Start Making Plans for Hometeam New Year’s Rally!
It’s never too early to start making your New Year’s Eve plans. Here’s a great idea: inviting Florida temperatures, beautiful tree-filled location, and incredible music. Did we mention that warm Hometeam hospitality?
Then set your destination for the 5th annual Hometeam New Year’s Rally at the magical Maddox Ranch in Lakeland FL! Music starts Thursday, December 29, and runs through Sunday, January 1, 2017! This year’s sponsors are Organic Vision Presents, Future Music Makers, MobileStageIt.com, and Rising Light.
Start The first wave of artists has been released, and there are some new faces heading to Maddox Ranch. At the top of the list is The Nth Power, the funk powerhouse quartet in constant demand. The Nth Power — Nikki Glaspie, drums and vocals; Nick Cassarino, guitar and vocals; Nate Edgar, bass; and Courtney J’Mell Smith, keyboards and vocals — call their genre ‘love:’ an apt description for their mix of funk, jazz, hip-hop, soul and rock.
Also welcome some funksters from north of the border (no, not the Georgia border): After Funk, purveyors of ‘progressive funk and soul’ from Toronto. Yanick Allwood, keys and vocals; Jaime Rosenberg, drums; Justin Bontje, bass; and Phil Tessis, guitar, are sure to enjoy being 1100 miles further south for New Year’s! Their latest album, from last year, is ‘Til the Sun Comes Up.
Some of the usual North Carolina suspects will also be with us: The Mantras and The Fritz. We are always happy to hear The Mantras’ progressive rock and jam-filled sets. Their new album, Knot Suite, will be released next week. And The Fritz return as well. Their delicious funk blew it up at Great Outdoors Jam.
Come Back Alice define Southern gypsy rock, led by Tony Tyler and Dani Jaye, and The Applebutter Express serves their bluegrass with a twist, thanks to Shannon and Kyle Biss and crew.
Four of Florida’s greatest exponents of funk will also help ring in the new year: The Juanjamon Band, Holey Miss Moley, Flat Land, and Ajeva. (Check out a recent article about The Juanjamon Band and Holey Miss Moley here.) All have been exceptional this year, and Flat Land (Arrow to the Sun) and Ajeva (Evolve) released tremendous first full-length albums recently.
Christian Ryan has had an incredibly busy year (so what’s new?), featured in Leisure Chief, Holey Miss Moley, and Joose and working with several others. His Frank Zappa tribute gets a reprise August 27 at Skipper’s Smokehouse, along with Holey Miss Moley’s P-Funk set and a Joose tribute to Herbie Hancock’s Thrust. So what does he have in store for us at New Year’s? Christian Ryan Music’s Year in Revue. We cannot wait to see what he whips up this time!
The much revered Uncle John’s Band will be there to channel The Dead as only they can, and Gainesville’s Locochino makes their rockin’ first visit to the Hometeam event. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as we await the second wave of artists to be announced.
The first three artists at large have been announced, and we are truly excited. Joe Marcinek, the man who is a magnet for great talent, will be with us. (Marcinek will be headlining Dunedin Brewery’s Oktobeerfest, performing with Steve Molitz, Freekbass, and Peter Koopmans.) The aforementioned Christian Ryan will also be sharing his talents throughout the weekend. The third artist announced is Mark Mayea, the exceptional keyboard player for Ajeva and Joose. His recent stints sitting in with Holey Miss Moley and playing with Roosevelt Collier have been brilliant.
There you have it: the first wave of music for the 5th annual Hometeam New Year’s Rally. Find much more information on their official website and Facebook page.
