Good Music New York

Glossary: ~Band Information

12th Street Playboys

Cajun - Link

4th Street Niteowls

The 4th St. Niteowls are a red-hot "washboard-swing" combo from Hoboken, New Jersey. Performing an extensive repertoire from the 1930s early swing era, their distinctive approach brings new life to the classic songs of musical legends such as Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and Hoagy Carmichael. With back porch Southern vocal stylings and barrel-house Western piano, the 4th St. Niteowls are welcomed in many types of venues - from local corner bars and hip lounges to beach front hotels. Throughout NYC and beyond, they continue to revive an era of vibrant and vintage music. Judging from the response at their shows, washboard-swing is alive, well and definitely kicking. - Site

Alex Battles

Armed with his granddad’s tenor banjo and an obvious passion for old-time rag tunes and bittersweet ballads, Alex Battles plunks out catchy, musically upbeat ditties laced with the sort of infectious syncopation and deadpan wit you’d usually hear only at 78 rpm. Live, Alex accompanies himself with a guitar, ukulele, banjo ukulele, harmonica and washboard, as well as the tenor banjo. (Although not, it should be mentioned, all at the same time.) Vocally, he spins out a sweet, unassuming Buckeye baritone that, like his lyrics, veers back and forth in the soft, hazy place between aw-shucks comedy and sincere, quiet sadness. - Site

American String Conspiracy

The band is a collection of friends who love American music and string bands. They play a wide range of material from the last 200 years of the American song tradition, including blues, folk, country, pop, r&b, rock and jazz standards, as well as original songs from members Gary Keenan and Jessica Segall. They now have 10 co-conspirators playing various shows drawing on guitar, slide guitar, lap steel, mandolin, acoustic bass guitar, 5-string banjo, tenor banjo, 12-string guitar, violin, and electric violin as well as male & femal voices. - Site

Balfa Toujours

Traditional Cajun - Link

Banjorama

Banjorama! Take 3 parts Brooklyn Jugs, add one part Whisky Rebellion, mix in as many banjos as possible, including but not limited to tenor banjo, 5-string banjo, banjo ukulele, and plectrum banjo, and you've got the banjo blues orchestra that is Banjorama! While their instruments may not vary, their styles certainly do. From the tropical blues stylings of singer-picker-harpist Ernesto Gomez, to the Irish airs frequented by picker Terrence McCafferty, to the hits of the 1870s & 1970s favored by singer-picker-shaker Alex Battles, you'll always have a footstompin' goodtime listening to these happy-go-lucky cats play backed by the fine jugwork of Arturo Stile. - Site

Big Appalachia

Big Appleachia is a traditional five-piece acoustic bluegrass band based in New York City. The band consists of very talented, and experienced, traditional bluegrass singers and musicians encompassing over one hundred years combined playing experience! All five members have honed their skills in other bands, locally and nationally. Over the decades they have built strong personal, and musical, friendships around countless "all night" bluegrass festival campfires, countrywide! Their desire is to bring the traditional, hard driving, soulful sound of bluegrass music to the urban audience…to those that are yet uninitiated into "roots" acoustic music as well as the veteran bluegrass fan. Their music is not for the faint of heart. It’s a hard-edged sound that penetrates the soul. It’s the sounds of the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, the pioneers of the Bluegrass music. - Site

Bill Carney's Jug Addicts

Bill Carney's Jug Addicts apply the twinning principal utilized by Ornette Coleman's early 60s groups and the Max Roach's Double Quartet to the jug band idiom. The result is a particularly robust and raucous jug band sound free of any archival obsessiveness. Comprised of jug band veterans culled from the Don't Look Now Jug Band, MetroPolecats, and Pork Chop, the Jug Addicts' repertoire draws from early jazz, tin pan alley, ragtime, and string band music, along with the classic jug band canon. - Site

Blue Moon Ramblers

The Blue Moon Ramblers come from three corners of New York City--and Milwaukee--as well as from different backgrounds. What they have in common (aside from a deep passion for red velvet cake) is a love of traditional American music: Theirs is a portfolio of bluegrass, honky-tonk, old-timey fiddle tunes, a heart-breaking rockabilly ballad, gospel songs, a waltz or two. Expect some cornball humor, hair-raisin' harmonies, drivin' rhythms, and hot pickin'.

Booglerizers

The Booglerizers mix fingerstyle guitar with mandolin and arch-top slide, leaving room for some tube-driven harmonica and sweet old time clarinet. Their vocalists have harmonized, crooned and growled together for over a quarter of a century. A seasoned percussionist plays brushed snare and washboard. At the bottom of the sound is the tuba which can either be regal or downright flatulent. Fans come out to their shows to have an old time roadhouse experience watching a group who plainly enjoy entertaining and playing music. Guest appearances by musicians and friends are not entirely unlikely. - Site

Bosco Stompers

Named after a hard-driving Cajun song called "Bosco Stomp,"The Bosco Stompers play traditional Cajun music and nothing but. Not bad for five guys who live in New York City (although three of them originally hail from the South) - Site

Boss Tweed

Boss Tweed's influences are as diverse as the cities they came from: Chicago, New Orleans, and a town with no traffic light in New Jersey. Although their music is rooted in traditional blues, soul and rockabilly styles, it has a contemporary mood and creates an atomosphere fit for the worlds of David Lynch and Quentin Tarentino. This compelling combination of style and musicality has caught the attention of many a keen ear in NYC, where they current reside and perform to steadily-growing crowds. - Site

Brook's Qawwali Party

What would be the point of living in this fine international city if you couldn't hear music from around the world? (Feel free to answer this rhetorical question in the privacy of your own home....) One of my personal favorites is Qawwali. Brook's Qawwali party has 12+ members and knows their dumbeks from their djembes. They've got brass, they've got drums, rumor has it they have singers, they have a new CD, and, most importantly, they have Qawwali music to play for you. - Site

Brooklyn Jugs

Jug Band - Link

C. Gibbs

For most musicians, there's a trade-off between skill and energy. Some sacrifice technical intricacy for the sake of raw, from-the-guts power. Others devote themselves to session-man precision, but at the cost of basic passion and freshness. And then, every once in a while, there are players like Christian Gibbs. The kind of guy who edges up to the stage, smiles shyly, and then, with an intense, controlled wail and a barrage of casually executed monster riffs, proceeds to calmly and competently rip the bar a new one. In a few flicks of a hand he takes listeners from airy minor-chord introspection into a Gibson growl that would make AC/DC proud, and then suddenly back again, all the while spouting sly lyrics and peppering his playing with the kind of white-hot guitar runs that aspiring honky-tonkers dream about. - Site

Citigrass

Citigrass is a New York-based bluegrass band that combines groundbreaking, genre-crossing songwriting, jaw-dropping string pickin', head-spinning vocal harmonies, and rowdy, foot-stomping fun. Formed by founding bandleader/ripping banjo player Sandy Israel, Citigrass is an all-star collection of crackerjack musicians from the wildly diverse NY music scene. On stage and in the studio with Sandy are Noah "Rockstar" Chase singing lead and picking the mandolin; classical violist and composer Kenji "The Sherriff" Bunch lighting it up on fiddle, livewire jazz cat Tim Kiah tearing up his bass, and good ol' boy prodigy James Kerr tweaking and twanging his dobro 'til it hurts so good. - Link

Cobble Hillbillies

The Cobble Hillbillies play energetic urban bluegrass with a neighborhood feel. The young band is comprised of six friends, transplanted from Quebec, North Carolina, St. Louis, upstate New York, Chicago and Oregon, but all drawn to the raw, vigorous honesty of bluegrass. While the band loves to sing traditional songs that tell the stories of an earlier America, they also write powerful original music, steeped in the bluegrass style. The Cobble Hillbillies sing about New York’s F train, chronicle fateful travels to Mexico, and offer glimpses into the lives of riverboat captains and lost lovers in the civil war. Throughout are lonesome 3-part harmonies, catchy melodic hooks, and hot licks from banjo, fiddle, harmonica and mandolin. - Site

Crevulators

Raw. Hyper. Rowdy. Addictive. All words that might describe a good country band... or a good punk rock one. Or, in the case of a band like The Crevulators, a little bit of both. Take a simple, swinging beat; add some straight-up guitar and bass, and a touch of sweet baritone harmonies; throw in a rough drawl peppered with just the slightest taste of snot, and the result is a scrappy little trio that kicks out enough infectious, happy energy to take on a squad of session men twice their size. - Site

Curtis Eller

Curtis Eller is New York City's angriest yodelling banjo player. He sings about pigeon racing, performing elephants and Jesus, all of which he has seen with his own eyes. He started his show-business career at the age of seven as a juggler and acrobat in the Hiller Olde Tyme Circus in Detroit, but has since turned to the banjo because that's where the money is. His biggest musical influences are Buster Keaton, Al Jolson and Abraham Lincoln.. Mr. Eller and his band, The American Circus stubbornly perform and record in New York City. They have appeared at funerals, horse races, burlesque shows and vaudeville revues. - Link

Dirty Water Dogs

The Dirty Water Dogs (named after the mystery morsels that are vended on street corners in their native New York City) are somewhat of a roots rock supergroup. Being a hybrid of the swamp rock monsters Loup Garou and folk heroes 5 Chinese Brothers, the Dirty Water Dogs perform a mix of rollicking zydeco blues, cajun and heartfelt originals. Neil Thomas on accordion and vocals, Homeboy Steve on guitar and vocals and Skip Ward on Dirty Water Doghouse bass and vocals. Abetted by Tom Tom Club percussionist Bruce Martin, the Dirty Water Dogs are sure to provide a memorable evening of music. - Site

Dixie Beeliners

The Dixie Bee-Liners are a six-piece bluegrass ensemble based out of NYC. Fronted by songsmith Brandi Hart and muti-instrumentalist Buddy Woodward, the band has earned a reputation for power-packed live sets and smart original tunes. - Site

Doc Marshalls

Somewhere on a lonely desert road between New Orleans and Bakersfield, there’s a dusty pickup truck with New York plates, a stack of guitars and accordions and rubboards in the back, and a hazy AM station that keeps slipping between slick Buck Owens heartache and some raucous back-bayou Cajun jam. Such is the effect of the Doc Marshalls, a Brooklyn-based five-piece who, depending on the track, belt out smooth ballads or bar-stomping Louisiana-style free-for-alls. At the forefront, particularly on the latter, are the sizzling fiddle work of Mat Kane and the hyperactive Cajun accordion of Nick Beaudoing, who also sings. On the less frantic tunes, lead guitarist Will Solomon steps in, lacing the poppy vocals with echoing retro-Nashville runs. - Site

East River String Band

The East River String Band plays old Delta/Ragtime blues covers and some originals too. Sets include songs by Robert Johnson, Skip James, Hokum Boys, Memphis Jug Band, Mississippi Sheiks, and more! - Site

Flanks

Country/Jug Band - Site

Gowanus Corral

Gowanus Corral are a straight-shooting five-piece who look to the past for most of their material, dredging the deep and fertile waters of such legendary sources as Cash, or Haggard. That’s not to say they aren’t above covering a Jayhawks tune as well, but the sensibility remains classic honky-tonk, fueled by the clean twang of lead guitarist Tim Gauhan and the slide and pedal steel work of Glenn Spivack. They may not be breaking any new ground, but sometimes, out here in Gowanus country, that’s a damn good thing. - Site

Hunger Mountain Boys

High buzzing vocal harmonies, fleet instrumental picking on mandolin, acoustic guitar, fiddle and resonator guitar, coupled with their off-the-cuff stage banter and of course, those classic brown suits, The Hunger Mountain Boys have a duet show like no other on the touring scene today. In the tradition and spirit of the classic country duets of the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, they capture the authentic early-American country sound and the fiery energy of such legendary duets as the Monroe Brothers and Louvin Brothers. In addition to recording and performing a variety of old classics and rarities ranging from stringband-style barn-burners to weepy emotional death ballads, the 'Boys write much of their own heartfelt material, even taking 1st place in the 2003 Mountain Stage NewSong songwriting and performing contest. - Site

Jack Grace

The Jack Grace Band is Martini Country: honky tonk with an urban, moody edge, a blend of Johnny Cash and Tom Waits with harmonies, lap steel, guitar, bass, drums and accordion. The lyrics are bittersweet sarcasm emphasizing the glory of the world of the down and out. He serves up a fresh brew of heartbreaking ballads, robust drinking songs and honky-tonk hymns at each of his gigs. - Site

Jimmy Nations Combo

The Jimmy Nations Combo is one of those rare New York bands who knows their strengths and plays them up. They call themselves Jazz-a-billy. If you're like me and have a hard time decyphering that then just imagine an upright bass being straddled by the bassist, songs performed in a vintage style and material which is influenced by the sounds of the South: Blues, Country, Western Swing, & Rockabilly. These guys know how to swing and make their audience dance. The love of the music they play pervades their performances and their energy is contagious. 'Nough said. - Link

John Pinamonti

John Pinamonti is a Brookyn based musician who is known for his songwriting, guitar playing, singing and his eclectic interpretations of American music. A typical gig might find him performing some of his own country influenced compositions and following them with a Hank Williams song on a ukulele, a traditional blues on the banjo or countless other country/honkey-tonk classics. Almost always backed by a great band featuring pedal steel, drums and bass he's always a good bet for a night out on the town. - Site

Karen Hudson

Country and Honkey-tonk songwriter Karen Hudson leads a fantastic band of players as she gigs around New York. Her songs are full of twang and emotion blending country, rock, pop and folk inspired by singers Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Linda Ronstadt and the song craft of Nick Lowe and Lucinda Williams. - Site

Klezmer Mountain Boys

The Klezmer Mountain Boys bring together many of todays stars of klezmer and bluegrass to explore the shared musical spirit of two genres literally worlds apart. Appalachian and southern fiddle tunes by Bill Monroe meet klezmer melodies from pre-war Russia and Eastern Europe, some newly discovered. The resulting medleys and improvisations are at once raw, funny, melancholic and footstomping. - Site

Las Rubias del Norte

Las Rubias del Norte (the Blondes of the North,) are a group of musicians from the U.S, France and Colombia, who perform the music of, among many others, Guillermo Portabales of Cuba, Simon Diaz of Venezuela, Oscar Aviles of Peru and W.A. Mozart of Austria. The Rubias play mostly popular Latin music such as boleros, cha cha cha's and cumbias as well as lieder and cowboy songs - and manage to make it all sound like it belongs on Cuban radio. The Rubias make it all sound distinctly different thanks to the fabulous vocals of Allyssa Lamb and Emily Hurst and the various Rubios and Morenos who back them up. - Site

Lonesome Prairie Dogs

The Lonesome Prairie Dogs are a band of rockin’ hillbillies hailing mainly from the backwaters of downtown Jersey City. They try not to butcher the music of Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and other artists of country, rockabilly, and related genres. Described by one observer as “super vintage,” The Lonesome Prairie Dogs aim roughly for a Sun sound; the lineup is Steve “Luke” Lonesome on acoustic guitar and vocals, “Hellcat” Heidi Lonesome on upright bass, “Guitar” Mike Lonesome on Telecaster, and June “Sticks” Lonesome on snare-and-cymbal. Their sets are usually a combination of classic and obscure covers, traditionals, original compositions, and technical difficulties. They’d love to ride around in a ’52 Cadillac, but settle for wearing cowboy clothes. - Site

Luminescent Orchestrii

Time Out NY says: "A punky five-piece string band, the Luminescent Orhcestrii plays renditions of Appalachian and Gypsy tunes that run from lively and infectious to deeply melancholy. Its original compositions and varied interpretations of traditional melodies are like tiny, richly arranged musical adventures" - Link

M Shanghai String Band

An adventurous take on Americana, the M Shangai String Band's songs are not easily classified. They are remeniscent of traditional roots music styles, yet innovative in their musical form and modern lyrical content. The dynamics range from barnstorming breakdowns to achingly beautiful ballads, expressing originality and simplicity in the same breath. The MSSB have gained a reputation around the New York City area as a must-see live act. The band alternates from five to eleven players at any given show; a tight knit extended family that performs as a true ensemble. As machine-made, mistake-free music becomes the norm, the M Shangai String Band creates music the way it used to be: heartfelt performances on the human scale. - Site

Magges

The word "magga" which is also in some regions of Greece pronounced "manga" is a Greek slang word with several meanings. Real cool guy or a dude, like the definition in Easy Rider comes to mind. Generally a bad ass of sorts having a non conforming style and attitude, or someone who defies authority and does incredible feats of daring deeds and such...so we are Magges, 5 bad assed dudes playing traditional Greek music while drinking Ouzo with our friends!!! - Site

Maybelles

Melissa Carper and Jan Bell, who lead Brooklyn's Maybelles, sound like they've known that elusive (mis)fortune that makes country music grab at our hearts. They play sweet-and-sour old-timey music about keeping it in the family and being someone's wife. Despite (or maybe because of) Bell's English heritage, she's much more of a traditionalist than anyone in Nickel Creek or the Duhks; her and Carper's harder-faster is a triumph for equal-opportunity bluegrassers. Yet they give such an unsentimental melancholy to the mostly self-penned material that you remember their art, not their science. - Site

Michael Daves

Bluegrass / Country / Old Time - Link

Nieces and Nephews

Bluegrass

Old Crow Medicine Show

Old Time, Jug Band, Bluegrass - Site

Reckon So

Roots Country, Bluegrass, Western Swing - Site

River Alexander's Mad Jazz Hatters

River Alexander’s Mad Jazz Hatters deliver a vibrant madcap mix of Hot Speakeasy Jazz and Jubilant Jugband Fervor straight out of the teens and 20’s. They are replete with soulful vocals and harmonies, violin, clarinet, guitar, chromatic harmonica, tin whistle and washtub bass. When upbeat dirges on the jaw harp and spirited original song enter the fray, it becomes a kaleidescopic mix of roaring 20’s exuberance, rural gutbucket soul and dreamtime journey. Imagine the diverse flavours of early Bing Crosby, Joe Venuti and Nick Drake. Add in some sweet strains of old New Orleans, the Carter family and the Mississippi Sheiks. Now turn towards composers like Gershwin, Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael and Fats Waller. Throw in some curios and strays of Gaelic and Yiddish melody for good measure. With an incredible bounce to their music, the Mad Jazz Hatters take you back to where it all began, breathing seeds of life and originality into everything they play. - Site

Robin Aigner

Robin Aigner is one of New York's finest singer-songwriters who can, armed only with her wry wit, poetic lyrics and melancholy guitar, captivate a crowd of rowdy frat kids and quiet them down to listen to her sing. - Site

Romashka

Romashka is a fantastic troupe of local musicians who keep the melodies and songs of traditional gypsy music alive. Clarinet, accordion, saxophone, trumpet, sultry vocals and grooving rhythms in 9/8 prevail as these folks rock the night. Romashka plays Gypsy music from Russia, Romania, and beyond. The musicians are a wild bunch of virtuoso rhythm-throttling chop-splitting Brooklyn-dwelling world music aficionados, who have gigged around the world in various Gypsy, Klezmer, Balkan, jazz, funk, ska and rock ensembles. Whether playing for wedding guests, experienced folk dancers or twenty-something hipsters, the band channels their raw musical energy to create an infectious intense Eastern European gypsy dance party experience. - Link

Roulette Sisters

An all-girl trio in the tradition of the Boswell and the Andrews Sisters, these sisters play an American repertoire that spans the Carter Family, Bessie Smith, Leadbelly, Pink Anderson, Memphis Minnie, Papa Charlie Jackson as well as original compositions. The sisters are rumored to have different fathers, but don't you go spreading rumors - they are strong believers in their own kind of familiy values. - and they can probably kick your ass anyway. - Site

Royal Pine

Robin Aigner and Brook Martinez make folk music for the unafraid. Ecclectic hybrid of roots, Eastern Euro, Americana on guitar, banjo, xylophone, tabla, ukelele. - Site

Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers

Sean Kershaw & the New Jack Ramblers play a unique brand of “hi-octane honky-tonk” with reckless abandon and consummate professionalism., blending the old-school sounds of Hank Williams Sr. and the classic trucker tunes, the speed and feel of bluegrass, and the electric vibrato of ‘60s Nashville. The set list rests heavily on the classics—Hank, Johnny, Merle, assorted bluegrass—but also veers into the realm of originals, Pogues covers, and a crowd-frenzying rendition of “Eastbound and Down” (a.k.a. the theme from Smokey and the Bandit.) When these boys play, there are only two things you can be sure of: Somebody in the band is gonna end up loaded, and somebody in the audience is gonna end up dancing. - Site

Shotgun Shack

"A typical shotgun shack is defined as 'a house that is one room wide and at least two rooms deep.' The name of this style of house may be derived from an African word to-gun, meaning a place of assembly. Folk etymology, however, attributes the name to the fact that you could shoot a shotgun straight through the house because of its linear arrangement of rooms and doors." What does this have to do with country music? Nothing much, except that lead vocalist Andrew Shack happens to share a last name with the legendary structure. That, and the moniker perfectly evokes the back-to-basics sounds that he and his crack five-man crew evoke, through both a staggering (and finely executed) arsenal of covers from the likes of Johnny, Merle, and Waylon, and through Shack's own originals, which find their foundation deep in the red mud of those classic honky-tonk styles. - Site - Review by Uncle Leon

Slavic Soul Party

Brash and strong as slivovitz, Slavic Soul Party! is downtown's answer to Balkan brass band music: equal parts fire and funk, free-form and old school exuberance. SSP! has made its reputation playing everywhere from downtown rock clubs to Balkan folkdances, from the Knitting Factory to the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. They are sure to fill your 11/8 musical addiction. Don't miss 'em. - Site

Stephane Wrembel

French virtuoso guitarist Stephane Wrembel may not be a gypsy by definition, but his music has all the nostalgia, joy and jangle of a true gypsy musician. Passed down from father to son in a rich oral tradition, gypsy music paints an impressionist landscape of the Bohemian lifestyle: traveling gypsies in horse-drawn caravans, dancers careening around campfires, gypsy women in long skirts with carefree children at their knees while a band of musicians plays through the night. The music of Stephane Wrembel takes us to the gypsy camp to dance around the campfire with the same sense of freedom, abandon and vitality as the gypsies. In addtion to his core band, stephane invites different guests every week including violinist Olivier Manchon, Washboard Kit master David Langlois or Cellist Rushad Egggleston. - Site

Strung Out String Band

Folk music—that is, any kind of music traditionally created by everyday partyin’ people—is never born in a bubble. Anyone who cares to compare, say, Bluegrass to Irish folk to Zydeco to Klezmer, will find the genres more similar than different—lots of frantic string runs, heavy on the two and four beats, and a steadfast reliance on the old thematic standbys: love, death, heartache, drinking… The pluckers in the Strung Out String Band recognize this continuum, and (unlike too many sticks-in-the-mud in the “folk” scene) they embrace the range wholeheartedly. Citing 1930s hillbilly recordings and firsthand Romanian Gypsy lessons among their many influences, the all-acoustic Strung Out String Band bangs out infectious, heartfelt dance tunes that defy easy categorization, incorporating elements of a country jug band, a Cajun fish boil, a ragtime revue, and a Jewish wedding—often all in the same song. The result is a skilled and learned nod to the varied traditions of the past… and a damn fine—and often funny—way to spend a Saturday night. - Site

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.

Country, Rockabilly, Swing - Link

Sweet William

The folks in Sweet William are honky-tonkers in the truest sense of the word--straightforward, a little rough around the edges, and not afraid to veer into the the kind of loose “hillbilly” style that most modern-day Nashville acts seem dead-set on avoiding. With a sound driven by basic stripped-down rhythms and drenched in Mike Nolan’s meandering pedal-steel swing, reedy-voiced frontman Dock Oscar hammers out the sort of twangy, classic-structured tunes that could have lit up the back of a smoky juke joint in Texas fifty years ago…and sound pretty damned good in a smoke-free one in Brooklyn today. The Hank Williams influence is pretty obvious, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. Rumor has it this band is in the studio right now, so check their site for upcoming recordings, and cross your fingers that they don’t let themselves get too slick. - Link

The Flanks

As far back as 2002, the legendary Flanks have been playing in and around New York, converting everyone within shouting distance to belief in their all-spit-and-no-polish country jug stylings. Most of their songs are originals, the rest are forgotten old-time gems. In sweet, crowd-pleasing harmony, the Flanks sing about shady characters, questionable goings-on, regrettable sets of personal circumstances, petty thievery, chemical impairments, and hitting on recently divorced women. Their sound has been variously described as old-time music, jug music, string band music, and "garage country"; one commentator has said that "the Flanks are sort of like post-war Blind Willie McTell meets pre-A Star Is Born Kris Kristofferson meets Jimmie Rodgers without the tuberculosis. In other words, you don't want to miss them." - Site

The Moonlighters

The Moonlighters have been a part of the New York City jazz and pop music scenes since they formed in 1998. Based around a core of harmonized vocal duets backed by warm acoustic instruments including Hawaiian lap steel guitar, ukulele, guitar and bass, they explore traditional and classic tunes with a unique, romantic approach that is appealing to listeners of all ages. Their original songs encompass many styles of 20th Century jazz and pop: ragtime, swing, Hawaiian, country, blues, and even be-bop flavors can be found among their recordings. They list among their influences Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, the Boswell Sisters, Sol Hoopii, King Bennie Nawahi, Annette Hanshaw, Al Bowlly, George and Ira Gershwin, and many more illustrious entertainers from the golden age of popular music, when tunes on the radio held appeal for every member of the listening audience. - Site

Uncle Leon and the Alibis

Once in a while an act comes along that is so unsavory in its content, so Neanderthal in its execution, so basely moronic in its very existence that, like a grisly collision between a circus train and a prison bus, it becomes an unintentional freak show, at once alluring and horrific, hilarious for all the wrong reasons. Such is the case with Uncle Leon, a bald, creepy-crooning never-was who obviously took his Mojo Nixon albums a little too seriously. His backing band is pretty good, but unless you’re the sort of dive-bar creep who enjoys gutter-quality, brick-handed meditations on the alleged joys of big butts, monster trucks, or drinking booze, avoid this degenerate at all costs. - Site - Review written by Uncle Leon

Village Klezmer Quintet

Klezmer - Link

Vince Allen and The Evil Reds

Mixing acoustic guitar, pedal steel, and a jazz rhythm section with melodies rooted in traditional Southern folk and bluegrass, Vince's sound captures what is beautiful about where he comes from and what stirred him up and moved him away. - Site

Wahoo String Band

From the full tilt roar of a square dance to high lonesome sound in songs of love and murder, the Wahoo String Band primarily plays songs and instrumentals from the American South. On occasion they range a bit farther afield with tunes from Scandinavia, Portugal, Mexico and French Canada. - Site

Whisky Rebellion

The Whisky Rebellion is Alex Battles. The Whisky Rebellion performs original songs, by turns funny and bittersweet, in the classic country style. Battles writes these tunes with the help of his grandfather's tenor banjo. His major songwriting influences are Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Tom Waits and Willie Nelson. The Whisky Rebellion contains anywhere from 1-7 members, depending on venue constraints and the weather. - Site

Wicked Messengers

Country - Site

Wissler Family

You’ve got to love a band who, in the course of one set, opens with the gospel traditional “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” drifts into the ‘80s Judds hit “Mama He’s Crazy”, then veers wildly into a very country rendition of Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home”… and makes it all sound gorgeous. On most songs, statuesque soprano Linda May Wacker sings with the kind of breathy, sincere feeling that sneaks up and wraps its arms around you, reinforced by the standup bass and simple guitar strumming of Tom Mayer and Tim Woods, respectively. But it’s mandolin player and band namesake Matt Wissler who quietly drives the family—unlike too many of his lesser eight-string brethren, Wissler has a way of filling a performance with sweet-hearted textures and echoed countermelodies without ever getting in the way of the song. In concert, the band maintains a laid-back, family-reunion atmosphere, trading off on versions of songs as as down-home as John Prine’s “Paradise”, or as surprising (and surprisingly heartfelt) as Eddie Money’s “Save a Little Room in Your Heart for Me,” as well as the rare original. The effect, overall, is of a family of impromptu, very talented musicians gathered in a corner at the wee-hours end of a good party, playing all the songs they love. - Site

Wiyos

The Wiyos began as mythically as their namesake, the toughest street gang to grace the streets of old New York. Rooted in vintage American musical traditions the music and dynamic performances style of The Wiyos takes a new generation of listeners back to a time before genre distinctions separated blues and country, ragtime and gospel, swing and hillbilly music. The Wiyos are equally at home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the clubs of New York; likewise their original compositions draw from the urbane sounds of Django Reinhardt, the Gershwin Brothers and Fats Waller, as well as the country styles of Gary Davis, Skip James and Doc Watson. This fantastic three piece band featuring upright bass, guitar, washboard, harmonica and kazoo will wow you with their energetic performances and polished renditions of unpolished songs. Don't pass up this opportunity to hear them play.

Y'All Stars

"The Y'all Stars are Diane Stockwell, Fran Leadon, Charles Puckette, Ben Fraker, and John Cleveland. They are one of several bands to grow out of the Ponkiesburg Pickin' Party, a weekly jam session founded by Barbara Brousal in Brooklyn in 2000. The Y'all Stars have played numerous times on WKCR and at Howl Festival in 2004 and 2005 and monthly at the Parkside Lounge. - Site

Zagnut Orkestar

The Zagnut Orkestar is a Brooklyn, NY-based 6-piece ensemble that plays traditional Balkan brass band music for enthusiastic audiences in the New York Area. They perform their exciting music by combining elements of Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern, Roma (gypsy) and jazz. The Zagnuts have played all over the New York region and even the most dance averse crowds are found swaying in their seats and hopping on the dance floor as they play - Link

Zlatne Uste

Zlatne Uste (which translates to Golden Lips) is an internationally known group of American-born musicians playing traditional music of the Balkans, primarily representing Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and Romany (Gypsy) traditions. From hummable, toe-tapping tunes to humblingly complex rhythms and melodies, their music moves the body and touches the soul. Four-time invited guest at the Dragachevo Brass Festival in Gucha, Serbia, the 12-piece band is among the foremost presenters of traditional Balkan dance music in the United States. - Site