Black Rock Zydeco wsg Milkweed

Fri. Aug 21, 2015 at 9:30pm EDT
21 and Over
Price: $10.00
21 and Over
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Event Stats
Price: $10.00
21 and Over
Event Description
Black Rock Zydeco wsg Milkweed

Sportsmen's Tavern


 

326 Amherst St.

Buffalo NY 14207


 

Friday August 21 @ 9:30


Black Rock Zydeco


wsg


Milkweed


$10


www.blackrockzydeco.com


http://www.milkweedtheband.com/home


 


ABOUT THE BAND
Black Rock Zydeco delivers a mix of stand-out original songs and Cajun/Creole favorites from classic and contemporary performers. Vocal harmonies, inventive arrangements, and an energetic stage presence all come together for a musical experience that gets crowds moving.
Ron Kowalewski (vocals, accordion)
Ron Kowalewski is a professional musician, educator, and songwriter whose modern zydeco anthem “Two Step Gorilla” has become a fan favorite (and was recently chosen as song of the day by Buffalo’s popular “Good Neighborhood” web site). Ron is well-known for his crowd-pleasing performances with the five-time ArtVoice Best of Buffalo award-winning Skiffle Minstrels.
Kathryn Koch (vocals, saxophone)
Buffalo native Kathryn Koch is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known for her powerhouse vocals with acclaimed indie folk band Redheaded Stepchild. After many years in Nashville, TN, Kathryn recently returned to Buffalo where, in addition to playing sax and singing with BRZ, she continues to showcase her songwriting and re-interpretation of traditional folk music as a solo act. Kathryn also sings and plays harmonica with Alan “ADub” Whitney and the Healing Committee.
Tyler Westcott (vocals, guitar)
Tyler Westcott is a multi-instrumentalist wunderkind with a plethora of musical tastes and interests. He is a founding member of the FolkFaces, a Buffalo-based band playing a mix of blues, ragtime, bluegrass, folk (obviously), jazz, punk, rockabilly, and more. He also appears with La Coeur, The Observers, and Buffalo Hot Jass Revival.
Tim Gettings (bass)
Although he claims to be “old as dirt” and “unable to remember his middle name,” Tim never fails to keep Black Rock Zydeco on the funky side. He’s been playing in pop and blues bands since the 1970s, worked as a session guitarist with Tommy Calandra, and sat in with Spoon and the House Rockers at The Buena Vista. Tim is also a member of Dawgs In The City, for whom he plays guitar and harmonica.
Elton Hough (drums)
Elton Hough hails from a musical family and has studied and performed as percussionist across the country. He enjoys a full-time position as staff drummer at Buffalo’s Redeeming Fire Fellowship Church and Greater Works Baptist Church. Additionally, he performs with Bobby Label and the Damn Fine Rebels, Nelson and the Heaters, and The Steve Woosley Trio.
Stan Whatley (scrub board)
Born in New Orleans of Cajun descent, Stan’s first exposure to zydeco music was seeing the king of zydeco himself, Clifton Chenier, playing at Tipitina’s. Relocating to Houma, LA, (in the heart of Cajun country) Stan continued to explore Cajun and zydeco music. After moving to Buffalo, he began playing scrub board and has performed regularly with Lee Ron Zydeco as well as Mumbo Gumbo


Howdy Folks!  Milkweed here.  Thanks for wanting to hear our story.  We hail from the great American town of Binghamton NY. Our band and music is an ever growing, ever changing thing, just like life.  We draw inspiration from folk, bluegrass, straight country, blues, world and pretty much anything else you can think of.  If it came down to it you'd probably say we're an Americana string band... but what's in a name.  We could not be more excited about the current evolution of our band. New members, enormous community support, studio interests, booked tours, a new van, and a list of new original songs just waiting to be played. Welcome to our shared dreams.

For those of you not in the know, Binghamton has an incredible, thriving and closely knit music scene.  The town is filled with down to earth and genuine full timers who are all woven together out of necessity.  I do believe we have all played with everyone else at least once in one of Binghamtons many shadowy dive bars.  You can hear it every night if you want.  And that is how and where Milkweed was born.

About four years ago two best friends decided to play some folk and old blues tunes together at a couple of the local bars.  They were respectively Jackie Colombo, known from the great honky tonk band Lutheran Skirts, and Claire Byrne, known from the acclaimed local band Driftwood. Soon after they were joined by good friend and standup bass player Bess Greenberg. Then Joe Alston (the slaves / the Dangerous Maybes / Dr. EF), a local songwriter and guitar picker, started hanging around the shows and sat in a few times.  After a couple gigs Milkweed was formed. The band started a weekly show on Tuesdays at a local dive bar, Kingsleys, on main street.  It was there that the band picked up steam and soon was playing original songs to a packed house. Everyone came out to ruin their Wednesday mornings, from musicians to lawyers to doctors to bums to the mayor.  Most nights would end in the morning with the band playing behind the bar while Andy the bartender poured the last of the whiskey and the cops shined their lights through the window. That lasted for more then a year.  

We did a little bit of travelling. New York City embraced the band at Pianos with an unexpected full house. We played some defining gigs at 25 CPW, a revolutionary art gallery in Manhatten, to crowds of some of the cities most accomplished visual artists. We took a tour down south in 2013 and had some of the best shows of our lives meeting fantastic people, building our name and playing some of the best east coast venues. The band had a great break when we were booked for the Trumansburg Grassroots Festival. We had just pressed our EP a day before the festival and only expected a small crowd at our set. To our surprise we played to a crowd of over three hundred people, getting on the stage after the amazing Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo fame, and before the acclaimed American old timey legend Mac Benford, who sat in the front row listening. It was a set to never forget and a great stepping stone for us. We sold enough EP's in one hour to cover the pressing cost and for the rest of the festival, to our surprise, saw our t shirts being worn by strangers. Later we stood in awe backstage as Emmylou Harris took the stage with Rodney Crowell and showed us exactly why we were doing what we were doing.

From there the band went on to be booked for the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, one of the finest events on the east coast, at Hector Big Splash on Seneca Lake, opened up for the incredible all star band Red Dog Run, comprised of Jed Greenberg (Donna the Buffalo), Richie Sterns (The Horseflies, Donna, Natalie Merchant Band), Jim Miller (Donna), and Rosie Newton (Preston Frank, Evil City Stringband), and a host of other great gigs including a steady schedule in Binghamton and the surrounding area, building up a great community following that has supported us the whole way.

The band has recently changed and evolved. The great and irreplaceable Bess Greenberg has left the line up and dedicated all her energy to her new band The Falconers, but still pops up on stage from time to time to sing some harmonies. But as things come and go, we are so excited to have with us our newest members of the Milkweed family, the great old-timey and bluegrass banjo and fiddle player Brian Vollmer (Old Time Music PartyChompin At The Bit / Adrienne Young Band) from all points below the Mason-Dixon, and the amazing multi-instrumentalist from the great state of New Jersey, Pete Lister.  Both add a whole new layer to the Milkweed sound, bringing incredible talent on their respective instruments as well as adding two more layers of vocal harmony. Check out Brian Vollmer's website: www.banjoandfiddle.com

From this point we are dedicated to the future of the band full time, building a non stop touring schedule and getting ready to hit the studio for several new recordings. The Milkweed family is growing every day, from the new members, the continued life long friendships with the old, the new faces in the crowd mixing with the familiar, and the continued growing support of an amazing home community here in Binghamton that fuels our hopes and dreams. This is a life of music... and we love it!!!!!!!!!

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Venue Details
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Sportsmens Tavern 326 Amherst Street
Buffalo, NY 14207