The Gilded Bats profile picture

The Gilded Bats

About Me

The Gilded Bats are an Iowa City old-time string band. Some of the places we've played since forming in 2003 include: Hancher Auditorium (with Dan Zanes); The Mill (including opening for the Mammals); High Noon Saloon in Madison, Wisc. (opening for the Carolina Chocolate Drops); Uptown Bills; Muscatine Watermelon Jam; Musser Public Library; Carl Sandburg Birthplace in Galesburg, Illinois; Iowa Friends of Old Time Music Fiddlers Picnic; Brewed Awakenings in Cedar Rapids; Iowa City, Coralville, and Mt. Vernon Farmers Markets; Iowa City's Family Fun Night; West Branch Friday Night Concert Series; and the West Branch Fall Festival. We also love to play for dances, and have played for several in West Branch, Fairfield, and Rock Island. If you come out to see us play don't be afraid to move your feet, and be sure to stop by and say howdy!===================================================== CD REVIEWThe Gilded Bats play old timey folk music. If you look on the back of the CD there's a logo for the Iowa Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. These guys wrote grants to pay for this CD - pretty nice trick I'd say. But The Gilded Bats aren't just clever, banjo-strumming slackers, there's some real meat on those bones/wings.The Gilded Bats are a lot more polished and less punk rock than their fellow travelers Escape the Floodwater Jug Band, but they have what a lot of traditional music seems to be lacking these days: attitude.There are a lot of talented musicians in Iowa City making music superficially similar to that of The Gilded Bats, but to my ears, most of it isn't nearly as interesting. I can't even put my finger on why that is, except that despite their accomplished musicianship they bring out the darkness, dirt and grit that keeps folk music from being safe and boring.--Kent Williams, Little Village, November 2007====================================================== CD REVIEWThe debut disc on artist/engineer/producer Patrick Brickel's new label, "The Gilded Bats" showcases a muscular, energetic old-time stringband that's steadily been expanding its profile in Eastern Iowa.Comprised of Norbert Sarsfield (fiddle), Andrew Epstein (banjo, jaw harp), Billy Bryant (guitar) and Chris Clark (washtub bass), The Gilded Bats apply their kinetic pickin' to an endearing set of 16 evergreens culled from the hill-country canon -- and everybody sings with gusto.Befitting a band whose moniker was cribbed from the title of a 1966 novel by eccentric Gothic marvel Edward Gorey, the songs' subjects tend to be at least a tad bit twisted, as in the Holy Modal Rounders' "Give the Fiddler a Dram" -- "Pretty little girl with a red dress on/She took it off/I put it on/In come Johnny with the big boots on ..."Funded in part by a grant from the Iowa Arts Council, "The Gilded Bats" is crisply played and sung, and the disc is brilliantly recorded and mastered (kudos to Justin Kennedy and Brickel), resulting in a freshly-packed barn dance that's ready to go.-- Jim Musser, Iowa City Press-Citizen, 11/08/2007__________________________________________________ _________________

____________________________________________________________ ___________Click here to buy our music via Apple iTunes: ..

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/11/2006
Band Website: http://www.myspace.com/thegildedbats
Band Members:
View The Gilded Bats's EPKBill Bryant - guitar, vocals; Brian Gotwals - banjo, guitar, mandolin, vocals; Norbert Sarsfield - fiddle, guitar, banjo, vocals; Marc Janssen - mandolin, guitar, vocals; Chris Clark - washtub bass, vocals
Influences: West Virginia fiddlers (Edden Hammons, Burl Hammons, Melvin Wine, Ernie Carpenter, French Carpenter, Wilson Douglas, Lester McCumbers, Jimmy Triplett, Gerry Milnes, Scott Prouty); Edward Gorey; Holy Modal Rounders; Foghorn String Band; Rayna Gellert; Clyde Davenport; Cordelias Dad; Kerry Blech; Bruce Molsky; Rhythm Rats; John Salyer; Bruce Greene
Sounds Like:Gilded Bats play the Iowa City Barn Dance

Record Label: Mud Dauber Records - www.muddauberrecords.com
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Old-time events in Iowa City this week!

Hi all. A couple of event announcements to pass along: 1) This coming Saturday night, August 23, The Gilded Bats will be playing for the inaugural dance hosted by the Ralston Creek Country Dancer...
Posted by on Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:28:00 GMT

Show this Sunday, and review in Sing Out!

Howdy! Just wanted to drop a quick reminder that the Gilded Bats will be playing this Sunday, June 1, at the Park Farm Winery in Bankston, Iowa. We'll start playing around 5:00 pm. Admission is $5, an...
Posted by on Fri, 30 May 2008 08:23:00 GMT

Gilded Bats shows this weekend

Greetings Bat-boys and Bat-girls. We wanted to let you all know about a couple of Gilded Bats shows on the horizon. This Friday, May 2, we hope you'll join us in downtown Iowa City and have a little o...
Posted by on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:20:00 GMT

Jim Mussers Year End List

Howdy all. Just a quick one to mention that the Iowa City Press-Citizen's music maven, Jim Musser, gave our little ol' CD a shout out in his year end listing of best local music releases. You can chec...
Posted by on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 08:24:00 GMT

Bats, Evan Miller, & Mike & Amy Finders @ The Mill

Howdy all. We hope those of you in the Iowa City area will brave the cold winter weather this Friday, December 14th and join us at the Mill in Iowa City for what promises to be a great night of music....
Posted by on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:38:00 GMT

Stores stocking our CD

Howdy all. It looks like CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com) is temporarily sold out of our CD; they should have more copies in stock within the next day or two. Several local/regional stores have been cool enou...
Posted by on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:09:00 GMT

New video clip posted

If you haven't noticed yet we've got a video clip (courtesy of our good buddy Ed Wenger) up from our CD release show last night. The turnout was great and we really had a blast. Thanks so much to ever...
Posted by on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:28:00 GMT

Bats, Purdies, Charmers, & Jugsters this Friday! Oh My!

Howdy folks! We hope you'll join us this Friday evening (Nov. 9) at the Que Bar (211 Iowa Ave.) for a CD release party celebrating our debut CD on Mud Dauber Records. We're revved up and ready to go a...
Posted by on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:29:00 GMT

Bat Update

Howdy all. We've been busy here at the bat cave recently, and we thought we'd send out an email to keep you abreast of the latest news:Meet The Gilded BatsOur debut CD on Mud Dauber Records is out now...
Posted by on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:07:00 GMT

Gilded Bats CD out now! Get ’em while they’re hot!!

Howdy all. We're proud to announce the release today of our debut CD on Mud Dauber Records. For those of you in the Iowa City area you can pick up a copy at several fine local retail establishments, i...
Posted by on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:54:00 GMT