New Monsoon

If you thought the Allman Brothers Band and Grateful Dead, both with a pair of drummers, were lacking in percussion, New Monsoon is your band. The San Francisco-based septet brings the drum and then some with a trio of percussionists who help the band craft its groove-centric, improvisational sound. Founded in 1997 by former Penn State classmates (and guitartists) Bo Carper and Jeff Miller, New Monsoon quickly began to define itself as a band without definition. Using an inclusive jazzy foundation, the group is a multi-cultural extravaganza, incorporating elements of African, indian, Latin, Australian and other insternational sounds into a soulful funk groove with nods to blues and bluegrass. New Monsoon has issued a pair of studio albums — 2003's Downstream and last year's The Sound — that capture the tighter aspects of their songcraft, but the group shines brightest live, where the varied sets have become a favorite among fans and tapers in grand jam band tradition.