About John: Associations

This page is dedicated to discussing some of John's various musical associations, be they studio projects only, live performances, or just the occasional jam session.

• John McGaraghan Solo: A nebulous and rotating group of musicians, including many of those described in the associations listed below. You can listen to free mp3's of John's solo music (very nearly everything he's ever recorded!) here.
• The Skinny: A variously named acoustic quartet featuring:
  Dave Lockhart: Upright Bass, Vocals (when he's not on tour with the Dead Winter Carpenters)
  Tanya Brown: Banjo, Guitar, Vocals
  Koralie Hill: Fiddle, Banjo, Vocals
  Mike McGaraghan: Dobro, Guitar, Vocals
  John McGaraghan: Mandolin, Vocals

  The group plays a mix of original, traditional, and cover music in the acoustic, folk, bluegrass, and old-timey styles. Everyone picks and sings real good and has a great time. You can check out some video here.

• Mike McGaraghan: One of John's favorite collaborations is playing as a duo with his brother Mike ("BROTHER MIKE"). John and Mike's styles are very complementary, and they both swap around on instrumental, singing, and songwriting duties. You can hear a recording of Mike's song "North Country Fall" the duo collaborated on back in January of 2006. Keep your eye on the schedule for upcoming dates!
• Lee Simpson: Another King Harvest founder, Lee Simpson is currently performing, as a solo artist, both alone and with the Lee Simpson Band. John takes every chance he gets to play with Lee, joining gigs at venues like San Francisco's historic Fillmore Auditorium and Hotel Utah, and Southern California venues like The Joint (Santa Monica) and The Gig (Hollywood). Lee continues to use a number of John's songs (both solo and former King Harvest material) in his repertoire, including on his eponymous album "LS" available at CD Baby. To learn more about Lee and his recent activites, visit www.LeeSimpson.net.
• King Harvest: John was a founding member of King Harvest, adding acoustic and electric guitars, lap and table steel guitars, mandolin and vocals (not to mention writing some songs)! King Harvest played a unique blend of country/americana and full-tilt rock and roll. Even after John was no longer a full time member of the band, he still occasionally sat in with the band, live and in the studio.
• Oversoul: John's former San Diego-based Psychedelic Bluegrass Rock band. All former members of Oversoul independently relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1990's and the year 2000 saw the first Oversoul performance in nearly 3 years! You can listen to free mp3's of Oversoul in the music section of this site.
• Hot Buttered Rum String Band: John's former Oversoul compatriats Zac Matthews and Bryan Horne along with a few other excellent players and song writers. Learn more about the Hot Buttered String Band at www.hotbutteredrum.net.
• The Redwood Project: A band formed by former Jambay drummer/percussionist Matt Butler, and featuring other former members of Jambay, in addition to other all-star players from bands like Ratdog, Zero, Missing Man Formation, Animal Liberation Orchestra, and others. Learn more about The Redwood Project at www.theredwoodproject.com.
• Pure Noodle: A San Diego based jam band that John has been known to join in live performances on lap steel guitar. Learn more about Pure Noodle at www.purenoodle.com.