The Miners Foundry is pleased to present the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball on Saturday, February 10, 2018.  Mumbo Gumbo will headline the evening with special guests, the Bob Woods Trio.  Mumbo Gumbo is a 7 piece band whose big musical stew contains elements of soul, zydeco, folk, blues, rock, cajun, Carribean, and country, all mixed into their uniquely festive roots music sound.  Bob Woods is a Western Swing Hall of Fame Inductee who has been playing music since 1971.   Costumes and masks encouraged! Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the music starts at 8:00 p.m. Standing / dancing show with limited seating available.  General Admission tickets are $25 in Advance and $30 at the Door.  Advance sales close at 4:00 p.m on February 10th.  Tickets are available online, by phone, or in person at the Miners Foundry Box Office, or at BriarPatch Food Co-Op.  Ticketing fees do not apply for purchases made through the Miners Foundry Box Office by phone or in person.

For over 25 years, Mumbo Gumbo has been one of Northern California’s top groups, bringing genre-bending Americana music to their many fans.  Fronted by two first-rate singer/songwriters, Chris Webster and Tracy Walton, the band is anchored and driven by one of the region’s longest-lived rhythm sections: drummer Rick Lotter and bassist Lynn Michael Palmer. With Reggy Marks’ sax, Jon Wood’s guitar, and Steve Stizzo’s keyboards fleshing out the band’s expansive sound, Gumbo has built a reputation not just for danceability, but for creative depth.

It starts with the songs. Moving back and forth between Webster’s sly, sometimes melancholy explorations of romance and individuality and Walton’s ebullient, unabashed celebrations of family and commitment, Gumbo weaves a rich tapestry of sound and sensibility that transcends genre.  Coloring the space between the kinetic rhythm section and the intertwined singers are three veteran musicians: Marks, whose saxophone, flute, percussion and soulful harmonies add a third voice to the sound; Stizzo, whose exquisit work on organ, piano, and accordion add character as well as color; and Wood, whose guitar playing weaves in and out, shading the rhythms and occasionally lending a sharp, melodic solo.

The result can be positively relentless, as the band’s extended jams drive dancers wild while giving non-dancers plenty to listen to!

Bob Woods started playing in 1971 with the Sacramento Western Swing band, Tokpela.  A Western Swing Hall of Fame Inductee, he’s shared the stage with the Surfaris, Tiny Moore, Bill Kirchen, Albert Lee, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Billy Joe Shaver, and many others.  You never know who might share the stage with Bob Woods!  Woods has released seven original albums:  Hillbilly Cadillac, The Night We Stole the Last Steam  Engine, Don’t Forget the Trains, Almost Live, Railroad Money, This Town, and Swampbilly.