Option 22
Acoustic/Eclectic/World Rock
Option 22 is a progressive world folk ensemble with a revolutionary vibe. Fierce and passionate female vocals dance atop a healing groove of instruments from around the world including didgeridoo, shamisen, djembes and other hand drums. Positive lyrics streaming from the soul convey a message of unity and understanding and transcendental melodies elevate listeners' consciousness.
Dubbed by one listener a “new age jam band,” their flavorful style is flexible, ranging from funky and rhythmic sounds to mellow and melodic, with each member bringing into the equation affinities for world sounds, funk, folk, jamband music, newgrass, trance, reggae and rock. Full-out drum jams send energy bouncing off the walls of any venue. Another listener dubbed the sound “hippie hop.” The only category that truly seems fitting is “Other.”
Based in Princeton, West Virginia, Lori McKinney (vocals, djembe, spoken word), Robert Blankenship (guitar, banjo, shamisen, hand-drums, didgeridoo), and Albert Perrone (guitar, hand-drums) have been writing and playing music together since early 2004. Brandun Dunn (bass) recently rounded off the mix.
With backgrounds in theatre, performance, healing arts (yoga/meditation), and visual arts, the group comes together with an artistic mind-set and a vision for a better world. They founded Culturefest in 2004 in order to bring a multi-cultural arts experience to the region.
www.option22.net
Dark Water Rising
Folk / Folk Rock / Alternative Rock
The band name, Dark Water Rising, originates from the home of its members. Robeson County, known for its rich Lumbee culture, thrives from the nourishment of swamplands and rich, dark water of the Lumber River. The dark watered swamps are legendary for providing hide outs and escape routes for Native Americans during the Civil War.
Driven by the rocking rhythms of Aaron Locklear (drums) and Eric Locklear (bass guitar), the music lends itself and the open floor for anyone willing to let go and spread the energy. As lead guitarist, Corey Locklear graces each of DWR’s songs with passionate, carefully pieced lines and melodies. Described as the "bread and butter" of Dark Water Rising, Ms. Charly Lowry (rhythm guitar/vocals), Ms. Ciera-Dial Locklear (keys/vocals) and Ms. Brittany Jacobs (saxophone/percussion/vocals) grab the lyrics by the horns and deliver with soul, truth, and harmony.
The members of Dark Water Rising complement each other in a special way to create their sound; one that surpasses skill and technique. DWR does not categorize its music into one genre. With a knack for taking whatever comes out and creating music that refreshes the senses, Dark Water Rising has the uncanny ability to successfully crossover into soul, alternative rock, blues, country, and hip-hop.
Years of friendship and forces of the unknown adjoined the members of DWR together to become the intelligent and creative entity that they are today. Dark Water Rising released their first self-titled LP, "Dark Water Rising" in July with hopes of finding more outlets to share their original music. The album takes the listener on an adventure through life. With youth and wisdom on their side, DWR has witnessed the powerful effect of their music on people of all ages. "Subject to Change" speaks of LIFE with the overall theme focusing on the reality that time and change waits for no one. Relationships are no exception on the list of themes that run rampant throughout the album. The R&B singed hit "What About Us" speaks to the rebellious in nature, especially those confronted with issues of mistrust and intimacy on all levels. Known for its riveting lyrics and arrangement, "Hooked" is poised to be a crossover hit filled with kisses of desire, passion, and longing.
"Dark Water Rising" would not be complete without paying homage and respect to DWR’s Native American heritage. "Brownskin", a single written by Lowry and Jacobs has seen its share of musical arrangements over the years, but the lyrics still resonate with women and young girls as an anthem to embrace and celebrate place of origin and individuality.
www.darkwaterrising.net
Appalatin
World / Reggae / Folk
Appalatin’s sound is the unique blend of several cultures: part Latino, part Appalachian, but most importantly world. They interpret traditional folk music in their own style and perform a number of original songs as well. The six-member band uses all acoustic instrumentation that features classical and steel string guitars; traditional Native wood flutes and pan flutes; harmonica; mandolin; charango (Andean ukelele); bass; and a myriad of percussion (congas, bongos, cajon, maracas, cow-bell and guiro to name a few).
While they call Louisville, Ky., home, each member has found a unique path to arrive there. The derivation of the name Appalatin represents the origin of the six members of the band: two members were born and grew up in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, two members were born and grew up in the Andean mountain region of Ecuador, and one member was born and raised in Nicaragua and one in Mexico. Their mission is to share original, folkloric and popular songs from Appalachia and Latin America and bring a message of a fair and just world, one of hope, joy and love. Appalatin’s fun and engaging acoustic sounds and world view inspire audience participation (dancing, singing, hand clapping and foot stomping) and make for a perfect contribution to any community, fundraising, educational or festival event.
www.appalatin.com
Dream Job
Alternative / Indie / Soul / Pop / Rock
DREAM JOB is exploding on the Pittsburgh scene. Three musicians, Ricardo Iamuuri, Barrett Black, and David Neuhart make-up this dynamic trio. Barrett Black started playing cello at the age of four, classically trained in orchestras and quartets. Barrett attended Carnegie Mellon University, where he double majored in Music and Acting. He excelled at music in college where the atmosphere was more... of a conservatory, but wanted more out of music. After playing other composers' music, he decided to start writing his own. Teaching himself how to play guitar, he played with a few friends until he started his own bands, including The Rising Sun, Dogs of March, and The Barrett Black Band. Barrett also worked as a model in New York and New Orleans, and has done some acting- stage and motion picture... he has also written a rock opera, “Indivisual”.
Ricardo “Iamuuri” is an honest, and soulful vocalist . His songs are highly celebrated within the circles of the music community in Pittsburgh. Iamuuri is a master, with a range that transcends traditional norms. His voice soars in the ears of his listeners. He’s a serious, spiritual songwriter dedicated to returning music to the role of a medium of soulful expression of substance. Coming from a family that honored the power of the Negro Spiritual, Ricardo has always been close to the source of spiritual music. His family choir, “The Gift of Song” laid a solid foundation for him to inherit the blessings of soulful expression, and he has not stopped moving forward ever since. In 2005 Ricardo Iamuuri completed his first solo project, which was released the following summer of 2006. 2 Original songs were featured on PBS Documentary Film. Soundtracks:
“In Country: A Vietnam Story”, 2006 (Telly Award Winner)
“Jim Crow Pennsylvania”, 2007
• 2006 Recorded album of original songs: “Conversations with Shepherds, Sheep, Guinea Pigs and Monkeys: Nursery Rhymes for the Underfed Mind
http://dreamjobmusic.wordpress.com
Nat Reese
Blues
Nat Reese is a stunning acoustic-blues singer who, at age eighty-six, plays with relentless passion and soul. Reese was born in Salem, Virginia, in 1924, but soon moved with his family to the coal camps of West Virginia. Nat learned songs from itinerant black musicians who rode the rails from one mountain coal camp to another. Such camps were essentially company towns divided into "colored," white, and Italian sections, and the musicians played venues across the sections, developing repertoires tailored for different audiences. Nat was exposed to the blues at rowdy mostly-black juke joints and to country music at mostly-white honky-tonks in his youth. He first performed publicly at age nine, and had a long string of performances at coal camps such as Black Bottom, Fireco, Pineville, and Welch. He later sang with the gospel quartet Kings of Harmony, and in 1939 joined the Harmonizing Four Gospel Quartet. Nat performed regularly with multi-instrumentalist Howard Armstrong until Armstrong’s death in 2003. Nat is a national treasure, and he will be joined on the Porch by gifted harmonica player Phil Wiggins for what truly will be one of the most memorable sets of the festival.
http://virginiafolklife.org
Melissa McKinney and Soul Mountain
Blues/Folk
Melissa McKinney is a highly praised vocalist who was based in the NC/SC region for several years and was a member of Charlotte Blues Society. Her career peaked with a performance at the famous Double Door Inn right before the West Virginia native returned home in fall 2008 to open her business, “Stages Music School,” a creative music performance school for children. Her business is now thriving and is part of a major arts movement which is revitalizing the downtown of Princeton. Melissa has been featured alongside blues legend Nat Reese several times in the past few years at the Blue Ridge Music Center, Floydfest Music & Arts Festival and more. She was crowned “Princeton Idol” in a 6 week long singing showdown sponsored by J104 and also won the Blues Portion of WV Finest vocal competition. She lights up the stage with her powerful and soulful voice. McKinney will be joining Soul Mountain, Carpenter Ants and Nat Reese in multiple performances throughout Culturefest. Watch for Melissa running the magical area of the festival known as “LaLa Land” and watch for her students, the wildly popular all girl kid band, Miss Behavin'.
Soul Mountain is a WV based power trio that plays an eclectic mix of rock, soul, and blues comprised of Billy Galloway on drums, Jim Branham on Bass, and Chris Sutton on guitar and vocals. At Culturefest, Ray Hensley of the band "Blues Crossing" will be joining them as Melissa McKinney's backing band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUXw09R9eDM
Carpenter Ants
Other / Chicken Fried Gospel Soul / Americana
Even the best bands come and go but the Carpenter Ants have been around - with virtually the same line up - for more than 16 years. The Ants have defied the odds and outlasted most of their peers for a number of reasons. First and foremost, regardless of the occasion, the band never fails to have a good time. And, after more than 2,000 performances, the members still like and respect each other - and you can feel it in their music.
Having evolved into WV's premier rythm & blues group, the band has unearthed a wealth of classic and forgotten American music. The Ants wail through classic R&B, country-swamp and gospel-soul with equal conviction. A few years back, the band caught the ear of famed singer/songwriter/producer/rock'n'roller Don Dixon. The upshot was the band's second record, the all-gospel Picnic with the Lord. Last year Dixon anxiously signed on to produce the groups third effort, Ants in Your Pants, and steered the band to Scott Beal's Gaff Music. The disk will be released in spring 2004.
The core of the group consists of guitarist Michael Lipton, drummer Jupiter Little, bassist Ted Harrison and vocalist/saxophonist Charlie Tee. A revolving cast of auxillary Ants include singer/songwriter Larry Groce, host of the internationally syndicated radio show "Mountain Stage," ex-NRBQ guitarist Steve Ferguson and Robert Shafer, one of the Country's premier Telecaster slingers and two-time national flatpicking champion.
The group's trademark sound -- rich, soulful harmonies, stinging solos, and a rock-solid rythm section -- captures that rare, loose-but-tight feel, and has won the band international as well as regional fans. The Ants have traveled to Moscow. The trips found the group performing at a variety of venues including the 3,500-seat Russia Concert Hall, the city's most prestigious room, a letter-styled TV show with a national audience of 100 million(!!), funky clubs and gaudy venues.
http://www.carpenterants.wvmusichalloffame.com/biography.html
Rattlemouth
World Jazz / World Groove
Rattlemouth is Richmond, Virginia's Ethio Jazz and World Groove powerhouse. Featuring the saxophone tandem of Danny Finney and Roger Carroll, the monster rhythm section of Robbie Kinter (drums) and Marc S. Langelier (bass) and the guitar of George M. Lowe, they blaze through spirited instrumental updates of classic tunes from around the world (Mali, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Cuba, Jamaica, Lebanon, etc.), plus similarly flavored originals, inspiring audiences to equally spirited dancing. This current body of work, which comprises their live repertoire, is captured on their new cd 5.
Having emerged from the ashes of the legendary Orthotonics in 1989, Rattlemouth is also known for it's extensive catalogue of art rock, as presented on their two releases on the renowned Cuneiform label in the late 90's and the 2006 self-released, Hopabout. This latter cd advances the shift in direction toward world grooves, as evidenced by several middle eastern inspired original compositions.
In addition, Rattlemouth have frequently been commissioned to compose and perform music for dance and film projects, In this capacity they have been honored to work with nationally top ranked Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, University of Richmond and Robert Battle, choreographer and new Artistic Director of the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This aspect of their work is documented on the 2009 release, Home Fed and Full Grown, music for dance and film.
www.rattlemouthmusic.com
The Lizzy Ross Band
Rock / Folk /Blues / Americana
Chapel Hill’s Lizzy Ross Band fuses jazz and folk music with dirty blues, rock and soul. Ross’ commanding, versatile, and expressive voice has been compared to such artists as Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Edie Brickell and Grace Potter. The band’s tight arrangements range from subtly complimentary to virtuosically explosive. Creating high energy, soulful music that is intelligent, danceable, and unique.
The Lizzy Ross Band includes Lizzy Ross on vocals and rhythm guitar, Dylan Shrader on electric guitar, Brett Hart on bass, and Drew Daniel on percussion.
The Lizzy Ross Band is the #1 group in its region on ReverbNation.com’s charts, ranked above artists like Tift Merritt and Lost in the Trees. They have played with artists such as Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, Kathy Mattea, Acoustic Syndicate, Donna The Buffalo, Lubriphonic, Col. Bruce Hampton and his “Quark Alliance,” The Lee Boys, Big Daddy Love, Velvet Truckstop, The Honeycutters, Ike Stubblefield, Shane Pruitt and Jeff Sipe.
In June 2010 Lizzy Ross released her debut solo album, Traces. Nominated for HGMN’s (Home Grown Music Network) 2010 album of the year, Traces has been met with critical acclaim for the passion and “beautiful songwriting” it contains. The Lizzy Ross Band is currently recording and plan to release their debut album in October 2011. The Lizzy Ross Band is a proud member of Leeway’s Homegrown Music Network.
www.lizzy.net
600LBS of Sin!
Rock / Americana / Jamband
600LBS OF SIN! formed in late 2009 by Josh Thomas & Mike Pushkin as an expansion of their acoustic duo, The Filthy No 'Counts. Mike Pushkin is a well known local musician & songwriter in Charleston & Morgantown, WV. He is a founding member of The Joint Chiefs & Josh Thomas has played in local Charleston, WV bands for over 10 years. Together their vision of blending honky tonk, reggae, southern rock, bluegrass, folk, & blues with intense improvised jams & unique vocal harmonies, reminiscent of the jamband greats by which they are so heavily influenced, came together with the addition of vocalist Sierra Ferrell. Sierra's vocal range & demanding stage presence, along with her song writing alone, are enough to have you begging for more. The current rhythm section is an all-star lineup with Jon Lavigne on bass and Billy Thomas on drums.
www.600lbsofsin.com
