June 1

Top Shelf Big Band

» big band jazz fun

Top Shelf Big Band is a community jazz band from Sunnyvale, playing swing and jazz from the big band era. They are a volunteer organization dedicated to making the experience of live big band music available in the communities where we live and work. Nothing can replicate the excitement created by a live big band orchestra, reminiscent of an era of great live dance music and fun jazz. With great vocals and superb musicians, their music is perfect for dancers and jazz fans alike.

Andy Ritger: alto 1; Rick Neely: alto 2; Robert Marr: bari; Bob Olson: tenor 1; Stephen Fernbach: tenor 2; Jason Loveman: bone 1; Bill Sommerfeld: bass bone; Alex Eagle: bone 2; Mark Rosenberg: bone 3; David Welsch: trumpet 2; John-David Mijares: trumpet 3; Idreece Barnes: trumpet 4; George Alfs: bass; Clifford Samoranos: guitar; Karen Stoneham: drums; Joe Samuels: piano; Adrianne Grady: vocals; Stan Grabowski: vocals.

June 8

Blue House

» fun blend of acoustic-based rock, country, and R&B

Blue House combines the talents of three longtime friends, Marlies de Veer, Amy Beasley and Brian Loud, who enjoy mixing a rocker's attitude with an acoustic sound, highlighted by their close-knit harmonies. They cover a sometimes mind-boggling eclectic mix of songs with an emphasis on FUN. They are joined by their good friend, Shelley Hoefer, on percussion/drums.

Marlies de Veer: vocals and acoustic guitar
Amy Beasley: vocals, bass guitar, and foot percussion
Brian Loud: vocals and acoustic guitar
Shelley Hoefer: percussion; drums

June 15

The Jones Gang

» high-octane Americana

The high-octane Americana band, The Jones Gang, is like a VW van with 310,000 miles rolling out of the shop. They are still truckin' with new tunes and grooves.

Travis Jones, the Soul Mountain, is the lead singer with a voice for the ages. Henry Salvia, the Motor City Misfit, plays more notes than exist on the piano. Josh Zucker is the strong and solid base and bass of the band, and Peter Tucker is, of course, the best Peter-Tucker-style drummer in the world, and the only drummer officially approved by the Northern California Bluegrass society. Sean Allen, Master of The Telecaster and on lap steel guitar is fun to listen to and watch!

The band can move seamlessly from a murder ballad to a New Orleans rhumba, first breaking your heart and then making you glad you're alive.

June 22

Andre Thierry

» Grammy-nominated accordion soul, Americana blues, zydeco

Grammy-nominated Andre Thierry was born and raised in Northern California, but his French Creole heritage is deeply rooted in Louisiana. He grew up with the French Creole ("la-la") dances that his grandparents held at their church parish, St. Mark's Catholic Church. The best zydeco musicians Louisiana had to offer would travel to California to play at these dances. It was that exposure which led to his love for traditional French Creole music.

By age twelve, Andre had formed his own band, "Zydeco Magic". Self-taught, Andre's repertoire grew by leaps and bounds as he was regularly invited to play with visiting bands, such as the late John Delafose and many local Zydeco and Cajun bands.

Today, playing with a force few can match, the award-winning musician and his band effortlessly deliver energetic performances with electrifying sounds, fun dance breaks, and accordion soul that have captured the attention of music lovers all over the world. The Washington Post called Andre:

"A master at pumping out fast, funky rhythms on an instrument not usually associated with earthy syncopation. A versatile student of the music, Thierry can't be lumped into Zydeco's old-school R&B-influenced camp or its nouveau, rap-inspired one: He and his band, lay down both soulful, traditional slow-dances and bottom-end-booming kinetic grooves."

June 29

Windy Hill

» top-notch California bluegrass

Windy Hill is keeper of the bluegrass flame on the West Coast.

Formed over ten years ago by Portola Valley's own banjo man, Ryan Breen, Windy Hill has covered a lot of ground in the last decade, performing "Live from the Ratz Nest," released in June 2018.

While the band is steeped in the traditional style, they've cultivated their own distinct bluegrass sound. The balance between their love for classic bluegrass and keenness for exploring fresh musical ideas defines their style and approach, and makes them a fan-favorite for music lovers of all types.

Three-part harmony, lonesome duets, banjo breakdowns, honky-tonk sorrow, blues mandolin, and original material all combine to create their vision for bluegrass music and its future.

They've won numerous awards, performed at festivals, venues, and bars across the west coast, and released four albums: "Live from The Ratz Nest" (2018), "Bluegrass Sounds from California" (2017), "The Lonesome Garbage Man" (2013), and "Let's Go To The Fair" (2011).

Ryan Breen: banjo
Thomas Wille: guitar
Kyle McCabe: bass
Andy O'Brien: mandolin
Alex Sharps: fiddle