Guitarfish Music Festival - July 26, 27 & 28, 2013

	THE 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. READ MORE

	ORGÕNE Pronounced with a long second "O," the Los Angeles band Orgone is dedicated to heavy, raw, adrenaline-fueled funk and sweat-dripping soul. With a core rhythm section of close friends and self-taught musicians steeped in local DJ culture, Orgone has spent the last decade expanding their roster and evolving a sound rooted in old school respect but pulsing with the force of the new millennium. Orgone has become a staple on the festival circuit while gaining a reputation among fellow artists as one of the baddest go-to backing bands on the planet. Always evolving musically and cosmically, Orgone continues to connect with kindred musical spirits throughout the universe with relentless touring and the upcoming release of their fifth full-length album. READ MORE

	LYRICS BORN Presents... Contunuum - A tribute to James Brown featuring Jazz Mafia Lyrics Born had been a music obsessive since his youth, and in 1993 freestyles among a group of UC Davis classmates that occupied the same cramped radio quarters began to find their way onto paper, and suddenly LB had written “Send Them”. It became the first single on the newly minted Solesides Records, a collaborative venture between himself and his accomplices who would later go on to be known internationally as Blackalicious (comprised of MC Gift of Gab and producer Chief Xcel), DJ Shadow and Lateef The Truthspeaker, an East Oakland rapper with whom he found a shared affinity for the rapid-fire lyrical volleys that would define the next step. As Latyrx (a combination of their working names) the two MCs released The Album, in 1997. The LP would go on to become a certified classic, selling 100,000 copies, yet would prove to be the tip of an even larger iceberg. READ MORE

	MAGICGRAVY (LEBO, WATTS & SAYERS) Born in the high deserts of Mexico's Baja California, this hard-hitting, jazz-rooted, psychedelic improvisational trio lays down the grooves to get you moving. These three classically trained, jazz rooted musicians are constantly on the search for the unknown, comfortably fitting psychedelic grooves into jazzy pockets of sonic bliss. The freedom to expand beyond the roles each member assumes in their main project, offers another side of these musicians. READ MORE

	SAMBADÁ Santa Cruz, California, is home to the surf-and-skate, capoeira-kicking, scene-busting phenomenon known as SambaDa. This smoldering and soldering band is a magnet of unexpected particles shaved from Brazilian and American sources. READ MORE

	JOE CRAVEN Award winning creativity educator, former museum curator, actor, festival emcee, Director of RiverTunes Music Camp, a Co-Director of the Wintergrass Youth Academy and proud father, Joe Craven’s love of music making has put him in many musical genres and alongside many musicians over the years, from Jerry Garcia, Yo-Yo Ma, David Lindley, Jason Marsalis and Roy Rogers to his fabulous Joe Craven Trio and other groups such as Alison Brown’s Quartet, The Persuasions, Psychograss, The Horseﬂies and the list goes on. For 17 years, he was percussionist/violinist with mandolinist David Grisman. READ MORE

	NEW MONSOON San Francisco rock quintet New Monsoon is the collaborative vehicle for the vocal and instrumental prowess of founding members Bo Carper (acoustic guitar and banjo), Jeff Miller (electric guitar) and Phil Ferlino (keys). Now well into its second decade of national touring, the band also features the muscular rhythm section of Marshall Harrell (electric bass) and Michael Pinkham (drums). READ MORE

	PLEASUREMAKER / AFROLICIOUS Afrolicious is a dj/live project and a remix team made up of brothers Pleasuremaker & Señor Oz. They also performs live as a dj duo, or with percussionists, and as a full 10 piece ensemble. READ MORE

	TUMBLEWEED WANDERERS Oakland, California’s Tumbleweed Wanderers combine soul, folk, and rock and roll to create a hugely dynamic musical experience. They weave through their shows with smooth transitions, bringing the listener from dark chaotic banjo-rock, through intimate acoustic harmonies, to energetic explosions of soul. READ MORE

	TRACORUM Tracorum is an original Rock n Soul/Rhythm n Blues band from San Francisco, California. Great songwriting and soul quenching live shows are at the heart of this eclectic bay area talent. Steeped in traditional roots music the band has continued to create a unique sound that is the vast umbrella known as Tracorum. READ MORE

	DOGON LIGHTS The Dogon Lights are an exciting, international music group. The Dogon Lights (pronounced "Doe-Gone") are a unique and groundbreaking band, combining elements of Hip-Hop, Electronica, Cuban, Brazilian and North African music. A self-described "groove machete of fire," The Dogon Lights create an undeniably shamanic and energetic dance atmosphere that catapults the listener straight to the stars. READ MORE

	VINYL Originating in the San Francisco Bay Area 17 years ago, Vinyl has become as tight an ensemble as can be found in today's music scene. The players have a keen understanding of each other's musical expression resulting in a cohesive and adventurous sound that offers tasteful improvisation combined with a fortified, rhythmic backbone. Vinyl's instrumentation includes the mighty Hammond organ, piano, guitar, sax, trumpet, flute, harmonica, congas, timbales, bass, and drums. This broad array of sounds enables Vinyl to explore Latin rhythms with authenticity, lay down their unique brand of reggae and dub, and drive it all home with booty-shaking, full-figured funk. READ MORE

	LECHE DE TIGRE A blend of musical styles known as latin gypsy funk. Three nylon string guitars, drums, bass, cello, percussion, vocals form the 8-piece group Leche De Tigre (LEH-chey deh TEE-grey), started in 2009 in Kona, Hawaii. In 2011, the band released their debut album, Lactophilia. Their sound, often laced with rock influences, relies on the percussive and melodic impact of acoustic guitars to engage the audience, bringing with it a wide appeal. READ MORE

	JOY AND MADNESS JOY & MADNESS is a band of soul brothers pulled together from the ashes of The Nibblers. This Sacramento based funk and soul phenomenon quickly rose to prominence in the Northern California area in 2011 and 2012. Through nothing more than frenzied word of mouth, their fresh take on old school funk, comprised of choice rearrangements of obscure covers and originals, led them to the famed High Sierra Music Festival. Riding the lightning of bright blasts of horns and jumped up rhythm, lead singer Hans Eberbach transported fans to total meltdown with each and every show. READ MORE

	THE NEW UP The New Up's music has been described in many ways, but NBC San Diego said it best when they called the band "a clear standout... [this] San Francisco five-piece specializes in dark, dreamy rock with gorgeous female vocals." Flagpole coined the band's music as "striking, exotic and brashly coherent indie pop that feel[s] like the sonic equivalent of a thrill ride." However you describe it, The New Up's music integrates catchy and engaging vocal melodies, ethereal vocal harmonies, powerful lyrical themes and beats that make you wanna move. READ MORE

	WHEELAND BROTHERS The Wheeland Brothers are surfers making music for surfers. It’s the Newport Beach shortboarder/Sublime attitude colliding with with the San-O chill-out longboarder/Jack Johnson vibe. We describe our music as acoustic beach rock and ukulele hip hop reggae. Our songs cover a full spread of punk reggae, acoustic hip hop, and ukulele bonfire jams, and hit all sides of the Southern Californian beach culture flavor. READ MORE

	BO AND LEBO Bo Carper creates a unique acoustic music experience, blending rootsy influences like Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Willie McTell with modern instrumentalists Steve Tibbetts and Michael Hedges. Bo's original songs and his highly stylized covers exude a fresh approach to finger style guitar and banjo. Dan Lebowitz's passion for composition, arranging, and guitar began at a young age in the Santa Cruz mountains. The International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) recognized Dan's talents in high school and continued to award him throughout his studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he obtained a degree in Ethnomusicology. READ MORE

	NVO Hailing from San Francisco, NVO is a new music collective dedicated to melting faces and rocking dance floors with original beats, remixes, visuals, and light shows. The group's four-piece core features Greg Maximov on live drums, DJ/producer DUDHAUS (aka Justin Ward) on sequencers and synths, Chuck Jones on sampling, scratching and Kaossilators, and songwriter Mike Laglia laying down effect-driven guitar wizardry. READ MORE

	A SPIRIT HUSTLER California's San Francisco Bay / Lake Tahoe connection produced A Spirit Hustler when Tahoe's hottest young singer, Ashley Kepler, sat in with Jimmy Leslie (Guitar Player, Guitarfish, Honey Island Swamp Band) at the 2012 Guitarfish Music Festival. The skies opened with magic. Dreams merged. They shared musical and stylistic visions. An extraordinary upright bassist was essential. James Whiton (Eric McFadden Trio) answered the call. READ MORE

	PETER JOSEPH BURTT & KINGTIDE Peter Joseph Burtt, a lifelong drummer, draws from many sources to inform his music and chronicles the years he spent living and studying with master musicians of Africa. The band KingTide help bridge these influences back home. Much of his music is played on traditional instruments: the lute like Kora and the Mbira or thumb piano. Songs are also transposed for the guitar. READ MORE

	GUY FOX BAND Guy Fox is an explosion of talent and eclectic songwriting - an apt description for a band that shares its name with an 17th century assassin that literally tried blow up Britain's Parliament. The band is made up of northeastern transplants, all of whom are students of music steeped in different idioms. Fun dancy high life vibes, rich harmony, large band arrangements, carefree induced indie vocals, hints of old soul and funk breaks, with a little grit of alt rock are swirled together to make cohesive, well balanced music. READ MORE

	TIM SNIDER (Gospel Set) How would you define "world music"? For Tim Snider, it's personal expression inspired by his world travels. Studying violin, guitar and percussion across the globe and incorporating his influences like Paul Simon, Jean Luc Ponty, Ben Harper, and Bill Withers, Tim Snider continues to surprise his audience – and himself – with new blends of foot-stomping, soul-stirring musical goodness. READ MORE

	SAMBA STILT CIRCUS Energetic samba drumming and stilt dancing! Please send us a message if you are interested in having us at your event. We can do full on samba parades and performances or just circulate through the crowd as beautifully costumed, dancing stilt-walkers. READ MORE