The Mike Justis Band - May 21

The Mike Justis Band has carved a unique niche at festivals and clubs throughout northern California over the past three-plus decades. Built around the compelling original songs of singer/songwriter Mike Justis, the quartet forges a distinctive Americana blend of folk, blues, country and rock styles best heard at the band’s memorable live performances.

 

Steve Kahn - Hugh Shacklett - June 4

Steve Kahn is an award-winning song writer who has shared the stage with a variety of well-known performers. An award-winning song writer, Steve performs throughout Northern California and the West.  His songs reflect the lives, solitary struggles, and the improbable triumphs of the people he has met in his work and his travels throughout the Western United States.  Steve will be singing many songs from his upcoming, 4th album.

 

Singer songwriter Hugh Shacklett has been performing in northern California for the past 40 years.  Known for his collaborations with the late Kate Wolf, Hugh continues to produce first-rate songs.  He writes about the large and the small moments in life, the winners and the losers at love and cards, quiet moonlit nights on a boyhood lane, hobos, cowboys and places well past their prime.  His songs explore his view that life takes place during the journey, not at the destination.  Hugh will be joined by Steve Della Maggiora and George Inskeep.

 

Chris Webster and Nina Gerber - June 18

Music fans know Chris Webster and Nina Gerber as two of the most skilled and artful musical talents. Chris’ voice is uniquely compelling while Nina’s guitar is beautiful and powerful. Together they're magic. Chris plays with a number of groups, including Mumbo Gumbo and since her accompaniment of Kate Wolf first earned her recognition, Nina’s acute skills as performer, producer and arranger have continued to deepen. With originals, tasteful covers-soulful ballads, jazzy tunes and sweet folk, this will be a great show.

 

Zest - Hattie and Joe Craven - Jul 2

Zest offers a capella, harmony, and doowop music and memories from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.  This five-member Davis a cappella vocal group will have you tapping your feet and singing along as they take you on a tour of hits from the earliest days of rock and roll.  Put a little ZEST in your life! Zest members are:  Henriette Bruun, Earl Byron, Michael Chulada, Paola Franceschi, and Erie Vitiello.

 

The Hattie & Joe Craven Show is a duo project celebrating the value of music making and artful living within, and shared by, families. Hattie is a stunning vocalist and her father is a well-known seasoned veteran of instrumental based music. Joe accompanies Hattie on mandolin, octave mandolin, percussion and fiddle, with Hattie occasionally bringing ukulele to the mix. Hattie’s singing, combined with her father’s instrumental prowess and good humor, will make this a wonderful evening.

 

Misner and Smith - July 16 

Misner & Smith are a gem of a musical pairing and one of Davis’ favorite musical groups, offering a refreshing take on contemporary folk music. Their lovely harmonies and perfectly blended voices fit within classic American traditions. Their songwriting and storytelling transport the listener to a unique world of their creation. With a timeless San Francisco sound and poetic songwriting, they are a duo that blend roots and folk at the cutting edge of contemporary acoustic music.

 

Chuck Brodsky - July 30  

We are thrilled to welcome Chuck Brodsky who is coming all the way from North Carolina to entertain us. Chuck is an amazing storyteller and songwriter. With only his acoustic guitar and his voice he’ll draw you in with genuine, down-to-earth warmth and his quirky, finely crafted songs. Using wit and irony, set to haunting melodies, he tells the stories of oddball and underdog characters through his syncopated guitar strumming or sweet finger-picking. His songs celebrate the goodness in people.

 

Billy Fairfield and Friends - August 13 

This evening’s show will be a special performance by longtime Davis-based songwriter/keyboardist Billy Fairfield.  Known locally as at the founder of Mumbo Gumbo, and the annual Home for the Holidays show, Billy will be performing songs from his upcoming solo CD.  We look forward to this “feel-good” show, where he will be joined on various songs by Chris Webster, Tracy Walton, Bill Edwards, Sean Feder, Rick Lotter, and others. Expect a great mix of Americana-based styles with roots in country-soul, boogie-woogie, New Orleans, folk-blues and beyond.

 

Rita Hosking Band - August 27

Rita’s well-loved band includes Rita on guitar and vocals, Sean Feder on dobro and banjo, and Bill Dakin on the upright bass. Rita’s daughter, Kora Feder, often sits in as well. Together they create what the website No Depression calls “authentic American folk music to stir the soul.”

 

Rocco - Marty Cohen and the Sidekicks - September 17

Rocco performs locally in the Sacramento/Placerville area. He is a singer and a prolific songwriter who plays a variety of acoustic instruments: guitar, mandolin, dobro and bouzouki. His recent CD “Songs From California”  represents an eclectic mix of all original music influenced by the genres of folk, bluegrass, jazz and blues, to name a few. Rocco will be accompanied in this performance by Steve McLane. Steve is an accomplished guitarist who also plays with the Mike Justis Band.

 

Marty Cohen, lead vocals and songwriter, and the Sidekicks – Ken Rabiroff, vocals, lead/bass guitar and Jeff Sears, vocals, bass/lead guitar – have established themselves as one of the premier acoustic groups in Northern California. Their rich vocal harmonies and distinctive arrangements enhance Marty’s award-winning songs, and the band creates a sound that is an inspired blend of urban folk – with a pop twist.

 

Dave Nachmanoff - October 1

Dave is an award-winning solo artist and longtime sideman to British legend Al Stewart (“Year Of The Cat”).  You may not have seen his name around Davis, as he's on the road most of the time, touring constantly in the US, Canada and Europe, so this is a fairly rare local show.  He is a collaborator, music educator, performer, and composer, who also wields a Ph.D. in philosophy. 

 

Dave’s latest album, Spinoza’s Dream, was released in May 2016. This new album cleverly combines thought-provoking philosophical themes with his subtly elegant songwriter sensibilities. Dave will be joined by two other talented musician/philosophy PhDs -- Kurt Roggli and Marcel Daguerre -- for an evening of great music and musings.  For more info, check out his website at www.davenach.com,