Michael Sander’s all-star jazz fusion band One Tribe Nation was featured on the opening night at the Lebowski Festival LA 2006 held at The Knitting Factory. One Tribe Nation added an international class of musicians to a festival that has rapidly grown with people attending from all over the country. Lebowski Festivals are all about fun, entertainment, and celebrating and reliving and enjoying memories of “The Big Lebowski.” While the movie starring Jeff Bridges wasn’t a huge success at the box office, the spin-off multi-location festivals (total 4) that started in 2002 in Louisville, Kentucky with only 150 “achievers” (guests), the brainchild of founders and festival coordinators Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt, are wildly successful. In the last four years the fun has spread from Russell and Shuffitt’s hometown of Louisville to New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles netting a cult following of thousands “achievers.”

After seeing One Tribe Nation’s performance, “achievers” were set in a celebration mood as they enjoyed the Santana style of music blended in with delicate smooth jazz. One Tribe Nation’s all-star debut release Servants of a Lesser God and band t-shirts sold alongside festival stickers such as “We Believe in Nothing, and Not on My Rug Man” which were being sold next to “Achiever” t-shirts along with Nixon Bubbleheads and hoodies of Nixon bowling. The Lebowski Festival LA 2006 Night One featured a fun-filled party atmosphere that included drinking White Russians and reciting lines from the movie, shopping, and meeting VIP guests including Jeff “The Dude” Dowd, Peter Exline (inspiration for Walter), Lu Elrod (waitress), Luis Colina (red corvette owner), Jim Hoosier (Liam the bowling partner), Robin Jones (Ralph’s Checkout Girl), and Edie Mc Clury (well known actress known for Mid-Western accents). A midnight screening was held with everyone simply enjoying the movie with continued hard partying and laughter while drinking White Russians until the bar closed down. The good times extended to night two took the “achievers” for a fun night of bowling at The Cal Bowl in Lakewood that included Barry Asher (Bowling Technical Advisor) with everyone getting to bowl while reciting lines from “The Big Lebowski” and socializing with other “achievers” and guest stars from the film. Sometimes Jeff Bridges even shows up.

One Tribe Nation is Michael Sanders (Dyoxen), guitar; Rocklin Thompson (international fame dancer and actor) lead vocals; Joshua Eagan (Pink) drums; Chuck Prada (Black Eyed Peas), percussion; Dave Schulz (Goo Goo Dolls, English Beat), keyboard; Dave Filice, bass (Joe Dunne festival replacement). Servants of a Lesser God is supported by all the seasoned musicians above in addition to including vocalist guest stars Bernard Fowler (backup vocals Rolling Stones), Andy Vargas (lead vocals in current Santana lineup) and Angela Molina (Spoken Word) who attended audio engineering school at the Harris Institute for the Arts in Toronto with Michael Sanders, the legendary sax player Jimmy Roberts (Rod Stewart, Rick Braun), and the accomplished percussionist Luis Conte (Santana, Eric Clapton, and Madonna). For the “Amigos Del Diablo” track Darius Holbert (synth), Phil Rodriguez (trumpet), and Joel Bowers (tenor saxophone) added their sensational talents along with Hans Zermuehlen (keys) recording for “El Porto.” Todd McDonald (drums, percussion) also co-wrote some tracks with Michael Sanders. Other vocalists included Andy Sanders and Darcy Hanzlicek along with Jean Michelle Byron featured in “Esoterica.” Andy and Michael Sanders are brothers and grew up jamming together. Joshua Eagan produced the record and Dave Schulz helped with the arrangements, and the recording took place at Steakhouse Studio. One Tribe Nation’s Servants of a Lesser God has great material with sensational meaningful lyrics supplemented with a great Spanish lyrics track, “Hijos Del Cielo,” featuring Andy Vargas on vocals. Instrumentals such as “One Trick Pony” and “Beneath the Sun” further showcase Michael Sanders versatility on the guitar and Dave Schulz on keys with Jimmy Roberts featured on “Beneath the Sun.” One Tribe Nation isn’t just a band with a great debut CD, but catching these outstanding musicians live is an unforgettable experience.

Go to www.onetribenation.com for further information on Michael Sanders and One Tribe Nation and www.lebowskifest.com for further details on attending the Lebowski Festival. Servants of a Lesser God can be purchased at CD Baby, Amazon, Tower Records, Ameoba Music, Best Buy, and iTunes along with being available at One Tribe Nation shows and www.onetribenation.com.