Artist Bios
Marga Gomez
Marga Gomez: Voted 2008 BEST COMEDIAN- SF Bay Guardian Reader’s Poll
A cross between Frida Kahlo and Larry The Cable Guy,
Marga Gomez is an award winning comedian and playwright.
Marga has appeared on LOGO, Comedy Central and PBS
and is one of the first openly gay comedians in the
nation. The New York Times hailed
Marga as “deliciously cheeky” and included her in their 2006 list of “nine to watch.” For more about Marga visit www.myspace.com/margagomezcomedy
Maria Muldaur & the Free Radicals
2008 - an election year like no one has seen in decades with
history-making candidates, and global attention focused on
a world out of balance. You would be hard-pressed to find any person off the street who is not
involved and certainly not affected. Count the legendary
singer Maria Muldaur, best known worldwide for her
1973 mega-hit, "Midnight at the Oasis," in this group. Now listen to how the times have compelled
her with Yes We Can!, her brand new CD, and 36th release in a vibrant career encompassing Grammy-nominated blues, Americana, jazz, gospel and rock.
For these songs of peace and change, producer Muldaur
recruited a stellar group of guest performers: Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Odetta, Phoebe Snow, Holly
Near, Jane Fonda and more, singing songs by Bob Dylan,
Allen Toussaint, and Garth Brooks to name a few.
"What is on my heart and mind is the current dismaying
state of not only our country, but our planet - and my ever growing frustration with our leaders.
If things in this world continue the way they are," says Muldaur, so known for her lifelong repertoire
of sensual and playfully seductive songs, "there soon won't be any people or places to make romance! I'm hoping this album will inspire people and be a new
soundtrack to the changing paradigm we can create.
Yes, we can all make a difference, if we work together!
As Peter Seeger said recently, 'If you love your country, you'll find ways to speak up for what is right. Finding
the right songs and singing them over and over again
is the right way to start.' IT'S NOW OR NEVER!"
Muldaur sang the title track, "Yes We Can", with Bonnie Raitt. It has been used to create a "A Tribute to Barack Obama" now a popular You Tube video, co-produced
by Muldaur and Joel Jaffee in conjunction with the
San Francisco Obama For America campaign headquarters.
Last month, Muldaur received a personal handwritten
letter from Senator Obama - thanking her and saying that "the song perfectly fit the spirit of the campaign," and would be placed in rotation at his rallies!
www.mariamuldaur.com
Blame Sally
Blame Sally’s eclectic blends of folk and pop that is described
as being on the “indie edges of Americana” has a flavor that is undeniably original.
Bringing together four unique voices and musical backgrounds,
Blame Sally has managed to create a cohesive sound
that is instantly recognizable and compelling.
Called a “San Francisco Bay Area phenomenon”, this powerhouse all
female band has found themselves
in the limelight despite having survived many of life's toughest
experiences. Consequently, Blame Sally's music has a lot to say about
life, about keeping
a positive attitude in the face of sickness and death,
about love, about motherhood and most importantly,
about having fun.
They performed for audiences across the US, opened
for Ani Difranco at the California Worldfest, launched
a national radio campaign covering both AAA and Non-Com stations and reached an audience of millions on
XM Satellite Radio’s XM Café where the band’s album, Severland, charted at number one last June.
Blame Sally is undoubtedly picking up momentum on their
way to international acclaim.
www.blamesally.com
Tuck & Patti
The best duo on the planet!
-
Bobby McFerrin
Tuck is a world-class guitarist. His musical partner and wife, Patti,
is an uncommonly soulful and inventive jazz stylist
and among the best scat singers since Ella Fitzgerald.
Together they create magic, a kind of jazzy chamber
music that's deceptively simple on the surface but reveals layers
of subtle complexity with each additional listening.
Tommy Castro
Tommy Castro is one of the most popular and creative
roots artists to emerge in recent years. Since he first
started the Tommy Castro Band sixteen
years ago, Tommy's career has been marked by one triumph after another.
He's gone from performing at a tiny San Francisco saloon
to opening act on B.B. King's national tours and international acclaim as one of
the most compelling artists on the scene. Not surprising,
given his innate charisma and skills as a supremely
talented guitarist, gifted vocalist, and engaging songwriter.
Tommy Castro and his brilliant band have captured a
hold on legions of fans and critics alike around the
world with their mesmerizing blend of rock, blues and
Memphis soul. On Painkiller, with style and soul, they
continue to explore the boundaries of American roots
music.
Hot Buttered Rum
Hot Buttered Rum, one of the hardest-working and fastest-rising stars in the musical firmament, has become,
over the last five years, a group that is infinitely
greater than the sum of its parts. Often described
as a rock band playing bluegrass instruments, the band
melds blues, folks, bluegrass, jazz, and rock, and
the members' varying degrees of classical training lead them to
invest heavily in group composition. The widespread
appeal of HBR's music stems not only from the band's musical versatility and prolific songwriting, but
also from the magnetic chemistry the group creates
onstage together. It is this chemistry that is propelling
the band to ever greater success..
HBR is committed to achieving its musical goals in
an environmentally sensitive manner.
Since 2003, the band has toured in vehicles that run on vegetable
oil and biodiesel instead of fossil fuel products.
Doing this has not been easy, especially in the early
days. But,
being in a business that requires driving thousands
of miles each year, HBR knows that using alternative
fuel is one of the most effective ways it can reduce
its ecological footprint. The band enjoys performing
for educational assemblies and benefit concerts,
and many of their songs seek to raise awareness about
the socially and environmentally volatile era in which
we live. Above all, HBR’s goal is to satisfy their audience’s minds,hearts and dancing feet with a unique and uplifting
blend of progressive American music.
www.hotbutteredrum.net
Michael Kang
Michael Kang, born in South Korea on May 13th, 1971, is a multi-instrumentalist for the popular jam band The String
Cheese Incident (often abbreviated to SCI). The mandolin is his primary instrument, although
he plays violin on several songs, and guitar rarely.
He is a key part of the band, providing both a melodic
and rhythmic sound. Kang has lived in South Korea,
Indonesia, England, Germany, New York, San Francisco
Bay Area (California), United Arab Emirates, Alaska, and Colorado. He is
a graduate of UC-Berkeley a former emergency medical technician, and
a former ski patrolman in Steamboat Springs, CO. He
provided critical medical attention in the rescue of
a seriously injured person from Cataract Canyon, Utah,
in June, 1992.
In addition to his integral role in SCI, Kang has participated
in several well-received side projects. Notable among these was the
2000 album Head West by the collaboration called Comotion.
Musicians joining Kang in the studio included Jeff
Sipe and Tye North of Leftover Salmon, progressive
bluegrass musicians Paul McCandless, Darol Anger, and
Mike Marshall, and drummer Aaron Johnson. More recently
he is found playing with the band Panjea and with Chris
Berry.
