Donna the Buffalo & Peter Rowan with Ben Cohen (Co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s) “United to Stamp $ Out of Politics” on The Stampede Tour

Donna the Buffalo & Peter Rowan with Ben Cohen (Co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s)
“United to Stamp $ Out of Politics” on The Stampede Tour

“This tour is extremely unique. In the 60s and 70s, music and politics were closely related, but it seems like that has been waning in the present. Having the Stampede come through AMH is refreshing, and I think many fans will embrace the opportunity to be a part of something bigger. “
–Becky Blumenthal, Marketing Director at The Ardmore Music Hall

American roots music troubadours, Donna the Buffalo and Peter Rowan, are teaming up with Ben Cohen, Co-Founder of Ben Jerry’s, for a unique tour called “The Stampede.” It is a tour to raise awareness to the inappropriate use of corporate money in politics. With the upcoming election season, this is to help raise awareness of the power of each individual while enjoying a great night of entertainment.

The Stampede is led by Ben Cohen, Co-Founder of Ben and Jerry’s. It uses a simple and effective tactic of rubber stamping messages on paper currency as a demonstration of public demand and outrage. “Since 2000, special interest groups have poured over $11 billion into federal elections. The absurd level of money in politics from corporations and billionaires is raping and corrupting our democracy. The Stampede is a demonstration of public outrage and its working,” stated Cohen.

Tara Nevins says in an interview with Live For Live Music, “Tens of thousands of people are doing it, using the dollars like a political billboard to get the message across, which is an effort to take money out of politics.” Nevins continues, “One of them says ‘Not to be used for bribing politicians’ and you just stamp that on your dollar bill.”

“As a band, we have made a long term commitment to join this burgeoning movement,” says Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo. “It is clear to us that we will never get significant government action on issues like healthcare, student debt, wall street banks, the environment, and corporate tax evasion until we outlaw legalized corporate bribery of our politicians.”

By special arrangement Stampede rubber stamps, which normally sell for $10, will be available at the shows for a suggested donation of $5. Every stamped bill gets seen by 875 people once it goes into circulation. If 3000 stampers stamps three bills a day for a year it will create 2.8 BILLION impressions as the bills go into circulation. To sweeten the deal, FREE Ben & Jerry’s ice cream coupons will be given away in with the purchase of the first fifty stamps sold per show. The Stampede is a project of People Power Initiatives, a Vermont-based 501c3 non-profit organization.

“It’s totally legal and it’s very satisfying to stamp a stack of bills knowing you’re part of a growing grassroots movement putting this message out there,” says Puryear.

Together, we can create a stampede that Congress can’t ignore,” says Ben Cohen the co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. “Some people say that a constitutional amendment is impossible, but nearly every generation has amended the Constitution to protect and expand our democracy. This is our generation’s fight to win.”

The Stampede will continue into the election year with Donna, Ben, and various friends. They kick it off with Grammy-award winner and six-time Grammy nominee Peter Rowan in the fall of 2015.

Peter Rowan’s career spans over five decades, from his early years playing under the tutelage of Bluegrass veteran Bill Monroe, to his time in Old & In the Way and breakout as a solo musician and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through a solid stream of records, collaborative projects, and constant touring. Rowan often performs as a solo singer-songwriter internationally and stateside he plays in three bands: the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, a quintet featuring Keith Little, Chris Henry, Blaine Sprouse and Paul Knight; Big Twang Theory and its Texas Cousin Twang n Groove, as well as rock band The Free Mexican Air Force.

Donna the Buffalo has played festivals throughout the States with Peter a plethora of times over the years, often collaborating on stage with sit ins and they toured together for a bit about 15 years ago. Peter Rowan says of The Stampede, “At last, it comes around again; making music with Donna the Buffalo, one of my favorites.” For these shows Peter will be playing solo for about 45 minutes then Donna will play a set with Peter joining in at the end.

One of the most dynamic and determined bands continuously touring America for the past 26 years, Donna the Buffalo has created a community environment at their shows through their distinctive, groove-heavy, and danceable music. Donna the Buffalo is a band for the people that is accessible, positive, and memorable. With roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric American mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country, Donna’s music often contains social and moral responsibility as core beliefs, and they are just simply fun to get out and celebrate life with. Donna the Buffalo is Jeb Puryear (vocals, electric guitar) and Tara Nevins (vocals, guitar, fiddle, accordion, scrubboard) joined by David McCracken (Hammond organ, Honer Clavinet & piano), Kyle Spark (bass) and Mark Raudabaugh (drums).

The Stampede on Tour:
11/11 Wed – The Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA*
11/12 Thu – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY*
11/13 Fri – The German House – Rochester, NY*
11/14 Sat – The Ridgefield Playhouse – Ridgefield, CT*
11/15 Sun – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center – Stowe, VT*
11/18 Wed – Ziggy’s By The Sea – Wilmington, NC*
11/19 Thu – Ziggy’s – Winston-Salem, NC*
11/20 Fri – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC*
11/21 Sat – Rives Theatre – Martinsville, VA~
11/22  Sun – Bijou Theatre – Knoxville, TN~
12/2 Wed – Mainstage – Morgantown, WV*
12/3 Thu – The Kent Stage – Kent, OH*
12/4 Fri – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL*
12/5 Sat – Dakota Jazz Club – Minneapolis, MN ~
12/6 Sun – Stoughton Opera House – Stoughton, WI ~

* Donna the Buffalo & Peter Rowan with Ben Cohen Co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s
~ Donna the Buffalo and Peter Rowan

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Sun 10/25 SiriusXM Debut of Town Mountain’s Rendition of “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” on Tales from the Golden Road on the Grateful Dead Channel

Town Mountain: The Dead Session
Artwork by Taylor Swope

Town Mountain’s rendition of Grateful Dead’s “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” will debut this Sunday, October 25th on Tales from the Golden Road on the SiriusXM Grateful Dead Channel. Robert Greer will chat with hosts David Gans and Gary Lambert at 4pm ET briefly and the show runs until 6pm. It’s is a call-in show and if you want to join the conversation, call 888-897-4748! it rebroadcast Mondays at 9am ET and Wednesdays at 1am ET.
More info at www.siriusxm.com/gratefuldead and www.facebook.com/tftgr.

“Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” is one of two tracks Town Mountain recorded for their upcoming release, Town Mountain: The Dead Session, which hits the streets on November 13th. They recorded an impromptu set of two of their favorite songs from the Grateful Dead’s catalog at the widely acclaimed Echo Mountain Recording Studios in their hometown of Asheville, NC. The other track is “Big River” which was written by Johnny Cash in 1958; but true to The Dead’s fashion they would take other people’s songs or traditional songs and make them their own. They had a knack for finding covers that were transcendent of the original artist and they played it in almost 400 live performances.

“Wow, I like these hard-core acoustic honky-tonk takes on two Grateful Dead favorites!” says David Gans, musician and co-author of This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, and Tales from the Golden Road co-host.

“Each member of this band has enjoyed the music of the Grateful Dead for quite some time,” says vocalist and guitarist Robert Greer. “It seemed only fitting for Town Mountain to pay respect to some musical heroes in this year, their 50th year of existence.”

This is the Grateful Dead done in Town Mountain’s hard drivin’ style filled with a honky tonk edge and barroom swagger. The resulting sound is touched by Jerry Garcia with Jimmy Martin and John Hartford… Fitting since Hartford played a short stint in Old and In The Way before Vassar Clements filled out the band on fiddle, and Garcia’s first instrument was a banjo as he was influenced by bluegrass music throughout his career.

“What can I say about “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo”? It’s just perfect. Lyrically it’s amazing,” says banjoist Jesse Langlais. “Robert Hunter can be so descriptive yet so vague in the point he’s trying to get across. Which is great for the audience because it allows listeners to choose what they want the song to be about. In my opinion that’s what a good songwriter does. He leaves the song open to interpretation.”

“Musically, ‘Mississippi’ is extremely fun to play with exciting changes and a lot going on melodically… almost like there’s two songs in one.” Langlais continues, “On the original studio version of this song Vassar Clements plays fiddle. Bobby and I tried to mimic the interplay that Jerry and Vassar had on it. This is just an amazing song, and and it made sense for us to record it because it had a bluegrass master involved. We adopted it into Town Mountain’s repertoire without changing the integrity of the song.”

“Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” was written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter and originally released on Wake of the Flood in 1973. It was performed over 230 times live by The Dead over the years and the song was also the second set opener of the second night of the Fare Thee Well shows in Santa Clara this year.

Town Mountain. Photo by Sandlin Gaither

The core of Town Mountain is Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, and Adam Chaffins on bass (Adam is featured on “Mississippi”). Evan Martin plays drums on both tracks. Jon Stickley fills in on bass and guitar in “Big River” and Jack Deveroux lays down the pedal steel on “Big River.”

For the cover art, Town Mountain turned to long time Grateful Dead artist Taylor Swope. Taylor has been creating official Grateful Dead art since the former VP of Grateful Dead Productions discovered her in a parking lot at a show in 2003 and offered her a license on the spot. Her work has become iconic in it’s own right, having become widely associated with the generations of Deadheads who have grown up in the wake of Jerry Garcia’s passing.

Riding the wave of excitement that followed Fare Thee Well where her poster was one of only four featured at both stadiums, and sharing Town Mountain’s deep appreciation for American roots music, Taylor says she “thoroughly enjoyed creating this image. I am obsessed with swimming and water in general, so when Town Mountain asked me to draw them a river with a Steal Your Face, it was a natural fit.”

Town Mountain is in it for the long haul… check out out where they’ll be travelin’ to next and keep an eye on TownMountain.net for further dates as well as a brand new selection of merchandise. For updates from the road, please visit facebook.com/TownMountain, twitter.com/TownMountain, and instagram.com/townmountainbluegrass.

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Town Mountain to Release Renditions of two Grateful Dead Tunes ~ Bluegrass with Swagger

Town Mountain: The Dead Session
Artwork by Taylor Swope

To Honor the Grateful Dead in the year of the band’s 50th Anniversary
Town Mountain recorded bluegrass versions of two of their favorite Grateful Dead songs

Town Mountain: The Dead Session
Features “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” & “Big River”
Due Out Fri, Nov 13th

“Wow, I like these hard-core acoustic honky-tonk takes on two Grateful Dead favorites!” —David Gans, musician and co-author of This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead.”

Town Mountain is excited to announce the independent release of Town Mountain: The Dead Session on Friday, November 13, 2015. “Each member of this band has enjoyed the music of the Grateful Dead for quite some time,” says vocalist and guitarist Robert Greer. “It seemed only fitting for Town Mountain to pay respect to some musical heroes in this year, their 50th year of existence.” They recorded an impromptu set of two of their favorite songs from the Grateful Dead’s catalog, “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” and “Big River” at the widely acclaimed Echo Mountain Recording Studios in their hometown of Asheville, NC.

This is the Grateful Dead done in Town Mountain’s hard drivin’ style filled with a honky tonk edge and barroom swagger. The resulting sound is touched by Jerry Garcia with Jimmy Martin and John Hartford… Fitting since Hartford played a short stint in Old and In The Way before Vassar Clements filled out the band on fiddle, and Garcia’s first instrument was a banjo as he was influenced by bluegrass music throughout his career. Narrowing down to just two was not an easy task for Town Mountain.

“What can I say about “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo”? It’s just perfect. Lyrically it’s amazing,” says banjoist Jesse Langlais. “Robert Hunter can be so descriptive yet so vague in the point he’s trying to get across. Which is great for the audience because it allows listeners to choose what they want the song to be about. In my opinion that’s what a good songwriter does. He leaves the song open to interpretation.”

Langlais says, “Musically, Mississippi was extremely fun to play with exciting changes and a lot going on melodically… almost like there’s two songs in one. On the original studio version of this song Vassar Clements plays fiddle. Bobby and I tried to mimic the interplay that Jerry and Vassar had on it. This is just an amazing song, and and it made sense for us to record it because it had a bluegrass master involved. We adopted it into Town Mountain’s repertoire without changing the integrity of the song.”

“Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” was written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter and originally released on Wake of the Flood in 1973. It was performed over 230 times live by The Dead over the years and the song was also the second set opener of the second night of the Fare Thee Well shows in Santa Clara this year.

“Big River” was written by Johnny Cash in 1958. But true to The Dead’s fashion they would take other people’s songs or traditional songs and make them their own. They had a knack for finding covers that were transcendent of the original artist and they played it in almost 400 live performances.

“We’ve always liked their version of country music. Even their original albums we’re steeped in that sound. Workingman’s Dead is full of country music influence,” explains Langlais. “The Dead kept the sentiment of ‘Big River’ but translated it to make an audience who may not have known what country music was love it. That audience for them was typically a younger more rock or jam influenced fan but they still ended up knowing the song and singing along.” “Big River” fits right into Town Mountain’s sound and wheelhouse.

Town Mountain. Photo by Sandlin Gaither.

The core of Town Mountain is Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, and Adam Chaffins on bass (Adam is featured on “Mississippi”). Evan Martin plays drums on both tracks. Jon Stickley fills in on bass and guitar in “Big River” and Jack Deveroux lays down the pedal steel on “Big River.”

For the cover art, Town Mountain turned to long time Grateful Dead artist Taylor Swope. Taylor has been creating official Grateful Dead art since the former VP of Grateful Dead Productions discovered her in a parking lot at a show in 2003 and offered her a license on the spot. Her work has become iconic in it’s own right, having become widely associated with the generations of Deadheads who have grown up in the wake of Jerry Garcia’s passing.

Riding the wave of excitement that followed Fare Thee Well where her poster was one of only four featured at both stadiums, and sharing Town Mountain’s deep appreciation for American roots music, Taylor says she “thoroughly enjoyed creating this image. I am obsessed with swimming and water in general, so when Town Mountain asked me to draw them a river with a Steal Your Face, it was a natural fit.”

Town Mountain is no stranger to playing covers, and what has become one of the group’s more memorable live performance songs is their version of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” which they first recorded in 2008’s Heroes & Heretics. Town Mountain’s version “I’m On Fire” has reached over 1 Million listeners on Spotify and has garnered over 430,000 views.

Town Mountain is also prolific in songwriting; each member contributes their well-supplied vat of original material. They are finalizing their next studio release which was produced and engineered by GRAMMY winner Dirk Powell in his studio, The Cypress House, in south Louisiana. For a sneak peek at what to expect on the future album, watch the band perform a new original song, “Wildbird,” in this wonderful session filmed by Hype Music Festivals at the 2015 Suwannee Springfest in Live Oak, FL →  http://bit.ly/Wildbird_byTownMountain_HYPE.

Town Mountain is in it for the long haul… check out out where they’ll be travelin’ to next and keep an eye on TownMountain.net for further dates as well as a brand new selection of merchandise. For updates from the road, please visit facebook.com/TownMountain, twitter.com/TownMountain, and instagram.com/townmountainbluegrass

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The Daily Country’s Spotlight Series on Artists of Magnolia Fest 2015

Held at the beautiful Spirit of The Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, Magnolia Fest will be celebrating it’s 19th year this October 15-18th. MagFest consistently features some of the world’s finest performers in Americana, Roots Rock, Acoustic Blues, Singer/Songwriter, Bluegrass & Newgrass, Cajun/Zydeco, New & Traditional Folk and American Roots music. In the fifth of a series focusing on the artists who will be performing at the Fest, Jerry Joseph, whose career has spanned more than thirty years, kindly took the time to talk about playing the Fest for the first time, being inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and more.

Tara Joan of The Daily Country posted a series of interviews with artists performing at the festival this October. Here’s a round up of them to check out. Small Blurbs from each article are posted, make sure to click the headlines to read the full articles.  www.TheDailyCountry.com

Spotlight on The Artists of Magnolia Fest: Jim Lauderdale

There are so many festivals nowadays, what makes Magnolia Fest so special and has you returning?

Well, for one thing I love the people that attend the festival. There are some who have returned for all these years and some who started later and keep coming back because they enjoy it so much. It is really nice to touch base with those people. And of course there are the performers. It’s a comfortable atmosphere and nice to reconnect with other bands and artists where this may be the only time our paths cross all year. And I really like to jam. Some of the nights after everything is over, I get to jam with some of these folks, like my friends Donna The Buffalo who are there every year. We get to play together and I love to do that every opportunity I get.

Spotlight on The Artists of Magnolia Fest: Donna The Buffalo

Once again, you will be performing at Magnolia Fest in October. Have you played all nineteen years and what keeps you coming back?

We have actually. It’s a very beautiful spot with live oak trees, Spanish moss, and palmetto trees. There are a few festivals that are just great and this is one of those. We know everyone really well and have made great friends there. The festival is family oriented, there’s great music and it’s a really wonderful, music loving audience. We look forward to it every year.

Spotlight on The Artists of Magnolia Fest: JacksonVegas This is the 19th year for Magnolia Fest. What makes the festival special and keeps you coming back? I think this will be our fourth year playing the festival. We feel so lucky to even be invited. Beyond it being one of the prettiest concert venues I’ve ever been to anywhere in the world, it’s almost like clockwork how the season changes the Thursday of Mag Fest. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the climate, the temperature drops ten degrees and everyone is just so excited to get out. It’s a really magical moment. My wife and I have taken our child for the last few years; it’s just a great time to be outside, listen to music and have fun with family. We love it.

Spotlight on The Artists of Magnolia Fest: The Congress What made you say yes to the invitation to perform at Magnolia Fest? The Spirit of The Suwannee Music Park is legendary and whenever you mention the festival people get excited. In addition to that, the line-up is crazy, with artists like The Avett Brothers and Tedeschi Trucks Band as well as some artists I haven’t seen yet that I want to check out. I don’t see why one would not want to play there.

Spotlight on The Artists of Magnolia Fest: Jerry Joseph So, being that there are numerous festivals for you to choose to play at, why did you say yes to being a part of Magnolia Fest? Well, a lot of reasons. One because I don’t think we’ve ever done any of those late fall Florida things, not that I can remember anyway, and we’re psyched to do it. We’re always moving, doing load in and playing, so I never look at these things as social events, but I’m excited to go down there and do it. It’ll be cool to play with all of those bands. Magnolia Fest Adds Famed Clapton Guitarist Doyle Bramhall II to Lineup, Unveils Poster Art for 2015 Doyle is an American blues musician known for his work with Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Sheryl Crow, and his own band Arc Angels. He stands as one of the most distinctive vocalists, guitarists, composers and producers in contemporary music, with Clapton citing him as one of the most gifted players he has ever encountered.

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Everyone Orchestra at The Barkley Ballroom w/ Al Schnier, Jason Hann, Bridget Law & More Fri-Sat 12/18-19 in Frisco, Co

Artwork by Steve Johannsen.

Two Nights of Everyone Orchestra at The Barkley Ballroom w/ Al Schnier, Jason Hann, Bridget Law & more!
Friday-Saturday December 18-19, 2015
Doors  9pm/ Show 9:30PM; Tickets $21 adv/$25 dos; Ages 18+
Tickets: Friday &  Saturday
The Grant Farm opens the show!

610 Main St, Frisco, CO 80443
(970) 708-7042
www.barkleyballroom.com

“Matt Butler’s ever-evolving jam band collective, the Everyone Orchestra, is always unpredictable. Each show features a new lineup and a spontaneous musical creation.” —Washington Post

Everyone Orchestra is thrilled to announce a two night run at The Barkley Ballroom in Frisco, Co on Fri-Sat December 18-19, 2015 to help the venue celebrate it’s 3rd Anniversary! Conducted by Matt Butler, these shows feature Al Schnier (moe. – guitar, vocals), Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident – percussion/drums), Bridget Law (Elephant Revival – fiddle), Jay Starling (Love Canon – dobro), Sage Cook (we dream dawn – guitar, vocals), Adrian Engfer (The Grant Farm – bass). More tba and The Grant Farm opens the show!

Created in 2001, Everyone Orchestra has spearheaded bringing together musicians from a variety of cities, genres, and walks of life to play purely improvised set with one another, without any preconceptions of how it is “supposed” to sound. Tuning in to Matt Butler’s energy and pantomime, The Conductor is utilized as a pivot to the set mood of each passing jam as he communicates musical concepts using hand signs, whiteboard and assorted mime suggestions. The edge of your seat enthusiasm for what is next is the fuel behind the continuous musical experiment of  Everyone Orchestra.

Having marched clearly into uncharted territory, Everyone Orchestra is an avant-garde conceptual and collaborative performance which deeply encourages and requires audience interaction. Both the band and the audience start the show with a clean slate to help co-create a dynamic musical experience, with Butler receiving ideas from the audience to help set the course of action.

Matt Butler. Photo by Michael Wientrob.

Butler’s unique style of conducting is groundbreaking in that he, as EO’s founder, has essentially created an entirely new way to perform and experience music. Butler says, “Playing with different musicians, improvising every night, and getting the crowd involved in ways that they can’t be at a regular show has provided an unparalleled live music experience.”

“[In each city] Butler will have another group with which he can create the beautiful chaos this act is known for. Simply put, there is no set list to be confined to, no certain marks to hit over the course of the night. Butler makes his way to the front of the stage, and it’s off to the races, testing the limits of his players while also showing how good music is when everything clicks in the midst of an improvised set.” writes Examiner’s Thomas Gerbasi. “At this point, Butler almost has it down to a science, at least as much as you can on a speeding car that could veer off the road at any moment.”

The ever-evolving collective of Everyone Orchestra participants is an increasingly wide and intercontinental group which  has included members of The Grateful Dead, Phish, Furthur, Ratdog, Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule, String Cheese Incident, moe., members of Allman Brothers Band. including Oteil Burbridge, Yonder Mountain String Band, The New Mastersounds, Big Gigantic, The Punch Brothers, Dumpstaphunk, Galactic,The Motet, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Railroad Earth, Thievery Corporation, Lettuce, Infamous Stringdusters, Dopapod, Leftover Salmon, The Flecktones, ALO, Papdosio, Tuvan throat singers, live painters, dancers, chanters, choirs, hula hoopers, firespinners, jugglers, stiltwalkers, storytellers, a presidential candidate and hundreds of others among a growing legion of other performers.

EO balances the challenges of live group improvisation with triumphant tension and release conduits of music which head deep into the heart filled with the aspiration of creating shared magical moments.

What is Everyone Orchestra → http://vimeo.com/36999515
Musicians Describe Everyone Orchestra → http://vimeo.com/33037192
Musicians from across a wide spectrum of styles and backgrounds describe their experiences with Everyone Orchestra.

For more information, tour dates, videos, downloads & more, please visit www.everyoneorchestra.com, www.facebook.com/EveryoneOrchestra, & www.twitter.com/every1orchestra.

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Jon Stickley Trio Independently Releases ‘Lost at Last’ Today, Video Premier – Flatpicking Guitar, Violin & Drums

Jon Stickley Trio Independently Releases ‘Lost at Last’ Today
Rapid-fire Flatpicking Guitar
Combined with Melodious, Sultry and Wild Violin
And Deep Groove Drums

The Bluegrass Situation Premiered Jon Stickley Trio’s
New Music Video for ‘Point to Point’

Jon Stickley Trio independently releases Lost at Last, their 2nd album, on October 6, 2015. The originality and sheer energy of this genre-bending ensemble serves as a welcome wake up call for those who experience it. With roots in gypsy jazz, bluegrass, and hip-hop, Jon Stickley Trio combines Jon Stickley’s rapid-fire flatpicking guitar with the sultry and wild, yet refined, melodies of Lyndsay Pruett (Futureman) on violin set over the deep groove of Patrick Armitage (Atmosphere) on drums. The three have fused their collective styles into a repertoire of exciting and innovative original music along with some captivating covers. The album is now available on CD Baby and  iTunes.

The New York Times’ Nate Chinen writes “… there’s hardy cohesion among the players — no less on the Gypsy standard ‘Valse de Wasso’ than on ‘Darth Radar’ a turbocharged original with a ska upbeat and a shredding melody. And when Mr. Stickley and friends turn to bluegrass, as on ‘The High Road,’ by Tim O’Brien, they sound both respectful and free.”

Lost at Last was recorded in the band’s hometown of Asheville, NC at the iconic Echo Mountain Studios under the watchful eye of producer Dave King (The Bad Plus). While recording the album, King referred to the band’s imaginative sound as “this whole other thing.” King’s creative energy and inspired musical approach led the band deeper and deeper into the heart of their musical consciousness, which led to the solidification of their musical identity.

“Working with our producer Dave King was a life changing experience for us all,” says Stickley. “He is an intense, master musician, but also a hilarious, life-loving, positive, HEAVY, ‘unimpeachable’, inspiring dude! He helped us find ourselves, and his mark on the album is undeniable.” Jon goes on to say, “We succeeded in capturing a lot of spontaneous energy.”

Fan-funded through Kickstarter, Lost at Last features eleven tracks including six original tunes. It opens with ”Point-to-Point,” a song that could sum up the Trio’s personality, ranging from delicate syncopated pizzicato interplay to a powerful electo-rock climax featuring Jon’s distinctive flat-picking style. “Darth Radar” is already a crowd favorite at the Trio’s live shows; it was originally inspired by the modern dubstep artists, Skrillex and deadmau5, but over time has settled into an upbeat groove, with elements of ska and the fleet single string tremolo one might hear from Dick Dale, and other surf guitar gods. “Rice Dream,” is Jon’s subtle prayer for Tony Rice, who is one of his biggest musical influences. The song highlights Jon’s nimble picking style and soft harmonic chimes as well as the haunting beauty of Lyndsay’s violin.

Other tracks include the hypnotically enchanting “Goa,” penned by Pruett on the shores of the Indian Ocean, the cinematic and neoclassical “Octapickin,” in which Pruett’s beautiful string arrangements and improvisations take the listener through an emotional dreamscape, and the relaxing and poetic “Pamlico Sound.”

Lost at Last features a handful of covers including The Bad Plus’ “Never Stop”, Tim O’Brien’s “The High Road,” set to a grooving half time feel and break beat reprise, held down by Patrick Armitage on the drums. Lost at Last also features a  ‘Stickley” version of Strength in Numbers’ “Slopes” (written by Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor). The record also includes a traditional gypsy jazz waltz, “Valse de Wasso,”and ends with “Flight of the Durban,” penned by Stickley’s longtime friend Leftover Salmon’s banjo ripper Andy Thorn.

What Folks Are Saying About Lost At Last:
“Jon Stickley is a guitarist based in Asheville, N.C., and rooted in the flatpicking bluegrass tradition, the quicksilver dialect of Tony Rice and Norman Blake. But in the Jon Stickley Trio, with the fiddler Lyndsay Pruett and the drummer Patrick Armitage, he also bounces around in Gypsy jazz, folk-punk and jam-band territory, tracing a fidgety continuity of style.” –The New York Times, Nate Chinen

“Blending elements of traditional, fast paced bluegrass with sultry backings in jazz and raging hip hop beats, Lost at Last is an album not to be missed.” —Performer Mag, Kate Dennis-Skillings

“Asheville has a force to be reckoned with in the tight three-piece perfection of the Jon Stickley Trio. It’s pretty incredible how closely the three play with their unique blend of Appalachian, jazz, maybe even prog-rock styles.” —Martin Anderson, Music Director & Host at WNCW

“This is very very cool music. Jon’s ideas on the acoustic guitar are the freshest of the fresh. Lost at Last is rated BA: Bad. Ass.” —Larry Keel, Guitar Legend & Master Fisherman

“Lost At Last takes the listener on a winding musical journey where the unexpected is the expected… Sweeping melodies, precise pickin’, thumping percussion and frenzied violin are just some of what await you… ”  –The Daily Country, Tara Joan

“Probably the best thing about reviewing music is finding artists I’ve never heard of and falling in love… When I first put on Jon Stickley Trio’s sophomore album, Lost at Last, I listened for a few minutes and thought, ‘that’s bold–opening with an instrumental.’ I dig it. I soon learned it was an album of sell-your-soul-to-the-devil quality picking instrumentals.” –Grateful Music, Dan Fugate

 

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