Bridging the Gap January 17, 2024

*Tower Of Power: "Skating On Thin Ice" (Bump City 1972) Founded in Oakland Ca in 1968 by sax/vox Emilio Castillo & Stephen 'Doc' Kupka (bar. sax) they started as 'The Motowns' but changed their name to Tower Of Power to get into Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium.

*Sly & The Family Stone: "Sing A Simple Song" (Stand! 1969) Formed in SF Ca in 1966 by sing/songwr. producer & multi-inst. Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) & Freddie Stone. Rosie Stone joined in 1968. First Amer. rock grp to have a racially integrated, mixed gender lineup. R&R Hall of Fame 1993.

*Rare Earth: "I Just Want To Celebrate" (One World 1971) Amer. psych/rock, psych/soul group from Detroit MI. First successful act signed by Motown that consisted of only caucasian members.

*Los Fabulosos Cadillacs: "La Luz Del Ritmo" (La Luz Del Ritmo 2008) Argentinian rock & ska band formed in Buenos Aires in 1983 by Gabriel Fernandez (Vicentico) vocals, & Flavio Cianciarulo (Sr. Flavio) bass, vocals. The two have done most of the songwriting through the years.

*Grupo Fantasma: "Solo Un Sueno" (Problemas 2014) Latin band from Austin TX led by guitarist Beto Martinez and percussionist/vocalist Jose Galeano.

*Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno: "Echate Pa'lla" (Dog With A Rope 2010) Instrumental tropical reggae & dub project from multi-inst, producer, composer Quantic aka Will Holland during his 7 years living and recording in Colombia.

*Gladys Knight & The Pips: "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" (The Ultimate Collection ) Amer. R&B, funk & soul family group fm Atlanta GA. Began as The Pips in 1952 and became GK&The Pips in 1961. They became a commercial success in 1966 after signing with Motown Records.

*Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: "Genuine, Pt. 1" (Soul Time! 2011) Pulse Magazine called Sharon Jones "a fire breathing soul survivor & an old school R&B dynamo." She died in 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

*Aretha Franklin: "Spirit In The Dark" (30 Greatest Hits ) Amer. sing/songwr./pianist Aretha Franklin was known as "The Queen Of Soul" possibly the best female vocalist of all time.  She was the first woman inducted into the R&R Hall Of Fame in 1987.

*Clutchy Hopkins: "Alla Oscar" (Walking Backwards 2008) C Hopkins is the multi-inst. producer musician & mystery man who defies identification. Supposedly his music was 'discovered' on old tapes in a garage somewhere. No one really knows who is responsible for his music. Likely candidates include Shawn Lee & Money Mark & Madlib.

*Blundetto: "Pais Azucar" (Good Good Things 2020) French producer, singer, composer & DJ Max Guiguet plays electro, funk, soul, reggae, dub, jazz, hip hop & world music.

*Blktop Project: "Back Alley Music" (Lane Change 2008) Tommy Guerrero (guitar) multi-inst. Ray Barbee & Matt Rodriguez got together while on tour for SLAP Magazine. Chuck Treece joined on drums in 2005.

*Bonobo: "Kong" (Black Sands 2010) British musician, DJ & producer Simon Green based in LA began with trip hop and moved into jazz & world music in his electronic sound.

HOUR 2

*Boulevards: "Modern Man" (Electric Cowboy: Born In Carolina Mud 2022) Funk artist, producer, songwr. Jamal Rashad fm Raleigh NC with help from Black Pumas & Twin Peaks members.

*Black Pumas: "Fire" (Black Pumas 2019) Funk & Psych. soul from multi-inst. producer, composer Adrian Quesada & singer/songwr./guitarist Eric Burton out of Austin TX.

*The Cactus Channel & Sam Cromack: "Sleep Demon" (Do It For Nothing EP 2017) Soul music with hip hop & jazz influences fuel this Melbourne, Australia band feat. Sam Cromack from Ball Park Music.

*The Claypool Lennon Delirium: "Cricket And The Genie (Movement I, The Delirium)" (Monolith Of Phobos 2016) Bassist & leader of Primus Les Claypool & guitarist, producer Sean Lennon team up for this psychedelic rock experiment with outstanding results.

*Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger: "Long Gone" (Long Gone EP 2014) Amer./British band formed by Sean Lennon (multi-inst.) & Charlotte Kemp Muhl (multi-inst./model). They formed the band as a way to spend more time together.

*Goloka: "Ain't No Game" (Afterglow 2007) Producer, songwr., DJ Pete Haywood & producer, songstress & vixen Kasia Wojciechowska are a Brighton production team showcasing downt. chill out, trip hop & deep house vibes.

*The Greyboy Allstars: "Left Coast Boogaloo" (What Happened To Television? 2007) Recruited for a record release party for "Freestylin'" by DJ Greyboy (70s soul & funk), the band had so much fun they stayed together as a band.

*Fila Brazillia: "Heil Mickey" (Dicks 2004) Dave McSherry & Steve Cobby began as Fila Brazillia in 1990. They wanted to enjoy themselves and make music they both loved.

*Garage A Trois: "A-Frame" (Emphasizer 2003) Amer. rock, jazz & funk quartet feat. Stanton Moore (dr.) Skerik (sax) Mike Dillon (vibes/perc.) & Marco Benevento (keys). Originally founded by Moore, Skerik & jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter.

*Gemma & The Travelers: "Going Out With James Brown" (True Love 2019) Lead singer/songwr. Gemma M. met Robert P. (guitar/songwr.) after leaving Italy. They write songs together & strive for that analog 60s sound.

*Baby Charles: "Hard Man To Please" (Baby Charles 2008) Brighton UK soul funk band feat. Dionne Charles on lead vox. Another band striving for that 60s soul vibe sadly only put out one album.

*Betty Davis: "Come Take Me" (Betty Davis 1973) former Amer. model Betty Davis was a funk soul singer known for her memorable live performances.  Married to Miles Davis Sept. 68-70 & credited with helping him get into his 'fusion' period.

*Sugarman Three: "Bosco's Country" (Pure Cane Sugar 2002) NY based funky boogaloo band led by sax player Neal Sugarman. They worked with vocalists Lee Fields, Naomi Davis & Charles Bradley.