Other Bands

The thing is, Gans started out as a musician in 1970, playing guitar and writing songs and performing both as a soloist and as a member of various bands around the Bay Area. So were a lot of other people, so don't feel bad about missing him back then, either.

Then, in a pretty much unprecedented career change, he became a music journalist. It usually happens the other way around, and it's almost never successful. But Gans' journalism career was quite successful: he worked for BAM, a free San Francisco-based magazine, worked for Jann Wenner's Record from its beginning to its end, and was music editor of Mix magazine for a while. As he says, "Writing for music magazines gave me access to musicians and producers and record company publicists. I got a million-dollar education from interviewing Leo Fender, Randy Newman, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Goodman, T Bone Burnett, Warren Zevon, Ted Templeman, and people like that. I spent time in recording studios, learned how the music business operates, rode in limos with the Doobie Brothers, got lots of records for free, and got paid for all of it."

Magazine work gave way to book work, and in 1985, his first book, Playing in the Band: an Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead (co-authored with Peter Simon) about his long-time favorites the Grateful Dead, was published to much acclaim. While he was working on his second book, Talking Heads: The Band and Their Music, he produced a show for a Grateful Dead radio show on a local station, and discovered he liked doing it. Before long, his Grateful Dead Radio Hour was syndicated on dozens of stations across the United States.

All during this period, though, he was aware that he'd gotten away from his first love: actually making music. In the mid-1990s, with Jerry Garcia dead and the band on hiatus, Gans saw his last excuse evaporate: time to get to work.

Get to work he did: using everything he'd learned about the music industry as a journalist, everything he'd learned about networking from the incredible Grateful Dead web of fans, and everything he'd always known about the kind of music he liked, he resumed performing and writing songs in earnest. With the radio show paying his living, he released a duet album of himself playing with Berkeley singer-songwriter Eric Rawlins, Home By Morning, in 1997, backing it up by performing around the Bay Area. This was followed the next year by a topical single, "Monica Lewinsky," that got a lot of airplay and publicity and enabled David to expand his touring base.

Touring has always been the best way for unknown artists to develop into known ones, and Gans has seized every opportunity to tour, often for weeks at a time. Over the past five years he has appeared in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Lexington KY, Louisville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville NC, Charleston SC, Richmond VA, Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Eugene, LA, San Francisco, Fresno, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Duluth, Detroit, Boston, Worcester, and Burlington VT. He's a regular at the Suwannee SpringFest and MagnoliaFest, both held at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak FL, and has appeared at the High Sierra Music Festival in northern California.

All of this performing deepened the Gans repertoire and made him a better performer, of course, so in 1999 he began recording his shows, issuing the best performances on Solo Acoustic in 2001. This features not only his own material (including one of the three songs he's co-written with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter), but also songs by Gram Parsons, Steve Goodman, Gillian Welch, and Martin Mull.

In 2002, Gans became one of the first independent musicians to release a DVD. Live at the Powerhouse documents a stirring outdoor afternoon performance at a northern California brewpub, featuring some of his best material and demonstrating his virtuoso work multi-tracking himself live, using a Boss RC-20 Loop Station.

David hasn't given up the Dead -- the program still airs weekly, and he co-produced Arista Records' gold-certified 1999 Grateful Dead box set So Many Roads (1965-1995) and is currently working on a boxed set of Jerry Garcia's solo work -- but one listen to his music will dispel any thoughts of him as "that Dead guy."

"I've learned a lot from the Grateful Dead," he notes. "They made some truly great songs, and their performances had a narrative structure that used their own songs and the songs of others to tell a story that each listener heard in his own way. I have discovered over time that this is true of my performances as well; I write songs, and choose covers, that further my own narrative, which I am discovering as it unfolds."

After a long hibernation, his singing, songwriting, and guitar playing have emerged to make him a singular artist with his own strong identity. He's David Gans, and you ought to hear him.

The ensuing three years have seen 3LF expand their regional fan base as far east as Massachusetts, as far west as Ohio, and north to south from New York to North Carolina, performing regularly at scores of top venues. They have shared the stage with such national recording artists as Jeffrey Gaines, SOJA, Rebelution, John Brown's Body, Passafire, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, and Ballyhoo, and are planning their own national tour in support of their second album, "Not as Far" (2009).

The band's first album, "Ideas," (2006) received airplay on more than 170 radio stations nationwide, and led to support from one of Philadelphia's leading alternative stations, Clear Channel's Radio 104.5-FM, where they performed two live broadcasts and earned a spot on the station's "Locals Live" compilation CD.

Members Kyle Wareham (lead vocals, guitar), Mike Brody (lead guitar), Eric Weisenstein (bass), and Kory Kochersperger (drums), compose the band's original songs together with a deft, nuanced style that blends Wareham's soulful vocals with the band's sophisticated instrumental stylings, enhancing their songcraft rather than competing with it -- the mark of a mature musical approach.

3LF's second album, "Not As Far," was produced by prominent recording engineer/producer Chris DiBeneditto at Philadelphonic Studios, and features guest performances by members of several national acts including G. Love & Special Sauce, Slightly Stoopid (both fellow Philadelphonic recording artists), SOJA, and John Brown's Body. Fans will find plenty of the reggae influences that marked their first album, but the band's continuing evolution as it explores other aspects of the "organic roots rock" genre is evident in the increasing variety of influences to be heard among the album's 13 songs.

The Bourgeois Gypsies formed when Arnold Mitchem, a high desert troubadour collided with Kaisa MacDonald, the inn-keeping, firespinning spawn of a gypsy in the cafe of a clothing-optional hot springs resort. Thrown together for an impromptu open mic session, the two musicians realized that their styles clicked and their abilities complemented each other. Two cd's, countless gigs and a few additional band members later the Gypsies are gearing up for prime time with their latest release.

     Their second original CD "Faulty Fairytales," resonates with songs of knightless dragons and princesses without towers and captures a shambling syncopation flirting with dissonance that clings to your soul and peeks through windows of a bygone era, and leaves you with one word ... "More".

When the group brought onboard a fourth voice with keyboards and accordion in late 2007 they infused a pop-electronic sound to their already diverse repertoire. Armed with their sophomore album, While I’m Alive (7/22/08 release), Equaleyes is attracting both young & old to the dance floors each time they light up the stage. With a rapidly growing fan base Equaleyes has found opportunities to play such venues as the Knitting Factory (Boise, ID) and Fox Theatre (Boulder, CO) along with opening for larger acts like The Wailers and The Jerry Garcia Band.

 

 

"There's something really pure about these guys, and if you haven't heard/seen them before, they're definitely worth checking out." - Amy Atkins-The Boise Weekly

 

 

“At its heart, this good-time band pulls together really strong melodies, a rare feat for the genre of jam. The compositions feel fun as lyrics paint pictures of places and people.” Says Dan Black – The Boise Planet.    “It’s what happens when some creative guys from the Idaho mountains get an itch and relentlessly pursue their musical passions.”

 
    The foursome is currently touring throughout the west coast to areas including California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Arizona.  Meanwhile, they're trying to make moves towards the east to play shows for all the Atlantic coast fans.
 

Euphonic Brew is Todd Knepp on guitar/vocals, Brandon Matsook on bass/vocals, Mike Willis on keyboards, and Mitch Thompson on drums. Since their conception in Jan. 2006, they've played close to 200 shows and festivals. From Kansas City to Minneapolis, through Columbus and on to Philadelphia, Euphonic Brew has been devoted to making new fans out of casual listeners with their spirited shows and solid grooves.

Citing reference points as diverse as The Beatles, Widespread Panic, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and The Allman Brothers, EB avoids pigeonholing through genre-bending syntheses of their many different influences. "It's about variety," explains Willis. "We've got three distinctive songwriters all writing in their own way, so this band is definitely about variety." These guys switch between funky riff-rockers, improvised jams, and pop mini-suites with ease. The result: listeners are treated to an array of styles, further augmented by their use of non-traditional instruments such as African percussion and the trombone.

True to their name, Euphonic Brew cooks up a musical concoction that might be described as synaesthetic, a harmony of the senses. This comes through in the title of their debut album, Color Wheel, a collection which highlights their tremendous songwriting skills and irresistible melodies. EB is a group of musicians melting their styles into an ever-morphing groove, hard to pin down, but always melodic and always funky. As one fan put it, "Typically this is not the music I listen to, but these guys made me DANCE!"

All of this contributes to Euphonic Brew being poised on the brink of domination as they continue to establish their powerful presence in the eastern U.S. music scene. This band is pure earphoria.

While guitar-rich in essence, The Station has managed to produce a sound void of the same all-too similar, stagnant riffs.  Somewhere tastefully aligned between the progressive rock style of Geddy Lee's Rush, American hard rock, the latter days of John Coltrane and the many fiery incarnations of saxophonist extraordinaire Skerik lie The Station.

At the core, this seasoned quartet is a straight-ahead rock band; not necessarily in the traditional sense, more so as a basis for beginning a description.  Perhaps most intriguing is the dexterity the four members (Dave Littrell - Sax, guitar, vocals,  Kevin Lemen - lead guitar, Josh Kerska - bass.  Dave Carter - drums, percussion, vocals) possess with their respective instruments.  In the increasingly overwhelming jam scene, a scene stuffed with too many of the same flavors, The Station delves into a different path, incorporating a deep rooted rock sound with seductive sax and precision playing.  Relying heavily on concise compositions spotlighting varying song structures, timing and progressions, The Station veers away from the norm, instead vying to tackle complex arrangements filled with metal-tinged textures.  They perform thinking-mans music, a colorful concoction of diverse sounds fused together into an elaborate brew.  Yes, there are improvisational jams, but they remain concise musically, sometimes straying into the stratosphere while others times sticking true to form.  Improvised sections remain tight and guided, leaving the listener immersed in a seemingly composed section.  Think of it as compositional rock, a term foreign to many but when taken in the context to the band's dynamic delivery, a rather fitting conclusion.

It's widely noted that one look at guitarist Kevin Lemen will leave audiences bewildered.  His youthful appearance coupled with massive axe chops leave gaping grins in clubs from Colorado to New York. "We've often heard people listen to him and say, 'I didn't expect that at all by looking at him,' with their jaw on the floor," says drummer Dave Carter.  The other Dave, Littrell that is, offers The Station's multifaceted triple threat, holding duties on sax, guitar and vocals.  With a playing style all to his own, he invokes the quintessential leading man onstage, taking a portion of the playbook from what normally referred to as a lead guitarist's job.  When he puts the sax down, the band's dueling guitar barrage offers more Dream Theater than jazz-funk jam band.  Rounded out by one of the most tight-knit rhythm sections around, The Station is able to develop and deliver a multitude of sounds.

Upon receiving his Honorable Discharge, Landry attended Georgia Southern University where he completed his Bachelor's Degree.  While at GSU, Landry played with his first band.  This was the start of a brand new experience for him.  A year later, he was playing with five different bands and doing solo shows as well.  After a move to Asheville, a master's degree at East Carolina University, a trip to Korea, then back to Asheville, Landry had joined up with some musicians from Atlanta and was on the road with them every weekend.   After moving down to Atlanta, GA from Asheville, Sideways Jump was formed with bassist Ray Dombrowski (an instructor at the Atlanta Institute of Music), drummer Bellian Marshall (formerly of the Ohio Players) and guitarist Dave Redditt (former student at Berklee School of Music).

Presently, Landry is playing many shows with Sideways Jump, solo, and with many different friends.  Sideways Jump focuses mainly on Landry's originals. Landry's solo shows feature some originals with a variety of covers ranging from piano greats like Bruce Hornsby, legends like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash to rock influences such as Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead, while showcasing just about everything in between.  

Founded in Reno, Nevada, in 2002, Sol'Jibe is independently gaining national exposure and winning over fans wherever they play their intoxicating, effervescent "world rock for the Gypsy soul." Fans young and old and everywhere in between from throughout the western U.S. have purchased upwards of 20,000 copies of Sol'Jibe's first two albums, "On Your Feet" and "Marinero," and sales of the band's most recent effort -- an EP titled "New Day" -- are quickly surpassing previous efforts. "New Day" is also getting played extensively on dozens of college and Internet radio stations like AccuRadio.com and Live365.com, as well as XM Satellite Radio. Voted Reno's best band from 2005-2008 by readers of the Reno Gazette-Journal and 2006-2008 by the Reno News & Review, Sol'Jibe won Harrah's "Search for the Stars" competition and is on regular rotation on its hometown Triple-A radio station 100.1 The X (KTHX-FM).

Sol'Jibe's sound -- which is often described as Dave Matthews meets the Afro-Cuban All Stars -- is driven by the expressive vocals and violin of Tim Snider. Tim, who began playing classical violin at the age of three, longed to immerse himself in the music of other cultures. After graduating from high school he trekked to southern Spain to study music with the Gypsies, honing his skills and enriching his style. He returned home and started a band in 2002 with a distinct sound that can only be described as Sol'Jibe. The group has toured relentlessly ever since, staging upwards of 200 concerts and clinics annually. However, Sol'Jibe's growing reputation for musical innovation also reflects the talents of a half-dozen other diverse, extraordinary musicians: bassist Fernando "El Nando" Flores, pianist Joel "J" Cowell, drummer Caleb "Escandalo" Dolister, multi-instrumentalist Justin "JK" Kruger, and saxophonists Jonathan Phillips and Jimmy Hoover.

Consistently performing to full houses, Sol'Jibe maintains a strong sense of purpose for themselves as musicians. Their goal is to explore different cultures and styles of music around the world and return to share their experiences with others through their art. In pursuit of this dream, the band has traveled extensively throughout Central America and the Caribbean, completing an intensive, three-week residency at the National School of Music in Havana, Cuba, in 2004. Since returning home, they have encouraged children and young adults to expand their cultural horizons via music by conducting concerts and clinics at more than 50 K-12 schools and over a dozen universities in Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

Sol'Jibe is sharing their vision with a growing legion of fans. The band made its major festival debut at the 2007 High Sierra Music Festival. The following summer saw them playing on the Grandstand Stage (main stage) at the High Sierra Music Festival, as well as performing at the Spring Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in North Carolina, the Joshua Tree Music Festival in Southern California, Lightning In A Bottle in Santa Barbara, Seattle Hempfest, Earthdance in Northern California, and the Cirquinox Fall Equinox Music Festival in Oregon.  The band also performed at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in 2005 and 2006, and headlined community concert series in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Sol'Jibe has opened for such national acts as Michael Franti and Spearhead, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Michael McDonald (at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado), New Monsoon, Steel Pulse, Grupo Fantasma, Eric McFadden, David Lindley, and Dave Koz.

Sol'Jibe's dream of fusing diverse world-music influences with their own blend of American rock is taking them to new heights, and it's only a matter of time before the masses take notice. Check out their upcoming tour dates here!

Perhaps it's easier to coin a word to describe them than it is to pigeon hole their music. Fans describe the band's pioneering sound as "ZooGrass". Fact, fiction or fable, their tunes are layered with intricacies and depth reminiscent of Robert Hunter and the Grateful Dead. Many great musicians spanning a broad spectrum inspired their grassy, jazzy, old-timey, Americana infused rock and roll. With influences ranging from Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Bob Marley, Sam Bush, Bruce Cockburn, Charles Mingus, Elvis, and bands like the Beatles, Steely Dan, Nirvana and Pink Floyd, it is easy to see and hear what makes them attract a very diverse fan base. Sights and sounds from the everyday to the exotic are infused in their craft. Tight musicianship, skillful songwriting and amazing personalities introduce us to places they have traveled, people they have loved, those they have lost, and those they surround themselves with. Hot Day at the Zoo is skillful at drawing in a crowd, amusing the audience and leaving roots music fans begging for more.

Something happens at a Zoo show that you have to experience in person to fully appreciate. Their onstage camaraderie and self-deprecating humor make every show different. The culinary equivalent would be eating large quantities of pop rocks, soda and whiskey. Yeah, your stomach might explode, but you're going to have an excellent time nonetheless. While their studio sound displays the band's temperate sensibility, the live show is where the raw emotion of this band simmers. Their typical 3 set show works the audience slowly and methodically like a steam engine preparing for its ascent up a mountain. The enthusiasm they exude in their live performances stokes the fires and their followers for the long journey ahead. Mercilessly chugging along, always picking up loose strays along the way, and tirelessly building momentum, they take us to the mountain's peak. Descending into the valley below, it feels as if we've lost the brakes as well as our inhibitions. The energy is infectious as it spreads quickly through the room and through all walks of life. The crowds are getting bigger at every show, and you can bet that before too long you'll be drinking and singing along with the same people you saw at the last show. There's no looking back for this band. Good things are happening quickly and their time is now. It's full steam ahead for Hot Day at the Zoo as they prepare for another busy summer. Gaining considerable momentum in upstate New York since their appearance at the Snoe.down Music Festival in Lake Placid and the solar stage at Mountain Jam IV at Hunter Mountain the band is set to play the String Fling, the Empire State Brew Festival, the Good Omens Music Festival and have been invited back to the Sterling Stage Folk Festival. HDATZ continues their festival tour with stops at Hooka Summer #12 in Ohio and A Bear's Picnic in Pennsylvania. Also this summer, they will be along side. moe. and the Ryan Montbleau Band at Pier Revue in on the Maine State Pier in Portland, ME as well as with Levon Helm at the Lowell Summer Music Series in Lowell, MA. 

Though the Folk Festival plays some of the same songs that Josh has written with the Booty Band, the overall vibe is more song oriented and less of the party vibe that is synonymous with the Booty Band experience. While the music seamlessly bounces between folk, world, reggae, and R&B, the common theme of the music is heart felt lyrics with a strong focus on the song itself.

Josh Phillips began the Folk Festival as a recording project back in June of 2007, made up of members of Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, STRUT, Trainwreks, and Laura Reed and Deep Pocket. Also helping make the CD a true Folk Festival, Justin Perkins of Toubab Krewe, Bryon McMurray of Acoustic Syndicate, Nick Hope of Hope Massive, Woody Wood of the Blue Rags, and many other local musicians came through the studio to lay down a piece to the album.

In December, the Folk Festival took the show live for the first time and quickly after, Josh decided to go full throttle with the Project. The band has already played some of the best venues in the South East, as well as some incredible festivals such as Floyd Fest and AmJam. The Folk Festival just bought a tour bus and is gearing up for their busiest season yet, promoting the release of their new album "Wicker."

Folk Festival crew includes, but is not limited to:

    * Elijah Cramer - Bass
    * Nick Hope - Drums
    * Sean Donnelly - piano, vocals
    * Greg Hollowell - saxophone
    * Derrick Johnson - trombone
    * Casey Cramer - guitar
    * Suzanna Baum - vocals
    * Jacob Baumann - drums
    * Ryan Burns - Keyboards
    * Barrett Helms - drums
    * John Reed - bass, vocals
    * Rob Russell - Guitar, Vocals

Contributing 'Folks'

    * Justin Perkins- kora
    * Andy John - Guitar, Harmonica, Cello
    * River - Percussion
    * Woody Wood - Guitar, Vocals
    * Mary - Hammer Dulcimer
    * Matt - Vibraphone
    * Simon - Trumpet
    * Scotty - Tuba
    * Slaughter - Trombone
    * Dave Hamilton - Theramin
    * Andrew - Guitar
    * John Ashley - Vocals
    * Steven Heller - production