Dave Alvin, Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and self-described “barroom guitarist," is widely considered to be one of the pivotal founders of the current Americana music scene. A fourth generation Californian, Dave Alvin grew up in Downey, California as the local landscape quickly evolved from orange groves and dairy farms to tract homes and freeways.

Since forming the highly influential roots rock/R+B band The Blasters, with his brother Phil in 1979, and throughout his long and critically acclaimed solo career, Dave Alvin has mixed his varied musical and literary influences into his own unique, updated version of traditional American music. Combining elements of blues, folk, R+B, rockabilly, Bakersfield country and garage rock and roll with lyrical inspiration from local writers and poets like Raymond Chandler, Gerald Locklin and Charles Bukowski, Alvin says that his songs are "just like California. A big, messy melting pot."

Dave Alvin's songs have been recorded by a who's who of contemporary roots artists from Los Lobos, Little Milton, Robert Earl Keen, Marshal Crenshaw and Joe Ely to Dwight Yoakam, James McMurtry, Buckwheat Zydeco, Alejandro Escovedo and X. His songs have also been featured in many movies and television shows including Justified, The Sopranos, True Blood, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Crybaby, Miss Congeniality and From Dusk To Dawn.

Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter, at its core, is the result of the enduring musical alchemy between singer-songwriter Jesse Sykes and guitarist Phil Wandscher, which began in Seattle, Washington in 2001.

Blending folk, blues, country, orchestral pop and various psychedelic stylings, their sound culminates in what Sykes describes as “spectral folk rock”. Known for her dusky, otherworldly vocals and lyrics that touch on the metaphysical; she was once described by MAGNET, as being, "less like a performer and more like a sage" and "whether the sonic setting is one of doomy distortion or fragile finger picking, Sykes remains a truly unique vocalist whose dusky voice is capable of imparting a transcendent, almost spiritual quality to almost any tune it touches." The New York Times has described their sound as “spellbound music, rapt in fatalism and sorrow” and Rolling Stone called them “utterly transfixing.”

The band has released four critically acclaimed albums; three on Barsuk Records (USA) Reckless Burning (2002), Oh, My Girl (2005) and Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul (2007), while their fourth album Marble Son (2011) was released through Thirty Tigers in Nashville, on their own US imprint (Station Grey). All records were also released in Europe on the highly regarded French label, Fargo (now defunct) and Marble Son was also released in Japan on Daymare Recordings.

In 2004 the band was featured on NPR's All Things Considered, which brought to them a new found national audience. They have traveled extensively in the US and Europe and have had the pleasure of touring with: Sunn O))), Black Mountain, Earth, Sparklehorse (rip), Bright Eyes, Iron And Wine, Marissa Nadler, Laura Veirs, J. Tillman, The Sadies, The Knitters, Jason Isbell, and many more. They have shared the stage with acts on opposite ends of a vast spectrum of genres, ranging from Sunno))), Boris, Nicolai Dunger, Giant Sand, Calexico, Coco Rosie all the way to Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle, Martha Wainright, Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch.

Sykes is also known for her diverse collaborations--most notably for co-writing and singing cult classic "The Sinking Belle" on the monolithic album "Altar" (Southern Lord), a joint project with art metal bands Sunn O))) and Boris (Japan). Pitchfork called The Sinking Belle the albums "centerpiece and masterpiece," and Sykes claims the inspiration for the lyrics came from Joan Didion's, The Year Of Magical Thinking, which she'd been reading during the writing process. Wandscher and (bassist) Bill Herzog also appear on this recording and the three have performed with the ensemble on a number of occasions, including the headlining performance at the prestigious “All Tomorrows Parties” music festival in Monticello, NY in 2010 (curated by film maker Jim Jarmusch). Sykes also collaborated on the musical score (composed by Steven O’Malley of Sunn O))) for “Eternal Idol” (Shelter Press, Paris, 2015), a performance art piece written, choreographed, and directed by the acclaimed French artist, Giselle Vienne. In 2008, Sykes and Wandscher composed the music for the Seattle Shakespeare Company’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (soundtrack self-released 2008). Syke's (also a visual artist) photographic work has been featured in Vice magazine.

The two took on full production duties for “Marble Son” (2011) which moved the band progressively into its own unique genre, allowing Wandscher to explore heavier tones and more complex song structures, further blurring the lines between the avant-garde and the timeless. Spin magazine called Marble Son “a sprawling psyche rock vision” and the UK's Line Of Best Fit called it; "a triumph... in a word".

Prior to his work with Jesse Sykes, Phil Wandscher help co-found the influential alt- country band Whiskeytown with Ryan Adams, in which he appears on the groups first three records, co-writing some of the bands most beloved songs, most notably songs on Stranger's Almanac, which many say was also arguably the band's most beloved album. Wandscher too, appears on singer- songwriter, Marissa Nadler’s acclaimed album “July” and has in recent years, recorded and toured with Jon Langford, the leader of the legendary Mekons. Other album guest appearances include; Rocky Votolato, Nada Surf and Death Cab For Cutie.

In 2019 Sykes appeared on guitarist and Grammy winning songwriter Dave Alvin's release of a project called the The Third Mind, on Yep Roc Records, alongside members of Camper Van Beethoven, Counting Crows and Richard Thompson's band. A national tour had been booked, but due to Covid hitting, all shows were cancelled and the music was never performed live. They have since released another record, and some touring did prevail.

Sykes and Wandscher, alongside newer and older Sweet Hereafter members (and many new guests,) have finished working on what will be their 5th record, but due to some personal difficulties, no release date has been set.

They just completed a string of both US and European dates supporting Sunn O)) and upon return look forward to more shows in the coming months.

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter were fortunate to have worked under the guidance of notable producers; Tucker Martine, Martin Feveyear, Mell Dettmer, Randall Dunn, Johnny Sangster and most recently Seattle's Robb Davidson.

Past and sometimes present members have included Bill Herzog (bass), also of (Earth and Joel R.L. Phelps), Eric Eagle (drums), Anne Marie Ruljancich (viola), Kevin Warner (drums), Jason Merculief (drums) and Rebecca Young (bass).

Mark Karan is best known for performing with the extended Grateful Dead family. For the last twelve years, he has anchored the lead guitar slot in Bob Weir & RatDog, playing hundreds of shows to thousands of fans year-round. Before crossing over into the land of the Dead, Mark worked his guitar and vocal voodoo for the likes of Dave Mason, Delaney Bramlett, the Rembrandts, Paul Carrack, Huey Lewis, Jesse Colin Young and Sophie B. Hawkins.

Mark also tours with an array of amazing musicians in his own “Mark Karan’s Buds”, where his soulful blues-based vocal stylings and inspired guitar work meld with the remarkably creative and responsive playing of his friends in a passionate delivery of the psychedelicized sounds of Americana. This is where rock meets R&B and country and mixes with the soul of New Orleans… with healthy portions of reggae, folk, funk and whatever else the muse might bring. In addition to his originals, as well as those of songwriter friends, Mark covers a range of eclectic songs from Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “You Can Stay (But the Noize Must Go)” and Peter Tosh’s “Don’t Look Back”, to the Kinks’ “Lazin’ on a Sunny Afternoon” or Joe Jackson’s “Fools in Love” — his unique musical taste and song choices are the hallmark of these shows, and always crowd pleasers for his nationwide, loyal fanbase.

Mark’s debut album, “Walk Through the Fire” was released in 2009 to critical acclaim, and features very special guests Delaney Bramlett, Bill Payne, Mike Finnigan, Pete Sears, John Molo, Hutch Hutchinson, The Persuasions, The Rowan Brothers, and many more. He is in demand as both a studio musician and producer, having produced numerous albums for other artists, and recorded or composed a wide variety of music for film, television, and music libraries. His contributions to TV alone can currently be heard on over 15 networks and internationally in over 25 countries.

Mark has toured the world, rocking the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival, and the Fuji Rock Festival. With “Bob Weir & Ratdog” he has headlined Bonnaroo, Gathering of the Vibes, the New Orleans JazzFest and many other festivals on the homefront. Mark’s played the Ryman Auditorium, San Francisco’s Fillmore, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheater, and many other legendary musical venues. His TV appearances include Austin City Limits, VH1 Classic’s All Star Jams, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Late Night with Craig Kilborn, Today Show and Regis & Kathy Lee. Mark has also been showcased in live performances and featured interviews on SiriusXM, in addition to commercial and specialty radio nationwide.

Mark has performed live with The Allman Brothers, ALO, Trey Anastasio, Joan Baez, Dickey Betts, Delaney Bramlett, Larry Campbell, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Galactic, Gov’t Mule, Jackie Greene, Levon Helm, Bill Kirchen, Chuck Leavell, Little Feat, moe., New Riders of the Purple Sage, Phil Lesh & Friends, John Popper, String Cheese Incident, Derek Trucks, and many other great players.

2012 saw Mark launch a residency at the newly reopened Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley (CA), where he delivered sold out shows with a variety of local and celebrity musicians, including Huey Lewis, members of Furthur, The Mother Hips, ALO, Primus, Roy Rogers, The Waybacks and more.

Since then in Mark has been launching his new band “Mark Karan’s Buds”, planning the release of several new CDs & touring extensively throughout the year. as well as the psychedelic Bob Dylan-based “Ghosts of Electricity” (featuring Mark, Stu Allen, Robin Sylvester, Mookie Siegel, Greg Anton & Pat Nevens), “the Rock Collection”, a loose, fun group based on the chemistry between Mark, Lebo (ALO), Robin Sylvester & Greg Anton and sitting in frequently w/Phil Lesh.

The floating cast of characters that make up Mark’s “Buds” include Robin Sylvester (Bob Weir & Ratdog), Mookie Siegel (David Nelson band, New Riders of the Purple Sage), Wally Ingram (David Lindley, Steve Kimock, Eric Burdon), Danny Eisenberg (Ryan Adams, Mother Hips), Bobby Vega (Zero, Etta James, Sly Stone), Paul Olguin, John Hanes, Billy Lee Lewis (Roy Rogers’ delta rhythm kings, Tommy Castro) and more…

Recently Mark has also discovered a real connection to his acoustic side and has been performing regularly at a variety of intimate, acoustic “house concerts” to delighted audiences…

More to come… Watch this exciting new chapter in Mark’s career.

Victor Krummenacher is a co-founder of the band Camper Van Beethoven, a longstanding member of Monks of Doom and has released 10 solo albums since 1995. Krummenacher is also part of the collective The Third Mind with Dave Alvin, David Immerglück, Michael Jerome and Jesse Sykes. He currently resides between Riverside, California and Portland, Oregon.

As a recording artist, Krummenacher has been active for more than 35 years and has appeared with numerous projects including Cracker, in McCabe & Mrs. Miller with Alison Faith Levy, with Eugene Chadbourne in Camper Van Chadbourne as well as Two Heads (featuring John Moremen, DJ Bonebrake and Willie Aron), Eyelids, M. Ward, Mushroom, Magnet, and Robi Del Mar.

Krummenacher has pursued a solo career as a singer-songwriter since 1994. His tenth solo album, “Silver Smoke of Dreams,” was released in 2021. A compilation of early material, “If The Devil Gives Me House and Home” and a new collection of songs “Block Out The Sun” will be released in 2024.

Recent projects include the album “A Colossal Waste of Light” by Eyelids, released in March of 2023 on Jealous Butcher, and the sophomore album from The Third Mind, simply entitled “2”, available on October 27, 2023.