Singer – songwriter – pioneer: all words best describing Michael Nesmith. Starting in the Texas folk scene in 1963, he quickly blossomed into a brilliant tunesmith during his time on the Emmy award-winning The Monkees. His melodic, country-tinged songs were regularly featured on the band’s multi-million selling albums and singles, but he heard a greater creative calling to find his own voice as a record maker.

In the late 60’s, he brought his craft to new levels. During 1968, Michael Nesmith ventured to Nashville to record a series of groundbreaking sessions with local musicians. “I could just feel this happening, that there was this ‘thing,’” recalled Nez. “So, I headed off to Nashville to see if I couldn’t get some of the Nashville country thing into the rock’n’roll or vice versa.”

The recordings that resulted are now recognized as foundational in the country-rock and alt-country movements. His exploratory work caught the ear of legendary RCA A&R man, Felton Jarvis, who signed Nesmith and a new ensemble, the First National Band (pedal steel virtuoso Red Rhodes, bassist John London, and drummer John Ware) to wax the groundbreaking Magnetic South (1970). The album was the first part of an Americana trilogy, followed by Loose Salute (1970) and Nevada Fighter (1971), which spun off the chart hits “Joanne,” “Silver Moon,” “Nevada Fighter,” and “I’ve Just Begun To Care (Propinquity).”

Despite stellar reviews – Rolling Stone called Loose Salute, “one of the hippest country rock albums – commercial success was harder to come by and the First National Band soon scattered. Nez played out his remaining RCA albums with Red Rhodes and toured with him throughout the ‘70s, but the full-blown sounds of the First National Band were never to be heard on the concert stage again.

In January 2018, Michael Nesmith sold out The Troubadour in West Hollywood, performing his First National Music for the first time in four decades, backed by a stellar ten-piece band. Songs like “Different Drum” (a Top 20 hit for Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys), “Some of Shelly’s Blues” (covered by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), and The Monkees’ classic, “Papa Gene’s Blues” filled the room with warmth and splendor. Back by popular demand, Nez will once again perform this cherished music onstage in October 2019. This further series of shows will revisit and renew the music of the First National Band, along with such classics as “Rio” (a hit that led to his creation of MTV). He will also share stories from his recent autobiography, Infinite Tuesday.

An undisputed expert in the fine art of making hit music, Jim Messina’s legacy of musical genius spans five decades, three super groups, a vibrant solo career and scores of producing and engineering credits.

While acting as producer/audio engineer for Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Buffalo Springfield, Messina ultimately joined the band as its bass player.  When “the Springfield” disbanded in 1968, Jim and fellow bandmate Richie Furay formed Poco. With Jim on lead guitar, Poco defined a new musical genre, Country Rock. After three successful albums, Jim was ready for a change and left to return to his passion for producing music. He signed as an independent producer with Columbia Records.

In November 1970, Columbia asked Jim to work with an unknown Kenny Loggins. While helping Kenny get ready for a record and touring, the two discovered that they worked well together and Jim agreed to sit in on Kenny’s first album. Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In was released in November of 1971 and an accidental duo was formed.

Over the next seven years, Loggins & Messina released eight hit albums, had scores of hit songs and sold over 16 million albums. They had become one of rock’s most successful recording duos ever, but it was time for the duo to go their separate ways.

After a series of celebrated solo acoustic tours, Jim formed a band made of acclaimed musicians who have played with him at various points in his career. His latest release, In the Groove, includes selected hits from all three of Jim’s previous bands, as well as several of his solo works.

Touring the country and playing sold-out shows, Jim says that he’s enjoying discovering who he is, where he’s been, and, most significantly, where he’s going.

A Celebration of Joni Mitchell featuring Kimberly Ford is a rocking tribute to the most iconic singer-songwriter of the Woodstock generation. Mitchell touched millions with her nearly 40-year career that spanned genres from contemporary folk to jazz to full-throated pop-rock. Hear this incredible seven-piece band, modeled on Joni’s tenure with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express, play all your favorite tunes, like Help Me, Conversation, Blue, River, All I Want, Free Man in Paris, Cary and, of course, Woodstock … The band also throws in a few you might not have heard before …

Ford and her band, A Celebration of Joni Mitchell, have been selling out rooms from Tucson to San Francisco’s wine country for six years with a rocking tribute to the most iconic singer-songwriter of the Woodstock generation.  Not a paint-by-numbers tribute band, Ford and Co. infuse Mitchell’s canon with new life while paying deep respect to a poet laureate of her generation’s songwriters.