Santa Cruz American Music Festival 2015 Program Guide

OFFICIALM PROGRA

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

What’s Inside Big Sam’s Funky Nation ................................................5 Ana Popovic.................................................................... 7 Coco Montoya w/Chris Cain......................................... 9 JJ Grey and Mofro ..........................................................11 Festival Map & Vendor Information .............................12 Bonnie Raitt ....................................................................15 Drake White & the Big Fire ............................................17 Ryan Bingham ................................................................19 Los Lonely Boys .............................................................20

Festival Information

Kellie Pickler ...................................................................21

• Gates open by 10am. Music starts right at 11am and goes

Big & Rich w/Cowboy Troy ...........................................23

till around 7:30pm. There are no ins and outs after 3pm.

We recommend arriving early as both the Gold Circle and General Admission sections are on a first come, first served basis.

schedule Set times subject to change

Saturday May 23th Big Sam’s Funky Nation.................................................11 am Ana Popovic....................................................................12:20 pm

• Aptos Village Park is located at 100 Aptos Creek Road in Aptos, California. Please note there is no parking at the event site. Free parking, as well as a free shuttle service to and from the festival site, is located at Cabrillo College.

Signs will be posted directing cars to the parking site.

Directions available on our website.

• The Cabrillo College parking lot opens at 8am and luxury shuttle buses begin transporting ticket holders at 9am.

• What not to bring: dogs, food, alcohol, cans, bottles, containers, coolers, umbrellas, cameras with removable lens, recording devices, video cameras.

• What to bring: one sealed personal bottle of water, money

Coco Montoya w/Chris Cain.........................................1:40 pm

to purchase Festival Bucks, sun screen, hat, and a small personal-use camera (no video).

JJ Grey and Mofro..........................................................3:30 pm

• Seats are only provided in the Gold Circle section. Ticket

Bonnie Raitt ....................................................................5:30 pm

holders in the General Admission section are encouraged to bring blankets and may bring chairs that are no more than 30 inches in height, with a seat height of no more than 10 inches.

• Park Rules: Smoking is no longer allowed anywhere inside

Sunday May 24th

Drake White & the Big Fire............................................. 11 am Ryan Bingham................................................................. 12:20 pm Los Lonely Boys.............................................................. 1:40 pm Kellie Pickler....................................................................3:20 pm Big & Rich w/Cowboy Troy ...........................................5:10 pm

Santa Cruz County Parks. The Santa Cruz County Parks and Sheriff’s Department do not allow colors of any organization to be worn at any public event.

• The Santa Cruz American Music Festival is a scrip-based event, and cash will not be accepted at any booths except the Music Festival Merchandise booth, Artist Merchandise Booth & Vintage Blues Booth. Ticket holders can visit the Festival Bucks booth to purchase scrip tickets either with cash or credit card (Visa or Mastercard only). Festival Bucks is the only form of payment acceptable for all food and beverage purchases. An ATM is located in the Festival Pavilion at the back of the park.

• The food court offers a wide variety of choices, including

The 2015 Santa Cruz American Music Festival is produced by Judy Appleby, Michael Blas, Connie Burroughs, David Claytor, Matthew Fanning, Bruce Howard, Phil Lewis, Mike Spano, Jim Tracey & Margie Way.

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

BBQ, Asian, Mexican, wraps, pizza, gyros and fried artichokes, A Taste Of New Orleans, gourmet hot dogs and more. We also have Kettle Korn, frozen fruit bars, smoothies, desserts, water and other non-alcoholic beverages. Beer and wine are available at selected booths. Hot and cold coffee drinks are also available.

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

saturday artist

BIG SAM’S FUNKY NATION It’s a beautiful morning. The birds are singing and excitement is in the air at Aptos Village Park. You can hear the bubbling of the Aptos creek and the sound of low-back chairs clicking into place as attendees get ready for a superlative weekend of music.

Throughout the years these hallowed grounds have hosted the Cajun/Zydeco Chomp and Stomp, the Lobster Festival, and for two decades, the revered Santa Cruz Blues Festival. This Memorial Day Weekend will usher in yet another world class experience—welcome to the debut of the Santa Cruz American Music Festival.

The cherished opening spot at the festival kicks off with a band that is no stranger to this stage.

Embrace the sweet sounds of New Orleans, courtesy of Big Sam’s Funky Nation.

Sammie “Big Sam” Williams has been working the slide of his trombone since he was a youth wandering the French Quarter and soaking up the flavors in America’s greatest musical melting pot.

When he was 15 years old, the allure of his middle school marching band grabbed hold and Big Sam picked up his first trombone. It was love at first sight.

Out of high school, eager to start his own band, Big Sam and his friends created The Stooges Brass Band, which played the ballrooms of Louisiana while Big Sam learned the ins-and-outs of being a working musician.

When Big Sam was called to join The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a premiere New Orleans brass band, SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

he began a decade-long journey associating with top acts. Big Sam was introduced to a number of people that sought his trombone assistance over the years—including Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Karl Denson and James Brown—making Big Sam’s larger-than-life persona ripple across the sound waves.

The young man from New Orleans has matured into a fine bandleader, and Big Sam’s Funky Nation is a fantastic smoking unit that blends traditional New Orleans sounds with hip-hop, rap, blues and jazz. When the Funk Nation begins mashing up Adele and Cee Lo Green and then weaving a tribute to classic funk into a New Orleans party on the grass, the Santa Cruz American Music Festival will have officially begun.

With Andrew “Da Phessah” Baham blasting the bop on trumpet and vocals, Chocolate Milk’s driving beats on drums, Jerry “JBlakk” Henderson laying down the funk on bass and Joshua Connelly’s searing guitar work, the Funky Nation is ready for the front man to take control.

From Big Sam’s recurring role on HBO’s Treme dedicated to the survivors of hurricane Katrina, to playing outdoor festivals around the country, one thing is clear: the Funky Nation is a band with a mission for putting the fun in funk!

Big Sam is a toastmaster, a rousing supporter of the underdogs of the world and most importantly—one of the biggest hearted musicians on the planet. Rise up Santa Cruz, take to your feet, shake off the week and join the Funky Nation!

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

saturday artist

Ana Popovic Saturday morning at the Santa Cruz American Music Festival is a special time—the calm before the musical storm that is swiftly approaching. So heed our advice: get your things in order, make nice with your neighbors and face forward because you will not want to miss a second of one of the most exciting female guitarists in the world.

You might remember in 2011 when the Santa Cruz Blues Festival hosted The Hendrix Experience, featuring people like David Hidalgo & Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos), Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) and Steve Vai playing the songs of Jimi Hendrix—this next artist is the only woman to ever be included in that national tour. Straight out of Serbia, with a voice that rings like a church bell and guitar licks faster than a speeding train, say hello to Ana Popovic.

While making it to the top tier of musical acts in America is a long shot, making it from Serbia is a near impossibility. But Ana Popovic has a talent that no external factors or geographical location can suppress.

Spending her childhood in front of the family stereo, surrounded by her father’s collection of blues records, Popovic immersed herself in Delta blues, Chicago blues and Texas blues. The fashionable teenager picked up her first guitar at 16 and had her first band at 18. It wasn’t long before it became obvious to everyone Popovic was a prodigy who was going to be a modern torchbearer of the fascinating traditional musical history of the blues.

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

By 1998, Popovic was performing hundreds of shows a year, and with the fall of communism, she expanded her touring schedule to Greece and Hungary, where her reputation spread far and wide.

In 2000, Popovic’s dream came true and she moved to Memphis, Tennessee, home and birthplace of so much of the music she adored as a child.

Over the last decade, Popovic has played with everyone from Blues Traveler to Taj Mahal and John Lee Hooker. In 2014, the scorching blues guitarist and siren, was nominated for Contemporary Blues Female Artist, which makes this her fifth Blues Music Award nomination.

Besides doing the Experience Hendrix Tour playing alongside Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Popovic’s latest album, Can You Stand the Heat, was her ninth full-length album.

This weekend is the release of a passion project put together by Ana and her father Milton, called Blue Room, a collection of songs she and her dad used to sing together back in Serbia. Pick up that gem at the merchandise booth before you leave!

From the cover of Vintage Guitar Magazine to stages around the world, the Serbian Scorcher (as she’s been nicknamed) is a phenomenon to behold.

Ladies and Gentlemen, unless you want them blown off, take off your socks and give a rousing cheer for Ana Popovic.

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bar is open 4pm-late dinner 4-10pm

Join uS After the AmeriCAn muSiC feStivAl for live muSiC & gooD timeS!

L L I R G E S E N A JAP I BAR H S U &S

8017 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003 Phone 831.661.0449

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

saturday artist

Coco Montoya & Chris Cain No performer epitomizes professionalism, raw blues power and unbridled enthusiasm more than Coco Montoya. With a dozen performances at the Blues Festival under his championship belt, it seemed a natural fit to invite Montoya back to play this special inaugural show—and this time around Montoya is joined by his good friend, Chris Cain.

Not only was Coco Montoya a former member of the legendary Albert Collins Blues Band (as a drummer), but he also played with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers starting in the early 80s—filling in for Mick Taylor (who left to join the Rolling Stones). With a personality that could fill Candlestick Park, Montoya is known for his awardwinning solo work and providing a pioneering blues sound in seminal bands. Montoya is unique in his approach to shredding a guitar—he plays it upside down like other “lefties” Jimi Hendrix and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and take note as Montoya’s Fender Stratocaster actually has the strings arranged upside down! Bruce Springsteen may have learned how to make his guitar talk, but, Montoya has learned how to make his guitar scream—taking soul, rock and blues to new levels with every performance.

Coco’s last album, Songs from the Road (available at our merch stand) was a definitive double album retrospective that solidified Coco’s standing as one of the greatest blues players of the century and debuted on the Billboard Blues chart at #15.

A sought after session and live performer, Montoya has played with seminal greats like Lowell Fulson,

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

Shaky Jake Harris, Peewee Clayton and Big Joe Turner.

This year the Santa Cruz American Music Festival is excited to pair Montoya up with a San Jose guitarist whose playing is often lauded as the future of blues—Chris Cain. Cain first saw BB King when he was three years old. He remembers listening to his parent’s vinyl while doing yard work, and hearing blues constantly when he was growing up in San Jose. He’s a perfect example of why it’s important to expose children to the roots of American music.

Cain taught himself how to play guitar before the age of 10, and began playing gigs while in his teens.

After borrowing some money from friends, Cain decided that if he were to record an actual album, instead of a cassette, club owners might not readily just throw it in the trash. Planning on being able to get a gig at San Jose’s infamous club, JJ’s Blues, Cain soon found himself not only in demand, but being solicited to play international gigs. That debut recording, Late Night City Blues, led to four W.C. Handy Blues Award nominations, including Guitarist of the Year.

You might want to keep a safe distance from the stage when Montoya and Cain start trading licks because it’s going to be a flame-throwing contest.

Spicing up the blues with interesting new combinations of players is an important part of the Santa Cruz American Music Festival and this year two of the most respected men in the blues world join forces in this monster jam.

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

saturday artist

JJ Grey & Mofro From North Florida, JJ Grey and his band Mofro, revitalize the cross pollination between rock and roll, funk and Southern Soul. Having spent years touring through the jam band festival circuit, the band has gained a wide following, but their sound defies any particular genre, although the band refers to it as “front porch soul.” That downhomey kind of sound you might get after a bunch a friends, on a well-worn sofa, beginning strumming their instruments and crooning along.

Frenetic live performances are the key to the JJ Grey and Mofro experience. Though JJ Grey is certainly a dynamic front man, Mofro cooks with Anthony Cole on drums, Andrew Trube on guitar, Anthony Farrell on organ, Todd Smallie on bass, Dennis Marion on trumpet and Jeff Dazey on saxophone.

Their seventh album, Ol’ Glory is a beautiful excursion into the wide palette of musical tastes the band embraces and is influenced by. The band believes that songs belong to the listener, trusting their audience to paint the picture their soundtrack provides. A neighbor of Grey’s in Jacksonville is Derek Trucks who plays on several of the album’s tracks. And Luther Dickenson, of the North Mississippi Allstars also lays down some tracks that make the album pop.

A natural born storyteller, Grey weaves his knack for odd bewildering narratives into his songs.

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

Take the song “Orange Blossoms”, sounding like something sweet, natural and delicious it deals with the savage brutality of a criminal organization in Florida, a savage group of murderers who killed florists and monopolized the pungent flowers cash potential. Talmidge “Sweet Thang” Davis and Roy “Tater” Rothstein, two ruthless craven thugs, are immortalized in this catchy tune.

Ol’ Glory has hits pouring out of the wax, “Everything is a Song” sounds like it could have been pumping out of your FM stereo in the 1970s—Grey nails that Stax sound. The fact that he wrote the song with his duaghter, just adds to the legacy of Grey being an organically driven singer-songwriter.

An avid surfer and farmer (he lives on a 26-acre farm), JJ Grey knows about watching tides, waves, seasons and the ebb and flow of life. Inspired by living fully and finding creativity around every corner, Grey knows how to raise up a crowd, maintain a positive vibe and let the good times roll.

Grey recently wrote the soundtrack for the Emmy Award-winning documentary, The Good Solider.

His talents are being sought out, but his focus is tight and right when leading his band through a set of southern jam. Get on your feet Santa Cruz and welcome from the orange state, JJ Grey and Mofro!

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BUS

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VENDORS

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PARK LEGENDS Cold Beer FIRST AID Wine Restrooms Festival Dollars Food Court Artist’s Merchandise Handicap Bus Stop E. KID’S AREA – Sideshow Events. Facepainting F. Vintage Blues

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

VENDOR LEGENDS 1. ATM 2. Legendary Blues Cruise 3. American Music Festival Merchandise 4. Gyro Boys 5. Grandpa’s Kettle Corn 6. Oriental Express 7. Poor House Bistro 8. Artichoke Connection 9. JB’s Power Station 10. Zoyla’s Mexican 11. Bruno’s BBQ 12. Uncie Ro’s Pizza 13. Lucy’s Hot Dogs 14. Norma Jean Coffee 15. Soda & Water 16. Cold Beer & Wine We would like to thank IATSE Local 611, Ellen Flynn, Craig Lowe, Robert Morris, Louie Pieracci at Couch Distributing Co,; Art Danner at

Department for their continued support.

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

saturday artist

BONNIE RAITT Tripping over the peak of the 1960s and landing square in the turbulent, socially defining era of the 1970s, Bonnie Raitt was welcomed by a generation with an expanding consciousness and a wider taste in music. Raitt’s exquisite songwriting combined with scorching guitar leads redefined what a woman could do onstage. The fact that Raitt played an instrument differentiated her from the number of female singers of the era.

Being the only offspring of John Raitt, who made his name acting in Broadway musicals, gave Bonnie the bug to perform. But it wasn’t acting that caught the young Raitt’s heart: she was touched by the desire to perform and sing with authenticity—and what is more authentic then the blues?

Skipping out of college, Raitt became acquainted with and later friends with blues legends Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Son House. She learned from the best.

Raiit threw herself in the environmental movement, founding the organization Musicians United for Safe Energy, producing the No Nukes concerts and being a vocal proponent of water and ancient forest protection. Her activism found a worthy nemesis in Ronald Reagan and by the end of the ‘80s, she had managed to focus her disparagement and despair into a brilliant album whose name was succinct: Nick of Time.

Nick of Time was issued on the newly-merged Capitol Industries-EMI label in 1989. Within a short amount of time, the album achieved three Grammys, sold five million copies and made

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

number one on the Billboard chart. Raitt followed it up with two more big hitters: the seven-time platinum Luck of the Draw (featuring the classic “I Can’t Make You Love Me”) and 1994’s Longing in Their Hearts.

Staying humble and being an inspiration to a new legion of female singer/songwriters is what makes Raitt a world-class musician and a class act. Back in 1992, Raitt, a college escapee, was asked to give the commencement speech at The Berkelee College of Music. She said: “I never thought that what I was doing was earthshattering, original, or world- class. I think by nature of persevering and lasting this long, that there is a certain amount of dignity and respect that comes with the territory. The amount of accolades that I have received lately makes me quake in my boots.”

Well, the quaking and shaking has not stopped for Raiit. Her latest album, Slipstream, her first careerspanning retrospective, won a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2012. Finally Raitt had taken the reins away from the corporations that kept her down in the 70’s with her own company Redwing Records.

It is with the utmost respect and delight that this day of music is capping with the most iconic of American blues guitarists, the nine-time Grammy winner who Rolling Stone named one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”: Bonnie Raitt.

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Come Celebrate Local & Sustainable Food

Closest Natural Food Store to Cabrillo College Local Wi ne & Beer Organic Produce & Groceries Supplements & Bodycare

Smokey Robinson Angelique Kidjo Steve Earle & The Dukes Iron & Wine Judy Collins Playing For Change The Waifs Lisa Fischer The Wailin’ Jennys Holly Near Charlie Musselwhite Maria Muldaur Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real

Poor Man’s Whiskey Hot Buttered Rum Cris Williamson Poor Buttered Rumskey The Bootleg Honeys Teresa Tudury Keale T Sisters Achilles Wheel Keith Greeninger Sherry Austin & Henhouse Joe Craven The Sam Chase Houston Jones Barbara Higbie David Luning Eric Schwartz MaMuse Kevin Russell and His So-Called Friends Emma’s Revolution Absynth Quintet Coffis Brothers Box Set Duo Audrey Auld Alisa Fineman & Kimball Hurd Mouths of Babes Love Choir Uncle Wiggly and more SPRINGTIME PRICING ENDS MAY 31ST AT BEAUTIFUL BLACK OAK RANCH • LAYTONVILLE Tickets & Info. katewolfmusicfestival.com 16

831.685.3334

7506 Soquel Drive, Aptos open everyday 8am - 8pm

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sunday artist

Drake White & the Big Fire Country star Drake White was raised in a church choir, in Hokes Bluff, Alabama. White initially pursued a career path working as a general contractor, but the muse of music kept beckoning him back to the life of a singer/songwriter.

Influenced by a grandfather who was a Southern Baptist preacher, White’s performance stirs the soul, raising people from slumbers to jump up and raise their voices to the heavens.

Sunday morning in Aptos Village Park is a special time to take a breath and get ready for an amazing day of music. For the first time ever, today’s stage features country music. From all over the South and Texas, today’s acts are the future of country music—pushing the envelope on what that sound is and can be. Take the time to soak in the atmosphere of our community and let the staff and volunteers know you love the new Santa Cruz American Music Festival.

Hokes Bluff, Alabama, is known throughout that region simply as The Bluff. For a thousand years, and probably much longer, its wide view of the valley was used by Native American tribes as a lookout for hunting the American buffalo of the plains. Sadly, in the 1800s, it was used as a holding area for Cherokees that would be shuffled off to the Trail of Tears. Thirty years later, Hokes Bluff became a bloody battleground during the Civil War. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the roads were finally paved.

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

This kind of sorrow and poverty infuses the soul of country music, laying the bedrock for the soaring vocals of performers like Hokes Bluff native Drake White. A natural appreciation for living a simple life—praising God and having some good old fun in the sweaty summers, enjoying rainbow foliage of the fall and freezing winters—is what influences the timbre and range of country music.

White never set out to be a country artist, but growing up in Northeast Alabama, in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, the funk and soul of Appalachian bluegrass infused his DNA. His latest single, “It Feels Good,” is cooking from the get go. Extoling the virtues of falling in love, getting a 12 pack and a carton of smokes and letting it ride has never felt so good! For White, it’s all about living in the moment with the one you love, sipping moonshine, and letting that joyous feeling overcome the anxiety of a work day.

Brilliant instrumentation gives this tight short tune a crackling energy, but even when White is solo on guitar, accompanied only by his voice, the song moves like a river in a rainstorm—fast-paced with a head of steam. Here for the first time, talking a break from his Southern tour, White is accompanied by his band of good ol’ country boys. It’s time to let the Holy Ghost move your body. So, spin your spurs and wave your cowboy hat and give a big cheer for Drake White.

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Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam Friday, June 19 8 pm For Tickets www.GoldenStateTheatre.com 831-649-1070

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

sunday artist

Ryan Bingham Ryan Bingham might have been born in New Mexico, but he was raised in Texas—the cowboy hat is authentically rural. His grandfather came out West in a covered wagon and staked a claim on a plot of land. Bingham grew up around ranches and learned to play guitar on rodeo trips and in roughneck bars. Like the iconic scene in The Blues Brothers movie, Bingham really did have to play behind chicken wire, so as not to be beaned in the head with a Budweiser bottle.

Unlike the fictional Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air who fires people from their jobs, the real singer/ songwriter Ryan Bingham fires up a crowd with well-crafted songs that never go out of business!

With a voice that warbles around the Dylan Slow Train Coming era, Bingham had success with his first two studio albums, Mescalito and Roadhouse Sun. But it wasn’t until he was brought into the studio by T Bone Burnett to work on the Jeff Bridges film, Crazy Heart, that Bingham’s talent as a songwriter reached an international audience.

Co-penning the theme song, “The Weary Kind,” garnered Bingham an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy award and the AMA Artist of the Year award. 2010 was a big year for this country boy.

Bingham knows how to tell a tale—a bunch of words strung together and aimed at the heart— through his songs. With a roughhewn voice, somewhere around the low range growl of Tom

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

Waits, songs like Southside of Heaven transport the listener to the southwest—eagles soar aimlessly as the desert sun beats down on the brow.

Bingham tours non-stop and has a keen eye for detailing American landscape—people who are the salt of the earth and everyman situations—in sharply penned tunes.

It’s not far stretched to say Bingham is a cross between a 1,000-year-old Troubadour, travelling the land, singing personal songs and Woody Guthrie. A Woody Guthrie with tattoos. A Woody Guthrie that speaks Spanish and plays mariachi.

The title single from Fear and Saturday Night doesn’t really sound like what people think of in today’s pop country music. It’s not all polished and overdubbed, but it sparkles red, white and blue. It sounds like Springsteen after a hard night.

The guitar leads have only the most stripped down of twang. It’s a soulful mourn that resonates with America’s heartbeat. The country is struggling and people from the heartland have a real story to tell. Bingham is redefining what country is for himself, and for everyone else. One of his latest songs, “Until I’m with You,” is being used as the theme song for the FX show The Bridge, a show that deals with tough issues that face border states like Texas.

From the Lone Star state, and for the first time on The Santa Cruz American Music Festival stage, gather a loud welcome for Ryan Bingham.

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sunday artist

LOS LONELY BOYS When you first hear about a band that has a drummer named Ringo, you think The Beatles, unless you live in Texas and then the answer is immediately “Los Lonely Boys.” Alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Townes Van Zandt, Buddy Holly and Janis Joplin, Texas has provided seminal artists and bands that have influenced musicians throughout the world. So, what kind of festival kick-off would be complete without the Texicano sounds of Los Lonely Boys?

Henry Garza (guitar and vocals), Ringo Garza (drums and vocals) and Jojo Garza (bass guitar and vocals) are three brothers from San Angelo, Texas, who have learned to intertwine their voices into the sturdiest of rope. San Angelo is considered “The Oasis of West Texas,” according to the city’s website, although the Garza bothers early life was rough and dry. Sustained on family love and musical appreciation with very little else to nourish them, their indoctrination into music was truly a family affair.

From rustic beginnings, the Garza’s father taught them to play everything under the sun from Mexican roots music to conjunto to the pop and rock standards of the era. When Henry got his first guitar he began playing some boogie-woogie as a child, rocking the loving homestead with the rolling riffs of Leadbelly. Their father was a musician, and their mother sang popular music, which brought the family together with major and minor chords

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echoing late into the star filled night.

As if a bolt of lightning struck from somewhere up yonder, the Garza brothers were illuminated throughout the nation and beyond with their single, “Heaven.” An immediately recognizable sound was attributed to Los Lonely Boys—the same recognition that so many of their inspirations were famous for. If you watch the video for that Los Lonely Boys mega-hit you will note that amid the stained glass church interior and religious icons, there is nothing ironic being portrayed—the band is blessed and feels no qualms about acknowledging who is the helping hand guiding their path and destiny.

Fresh-faced and ready to embrace the ideals of the 21st Century, Los Lonely Boys left the corporate world of record labels in 2011 (Epic Records) and began their own imprint, Lonely Tone Records.

Capitalizing on a nation of fans in radio stations, their new songs have evolved with people like DJ Beans scratching along on the hip-hop “Porn Star,” including rapper Kush, who is also Ringo’s brotherin-law. New tunes flow from the brothers like water from a massive thunderstorm and fans are eager to soak up every last drop.

From singing the National Anthem at the 2008 World Series, to walking the red carpet of the Grammy Awards, the Garza brothers are three of the humblest rock stars you’ll ever see whose attitude towards life and music can be expressed in one word—fearless.

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

sunday artist

Kellie Pickler Kellie Pickler is a spunky, nationally-recognized, charismatic singer/songwriter whose life is a template for a real country song. Abandoned by her mom, and temporarily raised by a dad who was in and out of jail, Pickler was shuffled back and forth until settling in with her grandparents. Singing since “before she was born”, Pickler always relied on music to carry her through the tough times.

Growing up in North Carolina, the budding star lived a typical teenage life—applying herself at high school, getting involved in extracurricular activities, hustling burgers at Sonic Drive-In, gussying up for beauty pageants and winning Miss Stanly County at age 17. Being a cheerleader in a small town might have been good enough for some, but Pickler had grander dreams to realize.

Santa Cruz loves American Idol—notably, James Durbin—but during Season Five another freshfaced singer belted her way to the #6 slot--Kellie Pickler. She was one of Simon Cowell’s all-time favorites, and you could tell by his face during her first appearance that Cowell saw the light.

During her audition, the 19-year-old beauty queen stunned the panel with an a cappella version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”. Her bubbling personality, full of country style, downhome-isms and colorfully rich stories made a big impression on the judges and the rest of America.

In 2006, the small-town girl returned to her home in Albemarle, North Carolina, to be reunited

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

with her estranged father. There was a parade, the mayor proclaimed that it was Kellie Pickler Day, children waved from street corners, banners were unfurled and the key to city was presented. Kellie’s hometown was proud of its native daughter.

Things began to move quickly for Pickler.

Releasing her first single “Red High Heels” was the perfect calling card and entrance into the world of country music. In the video, which features a half-dressed Pickler getting ready for a night out on the town, the video tells the tale of a young woman who is tired of being ignored by the jocks, and takes control of her own life. This dedication to self-empowerment is what makes Pickler stand out from the pack. Nominated for a “Breakthrough Video of the Year” (currently at 11 million views), Pickler made a big entrance.

That same year, when Pickler released her first full-length album, Small Town Girl, it debuted at number nine on the Billboard charts, and within a few months it had gone gold!

Touring with Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley sent Pickler around the globe, entrancing audiences with her upbeat hard-riffing, self-penned country tunes as well as her soulful ballads. And her star is still rising. Pickler won Dancing with the Stars in 2013 and CMT just announced she will be starring in her own TV show, I Love Kellie Pickler, airing in September.

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SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

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BIG & RICH, cowboy troy When it comes to writing country hits, Big Kenny and John Rich are workhorses of a special breed.

Think about top songwriting teams like Ashford & Simpson, Boyce and Hart or Burt Bacharach and Hal David—when two like-minded souls gather together we sometimes get songs that endure throughout the decades. Big and Rich, as they are called, have that special chemistry that weaves together melody and lyric into seamless tapestries of song.

The music of the South might have originated in Atlanta, Georgia, but the second wave started in Nashville, Tennessee, at The Grand Ole Opry in 1925. Singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rodgers played the Opry, and, because of WSMs 50,000-watt radio station, strains of Western Swing, and the original Country and Western sounds were heard across the nation. Throughout the decades, new elements, inspirations and instruments were added, creating new country genres such as bluegrass, honky tonk and country rock’n’ roll.

Money rules all and country music is no exception. The business mecca Music Row is just a stone’s throw from downtown Nashville. Its location speaks of its entrenched position in the music industry. It’s located at the crux of Music Square East and Music Square West. If you want to book or buy or negotiate with just about anybody in country, gospel or contemporary Christian music, chances are you’re talking to somebody there.

born to fit into a prefabricated mold, constructed by guys in suits. Big & Rich’s anti-corporate attitude manifested in them creating a safe space for country artists to play what they feel.

Natural born leaders, Big & Rich founded a collective of country music artists in 2001 called the MuzikMafia (Musically Artistic Friends in Alliance).

Hoping to throw a wrench in the corporate music machine, Big & Rich mutually supported other acts and embraced every style of music. MuzikMafia created a safe haven where performers like Kid Rock, Bon Jovi, Jewel and many others would come to jam and soak in the country atmosphere.

Throwing some rap, metal and reggae into country music was all about anti-commercialism, trying to crack open the shell that has hemmed in what country music could evolve into.

Country Music Television (CMT) even made a reality TV show about MuzikMafia’s first stadium tour.

If you have a minute, pull out your smart phone and check it out on YouTube.

But all that is just the glitz—the heart and soul of Big & Rich is in helping others. Recently the duo befriended a young teen they read about who had cancer—they might be riding in luxury buses to get to show to show, but Big & Rich care about people.

Their music is rapturous, and might open your eyes to the new breed of music that is pouring out of the South. Please welcome to the stage, the next wave of American Music and our headliners, Big & Rich.

Both native sons of Nashville, Big & Rich were not

SANTA CRUZ american music FESTIVAL May 23–24, 2015

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