Liberate 2011 Artists

Conspirator
2011 has been a seminal year for Conspirator. Formed in 2004 by Aron Magner and Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits’ keyboardist and bass player) along with New York producer DJ Omen, Conspirator has taken on many forms through the years. With the recent addition of virtuoso guitarist Chris Michetti and stalwart drummers Darren Shearer (the New Deal) and Mike Greenfield (Lotus), Conspirator has reached a new level.
As a full band, the music is hitting new highs, and with the addition of an arsenal of new material, crowds across the nation have begun to catch on. Conspirator can no longer be considered merely a side-project, but must be looked at entirely as its own entity. Coming off of break-out performances at Ultra Music Festival and Nocturnal Festival, Conspirator has begun to catch the eye of electronic music aficionados everywhere. Refusing to be pigeon-holed into one genre, they explore the many realms of electronic music, effortlessly slipping between house, dub-step, drum and bass, and electro. Check out Conspirator at one of the many festivals they are appearing at this Summer: Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, Liberate Festival, Catskill Chill, and more.

The Everyone Orchestra with Michael Kang and more!
The Everyone Orchestra conductor/founder Matt Butler has taken its participants, both on stage and off, on improvisational journeys with the most diverse of lineups at festivals, theaters and philanthropic events both nationally and internationally. A laundry list of hundreds of musicians, dancers, singers, guest conductors and community organizations have embraced the experience of EO in single shots of musical adrenaline to the soul. Tuning in to his energy, the band and audience utilize The Conductor as their pivot to the set mood of each passing jam as he communicates with the musicians using hand signs, whiteboard and assorted mime suggestions. Marching clearly into uncharted territory, The Everyone Orchestra balances the challenges of live group improvisation with, triumphant tension and release conduits of music which head deep into the soul. This unique collaborative triumph of performance deeply encourages and requires audience interaction ‘ its edge of your seat enthusiasm for what is next is the forte behind the continuous musical experiment of The Everyone Orchestra.

Rubblebucket
Rubblebucket’s second studio album, Omega La La produced by Eric Broucek (LCD Soundsystem, !!!, Holy Ghost) @ DFA Studios & mastered by Joe Lambert (Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Herbie Hancock) drops June 21st.
Paste:
“I would call them one of the year’s most promising young bands—but they’re already better than that. ‘Yes wave?’ ‘Yes please!’”
CBS The Street Date:
“Very few bands of the hipster generation care to challenge the confines of a song structure as vigorously and successfully as Rubblebucket does throughout Omega La La.”
Spin:
“A must-hear artist”
LA Music Blog:
“They sound like hippies who have taken over a city, hog-tied any uptight citizens, and painted all the yucky grey/brown buildings in acrylic colors and neon war paint.”
SF Weekly:
“What it sounds like when eight different freak flags fly in perfect unison.”

OTT(twisted records)
In early 2000, Ott hatched a plan to remix half a dozen or so classic Hallucinogen trance tracks and release them as dub mixes – slower, fatter and more chillout friendly. In 2002 the album “Hallucinogen in Dub” was released via Twisted Records to universal acclaim. Buoyed by the success of “Hallucinogen in Dub”, the following year Ott gathered together and released his earlier sonic experiments as the album “Blumenkraft” which was also very well received and which attracted a great many listeners around the world. The next few years passed in a whirl of gigs, remixes [Shpongle, Entheogenic, Tripswitch] and collaborative projects – “Umberloid” with friend and multi-instrumentalist Chris Barker, and “Gargoyles” with Simon Posford [Hallucinogen, Shpongle]. During this time Ott travelled the world, got married, welcomed his daughter Daisy to the world and wrote his third album “Skylon” – which was released on Twisted Records in early 2008.

Surprise Me Mr. Davis
Surprise Me Mr. Davis is an electro-folk band comprised of Brad Barr [guitar, vocals], Andrew Barr [drums] and Marc Friedman [bass] of The Slip, and poet/songwriter Nathan Moore [guitar, vocals]. This will be their third tour with this ensemble, which hatched as a studio project during a 2003 blizzard. This tour is also the group’s first tour on the West Coast after three successful years playing California’s High Sierra Music Festival. The result of the snowed-in sessions was the record Surprise Me Mr. Davis, named after a candid answering machine message from a wrong number. Combining the adventurous musical visions of The Slip with the songwriting and delivery of Nathan Moore has resulted in a rolling and tumbling musical dice game; a vaudeville rock band gone mad. Surprise Me Mr. Davis ventured into The Breakglass Studio in Montreal for a five-day recording blitzkrieg in early September. Taking a pure analog approach, the group tracked some of their favorite songs from the last couple years as well as a few new ones. The album is a supercharged electro-folk album with many a tender moment. An EP, Only In Montreal, from these recording sessions will be for sale on this West Coast tour.

Marco Benevento
Marco Benevento is one half of the Benevento/Russo Duo along with Joe Russo. Performances include: Lolapalooza, Austin City Limits, Fuji Rock Festival, SXSW, Bonnaroo, Wakarusa and more. Discography: “Benevento Russo Duo” (self-titled debut album) “Darts” “Best Reason to Buy the Sun” (Ropeadope) “Play Pause Stop” (Reincarnate/Butter Problems) Previously, he was a member of The Jazz Farmers, and has been a regular on the New York City contemporary, experimental jazz scene for years. He has performed with countless musicians which include, Matt Chamberlain, Charlie Hunter, John Medeski, Mike Gordon, Trey Anasatio, Eric Krasno, Wayne Krantz, John Ellis, Dave Dreiwitz, Mark Friedman, Reed Mathis, Bobby Previte, Ari Hoening, Terreon Gully, Brian Haas, DJ Olive, DJ Logic, Steven Bernsetin, Briggin Kraus, Lyrics Born, Mike Dillon, Les Claypool, Phil Lesh, Skerik, Johnny Vidacovich, Stanton Moore and others

Kung Fu
A super group is born! Weather you’re a Jazzer, Jammer, Funkster or Progger.. All the critics agree that Kung Fu delivers! KUNG FU is Tim Palmieri (The Breakfast – guitar) Todd Stoops (raq – keys) Dave Livolsi (Scofield/Jazz is Dead – bass) Rob Somerville (Deep Banana Blackout – sax) Adrian Tramantono (The Breakfast – drums) Forming out of a Monday night jam session in late 2009,this jazz/funk/fusion quintet have hit the ground running and show no signs of slowing down! Kung Fu is making “fusion music” cool again. The band is pure talent and have been able to ride the line between Headhunters era Herbie Hancock and Jaco Pastorius’ Weather Report while incorporating some of the progressive jazz/rock of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Kung Fu is a 70% – 30% Instrumental/vocal and will absolutely keep the room moving! This band brings it and brings it hard. So much so that in the first 6 months Kung Fu earned themselves major sets at Gathering of The Vibes, Camp Barefoot, The Big Up, Strange Creek and more. These guys have played with and/or recorded with The Allman Brothers, John Scofield, Bill Evans, Jazz is Dead, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Jen Harstwick, T. Lavitz, The Disco Biscuits, Stephen Perkins, Jeff Pevar, Max Creek, members of String cheese Incident and Galactic, Tea Leaf Green, Particle and many more! The buzz has been big on Kung Fu and the expectations are high! Expect to see Kung Fu on your favorite summer festivals and in clubs near you.

LYNX
LYNX, an innovative singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, beat-boxer and producer originally from Colorado and now the Bay Area, has been playing music and performing since the age of 7. Now 25, she has been breaking new ground in both the live and electronic music scenes playing events all over the world including the US, Asia, Europe and Canada. Performance highlights include appearances at events such as Coachella, Austin City Limits festival, BOOM festival, and improv collaborations with Matisyahu, John Popper, Bassnectar and more. LYNX’s music combines elements of electronica, folk, and indie pop. Her lyrics are catchy and thought provoking while her beats keep things dancy and deep. Her new album ‘On the Horizon’ intertwines powerful vocals, lyrics that are both universal and intimate, timely and timeless, and a sound that switches from folky to cutting edge with bumping beats that melt to raw, melancholy melodies and resolve with infectious pop hooks. ‘On the Horizon’ is now available on Cartesian Binary Recordings.

Future Simple Project
Future Simple Project is an amalgamation of musical, movement and aerial artists. FSP features audio performers MIRAJA & MIKEY FISHER of the Family Moons Artist Collective / Dubanimals. They are often joined by live violinist Ilya Goldberg, aerial fabric dancers and movement artists MaQi Star, Akayate, Jilly Kat, Lani, Shakti Sunfire, and other special guests. Together this dynamic group weaves a sacred visual soundscape intertwined with pretty melodies, complex rhythms, gripping basslines and mystifying movement.

Nathan Moore
Critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Nathan Moore has been astounding audiences nationwide with his unique Americana-tinged indie-folk sound and lyrical profundity for nearly two decades, and the well-spring of songs from “…a musician that is in a constant state of becoming, always in the present with wide-eyed curiosity,”(State of Mind) keeps flowing. Music critics like JamBase’s Aaron Kayce marvel at Moore’s gift: “Nathan Moore…is one of the greatest songwriters we have and the faucet is always on pouring fresh songs out like water.” The versatility of Moore’s prolific songwriting and performing skills is sometimes unfathomable. He’s been in a jam band, a string band, a rock band and now is on the rise as a solo singer/songwriter. He’s recorded nineteen albums and shared the stage with an impressive list of talented artists (My Morning Jacket, Rickie Lee Jones, Greg Brown, Rambling Jack Elliot, Cheryl Crowe…) at hot venues and festivals all over the country. After touring relentlessly in the 1990′s and co-founding a small independent record label in Santa Fe, NM in 2001, Nathan returned to his roots in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 2006 to launch a solo endeavor. Moore’s 2007 solo album, In His Own Worlds, spent 21 weeks on the Roots Music Radio Charts, and his evocative one-man show that is an innovative combination of music, banter and magic has wowed audiences and garnered critical praise from coast-to-coast ever since.

Dead Sessions and Friends
The Dead Sessions is a culmination of Burlington, Vermonts’ heavy hitters playing music of the Grateful Dead. The cast changes every show. This show features special guests, guests from other bands, guests that are friends of Liberate, and more.

Twiddle
Twiddle, a Vermont-based quartet, spins tall-tales over an intricate soundscape of Hi-def shred. Twiddle has started a frenzy on both coasts with complexities that conjure up Coltrane, Ranglin, and Zappa, yet still embracing the roots of jam-band traditions. Finally, a group of musicians who not only understand climactic build and release, but deliver their intricate compositions night after night to jazz purists and screaming fans, all at the same time. Twiddle is a sound that defiantly weaves and dodges through genres. It’s three-dimensional music. You can see it from all sides, and even serve it to your guests. It’s Twiddle. Tasty.

Lucid
Barreling out of the northern woods like a grizzly bear on speed, Lucid, the hardest working band in the North Country (Upstate NY and VT), careens across the musical spectrum as a V8 blend of genres emerge- from jazz to rock, honky-tonk blues to reggae. Formed in 2003, the latest album from the sextet, “Dewdmanwah”, was released this past fall to regional acclaim in the northeast.

Miraja
Miraja (Raja Ananda)creates timeless musical soundscapes that cover a wide range of electronic music styles. Each performance is a new and unique journey that will never be repeated the same way twice. He is a founding member of the Family Moons Artist Collective and 1/2 of the dubstep group Future Simple Project.

The Human Canvas
The Human Canvas (THC) is an internationally known performance duo Made up of DJ Frank Grymes and Body Paint Artist Kadina a.k.a. “Dinash”. Body Paint Artist Dinash captivates your imagination through visual art on a live canvas, with her partner DJ Frank Grymes dropping a gritty mix of House, Fidget, deep saw-tooth, hip-hop, and other electronic dance music. The Human Canvas (THC) has been working together since 2006 and has performed both local and international, at events of all types, from Clubs & private parties, to art shows & festivals. Body & face painting artist ~Dinash~ came to Vermont in the late 1990′s with her family as a refugee after the war in Bosnia ended. After completing an undergraduate studio-art & psychology degree from the University of Vermont in 2005, she started painting breathing canvases and looking for ways to implement her studies into her art process. That is what inspired her to begin her body painting revolution in VT, that she calls “ART THERAPY” -”Naked bodies aren’t offensive; they’re meant to be celebrated”
Frank Grymes is an eclectic DJ who plays it all, from high energy electro-house, to downtempo lounge, and even has been known to break out special sets including a Funk Carioca set for a Brazilian Party in early 2011.

Joshua Panda Band
Joshua Panda, a twenty-five year-old singer/songwriter from Charlotte, North Carolina, is an exceptional combination of country and soul, George Jones and Otis Redding, and has traveled with this unique sound to a unique place: Vermont. Joshua grew up in Huntersville, NC where at age three he started singing gospel music at Rockwell Baptist Church. From the church, he adopted the gospel hand wave, the rhythm, the wailing, and most importantly the embodiment of spirit. Ever since those early days in the choir, Joshua has oozed with uncontainable emotion and passion. Integrating such soulful energy into his original pieces, Joshua has captured a spirit in his performance, which encompasses both the flailing of a fervent preacher and the intimacy of your best friend telling you a story.

Pulse Prophets
With influences such as Michael Franti and Spearhead, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, and the Talking Heads you know the music has a message as well as a solid groove. Combining crucial elements of roots reggae, funk, dub, latin, ska, and rock with soulfire the Pulse Prophets draw a broad audience. The alliteration in the name “ Pulse Prophets” is purposeful. It says virtually everything you need to know about the band and their music. As they play, the group stakes out a rhythmic turf all their own, yet they invite the world around them to join in, using the hypnotic quality of the beat to transport their listeners to places known (then transformed)–and unknown (the places dreams reside). The prophetic aspect in the group’s name is as important as the pulse. The band is not purist (more alliteration) but rather a forward looking collective of musicians anxious to incorporate those strains of melody, harmony and, yes of course, rhythm, that will bring them and their listeners into the present (of the moment) but only as a means to a positive and purposeful end (reaching the future).

Brothers McCann
Brothers McCann is impressively taking New England by storm, cultivating their “organic pop” sound with every performance. With their debut album, Different Colors, and a busy road schedule, they continue to welcome new members into the Brothers McCann Family. Like the members of the band, their music is expressively authentic. With soulful, folk-pop roots, Brothers McCann tunes range from introspective falsetto narratives to intensely full and invigorating jams with acoustic tonalities. One of the most salient characteristics of Brothers McCann is the propensity for weaving staggering 3-part harmony into full-blown rock and roll. The originality of Mike and Pat’s songwriting is veiled with a friendliness that makes the melodies memorable upon first listen – and impossible not to sing along to! At any given live show there is a palpably strong connection between the band and the crowd that is born out of obvious gratitude, humility, and a downright love for music. From their song about silent Maine winters to their annual summer Reunion Festival in Vermont, Brothers McCann is a “ground-up” New England band through and through. With the release of Different Colors this November (made of all-Green manufacturing materials!), the five “Brothers” greatly anticipate expanding their horizons and spreading a little bit of New England love around the country.

Insigniya
Transcending the boundaries of genre, Insigniya has been explosively breaking into the world of music since the band’s start in January 2009. Taking influence from a vast range of musicians, Insigniya has been breaking down barriers in creating original music that cannot be broken down as simply jazz, rock, or funk. Insigniya is centered on the concept of channeling a special energy through an audience, creating within a feeling of freedom and self-empowerment. This energy is found at full force at shows and getting it recorded is the ultimate goal when the band is in the studio. With a constantly growing loyal fan base, Insigniya is attracting more people than ever to shows, which have a unique atmosphere full of high energy and happiness.

Bassculture
Bass Culture is a weekly event featuring DJs Jahson, Nickel B, and special guests performing a mix of dubstep, house, and other bass driven music every Tuesday at Club Metronome. Nickel B gets it on with a diverse tune selection complemented by precise mixing, scratching, and MC skills. An adept of many genres, he performs a unique blend of dubstep, reggae, house, and downtempo music that can be universally appreciated. A member of Itation Sound System and co-founder of the award winning label Itation Records, Nickel B has contributed to over 50 successful international releases for major recording artists such as Freddie McGregor, Missy Elliot, Jazmine Sullivan, Sizzla, and Wayne Wonder- some winning industry awards including a 2009 Grammy Nomination.
Jahson started DJing in the early nineties. Always with a deep love of music growing up, his first gigs were playing techno at house parties in Boston. After moving to Vermont a few years later, he partnered with long time friends to form Solomonic Sound System, specializing in roots and culture reggae dancehall.He has provided dj support at concerts for artists like Sizzla, Luciano, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Warrior King, and K’naan, and more. He also regularly works with artists in Jamaica to voice exclusive Dub Plates for Solomonic. His other current local residency, SPACE ECHO, is the first Saturday monthly at 1/2 lounge, featuring reggae, dub, and downtempo. With a love for all forms of bass driven music, including reggae, dub, downtempo, dub+deep+tech house, and dubstep, Jahson brings his exclusive selections and sound boy history to the ‘tables’ wherever he goes.

Primate Fiasco
The Primate Fiasco spawns from the streets of Northampton MA. With tuba, banjo, clarinet, trumpet, drums, and vocal harmony, it’s the instrumentation of a New Orleans sidewalk band but with modern influences. While the band can play authentic “Traditional Jazz”, the music that’s more likely to come out of their ancient instruments is often recognized as funk, reggae, bluegrass, hip hop, rock, latin, trance, the occasion Serbian gypsy jam, etc. But the world has enough labels already. Most would agree on the category of “fun”. If you want to invent a genre, “psychedelic dixieland” seems to get the point across.

The band started on city sidewalks and eventually started getting invited into venues and festivals frequented by the Jam Band or Indie scene. At a Primate Fiasco show, you’ll see hippies and punks, ravers and jazz enthusiasts, elderly and children, all dancing on the same floor. An important thing to note about The Primate Fiasco’s music is that they can play the same song for the children, weddings, or a club full of drunk screaming college students. This formula works like a skeleton key.

The Move it Move it
The brainchild of Burlington, Vermont based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Robin Sunquiet, “The Move it Move it” offers up an original blend of catchy afro-pop tunes painted with reggae and electronica hues, that is heavily influenced by many different strains of world music. Each member of the band brings to the table a strong unique sound that results in a dance floor erupting party featuring sweet, instantly addictive grooves and melodies, and almost tribal like vocal chants. The band’s live show is guaranteed to make you move it, and will have you begging for more!

Nuda Veritas
Nuda Veritas, the pseudonym of Burlington-based songwriter and cable access TV impresario Rebecca Kopycinski, refers to her minimalist soundscapes as “music for people who like pretty things.” It’s an apt description. With hi-tech prowess and natural acoustic tones, the aural aesthete concocts hypnotic gusts of sound that are both fragile and forceful….

– Dan Bolles, Seven Days

The music is Beautiful and the soundscapes are wonderfully intriguing. Nuda Veritas oscillates very smoothly between a more conventional style of vocal-centric song writing and abstract sound manipulation that create a wavy, transcending experience. Rebecca, the voice and musician of Nuda Veritas, is noted as being a minimalist interested in conveying emotions through sound, softly and clearly, and she does just that. Not that you need to bring a pen and pencil to take notes at the show, but it will be a bit more than just nice sounding noise. The layered looping instrumentation and vocal harmonies coalesce into a gentle hum reflecting the attention and complexity of Nuda Veritas.

– Peter Spartos, The Deli Magazine

This Frontier Needs Heroes
This Frontier Needs Heroes is the Alternative Folk duo of brother-sister Brad and Jessica Lauretti from Brooklyn, NY.

Listening to This Frontier Needs Heroes is like having Brad and Jessica play in your backyard while the sun comes up. With their powerful delivery and delicate harmonies; their songs are full of honest, personal stories of love, loss and longing for a better world.

Since their 2009 debut release, they have received much acclaim from Itunes, NPR, Time Out New York, Time Out London, and Decider as well as indie blogs from around the globe. They have played hundreds of shows across the US and UK with Kath Bloom, She Keeps Bees, Arbouretum, Tallest Man on Earth, and The Handsome Family including several UK festival appearances.