Best Bands in the West

 

1) Best Local Sacramento Artists - Jackie Greene, Sal Valentino, Mumbo Gumbo, Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers, Conquista Musical, Beer Dawgs

2) Best Latin Artists - Conquista Musical, La Familia, Juanita Ulloa, Caravanserai

3) Best Blues Artists - Mick Martin, Beer Dawgs, Teresa Russell, Deja Blues

4) Hot New Artists - Jackie Greene, Marcus Eaton & the Lobby

5) Amazing Variety of Rhythms - Caribbean (Pan Extasy), World (Mumbo Gumbo, Tin Drum), Western (Riders of the Purple Sage), Smooth Jazz (John Shipley), Instrumental Rock (Alien Cowboys), Latin (Mariachi /Juanita Ulloa, Cuban / La Famila, Salsa / Conquista Musical, Latin Rock / Caravanserai), Rhythm & Blues (Mick Martin, Teresa Russell)

6) Best Classic Artists - Riders of the Purple Sage (Ghost Riders in the Sky), Sal Valentino (The Beau Brummels)

Autograph Sessions - Come to Band Booth near the entrance above home plate

Friday

6:45 pm   Mick Martin

8:00 pm   Sal Valentino

9:00 pm   Jackie Greene

Saturday

3:30 pm   Alien Cowboys

5:45 pm   Juanita Ulloa

6:30 pm   Marcus Eaton

7:30 pm   Mumbo Gumbo

8:30 pm   Tin Drum

Sunday

1:15 pm   Riders of the Purple Sage

3:15 pm   Teresa Russell
 

The Entertainment Lineup for Rhythms & Ribs 2003

 

Friday 5pm (Right Field (RF) Stage)
Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers
Voted six times as ³Best West Coast Blues Band² by Real Blues magazine in Canada and three times as ³Best Blues Band² in the Sacramento Area Music Awards (SAMMIES), becoming ³Hall of Fame² inductees in Spring of 2001, the Blues Rockers have released 12 CDs on Blues Rock Records. Their latest is ³Tip of the Hat,² a tribute to British blues on DIG Music.

Friday 6 & 8:30pm (Homeplate (HP) Stage)
Conquista Musical
Known as Sacramento¹s ³Hottest Salsa Orchestra² this blending of many of Northern California¹s best musicians excites audiences with their mix of Afro-Cuban rhythms, Rhumbas and the modern sounds of Salsa. On the nationally broadcast PBS Production Studio Six the group received first place in the Latin category.

Friday 6:45pm (RF stage)
Sal Valentino
Sal Valentino was the spirited lead singer for West Coast folk-rock group the Beau Brummels in the 1960s and blues-rockers Stoneground in the 1970s. Recently, Valentino has led his own Sal Valentino Band as well as reuniting with the Beau Brummels.

Friday 7:30pm (RF Stage)
Jackie Greene
A common refrain among new JACKIE GREENE devotees is ³How does he know that?² Followed closely by, ³Who IS this guy?²A spiritual descendant from American Music masters WOODY GUTHRIE, BOB DYLAN, MUDDY WATERS and TOM WAITS, young JACKIE GREENE is an absolutely riveting, totally refreshing story teller.  Lovers of American Roots music, who appreciate well-crafted songs about the human condition, should rejoice; for there is a new voice on the American scene that will grab your attention and knock your socks off!

Friday 9:15pm (RF Stage)
John Shipley
As a founding member of the innovative, ground-breaking jazz/fusion recording group, Hiroshima (Epic, Warner Bros. and Windham Hill Records) he established and defined his musical personality during many long nights of playing along side a myriad of L.A.'s finest musicians. His current arsenal of hats are of another variety Š Performer, Conductor, Arranger, Songwriter and Producer.

 

Saturday 10:45 & 12:00 noon, 1:15pm (HP Stage)
Pan Extasy
Pan Extasy is a unique and dynamic steel drum band sharing the unique melodic and romantic sounds of the Caribbean. Led by Trinidadian, Ashton Craig, who started playing the steel drum at age seven, and has performed at various music festivals in Trinidad and throughout the US.

Saturday 10am & 11:15pm (RF Stage)
Deja Blues
Lead singer, Wanda Cobb, with roots in gospel music, is a major presence on stage; audiences love it when this "lady sings the blues". Her distinctive personal approach is stamped with her own artistic signature from the first note to the last. Gordon Bulcock on guitar is a truly gifted lead performer. Warren Coleman on bass and Kelly Beyer, the percussionist, have played together for so many years they almost read each other's mind -- this is rather important as everything Wanda does, she does on the spot; making each performance a new experience for both the band and the audience. Deja Blues believes in spontaneity and the importance of the moment, and do what just comes naturally.

Saturday 2:30 pm & 4 pm (HP Stage)
Juanita Ulloa & Picante Ensemble
Based in the Oakland Hills of California, is one of the USA's rising stars of Mexican and Latin American music, and a pioneering composer with amazing range, falseto, and creator of the now evolving "mariachi coloratura" vocal style. She has performed on tour as a cultural ambassador for both Mexico and Peru performing for dignitaries, ambassadors, the Los Angeles Olympics and the general public in Europe, Peru, Mexico and the USA.
"Juanita's singing is incredible! What a fabulous voice!"  - Blanca Garza, Telemundo TV
"Juanita has it all, she is a great talent" - Lalo Guerrero, Legendary Mexican Composer
"Move over Linda Ronstadt....make way for Juanita!" - Legendary Percussionist Pete Escovedo

Saturday 3:15 & 4:45 pm (RF Stage)
Marcus Eaton & the Lobby
Called "a cross between Dave Matthews and a more soulful John Mayer." Marcus Eaton & The Lobby mix soulful jazz-rock melodies, R&B-inflicted vocals, primal world rhythms and life affirming lyrics. On tour in support of their major label debut album ³The Day the World Awoke² (Uninhibited/MCA) progress is being tracked by, not just a growing legion of fans, but also United Airlines for regular features on the band updated every couple of months.

Saturday 12:30 & 1:45 pm (HP Stage)
Alien Cowboys
The Alien Cowboys is an instrumental rock quartet on a mission to restore instrumental rock to the worldwide prominence the genre enjoyed in past decades. The band features Ralph Perucci on lead guitar, Bruce Stevenson on rhythm guitar, Greg Jones on bass and Ian Thomson on drums.

Saturday 5:30 & 7:30 pm (HP Stage)
La Familia
La Familia is a Bay Area ³nuevo son² group, playing Cuban son with a fusion of son jarocho and hip hop.  La Familia¹s music creates a fresh sound of percussive rhythms, African influenced vocal style with rich harmonies, all intertwined with the syncopated swing of the trés (Cuban guitar). The band is full of exciting talent playing tres, bongo, congas, vocals, bass, piano and trumpet.

Saturday 6:15pm (RF Stage)
Tin Drum
While the name Tin Drum sounds like a toy, the band itself beats a strong and true rhythm. At the band's core is the husband-wife team of Burleigh Drummond and Mary Harris. Innovative sounds lead to music that talks about the hopes, dreams, fears, and reality of living in the Real World. While the members of Tin Drum all have ³day jobs² with such groups as Ambrosia, Pat Benetar, Thomas Dolby, and Jimmy Buffett it is in this teaming that their talents fully blossom.

Saturday 8:45pm (RF Stage)
Mumbo Gumbo
Mumbo Gumbo-- an extremely infectious Gulf Coast influenced 7-piece band featuring two great women singers--one who plays a mean washboard--, plus a spritely accordionist, and a sure-footed and funky rhythm section. Combining the freshest ingredients of Americana pop, blues, zydeco, Tex-Mex, New Orleans Voodoo Mambo, reggae, and rock and roll, Mumbo Gumbo is original music that feels real good...

Listening to 7 is not unlike taking a stroll through the French Quarter during Carnival, passing by the bars and clubs and hearing a different style of music pouring out of each one, or passing the various restaurants with their various smells spilling out onto the street. Each track is an independent musical study, yet somehow, like the blend of smells and music in the Quarter, it all goes together perfectly, almost expectedly. - Scott Snidow - rockzilla.net (review of their latest release 7)  

Sunday 10:30am & 12:00 pm (HP Stage)
Riders of the Purple Sage
It was Saint Patrick's Day in 1936 when young BUCK PAGE grabbed a guitar and started his ride into western music history. He was only thirteen at the time and working long days on the farm to help his family make ends meet during the great depression. He soon found he could bring in extra money with his guitar.
Within a few months he had a band he called the Riders of the Purple Sage, named after the famous Zane Grey western novel. Soon the Riders relocated to New York City and had a regular gig on national radio, and the rest is history. Major hits such as ³Ghost Riders in the Sky², ³Don¹t Fence Me In², and ³No One To Cry To² followed and have become part of the American musical lexicon. The band has appeared on Radio, the Silver Screen, Television, and Concert Stages the world over.
Who would have guessed in those days that he would still be crooning cowboy songs at the dawn of the twenty-first century!

Sunday 11:45am & 12:45 pm (RF Stage)
Beer Dawgs
6 time SAMMIES* Winners and SAMMIES Hall of Fame Inductees.
The Beer Dawgs are consistently one of Sacramento¹s favorite bands when they want to have a good time.

Sunday 1:30 & 3:00 pm (HP Stage)
Caravanserai
Caravanserai A Santana Tribute. Love Latin Rhythms? Love to hear musicians playing their best with a real love for what they do? Audiences that have included members of the Santana band to which they pay tribute have been won over by the sheer joy that explodes from the stage when Caravanserai is playing.  

Sunday 2:15 & 4pm (RF Stage)
Teresa Russell & Cocobilli
A raging Southern California guitar phenomenon...
Described as "the most awesome Female rock guitarist...ever!" this is simply an understatement - Teresa Russell is one of the best guitarists out there: male or female.
Teresa is the only female to ever qualify in the top eight for the national finals in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's lead guitar competition, Guitarmageddon. Competing with over 2000 guitarists across the country, she accomplished this by winning the West regional in Los Angeles where she received "out-of-seat-thumbs-up" kudos from such Grammy award, celebrity judges/guitarists as Steve Lukather (Toto) and Steve Stevens (Billy Idol).