JOE CRAVEN & THE SOMETIMERS  – The Story

There is no label to accurately describe the music of Joe Craven and the Sometimers. Acid-Rockgrass? Amerijazzyicana with a Copacabana Infusion?  To try to box it in would be to crush the exuberant creative spirit that happens when Craven, Jonathan Stoyanoff, Bruce MacMillan, Hattie Craven and Jim Frink play together. “No genre left behind” is their musical motto, and they accomplish the task with joyful abandon, playing paradigm-shattering free range music that entices and excites.

Joe Craven is a sound farmer, creativity educator, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and former museologist. For over 40 years, he has made a living preserving and playing forward the folk tradition by reimagining it as new music. Joe has recorded and played with Jerry Garcia, David Lindley, David Grisman, Vassar Clements, Rob Ickes, Alison Brown and many other innovative artists. He’s made and produced many recordings, including the critically acclaimed CDs “Camptown”, ”Django Latino” and “Garcia Songbook”.  He has created music and sound effects for commercials, soundtracks and computer games.

As an educator, Joe is featured in the PBS television series, Music Gone Public and he is the Director of RiverTunes’ bundle of camps, including, JAMboree, Vocáli Voice Camp, and WinterTunes Online Camp. He’s a recipient of the Folk Alliance Far-West Performer of the Year Award and the Swannanoa Gathering’s Master Music Maker Award. Joe has also been a Master of Ceremonies at music festivals, including Delfest, Telluride Bluegrass, Grand Targhee Bluegrass, High Sierra, Live Oak, Wintergrass, Rockygrass, Millpond and the Hangtown & Sugar Pine Music Festivals. Joe has presented at over 500 schools, colleges and universities. He teaches privately online and makes house calls offering community/group based workshops. He is also a weekend poet and eulogist.

He sleeps occasionally.