Lester Chambers and Dylan Chambers, Full Moonalice
In “SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)” , the feature documentary directorial debut from Questlove (drummer from The Roots, producer, dj, film director) we get to learn about, and experience The Harlem Cultural Festival. Which you probably never heard about… though it was in 1969, the same summer as that other festival that you probably know a lot about from the film and the album, and years of it being canonized by the media, Woodstock.
The footage from The Harlem Cultural Festival was of no interest to the media at the time, and according to this NPR article, was locked in a basement for 50 years. Questlove, and his team have unearthed this footage, and made a large screen tribute to this historic event that featured black musicians like Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, The Fifth Dimension, Sly and the Family Stone and many more… including The Chambers Brothers!
The film is playing now all over on big screens, and also debuted last weekend on HULU, where I watched it, after seeing some glowing reviews from friends. The movie does not disappoint, so many wonderful musical highlights abound. Throughout, I had the nagging question in my mind: As a big music and music festival fan, and lover of music history, and music on film, etc… how come I have never heard about this festival?
What an incredible event and line-up! Similarly I learned about another big music festival many years ago that featured black artists, Los Angeles Wattstax festival, when I saw a documentary about it that had been made in 1973. There is power in that footage! Unlike Wattstax though, this film never got made until now, Thank you Questlove for finding and editing this footage, and making this important film, and sharing these great performances and history.
So when I was watching Summer of Soul last weekend, The Chambers Brothers came on, and there was a familiar face: Lester Chambers! Of course I know their classic hit Time. But I also know and have seen Lester Chambers, and his son Dylan, several the last few years, as The New Chambers Brothers would join in with Lebo, Roger McNamee, and so many others at the Surrealistic Summer Super Jam‘s in San Francisco celebrating the Summer of Love and more. Like many things, this yearly event was disrupted by the pandemic, but I hope it comes back!
Lester Chambers and Dylan Chambers, Full Moonalice
And more recently, Lester Chambers, Dylan Chambers, along with the T-Sisters, have joined up with Roger McNamee and his band Moonalice to form the new super-duper group FULL MOONALICE! Lester is an amazing and inspiring presence on stage, and he always gets the whole audience on it’s feet and clapping loud!
Roger McNamee, Lester Chambers, Dylan Chambers, Pete Sears of Full Moonalice
And that brings us to today… THE TIME HAS COME! An opportunity to see this living legend perform today!
FULL MOONALICE, featuring living legend, and Summer Of Soul performer Lester Chambers of The Chamber Brothers, will be performing later today FRIDAY JULY 9, 2021, at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael California. Tickets are available online at TerrapinCrossroads.net, and at the door.
All guests receive a rock poster by Chris Shaw commemorating the show!
All guests receive a rock poster by Chris Shaw commemorating the show!
MOONALICE, a psychedelic roots-rock band, will be performing at Terrapin Crossroads in the Grate Room. Doors at 7pm / Show at 8pm. Guests will be gifted an original art poster by Chris Shawcommemorating the show. Moonalice band members: Barry Sless, Pete Sears, Roger McNamee, John Molo & Jason Crosby. Plus manager/road scholar/medicine man, Big Steve Parish. For posters and videos of all shows visit moonalice.com
Tickets: https://store.terrapincrossroads.net/store/tickets/moonalice-oct-6th
MOONALICE will perform on Sunday, August 21st, 2016
at the Sweetwater in Mill Valley, CA Doors: 4pm Show: 5pm (note early show time! it’s Sunday, bring the kids!) MOONALICE Sweetwater Music Hall 21 Corte Madera Avenue|
Mill Valley, CA 94941 Tickets: $10-$15 All Ages Poster Artist: Lee Conklin (free poster for all in attendance!)
Psychedelic, roots-rock band of seasoned musicians mixing a variety of genres with extended musical improvisations.
Band Members: Roger McNamee, Pete Sears, Barry Sless, John Molo
Every show has an original art poster, created by a well-known artist, and with its own unique Moonalice “legend.” The poster is given free to all attendees.www.moonaliceposter.com
All Moonalice concerts are broadcast live in HD and available in an online archive shortly after their set. www.moonalice.com
Moonalice was the brainchild of the great producer, T Bone Burnett in 2007 because he wanted to create a band with a San Francisco 60’s sound. Moonalice plays mostly original material mixed with some covers, and during their extended freeform jams the band moves as one, drawing from many musical genres honed from years of experience playing with various major acts.
MOONALICE Band members:
Barry Sless: lead guitar, pedal steel guitar, bass (Phil Lesh & Friends, David Nelson Band, Kingfish, Cowboy Jazz)
Pete Sears: bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals (Doobie Decibel System, Sam Gopal Dream, Rod Stewart, Long John Baldry, original Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, Peter Rowan, Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh & Friends, Steve Kimock, David Nelson, John Lee Hooker and more).
Roger McNamee: rhythm and lead guitar, bass, vocals (Doobie Decibel System (DDS) Duo with Jason Crosby and Doobie Decibel System (DDS) Band with Jason Crosby, Pete Sears, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz and Jay Lane. Plus Guff, The Engineers, Random Axes, Flying Other Brothers)
John Molo: drums, vocals (Bruce Hornsby & The Range, John Fogerty, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Other Ones).
With special guest: Big Steve Parish: Manager, Road Scholar, Medicine Man, Story Teller. (Grateful Dead family member and co-founder of Jerry Garcia Band).
Moonalice now has a radio station of its own. Find Moonalice Radio on moonalice.com. You’ll find all the band members sharing stories and playing a wide variety of their favorite music – classic rock, reggae, Americana, oldies, blues, soul and jam bands. Plus Moongirl, 420 news, storyteller/medicine man Big Steve Parish, the Doobie Decibel System, and TheHash.org, with DJ Ben Fong-Torres every weekend.
‘Moonalice 420 Gathering of the Tribe 2014’ short film by Jay Blakesberg and Alex Fischer featuring Moonalice posters, se lect artists and their inspiration.
Replicating the music of The Band is a tall order.
But interpreting the music of The Band is an art. Songs that have reverberated across history for decades continue to speak to millions of us.
And THE WEIGHT, a five-piece ensemble featuring Jim Weider and Randy Ciarlante from The Band,
Brian Mitchell and Byron Isaacs of the Levon Helm Band
and Marty Grebb, who worked with Rick Danko and Richard Manuel of The Band,
remains a vehicle through which we can continue to share those stories and dance to those back beats.
Make no mistake; this is no tribute act. This is the most authentic presentation of The Band that the world is ever gonna get.
Come and take a load off, and prepare for an unforgettable performance.
The Weight
playing New Years Eve
Dec 31 2015
at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley California
with special guests Moonalice!
– WOOKIES! JEFFERSON STARSHIP! BEA ARTHUR!
as bad as it was then,
so hilarious now!
Original and complete, includes Chewbacca’s entire Wookie Family!!
With the Jefferson Starship doing “Light The Sky On Fire”…
OMG is that Pete?
Why yes it is! Our friend from Moonalice. Pete Sears, on bass!
Replicating the music of The Band is a tall order.
