Dragland
Born and raised in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Dragland moved to New York State as a teenager and that’s where he found rock n’ roll. He began performing in smoky bars at the age of 17 and in his early 20s he followed the music to San Francisco. Dragland has played lead guitar for numerous Bay Area bands such as Gold Minor, Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits and First Church of the Sacred Silversexual.
The debut self-titled Dragland album was released on November 13, 2017. It's a vibrant, gritty 7-song LP that was recorded and mixed entirely at Gulch Alley Studios.
Dragland is joined by longtime musical comrade Michael Carney on bass, lending an unorthodox intriguing low end to the songs. Veteran Bay Area musicians Brendan Getzell on keys, PJ Bottoms on guitar and drummer Charlie Knote round out the dynamic musical backbone. The whole band kicks it up a notch live, driven by Dragland’s relentless energy and his raspy, melodic voice.
The Bay Bridged says that Dragland "...has the song writing talents of a great neoclassicist Country performer, like Mel Tillis or Dolly Parton, but the frantic guitar and passion of the alternative music movement. The word genuine gets thrown around a lot, but it's the only word that really fits Dragland’s performance."
Mickelson Music
Through a career that spanned five full-length releases with his band Fat Opie, a struggle with a long-term illness and a career as a children’s book author and fine artist, Scott Mickelson has persevered. In 2015, Mickelson released his debut full-length Flickering which made the GrammyBallot in two categories, “Best Folk Album” and “Best Roots Music Performance”.
Mickelson appears in numerous publications both nationally and locally including NPR Radio, Jimmy Lloyd Show (NBC), Huffington Post, CBS Morning Show, No Depression, Paste, Glide Magazine, PopMatters, TheBayBridged, Alternative Press Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, SF Weekly, and with the Folk Alliance. He also gained national recognition after winning a band search contest sponsored by MTV/7-Up with a prize of $15,000 and a song in the feature film Along The Way.
In the nineties, Fat Opie was managed by the legendary manager Elliot Roberts/Lookout Management (Neil Young, Tom Petty). While under contract in LA he had the opportunity to work side by side with Grammy arranger Jimmy Haskell (Steely Dan, Chicago, Simon & Garfunkel). At age seventeen he signed his first record deal with DSM Productions in NYC while playing infamous clubs like CBGB's. His colorful earlier years in NY included playing with Dave Van Ronk and receiving career guidance from Sid Bernstein (Beatles promoter).
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Mickelson has lived in the Bay Area since the 80’s. In San Francisco, Mickelson can be seen performing at the top venues including The Fillmore and Great American Music Hall. When not on tour, Mickelson produces from his Marin studio.
Mickelson’s second full-length record A Wondrous Life will be released in May of 2018. Unlike Flickering which featured more than twenty of the best musicians in the Bay Area, A Wondrous Lifeis truly a solo effort. On it, he was not only the producer and engineer but also performed nearly all the tracks except drums/horns. A Wondrous Life leans more towards an Alt-Rock sound and is his finest work to date.
Mickelson has opened for acts that include David Bromberg Quintet, Matt Nathanson, Larry Campbell and Terese Williams (Grammy producer), Jim Lauderdale (Grammy artist), Griffin House, Nick Lowe, Dr. John, Smashmouth, Jonathan Richman, Peter Case and Rob Hotchkiss (from Train, Grammy artist).
