SUNDOWN SOUND

Sundown Sound creates eclectic, heartfelt music channeling diverse influences of acoustic rock, jazz, blues, Americana, and progressive alternative music.  Thought-provoking, socially-conscious lyrics explore themes of spirituality, love, and beauty.  Sundown Sound at root is a feeling, one that creates a bond with their audience.   Hailing from South Florida, the band is comprised of songwriters Mike Matthews and Daniel Wolpin on vocals and guitar, Colin Fequa on bass, and Manuel Pila on percussion.  In these days of computer-generated musicmaking, Sundown Sound is on a mission to prove that homemade music is still viable and vital.

OPEN JAMS ARE MOVING TO WEDNESDAYS EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 2025! 7:00pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

Paper Trees – Eric King

Eric King, also known as Paper Trees, is a singer-songwriter from Miami, FL who has toured locally and nationally for the past 19 years in various bands and acts. From progressive rock, to indie pop, electronica, and folk, Eric has explored many facets of music to create an eclectic sound that can be experienced at his live performances.

Arthur Gregory Cruz w/ Special Guest Jamie Granger

Singer/Songwriter/Piano Man Arthur Gregory Cruz writes and performs his own original songs – melodic tunes with pensive lyrics that blend pop, rock and jazz influences from The Great International Songbook, Classic Rock and Alternative Americana.
A hopeful romantic, with a distinctive voice and style of song, Arthur sings of longing to “Be Your Valentine” believing in “Fairy Tales Of Love” and holding on to each other through the dark night of the soul when asking “Where Are You Now?”

OPEN JAMS ARE MOVING TO WEDNESDAYS EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 2025! 7:00pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all who observe! See you this weekend!

Last Almost Blue show in 2025!

Always a good time to be had with Amy Arlo’s Almost Blue! Come listen and maybe even dance along with us! Acoustic, Funk + Soul, all sure to sweeten your evening!

Velvet Sun is an ongoing project by singer/guitarist/drummer Scott Weinkle. The songs are a hybrid of crunch guitars, pop hooks, sonic distortion and celestial atmospheres.

Weinkle’s new 4 song EP Empire continues the journey first travelled on the 2001 release Dreamhome. Never far from his roots in psychedelia, British invasion and New York noise, Weinkle, who wrote and performed much of Empire, downshifts from the incessant power of rock holding it in reserve, and then unleashing it to knock the cobwebs from our somnambulist trance..

A live version of Velvet Sun was formed after an invitation to the 1999 Independent Music Festival based on the release of Dreamhome. For Empire, contributors were Eric Gould on keyboards and Marcel Salas on bass.

“Wait is a great song with a fantastic groove; it drives on a robust beat, some gorgeously underplayed vocals from Scott Weinkle and one of those riffs that seem to be doing nothing and yet add everything at the same time. Wrap this in sensational synthy sonics that give it a smooth edge and sophisticated sheen, and you have it all. It is fair to say that Velvet Sun knows precisely what they are doing.” – The Big Takeover

“Velvet Sun paints a dreamlike rebellion with new EP Empire” – Earmilk

“Wait features jangly guitars atop a contagious rhythm. The feel of the song is quixotic, while the flow presents aspects of dream-pop allied with SoCal folk-rock. The roll and sway of the layered harmonics are wonderfully mesmerizing.” – Ink 19

“A dark and delectably moody rock success from Velvet Sun, Empire immerses with a gripping post-punk pulse and array of melodic guitar/synth interplay.” – Obscure Sound

“Velvet Sun’s Empire highlights their ability to merge beauty with intensity, further solidifying their distinct place in indie rock.” – Tunes Around

empire Reviews

OPEN JAMS ARE MOVING TO WEDNESDAYS EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 2025! 7:00pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

Timothy LaRoque is a 24-year old singer-songwriter from Hollywood, Florida (born and raised). Being raised on the classics (The Beatles, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens are some of his favorites) yet growing up in an evolving world with a wide range of taste, he’s come up in the South Florida scene as a leader, specifically in his groups The Summit and (more recently) The Def Cats. Having played all over Florida and surrounding states, he always brings an undeniable, spiritual energy to his live performances.

 

ROD MacDONALD

Rod MacDonald (born August 17, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, novelist, and educator.^[1] He was a “big part of the 1980s folk revival in Greenwich Village clubs”,^[2] performing at the Speakeasy, The Bottom Line, Folk City, and the “Songwriter’s Exchange” at the Cornelia Street Cafe. He co-founded the Greenwich Village Folk Festival. He is perhaps best known for his songs “American Jerusalem“, about the “contrast between the rich and the poor in Manhattan” (Sing Out!), “A Sailor’s Prayer”, “Coming of the Snow”, “Every Living Thing”, and “My Neighbors in Delray”, a description of the September 11 hijackers’ last days in Delray Beach, Florida, where MacDonald has lived since 1995. His songs have been covered by Dave Van Ronk, Shawn Colvin, Four Bitchin’ Babes, Jonathan Edwards, Garnet Rogers, Joe Jencks, and others. His 1985 recording “White Buffalo” is dedicated to Lakota Sioux ceremonial chief and healer Frank Fools Crow, whom he visited in 1981 and 1985, and who appears with MacDonald in the cover photograph. Since 1995 MacDonald has lived in south Florida, where his cd, “Later that Night” was named “Best Local Cd of 2014” by The Palm Beach Post ^[3] and reached the top ten in national roots music charts. His first novel, The Open Mike, about a young man in the open mike scene of Greenwich Village, was published on December 5, 2014, by Archway Publishing.^[4] On May 1, 2018, MacDonald released his 13th solo recording, “Beginning Again,” on Blue Flute Music.^[5]

OPEN JAMS ARE MOVING TO WEDNESDAYS EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 2025! 7:00pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

Come out on Thursday night AT 7:30 PM for this new event where we will be featuring local musicians and songwriters you may not have had a chance to hear in the past

Hosted by Lou Dominguez and Wes Malkin

THIS WEEK

 

• No cover charge but donations accepted

EVAN FRANKEL AND FRIENDS

Evan Frankel was raised in Brooklyn, NY, and showed musical talent at a very early age.   He was auditioning for Broadway parts at age 7, but, as he says, was washed up by 12.

Evan Frankel-New York bred singer-songwriter, former vagabond, attorney, world traveler.

THE CAFE WILL BE CLOSED FOR A REFRESH FROM SUNDAY DECEMBER 21st THRU FRIDAY DECEMBER 26TH. WE WILL REOPEN ON SATURDAY, DEC 27TH FOR OUR MONTHLY OPEN MIC SERIES! BRING YOUR FRIENDS!

JAMIE GRANGER

Jamie Granger is a singer-songwriter from South Florida. He was raised on the island of Montserrat and worked for a time on a cattle ranch in Montana.  A lyrical journey through museums, roadside motels, and the dreams of lost cowboys.

No cover

Last Almost Blue show in 2025!

Always a good time to be had with Amy Arlo’s Almost Blue! Come listen and maybe even dance along with us! Acoustic, Funk + Soul, all sure to sweeten your evening!

Luna Star Cafe will be closed from Sunday, Dec 21st through Friday, Dec 26th.

Join us, Saturday December 27th as we reopen for our monthly Open Mic series!

Happy holidays to all! Please check back for any updates…

JOHN CAMACHO

JOHN IS RETURNING TO THE LUNA STAR STAGE FOR A SPECIAL NIGHT WITH FRIENDS AND A SURPRISE GUEST!
A fixture on the South Florida music and poetry scene for years, John Camacho brings his friends together for a farewell concert at one of the best venues to hear music anywhere, The Luna Star Cafe. His resume as poet and musician is considerable. Beginning with local heroes The Goods–the band he formed and co-fronted with his brother, Jim–through early 00s idiosyncratic human juke box cult faves, Mongo, to his current Christian band, Messiah Has Come, John has been writing and performing (with high-energy virtuosity), poetic and powerful pop rock songs with sometimes poignant, sometimes comical lyrics for the better part of two decades. He’s an award-winning poet whose work is published in literary magazines throughout the U.S. and Europe. A long-time paladin of our verse and music scene, John is saying goodbye to South Florida, and he’s asked some special friends to help him say sayonara in style. Don’t miss this very special night!

BOB LIND 

Since his 1966 mega-hit “Elusive Butterfly” helped revolutionize American music, Bob’s artistry has continued to improve and evolve. Today, 50-plus years into his impressive career, his songs have been covered by more than 200 quality artists. He’s writing and singing better than ever. And he’s playing his fantastic music all over the United States and Europe.

“Come and see why this engaging poet / guitarist / philosopher / singer / wise-ass has endured in the sometimes-cruel and always-fickle music business for [five decades]. But be prepared to feel emotions you may not have let yourself feel in a while – feelings that may scare you a little. His songs hit the heart like a wrecking ball!”

Robert’s 2004 CD “What Are We Fighting For?” was released on Fountainbleu Records. The 4 song CD was a mix of original gospel, blues, folk and rock tunes that examined democracy, nationalism, freedom, security, corporate greed, and war. The politically charged lyrics were a bit of a departure for Ross who is primarily known for blues.

ROBERT ROSS

Robert’s 2004 CD “What Are We Fighting For?” was released on Fountainbleu Records. The 4 song CD was a mix of original gospel, blues, folk and rock tunes that examined democracy, nationalism, freedom, security, corporate greed, and war. The politically charged lyrics were a bit of a departure for Ross who is primarily known for blues.

In March of 2002, Fountainbleu Records released “Sleight of Hand” which showcased the best material from two previous Ross recordings. The CD was re-mastered by Dennis Ferrante (Elvis, Aerosmith, John Lennon). Guitar World called “Sleight of Hand an excellent new CD.” Blues societies and radio stations in dozens of cities around the country loved it too.

DARREN BRUCK

Darren did his fellowship in Funk during the 90’s in the bars and clubs of NYC and Atlanta, including The Wetlands, Mercury Lounge and Chameleon Club.  Inspired by Dr Funkenstein and reared in the house of  Rhythm-n-Blues, he brings a style that he refers to as Boogie Blues.”  A pinch of “boogie blues”, a cup full of the funkness that is the rhythm section and a big helping of the signature M-tone’s horns . . . that’s the recipe for the Mysterytones explosive sound. 

Michelle John

Michelle John is an eclectic performer who started off singing in her youth gospel choir to later perform on stages all across the world, including on The Voice UK, the White House, and Buckingham Palace. She has toured with names such as Eric Clapton, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Mary J Blige, Tom Jones, and Andrea Bocelli. This will be her Luna Star debut.

Last Almost Blue show in 2025!

Always a good time to be had with Amy Arlo’s Almost Blue! Come listen and maybe even dance along with us! Acoustic, Funk + Soul, all sure to sweeten your evening!

SCOTT BECKER returns to Luna Star!

Drummer turned guitar player turned singer-songwriter. That is the path. When you listen to my music and experience my live performances you will see and feel all three phases. Lyrics are at the core of my music. Penning lyrics is a powerful flow of released emotion.

Jerry DeMeo is a guitarist singer songwriter who hails from Huntington, New York. He draws his guitar playing influences from a number of sources, including the acoustic stylings of Stephen Stills, Leo Kottke and Jorma Kaukonen. Jerry’s warm and expressive voice continually wins audience approval, as he performs a wide and diverse selection of originals and classics, each marked with his personal imprint. He has been writing and playing his original material for many years, and his long awaited debut album, “Headin’ East Headin’ West”, has been released and is widely available. The album can be previewed and downloaded under the MUSIC tab. The VIDEOS tab consists of live solo acoustic performances of 3 of Jerry’s tunes, one Hot Tuna song, and a live radio segments with Michael Stock interviewing Jerry, 2/10/13, and 2/2/14 on WLRN 91.3, Miami, Fl.

Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band

With vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and bass fiddle, Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band connect people with music that is woven into the fabric of the United States. Carrying on the tradition of old-time, pre-bluegrass string bands and songsters, they raise the roof with traditional folk songs, fiddle tunes, old-time country, bluegrass, Appalachian music, ragtime, blues, spirituals, railroad and cowboy songs, work songs, sea shanties, reels, breakdowns, ballads, and more.

Raised on a variety of rock and pop music forms from the second half of the twentieth century, the band members followed the influences of their musical heroes back in time to unearth a treasure trove of American roots music. They perform and record these songs with respect for their essence and place in history while imbuing them with a vitality and intensity that betrays their rock and roll upbringing.

Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band features Matthew on vocals, guitar, banjo, and mountain dulcimer; Jack Stamates on fiddle; Chris DeAngelis on bass fiddle and vocals; and Sean Edelson on mandolin, guitar, and vocals.

Visit http://ramblingstringband.com for more.

 SUNDOWN SOUND

Sundown Sound creates eclectic, heartfelt music channeling diverse influences of acoustic rock, jazz, blues, Americana, and progressive alternative music.  Thought-provoking, socially-conscious lyrics explore themes of spirituality, love, and beauty.  Sundown Sound at root is a feeling, one that creates a bond with their audience.   Hailing from South Florida, the band is comprised of songwriters Mike Matthews and Daniel Wolpin on vocals and guitar, Colin Fequa on bass, and Manuel Pila on percussion.  In these days of computer-generated musicmaking, Sundown Sound is on a mission to prove that homemade music is still viable and vital.