Front Country plus McCoy Tyler Band

Front Country: What started as a group of friends playing bluegrass in San Francisco's Mission District has morphed into a touring powerhouse of song and sound, transcending their humble stringband roots. Front Country's dynamic instrumental textures take flight with grace and gravitas while rooted in the relentlessly soulful vocals of lead singer-songwriter Melody Walker. Along with mandolinist Adam Roszkiewicz, guitarist Jacob Groopman, violinist Leif Karlstrom and bassist Jeremy Darrow, this quintet has been called "passionately intoxicating" and "orchestral" and Melody's bluesy vocals have been described as "rafter-shaking". Seldom traditional, always original, Front Country's new album Sake of the Sound is out now.

The McCoy Tyler Band is a progressive acoustic trio based in Santa Cruz, CA. Their music fuses elements of traditional folk, bluegrass, old-school country, blues, and more. Tyler's impactful songwriting and unique arrangements paired with the band's high-energy live set make them one of the most intriguing up and coming bands in the Bay Area and beyond. The group formed in May 2011 when McCoy Tyler, who after spending six years performing strictly as a lead guitarist in rock and metal groups throughout the San Francisco Bay Area (most notably Trigger Renegade and Brother Pacific), began taking his own songwriting more seriously. He promptly recruited drummer and UCSC student Clinton Brown and Ohioborn upright bassist Chad Bowen. Both members acclimated quickly to Tyler's vision of a highly vocal-based style of acoustic music, utilizing three-part harmonies and a powerful rhythm section.