Other Bands

The Tricksters have a huge working repertoire that ranges from their tuneful and well-crafted original pieces to traditional bluegrass and hillbilly jazz classics, to Grateful Dead, Dylan, Neil Yound and inventive interpretations of any and all songs that catch their fancy. The Zen Tricksters are not only renowned for the trademark jamming ability they have displayed for over 25 years, but also for their inspired songwriting. They are the quintessential jamband. Based in New York, they play nearly 150 dates a year while touring throughout the United States & Canada. They have also toured Nagoya, Yokohama, and Tokyo with Relix Japan and it is generally safe to say that the Tricksters are "currently on tour" somewhere in the United States or elsewhere. This band will rock you, psychedelicize you, make you cry, and pick it with the best of them! The Zen Tricksters have three studio CDS of all original material. When he heard their second CD, A Love Surreal, Phil Lesh was so impressed with the band's ability to jam in the studio that he tapped two members to be part of his Phil & Friends collective. "The Tricksters are more than just a cover band. They have their own stuff and they are brilliant, their stuff is brilliant. They are great players!"--Phil Lesh

Since the release of their 2005 live disc, The Honest Hour, AOD has earned the respect of their peers and has racked up an impressive roster of support slots and sold-out club dates, in addition to marquee dates at Carnegie Hall (in honor of Joni Mitchell), Bonnaroo, and World Cafe with David Dye. Recollection marries the quintet's musicianship with a focused song craft that recalls the intricate looseness of canonical recordings such as The Band's Music From Big Pink, Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic and even Paul Simon's Graceland.

There’s not a track on the Recollection that doesn’t resonate as genuine, timeless, and substantive, with finely drawn characters that stick in your mind and stories of life lessons learned the hard way. Led by singer/songwriter and Strangefolk co-founder Reid Genauer, Recollection is the perfect summation of the band's career to date: ten road-tested songs about love, loss and living, as on the album standout "Telling Sue," a deceptively upbeat song about the drudgeries of the nine-to-five world.

“I think any art form is most successful when it reflects or replays elements of life that people can relate to,” says Genauer. “You may not have an epiphany listening to our music, but odds are you will find a reflection of your life experience or an emotion that you can own hiding in the recesses.”

A 100% organic, improvised experience, each Zilla concert proves to be a completely new occurrence, with even the band members having no idea where the music will take them night after night. Relying on their uncanny ability to listen and incorporate their individual talents into a group focused brand of live electronic dance music, Zilla is sweeping the country by storm with their rare breed of beats, bass and uncontrollable musical fury making each performance exactly what live music is all about: spontaneity, grooves, and a damn good dance party.
While each individual’s accomplishments are impressive, the group identity theory behind Zilla is what truly makes the band unique. The constant focus of the group is to create a whole, complete sound devoid of noodles, wanking, solos and other characteristics that plaque improvisational music today. The music strives to serve all participating, including the audience. No one in the band has any idea what is going to happen a nanosecond ahead of time; they rely on their instincts and musical history together to create a sound that rarely strives from its intended direction. The collective whole is truly the dominant force in this band.
The music itself is a plethora of grooves, beats, and highly percussive breaks which cause the listener to become engulfed within the sonic vortex of sounds encompassing them. The band plays on pure emotion, so each night is different and varied, and no song is ever the same. ZIlla is about being as aware as humanly possible when you’re in the moment. The band plays, the crowd reacts, the band reacts and so on and so on. A cyclical paradigm is created in which everyone plays a part. It’s a whole new form of tension-release music in which the music never has to resolve itself in order to sustain the mood. It merely adapts and heads in whatever direction dictated by the experience.
Essentially, Zilla is the ultimate live experience. Many bands try to accomplish the amount of music communication that these three musicians employ their entire careers. This band is all about the music first, which is how it should be. The music plays the band, and not the other way around. Their infectious energy has crowds across the nation dancing up a storm to a completely new band of musical experience.

This singer/songwriter's playful combination of all musical genres blend with clever lyrics to ignite imagination, inspiration and smiles. Respected and appreciated for his musical creativity, such techniques as "mouth fluegel" and "guitar beats" contribute to his signature sound. Keller consistently exploits the freedom of music and the result is marvelous.

"Imagine an acoustic 10-string guitar player who is a cross between Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges, with significant doses of Grateful Dead, jazz, groove and reggae thrown into the mix. Add sweet tenor vocals, some excellent original songs, well chosen covers, and the occassional effects loops to layer things up a bit. Then add tribal roots via the djembe, the patented "mouth flugel" horn sounds...Clearly we can only be talking about Keller Williams." - Timothy Lynch

Their skillfully written compositions and their strong presence have earned them much deserved recognition as a powerhouse trio whose combined efforts include working and touring with musical greats including Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews, Jamie Masefield, Josh Roseman, Ernie Watts, Dave Schools and Lester Bowie. The Burlington, Vermont based group is made up of Ray Paczkowski on organ and vocals, Gabriel Jarrett on drums and Robinson Morse on upright and electric bass. The interplay between the three is remarkable as each member brings his own fascinating personal history to the group.

Together for over ten years, Vinyl has continued to refine their sound and is currently creating the most powerful, positive, and cohesive music of its career. Vinyl's most recent release, Fogshack Sessions #1, flaunts the vision of Tony Mindel and renowned producers the Rondo Brothers as they remix an album's worth of previously unreleased tracks laden with the masterful stylings of guest keyboardist Bernie Worrell. "This is a momentous compilation from a band that has been doing great things for many years. The addition of the great Bernie Worrell and studio wizards the Rondo Brothers makes this effort stand out right from the cover." - jambase.com

UM has made the move into larger venues, filling venues across the country with their unique multi-genre jams. Originals that span everything from classical to bluegrass, gangsta-rap to rock, jazz improv to down right dirty evil funk, UM pleases all types of music lovers. With a tightly constructed light show and the addition of a few fun, danceable cover songs with a unique UM twist, the live show is a spectacle to be embraced.

"These guys could be playing 1000+ venues all over the country if only more people knew about them. They have 'Big Time Jam Band' written all over their sound." -Charlie Dirksen, reviewing Dean Budnick's 'Jambands'

"Holy Time Changes, Batman!!!!!" -Dave Rioux, jambands.com

"Superlative Millennial Dance Music..." -Judge #5, Liquid Magazine Battle of the Bands

"Theirs is the sound of full contentment." -Cincinnati City Beat

A cohesive album which perfectly flows from one song to the next, The I's Mind showcases U-Melt's ability to distance themselves from traditional labels, revealing a unique sound by combining intense and captivating compositions while maintaining an infectious groove that will keep your feet moving and your mind floating.

From Bonnaroo to the 10,000 Lakes Festival, Turbine has quickly gained a devoted audience who have come to expect the unexpected. Chosen by Relix Magazine as “Artists on the Verge", they can scratch like a DJ with their harmonicas, turn an electric guitar into a silver fiddle, and sing three-part harmonies over wild, high-energy sci-fi rock soundscapes.

Hailing from New York City, Turbine has graced the stage at almost every major festival across the country including Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, 10K Lakes, Gathering of the Vibes, and Telluride Nightgrass just to name a few. They have also been fortunate enough to perform with many influential bands including Del McCoury Band, Benevento-Russo Duo, and moe.

Playing the harmonica and acoustic guitar at the same time, Ryan Rightmire has rocketed this classic folk combo into the 21st century. He manipulates effects that can turn his harmonica into an organ, and even a turntable. Now endorsed by Hohner, Ryan has been to known to wow audiences with his ability to play the harmonica with a balloon. Jeremy Hilliard, in addition to being a prolific songwriter, brings an explosive electric guitar style steeped in the blues and roots traditions of the south. Jeremy moved to NYC from Virginia to pursue a music career, and happened to move next door to Ryan. They soon formed Turbine as a duo, and released their first album “Don’t Mind if I Should.” After adding a rhythm section including Justin Kimmel on bass they recorded “Reward” to critical praise. With Justin’s ability to seamlessly play any style and sing, their three-part harmonies became a signature aspect of their new songwriting style. Their newest member, Octavio Salman, was born in El Salvador and brings a fiery approach to the drums that you’ll just have to see to believe.

In 2010 Turbine released its first official live album. It includes eight tracks highlighting their 2009 Summer Tour. Spanning their first two albums, as well as a sneak peak into their forthcoming studio release, this live document allows new listeners to hear what their fans have known for some time.. these songs, much like their makers, are hard to forget!