2008 Musical Lineup
Robben Ford
Robben Ford is one of the premiere electric guitarists today, particularly known for his blues playing as well as his ability to be comfortable in a variety of musical contexts. A four-time Grammy nominee, he has played with artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Claus Ogerman, Michael McDonald, and many, many others.
Born in 1951 in Ukaih, California, Robben was the third of four sons in a musical family. His father Charles was a country and western singer and guitarist before entering the army and marrying Kathryn, who played piano and had a lovely singing voice. Robben's first chosen instrument was the saxophone, which he began to play at age ten and continued to play until his early twenties. He began to teach himself guitar at age thirteen upon hearing the two guitarists from The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Michael Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. In the late 1960's, Ford frequented the Filmore and Winterland Auditoriums in San Francisco to see Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Albert King, B.B. King and all of the progenitors of blues. "It was an incredible time for electric guitar," Ford recalls.
Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band
More than anything else, Poncho Sanchez is a storyteller. And, as leader of the most popular Latin jazz group in the world today, it's his congas and seasoned ensemble that do the talking. Live in concert or on recordings, they spin vivacious tales that pay homage to the glories of a half-century tradition that was born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with bebop. One-on-one, the Chicano conguero is equally expressive, recounting in vivid detail the encounters, friendships, and passions that have contributed to his remarkable career as a bandleader and recording artist. Behind the choice of every song, album title and guest artist, there's a story Poncho Sanchez delights in telling.
Today, Sanchez's life's story has become a well-known part of Latin jazz lore. He was born in Texas on October 30, 1951 into a large Mexican-American family (rumor has it that his 13-year old mother fled to the U.S. after hiding under the bed as revolutionary Pancho Villa stormed her village), but grew up in the Los Angeles area, where he was weaned on a broad range of Latin and non-Latin popular music. Inspired by the conga playing of Cuban great Mongo Santamaria, he honed his skills as a percussionist and broke into the limelight at the age of 23 when he joined vibraphonist Cal Tjader's famed Latin jazz ensemble in 1975. Poncho performed with him until Tjader's untimely death in 1982. A year later, he began his unprecedented 23-year relationship with Concord Records, which has produced two dozen recordings, a GRAMMY® Award and several GRAMMY nominations.
Laurence Juber with Guitar Noir
featuring Jeff Stern on percussion and Domenic Genova on bass
Two-Time Grammy Winner
As a young working musician in London, England in the 1970s, Laurence Juber got an extraordinary, life-changing break when Paul McCartney picked him to become Wings' lead guitarist. Juber spent three years recording and touring with the band. During that time he won a Best Rock Instrumental GRAMMY® for the track "Rockestra" from the Wings album Back To The Egg.
After Wings disbanded in 1981, Juber embarked on a career as a solo artist, composer and arranger, and soon developed a reputation as a world-class guitar virtuoso, being voted #1 by Fingerstyle Guitar magazine. He has released 13 critically acclaimed solo albums, including "LJ Plays the Beatles", "Guitarist" and "One Wing".
Damon Castillo Band
Born and raised in California, Damon fell in love with music early, receiving his first guitar at the age of 7. Damon's music was influenced by his mother’s Jazz and R&B albums and his older brother’s Punk and Reggae hand-me-downs. Out of high school, Damon honed his Jazz chops at Berklee College of Music. “There’s nothing like the improvisational freedom that Jazz offers, but I have always been mesmerized by the beauty of a perfectly crafted song.”
Recently released "Revolving Door" introduces the rest of the world to an artist whose talent and charisma are already well known to his fans. The five-song collection is a remarkably accomplished effort, offering the same combination of raw emotion and polished songcrafting that initially drew hometown fans to their live shows.
Terje Lie
This versatile musician began his career fronting popular blues bands as a singer during high school. He was a classical flautist in college and soon after established himself on his native Norwegian music scene singing and playing saxophone with some of the top young musicians there.
Settling in L.A. and establishing himself on the Los Angeles music scene, Lie has been in nonstop motion, hopping effortlessly from bebop to contemporary and big band jazz.
In his new release, "Traveler", Terje taps into a wide variety of jazz influences from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Wayne Shorter to Brazilian jazz.
Marcus Eaton
Marcus Eaton’s lyrics often reflect the natural beauty that surrounded him growing up on top of a mountain in rural Idaho, but the level of talent of this entirely self-taught singer/songwriter/guitarist is world-class. Lisener friendly, but steeped in technique - Marcus combines challenging rhythms with ornate melodies that glide with the appeal of mainstream pop songs. Incorporating rock, reggae, flamenco, classical, jazz and folk, it is Marcus’ distintive songwriting that gives this music its farthest reach.
Captivating audiences wherever he plays with his guitar mastery and clear voice, Marcus has been seen on the road with Tim Reynolds lately and has been heard on the KLOS’ Mark & Brian show.
Still Time
Still Time, based out of San Luis Obispo, California, has just begun to attract the ear of audiences around the world. Since forming in 2004, Still Time has grown from a hugely popular local band to a group that has captivated listeners worldwide with their energetic grooves, all through a grass roots and word of mouth process.
Combining elements of classic rock, folk, jazz, and reggae, Still Time has enjoyed sharing their eclectic style on stage with such bands as Ziggy Marley, Robert Randolph, Mad Caddies, Steel Pulse, Pepper, Ozomatli, ALO, One Republic, David Lindley, Strung Out, and The Expendables.
The band’s most recent catalyst has been their debut album, “Stream of Consciousness".
