New Signings

Hailing from Northern California’s fertile music scene, specifically North Lake Tahoe, Dead Winter Carpenters is a rollicking, high-energy, Americana roots-infused five-piece band. With an unbridled spirit, and an authentic approach to the art of songwriting, the five-piece captures the freedom of the road with the kind of energy that is made of legends. Dead Winter Carpenters represents everything the American west stands for. Defying musical boundaries, DWC seamlessly blends Americana roots-rock and a tinge of straightforward ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ alt. country for hard-hitting performances that are as edgy as they are whimsical…the epitome of what live music is all about. Utilizing choice influences ranging from throughout rock history and the traditional fiddle tunes of earlier times, these artists push and pull on musical boundaries with top-notch live performances while walking the line with an unexpected, world music flair. In fact, DWC is known for dropping a little hip-hop and reggae into their roots-rock performance. Poised with an arsenal of original material and an unyielding tour schedule, in just one short year on the road, Dead Winter Carpenters has already found considerable national success and with invitations to top level festivals to include High Sierra Music Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, Yarmonygrass, Oyster Ridge Music Festival and Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Festival along with theater dates booked around the country. DWC has shared bills with the likes of The Young Dubliners, Sam Bush, Yonder Mountain String Band, Kyle Hollingsworth Band of String Cheese Incident, Poor Man’s Whiskey and many others.

Roomful of Blues, according to DownBeat magazine, “are in a class by themselves.” With their masterful combination of jumping, horn-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B, it’s no wonder why the great Count Basie called them “the hottest blues band I’ve ever heard.” Since 1967, the group’s deeply rooted blend of swing, rock ‘n’ roll, jump, blues and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (one for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). The band has been led since 1996 by guitarist Chris Vachon. Guitar Player says, “Vachon burns with explosive solos and a delightfully greasy sense of rhythm.” Roomful of Blues has always maintained its signature sound by boasting great musicianship and a stellar horn section—featuring tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille, who first joined the band in 1970. Lataille’s masterful playing can evoke either the fat-toned honking sax of the glory days of early rock or the cool elegance of big band swing jazz. With a non-stop performance schedule for over 40 years, Roomful of Blues has earned critical, popular and radio success and a legion of fans around the globe. Twice, the prestigious DownBeat International Critics Poll selected them as Best Blues Band. Roomful joined the Alligator Records family with the Grammy-nominated That’s Right! in 2003, followed by Standing Room Only in 2005 and Raisin’ A Ruckus in 2008. All three CDs received massive amounts of critical and popular praise and earned them hordes of new fans. Now, they’re back with Hook, Line & Sinker, a foot-stomping CD highlighting the intense vocal and instrumental power of the band. In 2011, Roomful of Blues will once again hit the road hard, bringing their horn and guitar-fueled music to fans around the world. With their non-stop touring schedule, long-time fans and new converts alike can see for themselves why The Chicago Sun-Times said, “This is a band on top of its game, sliding easily from big-band jazz-blues to guitar-drenched urban blues...let the party begin.” With Hook, Line & Sinker, the party has clearly already started.

This is not Grandpa’s Blues Band. Live, passionate, and powerful Blues music has spread around the world and across generations. Senior award-winning legends, young adults who have given themselves to the music, and talented, driven teenagers have formed a revue to share their dynamic time-conquering Blues with you and celebrate how it brings us all together. This multi generation Blues Revue includes award-winning Blues stars and mentors guitarist Bob Margolin, bassist Bob Stroger, and Ann Rabson. Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith grew up with the Blues in his blood and all around him and is Chicago’s premier Blues drummer. And it features awesomely talented young musicians The Peterson Brothers, Jack Gaffney and Austin Young. You may think it is sweet for the old and young to be playing Blues together. It is. But you’ll get past that real quick when you hear and see the fire that all of them bring and how they inspire each other. A percentage of the proceeds from all "Coming Up Blues" concerts will be donated to the Pinetop Perkins Foundation (http://www.pinetopfoundation.org).

Andrews, 30, has a lanky 6-foot-4-inch body and a mercurial personality. The brass-band music and traditional jazz he was raised on are still his greatest loves. “The musicians that played in my neighborhood, they brought me out of the womb,” he says, not by way of metaphor. According to his mother, Vana Acker, when she was pregnant, Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, a traditional-music icon and mentor to many musicians, came by and blew his horn outside the house. He said the sound of the tuba would induce labor. Glen David was born the next day. He released a live gospel CD, “Walking Through Heaven’s Gate”, on Threadhead Records in 2009, probably the first CD to have captured on record the entrancing quality of Andrews' performances at venues like Jazzfest, Lincoln Center, Preservation Hall, Tipitina’s, and most powerfully of all, on the streets, where it all began. He's appeared in season one of HBO’s Treme, playing himself and performing one of his original tunes, Knock Wit Me, and has already filmed 2 episodes for season two. He has appeared in numerous documentaries, including Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, by Lolis Eric Elie, Swiss filmmaker Peter Entell's chronicle of the controversial, post-Katrina proposed closing of St. Augustine Church, Shake the Devil Off, and Spike Lee’s two epics about Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, and If Da Creek Don’t Rise.