Flatbed

As spring 2007 returns to country sides and cityscapes, it brings the end of another winter and the hope of warmer weather ahead. Nature rises from its dormancy and breathes life into the air as it fills with the sounds of people living and celebrating their lives. The timing is ideal for the release of a new collection of original American music by Flatbed, from Buffalo, New York.
Flatbed began when vocalist/songwriter Joelle Labert, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Derek Bassett and bassist Michael Tinsmon began writing songs and performing acoustic shows together. As their popularity grew, the trio decided to gain diversity in their live shows by expanding their lineup. They first asked long time friend Daniel Smith to bring his Telecaster lead guitar sound to the group. They then welcomed the energetic drumming of Ted Chubbuck Jr. to the fold, and finally multi-instrumentalist John F. Brady brought lap steel and mandolin aboard to complete the current Flatbed lineup.
The eponymous Flatbed is their first studio release after spending three years performing around western New York, gathering a strong following and developing their unique approach to songs. Their music draws equally from country, rock, folk, blues, and jazz, and the self-produced Flatbed album reflects this stylistic range. Flatbed also enlisted the assistance of some close friends to help realize their songs' full potential. Nathan Montague joined in on harmonica; Bill Brandau and Dan Delano played some excellent piano and organ, respectively, ..ed tracks.
Flatbed's live performances have always been popular with their growing fan base. Without any CD sales support, and based only on their live shows, they were nominated Best Americana Band for both 2005 and 2006 at the Buffalo Music Awards. With this year's Flatbed CD release and a continuing schedule of live dates the band hopes to take that award home in 2007 as they look to the future and immediately begin work on their next album.