Other Bands

Option 22 is an Worldbeat ensemble with a revolutionary vibe. Dubbed by one listener a "new age jam band," their broad style spans from newgrass to space-folk to roots-rock world funk and points in between. They are channels for the music, allowing it to flow through them and deliver it to whomever is present along with messages of hope, love and healing.  On the fly collaborative dynamics, rhythmic muscle and thematic inventions shower you with sound that is sure to lift your vibration and unlock the doors of your heart, allowing you to groove freely and transcend. This is more than just a good time band.

Based in Princeton, West Virginia, Lori McKinney (vocals, drums, djembe, spoken word) and Robert Blankenship (guitar, banjo, shamisen, hand-drums, didgeridoo) have been writing and playing music together since early 2004, forging songs from the creative blast furnace of the divine flow. Now infusing the mix are the intense, driving bass lines of Brandon Dunn (bass) and the intuitive, free form guitar stylings of Jordan Furrow (lead guitar, percussion).

Their work as healing artists and arts organizers (they founded and run Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival and The RiffRaff Arts Collective) is fueled by a strong desire to build and contribute to community. Their music reflects that passion. With backgrounds in theatre, performance, yoga/meditation, and visual arts, the group comes together with an artistic mind-set and a vision for a better world.

Grant Farm is a band on a mission. Tyler, Chris, Adrian and Sean are experienced players of renown in their own right, but as a unit they form a greater whole, and are working hard to grow into the best band that they can be. Former members of Leftover Salmon, The Drew Emmitt Band, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Bill Nershi's Blue Planet and Hot Soup, these fine young players have been featured on stage with the likes of The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Motet, Head For The Hills, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Dumpstaphunk, Tony Rice, Larry Keel, Keller Williams, Jon Oates, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Disco Biscuits, Abigail Washburn and Peter Rowan.

The seeds of Grant Farm were planted in 2009 by Tyler Grant and Andy Thorn. Tyler was fresh off the boat from Nashville, TN and Andy from Chapel Hill, NC. The duo found themselves in Boulder, CO as members of The Emmitt-Nershi Band, and were eager to showcase some of their original music. When Tyler gave his notice to ENB at the end of 2010 he was driven to make a bigger statement with his music so he dusted off his Telecaster, started a conversation with the experienced and equally driven drummer Chris Misner, plugged in, turned up, and watched the sprouts of the Grant Farm concept grow.

With the help of Thorn and stellar bassist Keith Moseley of The String Cheese Incident, the electric Grant Farm started rehearsing in early 2011. Their concerts in Denver, Boulder and the mountains beyond caused a ripple in the local music scene that led to some fine festival plays the following Summer, including Yarmonygrass, Four Corners Folk Festival, Fort Collins Bark n' Bluegrass, Riverfront, and Harvestival. With a country-disco (Cris-Co), roots-rock, booty-shakin' jam-tastic concept fully formed, Adrian Engfer and Sean Foley were brought on board to bring the band into 2012. Now, after a couple solid seasons of touring Coast-to-Coast behind their eponymous debut CD, Grant Farm, released on Grant Central Records in March 2012, audiences everywhere are a-buzz with the Roots, Rock and Cris-Co statement that Grant Farm brings to every performance.

 The Blue James Band is an American rock band founded and fronted by vocalist and guitar player Clifton Williams.  The Blue James Band was formed in Los Angeles, California, but are now based in Boston, MA.

The band began in 2004 as a vehicle for Clifton Williams’ songs while he was scoring projects for film and television while in Los Angeles.  The band released their debut record, that’s that, in 2005 and their sophomore effort, WILL, in 2008.

After touring the Western US from 2005-2008, Clifton decided to move the project to the East Coast to “see how the other half lives” as he puts it.  “I’ve lived in California my whole life and though I love it and consider myself a true Californian, I wanted to get out for awhile to experience the other coast.”

He stopped in Virginia for a few years, released the 2nd Blue James Band album and finally settled into the Boston area.  It was in Virginia where he met current bass player Bryan Worley and multi-instrumentalist Liz Lawrence.  They moved to Boston with Clifton and along with Cornelius Foley on drums, the East coast Blue James Band was completed.  Keyboardist Valerie Taylor also tours with the band on occasion.

The band recorded their 3rd album, Give Me the Love or Give Me the Fight, while on tour in Virginia.  Clifton produced the record and finished the process at his studio in Boston, MA.  Scott Reibling (Weezer, Letters to Cleo) mixed the record which will be released on Chappy Payne Records in September of 2012.

Sol Driven Train's music weaves through genres like images in a Tom Robbins paragraph. The band's sonic schizophrenia absorbs songwriting influences like John Prine and Paul Simon, afrocaribbean rhythmic explorations, and funky New Orleans-style brass into earnest songs of life, love, loss, and long johns. The versatile 5-piece band, based in Charleston, SC, features rotating lead vocalists, and multi-instrumental talent spread across horns, strings, and percussion. Combining rich varieties of American pop and folk music into their own port-town sound, Sol Driven Train has carved out a unique musical identity within the burgeoning roots music scene.

During the spring of 2000, a close circle of friends and family began gathering in college apartments downtown Charleston to create sound and share in the joy of music. Through the course of over 12 years and over 1,000 live shows, this same spirit still guides Sol Driven Train through the rocky road of the music industry. The venues have grown from bedrooms to festival stages, the amps have gotten louder, the lineup has evolved, and the crowds have multiplied, but the sense of brotherhood, mutual support, and musical independence within the band has strengthened. Through hard work and a commitment to live performance, the band's reputation and collective musical ability has grown with every season. Named 2011's "Rock Band of the Year" by the Charleston City Paper, and "On the Verge" by Relix Magazine in January 2012, Sol Driven Train is an independent band breaking into the national spotlight. Nine independent releases including two critically-acclaimed albums for children, a live concert DVD, a live album, four full-length studio albums, and last summer's popular "Watermelon" EP document the band's winding musical development. The band's loyal fans recently funded the release ofSol Driven Train's upcoming full-length album, Underdog, due out in 2013.

The Colorado-bred quintet combines the elements of mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar, upright bass, drums and vocals to explore the musical boundaries of multiple genres and to fuel their own mixture of original music and innovative cover song interpretations.  Whether playing an intimate encore, acoustic and unplugged in the crowd, or surfing on top of the upright bass, Whitewater Ramble delivers a powerful and memorable live performance.

Their debut studio album All Night Drive was released in the summer of 2010 to rave reviews and critical acclaim.  It was produced by Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth and features 12 original genre-bending tracks and special guests from a range of superstar bands including Tea Leaf Green, Railroad Earth, Particle, The David Grisman Quintet and Hot Buttered Rum.  

WWR has had the privilege of supporting, touring with and sharing stages with Railroad Earth, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Greensky Bluegrass, Cornmeal, The Infamous Stringdusters, Dark Star Orchestra, Little Feat, Papa Mali, The New Mastersounds, The Gourds, The David Grisman Quintet, Jerry Douglas, Lotus, Splitlip Rayfiled, Members of the String Cheese Incident, Particle, Hot Buttered Rum, Drew Emmitt of Leftover Salmon, DJ Logic, Donna The Buffalo, The Contribution, The Motet, Tea Leaf Green, Henry Butler, Vince Herman and Great American Taxi, Peter Rowan, Tony Furtado and many more.

Based in Fort Collins, CO, WWR has performed and headlined on every major stage across the Rocky Mountain Region. With over 700+ performances under their belt, the group has truly established themselves as one of the hardest working groups in the jam scene today.

A diverse festival resume has helped bring WWR to stages at events like the Northwest String Summit, Wakarusa, Yonder Mountain's Harvest Festival, Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, 80/35 Festival, Nedfest, Bohemian Nights NewWestFest, The Wildflower Pavilion at RockyGrass, Copper Mountain Sunsation, Desert Rocks Music Festival, Love Your Mother Earth Music Festival, Keystone Bluegrass and Brews, The Denver People's Fair, South Park Music Festival, Westword's Music Showcase, numerous Brew Festivals, and their own annual two day music and camping festival, Ramble on the River.

WhiteWater Ramble is:

• Patrick Sites - Mandolin/Vocals
• Patrick Latella - Acoustic Guitar/Vocals
• Howard Montgomery - Upright Bass/Vocals
• Ben Blechman - Fiddle/Vocals
• Paul Kemp - Drums

Since their beginnings well over a decade ago, Mac & Juice have made tremendous evolutionary strides from their days as a dynamic acoustic duo. Now performing as a Quartet, their vast stylistic range is seamlessly translated into every original song. The band personally describes this as a "Broad-Spectrum Rock & Roll Mosaic." Performing a minimum of 125 shows a year, they consistently prove to audiences across the southeast that they are indeed a force to be reckoned with onstage. Whether listening to their album or experienced live, the end result is a sound all its own that lends itself to a very broad range of listeners.

Formed in 2010, this dynamic and musically diverse group features Brandon Knox on Vocals/Harmonica, Christopher Lord on Guitar/Keys/Vocals,  Ryan Winters on Keys/Vocals, George Westberry on Bass/Vocals, and Robby 'Rooster' Gates on Drums/Percussion.

The Deluge has shared the stage with many of the top artists in music, including Delbert McClinton, Blues Traveler, Edwin McCain, Sam Bush, Mother's Finest, Kofi & Oteil Burbridge, Artimus Pyle, Steven Rothery (of Marillion), Bob Margolin, George Porter Jr, Sammy Shelor and the Carter Brothers.

Their debut record "Cryin' on the Vine." features "Strange World"...which won best R&B song of 2010 from the international John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

Their second release Elephant Graveyard features the talents of Kofi Burbridge (Tedeschi/Trucks Band) and showcases the group's vast musical range.

Justin Babcock - Drums

Gabe Britton - Vocals, multi-instrumentalist

Greg Dalton -  Vocals, Guitar

Jeff Lewis - Bass

Chasing Edison is a groove based rock band from Charlotte, NC. Forming in early 2009, the band’s rising popularity can best be attributed to their amazing performances -- at both small shows and large music festivals. Chasing Edison draws from styles as  diverse as progressive metal to improvised jazz fusion. They provide an ever-evolving unique experience through gut wrenching grooves; turn on the dime changes, and an awe-inspiring light show. The members of Chasing Edison have been making music individually since childhood. The band, comprised of members Justin Babcock (Drums & Percussion,) Greg Dalton (Guitar,) Jeff Lewis (Bass,) and Gabe Britton (Lead vocals & multi-instrumentalist,) can best be described as stylistically diverse – with music that appeals to both the listener and the musicians. Produced by Chris Mitchell from Umphrey's McGee, their music is easy to relate to through danceable grooves, meaningful lyrics, and an overall positive message. They continue to challenge each other by writing complex dynamic parts within their songs, which also keeps their audience entertained. The band’s musical influences include Tool, The Grateful Dead, Bootsy Collins, and Pink Floyd.

“My favorite song to perform is “Enjoy the Show.” The song has many intricate parts, many hooks and a great groove. It also highlights many of our strengths as players and allows us to open up the song to create very interesting improvisational moments that vary from night to night.  Sometimes the song is eight minutes long and other times we perform it for closer to 15 minutes,” said Babcock. The members of Chasing Edison are always writing new music, and they seem to be releasing new songs at record speed. The band recently released a new song called “Dust,” which they have we have been debuting at their recent shows. They plan to release a brand new album by the fall of 2012, which will be available for purchase through the Homegrown Music Network and iTunes.

John Jamison-Guitar, Mandolin, Mandola, Sitar, Vocals

Jason Scaggs- Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Banjo, Vocals

Jeff Richardson- Upright Bass, Vocals

Music patrons of all ages and backgrounds can find something to love about Jatoba. In four short years the Vermont-based trio has cultivated a unique and instantly identifiable brand of music, incorporating styles and genres from all corners of the sonic spectrum, and indeed the globe. In what they have dubbed as “groove-grass”, the three members employ quick bluegrass tempos driven by thumping, rockabilly-like bass lines, and accentuated with soaring three-part vocal harmonies. On top of this, they add effect-driven guitar solos, heavy rhythmic improvisation, beat-boxing, and even the occasional sitar interlude. Their debut album, Death, Fire & Picnic Tables, released in 2011, is a shining example of this eclecticism, and effortlessly showcases their song-writing talents, technical dexterity,and relentless energy.

Since first popping up on the public radar in 2008, Jatoba has accumulated a broad and deeply devoted fan base, both at home and around the Northeast, and has been a powerful force behind the revitalization of the previously lacking local music market. “This is not a ‘what you see is what you get’ group of guys. From their name, to their sound, to their bare feet on stage (weather permitting), and their quirky persona, Jatoba is making noise for the Southern Vermont music scene.” (Brian Joy, Editor Cider Magazine) With live performances that feature ample improvisatory jams, seamless flow, and effective crowd interaction, the band’s loyal following seldom stops dancing.