Contact: sonofthevelvetrat@gmail.com 

Web: sonofthevelvetrat.com 

Players: Georg Altziebler, vocals, guitar; Heike Binder, vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, theremin; Tim and Ellen Chinnock, backup vocals; Gar Robertson, mandolin. 

Photo by Joe Garcia

Material: Son of the Velvet Rat (SotVR) is the stage name of Georg Altziebler, joined by his wife, Heike Binder. Delivering tremolo-soaked guitar chords, honest vocals and lyrics, and simple noire-folk grooves, the duo seemed right at home nestled on the cafe stage with the morning sun streaming down as festival goers trickled in from camp. 

Musicianship: With his grizzled vocals and mournful harmonica lines, Altziebler carries the folk-troubadour legacy of Dylan, Van Zandt, and Drake. However, his psychedelic approach to the guitar brings a new flare to the tradition, embracing modern techniques like tape echo manipulation to paint spacey soundscapes that add to his song-vignettes. 

Performance: Opening as a duo, “Blood Red Shoes” was a natural highlight with its simmering energy and singalong “Sha la la’s.” The tight, haunting harmonies on “White Patch of Canvas” highlighted the couple’s locked-in vocals. SotVR weaved song into song, frequently tying together different tracks with a swell from Altziebler’s guitar, or a flash of magic from Binder’s theremin. The simmering, melodramatic “Another Glass of Champagne” began with a crowd pleasing theremin intro, and then sucked the crowd in with woozy vocals and instrumentation. “See So Blue” had a nostalgic melodica solo, punctuated with vocal harmonies, cantering straight into a spacey transition of theremin and tape echo, building into “Jet Pilot”’s driven guitar groove. 

Summary: Son of the Velvet Rat is an adventurous take on the folk-rock tradition. By melding the Old-World cabaret influence of Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel with the story-driven songwriting of Bob Dylan and sonic landscapes of Mojave psychedelia, Altziebler and Binder lure you in and swallow 

you down with a blood red merlot. The duo 

have a stunning range thanks to Binder’s multi-instrumental capabilities and convincingly tie intimate love songs to groovy surf-rock tunes. Altziebler’s self-referential lyric from “Jet Pilot” captures their ethos perfectly, “sometimes it feels like nothing holds me, a puppet on a broken string… feel so free it makes me sing.” 

Contact: neilnayar@hotmail.com 

Web: banjoboys.com 

Players: Yobu Maligwa, bababtone and lead vocals; Yosefe Kalekeni, guitar, drum and backing vocals 

Photo by Alon Goldsmith

Material: Under the desert sun, Malawi-based duo Madalitso Band played a sparkling set on the main stage at the Joshua Tree Music Festival. Yobu Maligwa’s bright tenor vocal and homemade bass instrument, the babatone, combine with Yosefe Kalenkeni’s rich baritone vocal, dancing guitar lines, and thumping kick drum to create a rhythmic force. The band pounded out their catchy Afropop songs from their album Musakayike, meaning "don't doubt us," their second international release under Bongo Joe Records. 

Musicianship: Within the span of a song, the crowd was dancing along to their infectious, sunny grooves. Kalenkeni’s rhythms drove the band’s sound with his steady four-on-the-floor kick drum, simultaneously weaving syncopated guitar lines to provide the chords. Combined with the one-stringed babatone and the duo’s vocals, the sound was greater than the sum of its parts. Maligwa and Kalenkeni share vocal duties and take turns leading the songs, but their combined harmonies really captured the crowd’s attention. They delightfully flip musical conventions on their head by using the bassy babatone as the lead solo instrument while Kalenkeni keeps his guitar lines driving and catchy. “Jingo Janga” highlighted the set, with great energy and flare. 

Performance: The set fell into a predictable pattern of vocal section into instrumental jam. By using a glass bottle slide on the babatone, Maligwa not only played bass lines for the songs, but punctuated the tunes with adventurous slides up and down the neck. This rising action for solos frequently culminated in a single, repeated note. Though minimalistic at times, these musical sections brought the listener’s attention back to the rhythmic core of their style, toeing the line between jam band and pop. 

Summary: Madalitso band are an exciting take on Afrobeat music. By boiling down the genre’s instrumentation to its core, the duo showcases the beauty of simplicity. This duo delighted the crowd with their vocal harmonies, warm stage presence, and dedication to the joyful groove. 

Contact: Shane Graham supergloomband@gmail.com 

Web: supergl00m.bandcamp.com 

Players: Shane Graham, drums; Betrand Vellky, guitar and vocals; Peter Doherty, keys and vocals; Ethan Walden, bass; Drew Aron, guitar and vocals 

Material: Celebrating the release of their EP, Immaterial, supergloom (sic) took The Echo by storm with their unique blend of psych rock, fusing elements of prog and alternative rock to create a lysergic, kaleidoscopic experience of hooks and grooves. The band elevated the recordings to another level during their live performance. “Old Friend” packed a punch, driven by bassist Ethan Walden and drummer Shane Graham. The synth-laden “Cycles” hypnotized the crowd, with haunting vocals soaring over the swimming texture of guitars. 

Musicianship: Masterful musicians, every link in supergloom is strong. Graham and Walden weave catchy, danceable grooves, shifting naturally through odd time signatures and polyrhythms to make the whole band’s sound accessible. As guitarists Betrand Vellky and Drew Aron lay the foundations for their wall of sound, keyboardist Peter Doherty paints pastel soundscapes to complete the spell. 

Vocally, the group shares lead vocal duties across the whole set. Each song plays to that singers’ strength, creating an engaging and cohesive sound. Drew Aron’s and Betrand Vellky’s vocals mesmerize over a shoegazy foundation in “Glass Ajar”, spiced with jazzy influences. Keyboardist Peter Doherty brings a soaring, Muse-like influence to the more epic numbers and did a stunning performance on their closing tune, “EONA." 

Performance: The Echo is an excellent venue for this band. Immersed in live projections, the overall performance was well thought out and professional. Frequently bombastic, occasionally introspective, they took the audience on a journey through time and space. From their opening number, “Cut the Ties,” the band set the tone with high energy, lush tunes that got the audience moving. Each track follows a journey of its own, shifting through sections with builds and drops, always keeping the listener engaged. Singer-guitarist Drew Aron takes the band to its most intimate moment at the start of “Glass Ajar” and then quickly vamps the energy right back up to 11 on the chorus. 

Summary: This band’s stellar recordings are even better live. The experience becomes larger than even the band itself, with a captivated audience swaying to the collective consciousness of the sound and vision. These guys are definitely a band to watch.