GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance: GrassRoots Festival Band Biographies 2009


	Jimkata rocks. No, but seriously. Combining grungy synthesizers with raunchy guitar lines, and smoothing the whole thing over with luscious four-part vocal harmonies, they're the vanguard for a new modern rock music movement in this area, and we're proud to have them at GrassRoots for the first time.


	The roots and the outer leaves of reggae are both present in John Brown's Body's music... the lyrics are wise and mystical, an homage to the original consciousness of the style. The sound, though, is a step beyond, entering the realms of sonic edginess - future reggae, if you will. It's the sound that keeps us moving, and the lyrics that keep us mindful... and the tree still grows.


	A dark horse riding high, Johnny Dowd is a little bit dangerous. Crossing lines and taking names, his eerie, incandescent rock songs rattle your nerves just a touch, and it feels great.


	We're not just making this up: Keith Frank IS the reigning king of zydeco in Southwest Louisiana. He's a household name in the Creole community, and his brand of progressive soul zydeco is a force to be reckoned with, both on his local circuit and on the road. A GrassRoots staple, we know that when Keith starts rocking the dance, we're officially at home.

One late GrassRoots evening, Native Americana pioneer Keith Secola told me about a shared belief among almost every earth-based religion: there are "thin spots" in this world, places where the membrane between the physical world and the spiritual one are so thin that you can hear and feel the pulses from the other side. He said that GrassRoots was a thin spot, and he could feel the spirits playing along on the stage. We've seen it, and we believe it, and we're always ready to feel the magic.


	Get your cowboy boots, 'cuz we're goin' honky-tonkin', honey baby. Kelley & the Cowboys are made up of a slew of North Carolina's finest pickers and grinners, including Miss Kelley Brieding, who has a voice like Patsy Cline and a "let's burn this barn down" attitude to match.


	With purposeful rhymes and one-drop rhythms, Kevin Kinsella fights oppression and begets love, every song. Much beloved in the Ithaca roots reggae scene, Kinsella takes his cues from the Caribbean and Africa, combining these sounds into something new and vivid, with a positive deference to those greats who came before him.


	Visions of twirling long-lashed señoritas will dance in your head as the strains of Mexican-American conjunto music pour from this accordion-fueled band. Borne out of the cultural mingling of Eastern European immigrants to the Spanish Southwest, conjunto is a shining example of polished multicultural fusion. You bring tequila, I'll bring the limes. Save me a dance.


	Old country played by old friends in a new configuration, this band of well-known faces and voices will rock your socks off with their honey-sweet songs of unrequited love and fully requited trouble.


	The Makepeace Brothers are progenitors of roots-based power-pop, saturating their listeners with feel-good vibes and delightfully sing-along-friendly hooks. Growing up in the GrassRoots scene, they've been bathed in just about every genre of music we can think of, and they bring these wildly diverse influences together for a sound all their own.


	Peering from behind the delicate veil of indie pop, Mary Lorson's songs are at once dark and cheerful, conjuring up the opaque sorts of feelings that real people actually have. In her compositions, love is never simple, heartbreak is never entirely bad, and things are never black and white.

A master of drum, flute, and voice, Moontee washes traditional Hopi and Choctaw songs with the sounds of the Southern blues, and with more than a little bit of soul. He explores the relationships between the musics of Americans who have been oppressed, in all eras, and thus brings to light the commonalities of all people. With his sons in tow, performing the hoop dance, which tells the stories of life and creation, with each circular hoop representing the circle of life. Every time we see it, we feel a little closer to understanding.


	Straight-up, unapologetic bluegrass is Mountain Heart's medium, and from the minute we heard 'em, we knew we had to have 'em. Their harmonies? Heaven-sent. Their pickin'? Perfection. They've won enough awards to fill a barn, and we're thrilled to have them here at GrassRoots for the first time.


	This big band plays a sonic menagerie of Afro-pop, soul, R&B, and a whole lotta funk. If you've got the kind of booty that is naturally inclined to shake at the mere hint of a heavy groove, you'd better watch yourself, because it's gonna be shaking all over the place the minute the Mutron Warriors hit the stage.


	New Neighbors are childhood friends who taught each other to play. Imaginary radio shows in second grade, high cliffs and deep water, the local dance scene, the dark ages. These things shaped them. Saturday nights, they say, are for thinking, drinking, dancing, and collecting things to talk about on Sunday. New Neighbors make music for Saturday nights. They make music for Monday nights, too.

Taking Afro-Peruvian music to new limits, this band, based in Lima, Peru, but bearing members from around the world, is all the rage on the international music scene. Their base is the traditional fused sounds of the Inca and the African and Malagasy slaves who were forced to Peru by the conquistadors, but they add modern electronic sounds, Latin rhythms, and a decidedly contemporary feeling to create something new... Afro-Latin music for the future.

Oumou Sangare is a pioneer of Wassoulou music, the music of a region of Southern Mali which is traditionally sung by strong, powerful women. Sangaré is certainly that. A superstar in her home country (and assuredly the only GrassRoots performer that has an automobile named after them), she sings songs of power and freedom for women, extolling human rights and working tirelessly to raise awareness for the causes of all Africans.


	Across the cactus plain there comes a sound, with a softly lolling Latin rhythm and a supple breath of country air... taking their name from a light-footed and elegant breed of horse, Paso Fino, too, takes handsome, modest steps, from one polished stone to another. We're proud to call them friends, and always overjoyed to hear them play.

Cajun music, like all music, is a reflection of a culture. The thing is, the Cajun culture is a particularly boisterous and fun one, cultivated by a people who know full well that letting loose on a Friday night after a full week of extraordinarily hard work keeps one healthy, wealthy, and wise. The Pine Leaf Boys are a prime young example of this principle, and we're pretty sure that letting loose with them as our musical guides is one of the best ideas we've had in quite awhile. .


	Mr. Frank can't count how many generations of musicians have come before him in his family, but he knows that zydeco is in his blood, and he's passed it along as well. The Frank family is a cornerstone of the larger GrassRoots family, and seeing them each year makes our festival truly feel like a holiday celebration. Mr. Frank WILL make you dance.


	Ever heard of a genre of folk music being outlawed? Well, that's exactly what happened to Rebetika music, an urban style of Greek folk music, back in the '30s. It was just simply too raucous and too subversive. Gotta love that! So bring a bottle of ouzo and get ready for this bouzouki-driven music to rock you, and probably subvert you a little, too. Opa!.


	A whirlwind of funk, rock, and soul, bolstered by jazz progressions and sumptuous vocals, The Rozatones, an Ithaca favorite, are not afraid to break some rules. Their savory sound is dance-oriented, but their provocative lyrics tie up the whole package.


	It's always a special treat to catch up with old friends, and Rusted Root are just that. We're pretty sure the conversation will pick up right where it left off, too, though they'll have many new stories to share with us, via their groundbreaking roots-rock sound that we've never been able to get enough of.


	Playing indie rock with a dark folk leaning, Samantha Crain draws her wise-beyond-her-years lyrics from her Choctaw heritage, her rural Midwestern upbringing, and the things she's seen and people she's known both at home and on the road. It's a nocturnal sound, but the nighttime brings both darkness and peace.


	No one can know the pain and difficulty of a refugee except those refugees themselves - forced to flee their homes over politics, war, famine, disease, or destruction - but Samite has translated these feelings into music, a language we all speak. He reminds us every time we hear him that music heals, it bridges gaps, and it inspires us and everyone toward change.

Like traveling performers from days of yore, Scythian has rambled throughout the world, picking up songs and sounds from dozens of different cultures and adding them to their own brand of rowdy Irish rock. A circus-like atmosphere swirls around their music, so be ready to join in - sing-alongs, kick-lines, and other general hilarity will ensue, but it'll be happily grounded in the band's top-notch musicianship. Last time we saw 'em, we were mesmerized, and we can't wait to see 'em again.

Annnnd now, for that most modern of soul queens, the first lady of funk, the dancing diva... Miss Sharon Jones! Accompanied by the down-and-dirtiest funk-soul band we've ever seen live, Sharon Jones is more than a singer, she's a full-on old-school performer. She has a way of captivating an audience that we've never quite seen before, and aren't likely to see again, so show up - you'll be in the palm of her hand and you'll never know what hit you.


	Rock music is a cover for many centuries of musical evolution, and the Sim Redmond Band is not afraid to breach that surface. Drawing traditional African and Caribbean sounds back into the forefront, SRB rocks in a new way, with a freshness that you just don't get to hear very often, and a musicality that is nothing short of addictive.

A great song is a building block. Sure, it can sound like magic when sung with nothing else surrounding it, but there's something special about a group of fine musicians each stacking their own block on top. At that point, it becomes a full-on structure, with just the right amount of holes and movement to keep it upright, no matter how hard it may rock in the wind. It's from this kind of edifice that The Talktomes are telling you something... are you listening?

It's hard to avoid the hyphenates when talking about Ithaca's own Thousands of One, because the group so carefully blends a myriad of diverse influences, and there's no name yet for what they do, because they're the only ones doing it. Afro-funk-hip-hop-soul might give you a general idea, but there's more to it than that, and the seamless fusion they apply is part of their greatness, as are their brilliant socially-conscious lyrics. At any rate, we know it's gonna be a funky party when they take the stage!

Toots & the Maytals are quite literally living legends. Part of the very first wave of ska and reggae that swept out of Jamaica in the 1960s, this trailblazing group has remained at the forefront of Jamaican music ever since. Letting their classic sound smoothly evolve over the decades, they've remained fresh and relevant through their entire career, and their live shows are a consistently thrilling blend of something old and something new.


	Sizzling hot, both in her music and her stage presence, Uniit is one of those rare treasures that keeps you marveling at the capabilities of the human voice and the creativity of the human spirit. With a Latin spin and a country twist, her music always leaves us wanting more.

Cajun country likes to consider Walter Mouton one of their best-kept secrets, but a long time ago, someone let the cat out of the bag, and we were lucky enough to find out about him for ourselves. This year, Mr. Walter retired from his standing Saturday night gig at La Poussiere, a traditional Cajun dancehall, after over 40 years, so his presence has become even more scarce... how lucky we are that he's still willing to make the pilgrimage here to share his classic dancehall Cajun sound with us! Save me a dance...

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