Born on the stage of countless nights at Terrapin Crossroads, The Casual Coalition are a branch from the "community music tree" that was planted at the Marin county venue, owned by Grateful Dead bassist, Phil Lesh.
The Casual Coalition features an always rotating musical cast, led by guitarist/vocalist Craig MacArthur, who organizes each performance with an amazing group of talented, local Bay Area musicians, which include mainstays, Brian Rashap (The Mother Hips) on bass and Scott Guberman ( Phil Lesh & Friends) on keyboards, as well as Stu Allen (Phil Lesh & Friends, Mars Hotel), Dan “LEBO” Lebowitz (ALO), Greg Loiacono (Mother Hips), Scott Law (Phil Lesh & Friends, Cosmic Twang), Mark Karan (Ratdog, Phil Lesh & Friends), Reed Mathis (Electric Beethoven) & many more!
The band showcases some original songs put forth by contributing members. The songs are then nurtured & grown within each configuration. Categorized as improvisational indie-rock, the band has been known to really explore the songs in an exciting, different way every performance.
In recent shows, The Casual Coalition have also performed some of rock's most seminal albums, including The Band's "Music From Big Pink," Bob Dylan & The Band's double album "The Basement Tapes," & recently The Rolling Stones opus, "Exile On Main St," which includes a full horn section. Each album, while still staying true to the original, is also expanded upon with sections of improvisational explorations.