About Vinyl

Vinyl was formed in 1995 in a Mill Valley garage with the goal of replacing the ubiquitous DJ’s with a live band that would keep people dancing by moving seamlessly from genre to genre just like a DJ’s selections. The band’s diverse sound and high energy shows were met with an overwhelmingly positive response from the start - selling out their first and every show played at their home club - The Sweetwater (over 100). Over 20 years of national + international touring brought the band to High Sierra Music Festival, Reggae on the River, Oregon Country Fair, Mountain Aire, Jazz Aspen/Snowmass, Berkshire Mountain Music Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Hood River Fest, Baja Fest (Mex), All Good Festival and many others. For 15 straight years, Vinyl played sold-out sunrise sets at New Orleans’ legendary Maple Leaf Bar during Jazzfest. In 2000 Vinyl teamed up with The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh for a jam-packed benefit concert in Petaluma. Vinyl received a “Wammie” award for Best International Band from San Francisco’s SF Weekly and was voted one of the top 25 bands in the country by a jambands.com nationwide poll. Vinyl issued six self-produced albums and has worked /performed with artists such as: Ernest Ranglin, Bernie Worrell, Les Claypool, Sugarpie DeSanto, Rob Wasserman, Bob Weir, Fred Ross, Poncho Sanchez, Eek-A-Mouse, Larry Coryell, Jerry Harrison, Andrew Tosh, Huey Lewis and many more. Vinyl’s four original members - Bill Frates on guitar, Jonathan Korty on keys, Lex Razon on drums and Geoff Vaughan on bass - are now joined by Alex Baky on sax (Monophonics), Mingo Lewis Jr. on percussion (Groundation), Charlie Wilson on trombone (Albino!) and will feature guest vocalist Andre Cruz (The Steady 45’s) at Sound Summit on Sept 9 (tix go onsale June 2 at 10 AM at www.soundsummit.net) Vinyl continues it’s 30 year “Black Wednesday’” bash every year at Sweetwater on the night before Thanksgiving - a local tradition that features many special guests and reunites the old school Marin community.