Your new favorite song is just around the corner. Enter the world of singer-songwriter and producer Ellie James, and treat yourself to a show unlike any you've ever seen. Stylistically unique and captivating, Ellie James mixes lush indie-pop sounds with the style and edge of her rock ’n’ roll background. Her music is both genuine and dance-inducing, as she uses real instruments and electronic production to weave musical stories all her own. Ellie has been performing professionally all over the world for more than 10 years, most recently opening up for Grammy-winning artist Colbie Caillat, and playing to electric audiences at Hollywood’s famous Viper Room and San Francisco’s Cafe du Nord. With the release of her much-anticipated sophomore EP “Favorite Stranger” and a nearly sold-out headlining show at Hopmonk, Ellie shows no signs of stopping with a year ahead full of new shows, new merch, and new music.

Folk/rock provided a good bit of the soundtrack of the lives of children of the 60’s and even their children. The Bluebyrds reprise the jangle and harmony of the icons, such as Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and The Beau Brummels, just to name a few. You know the songs well and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to resist singing along. The line-up includes seasoned Sonoma County folk/rockers:

• Linda Hutchinson: Bass & Vocals

• Rick Minervini: Drums 

• Steven Nank: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Harmonica & Vocals 

• Tom Richardson: Acoustic & Electric 6 & 12 string Guitars & Vocals  

X Confidence is a sumptuous, retro blend of 80s synth, 70s groove & today’s sensibilities, a confection of sweet perfection that recalls synth sequencers, silky saxophone work, and deft rhythms with vocal work that’s breathy at one turn and soulful at the next.

Equal parts vibrant and dreamy,  X Confidence is the girl who got away . . . the guy that stood you up . . . the lover who left while you were still sleeping. It’s longing, lustrous and a little coy, all wrapped in a neat, shiny package of tasty rhythms and hook-laden melodies.

The songs, crafted with pop precision by northern California songwriters Robin Schaffner and Bob Pittman, have a few common threads. Both appreciate tasteful, danceable pop; Bob cites Roxy Music and Talking Heads as influences while Robin takes her musical cues from artists such as Blondie and the Go Go's.

X Confidence is a five-piece band featuring Robin Schaffner, vocal and synthesizer, Bob Pittman, vocal and guitar, Rob Wegner, sax, Eric Booker, bass, and Jesse Probst, drums. X Confidence plays synthesizer-based new wave alt-pop-rock.  X Confidence is based in Santa Rosa, California. 

Jill Rogers and Crying Time play straight-up honky-tonk, 1970’s cross-over country, and elegiac originals. They’ve been packing dance floors, clubs, bars, and listening rooms for a decade in Northern California’s lively country scene. With a beautiful 70’s-era voice, Jill Rogers connects with audiences through her original songs, which are often about love at the edge of dissolution, or a look back at what might have been.

 Backing her up, Crying Time is a musicians’ band, with a deep bench of accomplished players. Myles Boisen is an inventive guitarist who provides soulful, unpredictable, and sometimes blistering solos, reflecting decades of experience as a session player (Tom Waits) and record producer (California Honeydrops, Club Foot Orchestra). Western swing veteran Tony Marcus (Cheap Suit Serenaders) plays the whole of American music on fiddle. Russell Kiel (bass) and Tim Rowe (drums) work together to keep the grooves deep and swinging. Each musician brings a wealth of experience in performing and recording, and together they produce tightly woven, spry and energetic sets that turn heads and keep audiences enthralled. Crying Time is known for the variety and dynamism they bring to their interpretations of the classics and Jill’s beautiful, sad songs.

Mamajowali features three veteran musicians – one from Mali, West Africa and two from the United States – that have found common ground in a new and unique sound. Interweaving two continents and three uniquely different musical sensibilities, their cultural and instrumental blend of kamale ngoni (the hunter’s harp), six string guitar, percussion, fiddle, mandolin and singing is traditional, innovative and uncommon – all at the same time. Mamajowali overlays West African and Latin American music with old time Americana and spirited originals with hoppin’ high energy grooves and tons of improvisational trialogue. Come listen to the sound you’ve never heard ~ “Afromericana!”

The Familiar Strangers Trio/Quartet play an Americana grab bag of music from western swing to country, bluegrass, folk, blues and even a little bit of gypsy jazz! This acoustic trio (occasionally a quartet) is perfect for smaller venues (no drums) but they nevertheless generate a big response from audiences with their friendly banter and responsiveness to requests from audience members. This is a band with a sense of humor that can easily move between material designed to get you up on your feet dancing or tugging at your heart to buy another beer and lose your sorrows. Their musical palette runs from Bob Wills to Doc Watson to Django Reinhardt and more. The band recently celebrated their first recorded project, Masqurade 2020, which is already garnering critical success.
 
In addition to the acoustic-based trio/quartet the band also performs as a full six piece electric band playing dance and listening music based in the American roots music styles of Western swing, classic country, country and blues based rock and more! Imagine John Hiatt gets in a car with Chuck Berry and they pick up a hitch hiking Dolly Parton! It's kinda like that!
The full band has plays fairs, festivals and big venue events all over north California and are currently putting the finishing touches on their first full band CD release set to be out in the early spring of 2023.

The Quitters is a guitar-and-vocals duo: a right-handed, right-side-up finger picker — Stevie Coyle — and a left-handed, upside-down flat picker — Glenn “Houston” Pomianek. These gents were two of the original members of The Waybacks quintet, and Glenn was the long-time lead guitarist for Americana powerhouse Houston Jones.

Glenn Houston's guitarist influences range from Michael Bloomfield to Doc Watson, as shows in his mastery of both the acoustic and electric guitar. Glenn has been voted Best Guitarist by the Northern California Bluegrass Society and has shared billing with Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Earl Scruggs, Doc and Merle Watson, Willie Nelson and countless other famous artists. He co-founded the Waybacks in 1999 with Stevie Coyle and Chojo Jacques, and was co-founder of the powerhouse Americana band, Houston Jones.

Stevie Coyle was inspired to take up finger-picking guitar by the first Hot Tuna album. After securing degrees in Theatre and Theology, he hit the road with The Royal Lichtenstein Circus, doing comedy, magic, wire-walking, sword-swallowing, juggling and cat-herding … literally. He has acted in theater, film, TV and voiceover, and has done standup comedy and has toured nationally and internationally, both solo and with The Waybacks. He now owns and runs his own high-end acoustic guitar shop, Mighty Fine Guitars, in Lafayette, CA.  

FOXES IN THE HENHOUSE IS SHE DONE HIM WRONG SONGS. SHE GOT HIM BACK SONGS. SHE KICKED HIM OUT ONCE AND FOR ALL SONGS. IT’S A BLUEGRASS BOB MARLEY TUNE. A SWINGING JIMMIE RODGERS NUMBER. IT’S FRANKIE AND JOHNNY DRINKING LEMONADE UNDER A SHADE TREE WITH NINA SIMONE, WITH A DASH A FIDDLE AND A SPLASH OF MOONSHINE.

Formed in the USA in 1973, Banana And The Bunch comprised Lowell ‘Banana’ Levinger (b. 1946, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; keyboards), Michael Kane (bass) and Joe Bauer (b. 26 September 1941, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; drums), each of whom were concurrently members of the Youngbloods. Recorded as the parent band was about to expire, Mid-Mountain Ranch was a refreshing collection, blending bluegrass and folk with considerable joie de vivre. The trio also accompanied Bauer on his solo album, Moonset, and later recorded an avant garde set, Crab Tunes, under the name Noggins. They each then retired from active music; Levinger operated a hang-gliding business, Kane became a green-keeper, while Bauer constructed houses.

Joe Craven is not just an entertaining musician with a penchant for the mischievous, he is a teacher and student all at once and he will draw you into his performance by including you as though you’re part of the show itself. His gift of gab is unprecedented and his musical knowledge impressive. Joe’s openness and expression of gratitude for the gifts he’s acquired make it all the more fun for him to share them with his audience.

Creativity educator, former museum curator, visual artist, actor/storyteller, event emcee and recipient of the 2009 Folk Alliance Far-West Performer of the Year, Joe has made music with many folks – notably violinist Stephane Grappelli and Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia – to multi-whirled string guy David Lindley, harmonica wizard Howard Levy and seven years recording and touring with banjo fusionist Alison Brown.

The Sorentinos continue to amaze. The past three years have seen a string of stylistically shifting, self-produced CDs packed with catchy, intelligent lyrics by North Bay songsmith, guitarist and bandleader Danny Sorentino, and street-smart instrumentation by guitarist Howard Vatcher, guest guitarist Steve Lee, bassist Rob Ruiz (chief ranger of the Marin County Parks), and drummer Rory Judge. Their latest is a well-crafted homage to '50s and '60s rock. The songs range from the Tom Petty-worthy retro vibe of "Blue Collar Rocker" and the jazzy Beat-era inspired "Cool Like That" to the mid-tempo rockabilly title track and the anthemic "Time to Rock." Fifteen powerhouse tracks. No clunkers

Kevin Russell & his So Called Friends… is a group that plays an eclectic blend of acoustic music. Americana, or roots music, is a term given to music that seeks to blend elements of blues, swing jazz, folk, country, bluegrass and even a little acoustic rock. And that exactly what they're up to.

Their music is rooted in these genre's but with a modern sensibility. Using the typical bluegrass instrumentation of mandolin, dobro, guitar, string bass and 5-string banjo they are as likely to do an Irving Berlin swing song from the 40's, or an old Ray Charles R&B tune, as a hard driving Bill Monroe bluegrass number, or a classic Jimmie Rogers country song. They’ve even been known to sneak in the occasional bluegrassified Beatles song! And when was the last time you heard a bluegrass reggae version of “Sitting Here in Limbo”? In addition to creating lively new versions of old songs, the band also features engaging original compositions.