The 1st Annual Higher Ground Music Festival
Sunshine Daydream Music Festival Campground June 26, 27, & 28, 2003

CLICK HERE FOR HI-RES J5 JPEG

Jurassic 5
MCs Chali 2na, Zaakir (Soup), Akil and Marc 7 and DJs Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark - conjure an energy that recalls a throwback era in hip-hop, when the only thing that seemed to matter was the music and having fun. The time of park jams and block parties, of willful braggadocio and stylish wordplay, of crafty disc jockeys and handclap beats. J5 have always displayed characteristics of those back-in-the-day jams, like their powerful vocal harmonizing and amplified funk beats, but what the group embody more than stylistic flourishes is that era's spirit: making good music that connects with the people.


Galactic
(New Orleans, LA)
Galactic barreled out of New Orleans in the late '90s with the deepest grooves of its generation. Armed with the rhythmic tradition of its hometown, the six-piece future funk outfit began tearing through venues, leaving hoards of die-hard Galactic junkies in its wake. Now known world wide for an unparalleled ability to exhaust audiences with intense, groove-ridden funk and soul, Galactic consistently pushes stylistic boundaries while embracing a treasured roots tradition.

Soulive
(New York, NY)
Soulive is all about danceable, organ-driven instrumental groove-jazz. Their success is a result of fusing the soul jazz of the past with a modern hip-hop feel . Brothers Alan and Neal Evans, on drums and Hammond B-3 organ respectively, form two-thirds of the soul/groove trio. Rounding out the group is Eric Krasno on guitar. The band was formed in the late '90s when all three members were under 25 years old. However, each already had substantial backgrounds in the "jam band" scene. Alan and Neal are former members of Moon Boot Lover and Alan also played with the Greyboy Allstars. Krasno founded the super-funky Lettuce, a wildly popular Boston-based band.

Keller Williams
(Fredericksburg, Virginia)
Keller Williams has always had the unexplainable need to make listeners grin, smile, and Laugh. With his sixth CD release, Keller perfectly exhibits his playful spirit without diminishing his musical genius and technical expertise.  His newest album, Laugh seamlessly displays the catchy hooks and unpeggable variety so characteristic of Keller's music. While still whimsical as ever, Keller has mastered a profound sense of delicacy and timing: skills that greatly contribute a depth and momentum not found on his previous recordings.

Robert Randolph & The Family Band
(Orange, NJ)
Spirit. Rapture. Soul. Inspiration. These are terms often associated with church music, and they come alive full force when you see Robert Randolph & The Family Band. For 24-year-old Randolph's blazing steel guitar sound draws its dizzying effect from its roots in the church, where the precocious musician learned to play his instrument. Randolph grew up attending the House of God Church, where his father was a deacon and his mother a minister. This denomination of the Pentecostal Church has a unique, 60-year tradition of musical services (documented on Arhoolie Records' long-running and revelatory series of Sacred Steel albums) that began because steel guitars were inexpensive stand-ins for pipe organs. Randolph was drawn to its unique qualities from a very young age.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band
(New Orleans, LA)
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world famous music machine, whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances. They have revitalized the brass band in New Orleans and around the world, progressing from local parties, clubs, baseball games and festivals in their early years to touring nearly constantly in the U.S. and in over 30 other countries on five continents. The Dirty Dozen have been featured guests on albums by artists including David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Dr. John and the Black Crowes. The city of New Orleans even has an official Dirty Dozen Brass Band Day.

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
(San Diego, CA)
A highly energized powerfunk machine, the Tiny Universe is gaining momentum as it tears across the country leaving exhausted and uplifted believers in its wake. With former Lenny Kravitz sax man Karl "Diesel" Denson driving the groove and leading the parade with his high octane saxofunk, the Tiny Universe is destined to carve out a legacy of rocking venues and smiling faces. Keeping revelers up well past bedtime, Karl's infectious energy and non-stop showmanship has helped earn the band a loyal cadre of fans. Bring to the stage a never ending groove, Karl represents a player loyal to the roots of funk fostered by the likes of Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley. Poised to carry his fire breathing saxophone into the next millenium, Karl continues to run back and forth across the country getting funk aficionados their fix.

Charlie Hunter
(New York City, NY)
Speaking with Charlie Hunter, you can't avoid noticing his agile mental multitasking skills. With his ability to think so quickly on several levels, it's no wonder that he invented the 8-string guitar: an instrument that allows him to simultaneously do the work of two mortal musicians. Charlie could be changing lanes while driving, planning a party for his neighbor, pacifying his newborn, and keeping his 3 year-old son from dismantling every object within his reach-all the while, dropping thoughtful philosophical and anecdotal nuggets about his new album on ropeadope records, Right Now Move.

DJ Logic
(Bronx, NY)
Turntable maestro DJ Logic is widely credited for helping to bring jazz into hip-hop's sphere of influence. He kicked off his adventures on the decks in the '80s by playing at local community events. The next decade, however, saw him growing rapidly in stature as a pro musician. First he joined the group Eye and I, performing with such bands as Living Color and Body Count. He then hooked up with talented jazz trio MMW, touring heavily and working on the celebrated Combustication record. He released his debut album, the aptly titled Project Logic, to wide critical acclaim in 1999. Two years later, he was again collecting plaudits en masse after putting out the cutting-edge Anomaly album. Logic surfaced alongside guitarist Vernon Reid in 2002 for Front End Lifter, a fun, adventurous album the two recorded as Yohimbe Brothers.

The Slip
(Boston, MA)
An early fusion entry into the jam bands scene, the Slip's sparse sound varies greatly from recording to recording and show to show, relying mostly on changes in room feel to dictate the shape of the music. The band's self-proclaimed mission is to "bring jazz back to the dance hall." Founded in the early '90s at the Tabor Academy, a New England boarding school, the original lineup of the Slip featured none of its current members nor any of its repertoire

MOFRO
(Jacksonville, FL)
Assembled in the U.K., but based out of Florida, Mofro serves up gritty, socially conscious swamp-funk.  Armed with guitars, harmonicas, and a Hammond organ, Mofro tells tales of inept criminals, endangered swamps, and soul food.  Mofro is able to keep crowds dancing, laughing, and thinking all at the same time.

Robert Walters 20th Congress
(San Diego, CA)
Robert Walter's Hammond Organ leads this tight quartet through a stable of boogaloo favorites.  Drawing on material from Grant Green to Reuben Wilson, the 20th Congress is not afraid to stretch out.  Robert also includes many of the tunes he wrote for the Greyboy Allstars.  His style has been described as "oldskool meets newskool, classic rock and roll meets underground hip hop…the right way, and alternative music meets an even bigger alternative". Z-TRIP, a veteran DJ and producer is known for his ability to always rock the party the hardest….hands down.. While others tend to just play music, Z-TRIP does the opposite. Not only does this virtuoso know how to read and work the crowd into a frenzy, but also how to mix the music in a way they've never heard before, the whole time incorporating some very technical scratching and effects as well.

The Big Wu
(Minneapolis, MN)
The Big Wu is a rock 'n' roll band bit by a loon -- a little crazy, and never afraid to make fun of itself. Nonetheless, there's an inherent sense among its burgeoning "Family" of fans back home in Minneapolis and around the country that the heartland's premier grassroots attraction is on the threshold of something big indeed.  With the release of Folktales, its second studio effort on Phoenix Rising, The Big Wu has delivered 10 songs in almost as many Wu-flavored styles with the same transporting force and impeccable musical interaction that placed their recent Phoenix Presents album, Live at the Fitzgerald Theatre 4.21.00, among Entertainment Weekly's all-time Top 10 Contemporary Jam Band Albums.

ulu
(New York City, NY)
The instrumental intoxication of ulu will keep your mind in limbo and your feet in motion. This NYC quartet strives for the balance between intelligent composition and spontaneous improvisation with roots in funk and jazz. Their unique approach to creating sound redefines itself on a nightly basis and intrigues audiences nationwide. ulu's fan-base is rapidly increasing due to a strong internet presence, national press and high-exposure touring

John Brown's Body
(Ithaca NY / Boston , MA)
Simply put - JBB is one of the best reggae bands on the planet.  They are the future of musical evolution An American 21st century reggae band that is steeped in roots reggae and takes that classic 70's sound into the future. JBB have successfully been touring non-stop for many years.  They have released 3-CDs, two of which are on Shanachie Records. Their newest album Spirits All Around Us was released this past summer on Shanachie Records and has been receiving praise from writers all around the globe.

Topaz
(New York City, NY)
Founding member Topaz McGarrigle (tenor sax) leads his band from NYC which Melds Afrobeat, dub, funk and improvised jazz, the band embarked on a mission to bring progressive soul-jazz back to the dancehall, and spreads their gospel to jazzheads, neo-soulsters, and new groove fanatics alike. 

Townhall
(Philadelphia, PA)
Townhall masters every instrument they play.  They have experience that includes blues, funk, jazz, folk, rock, and Latin and influences such as Bob Marley, Paul Simon, The Band, Stevie Wonder and Miles Davis.  As they have come together into a tight, diverse, and exciting act to watch, Townhall's songs have melded old sounds into something entirely new and unique.  From Stanfordâs swanky trombone riffs to Smidtâs ethereal trills on the flute, their skill is as striking as their versatility.

Spookie Daly Pride
(Boston, MA)
"A playful pastiche of inverted Dr. John boogie, Soul-Coughing-cum-pool-party funk, and Dixieland whomp that makes for a clever, catchy debut" - Jonathan Perry, The Boston Phoenix
Spookie Daly Pride is a five piece band that delivers high energy, joyful hip hop-infused roots rock, with deep soulful grooves and catchy, hookfilled songs. Their uplifting, ever-evolving live show is laced with fearless improvisation.  In the short span of a year and a half the band has developed a massive following of fans whose devotion to the band and willingness to be organized has helped them tear the roof off of clubs, colleges and festivals, often times even packing the house first time into a market based on word of mouth alone.

Addison Grove Project
(Boston, MA)
Addison Groove Project has been doing the funk, fusion, exploratory rock thing now for five years. the band's sound is deeply rooted in the funk/fusion era of the late 60's to early 80's. artists like Miles Davis, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Mahavishnu Orchestra, parliament/funkadelic, etc... however, members of the band have strong influences in classical, jazz, and rock music. The band synthesizes their palette of sounds to create experimental compositions that are unleashed live with raw improvisation and driving rhythms.

Schleigho
Schleigho is a modern instrumental jazz fusion quartet. The group's music is unique and hard to classify, drawing influences from all styles of jazz and rock, with an emphasis on improvisation. The band formed in 1993 and has since released five recordings, the first three independently, and the last two on Flying Frog Records, a label started in 1999 by Butch Trucks, drummer from the Allman Brothers Band. Over the years, Schleigho has developed a devoted fan base, and continues to win over listeners with their recordings, and live shows, which prove to be a new experience every time. By the way, it's pronounced Shlay-ho!

Brothers Past
(Philadelphia, PA)
Brothers Past is a young, improv-oriented four-piece band that has recaptured the passion lost with the so-called "death of rock" and rewired it for the digital age. Skillfully blending effects-oriented improvisation and introspective, melodic songwriting, Brothers Past takes listeners into the Fourth Dimension with layered audio soundscapes ranging from ambient-style space to earth-shaking explosiveness. The band creates an entirely  new range of sounds each night, grounded in an ever-expanding repertoire of original songs, the latest of which can be found on its retro-futuristic new concept album, A Wonderful Day.

Guest
(Columbus, OH)
A furious combination of sound, light, and energy. Columbus Ohio's secret has spread across the country.

Jen Durkin & The Bomb Squad
The story of the B Squad actually starts in two separate bands. EMCQ, a group formed by Bomb Squad guitarist Q during his college years, and Deep Banana Blackout, an original funk outfit which Bomb Squad vocalist Jen Durkin helped start up in the late 90's.  The melding of these bands yeilds a bold incredible listening experience and the incredible Jen Durkin's vocal chords will leave you wanting more.

The Ordinary Way
The Ordinary Way has set their sights on the world. Their musical style and unique composition is not compared to anything out there, and they consider that an honor. Incorporated into the music are elements of many styles, including but not limited to funk, rock, jazz, blues, improvisation, reggae, soul, and gospel. They will move you, and you can't help but feel it. Listening is not an option when you see The Ordinary Way, they pull you into their world, taking you on a journey through our live shows.

Beam
(Pittsburgh, PA)
Improvisational urban soundscapes for the new millennium featuring Akil Esoon  (Vocals) the regional director of the Temple of Hip Hop and is a self taught multi-instrumentalist; rhyming and performing for over 9 years. He has performed and shared the stage with Wyclef, Santana, Common, De La Soul and was a founding member of the nationally recognized underground rap group Pensoulzinakup.

Mr. Nimbus
(Pittsburgh, PA)
Even though they haven't been around for a very long time Mr.Nimbus have quickly made a name for themselves in Pittsburgh and regionally through the festival circuit. In a short amount of time, they have put their collective talents together, winning over audiences with their special breed of jam-influenced,fusion. They fuse rock, metal, funk, with jazz sensibilities.

The Scoville Unit
(Pittsburgh, PA)
The Scoville Unit is burning up the East Coast scene with the funkiest new grooves of Millennium. This four-piece acid-funk and boogaloo outfit began rattling the rafters all over the Ohio Valley in the Fall of 2002. Now they're taking their blend of sweaty funk, soul and jazz to the rest of the country. The Scoville Unit combines the grittiness of the Meters, the experimental analog fusion of early 70's era Miles Davis, and the syncopated funk of James Brown that turns any other ordinary night out into a blazing hot all-out dance party

Sauce
(Pittsburgh, PA)
Sauce is a seven-piece band that is dedicated to the creation and delivery of an eclectic and original sound of music. Their goal is to reach new levels in the entertainment industry by bridging the gap between genres of music and bringing music fans all over the world to their high-energy sound and world vision.

Jim Donovan (of Rusted Root)
(Pittsburgh, PA)
Sincehis tenure with  the multi platinum selling Rusted Root, Jim has built an educational program that includes drumming workshops, drum set clinics and lectures. He teaches across the US at festivals, high schools, universities and specialty venues. To assist in his drumming education classes Jim has released two companion CDs Rhythm and Drumming Workshop Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Volume 3 will be released in 2003.