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Artists - Archive

Here are the bands that rocked the Manchester stage at PhanPhest 2.0 - Oct 10-13, 2003!

Juggling Suns
Juggling Suns is the forefront band on the Jersey Shore jam scene. Started in the 1980's as Solar Circus, the band morphed into and original act that occasionally plays covers. Veterans to the festival scene, Juggling Suns is forging ahead with new compositions and a strong fanbase.

Buddy Cage
Pedal steel slide guitar legend, Buddy Cage, is best known locally for playing with The New Riders of the Purple Sage, in 1977, in Englishtown, NJ, opening for the Grateful Dead. Buddy replaced Jerry Garcia in that band. Recently, he has been sitting in with Manasquan, NJ-based Blue Highways. He has also graced us with his presence at PhanPhest 1.5 and 2.0 playing with Juggling Suns, Scarecrow Collection, and others.

Nomadic Design
Nomadic design is currently a three-piece band composed of Steve Sherak (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Justin Malo (bass guitar, vocals) and Eric Novad (drums/percussion). Nomadic has evolved over the past few years into their current incarnation, which is really proving to be their most polished sound so far. This is a band that is always challenging itself and pushing to explore new sounds and styles. The eclecticism of their sound is evident on a recording of a recent acoustic rehearsal that the band gives away, along with countless other live recordings, to fans.

Matt and Jaffrey
Matt Reynolds, lead guitarist of Planet Spam and Fry Daddy, found his Sitar collecting dust, stringless, tucked away in a corner of a music store. Finding it to be a steal, he bought it and was driving home with it in his back seat. Jaffrey, who had been Matt's gas station attendent, saw the Sitar in the back of Matt's car while pumping gas for him. Jaffrey tapped out several rythyms on matt's car roof. That's how they met and have been playing together ever since. Matt and Jaffrey have played PhanPhest 1.5 and 2.0.

Reckoning
Reckoning has been rocking New York State for quite some time now. Based out of Long Island, their music ranges from covers of The Grateful Dead and Phish to Pink Floyd and The Edgar Winter Band. One band premise is to always play their music with emotion despite it being a cover or an origional.

Caveman
Caveman is a Raw Mystical Experience of Energetic Instrumental Improvisation From All Sounds of the World that will take you on a Journey to the Ice Jeweled Cave. The musical stories told are the ones of all time; those held in the branches of trees, the hearts of frogs, and the spirit of the Indians. Beyond description, Caveman is an awakening of the soul. The music is a blending of a plethora of musical styles from jazz, rock, and blues, to tribal music's of Africa, India, China, and the Middle East telling the story of the evolution of music carrying influences of John Coltrane, The Grateful Dead, and the New York downtown scene.

Sage
Sage is a 4-piece rock band from New Hope, PA. Two guitars, a bass, drums, and three part vocal harmonies produce their powerful and fluid sound sometimes reminiscent of bands with many more members and several different instruments. Drawing on influences in rock, pop, funk, jazz, reggae, bluegrass, and even heavy metal, Sage captivates a crowd, whipping them into a frenzy of dance and excitement. The energy created by these four musicians has prompted the media to proclaim: “This band is not to be missed!”

a440
a440 is a five piece band from Long Island, NY that has created their own genre of music: Alternative Improvisational Groove. Formed in January, 2001, a440 is already garnering a regional following, having played such venues as The Silo and Murray's Inn in Pennsylvania, Copperfield's in Boston, MA, The Lion's Den, Tribeca Blues and Tobacco Road in NYC, Stephen Talkhouse and the Downtown on Long Island and the Alladin Hotel in Las Vegas.

One Eyed Jack
Formed in the early 90's, One-Eyed Jack champions the free-form improvisational sound that defined bands such as the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. Sharing the performance era of the 90's with the likes of Percy Hill, Deep Banana Blackout, God Street Wine, Phish, and Solar Circus, One-Eyed Jack spins a rare mix unheard of in the post-Dead era bands.

KB²
86 year-old Brian Amsterdam has performed at two previous PhanPhests. Backed by slightly more experienced musicians than he, Amsterdam formed "KB²" in the late 15th Century while hiding from wandering monks who were trying to teach him the art of gregorian chanting.

Josh Teter and Late Messenger
The Late Messengers (TLM) are a dynamic, high-energy quintet that integrates jazz, funk, blues, rock and reggae to move audiences with a hard, blistering groove and tantalizing melodies. By combining veterans of successful jambands such as SIMON, Mocha Java, Pork’ N Beans, Phineas Gauge and Rhythm Party, Josh Teter (drums), Jeff Burch (bass), Dave Smith (guitar), Paul Walker (tenor saxophone) and Jon Short (keyboards, vocals), have quickly become a regular fixture in the Central MA music scene.

Scarecrow Collection
Scarecrow Collection is an original group of musicians creating an original sound. They have been described as "Rock n' Roots Music", but their music is truly genre breaking. They are heady music that you will have no problem shaking your booty to.... SC are currently spreading out in the Northeast scene, playing from VA to VT, and the band is always moving forward to create more music and get more people dancing to the sound of the Collection!

Jerkwater Ruckus
Jerkwater Ruckus has been playing together since late March of 2000. Since that time they have taken their repertoire of over forty original songs and a handful of covers to the bar-and-college circuit all across New York State, and New England. Citing influences ranging from John Scofield and Bob Dylan to the Grateful Dead and Yes to Radiohead, Miles Davis and many beyond that, the band has an interesting sound that is difficult to classify. It can best described as a combination of many different styles ranging from funk and jazz to Latin and punk rock to blues, folk rock, bluegrass and rock and roll.

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