Other Bands

Their critically acclaimed debut One Fine Color (2006), has now been followed-up by a new album--Patience on Friday-- that weaves heartfelt, poignant and even somewhat humorous songs of loss and renewal, of growing up and moving on, into one cohesive collection of music. The sonically rich and eclectic songs range from ragtime Americana to folk and rock croonings and modern day R&B. It is all tied together thematically through Montbleau's lyrics. Strong press, radio, concert sales, album sales and MySpace presence keep this young band and their loyal following growing fast.

Hailing from Torquay on the Southern Victorian coast in Australia, 26-year-old Xavier delivers a harmony that is both powerful and uplifting. In performance, one is immediately drawn to his warmth and energy as his bare feet work the rhythm on the stomp box and he glides his Weissenborn guitar through fluid melodies. Switching between a myriad of instruments including 12 string acoustic and electric guitars, banjos, didgeridoos, slit/Aztec drums, and the Djembe, Xavier's music captivates the imagination. His thoughtful and engaging live performance has earned him a growing fan base through North America and Australia.

Hailing from Burlington, Vermont, the band began with the name "Shadraq", but shortened the name to RAQ before cutting their debut album Shed Tech. The bands unique sound developed while playing to ardent fans in local Burlington clubs. They started touring and soon expanded their scope to cover all of New England, eventually making their way to the West Coast in the summer of 2002.

Over the past four years, RAQ has taken the stage at festivals such as Bonnaroo, High Sierra Music Festival, Langerado, Berkshire Mountain Music Festival, Summer Camp, Gathering of the Vibes, Adirondack Music Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and aboard the floating festival, Jam Cruise. In August of 2005, more than 600 fans reveled in New Woodstock, NY, for the Lew-Au -- RAQ's very own festival. They've also sold out the famed BB King's Blue's Club, and most recently,  the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. RAQ has just finished a 48-city fall tour ending with two sold-out nights at the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC for New Years Eve.

One of the reasons behind RAQ's highly successful tour past is due to their compositions being grounded in solid song structures, but still being malleable enough to go in infinite directions in the live setting. This keeps the quartet's devout following and first time listeners yearning for more as the audience is taken along on the collective journey. Their extensive repertoire of original compositions and eclectic selection of covers give the band the freedom to create a unique
set list for every show.

On their latest studio album, Ton These, RAQ explodes with rich sound right from the first track with the anthemic and concise "Walking in Circles." Todd Stoops adds uncompromising rhythm and texture (keyboards, organs), Jay Burwick (bass) and Greg Stukey (drums), RAQ's unstoppable rhythm section, lay the perfect backbone for Chris Michetti's note cascading, awe-inspiring, guitar playing. Tracks like "Bootch Magoo," "City Funk," and "One of These Days" will have you signing up for the Air Guitar World Championships before the last note is played. "Forget Me Not" evokes the swagger of early Ben Folds recordings. "Glimpse" will carry you down the musical roads of your memory, complete with beautiful backing vocal harmonies courtesy of Aya Inoue. Much like their live show, Ton These is a multi-dimensional listening experience. With age and experience, RAQ's music has matured and evolved into a sound that is both retro and cutting-edge to a generation of grassroots music fans. They continue to tour relentlessly, infusing live performances, and leaving every ounce of energy they have on stage each night delighting the senses of the most discerning rock n roll aficionado.

Past Praise for RAQ:

"Considering the quartet's playful lyrics, random covers, drums-guitar-bass-keys combo not to mention its hometown, it'd be easy to label RAQ just another Phish look-alike. But with a much harder sound, it seems the group is making a conscience effort to carve out its own style in the jam wheel. ." -Jambands.com

"RAQ has been able to make personal connections with people through their music, which is a wonderful quality that makes concerts more fun, and makes fans stick around for the long haul. Once there is a legion of fans crisscrossing the highways to attend shows, its only a matter of time before their friends, their friends friends and their friends friends friends start showing up in droves. RAQ is building their fan base in exactly the way that their jamband forefathers did  by touring relentlessly, and connecting with each fan on an individual level." -Jammed Online

"With many bands consciously shifting more and more toward darker, less-challenging sounds, RAQ revels in their influences and ideas, creating a robust and multi-dimensional rock style. It's a celebration of all things rock, an unabashed love letter to complex-rock heroes like Zappa, written and performed by musicians who have enough creativity to set themselves apart from the crowd." -Home Grown Music Network

"With ease RAQ can leave a rune behind and lift off into a very elusive, spacey improvisation before quickly recovering the original song." -Kynd Music

"In many ways, RAQ exemplifies the classic components of the term 'Jamband.'  Where the majority of 'jambands' handle the instrumental areas with agility, they are often unable to combine the extended improvisations with good song structure and vocals, but RAQ has found a way to do so." -JamBase

"Public Property has a sound that is full-tilt reggae even though they don't try to sing in fake patois and write original material that actually sounds original.  Lots of syncopated rhythm breaks, bursts of pure groove and passionate musical interludes flesh out songs written by various band members . . ." - The Beat Magazine

This group of pranksters has been making a name for themselves with their high energy live shows, all encompassing sound, and humorous stage antics. Over the last two years Polyester Pimpstrap has been touring and building a steady fan base. They have been featured at such festivals as Down on the Farm in Quincy, FL, where they performed to over 2,000 people, as well as having played such notable venues as the Georgia Theater in Athens, GA and Hard Rock Live in Orlando. Their high energy shows, complete with intelligent lighting and other theatrics, have continued to grab audiences and leave them wanting more.

Constantly evolving and challenging the norms of the industry, Polyester Pimpstrap has been known to play all night when allowed, their heavily improvised music spanning genres from rock to funk to electronica to hip hop and on and on. Their shows are often riddled with witty banter and quirky stage antics; however the most enticing attribute of this foursome is their ability to make even the most tame audience get up and dance like there's no tomorrow. Catch these guys at a venue near you soon - after all, aren't you wondering what a pimpstrap is?

Riding on the cusp of futuristic innovation while remaining in tune with their past influences, The Pnuma Trio allows their musicianship to speak for itself, offering beat-driven, precise compositions that still allow space for free thought and movement. It's instrumental, improvisational dance music for a new era in the live electronic realm, appealing to jam fans, hip-hop heads, and electronic dance party fanatics alike. "...the three sculpt a sound of post-modern electronica colored with thick, chunky bass lines, a barrage of high-hats, and synthed-out splashes of melody. Filled with escalating peaks and breath-catching valleys, The Pnuma Trio make music that you feel, not just hear." - Jambase.com

The change is here on their new self-titled album. The band recruited producers Jason Kingsland and Tim Friesen to help them accomplish the most engaging and sonically-gratifying Perpetual Groove album to date. While recording at The Fidelitorium in Kernersville, NC and Studio MG in Roswell, GA, the band and producers engineered an album that will define Perpetual Groove for years to come. Seven new songs were written by the band specifically for this album representing all that life brings--loss, redemption, and hope.

Perpetual Groove continues to create a cultivated, unique experience for each live show. This new chapter for Perpetual Groove showcases the continuing evolution of their music and performances. This is a band that is fully realized and ready to bring their new sound, storytelling, and live experience to the masses.

Papa Grows Funk has four albums - 2001's Doin' It, 2003's Shakin', 2006's Live at the Leaf, and the new 2007 release Mr. Patterson's Hat - and 200 shows annually on a touring circuit that extends from coast to coast in the US to Europe and Japan. PGF songs have turned up during broadcasts of Major League Baseball's World Series and the National Basketball Association finals.

"It's taken on a life of its own," Gros says. "We've found that there's a market for what we do, and it seems to keep getting bigger and bigger." Gros is joined by guitarist June Yamagishi, saxophonist Jason Mingledorff, bassist Marc Pero, and drummer Jeffrey "Jellybean" Alexander, who replaced original drummer Russell Batiste in 2005. A typical set may include Mardi Gras funk, New Orleans classics like "Sea Cruise" or "Hey Pocky Way," original material, and improvised jams. And they never work from a set list.

"All the tapers who record us always want to know what songs we play," Gros said. "I tell them to send me a copy (of the tape) and I'll e-mail the list, because I have no idea. We've spent seven years working on our musical communication onstage, so it's at a high level. We don't practice a lot, we don't talk about it. But when we're playing, everybody's completely into what's happening at the moment. We've turned five great individual musicians into one great band."

This fusion of styles is clearly stated on their debut CD. One Under's self-titled release features guests Jerry DiPizzo of O.A.R., Danyel Morgan of Robert Randolph and the Family Band and Zydeco legend CJ Chenier. John Patrick Gatta says "the good vibes and stellar musicianship throughout One Under make for a bold announcement that this is one act to watch."

Having spent years exploring the inner workings Jazz, Funk, Blues, Latin and Electronica, the modern sound of Nucleus is a rock and roll power trio with a twist. One of the most innovative and trailblazing bands on the up-and-coming national scene, Nucleus is no stranger to the road. Known for their relentless coast-to-coast excursions, the years of solid playing in so many places have given the band an expansive palette to fuel their musical progression. With many well known festival appearances on the horizon and a groundbreaking new album The Art of Reaching, Nucleus is poised to make a lasting impression on the grassroots music scene and beyond. While The Art of Reaching is Nucleus' fourth official release, it is also the first studio release since 2001 and thus captures alot of the progression and evolution the band has gone through in the last four years. Based around the vocal rock trio format but enhanced with horns, keyboards and studio wizardry, The Art of Reaching creates its own unique musical world within the sacred architecture of a classic rock and roll album.