China Cats Winter Dance Party

Tix $20 Advance: https://bit.ly/ChinaCatsWinterDance

The Bay Area’s longest-running tribute to the Grateful Dead, the China Cats have been burning up stages with the same band members since 2012. That consistency shows in the band’s ability to turn on a dime, pull out hundreds of different Grateful Dead songs, and deliver that sense of adventure that Dead fans covet. Tight but loose; loose but tight.

The band has performed throughout North America headlining concert halls and festivals including an annual spot at the Skull & Roses Festival in Ventura, CA. Lead guitarist Matt Hartle is well known through his regular Grateful Sunday series at Felton Music Hall, where he uses top players from the Bay Area each week. Matt also works with Joe Craven in the acoustic project Painted Mandolin. Rhythm guitarist Scott Cooper has also forged a name for himself through his performances with the China Cats and Rosebud as well as his original material. His debut CD reached #5 on the national jam band radio chart, and his most recent release is rising on the Americana charts. Together with keyboard player Steve Sofranko (a regular with Stu Allen), bassist Roger Sideman, and drummer Michael Owens, the China Cats are well known and well loved. The band has also performed with former Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, JGB organist Melvin Seals, and others.

“One of the premier tribute bands in Northern California. The group has spent years infusing the classic sensibilities of the Dead’s catalog with their own flair and energy” — Good Times, Santa Cruz

“The Bay Area’s leading Grateful Dead tribute band… Instead of attempting note-for-note re-enactments, the China Cats try to re-create the spirit of the Dead with creative jam sessions. This Bay Area tribute band performs the songs of the Grateful Dead with spirited jams that carry their own genuine personality while paying homage to their musical forefathers.” — Modesto Bee