The Josh Panda Band needs no introduction as Josh & friends have graced the Skinny stage & patio many-a-time but some back ground nonetheless from his web site...

Joshua Panda, a twenty-four year-old singer/songwriter from Charlotte, North Carolina, is an exceptional combination of folk and soul, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding, and has traveled with this unique sound to a unique place: Vermont.

Joshua grew up in Huntersville, NC where at age three he started singing gospel music at Rockwell Baptist Church. From the church, he adopted the gospel hand wave, the rhythm, the wailing, and most importantly the embodiment of spirit. Ever since those early days in the choir, Joshua has oozed with uncontainable emotion and passion.

Integrating such soulful energy into his original folk writings, Joshua not only has established an entirely new genre of music, but also has captured a spirit in his performance, which encompasses both the flailing of a fervent preacher and the intimacy of your best friend telling you a story.

Currently, Joshua is playing with any variation of musicians from Vermont, Montreal, New York City, and North Carolina. Typically his band features guitar, mandolin/piano, accordion, pedal steel, and upright bass. His debut album will be released this summer—an album of love and loss that Joshua calls “my own brand of soul and gospel-based story-telling” He plans to record his second album live in the fall—a compilation of songs that he deems “pull more from my country influences but are still all about story-telling.”

Come on down for a real live foot stompin' hootenany at the Cake in Burlington Thursday night Oct 22nd beginning at 9p.m. and ramblin' on to a late night session with The New Familiars & Josh Panda Band.

From the foothills of Appalachia comes The New Familiars five gentlemen who combine an amazing passion for harmony with multi-instrumental talent and unusual storytelling abilities. A new musical combination grown from seeds of folk, blues, and bluegrass shaped by the undeniable power of rock and roll. Click here www.myspace.com/thenewfamiliars and continue on...

Currently touring in support of their six-song EP 'The Storm' and a recently released 7" vinyl (featuring their original tune 'Mill's River' with a re-interpretation of Smokey Robinson's classic 'My Girl'), they've taken the east coast music scene by force. Drawing raucous club crowds from Boston to Tuscaloosa while shining bright on the festival circuit grace of a fresh and distinct new sound, the buzz about the band is palpable and growing.

While describing their songwriting as "folk music from the core", the band has constantly stretched the boundaries of 'genre labels'. Since their debut in late 2006, they've fused the multitudes of musical influences that each member brings to the table onto a foundation built upon traditional instruments such as resonator guitar, mandolin, banjo and harmonica. Yet glimpses of new material hint towards even broader musical horizons while still maintaining - and even reinforcing - the unique sound that has so defined the band.

All this, most especially when combined with their intense live performances, serve as signs pointing to one very clear statement:  The New Familiars are a powerful swell in a new wave of honest, roots-derived rock music sweeping the nation....and they join the Josh Panda Band at the Skinny Pancake on Thursday night the 22nd...