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A tour through the history of American music – jazz, blues, rock, country, folk, and bluegrass – all in one night!
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The Kansas Bible Company
The Kansas Bible Company came into being during the dog days of summer 2008 at Goshen College in Goshen, In. A band of boys congregated in the garage of Vita House, “life house”, and began playing rock and roll music. Through encounters with aliens, Bible thumpers, holy rollers, cigarette machines, Teenage Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the KBC, as they have come to be known, have stretched the boundaries of space and time.
Through the first two years of being, the Kansas Bible Company played a variety of shows in the Elkhart County area in northern Indiana – from house shows to high school dances to benefits, community events and whatever came their way. They were finding their sound, their style. The band was made up of only seven members at that time.
Over the past year the band has added four new members and has seen incredible growth in musical ability. Their sound and performance has matured. In the fall of 2010, the boys decided to pursue music seriously. They have been playing shows regularly throughout Indiana and southern Michigan, and moved to Nashville in the late summer of 2011. Since then they have really been cookin’.
Moving to Nashville has been an incredible, almost unthinkable step for the Company. How do eleven people move to a new city, some even dropping out of college, to pursue rock and roll music? How does one build such a planet? It takes trust, faith, confidence, and a lot of good old fashioned common sense. They found a huge house that could fit them all, a bedroom each, four full baths, large common rooms, and practice space big enough to accommodate eleven young gentlemen. All at a rock bottom price. There was one catch – it was a former crack den, in shambles. The first month they had work on their hands. Cleaning, painting, fixing, and thank the lord, music, became their full time jobs. They turned that former crack house into a home. It is now even complete with a musical venue and bar – the Red Rum Saloon. Christened “Hotel Chicamauga” after the street they live on in east Nashville, their house is a beacon for music lovers everywhere. With such an accomplished challenge under the Company’s belt, they are closer than ever. The music is literally pouring out of their souls. They are working their way into the music scene in Nashville and playing venues throughout the midwest and the south.
Many things set this band apart from other groups. They are a large group with a full horn section, a rarity in such a young, independent, rock and roll band. The Kansas Bible Company is first and foremost a group of close friends that live and work communally together. They are more than just a group of musicians. They do everything together – eat, sleep, work, workout, shop, camp, talk, philosophize, etc. And playing music is at the center of it all. The community they share comes through in their music, it goes hand in hand. An audience member can see the connection they share on stage. Their chemistry is electric. Often times they will refer to each other as brothers. A band of 11 brothers playing rock and roll, surf and soul.
Cabinet
When it comes to the music of Cabinet, the essential bywords are soul, simplicity, and serious musicianship. In concert, the combination of these qualities invariably yields an experience that is so celebratory and moving that the very word Cabinet takes on a new, vivid meaning for anyone in the audience. An inclusive and engaging energy is the uniting through-line as Cabinet weaves bluegrass, country and folk influences to powerful effect. Tight dynamics punctuate gorgeous, soaring harmonies as down-to-earth rhythm and lyrics give way to dreamy jams that are the musical equivalent of the back road scenic route. But this impressive result is no accident. Pappy Biondo [banjo, vocals], J.P. Biondo [mandolin, vocals], Mickey Coviello [acoustic guitar, vocals], Dylan Skursky [electric bass, double bass], Todd Kopec [fiddle, vocals], and Jami Novak [drums, percussion], all love and live music. They each have a nuanced approach and posses broad talents in their own rights. But the passionate, affirming, and joyous musical world that they create together is Cabinet.
Listeners that haven’t yet experienced Cabinet in person will no longer be left out, thanks to a trio of live releases. THIS IS CABINET – SET I (released Dec. 2010 on Ropeadope Records) showcases the band’s arrangement of traditional country and bluegrass songs as well as extended versions of tracks from their Self-Titled debut. THIS IS CABINET – COVERS (a free album given to fans for the 2011 holiday season), again showcases arrangements of traditional and standard bluegrass and folk numbers plus a couple Paul Simon tracks thrown in for good measure. The most recent effort, ELEVEN (due out 4/24/12 on Ropeadope Records), is the band’s most ambitious release to date. A live DVD / CD recorded November 11, 2011 at Abbey Bar, a former WWII aircraft parts factory turned brewery, in Harrisburg, PA, ELEVEN captures Cabinet in the heart of their element. Performed in front of a rambunctious sold out crowd this 11 song set features fan favorites “Tower”, “Elizabeth”, “Old Farmers Mill” and “Coalminers” as well as previously unreleased material. ELEVEN surely lives up to the band’s ever growing live show reputation.
Cabinet is a band that has outgrown any “regional favorite” tag and has progressed to a broader fanbase, all while retaining their signature sound. The band has played many of the great venues in the northeast and beyond and has shared the stage with Infamous String Dusters, Railroad Earth, Rusted Root, Hoots & Hellmouth, Hot Buttered Rum, Cornmeal, Dark Star Orchestra, Keller Williams, Hackensaw Boys, 7 Walkers, New Riders of the Purple Sage and many more.
Cabinet formed in 2006, bringing together players from various musical and personal backgrounds. Some of the members are barely old enough to drink legally, but their thirst for older music is unquenchable. Whether its rustic “American Beauty”-era Grateful Dead or old-timey bluegrass, Cabinet has digested it all. But that is not to say that Cabinet recreates older styles. No, this is music that might have its roots in the past, but it is current and vibrant, with a sense of celebrating the now. The band self-released a debut album, “Cabinet,” before signing with Ropeadope, which took notice and re-released that album digitally.
Eric Dodd
With his roots on Lake Oconee, located 70 miles east of Atlanta, Eric Dodd is a Singer-Songwriter with the ability to cross between Rock, Country and Americana genres. Critics say Dodd is best described as “a blend between Edwin McCain and Zac Brown.” Dodd claims both southern songwriters as influences.
Like many songwriters before him, Dodd started writing songs when that first note rang on his hand-me down acoustic guitar. While studying Music Business at the University of Georgia, he paid his dues at the many venues in town including the famous Georgia Theatre. Now, 26 years young, Dodd’s fans describe him as an older soul with lyrics that subscribe to this observation. Although he is just in his twenties, his entertaining shows and maturity on stage display the poise one must have to make it in the music business today.
Dodd and his band have been touring the southeast since 2008 and are playing over 200 shows a year. Dodd is one of Georgia’s most polished and eminent artists. He is up and coming… fast.
His third and latest release, Time To Decide, is a concept album, exploring relevant subjects in our country today but still has the soul-filled stories of heartache, rekindling of relationships and hope. The record is available on iTunes and at all shows.