2/21

$

Before I started my career I had a choice: to take over my parent’s thoroughbred farm in New Jersey or pursue music full time in California and relinquish the farm to sale.  I still wonder what life would have looked like had I stayed, but who can resist the gold rush?  Besides, I plan to get back there one day on another farm with some other red barn.

My music comes from life’s moments — smelling 4 acres of freshly cut grass, watching the steam from a horse’s breath in the early morning, finally holding the neck of my guitar after holding bridles and worn wooden handles all day.  4000 acres of freshly burnt wildfire, watching the steam from the Pacific Ocean’s breath in the early morning, finally holding the neck of my guitar after clutching the worn steering wheel of the tour van all day.

Now my reality is in Bonny Doon, CA, where mountains meet the sea. I am in my recording studio, aptly named Hippie Cowboy, every day.  Slow and steady; keep it fun, stay engaged.  All for the moment when the song finally sounds right.  My dad passed away a couple years ago — his bullwhip is on the wall, his Harley is in the driveway. He visits me in dreams, and oh, the moment I wake up!  Sometimes I write for him. Sometimes for my mom, who I hope will move out to California soon.   Maybe she could volunteer at an equestrian center…

A person is made from their moments, like their music is made.  I know this is a bio but I shouldn’t have to say much.  Listen to the record.  If I’ve done my job well, you will know me by the end.

2/22

$10

Naked Roommate is a post-punk band from Berkeley, California. The band was formed in 2018 by Amber Sermeńo and Andy Jordan, who were previously in the band The World. 

BAUS is a punk band from Lawrence, Kansas, formed by Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug. The duo previously spent time in the Boston DIY scene.

2/25

FREE

Dinner, Drinks, & Live Music at The Crepe Place.
Please come join us on January 24th for the inaugural monthly jazz dinner night at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz, CA. Join us on the back Patio for two hours of live jazz music performed by local professional musicians to accompany your food and libations.

If you would like to bring an instrument and sit in please contact a house band member ahead of time and be respectful of these Jam Guidelines:

1. The bandstand is a space for communication, respect, and deep learning.
2. As musicians we are here for the music AND the audience, they are our patrons, be sensitive to their listening needs.
3. If there are numerous horn players on stage, please keep solos short to allow room for other musicians to perform.
4. When playing with a vocalist, keep your solos to 1-2 choruses maximum.
5. No I-Real/Real Books on stage. The goal is to come together and play songs we know. Please learn the changes at home and use your ears on stage, not your eyes.

2/28

$10 Door

More info soon!

3/1

$10

Part of a balanced breakfast, stays crunchy in milk, it's local band Late Night Cereal getting frosted on the Henflings stage Saturday, February 1, 2025 from 8:00 to 11:00 pm! 🥣🐄🎸 Our lovely friends Sugar by the Pound will be opening and you do NOT want to miss them. Full bar, kitchen open late! 🌮🍔🍺

3/4

$15

BOB LOG III:  Tucson, AZ-based blues-punk primitive Bob Log III first surfaced a member of the art-noise group Mondo Guano, later serving as one half of the duo Doo Rag. While appearing in support of Ween, Doo Rag percussionist Thermos Malling abruptly quit the tour, leaving Log to finish out the remaining dates as a solo act; wearing his now-trademark motorcycle helmet onstage for protection from crowds, he proceeded to hone a cacophonous, Delta blues-inspired noise distinguished by Latin-styled drum machine beats and vocals processed through telephone microphones. In the summer of 1998, Log signed to Fat Possum to issue his solo debut, School Bus; Trike, the second release in his ongoing "Vehicle Series, " followed a year later.

https://www.boblog111.com/

3/13

Doors 8pm, Show 9pm
$15 advance, $20 door

Victim's Family:  Formed in Santa Rosa, California, in 1984, Victims Family made an indelible mark in the Punk and Indy scenes with their mad tempo changes and flirtations with Hardcore Punk, Jazz, Funk and Noise textures and satirical and poignant lyrics. In an era when Punk devolved into metal they went in a direction uniquely their own. In 2022-2023 they collaborated with the Paul Green Rock Academy and toured with the Butthole Surfers Gibby Haynes backed by the PGRA band, a revolving cast of 27 highly skilled young musicians circumnavigating the entire West Coast of the US.

2024 has seen the release of the first new Victims Family music in 12 years, the split LP with NASALROD “In The Modern Meatspace” which finds the band still brewing a sonic feast of jazzy rhythms careening into thrash punk, odd time signatures next to raw garage rock, with lyrical content from the poignant to the ridiculous.

http://www.victimsfamily.com/

Nasalrod:  Described by the legendary Lydia Lunch as “harsh, hard...catchy, weird, arty" and "a very unique blend that defies category,” Portland's Nasalrod is a collaborative vision. The intensity of drummer Spit Stix (a founding member of the seminal L.A. punk band FEAR) is a major driving force behind the ferocious spazz-rock and roll quartet. The band is currently performing its frenetic act in support of their new split 12" record with Bay Area luminaries Victims Family (this record is currently available in the Alternative Tentacles catalog).

Armed with a notoriously frantic live show, Nasalrod has found that originality and insanity can go hand in hand. Lead singer Chairman’s sneering, kooky yet soulful vocals soar over a sound that is simultaneously melodic, violent and convulsive. Spit Stix, guitarist Mustin Douch, and bassist Mandy Morgan provide a sonic backdrop that is the demented and freakish heart of the band. Their new split LP In the Modern Meatspace has been described by weekinpop.com as “raucous and radically defiant…a party crashing cavalcade of confidence and cavalier fancy".

https://nasalrod.com/

Come celebrate the full moon with an evening of funk and disco tunes provided by local DJs and musicians.

LUNCHBOX:  Lunchbox's Tim Brown and Donna McKean have been making records in their Oakland, California basement for two decades, inspired by 1960s/70s AM-radio pop and TV show theme music, punk, C86, and mod à la the Creation and the Jam. From the sonically-inventive indiepop of "The Magic of Sound" (1999) to the dub-influenced psychedelia of "Evolver" (2001) to the critically-acclaimed bubblegum of "Lunchbox Loves You" (2013), the couple have established a sound all their own.

Their new album for Slumberland, "After School Special," finds them at the height of their powers of songcraft and performance. Donna's bass playing stakes out stylistic territory somewhere between Carol Kaye and John Entwhistle while Tim's guitar is equal parts 12-string jangle and clipped Orange Juice-esque funk. Horns by Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor) and longtime collaborator Jeremy Goody drive the record from beginning to end. Evelyn Davis' delay-drenched keyboards combine with whispers of analog tape feedback to give the record an otherworldly vibe in keeping with its lyrical themes.

There, favorite seasons (autumn) and animals (cats), appear alongside love and death, ghosts and reincarnation. From the shimmering opener "Dream Parade" to the horn-driven mod-pop of "Hide and Seek," the groovy sixties R&B vibe of "I Really Wanna Know" and the haunting male-female vocal stylings of the album-closing title track, the textures shift while the unity of artistic vision remains. Catchy as hell and beautifully packaged, "After School Special" is Lunchbox at their very best.

https://slumberlandrecords.com/catalog/show/345

NEUTRALS:  Dream… or nightmare? That's the underlying question posed on "New Town Dream," the second LP from Bay Area trio Neutrals, as guitarist/vocalist Allan McNaughton's lyrical narratives expand on the world first built on the band's 2022 EP "Bus Stop Nights," offering snapshots of mundane lived realities in the "New Towns" that proliferated in the UK during the '60s and '70s. "New Town Dream" conceptually voices the psychic tension of that era, of being pushed toward the margins and becoming just another cog in a deeply broken machine.

The band's musical touchstones are squarely situated in the timeline of doomed Thatcherism that followed from the late '70s to late '80s. "Wish You Were Here" and "The Iron That Never Swung" jangle with a razor-edged rapid strum to rival The Wedding Present; "That's Him on the Daft Stuff Again" and "Travel Agent's Windows" nod to the Television Personalities' naive, kaleidoscopic mod melodies streaked with cynicism; "Steven Proctor Bus Conductor" slowly unfolds from verses in the dark, rhythm-forward spirit of Josef K to transcendently Pastels-esque pop choruses with sugary-sweet (but slightly deadpan) backing vocals from bassist Lauren Matsui. Perfect C86 sounds for often hellish C24 times!

https://slumberlandrecords.com/catalog/show/376

ARTSICK:  Artsick was formed in June 2018 when Christina Riley was feeling "artsick" and writing songs, but missing the inspiration and excitement of collaborating with her old band, Burnt Palms. Christina played Mario Hernandez (Kids On A Crime Spree, Ciao Bella) a couple of demos and, recognizing that "artsick" feeling, Mario offered to play drums and record some songs at his fully-analog Oakland recording studio. Christina's bass idol, Donna McKean (Lunchbox, Hard Left), who loved the songs and jumped at the chance to help her friends with their "artsickness" and a band was born. The results were a terrific 2018 7" single, which led to some epic pre-COVID shows and a whole batch of new songs.

Recorded over the course of a year with Tim Brown (Lunchbox, Hard Left), Artsick's debut album "Fingers Crossed" is a thrilling, compelling and downright fun record that surveys a vast swathe of indie and indiepop history, from DIY progenitors like Dolly Mixture through the punkier side of C86 (think Talulah Gosh, Fat Tulips) to the 90s K Records-centered International Pop Underground and straight through more recent exemplars like Vivian Girls and Colleen Green. It's all brought to life by Riley's songwriting as she crafts tunes that are as new-sounding as they are timeless, full of melodic twists and sharp, honest lyrics.

A great example is lead-off single "Despise" -- a feedback-laden kiss-off that could be some long-lost punk classic, all handclaps, crunching power chords and attitude. "Ghost of Myself" is unsparingly introspective, a story of internal struggle, self-doubt and ultimately self-belief wrapped in a brilliantly driving pop song. "Dealing With Tantrums" adds some girl-group flavor with it's bouncy bassline and echoed handclaps, while crowd favorite "Stress Bomb" is a bit of hotness worthy of the legendary Tiger Trap. Throughout, the band plays with an ease and infectious energy that can only come from years of friendship and even more years spent in other terrific bands.

https://slumberlandrecords.com/artists/show/176

3/18

5:30 - 7:30pm

Special K:  Kay spotlights her style on bringing the audience a unique blend of adult oriented originals mixed with not-so-well-known covers of classic and current influences. Her lyrics take you on a humanistic view of our journey through life. After performing for the last 20 years in Tokyo and Okinawa, Japan she has recently relocated to the vibrant music scene in Santa Cruz, CA.

Patti Maxine:  Lap steel virtuoso and vocal stylist, Patti Maxine has become a household word in Santa Cruz area as well as Hawaiian circles. A musical Swiss army knife, she handles a variety of styles with ease, sliding gracefully from Hawaiian to swing, from R&B and rock, from blues to jazz and back again.  She has played with countless bands, established and up-and-coming musicians and visiting Hawaiian players.   Audiences love her incredible musicianship and unique vocal interpretation along with her comfortable and fun stage presence, and undeniable oneness with her music. She always leaves 'em wanting more.

Her achievements include: World Championship Steel Guitar 1955 (Ohio - age 17!), induction in Sacramento Western Swing Society Hall of Fame in 2011,  Gail Rich award 2017,  San Lorenzo Valley Woman of the Year 2018,  Good Times cover story 2018, and participation as a master player at the Lap Steel Festival on Maui from 2014-2018.

Patti began her lifelong love affair with lap steel guitar and Hawaiian music as a young girl in Roanoke, Virginia studying with lap steel master Elmer Ridenhour. Recognizing her gift, Elmer had her performing after a month of lessons.  Patti has played in Santa Cruz as a solo artist or in collaborations since her arrival in 1970.   Some of the bands include: Smith, Richards and Frye (she changed her name from Patti Smith to Maxine along the way), Sister Star, Saddle Up and Boogie, Word of Mouth, Island Breeze, 'Em two Gurlz,  Sherry Austin with HenHouse, and Jazz the Dog.  She was a familiar figure at Roaring Camp RR for 30 years playing on the General Store porch.  Patti has recorded or performed with artists including John Cruz, Cyril Pahanui, Eddie Kamae, Patrick Landeza, Pipa Pinon, Mary McCaslin, Nina Gerber and Chris Webster, Christie McCarthy, Kingston Trio, Josh Lowe, Tracy Parker, Sharon Allen, Carolyn Sills combo, and most recently Anthony Arya.

3/20

$20

Duff Thompson:  Duff Thompson is a songwriter, musician, and producer whose music is a swampy blend of folk, pop, and garage rock. As a songwriter, he has a rare ability to distill emotional complexity into simple, sincere songs that instantly hit the listener on a visceral level. As a producer, he draws from influences that span across decades and genres, merging them into a cohesive and organic sound recognizable as his own.
Thompson's latest work is a dark, alienated, and swaggering duology of albums titled Shadow People and Shadow People II. Created over two weeks of intensive recording during a Montreal heatwave in 2021, the Shadow People series comprise 19 total tracks split across two albums. Thompson rented out the studio space at Sud-Ouest Recording Service and produced and engineered the recordings himself, bringing along with him a 16-track reel-to-reel and songwriter/musicians Steph Green (drums, lap steel, pump organ, vocals) and Kyle Taylor (drums, piano, vocals) as his backing band and assistant engineers. Shadow People also features contributions from Mat Davidson (Twain) on strings, pedal steel, and bass clarinet. Whereas Thompson’s 2020 debut album, Haywire showcased his versatility and folk influences, Shadow People and Shadow People II are a more cohesive collection of songs that push his music further into the world of garage and indie rock. Shadow People was released October 27, 2023, to be followed by Shadow People II on June 28, 2024, out on Mashed Potato Records.
Thompson started out playing music at a young age, forming and playing in bands until 2016, when he shifted focus to being a solo artist. In addition to his own project, he has spent many years recording, and performing as a backing musician for numerous other artists, as well as co-running the DIY label Mashed Potato Records. Along with the October 2023 release of Shadow People, the past year saw Thompson performing across the US, Canada, and in Europe, ending with a six-week co-headlining tour alongside Steph Green, with sold-out dates in numerous major cities in North America.

https://www.duffthompson.com/

Steph Green:  Steph Green's music is for those who fancy the art of songwriting, depicting a lonely world illuminated by strangeness and beauty. Her sound blends elements of folk, dream pop, and indie rock, and her lyrics reveal an affecting and arresting storyteller. A spirit of independence and experimentation characterize Green’s approach to music, with all of her releases featuring her in the roles of producer and multi-instrumentalist.
Green's haunting sophomore album, Lore, is a series of vignettes that immerse the listener in dreams and nightmares of the West. It's a world where the natural and supernatural collide, wailing spirits wander lost highways, and shapeshifting starling murmurations soar overhead of restless loners. Green produced and recorded Lore at home on a 16-track reel-to-reel, and the collection of tales are enveloped by a distinctive and otherworldly sound, with weeping steel guitar, washy organ, and ghostly vocal layering reverberating from a distant dimension. Out now, Lore is a rugged, eerie, and wild homage to both a real and imagined place.
Following the October 2023 release of Lore, Green has been captivating live audiences on co-headline tours across the US and Canada, along with performances in Europe. Green started out as a traveling street musician before the chance acquisition of a cassette 4-track led her to start writing and recording her own songs, and she has since released  two full-length albums (her kaleidoscopic debut album, Thanks for That was released in 2022), and two EPs (2019’s Salt Spring Island Tapes and Spooky Love). In addition to her own project, she has also performed as a backing musician and vocalist for numerous other songwriters over the years, appearing most recently on recordings for Duff Thompson and Dean Johnson.

https://www.stephgreensongs.com/

3/21

Tom Conneely and Birds of Paradise:  Tom Conneely & Birds of Paradise are a San Francisco based band that released their first record “Cappuccino Springs” in the fall of 2022. The band followed up with the home-recorded “Sun Child” less than a year later, and has toured throughout the west coast, from Los Angeles to Portland to Boise and many places in between, including a recent performance at Offbeat Festival in Reno. The Birds are led in collaboration between guitarist and vocalist Tom Conneely and bassist Alois Cerbu, home-recording and engineering both “Sun Child” and their forthcoming record “New Kind Palace.”
“New Kind Palace” is Tom Conneely & Birds of Paradise’s second full length album, though in many ways, it might as well be the first. The release of the “Sun Child” EP in September 2023 marked a radical shift in both substance and form, as the desire for perfection and clarity was abandoned for muddled drum machines and lyrics that dealt with the painfully obvious facets of life. “New Kind Palace” builds on the foundations of “Sun Child” - drawing on its hissy intimacy while exceeding its through line, balancing tactile analog qualities with inventive electronic elements all while retaining an impressionistic lyrical focus against the trance-like qualities reminiscent of Arthur Russell and the lo-fi melodic guitars of The Cleaners of Venus.
After a false starts in ill-fitting studios, the ten songs of “New Kind Palace” were recorded in a variety of bedrooms and makeshift spaces that belay the music’s homespun qualities and intimacy. The recording and production process was entirely one of self-discovery, as handing off the various parts of the production process, from tracking to mixing and mastering, became untenable with retaining the honesty the work required. Mostly tracked to quarter inch tape, the music that constitutes “New Kind Palace” is a testament to self-discovery and trust in one’s self, while uncovering and facing head-on the simultaneous hysteria and transcendence of our inner worlds.
"New Kind Palace" by Tom Conneely & Birds of Paradise will be released by Kestrel Records on March 21, 2025.

https://tcandbop.com/

Milk Thistle:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6XJOFelgsMChubs1EmcSg

Kai Killion:  https://www.reverbnation.com/kaikillion

Jerry Joseph Bio
Jerry Joseph is a musician who lives in Portland Oregon, but he’s often gone. He’s been inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame but is still rather obscure to a lot of people. He plays well over 150 shows a year in the usual places. Across America. Sometimes in Europe,
Mexico, and Central America. Then there’s these other places he plays—Lebanon, Israel, Kurdish Iraq, India, and Afghanistan. All over the Middle East, often in war zones and refugee camps. In addition to his touring, Jerry has set up a non-profit called Nomad Music Foundation that acts as a sort of School of Rock for displaced teenagers in areas of conflict. So far, he has taken guitars and taught lessons in camps in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Sulaymaniyah and Dahuk, both in Kurdish Iraq. These life-changing missions have been written up in Rolling Stone, Relix, and PBS News Hour. Oh yeah, and he’s really fucking great. A triple threat—someone who works at the highest levels as a songwriter, singer, and player. Jason Isbell, who kinda personifies such, recently tweeted about triple threats and listed Jerry Joseph (along with Richard Thompson and St. Vincent) among the greatest examples of that phenomenon. Most likely, if you know who Jerry is, you agree, but there’s also a big chance that you don’t. His talent, drive, work ethic, amazing body of work, and flat out badass-ness make him one of the most underrated and tragically overlooked artists alive today. He deserves better, and I’m hoping to help shine a light on who and what Jerry Joseph is and why you should listen to what he’s doing and saying. First off, there’s the body of work. Jerry Joseph has been playing shows and making records since the 80s, first in a band called Little Women that at one point looked destined to be huge, but this is a crazy business and sometimes things just don’t go as planned. By the 90s Jerry was struggling with addiction while also creating the beginnings of a vast body of work as a solo artist and burning up the road backed by a mighty band called The Jackmormons. They built a considerable following in the great Northwest. Many of Jerry’s songs were recorded by the band Widespread Panic, and there are many people who know of Jerry through that connection. Later, after getting clean,
Jerry toured and made some albums as part of Stockholm Syndrome, a sort of supergroup he formed with Panic bassist David Schools, who
himself is an incredible musician. Much of Jerry’s following in the so-called jam band circles is through his affiliation with these bands.
Musical taste is a funny thing. People who are into one or another genre of music often don’t pay much attention to musicians who fall outside of those forms. The age of streaming and the internet have broadened things considerably, but there is still a form of segregation that occurs across various boundaries, often accompanied by derision for stylistic forms outside certain circles. I have spent much of my life rebelling against this way of listening, while sometimes still being as guilty as anyone about this exact thing. I’ve always been drawn to songwriters and the writerly aspects of music, and with some glaring exceptions, there has always been a disconnect between the so-called jam music scene and the so-called
singer/songwriter genre. The fact that Jerry is a writer’s writer who has been mostly known in “jammy” circles has always made him
somewhat an anomaly. I have also always been partial to punk rock, yet there has always been a wall separating punk bands from jam bands, even though Black Flag, The National, Sonic Youth, and many of the legendary punk bands through the years have always proclaimed themselves massive Grateful Dead fans. I know Jerry Joseph to be a die-hard fan of all kinds of music across many genres, and there have been seeds of those many genres in most of his many records. Underneath it all, to me, he’s always been a punk rocker at the core. Jerry, to me. is a cult figure who could, in some alternate reality, have easily been one of the biggest stars in the world. One of the greatest live performers I have ever seen and long one of my favorite songwriters. I can’t hear the chorus of San Acacia without picturing Jerry singing it in front of 100,000 screaming fans, in a soccer stadium in Brazil. In the pouring rain. With everyone singing along.
_Essay by Patterson Hood_

Kareeta rose from the swamps and southern delta heat during the uncertain Spring of 2020. Emerging as a fully formed amalgamation of
the music that shaped its core, the band assembled in California and recorded their debut LP in Oakland with producer and musician Greg Loiacono (Mother Hips, Green Leaf Rustlers) at the controls. The music is an all-night drive pushing you deeper into the dial with broken
characters and stories of red sky redemption silhouetting every ache. Kareeta's second album was recorded at Spacecamp, deep in the Northern
California redwoods. Greg Loiacono returns as producer, with Dave Schools joining the band on bass, Jason Reed at the board, and acclaimed songwriter Jerry Joseph sitting in as a special guest on the title track. Kareeta continues to play some of the top clubs in the West. "Kareeta’s sophomore record, Freeway Junkie Queen is an album that anyone that listens and enjoys Widespread Panic needs to check out not because it sounds just like WSP but it certainly shares similar sensibilities. In fact, Dave Schools plays bass on the album and Jerry Joseph has a guest spot on backing vocals as well. Beyond that, the overall sound of the record drips of the Dirty South in a way that belies the band’s California roots..."

3/25

FREE

Dinner, Drinks, & Live Music at The Crepe Place.
Please come join us on January 24th for the inaugural monthly jazz dinner night at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz, CA. Join us on the back Patio for two hours of live jazz music performed by local professional musicians to accompany your food and libations.

If you would like to bring an instrument and sit in please contact a house band member ahead of time and be respectful of these Jam Guidelines:

1. The bandstand is a space for communication, respect, and deep learning.
2. As musicians we are here for the music AND the audience, they are our patrons, be sensitive to their listening needs.
3. If there are numerous horn players on stage, please keep solos short to allow room for other musicians to perform.
4. When playing with a vocalist, keep your solos to 1-2 choruses maximum.
5. No I-Real/Real Books on stage. The goal is to come together and play songs we know. Please learn the changes at home and use your ears on stage, not your eyes.

3/27

$15

We are delighted to welcome Casey Neill, who released another terrific band record (Sending Up Flares) with the Norway Rats in 2023 and a beautiful solo one (time zero land) this year.  He's been busy.  And that's not all, he's bringing Camper Van Beethoven founding member Victor Krummenacher with him.  They will be trading songs and playing along with each other.  Krummenacher left his latest Silver Smoke of Dreams when he visited the basement last year with Eyelids.  It hasn't gone far from the CD player since.  This one is a no-brainer.

Victor Krummenacher:  Victor Krummenacher is a co-founder of the bands Camper Van Beethoven and Monks of Doom and a songwriter who has released 11 albums. Krummenacher is also part of the collective The Third Mind with Dave Alvin, David Immerglück, Michael Jerome and Jesse Sykes. He currently resides between Portland, Oregon and Riverside, California.

As a recording artist, Krummenacher has been active for more than 40 years and has worked with numerous artists including Cracker, Chrlie Parr, Eyelids, M. Ward, The Minus Five, Steve Barton, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Camper Van Chadbourne (with Eugene Chadbourne) as well as Two Heads (featuring John Moremen, DJ Bonebrake and Willie Aron), Mushroom, Magnet, and Robi Del Mar.

Krummenacher has pursued a solo career as a singer-songwriter since 1994. His tenth solo album, “Silver Smoke of Dreams,” was released in 2021. A compilation of archival material, “If The Devil Gives Me House and Home” was released on September 27, 2024 and a new collection of songs “Block Out The Sun” will be released in 2025.

Other recent projects include the album “A Colossal Waste of Light” by Eyelids, on Jealous Butcher, and the sophomore album from The Third Mind, simply entitled “2”, as well as a live release from The Third Mind entitled Live Mind, available on Feb. 14, 2025.

https://victorkrummenacher.com/

Casey Neill:  A prolific songwriter and road warrior since the late 1990s, Neill tours throughout the USA, Japan, and Europe performing at venues such as Town Hall in New York, Bumbershoot, and the Newport Folk Festival. American roots and Scots/Irish-folk influences have often underscored his songwriting and solo material. Sending Up Flares also hints at a European influence, with songs that channel everything from the cinematic sweep of golden-era U2 to the dark, complex alt-rock of PJ Harvey. A four-piece string section (Bizarre Star, arranged by Kyleen King) adds a symphonic punch to “How Beautiful Am I?,” the album’s tribute to Marianne Faithfull. Synths, stacked vocal harmonies, and burbling electronics run throughout “Fall Into Forever,” bringing to life the song’s bizarre storyline involving a Tokyo typhoon, Dante’s Paradiso, and pop star Britney Spears. Together, these 11 songs shine new light on a band who, after more than a dozen years together, have arrived somewhere singular and startlingly unique. “

https://www.caseyneill.com/

RETURN TO NAGOYA: The California rockers take their heavy psych to the next level by way of widescreen scale, captivating riff-offs, and smoky production.

https://returntonagoya.bandcamp.com/track/die-over-again-version-1

SURFSQUATCH: Fending Off Sharks And Sirens Since 2019.

https://surfsquatch.bandcamp.com/

BEAST

HARRY AND THE HITMEN: Harry and the Hitmen serve up classic Motown and Soul. The band comes from an improvised rock tradition, and has years of experimentation behind their tight arrangements, unearthing nuggets from the golden years of Motown and Stax records, the group also writes original “New Soul Classics”®. Because all six members are multi-instrumentalists and avid improvisers, their concerts continue to evolve nightly.

https://www.harryandthehitmen.com/

THE GOLD SOULS:  The driving grooves of funk, rich textures of soul, and the compelling storytelling of the blues converge through The Gold Souls’ unique brand of boogie. Captivating lyrics tell modern tales, while fresh arrangements propel a classic sound, inspiring audiences everywhere with positive messages straight from the heart to the dance floor.

Led by the dynamic Juniper Waller, the group is made up of young talent hailing from the Bay and Sacramento areas, and boasts the region's first all women horn section. With Alex Severson on the keys, Billy D. Thompson on the drums, Madison Armstrong on saxophone, Liliana Moore on trumpet, Kari Anne Estrada on trombone, Chris Paisley on guitar, and Avery Jeffry on bass,  each member has a hand in writing and song composition, making The Gold Souls a truly collaborative effort.

Be sure to follow all things The Gold Souls here: https://www.thegoldsouls.com/