Meet the Collaborators
Musicians, Aikido practitioners, and performers who share the stage with R. Moon e
The Pronounced Harmony project brings together an extraordinary circle of artists — from Bay Area blues veterans to Aikido masters, from studio musicians to Hawaiian cultural practitioners. Each brings their own voice to the conversation.
Musicians
Felix "Guitar" Bannon
Guitar Virtuoso
Felix Bannon is a San Francisco Bay Area professional guitarist and bassist with over five decades of experience, active since 1971. A studio musician, recording artist, and sound engineer, Felix is a fixture of the Bay Area blues scene, regularly performing at legendary SF venues like The Saloon in North Beach. Known for his raw, expressive blues style, he plays everything from original material to classic blues standards, and has collaborated with a wide range of Bay Area musicians and bands. His YouTube channel documents years of live performances, including a memorable discussion of his storied 1979 Gibson "The SG" — a guitar that literally survived a structure fire.
Facebook Profile →Russ "Bobby" Whitehead
Bass / "The Muleskinner"
Russ Whitehead is an Oakland-based bassist and vocalist known for his versatility across musical styles. A longtime Bay Area performer, he is perhaps best known locally as a member of the band Sticky Vikki and the Pinecones, earning the affectionate nickname "The Muleskinner" for his powerhouse bass work and vocal range. He is also an accomplished harmony singer, making him a natural fit for the layered acoustic sound of R. Moon e's Pronounced Harmony performances.
Bandmix Profile →Jimi James
Drums / Percussion
Jimi James is a multi-faceted musician, producer, and entertainer based in Laguna Hills, California, with a performing career stretching back to 1980. Through his company Meta Mon Productions (founded 2007), Jimi works across music composition, MIDI and audio programming, video production, and web design. He also teaches piano and vocal lessons and specializes in artist development — bringing both a seasoned live performance sensibility and a behind-the-scenes production expertise to the stage.
LinkedIn Profile →Jim Nelson (Jim Bob Nelson)
Bass
Jim Nelson is a guitarist and songwriter originally from Oxnard, California, who performs under his own name in the Bay Area. He appears on several of the Winter's Tavern posters as part of the R. Moon e rhythm section alongside Jimi James.
Instagram →Aikido Practitioners
Patrick Cassidy Sensei
Aikido — The Alchemy of Aikido Event
Patrick Cassidy is a 6th dan Aikikai Aikido instructor and one of the most prominent figures in the global Aikido community. He began his Aikido journey in 1983 and spent seven years training in Japan — primarily as a student of the legendary Morihiro Saito Sensei in Iwama — as well as three years studying in India, Nepal, and Tibet. After returning to California, he served as Dojo-cho of Aikido of Fresno, where he continued training with Robert Nadeau Shihan and Richard Moon Sensei directly. He later moved to Switzerland and founded Aikido Montreux, and is currently the Executive Director of the Evolutionary Aikido Community (EAC), a network of 25 dojos worldwide. He also leads the Conscious Practice Institute, which applies Aikido principles to conflict resolution programs in psychiatric hospital settings.
Sensei Aikido Profile →Kayla Feder Shihan
Aikido — The Alchemy of Aikido Event
Kayla Feder is a 7th dan Aikikai Shihan and the Dojo-cho (Chief Instructor) of Aikido of Berkeley, one of the most respected Aikido schools in the United States. She fell in love with Aikido at the age of 9 in 1973 and has been devoted to the art for nearly 50 years. She studied directly under Morihiro Saito Sensei in Iwama, Japan, and has been the chief instructor at Aikido of Berkeley since 1995. Kayla Shihan is widely regarded for her technical precision and her deep commitment to preserving the traditional roots of the art while making it accessible to students of all levels.
Aikido of Berkeley →Performers
Billy Bramblett
Kumu Hula — BillyVerse Poetry Tribute, Aqus Cafe
Billy Bramblett is a Kumu Hula — a master teacher of Hawaiian hula — who performed at the "Welcome to the BillyVerse Beat Poetry Tribute" event at Aqus Cafe in Petaluma. The event appears to have been a tribute in his honor or to his body of work ("the BillyVerse"), blending Hawaiian cultural performance, beat poetry, and live music in a unique multi-disciplinary evening.
Instagram Post →Lynn Roth
Performer / Poet — BillyVerse Poetry Tribute, Aqus Cafe
Lynn Roth is a Santa Rosa, California-based performer associated with the Bay Area arts and poetry community. She appeared alongside Kumu Hula Billy Bramblett at the BillyVerse Beat Poetry Tribute at Aqus Cafe in Petaluma, contributing to the evening's blend of spoken word, hula, and live music.
Facebook Profile →