Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband
PostHeeHawFunkadelicHipHopNewgrass
“That’s the most fun I’ve seen a band have on stage
since the Sex Pistols!!” ~ Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits
Wednesday, February 16th at 7:30 pm
$18 advance, $20 at the door, $25 priority seating in the first 3 rows
PostHeeHawFunkadelicHipHopNewgrass? What? This is the word used to describe Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband. Ryan Shupe says, “Country folks think we are bluegrass, bluegrass folks think we are country. We think we rock.” So if you like any or all of the styles listed above, served up as performance art, witty lyrics, stellar musicianship and zany antics, you’ll have fun with this group, voted Best Bluegrass Band at the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
The five man band, hailing from the Salt Lake City, Utah, is a breath of fresh air in an age where much of the music is over-produced, “practically to death,” and their organic approach to performing has built them quite a following, not only through the West but around the rest of the country as well. Lead singer Ryan Shupe originally formed the band as an outlet for his songwriting but it soon took on a life all its own, becoming bigger than anything he could have originally imagined.
A descendent from a long line of fiddle players, (he’s the fifth generation to play) Shupe has been playing violin nearly as long as he could walk. His father assembled a group of young children, to play and tour professionally, and called them the PeeWee Pickers.
Shupe continued to play in bands all through school. In college, weary of starting bands only to have someone drop out, he ingeniously decided to form a loose outfit of musicians known as the Rubberband, where members could drop in and out at will and he would have a rotating group from which to pull when he needed them. However, one by one, the musicians began to stick and their cohesiveness fueled their musical fires until they became regional favorites. Most of the members had known each other from the area circuit before they joined Shupe in the Rubberband.
Banjoist Craig Miner first started playing music on a ukelele he bought at a garage sale, and from there added banjo, guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki. Drummer Bart Olson grew up playing with his family’s band, the Olson Family Fiddlers, and at 12 picked up the drums. Guitarist Roger Archibald has been playing guitar since he was 11, and actually played in a band that Ryan’s dad organized, String Fever, when he was growing up. Ryan Tilby also played in String Fever with Archibald before joining the Rubberband for the first time on banjo.
After building a solid regional following, the group elected to try their hand at a bigger dream. Their highly polished skills and string-based sound piqued the interest of quite a few record labels. Signing initially with Capitol Records, they made the well-received album, Dream Big, released in 2005 and produced by Jason Deere. That album produced the hit single Dream Big which was used as the theme song for NBC’s prime-time show, Three Wishes, hosted by Amy Grant.
They later parted ways with the label, but continued to tour steadily and work on new material, some of which was heard by new label Montage Music Group, who immediately signed the group. Their new CD, Last Man Standing, is a progression from their previous albums.
Bluegrass Unlimited has described the group’s music as a “Fresh hybrid of new music influenced by bluegrass but featuring the percussive fervor of rock, rap and other styles. They bring imaginative arrangements and daring musicianship to their quintet sound.”
Playing a wide range of instruments and musical styles, the band appeals to youth and college aged crowds. In addition, they maintain a strong appeal to everyone - from the youngest to the oldest fans. Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband has opened for Trace Adkins, Sara Evans, Trisha Yearwood, Sawyer Brown, 10,000 Maniacs, Creed, Marc Anthony, Colin Raye, LeAnn Rimes, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Home Events Tickets Theater Studio B Classes Cafe Map Links Contact
all content & design copyright © 2009 Old Town Center for the Arts all rights reserved