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Contemporary Bluegrass-Americana from our soul, rooted in Folk & Country as reflected in our original music & choice of covers, coming from Mark’s West Virginia roots & Randy’s 5th-generation California heritage. We’re a 5-piece award-winning working band formed in 2012 by singer-songwriters Mark Miller and Randy Hanson. Our 3rd CD of original songs are the essence of new and fresh story telling in music with stories of love gone right to gone wrong, nostalgia for vinyl records, plus songs about the road, drinking, homesickness, politics, & the wild West. Few know the rich Bluegrass history in San Diego and SoCal, from Chris Thile & Nickle Creek, Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon, Wayne Rice, Deering Banjos, Stuart Duncan, Ron Block, John Moore, Dennis Caplinger, Alison Brown, Byron Berline, Ricky Skaggs, Dan Crary, & many more as documented by Rick Bowman’s history of San Diego Bluegrass Documentary “Banjos, Bluegrass & Squirrel Barkers” including MohaviSoul (https://youtu.be/TJmiJ8J7_-8 ). MohaviSoul is the new California Bluegrass sound in SoCal writing a new chapter of Contemporary Bluegrass/Americana in the traditions of Dave Alvin & Laurie Lewis. Prescription Bluegrass wrote “with their soulful style, MohaviSoul achieves a certain identifiable likeability that is hard to find” about our first CD, Every Second. Our second CD, Blue Diesel, was Best Bluegrass EP by The Akademia. Our third CD, Hometown Blues gets airplay, NPR interviews, & San Diego Troubadour said “Mohavisoul’s music is swiftly seductive, full of foot tapping, shoulder moving tempos, simple music accomplishing profound emotional effects. Hometown Blues is a genuinely moving contribution to the new roots music.” MohaviSoul, called a southwestern version of Seldom Scene, is a contagious sound like other Contemporary Bluegrass Bands. MohaviSoul books as support act for regional & national acts such as SoulGrass, NuBlu, Sideline, Special Consensus, Iron Horse, Barefoot Movement, Front Country SF, Hot Buttered Rum, Old Salt Union, GangstaGrass, etc. MohaviSoul features 3 Berklee Alum, Orion Boucher, classmate John Mailander (IBMA Momentum Award Winner, 2016, Grammy Award winner, 2020) on fiddle on our award-winning Blue Diesel & again on Hometown Blues, & Berklee Alum Will Jaffe on Hometown Blues. Live at the 42nd Annual Huck Finn Jubilee showed the performance side of MohaviSoul at a major festival, and the new album Stories and Memories is a wonderful collection of tales wrapped in music that highlights our storytelling and breadth of styles and topics. So join MohaviSoul on our journey & we’ll see you at a festival performing our story telling wrapped in music, & sharing the fun & joy of our journey with everyone…MohaviSoul style!!!

Featured Artists. Days and times coming soon

Guitar playing at its very best, Randy Raatz floats between rock, country, jazz and often combining styles with a talent, passion and taste that is immediately captivating. Raatz’ mastery of the instrument continues to win praise from critics, who have likened his compositions and skill to those of George Benson, Jeff Healy, Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew. With a little help from the “Raatz Pack” of stellar vocalists, bassists and drummers Randy produces all his own music & videos in his home studio. Randy does mostly original music but will occasionally put his spin on a cover song.

More than just another local band, Unit E brings a new sound to the scene with their unique blend of musical styles. With familiar hooks, dance rhythms and the uncanny ability to make the new sound recognizable they keep audiences entranced with their conscious music and lively beats. What started out as a song writing duo over a decade ago in southern California eventually morphed into what is now Unit E. The band members all share a love and passion for human culture and a desire to use music to elevate consciousness and unify humanity.

Jo Kapsalis was born in London, UK and is of Greek decent. Born in 1983, a Virgo. Recently diagnosed with ADHD she is very creative and thinks outside the box. Constantly writing poetry and is a deep lyricist. An overwhelming sense of empathy and integrity, refusing to ‘undress’ for music. An ex-athlete, semi-pro footballer (soccer) a chef, a floor fitter, a professional driver, a childminder, a horticulturalist, plus more physically demanding roles. Former founder of Rock Band ‘Hippy Havoc’. Since the band split has been going solo & independent for the past 5yrs. Playing guitar for 27yrs, currently privately teaching guitar, piano and bass guitar. She writes, records & produces her own music & videos. Genres are Rock, Rap, Reggae, Acoustic & Blues. She is not in it for money nor’ fame, she writes as a therapy, hoping it helps others along the way who can relate to her music. To sum up… music is her life.

David A. Harley was born in the UK more decades ago than he cares to disclose. During the 1970s he enjoyed a brief and less than illustrious career as a professional musician. His later career includes spells as an IT administrator, security editor, author and researcher, and much else that is even less impressive, but he never quite grew out of playing the guitar (mostly) and writing songs, and when he retired from the security industry he considered returning to full-time music-making, but then along came Covid-19, so he now restricts his activities to writing and recording. Still, his songs and instrumentals reflect the range of music he’s made as a soloist and sideman over the last [mumble] decades: acoustic and electric, folk, Americana, blues, jazz and rock, even music for a revue. While his early albums are now unobtainable, most of those tracks (usually remastered or re-recorded) can be found at https://davidaharley.bandcamp.com/.

Jay has a lifetime career of over 40 years in music. A drummer from the age of 12, he started playing guitar and singing at 16. Jay started his professional career in Guam and Japan in the 1970s. His band Mooonshine had a development deal with Polydor Records. He has played with Bang Tango (fill-in) and auditioned with Britney Fox and Nikki Sixx (pre-Motley Crue). Jay also appeared with Chuck Berry in Guam. Jay has performed with the groups Aunt Foxx, Moonshine, Egypt (original act), Doghouse (Blues and Rockabilly covers), Blue Tattoo (Rock covers), Mojo Rats (Rock and Blues covers) and Electric Mud (Originals / Covers). His Tribute work includes Aerotrain (as Steven Tyler – Aerosmith Tribute), AZ Top (as Billy Gibbons – ZZ Top Tribute), Wild Horses (as Keith Richards – Rolling Stones Tribute) and Recipe For Disaster (as Gilby Clark, GnR Tribute).He currently is the guarist and vocalist with his band Dark Horse, featuring his original songs.

Luhan Si Hadin writes songs with emo lyrics and acoustic instrumentation to listen to during identity crisis. 

As a nonbinary singer/songwriter with CHamoru, Chinese, Filipino, and Mexican heritage, they strive to create an outlet for nerdy queer listeners of color like themself. 

They purposely chose a name to embrace their fears-the fear of making and sharing art, the fear of being publicly out, and their fear of not properly honoring the many aspects of their heritage. Luhan Si Hadin means Hadin is scared in Chamorro. 

They also helped run the Sacramento Songwriter Circle during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting local musicians during the transition to virtual live music.

You might have heard their music on Alternative Twist, KSSU, KYDS, or Sacramento Dirt. They are based in Sacramento, CA.

Their pronouns are: they, them, theirs, elle, gui’, guiya. Phonetic pronunciation: loo-hawn see huh-deen.