The Tangled Roots

Jason Cremeans ("Jay"): Jason's roots are in psychedelia, rock, and classic funk. He fulfills his role as guitarist by providing scratchy, funk-laden guitar riffs, and also by adding general ambience to our music. Whether his tone is clean or heavily effects driven, Jason's parts contribute largely to each of our songs. He is also known for his exceptionally deep, boomy voice as an occasional background singer. Bryce Duncan ("Peaches"): Bryce's roots are in jazz and experimental music. As an alto saxophonist, he is one of the three primary soloists in the Tangled Roots. His improvisations are often an amalgamation of bluesy funk lines, and harmonic approaches that are reminiscent of jazz modality. Shawn Hesson ("The Cream"): Shawn is the lead guitarist, and another principle soloist in the group. He is an accomplished improviser, with roots in guitar driven rock and Latin music. When he isn't soloing, his lines are often effects driven, and tend to act as extensions of the harmony in relation to the more foundational approach being executed by our other guitarists. Levi Hornsby (Levy): Levi is our lead vocalist and frontman. His vocal style, which is reminiscent of power-metal vocalists and classic rock, is one of the most eclectic facets of the Tangled Roots. He is known for his incredible range, and eccentric stage presence. Jeremy Martin ("Mustang"): The funkiest man in the band, Jeremy acts as our bassist. With his grooving, effects driven bass lines, he lays down the foundation for everything we do. He is known for his use of slap bass, and while his influences hail mostly from various forms of funk, his lines are often reminiscent of house music. PJ Rupenstien ("Kiwi"): PJ is our drummer. Having spent time in the Air Force band, PJ is a proficient percussionist, and his thoroughly accessorized kit is well equipped for a variety of musical styles and textures. His roots are in hard rock, which adds a driving intensity to his funky rhythms. He is the pulse of the Tangled Roots. Tim Smith: The man behind the talk box, Tim is really a jazz pianist. His versatile approach to harmony and comping patterns are key to establishing the full extent of our harmonic approach. He serves as the third and final primary soloist, and is also a composer of electronic music. Taze Thomas: Simply put, Taze is our hype man. As a background vocalist, he is the yin to Levi's yang. Taze picks up the alternate vocal parts, and balances out the front line with Levi and the soloists. In addition to playing auxiliary percussion, he also acts as an occasional rhythm guitarist, leaving Jay and Tim more room for rhythmic exploration. An electro-funk octet from West Virginia, The Tangled Roots offer an eclectic musical sound which combines diverse elements such as funk, EDM, soul, hip hop, fusion, neo-electronica, rock, and a touch of jazz.