Past Events

Oboist James Austin Smith brings his musical-historical project, Hearing Memory, to National Sawdust, exploring music lost to the 'end of history’. Through documentary interviews, story-telling and musical performance, Smith and pianist Cory Smythe reflect on the complicated legacy of the daring classical music scene that emerged in the 1970s in East Germany, offering a powerful example of musicians creating meaning beyond sound. Music of Friedrich Goldmann, Christfried Schmidt, Siegfried Thiele and Paul Dessau will be featured alongside a world premiere…

Melvin Seals has been a powerful presence in the music industry for over 30 years with a long-established reputation as a performer, recording artist and producer. Melvin is most revered for his powerful, high-spirited, Hammond B-3 organ, and keyboards in the Jerry Garcia Band. Melvin spun his B-3 magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become “Jam Band Music”. From blues to funk to rock to jazz,…

Vinyl Williams is the multi-sensory project of Los Angeles-based artist and musician Lionel Williams.  Williams began making music under the alias in 2007 and has since gained a reputation for his unique blend of psychedelic pop & dream pop, as well as his maximalist 3D art & interactive worlds. Williams’ music is characterized by its lush and immersive soundscapes, with layers of elusive instrumentation and vocals, creating dreamy and hypnotic atmospheres.  Drawing inspiration from a wide variety of sources, he’s…

Stéphane Wrembel is probably the foremost interpreter of Django Reinhardt’s music in North America. Whether sticking to the French master’s arrangements, or taking the music into new territory, Wrembel has always treated Django like a serious composer rather the cliché paragon of swing and speed he has often been portrayed as. As a composer, Stéphane has scored the theme song to Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" and scored his last film. He performed live for the 2012 Academy Awards, has…

Troker is a jazz and psychedelic music band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Best described as if Salvador Dali ever made a heist movie, then Mexico’s TROKER would have been the soundtrack. Their sound careens between the sublime and the dangerous, the composed and the improvised, where metal riffage merges with powerhouse funk, DJ scratching, and horn lines pulled from both jazz and mariachi traditions of their homeland (Guadalajara, México)

Sam Shackleton, also known by his Gaelic moniker, Sorley the Bard, is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk artist. His music is greatly inspired by the rich inter-connected musical oral traditions of Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. Strongly influenced by the 1960's folk revival, his unique sound is a mix of country, old time, traditional, folk, and blues with a Scottish spirit. He was born in Stirling and raised all over Scotland, from the Borders to the Highlands and his…

Eggy is the group that brings balance to your musical diet. The band offers timeless songwriting both lyrically and in composition creating works worthy of repeated consumption. Drawing influences from classics like Bruce Hornsby, CSNY, Herbie Hancock, & the like; Eggy is the fresh but familiar music you’ve been craving. Their debut album “Watercolor Days” (released March 2019) reflects the band’s fine palate & musical breadth. Michael Goodman (bass/vocals), Jake Brownstein (guitar/vocals), Dani Battat (keys/vocals) and Alex Bailey (drums/vocals) work…

Following his Coachella debut last year, both “$$$$” and “ETA2” underscore a defining new moment in Yeek‘s career. Across his first two albums and two EPs, the L.A.-based singer-songwriter handled producing, recording, mixing, and mastering by himself due to the connectivity between the music and the bevy of experiences and influences he picked up living across New Jersey, Florida and LA. With Valencia, Yeek opened himself up to collaboration more than ever before, working alongside mixing engineer Jeff Ellis (Frank…