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Donna Jean and the Tricksters
Yonder
Mountain delivers bluegrass with rock spirit
Oh, Yonder Mountain String Band, why do I love you so?  We
only met once, but I've been changed ever since. The world seems
brighter, people seem to laugh more, I write with more hyperbole
than an English teacher would ever allow . . . But most importantly,
I now have a fire in my belly that only folk and bluegrass can
quench. I'd never seen them before, and barely even saw them coming, but once the concert was upon me, Yonder Mountain String Band filled my ears with bouncing melodies and filled my mind with images of moonshine runners and Southern love. The show kind of started at 9 last Thursday night. It gets hard to tell the time, because my night blurred after that point. Yonder plays like a band possessed, and the Cain's Ballroom was the perfect place for their energy to infect the crowd. Heads seemed to be bobbing even before the music started flowing, and flow it did. These guys are a musical force to be reckoned with. Mandolinist Jeff Austin's fingers danced across the strings at almost traumatizing speeds while his head cocked from side to side and his whole body weaved with the music he and his bandmates. The entire band lent vocals throughout the show, with Ben Kauffman laying down a very structured but flexible bass line that kept peoples' feet stamping in time while Austin went wild on his mandolin. Adam Aijala and Dave Johnston created sometimes soft and sometimes groovy melodies on guitar and banjo, respectively. In 2006, Yonder released a self-titled album produced by Tom Rothrock, a producer of Foo Fighters and Beck fame. The band is a bluegrass/jam band in nature and it shows. I've never seen a musician play with the feedback from an electric mandolin, nor switch from playing a soft ballad on an amplified acoustic guitar to a rockin' electric solo on the same instrument. The real fans surrounding me didn't seem surprised at all. The band is well known, with fans flocking to Cain's from as far as Kansas City (and did I hear someone mention coming from Dallas?). Their wide fan demographic doesn't just deal with the miles traveled to see them. There were college hippies, scene kids, and even the "middle-aged" (yes, they see concerts, too) wandering around in the midst of all the stamping, dancing and crowing that filled the dance hall. Have I swooned enough yet? Yonder has earned at least one fan from that night at Cain's. Whether you're a bluegrass fan or not, Yonder Mountain String Band will deliver a show that will leave you worn out, danced-out, grinning and begging for more. Minus the Bear  With catchy song titles like "Hey, Wanna Throw Up? Get Me Naked," "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!," and "Lemurs, Man, Lemurs," it's hard not to be at least a little bit curious about this Seattle-based quintet. Featuring members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving, Minus the Bear emerged on Seattle's music scene in 2001 with the release of their six-song EP This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic. The band comprised guitarist Dave Knudson, vocalist/ guitarist Jake Snider, drummer Erin Tate, and bassist Cory Murchy. Though the band entered the studio before they ever played a show, they toured aggressively in support of the EP, then returned to the studio to record 2002's Highly Refined Pirates, their first full-length album. Both the EP and LP were released by Seattle-based Suicide Squeeze Records. Though the song titles may lead one to believe that they're a novelty act, Minus the Bear provides polished, shrewdly arranged songs. Finger-tapped guitar riffs mixed with catchy melodies and unexpected time changes keep listeners interested and entertained. Minus the Bear issued two EPs in 2004: Bands Like It When You Yell "Yar!" at Them on Suicide Squeeze and They Make Beer Commericals Like This on Arena Rock. Their next full-length, the self-produced Menos el Oso (Spanish for Minus the Bear), appeared in August 2005; the remix album Interpretaciones del Oso followed in early 2007. The band released the full-length Planet of Ice later that year. ~ Laurel Greenidge, All Music Guide
Floater- Homegrown and Flourishing By chad snyder
for the Mail Tribune
January 18, 2008
Formed in Eugene in 1993, Floater quickly forged a sound based on their mutual appreciation of rock and roots music. Guitarist Dave Amador, drummer Peter Cornett and singer/bassist Robert Wynia pooled their diverse influences to create a band unlike most of the pop-conscious, genre-dominated acts of the mid-1990s. The band initially played the bulk of their gigs locally — including performances in Ashland and Medford — but almost immediately garnered regional attention and began playing throughout the Pacific Northwest. Floater quickly amassed a devoted fan base and cut their first album, "Sink," in 1994. The album was immediately embraced, and as Wynia says, "The response to the first record locally was so strong it made us decide to buy a van, quit our jobs and go for it." Like many other great bands, you can't fix a few loose terms on Floater's sound and make them stick. Songs and albums range from atmospheric and lamenting to spirited and high-energy and consistently contain a sort of inspired urgency. There are some readily identifiable elements present: hints of groove rock, reggae beats and pop song construction, but the overall presentation is powerfully original. As Amador says of Floater's sound, —¦ it's rock with touches of other musical influences that we enjoy listening to." Wynia credits the bulk of their songwriting success to their synergy as a band. "It's some kind of bizarre voodoo, we can't all get in the same room without writing songs "¦ they just kind of explode out," Wynia says. The results are obvious. Songs like "Endless 1" off the 1998 album "Angels in the Flesh and Devils in the Bone" exhibit a collaboration of music and lyrically tight end product that is a nearly seamless pop document, both engaging and brilliant. Without big marketing dollars and a huge record label behind them, Floater's success can be linked largely to their dedicated fan base. From early on the fans' response to the band was powerful and gave Floater confidence that their future was bright. Wynia says, "We're totally 'indy,' I don't know what we did, but we have the best fans and they support us in droves." Forever humble and appreciative of what fans have done for them, Wynia says, "Since we exist so far under the radar, with no budget, no radio, no record label, it's amazing that we have fans at all." The continued fan support helped them grow from a regional band to one that has a strong national following. The growing wave of recognition opened a lot of industry doors, too, allowing Floater to book and play legendary venues around the country including CBGB's and L.A.'s Roxy. Playing such landmark venues was a real honor and pushed the band further into the spotlight, Wynia says. Last year Floater was invited to open for Rob Zombie, a heavyweight in the rock/metal world. The exposure and opportunity was massive, as Zombie has a huge following based on his music and recent ventures into horror films. The band is is set for a spring tour in support of their newest album, "Stone by Stone." The tour includes dates at influential venues including another show at L.A.'s Roxy and an acoustic set at The House of Blues in Las Vegas. The spring tour features the bands' new stage set and projection equipment, which adds a multimedia aesthetic to their already dynamic stage shows. See floater.com on the Web. Floater is proud to announce the release of their third full length live album, "Acoustic Live at the WOW" !!! Collie Buddz 'Collie Buddz' is America's #1 Reggae Album NEW YORK, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Collie Buddz -- creator of the freshest young sound in contemporary reggae -- has Released stateside by Columbia Records on July 3, Collie Buddz enjoyed a host of additional R&B and Rap chart entries in addition to its #1 Reggae debut including a Top 10 debut on SoundScan's Current Rap Albums Overall chart (#9) and a Top 30 debut (#23) on the Current R&B Albums Overall chart. Collie Budd has also debuted at #44 on the SoundScan Digital Albums chart and entered in the top half (at #68) of the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums chart. Collie's debut album jumped 10 positions this week from #39 to #29 on the CMJ New World Chart. Collie Buddz is one of the most talked about artists of 2007. "Come Around," the first single from Collie's self-titled debut album, has become one of this year's summer anthems, topping Reggae charts around the world from Jamaica and Germany to Japan and the UK. Touted by tastemakers and journalists alike as an artist on the brink of stardom, Collie Buddz has delivered a fantastic debut album with contributions from Supa Dups, Shea Taylor, Bang Out, Screwface, Bobby Konders and Crown n Kah-So-Real, among others with Collie Buddz handling much of the album's production. By the beginning of 2007, Collie Buddz was already drawing kudos from the music press. "Collie Buddz is being tapped by heavyweights like DJs Bobby Konders and Jabba as the next big Reggae star," reported MTV News. "Columbia MC impresses global Reggae market and US Hip Hop community alike," proclaimed Billboard. Collie Buddz has spent the majority of the year riding the success of his single, "Come Around," which has created a major international buzz. "This 24 year old shotta has got an anthem spreading across the seas," said the Source magazine. "The song is a monster," exclaimed Miami New Times. Hip Hop Weekly wrote, "Collie Buddz is one of the most firmly grounded voices you may While widely credited for generating an album that's the soundtrack for Summer '07, Collie Buddz is humble with his expectations. "I just want to make good music and I hope people love it," he simply says. Born in New Orleans but raised in Bermuda, dancehall singer Collie Buddz was entranced by the urban music of his island home. He favored dancehall the most, but soca and hip-hop were important too, all of which exploded out the speakers of his DJ brother. His brother was also involved in recording Collie's demo track, "Come Around," an infectious song that blew up in Europe and topped the charts in the U.K. before it came to Jamaica. As the marijuana anthem was climbing the JA charts all the way up to number one, rapper Busta Rhymes cut his own, unauthorized remix, which increased the track's presence on urban American radio. Guest vocals on a remix of Beyoncé's "Ring the Alarm" began his relationship with the Sony label, while hooking up with Lil' Flip for the rapper's I Need Mine album kept spreading the Collie Buddz name on the streets. Everything was in place as his second single, "Mamacita," and his self-titled debut album were both released by Sony in the summer of 2007. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide Red Elvises Well, actually ...The Red Elvises were founded in 1995 by two Russian political refugees, singer/songwriter Igor Yuzov and actor/bass-balalaika player Oleg Bernov in Los Angeles, California. Igor and Oleg met during Russia’s Peace Walk and subsequently played together in a Russian folk-rock band called Limpopo. Believing that one can’t go wrong with "The King" Elvis Presley as an inspiration and with "red" being not only Oleg’s favorite color but the national color of their native country, the band name Red Elvises was created. Actually, it is widely believed that Igor came up with the "Red Elvises" name by seeing Elvis come to him in a dream, wearing a red dress! Igor will neither confirm nor deny the truth of that rumor. The band’s third original member, guitarist Zhenya Kolykhanov (he later legally changed his last name to “Rock”), had also emigrated to America and had been spending time playing in Texas. For the first few months Andrey Baranov was the band’s drummer, but within that year, the first American in the band, drummer Avi Sills from Austin, Texas, was added to the lineup. The four of them got their start playing on Santa Monica’s famed 3rd Street Promenade but became so popular that they were eventually asked to leave. The reason? They drew such huge crowds that the shopkeepers complained it was interfering with business! Soon thereafter the band set forth in its quest for world domination and endless summer nights. Playing countless shows every year, they became known as one of the hardest working bands in show business, as well as being one of the nicest and most accessible. John Butler is many things to many people. To John’s family he is a much loved husband, father, brother, and son. To his ever growing fan base it is purely about the musical journey, the groove of the Trio, the soul of the guitar and the honesty and integrity of John’s lyrics. To emerging independent artists John is an inspiration and patron to young acts struggling to establish themselves in an increasingly difficult and diluted marketplace. For guitar players John has reignited interest in open tunings, slide-playing and down-home tone, and like his heroes singer/songwriter and slide great Jeff Lang and multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Bob Brozman, John has provided the motivation for many players to pick up the guitar, practice and get deep. To people everywhere who believe in social equity, justice and the human spirit John’s words and actions have provided an audible, considered, independent voice and energy to many legitimate and universal concerns. For John however, the importance and focus has always been at the source, his family, his commitment, a voice, a guitar, a song, and the path they walk together. It is the bold ideal that has been made into reality that makes John Butler’s work significant. The concepts of independence, artistic integrity and ethical business practice have been proven not only achievable but highly successful. John’s ability to thrive independently with music has provided a catalyst for new directions within the industry and an inspiration for many artists and the way they approach their career. Independent options are real and tangible. MICAH WOLF
Born in Brainbridge Island, WA, Micah Wolf lead a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. His mother’s adventurous spirit found them living in numerous locations throughout America, a coastal town in Mexico, and with a traditional Cree Indian family in Canada. They eventually became permanent fixtures in Hawaii. It was these unique experiences that helped shape Micah’s creativity and outlook on life, which he then poured into his music. Micah recorded his self-titled debut album, Micah Wolf in 2006. He and his friend, Eric DeVine, constructed a studio to record and produce the music. Devine also handcrafted the guitars and stand-up bass that are featured on the album. Micah then started his own record label, Blockplane Records, to distribute the album. John Carver of Australia’s PBSFM states, 'This album is warm and inviting, beautifully under-produced and each song will linger with you for hours until you play it all again.'
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Donna
Jean Godchaux MacKay was born to sing, and over the course
of time she’s done so with people like Elvis Presley, Percy
Sledge, Boz Scaggs, and Jerry Garcia. Now she has a new band that
she’s quite certain is on a creative par with anything she’s
ever done. “This band is a perfect fit for me as a singer/songwriter,”
she said recently, “and I hope to be doing this for a long
time to come. We’re having so much fun with this music!”
The Grateful Dead alumna has joined up with six members of the next
musical generation – Mookie Siegel (David Nelson Band; formerly
Phil & Friends, RatDog), Wendy Lanter (Hope in Time), and Jeff
Mattson, Tom Circosta, Klyph Black and Dave Diamond (Zen Tricksters)
to form Donna Jean and the Tricksters. Look out! Things have come
full circle and anything’s possible. Oh, sure, they’re
gonna jam. But the band has seven vocalists and an incredible array
of songwriting talent, and DJ&tT is going to make waves in ways
you’d never anticipate. Born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Donna
Jean was a vocalist at both Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and Fame
Studios, home of the legendary “Muscle Shoals Sound,”
on records like Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,”
Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves a Woman,” and
Boz Scagg’s eponymous first solo album. She moved to San Francisco,
married Keith Godchaux, and spent the 1970s as a vocalist in the
Grateful Dead as well as the Jerry Garcia Band. After life with
the Dead, she and Keith created the Heart of Gold Band with drummer
Greg Anton. Following various side trips, she resumed serious focus
on her singing in the ‘90s, recording a new Heart of Gold
Band album, At the Table, and singing with Phil & Friends and
her own Donna Jean Band. But it was at a benefit concert for the
Dead’s Rex Foundation in 2006, The Black Tie-Dyed Ball, that
she bonded with the Tricksters and decided that she’d found
her future. The Zen Tricksters began on Long Island in the early
1980s. Led by guitar wizard Jeff Mattson, the ZT have played for
more than 20 years, establishing records at the legendary Wetlands
Preserve and taking part in every Gathering of the Vibes. With Klyph
Black on funky, blues-based bass and vocals (and slide and dobro),
Tom Circosta on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Dave Diamond on drums,
percussion, and vocals, the ZT rapidly became known as the best
Dead-oriented band around – and a great deal more. After a
substantial career doing session work, Wendy Lanter joined with
Tom Circosta to create the band Hope in Time as a platform for their
original music. She is a fabulous vocalist, adding angelic harmonies
to Donna Jean’s work. Finally, Mookie Siegel (keyboards and
vocals) emerged from Baltimore in the ‘80s to become a member
of such bands as the David Nelson (New Riders of the Purple Sage)
Band, Bob Weir’s RatDog, and Phil Lesh & Friends. Yet
this band – a felicitous combination of experience and youth,
with skills that cross all musical genres and defy category –
is a great deal more than even the sum of its parts. Something happened
when they met – and DJ&tT is now (3/07) going into the
studio to show you what that was.
Floater has truly grown up from the soil of the Pacific Northwest. With a sound that's undeniably unique and poignant, they've evolved into a band that is "roots" in every possible way, from their diverse and heart-felt sound to the fan base that has propelled them to national visibility.
just entered the Billboard Reggae albums chart at #1 with his self-titled debut album. 
ever encounter." Collie's newly released single "Mamacita," an energetic sultry song set to an island beat, is showing signs of following the path blazed by "Come Around," the artist's monster-sized first single. 
