Matthew Logan Vasquez

2015 (The Year of The Ram) has been a year of major change for Matthew Logan Vasquez. He moved with his wife, Marthe, from Brooklyn to Austin, he saw the birth of his first child Thor, and after a decade since founding his critically acclaimed band, Delta Spirit, he’s finally decided to go it alone FOR THE FIRST TIME, with his solo debut, The Austin EP, to be released November, 2015 , and a full length LP, Solicitor Returns, to shortly follow in early 2016. This sea- change is reflected on the EP’s stunning psych-folk-rock opener, a ballsy 18-minute track (yes EIGHTEEN minutes) that conjures desert visions of Crazy Horse guitar solos, David Crosby’s mustache, and all the good things about a journey through the past on mescaline. Matt actually grew up in Austin (and Dana Point, CA too) and the song is a slice of his life--an autobiography that isn’t even close to being finished-- an epic American saga that reflects his skill as a remarkable modern songwriter still on the rise. If Richard Linklater could write a song, this would be it.  "Matt’s voice and words have that Nashville outcast vibe to it,” says Jay Sweet, producer of the Newport Folk Festival and a longtime champion of Matt’s music. “He’s not California, he’s not Texas, he’s not Brooklyn—even though he’s lived in all of those places. He’s a transplant and a vagabond, which is why he embodies folk and rock music. For a singer- songwriter, he is truly refreshing."  Matt went solo for simple reasons-- to return to the style of rock he loves. And when he went solo he REALLY went solo. He plays every instrument on the record, except for two drum tracks and one guitar track. Delta Spirit undoubtedly will be back but he wanted to make a collection of music without the influence of his beloved brethren (it's only natural for a frontman to feel the need to let loose from time to time). You will hear his new material and you will hear Iggy Pop. Neil Young. Kurt Cobain. Gram Parsons. But ultimately, you're hearing Matthew Logan Vasquez. A man young at heart, who loves the shit out of rock music... loves it so much that it's been his life's goal to make the masses reconnect with her spirit. But he's become a father, and he's been through some shit. His dad was a bomb builder. Fact.  At the end of the day, Matt’s objective as a singer, a poet, a preacher, a believer in this beautiful bullshit we call “RocknRoll,” is to find some harmony through life’s confusion and to make you feel good about yourself. He'll be spreading his message via his wonderful songs starting in the fall of 2015. You better go put your dimes in his collection basket. Are there better things you can be doin with those dimes?  Written by Jesse Lauter

Caroline Jones

Lauded by Rolling Stone as “an ambitious, entrepreneurial guitar heroine primed to bring back the pop-country glory of the Nineties,” Caroline Jones is a country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose musicianship has led her to becoming a full-time band member of Zac Brown Band and to building out an impressive solo career, co-producing alongside industry veterans Brandon Hood and Ric Wake. She recently premiered her debut track “No Tellin’” with Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment, a country music record label that’s an imprint of Big Machine Label Group. Jones released her third, full-length studio album, Homesite, in October 2023 with star-studded features from Zac Brown Band, Vince Gill and Alyssa Bonagura. The singer-songwriter’s sophomore album, Antipodes, released in November 2021, debuted at #4 on the iTunes Country Chart and its foot-stomping lead single, “Come In (But Don’t Make Yourself Comfortable),” marked her first Top 30 country radio hit. Caroline’s dedication to her craft has led to previous collaborations and tours alongside the biggest names in the industry, including the late Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, The Eagles, OneRepublic, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Trisha Yearwood, Jake Owen, Vince Gill, and more.

The Psycodelics

Robert Jon and The Wreck

Reigning from southern California, Robert Jon & The Wreck, has been taking the southern rock sound established on the east coast and bringing it to the West Coast. Since their inception in 2011, these five native Californians; Robert Jon Burrison (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Andrew Espantman (Drums/Background Vocals), Steve Maggiora (Keys/ Background Vocals), Henry Schneekluth (Lead Guitar/Background Vocals), Warren Murrel (Bass) have been electrifying audiences all over the world with their soaring guitar leads, boogieing grooves, rich vocal harmonies, and arguably perfect tunes.This quintet began their musical journey together in February 2011. Within 6 months the band had not only embarked on a coast-to-coast national tour, but also released their first album, “Fire Started”. This album, produced by Robert Jon & The Wreck was mixed by Michael Vail Blum (Pink Floyd, The New Radicals, Prince) and mastered by Dale Becker (Macklemore, What So Not). While this album is not widely recognized as being in canon with their later work, it certainly served as a launching point for the bands wildly successful and travel-filled years to come. 2013’s “Rhythm of the Road,” produced by Warren Huart (The Fray, Aerosmith), engineered by Philip Allen (Adele), and mastered by Robert Vosgien (Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt) at Swing House Studios in Hollywood was filled with new, and even edgier material that simply added more fuel to the fire that Robert Jon & The Wreck ignite while performing. Audiences nationwide crammed venues, salivating over a band that is determined to not miss the mark. This sharpshooter like mentality was fully recognized when Robert Jon & The Wreck won the title of “Best Live Band” at the 2013 Orange County Music Awards, along with nominations in the categories of “Best Rock,” and “Best Blues.”They returned to the studio in Summer 2014 to record their 2nd EP at RedBull Studios in Santa Monica, CA, engineered by James Musshorn (Guns N Roses, Thrice, Something Corporate) and mixed by Warren Huart. Not even 6 months later, the band set up shop at the legendary Sunset Sound Studios (Led Zeppelin, Prince, The Doors) in Hollywood with Warren Huart producing. Recording the 10-track album live from the floor with minimal overdubs, the band found their sound and strength in their songs. “Glory Bound” released 24th February 2015.In 2016, RJTW teamed up once more with producer Warren Huart for their second full- length album, “Good Life Pie”, recording this time at Hybrid Studios in Santa Ana, CA and mastered by Grammy Award Winner and 5x Latin Grammy Award winner Adam Ayan (Dawes, Lady Antebellum, Father John Misty).With yearly European tours now becoming an integral part of their touring regiment through touring agent Manny Montana’s Teenage Head Music (The Delta Saints, Blackfoot Gypsies, Them Dirty Roses), Robert Jon & The Wreck found their flow being on the road most of the year, returning to California and prolifically pumping out new material. In 2017 they recorded their self-titled album, “Robert Jon & The Wreck”, but due to lineup changes in the band (resolving with the addition of James and Murrel), the band re-branded their “Rhythm of the Road” and “RedBull Sessions” EPs to form “Wreckage: Vol.1: B-Sides Collection”, and with the new band members in tow, took to Europe once more with a breakout performance at the Moulin Blues Fest in Ospel, Netherlands. Their self-titled album released in May 2018 to high praise and the band did not skip a beat.Robert Jon & The Wreck released their first live album, “Live from Hawaii” in October 2018, highlighting live recordings from their first show on the islands, wherein the skies opened-up and poured drops of sunshine on the excited and dedicated crowd throughout the duration of the concert.May 2019 saw the release of their fourth studio album, “Take Me Higher”, the first album written with new members Henry James and Warren Murrel. This album took them all over the world, with three separate outings to mainland Europe, to the UK playing the Ramblin Man Fair in the UK alongside Foreigner and Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and to the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean Blues Cruise alongside greats Joe Bonamassa, Peter Frampton, Eric Gales, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, etc. The band’s fifth studio album “Last Light on the Highway,” released May 8th, 2020, to rave reviews. Even with the global setbacks caused by COVID-19, the album was a soaring success, quickly receiving accolades from major publications including Rolling Stone, and having an unprecedented 12-week run of radio play on Planet Rock Radio in the UK with their first single, “Oh Miss Carolina.” During the craziness of 2020, the band pulled together to write and record their 6th studio album, “Shine a Light on Me Brother”, keeping the same production team from “Last Light on the Highway”, including co-producer and mix engineer Jeff Frickman, mastering engineer Michael Fossenkemper, as well as the 504 Horns from New Orleans, and Joe Bonamassa band members Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins and Prinnie Stevens on background vocals. With touring pushed from 2020 to now late 2021/2022, the guys have plenty of national and international touring plans ahead. Along with plans for multiple European excursions, including festival performances at Bospop in the Netherlands, a full UK tour, and Australian and Japanese tours in the works, the band is also working tirelessly coming up with new merchandise and other goodies at their online store, and keeping their fans in-the-know and Getting Wrecked through their weekly podcast, “The Wreck Podcast,” and email list giveaways.

Tusk - The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute

Tusk is the number one Tribute to Fleetwood Mac in the world, bar none. No fancy tricks, no gimmicks, just five musicians recreating the music of Fleetwood Mac to perfection with note for note renditions that no other Fleetwood Mac tribute on the touring scene today can come close to duplicating.Tusk covers all the great hits of Fleetwood Mac, which has featured the talents of Mick Fleetwood, Christine and John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and others over the years. The five seasoned, well-respected musicians comprising Tusk have been making music together in various combinations and styles, in original outfits and in cover bands, for over twenty-five years. It seemed only fitting that they should come together to form the Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute, and pay homage to a group that dominated the charts during the band members’ formative years. Authentic-sounding and always respectful, Tusk leaves no stone unturned in replicating the sounds of one of the world’s best-loved, top-selling bands.

The Deslondes

The Deslondes are a five-piece band from New Orleans. In the time between the release of their self-titled debut and sophomore album, Hurry Home, The Deslondes have toured the world and drawn critical acclaim for their studied and inventive take on New Orleans country and R&B. Hurry Home represents a sonic shift from the country-folk of their debut to a psychedelic, electrified soul sound, with a stronger emphasis on organ and electric guitar. The band split up songwriting and lead vocal duties among its five members, Sam Doores, Riley Downing, Dan Cutler, John James Tourville and Cameron Snyder, continuing its democratic ethos and musical versatility. Recording sessions took place throughout the past year in New Orleans and Nashville alongside longtime producer Andrija Tokic. The album that emerged is Hurry Home. “It’s a fitting title for this album because our lives and our songwriting revolve around leaving and returning, or searching for, home,” says the band. “And home can be a physical place, a relationship, or a state of mind”

Makaya McCraven

Makaya McCraven is a beat scientist. The bleeding edge drummer, producer, and sonic collagist is one of Chicago’s savviest cultural players and a multi-talented force whose inventive process & intuitive, cinematic style defy categorization. French-born but raised in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts by expatriate musician parents, McCraven studied Jazz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst under the mentorship of jazz luminaries Archie Shepp, Marion Brown, and Yusef Lateef, and eventually went on to develop his chops in Chicago’s burgeoning scene. His breakthrough album In the Moment was released with International Anthem Recording Co. (IARC) in 2015 and received widespread acclaim, proving to be a dramatic statement by McCraven that quickly launched him into the vanguard of not only Internationally-known jazz artists, but also a niche genre of next-wave composer-producers blurring the boundaries of jazz & electronic music. His recent releases, the DJ-style mixtape Highly Rare (IARC, 2017) as well as an internationally recorded Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape) (IARC, 2018) have been well received globally, leading to increased bookings in some of the world’s best clubs, theaters, and festivals alongside the likes of Corey Wilkes, Bobby (Baabe) Irving (Miles Davis), Ari Brown, and Bernie Worrell. McCraven is currently on tour and most recently released Universal Beings, a 2xLP album featuring an A-list of “new” jazz players from New York, Chicago, London & Los Angeles.

Congress The Band

Aly and AJ

2026 Gainesville Guitar Festival