Jenny Brooks
www.jennybrooksmusic.com
Slidell, Louisiana | Country

Jenny is redefining country music with her own unique blend of down-home Cajun flair and R&B influence. Her extensive experience in front of live audiences is evident by her commanding stage presence--she's a total entertainer! Along with being an extremely talented vocalist, Jenny is an award-winning songwriter. She says, "Country music is about life's experiences, and I love to write about that...everyone can relate in their own way." You can catch her performances at popular songwriter venues all around Nashville. She’s a regular on The Billy Block Show and has been featured as an up-and-coming country artist on WKDF’s Locals Only Radio Show. Her song “Baby Footprints In The Sand” was played on nearly 200 radio stations worldwide and is on a compilation CD raising funds and awareness for Music and Arts programs in Louisiana. Jenny Brooks recently collaborated with accomplished producer, Mark Oliverius (Lorrie Morgan/Ashton Shepherd/Trick Pony) to release her debut CD “Down In The Bayou”. The album includes 11 original songs written by Jenny and some of Nashville’s greatest songwriters and is being sold at over 30 ROUSES Market stores in south Louisiana and Mississippi.

Brian Sivils
www.myspace.com/briansivils
Monroe, Louisiana | Blues

When Brian Sivils retired as a Master Sergeant in 1997, from the US Airforce he relocated back to the Delta, first settling in Ruston, Louisiana, then later to his home in rural Richland Parish. Sivils founded Alto Audio, a company specializing in providing sound services for live performances, and in studio and remote recording. He has provided sound services for hundreds of live shows and festivals, and has recorded radio and television commercials, gospel, blues, rock, rap, and soul recordings. Brian’s big turning point came when he engineered for blues legend Bobby Rush. He and Rush soon became friends, and after hearing his original work, Rush encouraged him to develop his own solo act and recordings. Sivils has now produced three CD’s of original compositions: “Gizmo Lounge”, “Once Upon A Time In The Delta”, and “Juke Joint Poison”. Though he has only been making the rounds at local nightspots for a few years, singing is definitely nothing new for Brian Sivils. The blues musician has been doing it since he was a child. His family has been Gospel singers forever. Sivils plays the music of the Delta using tongue-in-cheek lyrics and double entendres to entertain.

Pine Leaf Boys
www.pineleafboys.com
Lafayette, Louisiana | Cajun/Zydeco

Louisiana's finest, two-time Grammy-Nominated Pine Leaf Boys have made a name for presenting their own inimitable brand of Cajun music with youthful exuberance. Hailing from the southwest Louisiana, the Pine Leaf Boys, known for their wild shows and thoughtful arrangements, have breathed new life into Cajun music, reviving ancient songs and bringing them to the bandstand. Being described as, "... the link that connects the young and the old generations," and, "the best new, energetic, and fun Cajun band in a very long time," the Pine Leaf Boys play the old fashion dance hall standards while making a priority to bring many of the more obscure songs of past masters into their repertoire and play them with gusto. The variety and energy they release evolves through their shows, bringing multi-faceted angles to Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco. Their mission is to present the awesome music of their ancestors and present the real Cajun music to the world and prove that it is still thriving and full of life.

Josh Garrett & The Bottomline
www.joshgarrettmusic.com
Houma, Louisiana | Blues/Funk

Born in New Roads, LA in July 1979, and raised in the bayou town of Houma, LA, Josh Garrett has been entertaining audience all over the country for the last five years with his own style of Louisiana Blues. Garrett’s style is a mixture of LA Blues, New Orleans Funk, Zydeco, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. “I’m drawn to all things Louisiana, it’s my culture and I try to embrace it,” says Garrett. He received an old acoustic guitar from his father when he was eleven years old and hasn’t put it down since. He honed his skills at local blues jams, and has shared the stage with some of South Louisiana’s and America's most accomplished musicians such as Tab Benoit, Sonny Landreth, Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodaux, and Chubby Carrier. Josh Garrett has recently released his debut album, “Changed Man”. Most of the tracks on the album were composed during his deployment with the U.S. Army in Iraq. “It was a rough time in my life, and writing these songs made it more bearable." The self-produced album is a direct reflection of Garrett’s Louisiana heritage, and the feelings brought about by his tour of duty in Iraq.

Paul Sanchez
www.paulsanchez.com
New Orleans, Louisiana | Roots/Folk/Soul

Paul was born across the street from the Mississippi River in a part of the city referred to as the Irish Channel. It was a working class Catholic neighborhood populated with hard working, hard living, hard drinking and fun loving German, Italian and Irish immigrants. His father, Joe "Black" Sanchez was Isleno from Delacroix Island in Louisiana who had come to New Orleans as a boy after the flood of 1927 where he met mother, Sylvia and fathered eleven children, working double shifts as a longshoremen until he died, a young man with a big family.

To look at Paul Sanchez, you just know he is from New Orleans. It’s evident. It’s clear. It’s remarkably, unmistakably original New Orleans music he plays, paradoxically familiar and new. His new release, “Farewell To Storyville”, again on Threadhead Records is Sanchez stripped down to the bone. Strumming his guitar and telling stories as he has done on stages all over the world. The new release contains eleven originals and the title track, Farewell To Storyville, written by the great, Louisiana born song writer, Clarence Williams. As Sanchez turns 50 this November this release isn't just a look back at the years since the flood, it is a look back at a life.

Big Sam’s Funky Nation
www.bigsamsfunkynation.com
New Orleans, Louisiana | Funk/Jazz

Big Sam’s Funky Nation is probably the most celebrated new funk outfit on either side of the Mason-Dixon. The band has toured across the country and internationally, spreading its high energy musical manifesto - and always bringing the party along the way. From the Big Easy to the Big Apple, San Francisco to Miami, UK, Paris (and countless points in between) BSFN has ignited the crowd with music and moves that make it too hot to sit still. Big Sam’s Funky Nation has been hailed as the best at such major festivals as Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, SXSW, Telluride Blues and Brews Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Essence Music Festival, the Voodoo Music Experience, and countless others. This fiery young (under 30) ensemble has impressed critics from the San Francisco Bay to Palm Beach with their rousing party sound, MC-style call and response, and unrivaled technical and musical prowess. The Independent describes BSFN as "tight," proclaiming that “Even in New Orleans, you don’t usually find funk bands as brassy, brass bands as funky, or brass-funk bands as jazzy as Big Sam’s Funky Nation.”

Dirtfoot
www.dirtfoot.com
Shreveport, Louisiana | Gypsy/Punk/Country

Whether performing on big stages at festivals, or playing intimate setting in, Dirtfoot puts on an uproarious show. The crowds come to take part in the fun and chaos, hollering to all the calls and responses, shaking their beancans, and getting down with the infectious grooves. There is only one Gypsy Punk Country Grumble Boogie band in the land… Dirtfoot. Led by the organic writings of Matt Hazelton with each player adding his own flavor and feeling to the songs and sound of the group, Dirtfoot is a blend of eclectic styles as well as diverse personalities. All of their instruments are acoustic but their energy and ingenuity will make you swear they are plugged in. It is like a good gumbo - you have some growling vocals, upright bass and percussion that makes a good, dark, dirty Louisiana roux, mixed heartily with some meaty rhythms, combined liberally with fresh offerings from the guitar and banjo that are like okra and tomatoes picked from your backyard garden, topped with the hot n' sexy spice of the saxophone and jazz style drums, and finally a little something magical and indescribable, and you have Dirtfoot.

Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs
www.shamarrallen.com
New Orleans, Louisiana | Jazz/Hip Hop/Funk

Trumpeter Shamarr Allen apprenticed with the Rebirth Brass Band, traditional jazz drummer Bob French and, improbably enough, Willie Nelson. "This was my dream," Allen said. "As a kid playing trumpet in New Orleans, you want to be part of Rebirth, you want to be part of the Dirty Dozen. It was pretty cool.” Shamarr has now stepped out on his own. Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs break out of the box and blend hip-hop, jazz, funk, and even some Latin rhythms together, producing an incredible musical collage entitled “Box Who In?” Allen's freshman CD "Meet me On Frenchman Street" took a modern approach to traditional Jazz and produced an instant classic with the title track. But Allen didn’t stop there. His rock/funk/hip-hop band, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs released their debut CD in April of 2009, aptly entitled, "Box Who In?." A bold statement against being categorized under any one genre, the release delivers a radical departure from Frenchman Street and takes listeners back to where Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis left off.

Mia Borders
www.miaborders.com
New Orleans, Louisiana | Funk/Rock/Soul

Mia is one of those rare young talents that can sing about life, love, and loss and make listeners feel it. With lyrics so personal, so mature, and so direct, she has established herself as an artist to watch. In early 2006, Mia and a few talented friends joined forces as a Funk-Rock & Soul group which was quickly hailed as “New Orleans’ hottest buzz band” by the City’s own, Where Y’at Magazine. The band made an instant impression on the local music scene playing legendary New Orleans’ stages like Tipitina's, Howlin Wolf, Blue Nile, Carrollton Station, and The Parish at the House of Blues to name a few. The sultry vocals of lead singer Mia Borders take main stage and demand full attention all the while the band backs her with great ability and a few surprises of their own. Recently, the group traveled to Nashville to record their latest release Southern Fried Soul, the bands first full-length studio release. Produced by Mia Borders and hitmaker William J. Smith in Nashville, TN, the album features all original songs, written by rhythm guitarist Borders and arranged with her band – Pablo Gonzalez (bass), Nick Hingel (drums), and Kyle Sclafani (lead guitar).

Eric Lindell
www.ericlindell.com
Mandeville, Louisiana | Blues/Roots

Eric Lindell has blossomed from regional cult artist to rising star with a burgeoning national fan base. His two critically acclaimed releases have won radio airplay and national television exposure. His latest release “Gulf Coast Highway”, shows Eric reaching new songwriting and performing peaks in an album sure to boost his popularity. Eric’s soul-drenched mix of blues, roots rock, and New Orleans R&B is fast becoming a radio staple. Add that to appearances on Late Night With Conan O’Brien and Mountain Stage, plus reviews and features in USA Today, Relix, Down Beat, Harp, Blues Revue, Living Blues and more and you’ve got an artist building strong impressions on music buyers all over the U.S. On Gulf Coast Highway, Eric Lindell takes his songwriting to new heights on a set of soul-infused, instantly memorable roots music anthems in the tradition of Van Morrison and Delbert McClinton. It’s full of righteous grooves and punchy guitar fueled R&B rave-ups, heartfelt ballads and funky second-line rhythms. Lindell throws some honky-tonk spice into play as well.

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
www.myspace.com/thethunderbirdmanagementgroup
New Orleans, Louisiana | Roots

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux has donned his masked Indian persona, keeping alive the impact of the Mardi Gras Indians on New Orleans music. Boudreaux’s style draws heavily on the tribal chants characteristic of Mardi Gras Indians but also combines funk and traces of R&B. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux has done work with The Golden Eagles, and collaborated with Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias. In 2002, Boudreaux released a collaborative album with Anders Osborne and finally made his solo debut in 2005 with his hypnotic album, "Mr. Stranger Man". The Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans have had a huge impact on New Orleans music-especially funk and R&B. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, the most important living link to this tradition, delivers soulful vocals and evocative lyrics over hypnotic grooves created by Dr. John, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit, The Golden Eagles and more!

Bonerama
www.boneramamusic.com
New Orleans, Louisiana | Blues/Roots

Even in a city that doesn’t play by the rules, New Orleans’ Bonerama is something different. They can evoke vintage funk, classic rock and free improvisation in the same set; maybe even the same song. Bonerama carries the brass-band concept to places unknown; what other brass band could snag an honor for “Best Rock Band” (Big Easy Awards 2007)? As cofounder Mark Mullins puts it, “We thought we could expand what a New Orleans brass band could do. Bands like Dirty Dozen started the “anything goes” concept, bringing in the guitars and the drum kit and using the sousaphone like a bass guitar. We thought we could push things a little further.” It was Mullins who instigated the offbeat classic-rock covers that have become a band tradition. “It’s great to grab people with the rock songs, and then turn them on to some New Orleans music at the same time,” Klein says. The new EP Hard Times contains four studio tracks, three new originals along with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” marks the band’s first ever studio recordings. A bonus fifth track features a live performance of “Turn on Your Love Light” captured live from the stage at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.