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Those Darn Accordions has evolved over the years to become today what we consider one of the most original, entertaining, musically interesting and lyrically smart bands in the country. Headed by accordionist/singer Paul Rogers, with his immense songwriting skills (who also writes some of the funny/clever songs for The Christmas Jug Band as well), Those Darn Accordions also features three fantastic accordion toting singers Susie Davis (who has backed up Prince, Sheila E. among many others), Carrie Abrahms (professional classical singer) and longtime TDA’er Suzanne Garramone. Backed by the bass and drum rhythm section of Lewis Wallace and Michael Messer, TDA plays everything from original songs that are both funny and weird but with a real point, to accordion versions of classic rock tunes, to straight ahead Polkas. Their sterling vocal harmonies and their sense of humor just won’t quit, as this one-of-a-kind band blazes through these dizzying variety of musical genres. You really won’t believe your ears.

Fishtank Ensemble is a lively group offering a unique blend of Romanian folk music and other colorful elements -- Gypsy, Balkan, Flamenco, Klezmer, and Swedish folk music, Gypsy jazz and and original tunes. The arrangements are delightful and feature instruments from many countries such as violin, accordion, flamenco and gypsy jazz guitar, shamisen, contrabass, percussion, saw and voice. From the smoky cafes of Bucharest to the Gypsy caravans of yesterday, Fishtank Ensemble evokes the spirit of a past age with the sounds of tomorrow.

Incendio’s richly textured music is rooted in myriad sources: Carbé’s flamenco and classical training, Durand’s Peruvian heritage, Stubblefield’s European travels and musical collaborations with Kuwaiti oud maestro Waleed Hamad, not to mention Durand’s penchant for rock-style dramatics and Stubblefield’s lightning-fingered jazzfusion mastery. Carbé’s deceptively graceful bass playing grounds Durand and Stubblefield’s dazzling twin-guitar attack, resulting in adrenalizing sonic explorations that take on greater dimension when they call in pals like longtime drummer Joe Shotwell (now residing in Napa), powerhouse tour drummer Tom Brechtlein (Chick Corea, Robben Ford, and Eric Johnson) and percussionist Scott Breadman (from the Rippingtons).

Based in Northern California, Plasterkatz is a feisty collective, rising on the foaming tide of indie powerpop. These frisky kats specialize in an upbeat brand of music that really gets crowds jumping. Fusing original rock with traditional music from the more colorful corners of the universe, the band is notorious for delivering a soundscape that really refreshes!

The Grass Valley California-based Anderson Family, with its four youngsters ages 6 to 13, has been performing as a band with the sounds of traditional bluegrass music since early 2005, and this six-member family is delighting audiences everywhere. Singing most of the lead is Paige (13), with Aimee (11) and Ethan (9) singing harmony and occasional lead. Paige is an accomplished flat-picker on the guitar, picking out great leads and solid rhythm for the band. Both Aimee on fiddle and Ethan on mandolin do an excellent job with solos and backup, and Daisy (6) saws away at her little fiddle and is now providing a 4th harmony part in some of the band’s songs. Mom (Christy) provides the solid stand-up bass beat and Dad (Mark) supplies the bluegrass banjo drive to the group.