Biography

Based out of New Orleans, Louisiana, The Crooked Vines is a funk-pop collective that brings exciting funk-fueled jams to the stage. Their heavy-hitting energy sustains and tastefully dips into spacey pleasure throughout their shows bringing a new sound to life. Mikayla Braun's sensitive yet compelling voice leads the ensemble, backed by Jonathan Solomon on bass and Dane Schindler on drums. This duo holds down the gritty rhythm section grooves where Steven Schwartz perfectly places his sweetly distorted keyboards, creating the perfect pocket for the hard-hitting horn lines provided by Phil Arpa on saxophone and James Keene on trombone. The group released their first studio effort on October 10th, 2015, self-titled The Crooked Vines, and their second album "Alive" on November 10th, 2017. Both are available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, BandCamp, and most other major platforms. You can find the group in New Orleans at venues such as Tipitina's, The Howlin' Wolf, House of Blues, and Gasa Gasa. They have opened for The Grammy Award winning Rebirth Brass Band, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Mystikal, George Porter Jr., Naughty Professor, Cyril Neville, John "Papa" Gros of Papa Grows Funk and more!

Steven Schwartz and James Keene are sponsored artists with Antigua Winds.

Press    & Awards

• Live In-Studio Performance & Interview at WWOZ 90.7FM New Orleans - 2018

​​

• Best Emerging Artist Nominee - Gambit Big Easy Awards - 2017

​​

• Live Performance of 'Alive' & 'Maybe I'm Crazy' on WGNO's News With A Twist - 2017

​​

• Offbeat Magazine  "Musical Landscapes: The Crooked Vines Take Risks and Detours Remaining Cohesive" - 2017

"Alive takes dramatic musical risks and detours while remaining cohesive. The band's self-affixed 'funk-pop' is merely the sonic jumping-off point, allowing The Crooked Vines to plunge into prog rock, hip-hop, jazz and soul with ease, even grace. If the sky is the ceiling, then a deep groove is the floor, a foot-tapping thread to guide the listener through the musical odyssey."​

​​

• Live Performance of 'Move'  & 'Take Me Away'  on WGNO's News With A Twist - 2016 

• Where Y'at Magazine "Tipitina's 'Free Friday' show w Big Sam's Funky Nation" - 2016

 "There's an oddly infectious energy that exists when you see The Crooked Vines. For such a big band, they still manage to keep things understated at times, while blowing the roof off the building at others." "I felt bad for those unlucky enough to have still been standing in line outside when [The Crooked] Vines set ended because they missed one amazing show."

​

• It's New Orleans 'Happy Hour' Podcast ft. The Crooked Vines, Bryan Batt, & More - 2016

​

• Live for Live Music The Crooked Vines Album Release Show Review - 2015

​

• BreakThru Media "The Crooked Vines" - 2013

​

Touring Highlights  

Tipitina's (New Orleans)
Gypsy Sally's (D.C.)

World Cafe Live (Philadelphia)

Elbo Room (Chicago)

Hi-Tone (Memphis)

Fubar (St. Louis)

French Quarter Festival (New Orleans)