Sultans of String
3– time JUNO Award nominees and Billboard charting band Sultans of String creates “Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!” according to Maverick Magazine. Thrilling their audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban and South Asian rhythms, the group celebrates musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar, while bass and percussion lay down unstoppable grooves. Acoustic strings meet with electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound, while world rhythms excite audiences to their feet with the irresistible need to dance.
LOGAN BRILL
At the moment Logan Brill emerged into the world and drew her first breath, Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” issued from a boom box in the delivery room. Her parents had selected the strings-driven classic to provide a soothing welcome to the world.
Engaged as Logan was in the process of being born, it’s questionable whether she fully appreciated the gesture, but who knows? The important point is that, from the very beginning, music was present in the life of this Knoxville native whose new album you now hold in your hands.
The offerings on Shut Eye, Logan’s second album—all products of the storyteller’s art—range from gritty blues (Shut Eye) to country (Far Cry from You) to roots (Tupelo) to newly crafted songs that have the soft patina of revered old ballads (Wish You Loved Me).
“Recording my first record, Walking Wires, was enormously rewarding, but it presented me with a pretty steep learning curve,” says Logan. “When I began to work on Shut Eye, I had a much stronger sense of myself as an artist, and I built a collection of songs—a little blues and Americana and a lot of country and rock—that would reflect my tastes, demonstrate my growth and evolution as an artist, and get people out of their seats and onto the dance floor.”
It’s only fitting that Logan would want her music to incline people tomove. By all accounts, she was an active baby, and the adjective her parents most frequently plied in describing her waswiggly. During her first year or two her store of energy was inexhaustible but, as yet, largely undirected. In short, she just wiggled.
Grandpa’s Cough Medicine
BAND
“You want hardcore Power Grass that will drop your jaw and get your heart racing? Grandpa’s Cough Medicine delivers- fresh and dark lyrically, these guys are not scared of exploring unconventional subject matter with their truly unique presentation on acoustic instruments. It’s a thrilling musical ride, going in a whole new direction!” – Larry Keel
“Grandpa’s Cough Medicine is the kind of band that will always put you in a good mood when needed!”
– Hank 3
Blazing tempos, outlaw attitude, foot-stomping intensity, acoustic wizardry. These things all accurately describe Grandpa’s Cough Medicine’s tongue in cheek approach to bluegrass music. Carving out a niche that is all their own, they include humor and dark subject matter in their lyrics, yet are fully capable of letting their musicianship do the talking with instrumental compositions. The trio’s seemingly simple combination of flat-picked guitar, Scruggs style banjo, upright bass and two vocals creates a sound so huge, that it can make a six piece band blush. Their first CD “Jailbird Blues” was lauded in their hometown of Jacksonville, FL as one of the “Top Ten Local Albums of 2011″, and their second album “The Murder Chord” was released in August of 2012 to high acclaim. They were the top-voted music act in 2014’s One Spark festival in Jacksonville, garnering lots of publicity and a check for over $11,500. This money was used to record their third album “180 Proof”, which was released February, 6th 2015 and features guest spots from Jason Carter, Aaron Till, Randy Kohrs, Isaac Corbitt and Hank Williams III. In July of 2015 GCM ventured to Lyons, Colorado to compete in the Rockygrass instrument contests. Brett took 1st place in flat pick guitar and 2nd place for dobro. Mikey won 1st place for banjo.
MEMBERS
Brett Bass – Guitar, Dobro, Vocals
The founding member of GCM, Brett Bass was inspired to play guitar at age 11 when he heard the guitar solo in Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train”. He immersed himself into the world of heavy metal electric guitar playing, practicing for hours a day. It was at age 17 that he was bitten by the acoustic bug, hearing how bluegrass pickers were just as fast and technical as his favorite metal players. He began learning how to sing and play Johnny Cash songs, as well as how to pick bluegrass fiddle tunes. The first songs he ever wrote (Many of which are on “Jailbird Blues”) came out in the country/bluegrass style, so he ran with it. The playing of his favorite bluegrass flat pickers, such as: Doc Watson, Bryan Sutton and Larry Keel became his new guitar inspiration, absorbing their styles through albums and instructional DVDs. His songwriting reflects the influence of the decidedly darker subject matter found in heavy metal music. Brett is the 2015 Rockygrass flat pick guitar champion.
Mike “Banjo Boy” Coker – Banjo
Mike Coker had a revelation at age 11, when he heard banjo legend Earl Scruggs playing the theme to “The Beverly Hillbillies” on TV. He told his father that day, that he wanted to play the banjo. He received his first 5-string and began taking lessons in traditional, Scruggs style banjo. He played in a youth band for several years and fatefully ran into Brett one day at a bluegrass jam. They began jamming, collaborating and writing songs, until he was brought into the band. Mikey’s stellar playing and youth earned him the nickname “Banjo Boy” and his presence in the band greatly influenced GCM’s playing, causing them to go faster than ever before. He is also the 2015 Rockygrass banjo champion.
Jon Murphy – Upright Bass, Vocals
Jon Murphy graduated from the University of Arizona, with a minor in music. His musical experience includes playing cello as a teenager, singing in the Arizona Opera Chorus, playing guitar and bass in several different types of bands and he’s released a solo folk album independently. One day he answered a craigslist ad that said “Outlaw country band seeking members” and after one practice, joined GCM. Originally he played electric bass. As the band started heading more and more towards bluegrass, he bought an upright and taught himself to play it. He has put the time and dedication into being a rock solid bluegrass bassist, singer and songwriter.