Houston Jones & special guest Joe Craven
High octane Americana
“Houston Jones. You might be thinking, "yet another singer/songwriter," but, boy, would you be wrong. In reality, it's a high-energy quintet of acoustic musicians from the San Francisco Bay area who play an original blend of folk, blues, bluegrass, and gospel. The name comes from members Glenn "Houston" Pomianek (lead guitar) and Travis Jones (lead vocals, guitar), who are joined by Chris Kee (acoustic bass), Peter Tucker (drums). Both Pomianek and Kee were founding members of the Waybacks, and Tucker also passed through the ranks of that group.
They incorporate so many different influences and make it seem so easy. The songs are powered along by the high-energy drumming of Tucker and supportive, full-bodied arrangements. Jones' lead vocals are one of the group's strong features, with everyone else chipping in backing vocals. What separates Houston Jones from similar bands, though, is the high quality of the songwriting, with great hooks, melodies, and compelling lyrics.
These guys are stone pros, pushing every boundary possible, and creating something that is wholly unique, with layers upon layers of subtleties. You can hear bluegrass, delta blues, western, gypsy, swamp, spanish, rock, jazz, celtic, and God knows what other influences. They are surpassingly good and fun to watch live. This is the kind of human artistic endeavor that gets you an all-access pass in St. Peter's office. Truly accessible, intricate, and engaging music.
"Three crow town" (2005) - "Very highly recommended!" Dirty Linen Magazine
"One of my favorite CDs" KFOG-FM, San Francisco
"Calico Heart" (2008) - "Wonderful original tunes" Billboard.com
JOE CRAVEN is a madman with anything that has strings attached; violin, mandolin, tin can, bedpan, cookie tin, tenor guitar, mouth bow, banjo, berimbau, balalaika, boot ‘n lace plus a world of percussion instruments including animal bones, squeeze toys, cake pans, waste cans, umbrella stands, martini shakers and...Himself. His stage setup more often resembles a yard sale. But there's more to Craven than meets the ear. Educator, visual artist, former museum curator, motivational speaker, actor/storyteller and festival emcee, Joe’s work is born out of respect and reverence and seeks to honor the creative energy in everyone. An advocate of the folk arts, Joe’s educational mission is to empower individuals to take possession of their own music and tell their stories by “demystifying” art through self-expression as a daily ritual.
For almost 17 years, Joe Craven was the highly respected multi-instrumentalist with the David Grisman Quintet... yeah, Joe was the guy with the Ralph Stanley autographed bongos and fiddle. Having played and/or recorded with Jerry Garcia, Stéphane Grappelli, Maria Muldaur, Vassar Clements, The Persuasions, Psychograss, The Alison Brown Quartet, Darol Anger, Rob Ickes, Bob Brozman, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, spoken word maven Ken Nordine and many others, Joe has performed music & sound effects on a wide variety of recordings including commercials, soundtracks, computer games and several Grammy nominated projects.
Hard to believe we can pack that much into one show, but we will!
Buy tickets at diVine Lounge or "Heart & Soul" at 42 Main
Check out our "diVine Lounge"Stop in for a glass of wine or a beer at our newly renamed "diVine Lounge" on Fridays 4-9 pm or Saturdays 4-10 pm. Say "hi" to Jason and Priscilla, our neighbors who are helping us with the wine bar. Priscilla just opened her shop where our caffe used to be. Her shop, "Heart & Soul" has her own hande-made jewelry and other goodies you just have to see! You can buy tickets to our shows at Soul (42 Main St) or at the diVine Lounge (46 Main) whenever they are open.
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Thank you for your support!
PLEASE CALL 916.425.0077 IF YOU NEED INFORMATION ON OUR SHOWS
House of Floyd Reverent Pink Floyd tribute bandBack by popular demand, great sound, great video, lasers, fog, this show has it all!
HOUSE OF FLOYD, a reverent tribute to Pink Floyd, captures the intoxicating sights and sounds of the original for even the most discriminating fan. HOUSE OF FLOYD pays the highest tribute to the original by accurately recreating all of the nuanced musical complexity and powerful visual imagery of Pink Floyd. The result of this obsessive attention to detail is a total Floyd production...music, lights, lasers and video. HOUSE OF FLOYD will transport you back to that mystical moment when you first discovered the enthralling world of Pink Floyd.
Patrick Ball - Legends of the Celtic Harp Rare, wire strung Celtic harp masterPATRICK BALL with LISA LYNNE and ARYEH FRANKFURTER.
"LEGENDS OF THE CELTIC HARP" is a musical journey into the heart of a legendary instrument. Three of the premier Celtic harpers in the world, Patrick Ball, Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter, have created a dramatic ensemble that takes you deep into the myths, magic and fabled history of this most captivating instrument.
Patrick Ball is an American master of the Irish harp and a captivating spoken word artist. He has recorded nine instrumental and three spoken word albums which have sold well over a half million copies internationally, winning national awards in both the music and spoken word categories. Patrick’s critically acclaimed concerts and solo theatrical productions have toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland and the UK, and have been awarded grants by the California Arts Council and the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association. www.PatrickBall.com
Lisa Lynne is a multi-instrumentalist and performer who has gained worldwide recognition for her original music featuring her Celtic Harp. She is widely acclaimed for composing memorable and heartwarming melodies on the Windham Hiill/Sony music labels that have repeatedly placed in the Top 10 & Top 20 on the Billboard New age music charts. Lisa tours year round performing at large US festivals and performing art centers. Her work in Therapeutic music has gained recognition from NBC, CNN, Fox News Atlanta and numerous newspaper and magazine articles including Wall Street Journal. Lisa's music is heard throughout the award winning PBS special "Alone in the Wilderness," amongst many other soundtracks for commercial television and independent films. www.LisaLynne.com
Aryeh Frankfurter is also a renowned Celtic harper and world traveling multi- instrumentalist who went from virtuosic progressive rock violin to intricate Swedish folk and Celtic Music. He began with Classical violin at the age of three, his early studies and successes led him to explore various ethnic and international musical genres. Aryeh taught himself to play a variety of instruments bowed and plucked and most recently the rarely seen Swedish Nyckelharpa. His uncommon approach to the Celtic harp and folk harp repertoire, his numerous critically and commercially successful albums have earned him credit as a musician, recording and performance artist of
extraordinary talents and abilities. www.Lionharp.com
Anne & Pete Sibley Soaring, transcendent harmonies, bluegrass/folkOriginally from New England, the Sibleys have been at home in the Rocky Mountain West since 1999. Singing for as long as they can remember, Anne and Pete have come many miles from their classical music training to “the people’s music:” folk, bluegrass and traditional music. Using the guitar and clawhammer banjo to accompany their tight harmonies, the Sibleys tell stories about life and love as they see it, and it is this quality that rings true with audiences from coast to coast. Anne and Pete’s music highlights their connection with the landscape, community, family, and even the food they grow and eat. Less than a decade since they released their first album, the Sibleys’ music hit the national spotlight in 2009 with a blue ribbon finish in the “Great American Duet Sing Off ” on A Prairie Home Companion. and top 5 folk albums 2009, CDBaby.
“One of the sweetest, most soulful and hauntingly beautiful duets in the business”
Bluegrass Now Magazine
“Their harmonies are warm, tight and soulful; and their performances simple, poignant and unforgettable.”
Nashville Public Radio
“There’s a purity and honesty to Anne’s singing that pulls you into every song. Add in Pete’s tasteful, melodic touch on the clawhammer banjo and those sweetly-locked harmonies that snuggle right up next to each other, and it’s pure duet magic.”
Brian Eyster, Planet Bluegrass
