HGMN Bands

Athens, GA based eclectic rock band The Orange Constant (TOC) will be self-releasing their 2nd full length album Point of Reference on Fri. March 24th, 2017.  The album was recorded at Chase Park Transduction in Athens during October - December 2016 with Drew Vandenberg (discography includes of Montreal, Mothers, Kishi Bashi), and was mastered by Joe Lambert (catalog includes Animal Collective, Local Natives, The Black Crowes). Containing songs written over a span of four years, Point of Reference displays a striking maturity in TOC's songwriting. Compared to their debut album Time to Go, this release embraces more risk taking in the studio fueled by Vandenberg's experimental leanings. Although TOC has been labeled a jam band in the past, this release demonstrates that they are more likely to be inspired by 70's AOR and contemporaries like My Morning Jacket than Phish. 

Lead singer and guitarist Andrew Brantley reflects on the album's sonic achievements.  "I think the sound quality is great, and I'm glad we were able to use some vintage gear. Having a real Wurlitzer, Rhodes, and clavinet added to our textural options when we were recording. Drew [Vandenberg, producer] pushed us to experiment with guitar tones and condense arrangements, and the product was better for it." 

Wade has been parading the east coast for a solid decade bringing his unique show to many coastal waterfront venues as well as music festivals and college towns. Though hard to pinpoint a specific genre of music, he is best described as a "One-Man-Caribbean-Jam-Band".

Shortly after the turn of the millennium, Wade dropped out of college, moved to the beach, permanently kicked off his shoes, and began a new life of playing music full time. He bounced around playing in several bands until he saw a Keller Williams show, which inspired him to get a loop pedal and take a different approach to music. After a few years of no footwear, locals started calling him "Barefoot Wade" and club owners started taking the liberty of using that name for advertisement purposes. Realizing that this was a good thing, Wade just went with it, thus completing his metamorphosis.

Barefoot Wade spent a few years mostly just playing area beach bars until 2005 when he released his first album and started expanding his horizons. Since then he has released 3 albums (including a recent 2 disc "Live Album") and has been touring from West Virginia to Key West along with a quick stint in the Caribbean.

Wade considers himself a nomad as he spends most of the year on tour, however he regards the tiny and blissful North Carolina island of Ocracoke as his home base. 

Their live shows are filled with captivating ambiance and sonic textures. Having soft guitar mixing with tantalizing keys, and tempered percussion propelling heavy dropping bass lines, Imperial Blend will keep you moving during the entire show. Since they began playing shows in March 2011 they have gained a steady following and a lot of love.

Brennan Fowler - Keys/ Synth
Chris Teague - Guitar
Dave Teague - Drums/Percussion
Ethan Riffe - Bass/ Synth

They have shared the stage with such bands as Zoogma, Dopapod, The Mantras,The Heavy Pets, Jimkata, Big Something as well as having the privilege to play sets at Camp Barefoot, Gnarnia, Mantrabash, and many others

Groove Fetish was assembled in Wilmington, NC in 2012.  Since their formation they have been evolving their sound into something refreshingly original.  The line up consists of Clay Crotts (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Andy Blair (lead guitar/vocals), Ethan Schilf (bass guitar), Jason Woolwine (piano/organ), and Andrew Massey (drums).  Groove Fetish’s writing style allows the songs to organically come together without putting composition or genre restrictions on the music.  

The genres that are most commonly recognized in their sound are Rock, Jam, Jazz, Funk, and Soul.  Groove Fetish combines driving rhythms, seductive melodies, incredible solos, and seamless song transitions to create an unforgettable live experience.  Top that off with soulful lead vocals and powerful vocal harmonies, and you'll have the band Groove Fetish.  They have been writing, traveling and performing relentlessly, winning over audiences in the southeast.  This year they'll continue to build a fast growing fan base through live performances in new cities and at music festivals as they prepare for the release of their first full length studio album.  So keep your eyes open and your dancing shoes on... Groove Fetish will soon be coming to play a festival or venue near you!!!

Hailing from the streets of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, Urban Soil weaves Americana, rock and soul into their explosive live shows and tightly polished albums, Dig Deeper and Live from the Deepwoods, the latter featuring their highly anticipated single and subsequent video, “Gotta Go.” The track thoroughly displays the uncompromising energy that Urban Soil is consistent in delivering, and likewise exemplifies the band’s skillful-yet–visceral sound. They have the unique talent of displaying the energy of their live shows on to their studio recordings, resulting in an electrifying experience with every listen.

Influenced by early roots elements, Urban Soil uniquely fuses those sounds with a fresh take, delivering a blend of raw, nostalgic foundations with a modern and glistening slant.

Front-woman Sarah Reinke brings her old-soul vocals to the stage and studio with passionate style. Rounding out her talents on guitar and washboard, Reinke pulls you in instantly. Guitarist and vocalist, Eric Chesson delivers forceful and driving components with every lick, and offers steadfast vocals. Greg Meckley’s skillful violin and mandolin playing blends tight layers and bright sounds that solidify the band smoothly against driving guitars. Holding down the rhythm section, Gabe Fawcett and Ben Hunter provide a concrete foundation on drums and bass respectively.

Urban Soil is a working band steadily increasing their fan base with every fiery live performance and album sale. Embracing their much-deserved success, they stand out as a band to watch among the region’s fertile hotbed of music. Urban from the city streets, and Soil from the grainy roots, this band soars into the clubs and airwaves with every component of their unwavering approach to Americana.

One of Relix Magazine’s “On The Verge” picks, THE GET RIGHT BAND is “hip-shaking, earthquaking pure funk fun” (The Alternate Root). Combining catchy, clever songwriting with musical expertise and fearless improvisation, the live show promises to make you shake everything you’ve got. From funk to rock n’ roll to reggae, this is a dance party. This is an ass shaking good time.

“The Get Right Band is a three-piece with the musical energy and power of The Police,” says Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle. Martin Anderson of WNCW radio comments that “The Get Right Band is one of those acts that make Asheville’s music scene so vibrant and exciting. They lay down some very cool grooves.”

The band is built on the musical brotherhood that guitarist/vocalist Silas Durocher and bassist Jesse Gentry have formed playing music together since middle school. With the addition of Jian-Claude Mears, a powerful and dynamic drummer, the group’s sound has become an unstoppable force. The Get Right Band has been touring the East Coast and the Caribbean heavily since their inception in April, 2011, playing such legendary festivals and venues as FloydFest (Floyd, VA), Music City Brewers Fest (Nashville, TN), All Go West Fest (Asheville, NC), Steppin’ Out (Blacksburg, VA), The 8x10 (Baltimore, MD), The Orange Peel (Asheville, NC), The Pour House (Charleston, SC), The Green Parrot (Key West, FL), Skipper’s Smokehouse (Tampa, FL), LiveWire (Savannah, GA), The Beach Bar (St. John, US Virgin Islands), and many more. The band has rocked hard and jammed relentlessly every step of the way.  

The band released their hotly anticipated new album, Bass Treble Angel Devil, on September 12, 2014. The hour-long juggernaut of high-energy tunes, bold and witty lyrics, and adventurous production approach melds funk, rock, and reggae into a dance party album that will have listeners singing along and shaking their booties from track one.

The Get Right Band’s debut CD, Shake, was released in February, 2013. Hittin’ The Note Magazine says the disc is “fun, full of energy and excitement, and should be listened to with the volume turned all the way up.” The rock n’ roll album features stripped down but creatively layered and produced performances of the band’s original tunes. It’s “groove with rock melodies built on funk attitudes,” says The Mountain Xpress. From the seductive blues of “Voodoo Doll” to the dance party vibe of “Chromaticize” to the Caribbean influenced “Touch The Holy,” (inspired by the band’s Caribbean tours) Shake’s “impressive stylistic range manages to all fit within the band’s distinctive image” (WNC Magazine). The Grateful Web writes that the disc is a “tasty mix of hip-swinging selections that leaves the listener thirsty for more.”  

The members of The Get Right Band have played with many of the East Coast’s greatest acts, including Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, Woody Wood, Josh Phillips, The Artimus Pyle Band, Scrappy Hamilton (now Truth & Salvage Company), Afromotive, and Royal Trux (Virgin Records), and have shared the stage with national acts such as Galactic, Victor Wooten Band, Mike Dillon Band, Jeff Sipe Trio, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Jeff Coffin’s Mutet, Larry Keel, and Bobby Lee Rodgers.

Dixon (guitar/vocals) is a graduate of the acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied performance and songwriting. The David Dixon Trio (DDTrio) has been performing in the Southeast since 2011 and have recently released their debut full-length album. Comprised of rock and blues with funk and reggae undertones, as well as a couple of beautiful acoustic-based tracks, this album is a symphony of flavors for the true music lover and delivers something for everyone. Think the Black Keys and Jack White meets Stevie Wonder, with some Allman Brothers sprinkled on top. Evan Bartley adds pocket-based bass grooves and smooth background vocals while Carl Cox holds everything together tastefully on the drums. The DDTrio is excellent in the studio and exceptionally tight, electric and adventurous live. 

The Oyster Bay, New York-based quartet has received accolades from a number of tastemaking authorities, including an “On The Verge” feature in Relix Magazine and frequent rotation for the singles “Mindshift”, “Sweet Revenge”, “Dead Signal” and “In the Basement of the Alamo” on Sirius XM Jam On. Despite their years of experience as a musical unit, the quartet is a young promising band that Jambase calls “a guaranteed quickly-ascend band.” The Washington Post describes the band by saying: “TAUK's instrumental music melds genres and styles, creating a hard-charging, often melodic fusion that - thanks to a penchant for improv - offers limitless possibilities" and The Deli Magazine singles out the band’s compelling melodic sense through explaining: “the quartet has a rare ability to channel emotional melodic leads, and all without a lead singer."

The band’s latest album, Collisions, is a breakthrough in that it finally captures the essence of TAUK’s entrancing live shows. It’s a thoughtfully composed album with captivating hum-along melodies, but this time the band was able to road test the songs, allowing the recorded versions to reflect the group’s adventurous improvisations. The 10-song album spans delicate ethereal textures, highly imaginatively funky drumming, labyrinthine arrangements, and fiery solos—often in the same song.

“We called it ‘Collisions’ because it calls to mind how, when things come together, it is often explosive and leads to something completely different,” bassist Charlie Dolan explains. Alric "A.C." Carter, keyboard-organ, adds: “It also evokes how we are very different as people, but within the band, we find a way to work together and compliment each other’s musical ideas as an egoless unit.”

On Collisions the band worked with longtime collaborator Grammy-winning producer Robert Carranza (Mars Volta, Jack Johnson). Carranza helped the band find the optimum mix of song structure, breathing jam sections, and warm & clear fidelity. Also enhancing the experience of Collisions is the album’s stunning puzzle-like cover art done by Jeff Jordan, graphic artist who previously worked with Mars Volta, among others. The album’s deconstructed and post-modern abstractness perfectly reflect the sonic character of the music. Alric "AC" Carter explains: “In the artwork it’s clear to see there are many parts that build the entire picture. It’s like a song where some parts play supporting roles and other sections instantly grab your attention. However, the most important aspect is the bigger picture."

TAUK has built a dedicated and loyal fanbase through tireless touring. Festival highlights include Bonnaroo, The Hangout Music Festival, Summer Camp, LOCKN’, Hudson Project, FloydFest, Bear Creek, Art Outside and The Allman Brothers' Peach Fest. TAUK’s broadly appealing musicality has allowed the band to be direct support to such diverse artists as The Funky Meters, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Papadosio, Lettuce, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, moe., Dopapod, Tim Reynolds & TR3, Toubab Krewe, The Revivalists and many more.

It’s been an astounding journey for the musicians, in terms of four very different personalities conceptually colliding until they merge through inventing a collective musical lexicon.

Electric Soul Pandemic (ESP) delivers high energy, high spirited music with a good time vibe in partership with stimulating lights, sights and sounds keeping you and the party dancing all night long. Based out of the beautiful state of North Carolina's "Gate City" (aka Greensboro), ESP is a solid group of grateful, dedicated musicians and friends.
The members of E.S.P. are as follows:

Jay Beverly ( keyboards / lead vocals )
Jeremy Gamba ( lead guitar )
Randy Elliott ( guitar )
Scott Nichols ( bass )
Justin Heter ( percussion )

For over ten years, Ohio's #1 bluegrass band, the Rumpke Mountain Boys, have been amassing devoted fans with their signature blend of jamgrass, aptly named "Trashgrass." Phenomenal songwriting framed by fiery-fast mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar and upright bass, creates a sound that has been described as foot-stompin' whiskey-spillin' old-timey psychedelic folk music!

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, the Rumpke Mountain Boys have made a name for themselves with their high-energy improvisational shows that showcase some of the fastest picking in the game. Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon sums it up well, stating, "The Rumpke Mountain Boys - Hot licks, cool tunes. A party waiting to happen." 2012 was a banner year for this talented quartet, highlighted by the release of their album “Trashgrass,” and an epic performance at the All Good Music Festival in a 10:30am time slot. Normally, this would be prime sleeping time for most festival go-ers, but the Rumpke boys brought the throngs out early. 2012 also marked the return of their own Festival, Snugglefest. They appeared at Appalachian Uprising, Dark Star Jubilee and Terrapin Hill Music Festival, just to name a few. Named Cincinnati's best bluegrass band for seven years running, they have shared the stage with iconic artists such as Leftover Salmon, Tim O’Brien, Ralph Stanley, Keller Williams, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Del McCoury.

Despite all these accolades, the Rumpke Mountain Boys are known as one of the most fan-friendly groups in the music world today. This is due to their "campfire tours," where they migrate from campsite to campsite, many times picking until dawn with a hoard of faithful followers in tow. Their drive, dedication, and desire to play good music together shines through in their performances. Many music fans who dismiss bluegrass as "country" or "old people" music have walked away from their set with a newfound respect for this style. The Rumpke Mountain Boys are not your Grandfather's bluegrass band. With influences ranging from Jimmy Cliff, The Grateful Dead and Tom Waits to the more traditional Osborne Brothers and Stanley Brothers, the Rumpke Mountain Boys take old time music to a new level with an original approach, leaving no genre of music untouched.

Each member is a talented songwriter - Ben Gourley on mandolin, Adam Copeland on acoustic guitar, and Jason "Wolfie" Wolf on banjo are joined by Memphis-bred upright bass player J.D. Westmoreland to form a team that has taken the region by storm. The boys can be found honing their chops at a weekly Tuesday residency at Stanley’s Pub in Cincinnati. Their marathon live shows are now legendary, making them one of the most sought after festival acts in the east. 2013 is destined to be a pivotal year for the Rumpke Mountain Boys, kicking off the year with a New Year’s show in Cleveland, OH and a trip to the legendary Royal Studios in Memphis to begin working on the next album.