio DJ in the 90’s who became involved in music production with the French Rap band La Formule. In the early 2000’s, Hip-Hop gave way to other interests and JC developed a musical project where the cinematic influence was beginning to show. In 2002, he launched the Wax Tailor concept with an EP, “Lost the Way”, that gained the attention of DJ’s and Journalists worldwide.

In 2005, his long awaited first album “Tales of the Forgotten Melodies” came out to critical acclaim and introduced a cinematic hip-hop that enswirled the listener in a world where Galt McDermott, Nina Simone or Public Enemy would share a dinner with the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. The album has never left the Electronic Album sales charts on iTunes since it’s release over 7 years ago, and is now considered a classic of the genre.

Over the course of his two next albums, Wax Tailor started diversifying his music, toying with a larger palet of influences, breaking the boundaries of musical genres, and collaborating with the likes of Soul Diva Sharon Jones, Spoken Word legend Ursula Rucker or the pop-folk phenomenom Charlie Winston. Wax Tailor had his first crossover hit single in 2007, when he paired with UK rappers A.S.M to create “Positively Inclined”, a throwback Hip-Hop anthem with an infectuous jazz groove that took over clubs as well as exercize classes and burlesque revues worldwide. The move towards a more organic sound, incorporating an increasingly wide array of styles and instruments culminated with 2009 launch of The Mayfly Orchestra, a series of sold out live concerts with the symphonic orchestra of the Rouen Opera.

In 2011 Wax Tailor started working on his most ambitious project yet: “Dusty Rainbow from the Dark”, a musical tale about the evocative power of music. Narrated by Don McCorkindale, who voiced the BBC’s serialized version of the classic TV show “The Avengers”, the album weaves together narrated episodes and songs, featuring the likes of Aloe Blacc, Shana Hannigan of Bitter:Sweet, Elzhi, and many more. This multicolored fable with an international cast takes us on a wandering path through psychedelic trip-hop and baroque hip-hop redefining once again the contours of Wax Tailor’s artistry. To create a unique live expericence around the album’s universe, Wax Tailor worked with a team of 20 directors to craft a multi-media experience that has sold out shows everywhere and will appear at over 50 music festivals over the summer.

Wax Tailor has collaborated with numerous artists, such as Sharon Jones, Aloe Blacc, Ursula Rucker, Keziah Jones, Charlie Winston, Alice Russell, Charlotte Savary, A.S.M, Mattic, Archive, RJD2, DJ Format, DJ Vadim, General Elektriks, Daedelus and many more... He has played live at the London Olympics and curated the Cannes Film Festival’s 60th Anniversary ceremony.

Buck 65

Ricardo Terfry is Buck 65. He’s from Mt. Uniacke, Nova Scotia, which qualifies technically as the middle of nowhere. When he started making music, he was terrified that his friends would find out about it and kick his ass. That was a long time ago. In the last 20 years, he has released and given away more than 20 albums and countless other stray songs.

Rebelution

Rebelution has developed into a front-runner for grassroots, independent and tour driven music groups. Originally formed in 2004, members Eric Rachmany (vocals / guitar), Rory Carey (keyboards), Wesley Finley (drums), and Marley D. Williams (bass) met in college, while residing in Isla Vista, a popular beachside community in Santa Barbara. New Orleans saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Khris Royal was recently added to the group. It was there that the seeds to Rebelution’s future were planted creating inspiring and engaging music that would leave their listeners with the sense that they have the power to make this world a better place. The band continuously tours across the USA, have ventured to South America, Guam, Hawaii, Aruba, New Zealand and Europe, and performed at Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits among others.

Matisyahu

Since first emerging on the international stage in 2005, Matisyahu has established a reputation for following his muse—from the stripped-down roots reggae of the gold-certified Live at Stubb’s to the trippy ministrations of Youth to the polished pop eclecticism of Light. Then, in 2010, he returned to the venerable Austin venue that introduced him for Live at Stubb’s II, demonstrating that all those travels had somehow only strengthened his connection to his musical bedrock. It was a whirlwind half-decade journey, one that earned Matisyahu a place in pop culture at large.

Collie Buddz

Collie Buddz, from the isle of Bermuda, has done something not impossible but something once seemingly very implausible. He’s become the most buzz-worthy current Reggae artist over the past few years. In the summer, 2007, Collie Buddz’ Columbia Records self-titled debut album stormed the charts entering the Billboard Reggae Chart at first position. The Reggae singjay became an international star when this album went on to debut across the world on every chart from Japan to Germany. With much of the production coming from Collie himself, he delivered a solid effort with contributions from Supa Dups, Shea Taylor, Bang Out, Screwface, Bobby Konders, and Crown N Kah-So-Real.

Zion I

At last! West Coast hip-hop stalwarts Zion I & The Grouch return with their sophomore collaborative effort Heroes in the Healing of the Nation. The long-awaited follow-up to the group's 2006 critically acclaimed Heroes in the City of Dope could not arrive at a more fitting hour. This time around Z&G raise the stakes to expand the playing field from City to Nation, inviting listeners everywhere to join them on their quest in channeling their highest selves. Amp Live provides the bulk of the banging backdrops as Zumbi and The Grouch consciously kill it with a well versed ease.

Lettuce

Celebrating their 20th anniversary as modern day rulers of old school funk, the seven-piece Brooklyn-based juggernaut Lettuce drops their third studio album Fly-a decidedly raging slab of relentless groove, hyper-charged syncopation and psychedelicized soul anthems. Having blown up stages from coast to coast last year, ranging from The Fillmore in SF to Terminal 5 in NYC, Bear Creek Music Festival to Camp Bisco and all points in-between, Lettuce entered Brooklyn recording studio The Bunker this winter with a fresh batch of road-tested material and a revitalized sound honed razor sharp by a year spent on the road.

John Scofield Uberjam Band

John Scofield's guitar work has influenced jazz since the late 70's and is going strong today. Possessor of a very distinctive sound and stylistic diversity, Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz, and R & B. Since touring with Miles Davis and recording with jazz greats, he has prominently led his own groups in the international Jazz scene, recorded over 30 albums as a leader (many already classics) including collaborations with contemporary favorites like Pat Metheny, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Mavis Staples, Government Mule, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano and Phil Lesh.

An Evening With Leftover Salmon

Looking back over the past 25 years of rootsy, string-based music, the impact of Leftover Salmon is impossible to deny. Formed in Boulder at the end of 1989, the Colorado slamgrass pioneers were one of the first bluegrass bands to add drums and tour rock & roll bars, helping Salmon become a pillar of the jam band scene and unwitting architects of the jam grass genre.

Though the lineup would change through the years, the foundation of Leftover Salmon was built on the relationship between co-founders Drew Emmitt (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin), Vince Herman (vocals, guitar,washboard) and Mark Vann (electric banjo). Following a decade of constant growth and constant touring, on March 4, 2002, Mark Vann lost his battle with cancer.

Vann insisted that the band carry on and Salmon did so for several years leading up to an indefinite hiatus in 2005. If Leftover Salmon had never played another note after leaving the stage in 2005, the legacy would have been secure; the members’ names etched in the books of history. But today, more than two decades after Salmon first took shape, the band has a new album, Aquatic Hitchhiker, due May 22 on LoS Records, a new banjo phenom named Andy Thorn, and a new lease on an old agreement. Leftover Salmon is officially back.

The 29-year-old Thorn grew up a Salmon fan in North Carolina and says the band helped him realize “this is what I want to do with my life.” Ironically, it’s his presence in the group that has given Leftover Salmon new life. “Andy’s a real young guy with a lot of great energy who plays in a way that definitely relates to Mark’s [Vann] playing and he’s a lot of fun to be around, it’s led to a real revival that just clicks on some hard to describe level” says Herman. “We’ve played with some great banjo players over the past few years, and not to say anything about them being less than great musicians, but there’s just something intangible about playing with Andy that kind of makes Drew and I look at each other and grin. This is what we’ve been missing as far as that feeling between Drew, Mark and I that used to be there.”

Produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, Aquatic Hitchhiker is Leftover Salmon’s first record in eight years and first ever of all original material. “Steve [Berlin] understood where this album needed to go and how we all needed to work together as a band to make it happen” explains Emmitt. Set for release on May 22, the recording process solidified the new Salmon, cauterizing old wounds and allowing fresh ideas to grow over past scars.

“The time is right for this band to come back on a lot of levels” says Emmitt. “It’s taken us a little while, but I think we’re finally there.”