Contruda

Contruda’s songwriting is too precisely crafted to lump them in with many of today's jam bands. Yet their musical diversity and extraordinary musicianship, combined with the desire to squeeze every once of emotion out of an audience, is too authentic, dynamic, and raw for polished pop/rock radio. This leaves Contruda floating in the genre gaps between blues, rock, country, and reggae; a place inhabited by great artists like Wilco and Ben Harper.In 1998 Dan Byrnes (vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica, and primary songwriter) Matt Buonomo (bass) and John Redden (drums and vocals) formed the trio Contraband. Together they began making a name for themselves by playing bars and clubs throughout the beach communities of Cape Cod. A weekly Thursday night gig at Grumpy’s Pub in the town of Falmouth allowed Contraband to play for hundreds of people each summer and solidify themselves as the Cape Cod band to see. Playing week after week taught the band the importance of creating dynamic live performances and diverse set lists in order to keep their fans interested. This is still a huge part of what Contruda is known for today. They soon began playing outside of Cape Cod sharing stages with GFE, Jiggle the Handle, The Seepeoples, Brotherhood of Groove, and Soulive throughout venues in Boston, New Hampshire, and Vermont.With the recent addition of Brendan O’Keefe, longtime friend and guitarist from the band Alruda, Contraband changed its name to Contruda. To say the lineup change has breathed new life into the band is a huge understatement. Since joining, the band has become more productive and proficient than ever. Now with over 50 original songs, Contruda is in the process of finishing their long overdue debut album. Recently the band was invited to Florida’s prestigious Full Sail School of Recording Arts where they recorded a number of songs. At the end of the semester they were presented the award Best Recording of the Year for their song “Smile For Me”. This past fall Contruda wrapped up their first tour, playing in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, and finishing with a night at New York City’s Knitting Factory.The buzz about Contruda is growing at home as well. During a near sold out show at Harper’s Ferry in Boston, Contruda was unexpectedly joined on stage by saxophonist Sam Kininger (Soulive, Brotherhood of Groove) who finished the night with them. Look for their debut release coming this fall.