Aardvark is a Bay Area jam band that has been channeling the spirit of the Grateful Dead since 2012.

The Afrolicious sound is eclectic, electric, and funky. It relentlessly grabs hold of the audience and pulls them onto the dance floor. Mixing African, Latin, and percussive rhythms with electronic breaks, club beats, and heavy bass drops, an Afrolicious show is a non-stop dancing frenzy. 
 Whether touring as DJs, a sound system with live percussion or as a full 6 piece band, Afrolicious has established a legendary reputation across the U.S. from their home in San Francisco, CA. With recordings on ESL Music produced by Thievery Corporation’s Rob Garza, their sound is known among industry tastemakers and fans around the globe. 
 Afrolicious has performed at storied venues and festivals such as Red Rocks, High Sierra Music Festival, Bottle Rock Napa, The Fillmore San Francisco, Stern Grove Music Festival, Electric Forest Festival, Guitarfish Music Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Fillmore Jazz Festival, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, SXSW, Wakarusa, Burning Man, Redwood Mountain Faire, Firefly Gathering, Mountain Sol Music Festival, Hangtown Music Festival, and For the Funk of It, among many, many others. 
 
 Supporting Thievery Corporation at Red Rocks- Sold out and named ‘Opening Act of the Year’ by Listen Up Denver 
 “The band was so easy to work with, so gracious. We really loved working with you guys!”-Do Good Events “It was great to host them- we were stoked they had such a good time!”-Summer Arts and Music Festival

Goose / Orebolo / Duane Betts. Jeffrey is a professional drummer, bassist, and percussionist. A graduate of the Berklee college of music.

Pedro joined Dickey Betts (founding member of the Allman Brothers Band) and Great Southern as bassist in 2004. In addition to playing with Dickey Betts and Great Southern, Pedro has toured internationally with The Lotus Fire and Devon Allman’s Honeytribe. He has appeared on a variety of studio and live albums – as well as several video and television programs. These include the Carson Daily Show, concert.tv productions and “Back Where It All Begins,” for the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Besides bass, Arevalo has performed on an array of other stringed instruments (slide, lap steel, dobro, and Puerto Rican cuatro) with numerous other acts, including Brethren of the Coast (a project co-founded with Duane Betts). Pedro has produced and recorded on numerous albums for other artists, as well as albums of his own original music, blending his love of Delta Blues, Americana, jazz, and world music.

Jason Bentley is a Los Angeles based radio and club DJ, music supervisor for film, and Grammy nominated record producer. Jason served as Music Director of acclaimed NPR station KCRW radio for over a decade, managing the station’s music department, overseeing their extensive public programs, and hosting KCRW’s signature daily music program Morning Becomes Eclectic for 11 years. As a music supervisor, Jason has worked on a wide range of projects in feature film, TV, and advertising. He was nominated for a Grammy as Producer of The Matrix soundtrack (Warner Bros), and supervised music for popular films Tron: Legacy (Disney), and Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount) among many others. Bentley has been a featured DJ at major music festivals including Coachella five times, Electric Daisy Carnival, the HARD Festival, San Diego’s CRSSD Festival, and Lightning in a Bottle. “What originally attracted me to dance music was its ability to bring different people together,” he says of his enduring interest in the genre. “A sense of connection is ultimately what we’re all looking for… to identify with a greater community. And we’ve seen that in the rise of festival culture over all, which continues to grow beyond underground music roots to include art, food, fashion, and social consciousness. All those things are colliding in very interesting ways,” observed Bentley. “And festivals are the best expression of that aesthetic.” “I suppose like many others, I’m just trying to lead a joyful and original life' says Bentley, "and to that end my determination is to continue to evolve as a thoughtful curator of music and culture through my ongoing work in radio, music supervision, and playing live at clubs and festivals."

Calling Tennessee home for 6 years now, Nicki Bluhm possesses a modern, clear-eyed perspective that grabs the heart and keeps you holding on to every word. Bluhm’s music career began in the Cow Hollow area of San Francisco in 2008, where she recorded two solo albums and co-founded Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers. The band went on to record two more albums and toured extensively while posting their “Van Sessions”, covers nostalgic to their childhoods, including their viral YouTube hit, the Hall and Oates classic “I Can’t Go For That.” In 2017, Bluhm made the decision to leave California to forge a career as a solo artist in Nashville. She recorded her album, To Rise You Gotta Fall (2018), produced by Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Calexico) in the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Services in Memphis. The album exhibited a natural blending of Tennessee sound and Bluhm’s West Coast roots and delved the depths of hard goodbyes and hopeful beginnings. Her following album, Avondale Drive (2022) explored what it means to be fully yourself, rather than a vessel for the expectations of others. Recorded in East Nashville with producer Jesse Noah Wilson, and featuring Oliver Wood, Erin Rae, A.J. Croce, Jay Bellerose, and others,  Avondale Drive combines nostalgic country-rock with distinctly modern, sharp lyricism—an apt contrast for the process of studying one’s past in order to make a better future. In tandem with recording Avondale Drive back in the doldrums of 2020, Nicki Bluhm and producer Jesse Noah Wilson took advantage of their excessive time off and took a stab at recording songs in the early musical catalog of Cher. “Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from baring your soul and sing someone else’s songs. Selecting those songs, the right ones, can sometimes be as hard as writing one. Interpreting someone else’s words is another nuanced layer to making a cover song resonate as your own.” Predating 1973, Bluhm and Wilson selected some of their favorites; songs penned by Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood and of course Sonny Bono. They enlisted old friends and new to play and help sing the duets like fellow Grambler Steve Adams, Sam Blasucci of Los Angeles’s Mapache and Nashville neighbor Butch Walker. “I’ve always been one of many admirers of Cher; her sense of fashion and boldness, the many roles she played and won me over with, her deep and sultry voice and most importantly her endless joie de vivre. We had so much fun with these songs, looking back into a history that seemed more romantic and carefree. It was a refreshing way to honor a living legend and some of those who helped her shine along the way.” As an homage, the 8 digitally released singles will make up ‘The Beat Goes On, Nicki Bluhm Sings Cher’. The first single will release June 9, 2023 with a new release every month finalizing in December. Nicki and her band aspire to play a live set in their home of Nashville, TN and beyond Fall 2023.

Jason Crosby had an auspicious musical beginning at the age of two when he started playing the violin, and as a young boy, immersed himself in classical music, playing piano at a professional level. He took on the guitar, viola, French horn and trumpet and pursued those instruments with equal vigor for many years. A multi-instrumentalist with extensive and varied musical pursuits, Crosby has been a member of such bands as Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Susan Tedeschi Band, and has played on dozens of albums and toured with members of the Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, and the Meters. Crosby has also toured with Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Pete Seeger, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Dave Mathews.

New Orleans native Andrew Duhon wrote his latest album Emerald Blue from the inspiration he sought and received from travels to the Pacific Northwest. A keen eye for details and the songwriting chops to write what others see but can’t say, he’s a songwriter, a historian of today, in the truest form. His ability to absorb, process, and apply personal experiences to the ever elusive universal is a defining element of his career so much so that No Depression called him “a soulmate of Van Morrison, lyrically and vocally.” Emerald Blue is Duhon’s fourth studio album with GRAMMY nominated producer, Trina Shoemaker. Duhon’s previous albums (Songs I Wrote Before I Knew You, The Moorings, False River) were critically acclaimed by Rolling Stone who pointed out his “soulful croon” and Uproxx declared his voice one that “you could spend the whole day lost in.” His second album, The Moorings was nominated for a GRAMMY for best engineered album in 2013.

Jackie Greene has been chasing a sense of authentic human connection through art ever since his teenage years, when he began self-recording and releasing his own music in central California. After a critically acclaimed independent debut, he signed his first record deal and embarked on a lifetime of recording and touring that would see him supporting the likes of BB King, Mark Knopfler, Susan Tedeschi, and Taj Mahal, in addition to gracing festival stages from Bonnaroo to Outside Lands. The New York Times hailed his "spiritual balladry," Bob Weir anointed him the "cowboy poet" of Americana and blues, and the San Francisco Chronicle raved that he has "a natural and intuitive connection with… just about any musical instrument."

King Dream is a Bay Area rock ‘n’ roll band helmed by Oakland native Jeremy Lyon, a lifelong songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who crafts dive bar anthems with heart, brains and soul. Hard-rocking yet poignant, his music combines a love for American rock masters like Springsteen and Petty with ‘60s West Coast psychedelia and more contemporary torch-bearers like My Morning Jacket and The War on Drugs — all brought to life by a band of Northern California’s most in-demand players.

Moonsville, named after a home in the sky, is a band that writes songs that are trimmed from the fat of the American experience. During a time of high saturation and modern pace, the band draws from a slower and simpler time with the belief that good songs can still save, move and speak. Rambling from the outskirts of Los Angeles, Moonsville has received many local awards, and shared the stage with an array of world class artists. Known for their infectious spirit and live shows, Moonsville endures into their second decade with a new record up their sleeve to be released in early 2024.

Object Heavy is Humboldt County’s hardest hitting soul sensation. The band is led by the nuanced and powerful voice of Richard Love and composed of seasoned veterans of the West Coast Soul and Funk scene. Fresh off the release of their new record, 'Love & Gravity' (Produced by Kelly Finnigan of Monophonics), and 5th win as North Coast Journal’s “Best Original Band Of Humboldt” in the past 7 years nominated, they have garnered stellar reviews from an international audience and were promoted as a featured artist on Apple Music's Soul and RnB carousel. They were also featured on several of Apple Music's top playlists within their genre field. Object Heavy has spent the last few years establishing themselves as a stand out live experience in touring the greater western United States and sharing the stage with diverse talent such as Orgone, The Motet, Rebirth Brass Band, Polyrhythmics, Turkuaz, Lyrics Born, and Chali 2na. Object Heavy’s magnetic blend of classic Cadillac soul, effortlessly contagious dance grooves, vocal harmonies and blazing musicianship is a must see live experience.

Four friends paying tribute to the musical legacy of and . or “SGP” is organized by bassist Samson “Sam” Grisman, son of mandolinist David Grisman— and is rounded out by some of this generations’ greats— , , and . 
 A NOTE FROM SAM: The music that my father and his close friend, , made in the early 90s (in the house that I grew up in) is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers my oldest and fondest musical memories. What I find most inspiring about this material is the way their camaraderie and their love and joy for the music, simply oozes out of each recording. It is also impressive how deeply they get beneath their favorite songs—whether they are originals, covers or traditional/old time tunes—and how expertly that material was curated. My goal in starting is to build a platform for my friends and me to showcase our genuine passion and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music. By playing some of their beloved repertoire and sharing the original music that our own collective has to offer, we will also show the impact that this music has had on our own individual musical voices. Ultimately, there is nothing that makes me happier than playing great songs with my best friends and my hope is to share that happiness with audiences all over!”

A season of drastic change is what brought SUSTO frontman Justin Osborne to the band’s fifth full-length LP, My Entire Life [New West Records]. There was a divorce, difficulties re-building his band after the pandemic, and the pain and helplessness of witnessing family members struggle with addiction and mental illness. Despite these challenges, Justin ultimately found himself in a new landscape, with new love and a deeper perspective, all of which is masterfully projected into My Entire Life. While navigating some major life changes, Justin understandably experienced a surge of creative energy. He channeled this into writing and recording with the people closest to him, even as the tides of his personal life continued to shift. Primary collaborators included longtime producer Wolfgang “Wolfy” Zimmerman, SUSTO Co-founders, Johnny Delaware and Marshall Hudson, and his fiancé/co-writer Caroline Foyle. Much of the album was recorded at The Space, in Charleston, SC, but major sessions also took place at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC, and Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA. Johnny had moved to Mexico shortly after work on the album began, so some tracking was done at his home studio in Mexico City. The band also took a “recording pilgrimage” to the Mexican town of Tepotzlán (mythical birthplace of mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl), where they turned an airbnb into a remote recording studio, with help from members of Mexican Institute of Sound. The combined result of these efforts is a compelling blend of rock, folk and psychedelia, with vivid country-esque storytelling. It’s as raw and real as anything the band has done so far and everything you’d hope for from a modern rock ‘n’ roll record. The album’s namesake and lead single, “My Entire Life” is melodically tearful, with an urgency “to keep living.” As a whole, the album documents Justin’s personal journey through highs and lows in his life, with many of the details on full display. He narrates the demise and aftermath of an almost decade long relationship, while celebrating the joy of falling in love and the hopefulness of starting over. There is a playfulness at times, but always a clear desire to distill wisdom from experience. “SUSTO’s narrative has always been confessional, and songwriting is my way of trying to make sense of the chaos—good and bad—around me,” observes Justin. “These songs cover the spectrum of everything that’s happened in my life the last few years. There’s been a lot of change, which can be painful, but there’s also been a lot of joy and hope, along with everything in between. I figure that’s what life is.” He continues “…it’s a mosaic of all the good, bad, and mundane things we face as we make our way from birth to death. Along the way we ride the waves, but if you stay true to yourself and push through, I believe you can get to where you really want to be, and you can shape that mosaic into something that fulfills you. There is a lot of hope in that for me. This record is my story of navigating a bunch of chaos, but finding ways to carry on and manifest my own happiness…the last few years were a challenge, but I look back and see that I made it through, a better, truer, and more realized version of myself.” It's been quite the ride for SUSTO. In addition to achieving widespread critical acclaim in recent years, the group has built a diehard fan base through captivating live performances and compelling songs. For as much as My Entire Life is the ultimate vision of what the band can be, it’s also a classic story of one person rising from the ashes, wiser and fiery than ever… “Writing and performing has long been central in my life, and this season of change has only heightened my desire to connect with other people through songs. I’ve crossed a mountain, so I’m ready to charge forward, and share that story. Everybody goes through difficulty one way or another, we all get worn down, we all chase dreams; songs are there to remind us we aren’t alone in that. In my case. I’m thankful for lessons learned, and excited for the future. The privilege of sharing these songs with our audience is something I’m incredibly grateful for.”