Hailing from Murfreesboro, TN, The Great Barrier Reefs is a progressive funk/jazz, steel pan fronted band ready to show what they got.
Kris Acklen is a 26 year old, multi-talented performer, songwriter, music producer, live sound engineer, and D.J. A native Memphian, he found a passion for music when he began piano lessons as a child. He started out making beats and rapping when he was about 17, and then started DJ'ing at 18. These days he is the live sound engineer at Otherlands Coffeebar.
Originally from Colombia Marcela Pinilla has been professionally singing since she was 14 years old.
Marqué Boyd, a born and raised Memphian, began playing the saxophone at age 13. "That's when my journey began," says Boyd. Inspired by his mother, who bought him his first saxophone, and by musicians like Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams, 24 year old Boyd has continued that journey for 11 years.
Al Gamble is a Memphis studio and touring musician, playing Hammond B-3 organ and keyboards. He was born in Columbus, Ga., but his family moved to his parents' home town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, in the early 1970s where he was raised. After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1991 he lived in Tuscumbia, until moving to Memphis in 1994 to pursue a career in music.
Since then, Al has been an integral part in some very amazing Memphis groups, such as the Gamble Brothers Band, The Grip, John Paul Keith and the 145s, and his latest band, The City Champs.
George Sluppick is an touring drummer with more than 35 recording credits, best known for his association with bands such as The City Champs, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Sha Na Na and JJ Grey & Mofro. He specializes in blues, funk, soul and R&B music.
Saxophonist/singer/songwriter Brian "Breeze" Cayolle is soulful, strong, and deeply rooted in the jazz, R&B, and rock 'n roll traditions of his native New Orleans. His sound and style have taken him around the world, igniting crowds to standing ovations from the Montreux Jazz Festival to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Breeze studied music at the University of New Orleans and honed his craft in the clubs of the Crescent City. He performs with many of New Orleans finest artists, including Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame inductee Allen Toussaint, who has made Breeze a fixture in his band. For Toussaint, Breeze plays both tenor and baritone sax in live concerts and studio sessions.
A glance at some of Cayolle's musical achievements reveals a road map of American music: touring the world with Toussaint and Elvis Costello; and opening for the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Roy Buchanan, and Leon Russell.
Memphis soul / jazz organ trio The City Champs are comprised of three of Memphis’ top musicians: Guitarist Joe Restivo, organist Al Gamble and drummer George Sluppick. Their resumes include studio recordings and live dates with artists such as Rufus Thomas, Alex Chilton, JJ Grey and MOFRO, William Bell, Syl Johnson and the Memphis Horns.
Originally from St. Louis, Lyrika Holmes has lived in Memphis for 8 years now. She is a music teacher with Memphis City Schools, in which her school is the only one with an elementary level harp program in the state of Tennessee.
Lila is a seasoned, professional multi-instrumentalist whose dedication to her craft is shown through her musical expression, compositions, and enthusiastic performances. Her primary instrument is the violin and her mastery of the instrument’s intricacies gives her the innate ability to touch the heart, soul, and spirit of her listeners.
