Broken Holmes

.. Broken Holmes was formed in November of 2007 by brothers James and Jon Snyder. The brothers are transplants from back east where they grew up playing funk and heavy groove music in the Greenwich Village circuit of Manhattan NYC. In their over 20 years of live performance they have played with many big names with their earlier 9 piece powerhouse funk act “Copious Jive”. They have shared the stage with acts such as: Groove Collective, Widespread Panic, MOE, Murphy’s Law, Blind Melon, MILO Z, Dionne Farris, Edwin McCain, LIVE, and Moon Boot Lover (Peter Prince and the Evans brothers from Soulive). Their exposure to the prodigy level street players of Manhattan has given them a breadth of knowledge for “funky soul driven music” from the heart.
Jon has been playing guitar since the age of 5 and is a study of the jazz guitar legend Joe Cinderella. Jon has recorded for producer Rodney Jerkin’s with such artists as Michelle Branch, Mary J. Blige and Destiny’s Child and has also shared the stage with Eric Lindell. Jon brings to the stage an incredibly dexterous funky wrist coupled with sinister dissonant melodies. James, a singer first and foremost, has been playing the drum kit since the age of 12 and is self taught for over 24 years. James' solid backbeats create a thick foundation for supporting the years of hip street grooves that the brothers have been playing. James, a lover of hip hop, fusion, and soul uses his inspiration to lay down fat kick and snare and is always keepin it greazy.
The brothers had a very difficult time finding just the right players, with the right chemistry to complete the “Broken Holmes” line up. The only criteria the brothers believe in is…Play from the heart, dig deep in your soul and play what you feel. The brothers were gifted with really BIG ears, and a very organic approach to writing clever tunes that make people move. Through extensive auditions of many great players, Broken Holmes was fortunate to find 3 exceptional musicians, Larry “Fab Folz” on tenor sax, and Greg "The Professor" Whitesides on 6 string bass, and Ted "Uncle Gilbert" Cole on flute and wind synth.
Larry is a recent transplant from Austin Texas, where he has played with many Funk, Hip Hop, and Blues acts throughout the south Texas area. Larry’s natural ability to assimilate “groove and pocket” and transpose that feel into nasty soulful horn lines, and wicked dark melodies was a perfect fit for Broken Holmes.
Greg has been playing for over 20 years and has played many top venues in Denver with various groups. Greg brings an air tight “Prestia” like playing style into the mix with fat dexterous bass lines and sly pocket grooves.
Ted has been playing in the Denver area off and on since college with such groups as Runaway Express, Tanstaafl, Barlow and Cole, Lateral Thinking, and Burning Abigail and has toured with John McEuen of the NItty Gritty Dirt Band on occasion. Ted brings a mix of jazz/rock/funk flute to the band with melodic phrasing and percussive stylings. He also brings the multiple voicings of wind synth for section, pad, and soloing work.
Broken Holmes was formed to offer Denver a taste of that “back east” aggressive NYC URBAN groove that hits you right in the heart and makes you want to move.