East River String Band

Music:

Member Since: 7/12/2004
Band Website: eastriverstringband.com
Band Members: ERSB IS:-----EDEN BROWER - VOCALS & UKULELE/JOHN HENEGHAN - VOCALS, GUITAR & KAZOO----------------------------------------------------Joh n Heneghan began playing guitar at age five and became completely bitter and jaded about the idea of trying to play any kind of modern music very soon thereafter. By age seven, John was a loathsome record collector forced to constantly rummage through records anywhere he could find them in an attempt to find something he had never heard before. At around age 16 while digging through a bin of used $1 records in a punk rock record store, John came across a sonic treasure that would change the way he heard all music from that point on: the Yazoo double lp of Charley Patton. This record, a reissue of the recordings of the greatest blues musician of the 1920’s, would soon send John on a journey to find more of these rural country masterpieces on lp and eventually the original 78 records. Finally, John sought to try to recreate this music on the guitar. One day while listening to a 78 record of Memphis Minnie and hearing his girlfriend Eden singing along to it with a beautiful and natural tone that felt like a country night on the porch in 1929, John decided to form his dream band- the East River String Band- in 2004 with Eden Brower. At age six Eden Brower starred in an off off off off-broadway production of Annie playing no one less than that delightful little orphan with curly red hair herself. Her family, thoroughly convinced that this role would lead to an illustrious career jam packed with fame and fortune, regretably quit their jobs and prepared to live off the unlimited wealth their talented middle daughter would surely soon produce. Twenty four years later Eden landed her second singing job in the ERSB, where she sings like a 1920’s barrelhouse angel and plays glorious melodies on the ukulele that would make Ikey Robinson proud! Other than playing ukulele Eden likes vintage clothes. She dislikes not having vintage clothes. The band is primarily a duo although they always enjoy a great musician sitting in and have been blessed to have such old-time music greats as Robert Crumb, Pat Conte & Terry Waldo sit in with the band. John and Eden met at the comic book store Forbidden Planet. At first they did not get along, as John refused to admit that yes, Betty is way hotter than Veronica. Eventually John and Eden realized how much they had in common, such as their mutual love of cheese, and they fell in love. Obviously, the only thing left to do was form a string band and play old-timey hilbilly jug band music from the 1920’s and 30’s. Come and hear them play live and you will hear all of your old-time favorites songs.
Influences:
Sounds Like: Lottie Kimbrough, Memphis Minnie, Geeshie Whiley, Laura Smith, Heartman's Heartbreakers, Martha Copeland, Hattie Hart, Red Onion Joe, Skip James, Mississippi Sheiks, Memphis Jug band, Hokum Boys, Charlie Patton, Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, Blind Willie Mctell, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Sleepy John Estes, Tampa Red, Gid tanner and his Skillet Lickers, Leak County Revelers, Dr. Smith's Champion Hoss Hair Pullers, Sol Hoopii, Tenneva Ramblers, Lowe Stokes, Robert Wilkins, Kessinger Brothers, Chubby Parker, Peg Leg Howell, Bobby Leecan, Tampa Joe & Macon Ed, Sam Collins, Papa Charlie Jackson, Weems String Band, Scottdale String Band, and Charlie Poole and The North Carolina Ramblers...
Record Label: Please sign us!
Type of Label: None