tall men group
in december of 2011 jimmy yessian invited five prominent los angeles performing songwriters to join him for a monthly gathering sharing food and original music. each writer accepted the invitation and the group began meeting in January 2012. the songs created during these meetings inspired the group to join together as an acoustic touring act, “Tall Men Group." marty axelrod, severin browne, jeff kossack, john stowers, ed tree, and jimmy "muffin" yessian are TMG. in november 2012 they toured the west coast from southern california to portland, oregon and back. the overwhelming audience response and success of that tour prompted the band to release their first album, 12 by 6, which has garnered rave reviews.
also playing:
aireene espiritu, a singer-songwriter based in northern, california, plays mostly original songs accompanied by latin/african rhythms, folk, bluegrass pickings and inspirations from gospel music - a mix of stompin', swayin', and timeless americana. her new cd, put back charlie, is awe-inspiring!
bliss bowen, a sierra madre local, is a soulful americana artist who has been likened to patty griffin, norah jones and nancy wilson. well known in la's americana-roots community, she is currently working on her album ghost trees and is happy to support the survivor girl cause.
kendall forrey is a singer-songwriter and producer who lives in sierra madre. his song, the narrow road, was featured in the documentary crime after crime, which played at the sundance film festival.
lorin hart, who has been a great friend and supporter of sgub project, is a very gifted la-based blues, gospel, folk and pop singer-songwriter with a beautiful, soulful voice. she is also very close to completing her second cd!
john o’kennedy, who four years ago came up with the brilliant idea to do a benefit concert for me and my work in india, is a multi-instrumentalist who does sessions work all over la. john is returning to bethany and brining amazing artists, including john cartwright, who played the upright bass with harry belafonte for 35 years, and mb gordy, who has played with the likes of the doobie brothers, josh groben, and rita coolidge. as always, john has a sensational surprise with guest artists which will undoubtedly leave us breathless.
tim tedrow started out as a poet that evolved into songwriting when he picked up a guitar and soon after a mandolin. with beautiful and joyful music, he has performed in numerous venues and concert halls throughout california.