Cindy Alexander

&

 Judy Valencerina

 

 

Blues Night

hosted by Bob Jones

& featuring

Tom Ball

&

Kenny Sultan

 Tom and Kenny have been bringing their unique blend of guitar and harmonica blues, rags and good time music to widely diverse audiences for nearly 30 years. Their live performances include concerts, clubs and festivals all over the world, and they were the only musical act in America to play all four venues of the 1984 Olympic Games.

Together and separately they have worked on countless film scores, TV soundtracks, commercials and sessions. They've appeared on television internationally, were featured on the "Levi's 501 Blues" commercials, have played for audiences of 300 million via Voice of America and are frequent guests of National Public Radio. Their eight duo albums have garnered much critical acclaim throughout the world, and their music from the film "Over The Edge" won the duo the prestigious Telly Award in 1994.

At home wherever they go, Tom and Kenny fit in at blues, folk, bluegrass and jazz festivals, and their extensive teaching backgrounds make them a natural choice for college campuses or venues which feature workshops. Because their music is a blend of American roots styles, they are regulars overseas, drawing rave reviews wherever they go.

For more information, please feel free to visit them (by clicking here) at tomballkennysultan.com or at Tom's individual site.

The Audiophiles

The Bluegrass Jam

hosted by Gene Rubin

&

featuring

Phil Salazar

Lee Koch

CD Release!!!!

with

Josh Houseman

 

Cantina Concert

with

Perla Batalla

       Grammy nominated vocalist, composer, and arranger Perla Batalla was born in Los Angeles, CA. Her father was a musician and her mother ran a popular record store Discoteca Batalla, which catered to the Spanish speaking neighborhoods of the westside. She first gained international attention as a backup singer for Leonard Cohen. In 1994 the legendary Jac Holzman signed Perla to her first major deal on the Warner/Discovery label. Being the rebel she is, in the year 1999 Perla started her own label and won "Best Indie Release of the Year" from Amazon.com for her "Mestiza" song cycle she wrote with David Batteau. Soon after..... blah,blah, blah, blah.... to this day Perla tours regularly around the world singing songs she loves with great musicians. Perla Batalla 

Stacy Clark

Stacy*Clark is an indepedent singer/songwriter. She carefully crafts each song with honest, heartfelt lyrics that she writes about life. Her music clashes folk with electronics. She likes to refer to is as 'folka'. Clark has shared the stage with The New Amsterdams, Jacks Mannequin, Tom from the Plain White Tees, and Copeland among other artists. Her music has been featured on the MTV and CBS television networks. Awards include: Winner of the 2007 Orange County Music Awards for 'Best Female Performer', 'Best Out of County' artist at both the 2006/2007 Inland Empire Music Awards, 'Best Female Artist' 2006 Southern California Music Awards, and nominee at the Toronoto Independent Music Awards for 'Best International Artist'. Her current album, "Apples & Oranges" is available via itunes.

 

Frankie Fuchs

&

Friends

 

 

Jim Christie

Rockin Rhythm & Blues

The Bluegrass Jam

hosted by

Gene Rubin

&

featuring

Phil Salazar

John Cruz

2005 Grammy Award Winner

           From the time he was a young boy growing up in Palolo Valley on Oahu, John Cruz knew he was destined to play music. Whether inside or outside the home, his earliest memories were filled with song. His Hawaiian grandmother had a beautiful voice and sang in church. His mom loved the Motown sound and had an extensive record collection. His dad played country music and taught John to perform live shows at a very young age. His brothers and sisters were all musically inclined and, along with numerous aunties, uncles, cousins, neighbors and friends, they have surrounded John with the gift of music for his entire life.

Although John grew up in Hawaii, it wasn't until he moved to the East Coast in 1983 that he developed his own style as a singer songwriter. During his 12 years in the Northeast, John cut his musical teeth in subways, coffeehouses and bars in New York's Greenwich Village, as well as in the clubs and local haunts from Martha's Vineyard to the Boston area. While attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, John ventured in to acting and dancing, which strengthened his command of the stage.

He spent six years in theatre and dance companies, performing everywhere from Lincoln Center to Washington D.C. John starred in a variety of shows, including ensemble productions, two-man plays and gospel inspired musicals. Often the leading man, his roles spanned a wide range of characters and ethnicities. He has played a Chinese immigrant, an embittered Native American and a Hispanic hustler, to name a few. As a member of the prestigious New World Theater, John played the lead role in "The Dance and the Railroad," by Tony Award winning Broadway playwright, David Henry Hwang, of M. Butterfly fame. John's outstanding performance was nationally recognized in the finals of a collegiate drama competition.

John returned to Hawaii in 1995 to help his brother Ernie record his album. At the time, Ernie was in the immensely popular band, the Ka'au Crater Boys. He invited John to play bass with them and to play his own songs during their shows. The exposure to large crowds gave John's music a substantial fan base before it was even recorded. When his first album, Acoustic Soul was released in 1996, it made an artistic and commercial impact like few other recordings in Hawaiian musical history.

Acoustic Soul to date has sold about 100,000 copies in Hawaii alone. John produced the album himself and released it on his own label, Lilikoi Records. It spawned the radio hits "Shine On," "Sitting in Limbo" and "Island Style," which has become a local anthem. Most songs from the album still receive daily radio airplay and can be heard on numerous compilation CDs, in hotels, airports, shopping malls, school music classes, commercials and just about everywhere else music is played within the state. Acoustic Soul won two Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in 1997 -- one for Contemporary Album of the Year and one for Most Promising Artist.

In 2005, John added the Grammy Award to his list of honors. His original song "Jo Bo's Night" was featured on the compilation CD Slack Key Guitar Volume 2, which won the first Grammy ever awarded for Hawaiian music.

Over the years, John has attracted some stellar fans. Stars like Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Lisa Loeb, Trey Anastasio and others, have shown their support in various ways. John co-wrote a song with Trey called "A Case of Ice and Snow," which was released on the Phish frontman's solo CD, Bar 17. World Champion surfer Kelly Slater featured three of John's songs on his DVD, "Letting Go," which was released worldwide in the Spring of 2006. He invited John to play at the Quiksilver Pro surf contest in Hossegor, France, as well as on his MTV special, "The Kelly Slater Celebrity Surf Invitational 2006." John joined Robert Plant and Allison Krauss on the WMVY radio compilation CD, Fresh Produce Volume 4, in the Winter of 2007 with his hit song "Missing You."

John's recent touring has included stops at the massive Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Summerstage in New York's Central Park, Carnegie Hall and prominent national venues up and down both coasts, in addition to numerous sold out shows throughout Hawaii.

In October 2006, a documentary film on his life, "Made of Music - The Story of John Cruz," debuted at the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival in Honolulu. A few weeks later, it was honored with the Aloha Visionary Filmmaker Award at the Molokai Film Festival. It was recently chosen to be screened at the Pacifika Hawaiian Film Festival in New York City. It features John's signature candor and wit, as well as a personal story that tugs at the heartstrings, and music that will delight and inspire. Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Kelly Slater and Jake Shimabukuro add color and insight to an already powerful story.

John has distinguished himself as one of the most talented songwriters that has ever come from Hawaii. This well-earned reputation became even more solidified when he released his long-awaited second album, One of These Days, on September 25th, 2007. After its debut week, the album landed firmly at #1 in Hawaii, #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart for the Pacific Region and #6 on the Billboard World Chart. Critics described it as "brilliant" and "one of the year's finest albums, local or otherwise." The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts gave the CD its highest honor in June of 2008, by awarding John the Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Contemporary Album of the Year.  It delivers more of the warm, heartfelt melodies and passionate, soulful vocals that John's fans have grown to know and love