Monterey Bay

JOAN OSBORNE
Joan Osborne was introduced to mainstream audiences with the single "One of Us" from her major label debut, Relish, in 1995. It became a massive MTV and radio smash hit holding the number 1 spot on the US singles charts for two weeks while the album sold 3 million copies. Then came five Grammy® nominations, a featured slot in the 1997 Lilith Fair tour, and performances with such notables as Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan, The Dead, The Dixie Chicks, Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, and Bob Dylan. Her performance in the award-winning documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown led to the 2007 release, Breakfast in Bed, and more critical acclaim - the Boston Globe praises her "honey-whiskey voice and bare-it-all style," and Billboard "the inherent pathos of her voice." Her latest CD, Little Wild One, was released in September 2008.

THE HOLMES BROTHERS
Called ". . . the undisputed masters of blues-based American roots music" by the Chicago Tribune, THE HOLMES BROTHERS mix Saturday night's roadhouse rock with the gospel fervor and harmonies of Sunday's church service. Their most recent CDs, 2004's Simple Truths and 2007's State of Grace, reached number 5 and number 3 on Billboard's Top Bluegrass chart. They have also recorded with Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, and Levon Helm and have performed at the White House.

PAUL THORN
Former professional prizefighter and son of a Pentecostal preacher from Tupelo, Mississippi, PAUL THORN creates music that speaks of the sacred and the profane. He released his debut recording Hammer & Nail in 1997, and his 2008 release A Long Way from Tupelo, which reached number 7 in the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, which prompted the San Francisco Chronicle to write "The real deal comes along infrequently these days. . . word of a record this good will spread."