The Fabulous CruiseTones Marcus Scott Vinyl Third Stone From The Sun, The Music of Jimi Hendrix Just Cream Unauthorized Rolling Stones Nigel and Clive Dave Crimmen Jim Stevens True Life Travelers Chris Cobb Grupo La Flota Musical Emerson Edward Dee HeartStrings Music Bob Culbertson Fred Anderson

If you’re coming to Half Moon Bay on the weekend of October 18-19, leave your sand toys at home and don’t forget your dancin’ shoes. This year’s world-famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival transforms this quiet seaside hamlet into the Bay Area’s hottest music venue, with two stages of high-energy, super-talented bands including the stunningly real tribute band Unauthorized Rolling Stones, local favorites The Fabulous CruiseTones, with their irresistible rock ‘n’ roll beat, Just Cream, a tribute to the psychedelic sounds of rock’s premiere three-man supergroup from the Summer of Love era, and legendary electric blues guitarist Chris Cobb. The music will showcase a wide range of styles, from classic rock and R&B to Latin sounds, rockabilly and bluegrass. Street performers will also add to the entertainment, wooing festivalgoers with old-Italian mandolin, Caribbean-influenced soft jazz and original guitar tunes, and thrilling the crowd with outrageous juggling feats. Complete schedule below.

“If the Fabulous CruiseTones can’t make you dance, no one can!” said the Santa Cruz entertainment magazine Good Times. That about sums it up for this awesome foursome who interpret the best in rock ‘n’ roll from the ‘50s till today. Dana Messing, keyboards and vocals, has appeared in concert with War, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and many more. Ric Wilson, guitar and vocals, earned three gold albums for recordings with folks like Huey Lewis & the News and Tracy Chapman. Steve Cameron’s explosive drumming and soaring vocals and the guitar, flute and vocal stylings of Stephanie Teel round out the tremendous talent of the band. And as a special attraction, they have invited Half Moon Bay’s own “sax tigress” Sonja Jason to join in on the jam.

The dance beat will keep on keepin’ on with the vibrant vocals of Marcus Scott and the infectious music of the band Vinyl, with its old-school funk, Latin percussion, reggae and R&B. Born in a Mill Valley garage, Vinyl has developed over more than a decade to include the mighty Hammond organ, piano, guitar, sax, trumpet, flute, harmonica, congas, timbales, bass and drums. This broad array of sounds enables the band to explore authentic Latin rhythms, lay down its own brand of reggae, and drive it all home with booty-shaking funk. Vinyl received a Wammie award for best international band from SF Weekly, and recently teamed up with the legendary Phil Lesh for a benefit concert in Petaluma.

If you want a trip down rock-‘n’-roll memory lane, check out the festival’s three awesome tribute bands. Third Stone From The Sun brings the transcendent guitar styling and gut-wrenching vocals of Jimi Hendrix back to life. Vocalist Jason Webb fronts the Santa Cruz quartet, backed up by mighty strat-man Kevin Rafferty. Bassist Blaine Neagley lays down solid melodic groundwork, and drummer Mike Santaella brings it all together with imaginative, driving rhythm.

Just Cream turns out exactly what its name promises — the psychedelic sounds of rock’s premiere three-man supergroup Cream. Based in San Francisco, a historic hot spot for Cream, the band includes Tony Lemieux (as guitarist Eric Clapton), Phil Zamora (as bassist Jack Bruce) and Paul Scannell (as drummer Ginger Baker). Festivalgoers can relive the ‘60s listening to such tunes as “I Feel Free,” “White Room” and “Strange Brew,” which back in the day were considered controversial but now stand as musical icons of a legendary time.

Another awesome tribute band performing at the festival goes by the name Unauthorized Rolling Stones. They “provide a thrilling, nonstop, high-voltage…rendition of the Stones repertoire,” said ‘60s rock and roll impresario Chet Helms. Rudy Colombini leads the band in an impeccable rendition of Mick Jagger (down to the big lips and swinging hips). If you’re hungry for “Brown Sugar” or “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” you’ll get “Satisfaction” with the U.R.S.

Nigel and Clive were the top pop group in London in the early 60's, poised for stardom when a series of unfortunate incidents took place. They were originally scheduled to perform on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, but were detained at Heathrow Airport and their music stolen. Ed Sullivan booked the Beatles as a replacement for Nigel and Clive and their history is well known. Nigel and Clive took a later flight to New York, missing the show and had their legacy and their music stolen by the other British Invasion bands of the mid-60's. After years working at the H. Salt Esq. Fish and Chips in Campbell, California, they earned enough money to buy a guitar amplifier and 2 microphones and have now embarked on their "Back from Oblivion Tour". Backed up by "The British Invasion", Basil and Beano, on bass and drums, you'll delight in a romp through the golden years of the British Invasion, hearing songs made famous by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Chad and Jeremy, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Zombies, the Animals, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, Herman's Hermits, and the Hollies, just to name a few.

Close your eyes while listening to ‘50s-style crooner Dave Crimmen, and you’ll swear you’re in the presence of Elvis, Little Richard, Carl Perkins or Conway Twitty. Not only does he have the authentic sound of the era, the man is slick on guitar and writes most of his own music. If you dig that mid-century vibe, grab your partner and set that dance floor on fire.

The opening act on the main stage is Jim Stevens & Friends. A pumpkin festival veteran of 26 years, Stevens has written 10 songs about pumpkins and Half Moon Bay. His quartet performs a wide variety of acoustic folk, country, blues and standards. Their rich harmonies draw from musical styles spanning more than a century of American history. The music will be amped up with the sultry voice of Debra Harville and rock-solid rhythm guitar of Mark Harville, with Lee Kopp on harmonica.

Veterans of several other traditional American styles — from bluegrass to folk to gospel — True Life Travelers bring some down-home music from clear across the old U.S. of A.  Mary Jo and Charlie Leet, hailing from Virginia, and their partners Chris and Linda Tatarian, from Ohio, deliver foot-stomping, head-swaying acoustic music with five-string banjo, emotional guitar, melodic harmonica and powerful vocal harmonies.

Pacifica’s own Chris Cobb has been playing his electric blues guitar professionally since he was a college student in the ‘70s. He’s also a singer, songwriter and bandleader and has performed in the U.S. and abroad with such bands as Tattoo Blue, Sista Monica, The Stu Blank Band and Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88’s. Cobb describes his playing as “using guitar as a voice to say what’s too hard to say with words.” When he opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan in 1984, music critic Lee Hildebrand wrote, “I hope Vaughan was standing in the wings taking notes.”

Some of the Bay Area’s most dynamic Latin sounds are coming from San Francisco–based Grupo La Flota Musical. This energetic, upbeat band showcases the traditional cumbia music of its members’ native Mexico. The band’s collection of songs takes you on a trip through the golden era of this distinctive—and very danceable—music, and it’s a testament to why the contagious beat of cumbia continues to spread around the globe. Their special concert performance on the Ritz-Carlton Gazebo Stage at 3 p.m. Sunday is sponsored by radio station KSJO “La Preciosa” 92.3 FM.

The festival will also feature a multitalented collection of street artists. Vocalist and keyboardist Emerson brings influences of Caribbean and European music, as well as American soul music, to his repertoire. This completely self-taught musician pulls it all together with accompaniment from a saxophone and bass, creating a brand of R&B with a touch of soft jazz and an occasional dash of country.

Edward Dee, a seasoned session guitarist, has created his own style of music with the influences of Sting, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon and Jimmy Buffet. He takes a familiar melody line, adds a simple yet infectious rhythm and his own distinctive songwriting and singing talents to create a body of work with themes ranging from love stories to fishing tales to daydreaming and philosophizing.

Heartstrings Music is the debonair duo that calls itself “your passport to romantic world music.” Mandolinist Al Fabrizio reminisces about his childhood in a classic New York Italian neighborhood, with a houseful of musicians and even the quintessential barbershop band down the street. He plays his Neapolitan instrument in the expressive tremolo style as a way of reconnecting with his heritage. His partner, Hugo Wainzinger, was born in Argentina to a mother who was a passionate bolero singer. He is a talented guitarist and has composed and arranged hundreds of songs. Fabrizio and Wainzinger are partners in Heartstrings Music, a recording and production studio in Mountain View.

Bob Culbertson creates his music on the Chapman stick, a guitar-like stringed instrument designed to be tapped, not strummed or plucked. Culbertson has mastered the acoustic version of this instrument, displaying ferocious technique with the command of a virtuoso and capturing the rich warm sound of the instrument.

Fred Anderson is what you’d call an extreme juggler. Not your run-of-the-mill bowling pin and beanbag kind of guy, he prefers the torch and axe. And to top it off, as the Oakland Tribune said, “This guy is really, really funny.” Anderson has represented the U.S. in festivals from Canada to China and has made several television appearances on A&E’s “An Evening at the Improv” and “Comedy Express” on Fox.