Band Lineup

Donna the Buffalo

Life's A Ride....17-year career...100,000 records sold....100 gigs a year...15,000 attendees at the 2004 Grassroots Festival.

No, this is not a MasterCard commercial. It's just that numbers don't hold a lot of value for Donna the Buffalo. For this eclectic upstate New York band, success isn't quantitative. It isn't being in constant rotation on Top 40 radio stations or video networks. It isn't how much money's rolling in or even how many people are in the band.

"We just do what we do. And it's a very natural thing. It's a thing we find joy in and it's a lifestyle that we've pursued for... ever," says guitarist/vocalist Jeb Puryear, one of the band's two primary songwriters. "We don't manipulate any of our circumstances for the market."

That includes the band's sound, which piles reggae, rock, country, zydeco, Cajun, and folk on top of old-time fiddle music to create a combination best described as original American dance music.

Railroad Earth

Over the past four years Railroad Earth has carved a path wide and deep throughout the American roots music scene. Right from their first gigs in May 2001, to their most recent shows for their legion of loyal fans, Railroad Earth has been an undeniable force whose superb songwriting, singing and performances from the stage have made them one of the most talked about bands to arrive in years.

It could be said that Railroad Earth hit the scene with their wheels already rolling. Just three weeks after the six band members jammed together for the very first time, they went into a local recording studio and laid down five songs, recorded live with no overdubs except backing vocals. It was that remarkable demo that set everything in motion. Within a week they had a manager on board who then sent their demo out to some of the countrys most prestigious festivals. There wasnt even a promo photo of the band. Yet, on the strength of that demo alone, they landed a slot on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. That was their tenth gig.

With nearly 400 shows and tens of thousands of road miles now behind them, Railroad Earth has become a staple on the national touring and festival scene, and built a huge following of loyal fans that document and trade every note they play, and often join them on the road for multiple nights. These fans call themselves “Hobos,” and the band considers them to be the fuel that keeps this engine chugging along.

Under Full Sail

Under Full Sail is a reunion of ekoostik hookah, circa 1996: Dave Katz on vocals, keys and acoustic guitar; Cliff Starbuck on bass and vocals; Steve Sweney on lead guitar; Eric Lanese on drums; and John Mullins on rhythm guitar and vocals. The band will be showcasing material from classic hookah albums like Under Full Sail and Dubbah Buddah, as well as culling newer material from ekoostik hookah and John Mullins Band.

Under Full Sail will provide Jamm in Jamaica patrons the unique opportunity to experience some of the sounds and songs that helped the mid-west jam scene blossom into what it is today. With weeks of rehearsals scheduled in advance of the trip, UFS is sure to put a new spin on staples from the extensive hookah catalog as well as introducing some new surprises.

The Big Wu

The musical influences that helped create the Big Wu were loud, and large, and heartfelt. And over the past seven years, this Minnesota troupe has stepped into the role of creating the type of music that wants to course through your veins. Writing in truly American styles, the Big Wu slides, bends, rumbles, and chicken-picks with on the top intensity and good-time fervor.

This inclusive rock-n-roll, people. So boys bring your girls, parents bring your kids, therapists bring your patients. Let the Big Wu loosen the straps of your daily burden with real vibrations. Coming to a bullshitless beer hall near YOU!!

Hot Buttered Rum String Band

In the short time since Hot Buttered Rum debuted its music, dubbed as a "High Altitude Acoustic Experience," the band has been praised by fans, peers and national media alike, recognizing Hot Buttered Rum for their 'stunning instrumental and vocal virtuosity.' Hot Buttered Rum is attracting a truly multi-generational audience with its ability to create an undeniably hip and fresh sound that weaves together the grounded traditions of folk and bluegrass with the modern influences of rock-n-roll, reggae and acoustic singer/songwriters. Hot Buttered Rum's musical evolution has not only defined their sound, with their extensive touring schedule, the band has become established as one of the nation's hottest young touring acts since setting off as a group of friends on a trail in the high sierras in the early part of the decade to emerge as a band, appropriately named, Hot Buttered Rum.

Vince Herman (Festival Emcee)

In 1989, Vince started a band called the Salmon Heads and by 1990, Vince combined forces with Drew from Left Hand String Band to create Leftover Salmon. Vince and his cronies have been integral in spreading the significance of festivals and the art of anahuacing as a significant part of the American heritage experience.

Vince has been playing music as long as he can remember. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, polka filled his ears at an early age, along with Motown, Soul and Rock and Roll. He discovered stringband music in 1977 and Vince has been chasing it around ever since.

Vince moved from West Virginia to Colorado in 1985. He played in the Left Hand String Band and the Salmonheads, before starting Leftover Salmon with Drew in 1990.

Matt Butler/Everyone Orchestra

THE EVERYONE ORCHESTRA is a revolving cast of stellar musicians brought together by drummer/conductor Matt Butler for festival super jams and special benefit events. EO performances are designed to create space for each performer's musical personality to shine, engage the audience as participants in the jam and to facilitate a massive celebratory coming together featuring a conductor directing both musicians and audience alike in interactive, lively, and highly danceable movements.

"We pass the 'musical talking stick' around the collective group of players and take turns leading the stage, much like sharing music around a campfire. We also play musical improv games that I sometimes refer to as 'music sports'. Then we culminate in moments when everyone is on stage at once, playing conducted improvisations together," says Butler, who is also the founder of the group.

"Since its inception in 2001, The Everyone Orchestra has performed its shows nationally featuring such luminary musicians as The Derek Trucks Band, Steve Kimock, members of Phish, Ratdog, The Grateful Dead, String Cheese Incident, and many others. Through the events and work of The Everyone Orchestra, funds have been raised for contributions to non-profit and environmental organizations around the nation.

David Gans

After you've seen a David Gans show or heard one of his records, you're likely to ask yourself, "Where's this guy been? Why haven't I heard of him before?" The answer to both questions is that you weren't looking in the right place, but don't worry, it's not like it was obvious.

The thing is, Gans started out as a musician in 1970, playing guitar and writing songs and performing both as a soloist and as a member of various bands around the Bay Area. So were a lot of other people, so don't feel bad about missing him back then, either.

Then, in a pretty much unprecedented career change, he became a music journalist. Magazine work gave way to book work, and in 1985, his first book, Playing in the Band: an Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead (co-authored with Peter Simon) about his long-time favorites the Grateful Dead, was published to much acclaim. While he was working on his second book, Talking Heads: The Band and Their Music, he produced a show for a Grateful Dead radio show on a local station, and discovered he liked doing it. Before long, his Grateful Dead Radio Hour was syndicated on dozens of stations across the United States.

After a long hibernation, his singing, songwriting, and guitar playing have emerged to make him a singular artist with his own strong identity. He's David Gans, and you ought to hear him.