All Good Music Festival Expands Talent Lineup

Press release
Source: Randex Communications

Six more stellar acts have been added to the ever-expanding talent lineup of the 11th Annual ALL GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL as its celebrates the diversity and loyalty of the improvisational music scene with its most extensive and intensive lineup to date. Drive-By Truckers, Benevento/Russo Duo, Sam Bush, the Bridge, Lee Boys and the Ryan Montbleau Band have come aboard the East Coast’s longest-running camping event for its return to the magnificent Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, WV, July 13-15, 2007.

They join many of the improvisational scene’s leading attractions - Bob Weir & RatDog, the newly reunited Leftover Salmon, moe., Keller Williams, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Les Claypool, Dark Star Orchestra, Yonder Mountain String Band and Sound Tribe Sector 9 – as well as Lotus, Tea Leaf Green, Ozric Tentacles, Perpetual Groove, AOD (Assembly of Dust), PBS (Porter-Batiste-Stoltz), Soldiers of Jah Army, New Monsoon, Will Hoge, West Indian Girl and Lovewhip, with many more to come!

The mid-Atlantic’s premier – and longest-running – camping event is a certified monster of a musical gathering that Billboard says is “unlike many large festivals.” Capacity crowds of over 15,000 fans gather annually for three full days and nights of live music set against the landscape of the majestic natural wonder and grandeur of Marvin’s Mountaintop.

ALL GOOD’s 2007 music lineup provides the soundtrack to a peacefully spirited vibe that has remained an ALL GOOD constant since 1997. Athens, Ga. rockers Drive-By Truckers have explored everything from blues to alternative rock, even country and punk in becoming champions of the three-guitar frontline and emphatic sagas about tough times and difficult decisions in small town America. Many critics have placed upon them the treacherous mantle of being The Best Rock Band In The World – a title they wear like the blessing and the curse it is.

Sam Bush has more than earned his moniker “King of Newgrass.” As cofounder and leader of the seminal progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, The Kentucky mandolin prodigy has become one of the most brilliant players of newgrass and a prodigious influence on musicians young and old. Bands like Nickel Creek, Yonder Mountain String Band, and String Cheese Incident, to name just a few, are indebted to Bush’s example, not only in his wide-ranging choice of material and rock-based acoustic grooves, but by his captivating, high-energy live shows, which have made him an in demand headliner, and fan fave at All Good and numerous other important festivals around the world.

The Benevento/Russo duo (or “The Duo” for short), back at All Good for the second straight year, made a huge splash out of SXSW in 2005, when they were picked by Rolling Stone as one of the festivals’s top five breakout acts. Indeed, organist Marco Benevento and drummer Joe Russo are a two-man Wrecking Crew. Together, they splinter indie rock and jazz with sweepingly efficient arrangements that snap, crackle and pop. Rocking harder than metal, with funk tighter than a full-moon swing, and deep beats that can make DJs thump, you will feel the Duo’s wrath.

From their gritty and grand live performances to their authentically crafted albums, The Bridge has carved a niche out of Baltimore as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most popular young bands. Add one part Bluegrass, one part Blues, and genuine soul and funk, The Bridge has mastered an amalgam of musical genres to craft signature songs dominated by lyrical brilliancy with their own brand of genre-defying sounds.

The Lee Boys are one of Florida's finest African-American Sacred Steel artists - the hottest movement on the music scene these days, a sound that developed its roots in the House of God church. The six members are brothers and nephews who began making music in the church when they were 7 or 8 years old, and have not stopped playing since. Exhilarating. Energetic. Exciting. Freeing. Fun. Inspiring. Spirited. Soulful. Thrilling. The Lee Boys will funkify your soul and help you see the musical light.

Quickly emerging onto the national music scene out of Boston, Ryan Montbleau has been described as something of a Martin Sexton by way of Van Morrison and Stevie Wonder. The Ryan Montbleau Band is original yet familiar—a fresh sound full of firmly-rooted ingredients, including Americana, folk, blues, ragtime and ’70s R&B and soul. Whereas the band’s intriguing instrumentation and arrangements mention top notch chops) help to create this unique sound, all is firmly anchored by Montbleau’s water-tight lyrics and unmistakable voice.

Two more unknown, unsigned and up-and-coming artists will be discovered and showcased through SonicBids (www.sonicbids.com) when The East Coast’s mid-summer live music highlight enters its fifth consecutive year at Marvin’s Mountaintop. The deadline for artist submissions is Friday, May 4th at 6 PM, with the lucky winners selected, notified and announced soon afterward. Bands wishing to enter are encouraged to vising and sign up at www.sonicbids.com/allgoodfestival.

The All Good is a full blown extravaganza, complete with top quality production, state of the art sound and lights, an authentic variety of food and craft vendors, art and sculpture, a kid’s area, family camping, interactive artisan workshops, microbrews and, new to the festival, an “Even Better” VIP ticket option. Music fans can always rely on enjoying 40 hours of original music, all centrally located with no overlapping sets.

Marvin’s Mountaintop is a lovely, safe environment where family and friends gather to enjoy the great outdoors while listening to the music, with a wide range of outdoor activities for children and adults. ALL GOOD always is about offering feel-good music to “all good” people and giving them an entirely positive weekend experience brimming with the strength of optimism and community spirit.

The list of artists confirmed to play the 11th Annual ALL GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL to date:

Bob Weir & RatDog
Leftover Salmon
moe. (+ additional All Good All-Star Jam hosted by moe.)
Drive-By Truckers
Sam Bush
Benevento/Russo Duo
Keller Williams
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Les Claypool
Dark Star Orchestra
Yonder Mountain String Band
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) (performing late night set)
Lotus
Tea Leaf Green
Ozric Tentacles
Perpetual Groove
AOD (Assembly of Dust)
PBS (Porter-Batiste-Stoltz)
Soldiers of Jah Army (SOJA)
The Bridge
Lee Boys
Ryan Montbleau Band
New Monsoon
Will Hoge
West Indian Girl
Lovewhip

...plus many more TBA

More bands, guest musicians, and festival activities are to be announced in the coming weeks.

Early-Bird Tickets are just $89 and will be offered for a limited time only, while supplies last through www.allgood.musictoday.com and www.jambasetickets.com or charge by phone by calling 1-800-594-TIXX. Buy now and save over $25 on the gate price.

For complete information, visit the official ALL GOOD web site at: www.allgoodfestival.com.

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