The California Cowboys, Big Cat Tolefree, The Megatones, Daniel Castro Band, Caravanserai
Headline Smashing Entertainment Lineup
*Please note this information is from the 2012 event. Please return 3-4 weeks prior to the event when we post information for the 2013 event.
Who really needs The Smashing Pumpkins or The Gourds to show up? No doubt both awesome bands wish they could be here, but we’ve got three stages of sensational entertainment for all ages, transforming Half Moon Bay into the Bay Area’s can’t-miss entertainment mecca for a weekend during the city’s monster Pumpkinpalooza-fueled granddaddy of bashes—the Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 19-20. (Complete schedule below.)
California Cowboys
The Megatones
The Daniel Castro Band
Extra Large
Caravanserai
Brother Buzz
The Stan Erhart Band
High Mileage
The Robin Campbell Band |
Main Stage/IDES Grounds
R.W. Smith and The California Cowboys deliver a powerful sound, with the clear punch of tight three-part harmonies and foot stompin’ country flair. These guys can knock out Top 40 crowd pleasers with a technical mastery that rivals the original recordings, but the audience favorites are usually among their generous set of original tunes.
Big Cat Tolefree
Battlehooch
Jim Stevens
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From the inner-city limits of beautiful Oakland, Big Cat Tolefree and his Hipnotic Band have single-handedly transformed the West Coast blues and soul sound with his trend-setting music and vocal style. Name drops aren’t needed for the multi award winning, 3rd generation Russell City blues singer. Big Cat has the skills and sex appeal to stand on his own for decades to come. Big Cat has opened for such legends as The Temptations, BB King and Jimmy McCracklin.
The Megatones, the premier cover band in the Bay Area, has performed at innumerable local clubs as well as at elite venues such as San Francisco’s Mark Hopkins Hotel and the Hearst Castle. For more than 20 years they’ve been putting together nonstop dance medleys including rock, blues, reggae, modern, house and R&B. The all-male group is guaranteed to crank up the crowd’s energy and bring out everyone’s best dance moves.
One of the biggest names in Bay Area blues, Daniel Castro plays music that ranges from raw Chicago blues to down-home boogie. Castro began performing at age 15 in South Central Los Angeles, where he backed up great artists like Little Ester Phillips and Delmar Evans on the Johnny Show. A force on guitar, Castro has lead his energetic band on tours of the U.S. and Japan. He delivers blues that will wrench your soul … or give you an uncontrollable urge to dance.
Forget the stresses of the week with a healthy dose of Extra Large. This six-piece mix of funk, blues, reggae riffs, Latin beat and essence of jazz is guaranteed to rejuvenate, and their uplifting lyrics of love and optimism fulfill the human spirit. Calling themselves “fiesta facilitators,” their motto is “We dare you not to dance.” Willing to take the dare?
Caravanserai performs music to satisfy Santana fans young and old, from the 1969 hit Evil Ways to monster smash hit Smooth. Painstaking care has been taken in the recreation of early and new music performed by this band of journeymen from the San Francisco Bay Area. All the instrumentation used by Santana over the years is there: guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, timbales, and congas. In some cases the exact kind of instruments are used, right down to the Paul Reed Smith guitars used by band leader Leo Herrera. A real treat for any Santana fan.
Brother Buzz has been rockin' San Francisco and environs for over fifteen years. The band consistently gets high marks for energy, enthusiasm, and for being just plain fun. Tight but not too tight, they lay down the best of America's roots music, rock'n' roll, R&B, blues, and funk. All members belt out vocals, so besides good rockin', they also dish up plenty of variety.
With his rich, mellow baritone and fluid acoustic guitar playing, folk singer Jim Stevens has been a Pumpkin Festival favorite for more than 20 years. Stevens plays a range of popular covers as well as original tunes, several inspired by pumpkins and the city of Half Moon Bay.
Ritz Carlton South Stage at the Gazebo
Stan Erhart is a blues-rock hybrid in the style of John Hiatt and Warren Zevon. With a weary, gravelly voice, he delivers an American style that reflects his youth on a farm in Kansas, where the drone of John Deere tractors blended with the twangs of country music. After performing on the circuit of Chicago blues clubs, he came to San Francisco to form his own band. Their soulful mix of blues, R&B, rock and jazz keeps the energy high with their signature grooves and dynamics, which have lead them to numerous headline appearances as well as opening gigs for luminaries like Elvin Bishop.
High Mileage features covers from Dave Matthews, Chris Isaac, Stray Cats, Allman Brothers, Ray Charles, Santana, Wilson Pickett, Little Walter, Beatles, Doobie Brothers, G. Love with Special Sauce, Irma Thomas, Big Joe Turner, The Coasters, Chuck Berry, Creedance Clearwater, Van Morrison, Peter Green, Fats Domino, Otis Redding, and more! Check ‘em out!
Robin Campbell, an extraordinary and beautiful vocalist with flaming red hair from Half Moon Bay, is best known locally for belting out sultry blues, dirty funk, originals, and her own version of high energy rock favorites in local restaurants and clubs. The band—Montara resident Jeremy Foster on bass, El Granada residents Pete Amour on drums and Chris Cotruvo on guitar/vocals—has been together for nine years. Santa Cruz percussionist Drew Pieros (Little Wheels Band) was added to the mix a couple of years ago, and the sound just keeps getting tighter! Expect to hear some funky originals, as well as smokin' covers of Janis Joplin, Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, Jamiroquai, and David Bowie—all in the same set!
Battlehooch unabashedly walks the line between pop sensibility and avant garde experimentation, bending the chaotic into the melodic and evoking passionate responses in everyone that hears them. Battlehooch describes their sound as "shape-shifting orchestral rock," characterizing the band's tendency to write stylistically varied songs with unique arrangements, and their ability to adapt to any performance environment.
Ford C-Max Hybrid/Purify Art Stone Pine Center Stage
Debuting at this year’s festival is a new music stage hosted by local non-profit Purify Art in Stone Pine Center at the north end of Main Street. “We’re excited to be part of this year’s festival and look forward to introducing many of our top local musicians to the Pumpkin Festival audience,” said Bryan Richter, managing director of Purify Art.
The band lineup includes rhythm and blues band Jerry J & California Flight, reggae artists Highest Intention, Americana rockers The Fall, soulful rhythm and blues group The JRo Project, the funk/rock n’ roll sound of The Emily Ann Band, and the reggae rhythms of Cali Nation.
Purify Art is a non-profit promoting the arts and providing tools to access the arts for people both online and in communities around the world. Their staff has volunteered the time to organize, book and manage the music for this new venue.
Ford C-MAX Hybrid/Purify Art Stage in Stone Pine Center (Saturday, Oct. 13)
11 AM Jerry J & California Flight
1 PM Highest Intention
3 PM The Fall
Ford C-MAX Hybrid/Purify Art Stage in Stone Pine Center (Sunday, Oct. 14)
11:30 AM The JRo Project
1:30 PM The Emily Ann Band
3:30 PM Cali Nation
Glitterface
Hubert Emerson & The GroWiser Band
HeartStrings Music |
Oscar Reynolds
Bob Culbertson
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Street Performers
World-class street musicians will be on-hand to entertain all weekend long throughout the festival area.
Headed by brothers Ferris and Torin Martinez, Glitterface has cultivated a devoted fan base with the exciting and unique blend of acoustic, jazz, and hip-hop they bring to originals and covers. Hear for yourself why this band's innovative rhythms and superb vocal harmonies are making them one of the hottest, up and coming acts in the Bay Area.
Performing on the pan flutes and guitar simultaneously, Oscar Reynolds has played professionally for more than 40 years. His repertoire blends Bolivian music with Spanish guitar, Afro-Peruvian and world beat, and Brazilian jazz.
Bob Culbertson creates his music on a novel instrument known as 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.
Stop to listen to Hubert Emerson and the Growiser Band. Solid keyboard playing and vocals somewhere between Sam Cook and David Bowie give the Growiser Band’s special blend of soft jazz and funk its unique sound, which some have called “Moody Blues with heart and soul.”
Al Fabrizio and his partner Hugo Wainzinger of HeartStrings Music are sure to touch hearts with their beautiful string ensemble, featuring Fabrizio’s expressive “tremolo” style on the Neapolitan mandolin.
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