New Monsoon

Bio:

San Francisco rock quintet New Monsoon is the collaborative vehicle for the vocal and instrumental prowess of founding members Bo Carper (acoustic guitar and banjo), Jeff Miller (electric guitar) and Phil Ferlino (keys). Now well into its second decade of national touring, the band also features the muscular rhythm section of Marshall Harrell (electric bass) and Michael Pinkham (drums). 

New Monsoon’s exhilarating blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation shines in an irresistible blend of sophisticated song craft, inventive musical exploration and down home rock-n-roll. “They have a collective power that comes off as a real unified force on stage. It’s not just a band, you know? It’s something transcendental.” - Michael Shrieve (original drummer, Santana)

New Monsoon has shared the stage with heavyweight guests Mike Stern, the late, great Martin Fierro (Zero, Legion of Mary), Steve Kimock, and Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), to name a few.They've toured with String Cheese Incident, Michael Franti and Spearhead,  Umphrey's McGee (Big Summer Classic Tour), supported Moe, The Wailers, etc and are a featured headliner in venues such as the Fillmore (SF), Gothic Theater (Denver), and the Warehouse (Houston). They are also a perennial favorite of the festival circuit including marquee festivals like Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Langerado, High Sierra, Telluride Bluegrass, Austin City Limits and many others.

The band's quality associations continue with their recorded output. 2007's V  was produced by Grateful Dead sound engineer John Cutler, and 2005's The Sound was helmed by original Santana percussionist Michael Shrieve and Paul Kimble (Grant Lee Buffalo, Luna). The latest album, New Monsoon Live, a double-cd set, features tunes from all eras of the band’s deep catalog.

Miller and Ferlino have also recently formed a supergroup collective, The Contribution, along with Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth) Keith Moseley (String Cheese Incident) Matt Butler (Everyone Orchestra) and Sheryl Renee (Black Swan Singers). SCI Fidelity Records released Which Way World, The Contribution’s inaugural album, in 2010. Miller released his first solo album, Ancient Wisdom, in 2011. Carper performs as a solo act and as half of the duo, Bo & Lebo, with Dan Lebowitz of ALO.

Band Members:

Influences:

New Monsoon's original compositions are an experience of musical textures, rhythms, ideas and moods. Distilling the sounds of Psychedelic and Southern Rock, Delta Blues, and World music, New Monsoon melds a diverse host of influences including Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Allman Brothers Band, bluesman Mississippi John Hurt and world music pioneers Shakti. Their 3-part harmony vocals also harken Crosby, Still, Nash and Young and The Band. At any given performance, the audience enjoys a synthesis of genres from bluegrass to reggae, funk to down home rock 'n' roll. No two shows are the same and fan recordings of performances have become a favorite among tapers and traders in musical communities throughout the country.

Sounds Like:

Santana, Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Funkadelic, Japanese Classical, Ernie and Bert, Blind Faith, Morphine, Blind Willie McTell, Memphis Slim, Meshell N'degeocello (well, sometimes..), Zeppelin, 'Bitches Brew-era' Miles.

Record Label:

New Monsoon Records