THE
STRING CHEESE INCIDENT:
Headliners The String Cheese Incident release their
fifth studio album, One Step Closer, on
June 28, 2005 on their own record label, SCI Fidelity
Records. With the new release SCI divulge, perhaps
for the first time, their genuine songwriting voice,
and it's every bit as ambitious as you'd expect.
It hasn't been easy for these road warriors to translate
their skills into the studio, and over the years
the band has made it their mission to make better
and better studio albums. Early response from
those who have heard the album suggests the band
may have finally nailed it. One Step Closer
was recorded at a friend's home in the hills of
Colorado's Front Range, and was produced by Malcom
Burn (Bob Dylan, Chris Whitley, Emmylou Harris,
Daniel Lanois). The recording experience proved
to be cathartic for the five members of SCI, and
the high and low points of the process are revealed
in an accompanying DVD that features 30 minutes
of exclusive B-roll footage. The end result:
a gritty, free-wheeling and powerfully honed collection
of 13 original songs, and a band reborn and re-inspired
to continue their legacy as one of today's most
visionary and talented rock bands. www.stringcheeseincident.com
KELLER
WILLIAMS: Keller Williams is a one man
band for the digital age. Using innovative
looping technology and innate musical genius, Keller's
live solo performances pack more music on one stage
than a full fledge rock ensemble might. His
inspired live shows also pack the house; Keller
sells out theatres coast-to-coast, filling them
with fans eager to witness his outrageous inventiveness.
Today, Keller releases his first ever DVD - finally,
a visual souvenir of Keller's awe-inspiring live
shows! Recorded at Mr. Smalls' state-of-the-art
theatre facility in Pittsburgh, PA, SIGHT
features over 100 minutes of concert footage, plus
plenty of hilarious b-roll footage recorded over
his many years on the road. www.kellerwilliams.net
MICHAEL
FRANTI & SPEARHEAD:
Guided by inspiration from his journey to Iraq and
other Middle Eastern nations this past summer, musician/poet/activist
Michael Franti is just back from Kingston, Jamaica
where he teamed up with legendary godfathers of
riddim Sly Dunbar and Robbie
Shakespeare, founder of Island Records,
Palm Pictures/Music, Bob Marley producer,
Chris Blackwell and long-time Beastie Boys
collaborator and Jack Johnson producer, Mario
Caldato, Jr. to record new studio album.
Look for the release in Fall 2005. Michael Franti
and Spearhead have toured relentlessly, headlining
hundreds of shows for their legions of devoted fans
as well as sharing the stage with acts as diverse
as Dave Matthews, Ani Di Franco, Trey Anastasio
(Phish) and KRS-One. They
continue to hit the festival circuit worldwide,
in addition to producing the annual "911
Power to the Peaceful Festival" which has
drawn over 50,000 people to Golden Gate Park in
San Francisco over the past six years. In both popular
music and the peace movement, Franti has never been
more relevant and influential than now.
YONDER
MOUNTAIN STRING BAND:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
described Yonder Mountain's music as "exuberant
acoustic-based bluegrass...and the crowds that come
to see them just keep getting larger." Illuminating
the band's talent for improvisation and live performance,
YMSB's first live double-disc album, Mountain
Tracks: Vol. 3, was recorded at the 2003 Kinfolk
Celebration and released under their own Frog Pad
Records last September. It debuted at #2 on
the Billboard Bluegrass Chart. The band
will soon begin recording a studio album with producer
Tom Rothrock (Elliott Smith, Beck, R.L Burnside).
YMSB features Jeff Austin on mandolin, Dave Johnston
on banjo, Ben Kaufmann on the bass, and Adam Aijala
on lead guitar. Each member adds vocal harmonies
and original songwriting. Their diverse musical
backgrounds and collaborative composing style is
creating a new movement in acoustic music, and their
revitalizing energy on strings is changing the perception
of the live acoustic music scene.
UMPHREY'S
MCGEE: The past 18 months have been a quick
rise for Chicago's Umphrey's McGee. RollingStone's
Hot Issue picked Umphrey's as "a band to watch,
" Relix magazine put them on the cover
of their December 2004 issue, the prestigious Chicago
Music Awards awarded Umphrey's McGee the coveted
Best Rock Entertainer of the Year. The Jammy's has
also bestowed Umphrey's McGee with three nominations
(the most nominations for any one band): Best
Studio Album of the Year (for their critically
acclaimed album Anchor Drops), Best
Live Performance of the Year and Song of the Year
("In the Kitchen"). In February, Umphrey's spent
time in the studio recording their 5th studio album.
Look for their new release to hit early 2006.
NEW
MONSOON:
San Francisco rockers New Monsoon have been storming
across the nation, transforming audiences into dedicated
fans with their exhilarating marriage of world rhythms
and rock bravado. New Monsoon's vibrant percussion
and acoustic and electric instruments come together
in an irresistible blend of sophisticated songcraft,
inventive musical exploration and down home rock-n-roll.
Latin, Brazilian and Indian percussion, drum set,
didgeridoo, electric and acoustic guitars, banjo,
mandolin, bass and keyboards, unify the musical
styles of the band and no two shows are the same
and fan recordings of performances have become a
favorite among tapers and traders in musical communities
throughout the country.
http://www.bigsummerclassic.com
