No Brakes – 2008 Fundraiser
Sunday, May 31
River Station Restaurant
1 Water Street
Poughkeepkeepse, NY 12601
1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Tickets are $10/ HVBA members, $15/non-members.
Kids under 10 get in FREE!
Time to put aside any crazy ideas about spring cleaning, gardening, painting picket fences or freshening up your nests after the long hard winter, and turn your minds to a well spent afternoon, surrounded by good friends, good food, good drink and most of all, good music!
Bands will include: Too Blue, No Brakes, Red Dirt Road, Mama Tried, The Big River Band, and Oxford Depot.
Too Blue
Too Blue gets their kicks out of writing, playing, singing, recording and performing their own unique blend of bluegrass & swing music. The band’s sound revolves around vocal harmonies of Joan Harrison (banjo) and Betsy Rome (guitar) with Mike Sassano’s sizzling mandolin solos as icing on the cake. Jamie Doris is the newest member of the band. They’ve recorded a CD, A Little On The Blue Side, and have played extensively at festivals throughout the northeast, including Wind Gap, Greenville, and Joe Val.
No Brakes
Frank Kara (Mandolin, Vocals) grew up listening to his dad play fiddle and guitar around the house. After playing electric and acoustic guitar into his twenties, Frank started experimenting with the mandolin. After discovering the music of Tony Rice and attending his first Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival, he decided to concentrate on playing bluegrass mandolin. Forming a duet with musical partner Eric Spaulding, the two worked up an array of fiddle tunes and classic bluegrass material. Answering an ad for a Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association function got them in contact with other players and soon they formed No Brakes. Eric Spaulding (Guitar, Vocals) also has a father who plays guitar. He and Frank started playing together in the early eighties in a variety of local bands and was converted to bluegrass at the same Winterhawk Festival. Eric’s guitar playing reflects the influence of his heroes Charles Sawtelle, Tony Rice and Doc Watson. Gary DiGiovanni (Banjo, Vocals) has been a part of the No Brakes family since about 200. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Gary’s first musical instrument was the trombone. After becoming aware of folk music in the early 1960’s, he fooled around with the guitar and harmonica, but got bitten by the banjo bug after hearing the playing of Alan Shelton. Gary has played in many bands and became a regular member of No Brakes in January of 2004. Rusty Boris (Bass, Vocals) from Kingston NY, is an in-demand sideman with many Hudson Valley bands. No Brakes is pleased as always to have its bottom end in Rusty’s capable hands.
The Big River Band
The Big River Band plays familiar folk/rock music with influences from blues, bluegrass, ragtime, and jug bands. Listening to one of their high-energy performances may reveal inspirations from the Grateful Dead, Michelle Shocked, or the David Bromberg Band. The band was put together in 2007 by singer & guitarist Dick Vincent, combining the talents of Matt Bowe on mandolin, Bruce Hildenbrand on guitar, Terri Massardo singing, and Steve Massardo on bass. All of the members are long-time residents of New York’s Hudson Valley (Saugerties, Palenville, and Chatham) that have been active in the music scene from Poughkeepsie to Catskill in various combinations for years. Notably the Massardos created and continue to run the John Street Jam in Saugerties, and the members of the band perform at that venue regularly.
Mama Tried
Mel Paskell and Gary DiGiovanni have joined together to play a mix of traditional bluegrass and folk music in
a project called “Mama Tried.” Mel is a former member of the popular acoustic band, “Barebones and Wildflowers” and is a multi-instrumentalist musician who has been performing in the Hudson valley for over 35 years. He also won a songwriting contest a few years ago and performed one of his original compositions at the Bardavon theatre in Poughkeepsie backed up by the Ian Anderson acoustic band. Gary DiGiovanni is also a long time regional player as well as a multi-instrumentalist (and a member of the popular bluegrass outfit “No Brakes”). Together they will combine guitar, banjo, fiddle and dobro to create a uniquely personal flavor of traditional acoustic music.
Red Dirt Road
Red Dirt Road members Susy Marker, Pat Walker, and Doug Mathewson perform a variety of tunes in the Bluegrass/Country/Western Swing/Gospel genres, featuring original material as well as covers. The group was formed shortly after the members met in a local song swap. They had similar musical tastes and loved singing together. Their songs soon took on arrangements and the group started singing in local venues often with mandolin, guitar or bass accompaniment. Susy Marker’s strong vocal is backed up by her fiddle. Pat Walker grew up singing with family and is a master at harmony. Pat provides the banjo rhythm. Rounding out the vocals is Doug Mathewson on dobro. Bill McCasland on bass.
Oxford Depot
Oxford Depot has performed at various bluegrass festivals including The Willow Creek Bluegrass Festival, The Autumn Leave’s Traditional Music and Dance Festival, The Grahamsville Fiddle Festival, and the Warwick Valley Apple Blossom Bluegrass Festival to name a few. They have performed live on WTBQ and WJFF radio for several years. The band has been a long-time favorite choice for parties, festivals, and other events and they promise to get your hands clappin’ and your feet movin’. The band members are; Roy Streever (guitar), Kevin Monahan (mandolin), Ed Ackerly (banjo), Carl Kubie (fiddle), and Leon Swyka (bass).
The event will be held in the restaurant’s upstairs private dining room, where fine food and drink will accompany the Hudson Valley brand of high lonesome sound. The fantastic view of the mighty Hudson will provide a beautiful background for an afternoon of great music and lively table-hopping fun. Full menu and bar service will be available, but table seating will be on a first-come, first serve basis… so get there early! Purchase your tickets now to assure a seat for the fundraiser.