Biography

One of the most prominent national acts to come out of the Binghamton, New York music scene, Driftwood, is at heart a Rock band. Carving out a name for themselves with electrifying live performances, they bring one of the most unique, raw sounds to the Americana/Roots scene. Incorporating upright bass, banjo, acoustic guitar and violin, the ghost of traditional American folk music lives in their palette. But the melodies, the harmonies and the lyrics are something else entirely.

“We started off playing Rock in high school. Then Jazz and Classical music in college. Then we dove head first into Folk and Bluegrass. At some point I guess we kind of met in the middle”, says guitarist/songwriter Dan Forsyth.

“We recognized early on that one of our strongest points was songwriting. The greatest songs transcend genre and time and this was one of the motivating ideas behind the band at the start”, says banjo player/songwriter Joe Kollar.

Trading lead vocals between Forsyth, Kollar and violinist/songwriter Claire Byrne, the group’s stage dynamics are as captivating as the songs. “I give so much of myself when I play because I deem it necessary in order to do the music justice”, says Byrne, whose violin shredding performances are legendary among fans. Songs or shredding, “There’s a reason people won’t let them off the stage”, says Jess Novak from The Syracuse New Times.

In the last three years they’ve played over 450 shows with club and festival appearances alongside such artists as Emmylou Harris, Robert Randolph, Bela Fleck, Old Crow Medicine Show, Rusted Root, Del McCoury, Brett Dennen, The Wailers, Leon Russell, and Donna the Buffalo. With the release of their second CD “A Rock & Roll Heart” in 2011, the band landed spins on a slew of great radio shows and stations such as WFUV’s Sunday Breakfast with John Platt; KZSU, Stanford, CA; WCBE, Columbus, OH; WNRN, Charlottesville, VA; WUNC, Chapel Hill, NC and WDVX, Knoxville, TN.

The self-titled new album was recorded this past summer with Grammy-winning engineer Robby Hunter. The set has lots of depth. Its ambitious, challenging and yet very accessible, a rare treat. It impacts radio on November 18th and will be released to the public on December 3rd, 2013.

Go to http://driftwoodtheband.com/touring/ for a listing of their current tour dates.

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Recommended Radio Tracks:
Outer Space
The Sun’s Going Down
Words Come True
Roller Coaster

Contact info:

Brad Paul

Brad Paul Media

bradpaul56@gmail.com

617-413-7821