Schedule

Brian Bender (trombone, trumpet, melodica, keyboards, percussion, composer) has performed in the Cape Verde Islands (West Africa), Egypt, Israel, Alaska, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Spain, Scotland, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the United Kingdom and throughout the United States. He has performed at Carnegie Hall as well as the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton. He performs each summer with various Klezmer, Reggae and Latin Jazz Bands based throughout Europe. Brian is based in the Northeatern USA.

Brian has formerly performed with O.J. Ekemode and the Nigerian All-Stars, Kotoja (African World-Beat), Ibrahima Camera, Black Rebels (African Reggae), La Perfecta (Salsa/Merengue) and the Berkshire Bateria Escola de Samba (Brazilian). He currently performs with the The Pangeans (World Beat), the Wholesale Klezmer Band, Little Shop of Horas (Klezmer-World fusion), Big Bandemonium (Celtic), and MarKamusic (Latin-Andean fusion).

Brian has also performed in numerous tribute concerts for the legendary jazz bandleader Sun Ra at venues such as the Knitting Factory (NYC) and the Southern University of New Orleans. In 1989 Brian was asked by Art Blakey to “sit in” with the Jazz Messengers at the Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA). In 1995 and 2010, Brian recorded as a trombonist with legendary Jazz saxophinist Archie Shepp. An interview with Brian in 1997 on the subject of Klezmer music was aired on National Public Radio and he has been interviewed on Israel National Radio.

Brian performs frequently at festivals, concerts, clubs, parties, schools and cafes with various Jazz, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Calypso, Samba, Klezmer, Celtic and other groups. He also teaches lessons and workshops on trombone, piano and trumpet focusing on improvisation and playing music "by ear." He also teaches Jazz, Klezmer and original music ensembles to children and adults. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music (Boston, USA).

Brian also owns and operates Face the Music Recording Studio located in Shutesbury, MA. The studio is a 32-track digital facility that handles a wide range of recording projects. Folk, Jazz, Rock, Blues, World, Celtic, Klezmer, Classical, Narration, Poetry and other projects have all recorded at Face the Music since its inception in 2001. Brian has also made over 30 live ("on-location") recordings of various performances.

Girl Howdy roars into town on a mission keeping the honky-tonk torch burning bright! This a 5-piece combo features an all-gal frontline tearing it up on steel guitar, piano, flat top guitar and soaring vocal harmonies, backed by a top-notch rhythm section on upright bass and drums.

Playing music from the classic honky-tonk era spanning the late 1940's to the early 1960's, Girl Howdy plays songs from such legends as Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Ray Price, the Davis Sisters, Webb Pierce, as well as honky-tonk-inspired originals. Hogwild for raw twang, this band plows through their retro-based repertoire with energy, enthusiasm and utter devotion.

Girl Howdy's lineup includes guitarist Betsy-Dawn Williams, piano-pounder Paula Bradley, steeler Rose Sinclair, thumpin’ upright bassist Brian Rost and Texas dancehall veteran drummer Billy Nadeau.

All are top-notch musicians who stay busy with a variety of music projects. Bradley is fresh off a tour of Germany (on banjo) with the old-time string band, Uncle Earl, and has also toured and recorded with Bruce Molsky and Tony Trischka; Williams plays rubboard with the popular zydeco band, Slippery Sneakers, and leads a new rockabilly band, Lil Bee Dee & the Doo-Rites with a CD on El Toro Records; Sinclair can be heard around the Northeast on accordion with Planet Zydeco and steel guitar with Cajun Hall of Fame accordionist Jesse Lege, and tours on the West Coast and Europe with The Crooked Jades; Rost plays bass with many northeast bands including the Tarbox Ramblers; and Nadeau is a stalwart of the Texas dancehall scene.

Girl Howdy has been bringing their country swing to festivals, clubs and dancehalls throughout the Northeast since 2003 and was invited to play at the 2010 Texas steel guitar jamboree in Dallas.

The roots honky-tonk mission of Girl Howdy continues, delivering tight vocal harmonies, spare yet punchy arrangements, an infectious honky-tonk groove, and above all one heck of a good time!

Foot stomping, down in your soul zydeco music. We're gonna spice things up with Louisiana zydeco, blues and boogie woogie. Lil'Cyn on accordion, Eileen Almeida on vocals and rubboard, Mike Rose on drums, Dave Leblanc on bass and Bob Rosser on guitar.