ShadowPass, Morning Side Lanes, Shy Shape, The Golden Novak Band

Jess Novak and Brian Golden felt an instant connection when they first jammed together in July 2013. Within weeks of meeting, the two worked together on Novak's solo album, Bad Habit, and have continued their musical connection - one where passion and talent meet. The powerhouse duo brings blues, rock and singer/songwriter choice covers and soulful originals to life through guitar, percussion, violin and voice.

"Writing this review, I was immediately floored by the dynamic range of this duo. There have been many perfect pairs in the past, but the vocal combination of Jess Novak and Brian Golden can only be described as an ultimate unity of spirit in song...This pair of 'modern minstrels' have played and paid their dues, so I truly believe they were destined to work together on this album that is uplifting, bright and uniquely both seriously mature and playfully bouncy." - Xombiewoof

Brian Golden has been playing guitar for 24 years and been in bands including Bad Weather Blues, The Pub Crawlers, Fools at Play, Master Thieves, The VooDoo Mystics and Lunar Stew.

Jess Novak has been playing violin since the age of seven and performed throughout the Northeast with bands including Master Thieves, Shining Star Band and Jess and The Beards. Her album, Bad Habit, was nominated for a Syracuse Area Music Award and she was nominated Best Female Vocalist for the 2014 Best of Syracuse Award. Jess has sat in with artists and bands spanning Charley Orlando to Undergang to Granny 4 Barrel to Fritz's Polka Band and been a part of musical events including Salt City Waltz, The Beatles 50th Anniversary Show, Vinyl Albums Live, Syracuse Fashion events, RESPECT: Women of CNY and The Ameribeat Orchestra.

As a duo, trio (featuring Mark Nanni - of Los Blancos - on keys, accordion, vocals and percussion) and band, Golden and Novak perform their large catalogue of original music (sporting the material of three singer/songwriters - Golden, Novak and Nanni) as well as covers spanning B.B. King to Bruce Springsteen to Amy Winehouse to TLC.

Novak released her solo debut album, Bad Habit, in December 2013. The duo's full-band self-titled debut album was released in August 2014 and the group has toured from Vermont to Florida, Boston to Nashville, performing more than 200 dates every year. Their music is playing on radio stations worldwide and written about at home and across the ocean.

"There are those rare moments in music when the dynamics of sight and sound converge into a near-perfect storm. Then it rains down talent and a connection of musical and personal chemistry create something that is irresistible. Such is the case with The Golden Novak Band….Their music is a blissful shot of Americana blues-based soul music with Golden and Novak writing material that is reminiscent of the kind of creativity and inspiration that came out of Stax or Muscle Shoals in their prime…There's no doubt that while The Golden Novak Band is a premiere slice of blue-eyed soul brilliance…In the earlier days of American music, one of the major labels would have signed this band up for a lucrative deal faster than you could say Zephyr, Fairport Convention and Pentangle." - Terry Roland, No Depression