BE A ROCK STAR!

Have the time of your life singing with an awesome band playing just for you! Way more fun than singing with a machine!

Live Band Karaoke has been a huge success across the country.

Doors at 7:00 PM.

Deeply rooted in funk and fully committed to the ongoing evolution of the genre, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band has a sound that is unique yet has the power and soul to create lasting melodies and seismic rhythms. 

Doin’ It Hard, their sophomore studio release, is a reflection of the Booty Band’s approach to music, touring, performing, and to life in general. Recorded at City of Progress Studios in Miami, FL under the cultivated ear of DJ leSpam, Doin’ It Hard is Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band – next-generation, redefined for a new decade. The album hit the streets on March 27th 2012 and is currently available in 12” vinyl, compact disc, and digital download.

The group has been together for a full decade, performing well over 150 shows and completing three to four national tours each year. With a new album in the works at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC (projected release date: March 2013), a remix album entitled Re-Doin’ It Hard debuting this July, and Summer tour in full swing, they are definitely artists to watch. Re-Doin‘ It Hard will feature some of the band’s favorite DJ‘s including Agent 23 (GFE and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo), DJ leSpam (Spam Allstars), and Lee “InstaFunk” Allen (Booty Band and Eymarel) adding their distinctive perpectives to select tracks from their new album.

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band is  Lee Allen (drums), Al Al Ingram (bass, vocals), JP Miller (guitar, vocals), Mary Frances (keys, vocals), Derrick Johnson (trombone), and Greg Hollowell (saxophones, flute).

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

Each Sunday, The Hamilton will present an all-you-can-eat buffet filled with breakfast classics and Southern dishes to warm anyone’s down-home heart.

Menu includes:
Hand Carved Smoked Beef Brisket and Glazed Ham
Fried Chicken
Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
Dirty Rice
Shrimp and Grits
Macaroni and Cheese
Buttermilk Biscuits
Sausage Gravy
Molasses Collards
BBQ Pork and Sweet Potato Hash
House Made Breakfast Pastries and Sweets
French Toast
Omelette Station
Home Fries
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon
Breakfast Sausage
Smoked Salmon
Fruit Salad
Green Salad

*Your ticket also includes a choice of one morning specialty mimosa or bloody Mary.

Gospel Brunch will be from 10:00am - 11:30am with doors opening at 10:00am and show starting at 10:30am. 

A couple of things to consider as you join us on Sunday:

1. Your tickets WILL NOT be mailed to you. Instead, your tickets will be waiting for you under your name at the event. Please be prepared to provide a valid picture ID to pick up your tickets.

2. Guests will be asked to form a line outside the restaurant before doors open. 

3. Seating is General Admission and done on a first come, first serve basis. We cannot guarantee that groups will be able to be sat together. Our best suggestion is to come early in order to have the best chance of getting seats together. Guests who are admitted are allowed to save one seat for a later arriving guest. Guests will not be permitted to save more seats or reserve tables.

4. Once admitted, our suggestion is to first go and get the best seat(s) available and then take advantage of our wonderful buffet which is spread out throughout the room with stations located in each of the four corners of the venue.

Jacques served twenty-seven and a half years in army bands. His last seventeen and a half years were in The United States Army Band, the Army's Premier Band. Retired Sergeant Major Johnson produced and directed The Army Blues, the official jazz band of the Army. While in the U.S. Army Band, Mr. Johnson implemented the SOS Program in which band members went to high schools and colleges to teach students jazz improvisation and to teach instructors how to teach students jazz improvisation.

After retiring from the Army, Mr. Johnson was the Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of the District of Columbia for two years and he started a music program for Senior Citizens for the D.C. Department of Recreation. Mr. Johnson has been the Assistant Band Director at Eastern Senior High School for thirteen years and also the leader of the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra.

JOE KROWN TRIO

A killer collaboration between three of New Orleans greatest players!"

-Jan Ramsey, Offbeat Magazine

Joe Krown (Hammond B-3 organ), Walter Wolfman Washington (guitar & vocals) & Russell Batiste (drums & background vocals) started playing together in March 2007. The trio has been performing every Sunday at a local New Orleans nightclub, the Maple Leaf Bar. The combination of the soulful vocals of Walter with the big sound of the Hammond B-3 (which Joe also plays all of the bass parts on the B-3) and the masterful drumming skills of Russell Batiste Jr. has developed it's own unique sound. The trio recorded and released a live CD, Live at the Maple Leaf in the fall of 2008. Live at the Maple Leaf captures the magic of these great musicians. Live at the Maple won a 2009 Offbeat Award for Best R&B/Funk CD. The trio also won a 2009 Big Easy Award in the "Best Rhythm & Blues Band" category. In the fall of 2010, the Trio released Triple Threat, the follow up to Live at the Maple Leaf and their first studio CD. In November 2010 the Trio was invited to be part of 15 city U.S. tour called "New Orleans Nights". The Trio performed a feature set and then backed up Nicholas Payton and Allen Toussaint.

ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD

Before they even hit a chord, The Royal Southern Brotherhood have your attention. In the US South, where music is religion, two rock ‘n’ roll bloodlines tower above all others. In the saloon bars from Mississippi to Maryland, mere mention of the Allman and Neville Brothers casts a magic spell. Conversation falls silent. Pool balls stop rolling. Ten-gallon hats are tipped in respect and beer-bottles raised in salute. These aren’t just bands, they’re gods, and with a lineup comprising both the iconic Cyril Neville and Devon Allman, The Royal Southern Brotherhood come pre-loaded with expectations. Don’t worry: they can match them. The family tree might be auspicious, but this new band trades on talent, not genealogy. It’s not about rock history: it’s about the here-and-now.

This lineup has talent to burn. You’ll already know Cyril Neville: poet, philosopher, percussion master and perhaps the South’ last great soul singer. Devon Allman. As the son of Gregg Allman, the 39-year-old has rock ‘n’ roll in his DNA, but he’s always walked his own path. Mike Zito: the blues ace whose ear for melody provides the counterpoint to his wingman’s rocking tendencies. Nominated in 2011 for the Blues Music Foundation’s ‘Best Blues Rock’ award, and winner of 2010′s Blues Music Award. Bassist Charlie Wooten and drummer Yonrico Scott: both heavyweight names in their own right, with Charlie’s bass chops celebrated on the Southern jam scene for his sets with the Woods Brothers, and Yonrico hitting the skins for luminaries including the Derek Trucks Band, Gregg Allman and the Allman Brothers themselves.

They said that rock ‘n’ roll was dead, but they were wrong. Right now, in 2012, there’s something in the air, as The Royal Southern Brotherhood drag their thrilling new brand of blues-rock and white-hot musicianship from the Southern States onto the world stage. The South is rising again. Come along for the ride.

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

BOBBY THOMPSON PROJECT

When Bobby Thompson sings he sounds warm, reassuring ... even when his heart's broken. His guitar work can caress listeners, too, but danger seems to lurk in every riff. As a result, Thompson's new album, "By the Hand," offers something for every blues fan. 

By The Hand is a well-produced collection of songs, and if you love really well played blues influenced rock music then this album should be playing on your smart phone, your computer, in your car or whatever music device you are using these days.

SCOTT KURT & MEMPHIS 59

Scott Kurt wears many hats. Singer, songwriter, guitar player, and frontman for his hard charging Country band Memphis 59. "I love playing different roles in my music," says Kurt. "Some nights it's great to walk onstage with nothing but my acoustic guitar and voice to entertain an audience. But there are also nights when I plug in my Telecaster to a cranked up Vox amp - and when the band is playing at full throttle, there is no bigger rush."

Currently in the studio, Scott is hard at work writing and recording songs for the follow-up to 2010's "Ragged But Right," produced and engineered by Grammy winners John Jennings and Bob Dawson. "As I evolve as a songwriter, I am digging deeper into the lyrics and melodies. The first record was a great experience, but I didn't have as much of a lyrical focus on some songs. This time around it's about striking a chord with listeners that resonates and evokes emotion."

Resonating with audiences is something that Scott and his band members, Nate Taylor and Mike "Toby" Toburen, have come to do well. "The first time we opened for The Randy Rogers Band, not only was it a sold out show, but their latest album had just become the most downloaded country album on iTunes. I was nervous about meeting the expectations of their fans, but within the first few notes of our opening song, they rushed to the front of the stage and cheered throughout our whole set. I knew then that we were on to something special."

While Scott and his band were pleasing crowds along the Mid-Atlantic, they also caught the attention of local industry insiders by earning three award nominations from the Washington Area Music Association.

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

The Smithereens are a powerpop/rock group from Carteret, New Jersey. The group formed in 1980 and consists of Pat Dinizio (lead singer/guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar), Mike Mesaros (bass), and Dennis Diken (drums). The group gained some notoriety when a single from its first album, Blood And Roses, was included on the soundtrack for and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie Dangerously Close and the video got some moderately heavy rotation on MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in Rolling Stone against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like The Byrds and The Beatles, pointing out that its Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to heavy metal than it was to The Beatles.

Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including Buddy Holly, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with mod, the late British Invasion pop of John’s Children and The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance and style. The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the Billboard pop charts was in 1990, when 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single" A Girl Like You" (which hit #38). The group is still active and tours frequently, but went for seven years without releasing a new studio album, following God Save The Smithereens in 1999.

In January 2007, the band released a cover of the album Meet the Beatles titled Meet the Smithereens. Bassist Mike Mesaros does not appear on the album, replaced by Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion . An album of original material was promised for later in the year, Christmas With The Smithereens, released in October 2007, which includes three original songs along with nine covers of Christmas songs.

Doos open at 6:30 PM.

Roy Haynes was born in Boston, March 13, 1925, and was keenly interested in jazz ever since he can remember. Primarily self-taught, he began to work locally in 1942 with musicians like the Charlie Christian inflected guitarist Tom Brown, bandleader Sabby Lewis, and Kansas City blues-shout alto saxophonist Pete Brown, before getting a call in the summer of 1945 to join legendary bandleader Luis Russell (responsible for much of Louis Armstrong's musical backing from 1929 to 1933) to play for the dancers at New York's legendary Savoy Ballroom. When not traveling with Russell, the young drummer spent much time on Manhattan's 52nd Street and uptown in Minton's, the legendary incubator of bebop, soaking up the scene.

Haynes was Lester Young's drummer from 1947 to 1949, worked with Bud Powell and Miles Davis in '49, became Charlie Parker's drummer of choice from 1949 to 1953, toured the world with Sarah Vaughan from 1954 to 1959, did numerous extended gigs with Thelonious Monk in 1959-60, made eight recordings with Eric Dolphy in 1960-61, worked extensively with Stan Getz from 1961 to 1965, played and recorded with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1963 to 1965, has collaborated with Chick Corea since 1968, and with Pat Metheny during the '90s. Metheny was featured on Haynes' previous Dreyfus release Te Vou! (voted by NAIRD as Best Contemporary Jazz Record of 1996). He's been an active bandleader from the late '50s to the present, featuring artists in performance and on recordings like Phineas Newborn, Booker Ervin, Roland Kirk, George Adams, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Ralph Moore and Donald Harrison. A perpetual top three drummer in the Downbeat Readers Poll Awards, he won the Best Drummer honors in 1996 (and many years since), and in that year received the prestigious French Chevalier des l'Ordres Artes et des Lettres.

"I structure pieces like riding a horse," he says. "You pull a rein here, you tighten it up here, you loosen it there. I'm still sitting in the driver's seat, so to speak. I let it loose, I let it go, I see where it's going and what it feels like. Sometimes I take it out, sometimes I'll be polite, nice and let it move and breathe -- always in the pocket and with feeling. So the music is tight but loose."

“I am constantly practicing in my head. In fact, a teacher in school once sent me to the principal, because I was drumming with my hands on the desk in class. My father used to say I was just nervous. I'm always thinking rhythms, drums. When I was very young I used to practice a lot; not any special thing, but just practice playing. Now I'm like a doctor. When he's operating on you, he's practicing. When I go to my gigs, that's my practice. I may play something that I never heard before or maybe that you never heard before. It's all a challenge. I deal with sounds. I'm full of rhythm, man. I feel it. I think summer, winter, fall, spring, hot, cold, fast and slow -- colors. But I don't analyze it. I've been playing professionally over 50 years, and that's the way I do it. I always surprise myself. The worst surprise is when I can't get it to happen. But it usually comes out. I don't play for a long period, and then I'm like an animal, a lion or tiger locked in its cage, and when I get out I try to restrain myself. I don't want to overplay. I like the guys to trade, and I just keep it moving, and spread the rhythm, as Coltrane said. Keep it moving, keep it crisp."

Dreyfus Jazz proudly released Roy Haynes’ “Birds of a Feather,” a tribute to the immortal Charlie "Bird" Parker, in September 2001. The father of the bebop movement, Bird turned the jazz world upside down in the early 1940s with his immense technical facility and grand breaking improvisational ideas. For Haynes’ fourth recording for the label, the eminent drummer and bandleader takes us back to the era during which he made his first major impact playing alongside Bird, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell and the other legendary bop progenitors. The album was nominated for a Grammy in 2002.

Dreyfus Jazz released Roy's latest masterpiece, "Fountain of Youth," a fiery live record featuring his youthful working band. Inspired by each other's deft musicianship, the album is a testament to awe inspring career of the eternally youthful Roy Haynes.

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

The longer one lives the greater the number of scars and scrapes one accumulates. It’s the same with a band, where the years build up layers one could never have expected when they set out in a van back in the day. So it is with San Francisco’s Tea Leaf Green, whose own journey began as a jam-minded party on legs in the late 1990s and now finds them some of the Bay Area’s most thoughtful, dedicated craftsmen. As sharply carved and musically robust as any rock unit today, TLG have harnessed their surefire live prowess and ability to seize an audience into a bustling, emotionally dense, ear-snagging studio form with In The Wake (in stores May 14), a complete vision that represents the great skill and open-minded invention in this quintet - Trevor Garrod (keys, vocals), Josh Clark (guitar, vocals), Scott Rager (drums), Reed Mathis (bass, vocals) and Cochrane McMillan (percussion) – placing them alongside contemporaries like Delta Spirit, Everest and Dr. Dog in marrying honesty, artistry and grit in music that hums with bruised but unbowed life.

“The title 'In The Wake' has multiple meanings for us,” explains Mathis. “First, these songs came in the wake of our own personal tragedies. Second, the album comes in the wake of our previous album Radio Tragedy (2011). Third, it’s a wake where we’re mourning some things, and celebrating the departed. And last, it’s a sign that we’re in the process of waking up. But, the song ‘In The Wake’ isn’t about any of this [laughs].”

More so than anything in their earlier catalog, In The Wake presents what the blend of the considerable collective talents in Tea Leaf Green are capable of, letting solo spotlights dim in order to illuminate the greater being that emerges when their arms are linked.

“One goal with this album was to focus not on who was playing what but to do everything we could to simply make the best songs and the best record,” says McMillan. “It’s not all the individual’s ego. It’s Tea Leaf Green’s ego. We tried to tap into something larger. That’s a beautiful, poetic thing to say, but practically we all still have egos and butt heads, but what came out of this process was something we all really and truly could agree upon. We really did move as one large school of fish.”

The album exactly 365 days in the making – the band received the final masters a full year to the day from when recording began – was a long road in the making, a survivor’s fortitude infusing the group’s traditional melodic charms along with an unprecedented degree of studio exploration. While not a concept album, In The Wake revisits certain themes – separation, loss, what comes after hard times, the perspective time brings.

Listening to the new album, it’s clear today’s Tea Leaf Green is a far cry from the young men that wrote “Sex In The 70s” and other easygoing vehicles. That strain remains in TLG’s substrata, particularly in their always-invigorating concerts, but creatively and emotionally there’s just more heft to them now.

Doors open at 10:00 PM.

Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer and bandleader, Terri Lyne Carrington, was born in 1965 in Medford, Massachusetts. After an extensive touring career of over 20 years with luminaries like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, Stan Getz, David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Cassandra Wilson, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves and more, she recently returned to her hometown where she was appointed professor at her alma mater, Berklee College of Music. Terri Lyne also received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2003. 

After studying under full scholarship at Berklee, with the encouragement of her mentor, Jack DeJohnette, Carrington moved to New York in 1983. For 5 years she was a much in-demand musician, working with James Moody, Lester Bowie, Pharoah Sanders, and others. In the late ‘80s she relocated to Los Angeles, where she gained recognition on late night TV as the house drummer for the Arsenio Hall Show, then again in the late ‘90s as the drummer on the Quincy Jones late night TV show, VIBE, hosted by Sinbad.

In 1989, Carrington released a GRAMMY^®-nominated debut CD entitled Real Life Story, which featured Carlos Santana, Grover Washington Jr., Dianne Reeves, Wayne Shorter, Patrice Rushen, Gerald Albright, John Scofield, Robert Irving III, Greg Osby, Don Alias and Hiram Bullock. Other solo CDs include 2002’s Jazz is a Spirit, which features Herbie Hancock, Gary Thomas, Wallace Roney, Terence Blanchard, Kevin Eubanks, and Bob Hurst, and 2004’s Structure, a cooperative group which features Adam Rogers, Jimmy Haslip and Greg Osby. Both CDs were released on the Europe-based ACT Music label and enjoyed considerable media attention and critical acclaim in the European and Japanese markets.

Carrington’s production and songwriting collaborations with artists such as Gino Vannelli, Peabo Bryson, Dianne Reeves, Siedah Garrett, Marilyn Scott have produced notable works as well, including a special song commissioned by the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Olympic Games, “Always Reach for Your Dreams,” (featuring Peabo Bryson), and her production of the Dianne Reeves GRAMMY®-nominated CD, That Day, which hovered at the top of the music charts for many months.

Carrington has performed on many recordings throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s thru today. Notable examples of her work include Herbie Hancock’s GRAMMY^® Award-winning CDGershwin’s World, where she played alongside Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder. She has toured with each of Hancock’s musical configurations (from electric to acoustic) over the last 10 years and is featured on his Future2Future DVD.

After a hiatus from the U.S. recording scene as a solo recording artist, Carrington returned in 2008 with More To Say... (Real Life Story: NextGen). Joining her was an impressive all-star cast of jazz and contemporary jazz instrumentalists, including George Duke, Everette Harp, Kirk Whalum, Jimmy Haslip, Greg Phillinganes, Gregoire Maret, Christian McBride, Danilo Perez, Patrice Rushen, Robert Irving III (who also serves as co-producer), Chuck Loeb, Tineke Postma, Ray Fuller, Dwight Sills, Anthony Wilson, Les McCann and a special appearance by her dad, Sonny Carrington, on tenor. In addition, she collaborated with esteemed vocalist Nancy Wilson for the song, “Imagine This.”

Carrington released The Mosaic Project in July 2011, her fifth recording overall and first on Concord Jazz. The critically acclaimed CD, which won a GRAMMY^® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, gathered a myriad of voices and crystallized them into a multi-faceted whole that far outweighed the sum of its parts. She produced the 14-song set which featured some of the most prominent female jazz artists of the last few decades: Esperanza Spalding, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sheila E., Nona Hendryx, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen and several others. Carrington said the emergence of so many great female jazz artists is what made an album like The Mosaic Project possible, more so than in decades past.

On February 5, 2013, Carrington releases Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue, her much anticipated homage to Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach, to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of the release of their iconic 1963 Money Jungle album. Her new recording features Gerald Clayton and Christian McBride, with guests Clark Terry, Lizz Wright, Herbie Hancock and others.

Doors open at 7:00 PM. 

For more than three decades as both a leader and a sideman, conguero Poncho Sanchez has stirred up a fiery stew of straightahead jazz, gritty soul music, and infectious melodies and rhythms from a variety of Latin American and South American sources. His influences are numerous, but among the more prominent figures that inform his music are two of the primary architects of Latin jazz – conga drummer and composer Chano Pozo and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Sanchez pays tribute to these two titans on his new album, Chano y Dizzy!, his 25th recording as a bandleader on Concord Picante, released on September 27, 2011.

For the first time, Sanchez and Francisco Torres, long time band member (trombone/vocals), join forces to produce the new album. Joining Sanchez on the 11-song set is multi-GRAMMY winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard. It makes sense that, for this project, Sanchez recruited fellow label mate Blanchard, a New Orleans native who literally grew up amid the Cuban and Latin jazz scene and a longtime fan of the music's multicultural underpinnings. Blanchard has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential jazz musicians and film score masters of his generation. As a film composer, Blanchard has more than 50 feature film scores to his credit. The Golden Globe nominee and four-time Grammy winner's music has been featured on Broadway in Chris Rock's Tony-nominated play, "The Mother****** With Hat" and George Lucas's long-awaited "Red Tails." Blanchard has also worked on the music for the Broadway remake of A Streetcar Named Desire and was commissioned by the Opera St. Louis for a project that premiered in 2012. 

While Chano y Dizzy! includes songs originally written and performed by the two legends, Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie, it also showcases compositions crafted by other writers that capture the flavor of traditional Latin jazz. Sanchez's touring band assists with the songwriting and arranging. The studio ranks include: pianist David Torres, saxophonist Rob Hardt, trumpeter Ron Blake, trombonist/vocalist Francisco Torres, bassist Tony Banda, timbalist George Ortiz, and percussionist Joey De Leon, Jr. "The great thing about this band is that they take a very traditional approach to Latin music," says Blanchard. "They pay a lot of attention to the detail of the specific rhythms they're playing, and they understand the historical significance of keeping that heritage alive."

Although born in Laredo, Texas, in 1951 to a large Mexican-American family, Sanchez grew up in a suburb of L.A., where he was raised on an unusual cross section of sounds that included straightahead jazz, Latin jazz and American soul. By his teen years, his musical consciousness had been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. Along the way, he taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales, but eventually settled on the congas.At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent spot in Cal Tjader's band in 1975. "I learned a great deal from Cal," says Sanchez, "but it wasn't as though he sat me down and taught me lessons like a schoolteacher. Mostly it was just a matter of being around such a great guy. It was the way he conducted himself, the way he talked to people, the way he presented himself onstage. He was very elegant, very dignified, and when he played, he played beautifully. The touch that he had on the vibes – nobody has that sound. To me, he was – and is, and always will be – the world's greatest vibe player."

Sanchez remained with Tjader until the bandleader's death in 1982. That same year, he signed with Concord for the release of Sonando, an album that marked the beginning of a musical partnership that has spanned more than 25 years and has yielded more than two dozen recordings. Chano y Dizzy! is the latest installment in that ongoing partnership. "To me, Latin jazz is the world's greatest music," says Sanchez. "It has the melodic and harmonic sophistication of jazz and American standards, and the flavor and energy of Latin American music. What I'm most proud of is that this music – while it may sound exotic at times – is from America. It was born in New York City, when Chano Pozo met Dizzy Gillespie for the first time in the mid-1940s. They created something that didn't exist before in this country. I'm very proud to take this music all over the world all the time."

Doors open at 6:30 PM. 

Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2,000 albums to his credit, he has recorded with many of music's greats: Tommy Flanagan, Gil Evans, Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, the Kronos Quartet, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, and Bobby Timmons.

In the early 1960s he performed throughout the United States in concert halls and nightclubs with Jaki Byard and Eric Dolphy. He later toured Europe with Cannonball Adderley. From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the classic and acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He was named Outstanding Bassist of the Decade by the Detroit News, Jazz Bassist of the Year by Downbeat magazine, and Most Valuable Player by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1993 Ron Carter earned a Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Group, the Miles Davis Tribute Band and another Grammy in 1998 for Call Sheet Blues, an instrumental composition from the film Round Midnight.

In addition to scoring and arranging music for many films, including some projects for Public Broadcasting System, Carter has composed music for A Gathering of Old Men, starring Lou Gosset Jr., The Passion of Beatrice directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and Blind Faith starring Courtney B. Vance. Carter shares his expertise in the series of books he authored, among which are Building Jazz Bass Lines and The Music of Ron Carter; the latter contains 130 of his published and recorded compositions.

Carter earned a bachelor of music degree from the Eastman School in Rochester and a master's degree in double bass from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He has also received two honorary doctorates, from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, and was the 2002 recipient of the prestigious Hutchinson Award from the Eastman School at the University of Rochester. Most recently he was honored by the French Minister of Culture with France's premier cultural award--the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, given to those who have distinguished themselves in the domain of artistic or literary creation and for their contribution to the spread of arts and letters in France and the world.

Carter has lectured, conducted, and performed at clinics and master classes, instructing jazz ensembles and teaching the business of music at numerous universities. He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston and, after 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus although, as a performer, he remains as active as ever.

Doors open at 6:30 PM. 

In the year 2010, a brand new sound was born. The Brass-A-Holics Band and the Go-go Brass Funk genre joined the ranks of the time honored traditions, culture and music that have come out of the great city of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The ensemble contains the core New Orleans brass elements - trumpet, trombone, saxophone and sousaphone, but also adds a full drum set, percussion, keyboard, and an electric guitar for a unique sound that is transcending the traditional world of brass band music. A Brass-A-Holics live show is a singular experience. Where else can you hear the influences of Miles Davis, Nirvana, John Coltrane, Wham, Cyndi Lauper, Kanye West, and Louis Armstrong all in one set?

The band was conceived by renowned trombonist Winston Turner, whose roots stem from the St. Augustine High School Marching 100, the Southern University Human Jukebox, The Pinstripes Brass Band, and The Soul Rebels Brass Band. He created the "Go-go Brass Funk" genre by merging the unrivaled New Orleans brass sound with Washington, DC's funky Go-go groove and topping off this instrumental gumbo with a personal touch of keys and strings. This uniquely diverse band consists of 8 members: Winston Turner, Tannon Williams, Matt Clark, Jason "Slick" Slack, Keiko Komaki, Robin Clabby, Rickey Caesar, and Dwayne Muhammad. Although there are differences in culture, style, and swagger within this band, the members of the Brass-A-Holics collectively bring to you a unique sound that is unparalleled to anything you have ever heard!

Be warned that this sound is a powerful substance, both addictive and intoxicating. It is guaranteed that you will find yourself partying under the influence and addicted to the Brass-A-Holic sound!

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

WALTER “WOLFMAN” WASHINGTON

Walter “Wolfman” Washington has been an icon on the New Orleans music scene for decades. His searing guitar work and soulful vocals have defined the Crescent City’s unique musical hybrid of R&B, funk and the blues since he formed his first band in the 1970s.

Seeing Walter “Wolfman” Washington perform with his current outfit, the Roadmasters, is akin to taking a history lesson on black music in America with the exception that sitting down and taking notes is not an option. With his breadth of experience and seemingly endless repertoire, each of his highly danceable shows is one-of-a-kind. Like the greatest jazzmen, Washington channels his everyday life into his music. Depending on the setting, the band plays the blues, R&B, soul, funk, jazz and everything in between with pure heart.

So the circle of New Orleans music comes full. Equally adept in virtually any genre, Washington stands out in a city full of great musicians for his unique style and uncommon grace as a guitarist, bandleader and vocalist.

ERIC LINDELL

Eric Lindell is accomplished on guitar, harmonica, keyboards and bass, and has performed with many of the Crescent City's top musicians since bursting on the scene in 2005, when he first appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. 

His live shows draw as much attention as his material - as one critic puts it, "Eric Lindell has turned heads everywhere he's gone, almost instantly becoming the talk of the town wherever his musical journey has taken him." His combination of sweet, blue-eyed soul with foot-stomping R&B, swamp pop, funk and blues has won him critical and popular acclaim across the country, with reviews and features in Relix, OffBeat, The Chicago Sun-Times, Harp, Guitar Player, Down Beat, The New Yorker, The New York Press and many other national and regional publications.

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Few bass players in the history of modern New Orleans music are as storied as George Porter Jr. During the course of a career spanning four decades, Porter has not only made a deep impression with his work in the Meters, but he’s notched sessions with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, David Byrne, Patti LaBelle, Robbie Robertson and Tori Amos. Early in his career, Porter worked with seminal New Orleans artists like Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Lee Dorsey, and Johnny Adams. Back in 1965, Porter joined on with the Meters, considered by many to be the ultimate fusion of rock, funk and R&B, and gained recognition as one of the scene’s elite bass players.

Porter’s rhythmic work in the Meters in lockstep with drummer Zigaboo Modeliste was epic. Those pockets, the long notes and fat holes, provided the cushion for Leo Nocentelli or Art Neville to play or sing over and created some of R&B history’s most memorable grooves.

Today, Porter features that epic bottom end in his latest collection of Porter Batiste Stoltz tunes. “It’s the ultimate jam band,” Porter says, “one that actually is more musical than just playing everything you know in every song. This band slaps people in the face until they see how good the stuff is!”

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

If David Byrne is one of the geniuses of modern times, then Start Making Sense is a tribute to genius. The musicians in this 7-piece Talking Heads Tribute take pride in faithfully recreating the music of Talking Heads entire career.   Together they bring much of the Heads unique live show to the stage, with front man Jon Braun as a spot-on David Byrne,  giving you a "once in a lifetime" experience.  Prepare yourself for a rockin', funkin', danceable celebration of the new-wave art punk you loved from the 80's !!!

Doors open at 7:00 PM. 

Watch the official tour video here.

SHAKEY GRAVES
Shakey Graves is a gentleman from Texas.

WILD CHILD
Wild Child is a band from Austin, TX. 
2013 Austin Music Award winners for Best Indie Band and Best Folk Band

MARMALAKES
Marmalakes is a rock band from Austin, TX. Dynamic and lyrically-attentive, their songs carry folk-pop sensibilities. Since 2008, they've released 3 EPs and a 7-inch.  They have played with Portugal. The Man, Shearwater, and Sondre Lerche and have sold out venues such as The Mohawk Austin, The Parish, and Rockwood Music Hall.

Doors open at 6:30 PM. 

Formed in 2008, Bronze Radio Return’s line-up took a few years to solidify, though most of the band’s members were orbiting each other for years at the Hartt School, one of the country’s best schools of music, located in Hartford, Connecticut. For debut Old Time Speaker, the band relocated to Nashville for a two-week period, to, as lead vocalist Chris Henderson puts it, “A place we’d never been with a producer we’d never met, and played a bunch of songs we’d never played before.” For such an inauspicious set of circumstances, the band managed a solid and well-received debut, and forged a lasting bond with producer Chad Copelin. Old Time Speaker established the band’s relentless touring schedule, including an invitation to represent the Connecticut music scene by performing for President Obama at an event in Bridgeport, CT in 2010. Fan favorites “Digital Love” and “Lo-Fi” have been picked up for advertising and television licensing and the album landed on CMJ’s Top 200 Album Chart.

SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!, the band’s 2011 sophomore album, is comprised of lush harmonies steeped in soulful vocals, and guitars that alternate between the blues age and the most interesting innovations of the modern. The release debuted at #4 on the Billboard Northeast Regional Heatseekers Chart and is a forward-thinking retrospective of the sounds we all love, curated and created by Henderson, Rob Griffith (drums/vocals), Bob Tanen (bass/vocals), Matt Warner (keys, vocals), Craig Struble (harmonica/guitar), and Patrick Fetkowitz (guitar). The title track, “SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!” builds from subtle handclaps and foot-stomps, and as crackling guitar lines spread out, Henderson illuminates the performer’s perspective. “There’s always this moment near the beginning of a set where everybody is standing around. It just takes one outgoing dude, or a tipsy couple, and they just start moving. You can see two or three more people going, and then as the set progresses, more and more people start to move.”

The band has also received nearly 50 tv/film syncs including on HBO, ESPN, MTV, American Idol, and a worldwide Nissan Leaf commercial to name a few.

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

New Riders of the Purple Sage

The New Riders of the Purple Sage, signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis, released its eponymous first album in September 1971 to widespread acclaim. In the next 11 years the band toured and released over 12 albums, selling over 4 million records. NRPS began as a part-time spin-off from the Grateful Dead when Jerry Garcia (pedal steel guitar), Phil Lesh (bass) and Mickey Hart (drums) teamed up with John Dawson (guitar, vocals) and David Nelson (guitar). Although early live appearances were viewed as an informal warm-up to the main attraction, the group quickly established an independent identity through the strength of Dawson's original songs. By 1970 Dave Torbert had replaced Lesh, and Spencer Dryden, formerly of Jefferson Airplane, had joined as the group's permanent drummer. Garcia remained in both The Dead and The New Riders until he found himself over committed, at which time Buddy Cage replaced him and the classic NRPS lineup was born. Original NRPS bass player Dave Torbert and drummer Spencer Dryden have passed away, co-founder John Dawson Passed away on July 21 2009. His considerable talents will be missed but his songs and musical legacy will live on. Before he passed he had given his blessing and was excited to know his music is being heard live again by a whole new generation of fans. The new lineup vows to keep the NRPS spirit and tunes alive by taking them to fans everywhere. The band recently teamed up with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and released it's first CD in twenty years to rave reviews, Where I Come From (Woodstock Records) .

David Nelson has managed the seemingly impossible. He has remained true to his musical vision and integrity without becoming outdated or archaic in the process. Nelson, an important figure in the musical vanguard of the influential Haight-Ashbury music scene, spawned the Grateful Dead. His ties to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter extend beyond that with The Wildwood Boys, a bluegrass band they formed together in 1962 in Palo Alto, CA. After the Dead got together, Nelson played guitar on three pivotal albums, Aoxomoxoa, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. Around the same time, Garcia bought a pedal steel guitar, which he enjoyed playing with John Dawson, a friend from the Palo Alto days. They formed the New Riders of the Purple Sage with Nelson and the Dead's Mickey Hart and Phil Lesh. Nelson who sang one of New Rider's biggest hits, a cover of bluegrass great Peter Rowan's "Panama Red," stayed with the group for 13 years, but left in 1982 and starting writing songs with longtime pal Robert Hunter, among others. Along the way, he was a member of the Good Ol' Boys, featuring bluegrass legends Don Reno, Chubby Wise and Frank Wakefield. He also played in the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band and is featured on their 1988 album, "Almost Acoustic." Then in 1994, Nelson formed the David Nelson Band where he showcased his plethora of songs. In six years, DNB released four CDs. Three are live efforts: 1995's Limited Edition, 1997's Keeper of the Key, and 1999's High Adventure in Japan, which is also a concert video. In 1999 Nelson released the band's studio debut, Visions Under the Moon which was recorded in Portland, OR's Aladdin Theater. Things have come full circle with Nelson at the helm of The New Riders.

Not only has Buddy Cage sold over four million records in his ten years with the NRPS, but he has also performed on many gold and platinum albums during his distinguished career including Blood On The Tracks (Dylan), Biograph (Dylan), The Official Bootleg Tapes (Dylan) and various releases with Ann Murray. Cage has also recorded with Grateful Dead Members Garcia, Weir and Hart as well as with Dead lyricist Robert Hunter (on Tales of the Rum Runners); Ian and Sylvia (Great Speckled Bird, the seminal folk band of which Cage was a member); John Cipollina (Quick Silver Messenger Service); Mario Cipollina (Huey Lewis and The News); Rick James; Rick Danko and Garth Hudson (The Band); David Rea (Fairport Convention and Mountain); The Shondells; David Bromberg (with Bonnie Raitt); Pappa John Creach (Hot Tuna); Sly Stone; and Vassar Clements, to name a few. No stranger to TV, Cage has appeared on numerous shows and specials from Della Reese, Joey Bishop and Mike Douglas to Richie Havens, Seals & Croft, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash (Grand Ole Opry), Don Kirschner's In Concert & Rock Concert series and the Midnight Special shows hosted by Wolfman Jack.

Guitarist/singer/songwriter Michael Falzarano has most notably been a member of Hot Tuna, the famed offspring of The Jefferson Airplane, and The Memphis Pilgrims, a Memphis-style rock ‘n’ roll/blues band that he founded in 1986. Having recently signed with Blues Planet Records, Falzarano’s current release is a solo project entitled The King James Sessions. He has toured extensively throughout the world on shared billings with The Allman Brothers, Black Crowes, The Other Ones, Rusted Root, Bruce Hornsby and Los Lobos, among others. Falzarano has also appeared live or recorded with such musical greats as Bob Weir (Grateful Dead); Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson (The Band); John Lee Hooker; Johnny Copeland; Hubert Sumlin (Howlin’ Wolf); Vassar Clements; Paul Simon; Dr. John; Graham Parker; Merl Saunders; Steve Kimok; Bill Keith; Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, The Dead); Warren Zevon; Greg Allman (Allman Brothers); David Crosby; Eric Anderson; Arlo Guthrie; John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful); Geoff Atchison; Bruce Hornsby; Pete Sears; Jonnie Johnson (Chuck Berry); Buddy Cage (New Riders); Peter Rowan; Derek Trucks (Allman Brothers); Paul Kanter (The Jefferson Starship); Trey Anastasio (Phish); Guy Davis; Jimmy Herring; Peter Mulvey; Melvin Seals (The Jerry Garcia Band); John Popper (Blues Traveler); Robert Hunter; and The New Riders Of The Purple Sage.

Ronnie Penque has been playing music for over 30 years. When not working with NRPS or his band Neon Gods, which includes his brother Chris Penque on guitar, Ron is busy as a session player. Ronnie started out as the original bass player in the popular Grateful Dead cover band Ripple. Through the years Ron has also played with many other bands and great musicians including Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan, Melvin Seals, Robert Hunter, John Popper, Pete Sears, David Nelson, Barry Sless, Keller Wiliams, Donna Jean Godchaux, Jeff Pevar, and Michael Falzarano. After Ripple retired in 2003, Ron was asked by keyboardist Melvin Seals of The Jerry Garcia Band to join his band, "Melvin Seals and JGB." A short time after joining Melvin and JGB, NRPS drummer Johnny Markowski came on board and the two developed a lock and key rhythmic feel on bass and drums that they brought to The New Riders. If the name Penque is familiar, Ron's uncle the late Romeo Penque was one of the most famous woodwind and flute players in the industry who was best known for his work with Miles Davis. At age 12 Ronnie was taught to play bass by his father Ron Penque Sr., an accomplished session bass player for 20 years, who gave Ronnie his 57 Precision bass (Dads Bass) upon his retirement. Some of Ronnie's musical influences are The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh, NRPS bass player Dave Torbert, Donald Duck Dunn, John Entwistle, Paul McCartney and Jack Casady, among others.

Johnny Markowski , an accomplished drummer, can be found playing his kit these days with The New Riders of the Purple Sage. When not on the road with The NRPS, Johnny works with his band, Stir Fried, and plays with various artists in many styles. Songwriting is also in his blood. His father, Thomas Jefferson Kaye, was a legendary producer and songwriter in the 1960s and 1970s. Markowski’s band, Stir Fried, known for its blend of swamp groove, psychedelic improvisational music performs signature versions of Kaye masterpieces in addition to Markowski originals. The group has recorded and performed with the likes of Dr. John, Vassar Clements (Old & In The Way), Commander Cody, Buddy Cage (NRPS), Jo Jo Herman (Widespread Panic), Bernie Worrell (P Funk, Talking Heads), Derek Trucks (Allman Bros. Band) and Tony Trischka. Recently Jambands.com held a contest for the most impressive drummer/percussionist, and after two weeks of voting Markowski won hands down, beating out some pretty heavy competition.

Professor Louie and the Crowmatix

This Woodstock quintet originally was formed by Aaron Louis Hurwitz (aka Professor Louie) during his co-production of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame group, The Band.  Professor Louie & The Crowmatix went on to become the studio backing band for CDs by Rick Danko, Garth Hudson & Levon Helm, and have recorded and performed with many acclaimed musicians through the years.

They offer the most impressive credentials, the deepest hearts, and a genuine love of performing live.  Woodstock Records released Professor Louie and the Crowmatix's eighth studio CD “Wings On Fire” in 2012 and it received great reviews.  Their album “Whispering Pines” received five Grammy nominations in 2010. Professor Louie & The Crowmatix have an extensive and varied repertoire and play 150 shows a year in the US and internationally.

Enjoy a night of rompin stompin’ roots rock, sweet ballads and roadhouse blues led by Professor Louie (vocals, keyboards & accordion), Miss Marie (vocals, percussion & piano), Gary Burke (drums), John Platania (guitar/vocals), and Frank Campbell (bass/vocals).

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Bill Wilson is from central Virginia. He is professor emeritus of philosophical theology and southern literature at the University of Virginia; a singer, songwriter, and a father of six. His three eldest sons, along with long-time musical compadres Seth Green and Todd Wellons, started a rock band upon their return to Virginia, and they called it Sons of Bill.

Having been voted the best band in Charlottesville for the last 4 years running, Sons of Bill grew beyond being just Charlottesville’s best kept secret in 2012 with their third full-length album, Sirens. Produced by fellow Virginian David Lowery (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven) the album debuted #12 on Billboard among new artists and garnered the band its first taste of critical acclaim for its mix of introspective lyricism and rock-and-roll bravado. As one writer put it– “It’s like southern gothic arena rock… it somehow manages to be fatalistic and triumphant at the same time.” With a live show known to evolve from acoustic ballads into sweaty stage dives, Sons of Bill has always kept a grueling tour schedule on both sides of the Atlantic, sharing the stage with artists ranging from My Morning Jacket to the Drive-By Truckers and playing coveted slots at Bonnaroo, ACL Fest, and SXSW.

For Record Store Day in the spring of 2013 Sons of Bill released a limited edition 7″ Vinyl 45, “Bad Dancer,” on locally based Warhen Records, and started touringacross the States. An outsider’s anthem, the band describes the song as a love letter to their fans– “It’s for the John Cusacks and the Holden Caulfields–those who love hard but still linger on the outskirts of things. It’s something I see in so many of the people that are drawn to the music we make, and I wanted to write them a song. A rock-and-roll love song for the awkward lovers– A dance song for the bad dancers.”

Doors open at 6:30 PM. 

You’re Welcome! The Yacht Rock Revue is the Greatest Show on Surf and the finest tribute to ‘70s light rock to ever perform anywhere. Ever. Their spot-on renditions of Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, and the rest of the Time-Life Infomercial Catalog have enthralled fans across the United States. It goes without saying they have taken their act to the high seas, performing showcase sets on music cruises with Weezer, Kid Rock, Train, Zac Brown Band, Sister Hazel, and fitness guru Jillian Michaels.

By blurring the lines between a tribute, an original act, and a comedic troupe, the Yacht Rock Revue has forged a unique niche market and a special bond with their fans. The band attacks each song as if it were their own, and the energy exchanged between the band and the crowd has more in common with a stadium U2 show than that of a typical bar band.

Speaking of name-dropping, members of the band have played on-stage with members of Weezer, Billy Joel, Walter Egan, .38 Special, John Mayer, Zac Brown Band, Little River Band, Sheryl Crow, Noel Gallagher, Starbuck, Sarah McLachlan, Don Henley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Neil Finn, Jellyfish, Devo, Nine Inch Nails, Joan Jett, Wet Willie, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, and the Saturday Night Live Band. (None of those were a joke.)

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Leon Russell is a music legend and perhaps the most accomplished and versatile musician in the history of rock 'n roll. In his distinguished and unique 50 year career, he has played on, arranged, written and/or produced some of the best records in popular music.

Leon has played on pop, rock, blues, country, bluegrass, standards, gospel, and surf records. As a session musician, arranger, producer, singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, record company owner, bandleader, and touring musician, he has collaborated with hundreds of artists, including Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, Willie Nelson, Edgar Winter, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, J.J. Cale, David Gates, Bruce Hornsby, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, B.B. King, Freddie King, Bill Wyman, Steve Cropper, Carl Radle, Chuck Blackwell, Don Preston, Jesse Ed Davis, Rita Coolidge, Gram Parsons, Barbra Streisand, Ike & Tina Turner, Ricky Nelson, Herb Alpert, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Ann-Margret, Dean Martin, Marvin Gaye, Dave Mason, Steve Winwood, and groups such as Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, The Monkees, The Astronauts, The Accents, The Fencemen, The Ventures, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Jan & Dean, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, The Crystals, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Everly Brothers, The Righteous Brothers, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Tractors and on and on and on…

Born in southwest Oklahoma in 1942, Leon began piano lessons at age 4. He was playing in Tulsa nightclubs at the age of 14. After graduating from high school, Leon's band, The Starlighters, went on the road with Jerry Lee Lewis for almost two months. Leon left Tulsa at the age of 17 for Los Angeles where he began playing in the L.A. clubs and eventually became one of the best session musicians in Hollywood. He worked with the best Hollywood producers and top musicians in the business.

Leon founded Shelter Records with partner Denny Cordell and released Leon's first solo album, "Leon Russell" in May, 1970. It included Beatles George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Rolling Stones Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, and Klaus Voorman. The album contained classic Leon songs, 'A Song For You', along with 'Hummingbird', and 'Delta Lady'. Shelter Records was home for not only Leon but many other artists such as Freddie King, Don Nix, J.J. Cale, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Gap Band, Dwight Twilley and Phoebe Snow. Leon played on and produced three Shelter albums for blues guitarist Freddie King.

As a songwriter, Leon's songs have hit the charts across all genres and have been covered by a diverse range of artists. Ray Charles recorded 'A Song For You', B.B. King had a hit with 'Hummingbird', The Carpenters with 'Superstar' and Joe Cocker with 'Delta Lady'. The Carpenter's cover of 'Superstar', written by Leon and Bonnie Bramlett, went to #2 on the pop music charts. George Benson won the "Record of the Year" Grammy in 1976 for his cover of Leon's song, 'This Masquerade', and it became the first song in music history to hit #1 on the jazz, pop and R&B charts.

On August 1st, 1971, Leon joined George Harrison and friends for two performances of the Concert For Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in New York to raise money for refugees. His "Jumpin' Jack Flash/Youngblood" medley was considered the highlight of the show by some. The album earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Leon's first solo album to earn a Gold record was Leon Russell and The Shelter People (1971). The Carney album, released in 1972, would be his best seller and included the single, "Tight Rope" which reached #11 on the pop music charts. By 1972, Leon was a major concert attraction. Billboard Magazine named Leon the top concert attraction for 1973. His concert at Long Beach, CA on August 28, 1972 was recorded and released on the triple-LP album Leon Live which rose to #9 on the pop charts. Leon released the second Asylum Choir album, Asylum Choir II, in 1972 from songs recorded years earlier. The single "Slippin' Into Christmas" rose to # 4 on the Billboard Christmas chart in 1972.

At the height of his popularity as a rock star, Leon released a country music album, Hank Wilson's Back under the name Hank Wilson on August 31st,1973. His last Shelter Records studio album, Will O' The Wisp (1975), included the hit single "Lady Blue" (#14 on the charts) and went Gold. The Best Of Leon was released in 1976 and earned a 6th Gold Record. Leon founded Paradise Records a Warner Bros. label and released albums from 1976-84 such as The Wedding Album, "Make Love To The Music, "Americana, Life And Love, Solid State and Hank Wilson Vol. II.

Leon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, 2011 and inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in June, 2011.

Leon's latest records from his own record label, Leon Russell Records, include "Signature Songs", a collection of acoustic piano/vocal recordings of Leon Russell classics; "Guitar Blues"; "Moonlight & Love Songs", a collection of standards; "Face In The Crowd"; "Crazy Love"; "Hymns Of Christmas"; "Rhythm & Bluegrass: Hank Wilson vol. 4", a collection of songs recorded in the 1980's with the New Grass Revival; "A Mighty Flood", an album of inspirational songs; "Angel In Disguise"; and "Best Of Hank Wilson".

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Straight out of New Orleans and into your earholes, Flow Tribe comes at you with the delicacy of a sledgehammer. They create “backbone cracking music”, a soul shaking mixture of styles and sounds guaranteed to drive you wild. These are 6 seasoned performers who have shared the stage with the likes of Trombone Shorty, Juvenile, and BIll Summers just to name a few. A relentlessly touring band that plays major venues and festivals around the country bringing with them a heat and passion best described as “bizarrely irresistible”.

Caleb is a three piece rock band from Franklin, TN founded by brothers Caleb and Will Chapman, and shortly thereafter joined by friend/guitarist Scott Mills. From the beginning, the chemistry between the three young men has defined their approach to music and the road.

The members of Caleb are joined together by many things, and it has developed into a unique brotherhood where three stories have melded into one.

"We believe we have a story to tell - a story of hope and perseverance. That's what we want to leave people with."

With three EP's setting the framework of this story - CALEB EP (2010), Trouble (2010), and To The Ends Of The World (2011) - Caleb is currently writing the next chapter in the form of their debut full-length record When I Was Younger scheduled to release later this year.

Doors open 6:30 PM.

Dark Star Orchestras shows are built off the extensive catalog of the Grateful Dead. 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 the catalog of original songs and often played covers to create a unique set list for the show. This allows music fans both young and old to share in the experience. Dark Star Orchestra presents its critically acclaimed live show at esteemed venues from coast to coast and internationally. Grateful Dead classics are performed in the same way that an orchestra interprets music of classical composers. The composer spirit is derived and channeled as the players capture the excitement and innovation of the original performances and compositions.

Touring nationwide for over 15 years to the tune of nearly 2200 shows since forming, the band's determined commitment to "raising the Dead" has drawn national media attention.

Precision is king with DSO; the band adapts their stage positioning, vocal arrangements, specific musical equipment and instruments to fit the era of the show they are performing. Following each performance the band announces the date and venue of the original performance. Dark Star Orchestra could dip into any incarnation of the dead at any of their shows, allowing fans to experience shows that happened long before they were born.

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

Matthew Perryman Jones has a voice that calls out with intensity, truth and emotion. Jones began his career in 1997 in Decatur, GA, and then, after moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time, he issued his first solo release, Nowhere Else But Here, in 2000. As American Songwriter describes, “Matthew’s voice ensnares listeners with a rare authenticity and gritty strength.”

In 2006, Jones released Throwing Punches in the Dark, a departure from his previous Folk/Americana sound toward Pop Rock. In 2008, Swallow the Sea with break-out hit “Save You,” solidified Jones as an artist worth watching. Performing Songwriter Magazine noted Jones as a talent that follows “in the footsteps of Leonard Cohen and John Lennon.”

In 2011, Jones released Until The Dawn Appears which contains retellings of his most popular songs including “Save You,” whose video features Jaimie Alexander (Kyle XY, Thor, The Last Stand). Written shortly after his father’s death, Jones’ latest CD, Land Of The Living, is a courageous personal Odyssey through life’s most troubled waters of love and loss.
One of the most sought-after songwriters in Nashville, Jones builds on his accomplishments with his 2013 single, “Anymore of This.” The duet, written and recorded with Mindy Smith, was featured on ABC Family’s “Switched at Birth” in January.

Jones’ songs have also been featured in television shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Bones, Pretty Little Liars, NY Med, Flash Point, One Tree Hill, The Hills, and Eli Stone as well as in the 2012 movie release What To Expect When You Are Expecting.

In addition to Jones’ own headline tours, he has shared the bill with Katie Herzig, Matthew Mayfield, and Joshua James and has opened for such artists as Ingrid Michaelson, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Paula Cole. Jones is also an original member of the nationally acclaimed Nashville collaborative artist group “Ten Out of Tenn”.

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

PIMPS OF JOYTIME

If you have yet to encounter the Brooklyn-based band, The Pimps of Joytime, prepare to take a funky ride! The PJT’s live events and recordings have captivated fans all across the country, as they have begun writing their own success story, show-by-show, and track-by-track.

Bandleader Brian J is a charismatic and soulful visionary, whose well-crafted songs invite the listener to enter a world of infectious dance grooves and indelible melodies. Spending formative years in New York City, New Orleans and Los Angeles, Mista J honed his craft, becoming an accomplished live performer, multi-instrumentalist and producer.

In 2005, Brian began to assemble a group of righteously soulful vocalists and musicians to assist in bringing to life the musical concept that would become The Pimps of Joytime. The band’s diverse sound and spirited attitude is strongly influenced by the Brooklyn DJ culture and live music scene from which they emerge. Recent collaborations with legendary artists Cyril and Art Neville of the Neville Brothers and Roy Ayers have helped vitalize the band’s connection to its roots.

Over the course of the past five years, The Pimps have evolved into a road tested and audience approved groove machine. They have excited crowds at over 100 club dates and festivals in 2012 alone, and are on target to exceed that volume in 2013. The exponential growth of the band’s fan base can be partially attributed to an artful blend of musical styles, including elements of afro-beat, salsa, rock & roll and electronica. Brian J’s classic songwriting and the band’s undeniable swagger on stage consistently energize dance parties wherever they appear.

In 2011, The Pimps of Joytime released their second studio album, “Janxta Funk!” through the boutique label Wonderwheel Recordings. With a steadily increasing repertoire and a passionate following of music lovers nationwide, the time was right to fortify their organization. The wall of their Facebook page is constantly receiving enthusiastic posts from fans from around the globe as word of mouth further carries news of this fresh new arrival.

The Pimps of Joytime are poised to bring their audacious sound to savvy audiences around the planet. Their forthcoming third studio album coming this fall will be a new chapter in the book of the Funk and a testament to the fact that real music is alive and kicking!

BILL EVANS' SOULGRASS

Throughout his more than 20-year career as a solo artist, saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including rock, hip-hop, jam, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. He joined the Miles Davis group in 1980 at the age of 22, and went on to record six records and tour the world with Davis numerous times over a four-year period. He then toured and recorded three CDs with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and later played with Herbie Hancock, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Steps Ahead and Mick Jagger, among others, garnering a few Grammy Awards along the way. 

The sax man has been touring almost exclusively with his own band since 1990, playing well over 100 concerts worldwide per year. He has recorded 19 solo CDs, including Soul Insider (2002) and Soulgrass (2006) for which received two Grammy nominations, and his latest, Dragonfly (2011).

Recorded between April and June of 2011, Dragonfly features Evans (saxes, vocals); dynamic drummer and new lead singer Josh Dion; audience favorite Ryan Cavanaugh on banjo; Mitch Stein on guitars; Clifford Carter on keyboards; and Andy Hess on bass. On “Tit for Tat” the musicians are: Bill Evans, tenor sax; song co-writer Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and Warren Haynes Band) on guitar; Keith Carlock on drums; Tim Lefebvre on bass; and Danny Louis on B3. Other special guest appearances on Dragonfly include: guitar legend Steve Lukather on two tracks; Vaneese Thomas, background vocals on several tracks; John Medeski on organ for a track; Mickey Raphael on harmonica for two tracks; and percussionist Roger Squitero on six.

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

The Tubes will go down in the rock history books as one of the most exciting, in-your-face tight-knit group of musicians who epitomised the hilarity of popular American culture by making it into a the ultimate rock’n’roll extravaganza. Their live shows involved mock bondage rituals, simulated sex, 12-foot high rock stars by the name of Quay Lude singing ‘White Punks On Dope’, exploding televisions, chainsaws and an array of semi-clad dancers. Some say they were about 15 years ahead of Madonna, and light years ahead of the politically correct.

In the tradition of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, the Tubes were one of the first bands to write and perform songs in a head-on theatrical onslaught. They simply didn’t entertain, they shocked audiences into submission. The Tubes were one of the pioneers of the rock video years before MTV became a household name, and used the medium in their early performances. The band tapped into the American zeitgeist and ridiculed its materialistic values, superficial advertising methods, took a poke at religious fundamentalists and often questioned sexual taboos. They took popular culture by the scruff of the neck, turned it upside down, and made it into entertainment.

Their outrageous performance-art concepts ranged from titillating, tongue’n’cheek pornography to straight-laced, black tie all-American conservatism, all of which frequently clouded the fact that they were, like Frank Zappa, technically gifted musicians in their own right. As the band progressed into the 1980’s they shed the controversial theatrical spectacle in favour for a more stripped down live setting that showed them in a more musical light, that ultimately brought them long overdue commercial success in America.

The nucleus of the band originated in Phoenix, Arizona in the late '60s, where Bill Spooner (guitar), Vince Welnick (keyboards) and Rick Anderson (bass) formed ‘The Beans’ (alternately billing themselves as the Radar Men from Uranus). The aspiring trio eventually relocated to the post-psychedelic haze of San Francisco in 1972. Once there, the Beans recruited guitarist Roger Steen (guitar) Prairie Prince (drums) from ‘The Red, White & Blues Band’. The first real incarnation of ‘The Tubes’ was born when the original members recruited Michael Cotten (keyboards) and former roadie Fee Waybill (lead vocals).

From 1972-1975 the band toured continuously before A&M Records signed them to a major recording contract. Prior to the signing, the band earned devoted cult following on the strength of Spooner’s parodic songs and the group's surreal live show extravaganzas which verged on uncensored burlesque that took in everything from rock, pop, heavy metal, country and disco. Word of mouth about the electrifying live experience of the concerts travelled fast, and soon the Tubes earned the reputation as the must-see rock’n’roll band of all time.

The concerts featured the ever-versatile Waybill adopting a variety of larger-than-life personas ranging from the crippled Nazi Dr. Strangekiss, country singer Hugh Heifer, and his most infamous character, the legendary Quay Lewd – an androgynous drug-inflicted British pop star sporting an outrageous Ziggy Stardust blonde wig and two foot high platform boots.

Their debut album ‘The Tubes’ (1975), produced by Al Kooper, was critically acclaimed, and included the classic tracks ‘White Punks On Dope’, ‘Mondo Bondage’, and ‘What Do You Want From Life’, followed by ‘Young And Rich’ (1976), which featured the songs ‘Don’t Touch Me There’ and ‘Slipped My Disco’. Both albums introduced audiences to some of the most scathing; satirical songs that ridiculed the hypocrisy of white trash America. The erotic fetish themes of ‘Mondo Bondage’, the naughtiness of ‘Don’t Touch Me There’, the hilarious quiz show parody ‘What Do You Want From Life’, and the ever-controversial anti-drug anthem ‘White Punks On Dope’, helped to form an integral part of the band’s historic 1977 blockbuster concerts.

By the time the band's third album, 'Now' was released, the Tubes met British exile and former promoter of the Isle of Wight Festival, Rikki Farr. A fan of the band, Farr was convinced the UK was ready for the Tubes, and shrewdly persuaded them to tour there and record a live album. One of the band’s first concerts in Portsmouth was banned. The concert was held on Poppy Day, and subsequently, the British Legion objected. The Tubes went on to sell out an amazing five-night engagement at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. During the recording of the live concert album, ‘What Do You Want From Live’, Waybill accidentally broke his leg onstage while acting out his punk character Johnny Bugger; the remainder of the tour was cancelled.

After returning to America, they recruited producer Todd Rundgren and recorded what was to be their fourth and final album for A&M; 1979's excellent ‘Remote Control’, a unique concept album that explored the impact that television and the media had on society. Stand out tracks included ‘Turn Me On’, ‘TV Is King’, and ‘Prime Time’.

By 1981 the Tubes signed to Capitol Records and released the David Foster produced ‘Completion Backwards Principle’; an album based on an actual sales training instruction manual. Both ‘Talk to Ya Later’ and ‘Don't Want to Wait Anymore’ finally earned them significant airplay on American radio, while the album became the Tubes' first Top 40 chart entry. Two years later, in 1983, due to a provocative video, the single ‘She's a Beauty’ reached the Top Ten, and pushed the Tubes’ sixth studio album, ‘Outside/Inside’ into the U.S. Top 20.

By 1985, the band released their seventh studio album, ‘Love Bomb’; the second Tubes album to be produced by Todd Rundgren. ‘Love Bomb’ scored a minor hit single with ‘Piece By Piece’, however, later the same year the original Tubes line-up disbanded. Vince Welnick went on to join the Grateful Dead, while Fee Waybill went on to pursue a solo career and dabbled in acting and played the role of Dr. Frank N Furter, the transsexual mad scientist from Transylvania, in the Michigan stage version of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’.

In 1992, Capital Records released ‘The Best of The Tubes’ which became a popular seller throughout Europe. The band reunited; consisting of Waybill, Steen, Anderson, Prince recruited new keyboardist Gary Cambra, and due to the popularity of the greatest hits album, embarked on a European tour. Eleven years after the original line-up split, the reunited Tubes released what was to become their eighth studio album, ‘Genius Of America’. Four years later, in 2000, the Tubes embarked on an extensive tour of America and Europe to support the release of their second official live album, ‘Tubes World Tour 2001’.

At their best, The Tubes has the uncanny ability to highlight the absurdity of everyday American life, occasionally shocking audiences along the way, but more importantly, always making them think twice. Perceived by fans and media alike as the ‘Marshall McLuhans of rock’n’roll’, the Tubes became both the medium and the message, stimulating the senses through their dynamic, controversial and politically incorrect audio visual live spectacles. The Tubes have always managed to expose, enlighten and entertain audiences worldwide by combining art with trash, comedy with tragedy, and innovative rock theatre with consummate musicianship.

Doors open at 7:00 PM.

“I’m kind of a late bloomer,” says Vienna Teng.

Not that you’d guess from looking at the past few years. The songwriter, singer and pianist has released three critically acclaimed albums, landing her on three Billboard charts and in Amazon.com’s top ten. She regularly sells out theaters across the U.S. and Europe, fans travel hundreds of miles to catch a single show, and her opening sets for the likes of India.Arie, Joan Baez and Madeleine Peyroux end in standing ovations.

Mere months after quitting her job as a software engineer in 2002, she was being interviewed on NPR and performing on The Late Show with David Letterman, who declared that he’d listened to her entire debut album, Waking Hour, and that there was “not a dud” on it. Her brand of sophisticated, piano-driven pop has beengathering accolades ever since: “seductive and transcendent” (Amazon.com), “gorgeously conceived…accomplished yet understated” (Paste), “singular among her peers” (Variety).

The newfound confidence shows several years later. Her fourth album, Inland Territory, is a tour de force musically and lyrically, a complex and deeply thoughtful work from an artist cut loose from limitations. Recorded over five months and in four cities, with instrumentation ranging from orchestral percussion to found-object loops to polyphonic choirs, it’s without question her most ambitious work yet. The credits alone read like a “Ones To Watch” list: engineer and mixer Eddie Jackson (James Taylor, Patti Sciafla), violinist and concertmaster Rob Moose (Sufjan Stevens, Beth Orton), guitarist Kiyanu Kim (Gwen Stefani) and bassist Jeff Allen (Duncan Sheik), to name a few. Guitar virtuoso Kaki King lends her signature soundscapes to a few tracks, renowned clarinetists Ben Goldberg and Beth Custer trade fours, and fellow singer-songwriters Ari Hest, Julian Velard, Odessa Chen and Noe Venable all contribute vocals.

Doors open at 6:30 PM.

One of the giants of the 70’s Old Town folk scene that included John Prine and Steve Goodman, and still going strong…”
—GREG KOT, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

" A folk-ballad-pop-blues singer of enormous range, charm, and charisma."
—JOHN ROCKWELL/NEW YORK TIMES

“Bonnie has a great voice, warm and engaging, but it is the extra soul and an infusion of soaring spirit, which makes her music so special."
—NATHAN ELDERKIN, IN THE LIGHT
 

The enduring and versatile voice of Bonnie Koloc has been heard in Chicago since 1968. For a decade, Bonnie was a pivotal act at the Earl of Old Town, drawing crowds that stood in lines around the block, hoping, at least, for a place to stand to catch the hottest act in town. In time her folk-oriented style merged with jazz and blues, and her versatility took her to Mr. Kelly’s, a long-time Chicago landmark. While continuing to play at the Earl, Orphans and Holstein’s, she began appearing at festivals.

Along the way she received a Governor’s Award in 1973 for Best Singer, recorded ten albums, two of them with Epic. In 1984 her career took another turn when she starred in the Public Theater’s production of The Human Comedy, first earning her the theatre World Bronze Award for Outstanding New Talent on Broadway and a Drama Critics Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.

Bonnie continues to perform and record. Her latest CD, Bonnie Koloc-Rediscovered (2012), is preceded by thirteen albums, including Timeless (2004), a double CD of selections from mostly live performances between 1970 and 1995; A Bestiary (2005), a CD accompanying the art book described above; Here To Sing (2006), a studio recording; and, most recently Beginnings (2009), a CD of selections from early live recordings by Rich Warren, primarily of performances at the legendary Chicago folk club, the Earl of Old Town.

On her current tour, Bonnie will be accompanied by her longtime pianist & accordion master Don Stille (former winner of the Twin Cities Jazz Pianist of the Year Award who has also performed with The Chicago Symphony as accordionist) . They will be performing material from Bonnie's latest cd 'Rediscovered' as well as earlier material, too. Rediscovered was named "Cool Album of the Day" in opensalon.com and airplay on the nationally syndicated 'The Midnight Special.'

Bonnie has sung on John Prine's classic Bruised Orange record, sung with Charles Neville as part of his Diversity Band at the Jazz & Heritage Festival, has been heard on ABC's NIGHTLINE, has received terrific response from Ravinia to the BBC, is critically acclaimed by the NEW YORK TIMES and is renowned for her warm, powerful, voice, stage presence and music.

Doors open at 6:30 PM.