Upcoming Shows

MATT AXTON

Some say rock is dead, but fans of Matt Axton know that Mountain Soul – Rock & Roll is alive and kicking. With The Axton Musical Legacy as his guide, this West Coast-based singer/songwriter and band leader’s music is a powerful mix of classic singer/songwriter storytelling and guitar-driven roots-rock resulting in a unique, modern Americana sound.  

Matt Axton’s distinct baritone voice, unique finger-picker guitar style and wealth of legacy stories lands perfectly in an intimate listening room or a late-night honky-tonk. Whether it’s getting crowds to kick up some dancing dust at large festivals opening for acts like Midland, Paul Cauthen or Leftover Salmon, getting funky entertaining packed rooms at Los Angeles’ premier Americana showcases or bringing together local and touring bands with his Americana Joy Music Series and AmericanaLand video series, the end result is always the same: good music with good people having a great time.  

Grown in the mountains of California, Axton’s eclectic style was proudly honed in the heart of the Axton Musical Legacy. Matt honors his family at every show with his own versions of their #1 hits “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Joy to the World” and many more. Matt has recorded with music legends Steve Feroni (Tom Petty), Hal Cragin (Iggy Pop), Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd) and collaborated on projects such as “Abbey Road Reimaged – A Tribute to the Beatles.” Aaron Badgley of Spill Magazine said Matt’s version of “Octopus’s Garden,” “is pure genius and the best cover here. It is just a joy to listen to and really does stand out as an example of keeping the beauty of the song and artists putting their own spin on things.” 

Boasting over 300 original songs and some of Los Angeles’ best players behind him, Matt Axton and his band Badmoon will hit the road running in 2024 with multiple West Coast and national tours including the recent “Badmoon Tour” in April 2024. Catch the new single  “Badmoon”on all streaming platforms and additional new releases and song collaborations in the coming months. Axton continues to carve his path in the independent Americana scene and proudly celebrates the family tradition of bringing just a little more “Joy to The World!”

Shadow Basket is a Dog Rock/Indie Folk band from San Juan Island, WA. “BUNGALOW” their debut album released in October 2021, features a collection of moody folk tunes and dynamically driven rock songs that evoke the essence of dreams, place-based memories, and fables. Their performance brings artfully crafted sound elements, grounded harmonies, and beguiling droney jams to any live music setting.

Described by The Bay Bridged, “Within their music is connection and care, which makes it all the more compelling.” Friends of the band have described the music as raw, spirited, foot stomping, and drenched in love.  shadowbasket.com

BOB SUMNER
Website: bobsumnermusic.com
Socials: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Tik Tok
Videos: “Motel Room” // “Didn’t We Dream” // “Bridges” // "Is It Really Any Wonder"
BOB SUMNER
Singer-songwriter Bob Sumner cites the musically progressive sensibilities of his heroes when
talking about the spirit of his new album, Some Place to Rest Easy, out now via Fluff & Gravy
(worldwide) and North Country Collective (Canada). “They were always creating something
new, something different,” he says of idols like George Jones, Willie Nelson, and Waylon
Jennings. With that ideology in mind, Sumner set about creating an album that takes as much
inspiration from the audio production of Randy Travis as it does the lyrical soul of Big Thief’s
Adrianne Lenker—a melding of eras, sounds, concepts, and stylings that’s informed by the past,
but never bound by it.
With Some Place to Rest Easy, Sumner picks up the tempo compared to his previous releases,
balancing the stirring lyrical depth fans have come to expect with a more buoyant, lively feel. “It
felt appropriate to give the music itself some joy,” says the man who’s made a career out of
tapping into difficult-to-touch-on, real-life stuff in a relatable, palatable manner. In the end, that’s
what Sumner’s music has always been about—more than a single sound, influence,
instrumental, or clever line. “I always want people to feel something,” Sumner explains. “If I
heard that this album helped somebody that was feeling down, even just by feeling some other
emotion for a little while, that's the number one thing for me.”
Fans can now stream or purchase Some Place to Rest Easy at this link.
PRESS
"A blend of past, present, and future sounds"
American Songwriter
“Genuine and weighty songwriting”
Americana Highways
“High class, country leaning Americana.”
Americana UK
“It takes a deft hand to put out a good, sad record…Bob Sumner nails it on Someplace To Rest
Easy.”
Twangville
“This [Some Place to Rest Easy] is a preacher’s yarn, after that preacher done thrown it all away
but the love, and is free to share the wisdom.”
Saddle Mountain Post

Duende Libre is an award-winning jazz trio whose original music combines jazz virtuosity with roots rhythms from Cuba, Brazil, and West Africa into a “strikingly authentic blend.” Each having apprenticed with direct descendants and master musicians of these traditions, they consider themselves disciples of their teachers. The result: A euphoric new jazz that honors its historical roots, pushing open the boundaries of genre to invoke a powerful sonic freedom.

Comprising core members Alex Chadsey (bandleader and keys), Jeff Busch (percussion), and Farko Dosumov (bass), Duende Libre is collectively influenced by the trio’s direct connections with master musicians including Clinton Fearon, Dudley Nesbitt, Dave Hassel, Jesse Bannister, Chucho Valdés, Carlos Santana, Martha Gonzalez, Quetzal Flores, and Joe Santiago

“Each member’s experiences are vital as they filter West African traditional rhythms through their own hands, voices, minds, bodies, each song as much choreography as a composition,” PopMatters wrote. “Hopeful in sound as well as in ideological foundation, [the band creates music] full of heart and historical multitudes.”

Pop Matters calls it “globally-inspired jazz with dimension.” You will encounter sizzling rhythms and grooving basslines, experimental meters and irresistible melodic hooks, all aglow with the technical virtuosity earned by decades of devotion to their craft.

The trio is occasioned by guest performances from award-winning chanteuse Chava Mirel (who, alongside Chadsey, joined Clinton Fearon’s band in 2013) and inimitable tenor Frank Anderson. Formed by deep connections to Jewish and West African styles, the singers’ ebullient and masterful vocal techniques enrich Duende Libre’s live performance with even greater vibrancy. “To see the band live is to get a sense of the deep respect they have for each other, and the joy they take in connecting with each other and the audience” one critic wrote for Earshot.

The band effectively—and uniquely—calls attention to the space between contemporary jazz traditions and broader musical influences from around the globe. Informed by a cumulative century of devoted study, they answer to this with emphatic (and euphoric) sonic interpretations that effectively enrich the collective language of jazz itself.

Alistair and Natalie are back for a workshop on 4/15, and shows 4/16 and 4/17.  Last year we were packed to the gills and some folks were turned away so we are planning 2 shows.  The time for the workshop is not yet scheduled.

Tim O’Brien
Multi-Grammy award winner Tim O’Brien and his wife Jan Fabricius have
performed together nationally and internationally either as a duo or as part
of the Tim O’Brien Band since 2015. In a duet setting with a guitar, a
mandolin, and their two voices, they bring an intimate and warm acoustic
music roots repertoire that’s at once both original and traditional.
Singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist O’Brien, born in Wheeling WV
in 1954, grew up singing and playing guitar in church and in school. After
seeing Doc Watson on TV, he became a lifelong devotee of old time and
bluegrass music. Co-founder of Colorado’s Hot Rize, he toured the world
with that band from 1978 until he started his solo career in 1990. His songs
have been covered by Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, and the Dixie Chicks,
and his collaborators onstage and in the recording studio include Darrell
Scott, Dirk Powell, Mark Knopfler, and Sturgill Simpson. Awarded
Grammy’s in both the Folk and Bluegrass categories, he is a member of
both the West Virginia and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. He lives with
Jan Fabricius in Nashville TN.
Jan Fabricius grew up in WaKeeney, Ks. and sang from an early age in
church and school, taking up clarinet and then mandolin. A registered
nurse and mother of two, she kept her hand in music through local jams
and regional bluegrass festivals while raising her family.
Jan’s music with O’Brien started informally around their home as he wrote
or learned new songs, and she soon found herself singing and playing
mandolin in the studio and onstage. O’Brien’s 2021 release “He Walked
On”, and his upcoming release “Cup of Sugar” feature original songs
cowritten by Tim and Jan.

The maestro of oldtime returns to Longstaff House and Montana Fiddle Camp.  I’m sure we will have a fiddle workshop as well.

Short Bio for Jacob Jolli
Jacob Jolliff is one of the world’s premier contemporary mandolinists. In 2011
he graduated from Berklee College of Music, having studied there on a full
scholarship. The following year, in 2012, he won the USA’s National Mandolin
Championship in Winfield, KS. A fixture of the bluegrass scene, he
performed and collaborated with Béla Fleck, Tony Trischka, Michael Daves,
Grant Gordy, Wes Corbett, and Alex Hargreaves, to name a few. Additionally,
throughout his 20s, he toured as a member of the groups Joy Kills Sorrow and
Yonder Mountain String Band. Currently, his focus is on his own ensemble, The
Jacob Jolliff Band—one of the most cutting-edge progressive bluegrass group
on the scene today. They’ve released three albums, the most recent of which,
“Instrumentals, Vol. 2: Mandolin Mysteries,” dropped in May 2024. The band
plays a combination of complex original instrumental music and vocal repertoire
that spans from trad bluegrass to unlikely pop covers. Improvisation and the
ensemble interplay are at the forefront