Zach Deputy in Tallahassee, Fl.

Zach Deputy was one of the best acts at Bear Creek Music Festival in Live Oak this year, and what a super cool fellow he is. He plays at the Engine Room in Tallahassee Saturday night. $8 cover.

Anyone who dropped by Zach's tarp-shaded campground stage at Bear Creek left with a smile. The guy is just plain having fun, and he's got the groove going!

People compare him to Keller Williams because he uses loops and is a one-man band, but he's really not like Keller Williams. Anyway, go check him out!

Here's the promo from Zach's site:

"Truly a one-man band, he is a powerhouse of performance, technical chops, and one hell of a charismatic presence. Put simply, Zach Deputy does what is called live looping: layering sounds through the magic of technology to create a full band effect. He isn’t the only performer out there doing this, but he has taken the technique to the next level. First and foremost, however, Zach Deputy is a songwriter, a shredding guitarist and a soulful singer with a 4+ octave vocal range. He can also drop freestyle rhymes with the best of them. The Zach Deputy sound is essentially roots rock, but in his case the roots are in soul, calypso and dancehall, underpinned by driving hip-hop, rock steady, Motown and Stax backbeats created with his layered vocal beatboxing. On top of the backbeat, Zach Deputy’s nylon strings pull multiple duties as bass, rhythm and lead guitar. Riding over that, a plethora of sounds-- keyboard, steel drums and an entire horn section-- come pumping and grinding out of the speakers when Zach takes the stage. He is a one man dance party, but he can also bring an audience to rapt attention with a heartfelt love ballad."

Get your Bear Creek tickets now

I am so psyched for the Bear Creek festival at the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. The ticket prices go up a few bucks on September 17, so get on it, festivarians!

I went to Bear Creek last year and it was completely chill, uncrowded, and, of course, featured stellar bands. Bear Creek is the reincarnation of the old Down on the Farm festival which was held in Quincy, Fla. for a couple of years. The Down on the Farm people bought new land for their festival site, but locals nixed the fest. That's when they moved it the Suwannee Music park.

That's cool by me. Suwannee is a fabulous venue with great camping and an awesome river beach. The main river beach is a long way from the stages, so you'll need a car or golf cart to get there. You can walk to a different, closer spot to swim, but there's no beach there. With the river as high as it is, beach will be hard to find in any case. Still, you must baptize yourself in the Suwannee!


For Bear Creek, JJ Grey and Mofro is the band I am most excited to see. They get better every time I see them. I caught them at Echo Project in Georgia, and at their own Blackwater Sol Review in St. Augustine, Fl. summer of 2007. They also put on a killer show at 2007's Wannee festival, also held at Suwannee Music Park.

I have no idea why JJ Grey isn't more famous, He's got the star quality, the pipes, the writing chops and the showmanship to be bigger nationally.

I'll be back soon to preview Magnolia Fest, which is coming up fast. Yay! Can't wait to see all my festy friends!