 Thursday, November 8, 2012 @ 8:00 PM
If Rock and Roll is anything specific, it is an energy. Its love, its defiance, its human. Its Folk Art. One of the most prominent national acts to come out of the Binghamton, NY music scene, Driftwood, is at heart a Rock band. Carving out a name for themselves with invigorating live performances reminiscent of the Rock shows of the 60s and 70s, they bring one of the most unique, raw sounds to the Americana/Roots scene. Incorporating Upright Bass, Banjo, Acoustic Guitar and Violin, the ghost of Traditional American Folk Music lives in their palette. But the melodies, the harmonies and the lyrics are something else entirely. We started off playing Rock and then dove head first into Folk Music. At some point I guess we kind of met in the middle says Guitarist/Songwriter Dan Forsyth. Drawing on aspects of Rock, Folk, Bluegrass, Country, Classical, Old Time, Blues, Pop and 1960s R&B, the music is crafted to serve the songs. With a fast growing audience singing along at live shows, its easy to tell the primary focus is on song. We recognized early on that one of our strongest points was songwriting. The greatest songs transcend genre and time and this was one of the motivating ideas behind the band at the start says Forsyth. Trading lead vocals between Forsyth, Banjo player/Songwriter Joe Kollar and Violinist/Songwriter Claire Byrne, the groups stage dynamics are as captivating as the songs. I give so much of myself when I play because I deem it necessary in order to do the music justice says Byrne, whos Violin Shredding performances are legendary among fans. Songs or shredding, theres a reason people wont let them off the stage says Jess Novak from The Syracuse New Times.
Formed in 2005, the band spent about four years playing just about anywhere they could. We just wanted to be able to play for any crowd and turn heads says banjo player Joe Kollar. We played everywhere. Coffee houses, bars, churches, rock clubs, bluegrass festivals and the streets
a lot on the streets. We didnt make any money but what we learned was invaluable. After the release of their Debut CD Rally Day in 2009 the band has spent most of the last 3 years on the road. With Club and festival appearances up and down the East Coast along side of artists such as Bela Fleck, Rusted Root, Del McCoury, Brett Dennen, The Wailers, Railroad Earth, Rubblebucket and Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood is making serious waves on the East Coast scene. In the last year they played over 170 shows. With the release of their newest CD A Rock & Roll Heart in 2011, the band landed spins on a slew of great radio shows and stations such as WFUVs Sunday Breakfast with John Platt, KZSU, Stanford, CA WCBE, Columbus, OH and WDVX, Knoxville, TN. The album was also noted as one of CD Babys Top Sellers for Alternative Folk. In the summer of 2012, the band was afforded their own Summer Tour blog on the website of the local Binghamton paper, The Press and Sun Bulletin.
*Times listed are when doors open. Music typically begins one hour later. Prices listed are for tickets only, an additional $5 door charge may apply for those under age 21 at our 18 and over shows.
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