Lean and mean, San Francisco's rock quintet, New Monsoon, has been transforming audiences across the country into dedicated fans with a relentless touring schedule. Their exhilarating marriage of acoustic and electric instruments comes together in an irresistible blend of sophisticated songcraft, inventive musical exploration and down home rock-n-roll.
In January 2007, New Monsoon sold out the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, and continued to play to huge crowds all over the country. Continuing in their tradition of collaboration, the band also welcomed Grammy winning guitar hero Mike Stern for an epic set; Stern is best known from his work with Miles Davis and Blood Sweat and Tears. In the summer of 2007, the band will release their fifth album, titled New Monsoon V, which was produced/mixed/engineered by John Cutler, best known for his time with The Grateful Dead, which includes work as a recording engineer, Front of House sound engineer, and co-producing the platinum selling Grateful Dead album In the Dark, as well as Without a Net, and the Jerry Garcia Band's How Sweet It Is.
New Monsoon was conceived when Penn State friends Bo Carper and Jeff Miller reconnected in California. With Carper's rootsy acoustic finger style as a foil for Miller's inspired melodies, the pair sowed the seeds of the New Monsoon sound. With the addition of drummer Marty Ylitalo, the New Monsoon vision started to unfold. During the recording of the band's first album Hydrophonic in early 2001, the band tapped long-time friend Phil "The Pianimal" Ferlino for keyboard tracks. Blown away by the project, Ferlino immediately moved to San Francisco and joined the band on-stage at the 2001 High Sierra Music Festival. Nationwide touring and the band's second album, Downstream, followed in 2003. While the band was sorry to see original members Brian Carey (percussion) and Rajiv Parikh (tablas) come off the road due to the birth of children, 2006 delivered bass monster Ron Johnson, formerly of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. The streamlined 5 piece tour de force has not missed a beat since.
Percussion, didgeridoo, electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin, bass and keyboards, unify the musical styles of New Monsoon's influences, which are as diverse as rock gods Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Santana, bluesman Mississippi John Hurt and world music pioneers Tito Puente, Shakti and Peter Gabriel. New Monsoon's original compositions are an experience of musical textures, rhythms, ideas and moods. At any given performance, the audience enjoys a synthesis of genres, everything from bluegrass to reggae, to funk and rock 'n' roll. No two shows are the same and fan recordings of performances have become a favorite among tapers and traders in musical communities throughout the country.
The band rocked the high seas on Jamcruise 2006, where the band first joined forces with guitar maestro Steve Kimock. Later in 2006, the band reconnected with Kimock for 4 epic shows, and those were captured live and are now available on Nugs.net. The band also toured with good friends Hot Buttered Rum, ALO, and Tea Leaf Green, and kept up their relentless tour schedule, which included several high profile festival appearances, highlighted at Austin City Limits Festival.
In 2005, New Monsoon continued its ascent, with a another heavy schedule of shows, that included a slot on the Big Summer Classic, along with String Cheese Incident, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Umphreys McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Keller Williams. The tour had stops at places like Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Summerfest, All Good Fest, and Prospect Park. In September, New Monsoon released its third studio album, The Sound, through Harmonized Records. Michael Shrieve, Santana's original drummer and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, produced the album, along with Paul Kimble (Grant Lee Buffalo). Shrieve's deep history in the world of percussion and big band rock helped take the band to new levels.
Going back to the early days, 2004 was a monumental year for New Monsoon. They began the year being awarded Jambase.com's 2003 Emerging Artist of the Year and went on to perform at major music festivals and venues including Bonnaroo, Oregon Country Fair, the Austin City Limits Festival, Magnolia Festival, Red Rocks Amphitheater and The Fillmore. New Monsoon's performance at the legendary Telluride Bluegrass Festival - - where they wowed the festival audience of music lovers from all around the world with their unique blend of Indian and Latin rhythms, bluegrass and rock - - was captured and is now available on CD. Nominated for a JAMMY for Live Album of the Year, New Monsoon Live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is an energetic recording that encompasses the band's free spirited, yet musically focused, approach to their music. More information can be found at www.newmonsoon.com
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