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Adam Sullivan
Feb 2, 1987--
Nov 11,2006
Adam, our brother, we will
always miss you! R.I.P.
At the Lancaster Train Station
Johnny Hank posing with some appreciative fans!
Paul and Johnny at the York County Fiddlers Convention in August.
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"Sublime urban hillbilly enchanting spells!"
--Roctober magazine #44
Waitin On A Train play bluegrass music like greased lightning, twisitng the traditional into something new and exciting! Their feverish live shows are foot stomping celebrations of everything rock, and their own songs fly in the face of anything trendy. They put the dirt back in roots rock while playing their own lean and mean style of hillbilly hell-raisin'.
NEW SHOWS! Waitin On A Train returns to Small's in York with friends Horsecop and the Pony Show on Friday the 13th of June! Don't miss it, the last Small's show was a blast! Waitin On A Train will be appearing in downtown Harrisburg June 21st as part of the Troegs' Harrisburg Brewers' Fest. Come on out for some great beer and great music at this charity event. Get more info by clinking on the Troegs cap! Also earlier in the month on the 6th and 7th they will be appearing at the OUR Fest at Brushwood Park in Sherman, New York. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see their whole schedule of upcoming shows!
A big thanks to our local communities of York and Red Lion for giving the band a chance to play Mother's Day on the steps of the York County Conurthouse and also this past summer in the middle of center square in Red Lion! Great that the local guys recognize the efforts of this band who is not like anyone else! Make sure you catch their gigs if you are anywhere close, or pick up their CD so you can listen to them anytime you want!
NEW! Download "In the Path of Pain" from CD Baby for only $7--A DRM-free download with all the LP graphics and notes! CLICK HERE!
WAITIN ON A TRAIN
L TO R: Johhny Hank, Tony Staub and Paul Wykowski
Bona Fide is proud to introduce the newest artist on our roster along with their debut CD, In the Path of Pain! Waitin On A Train is our first foray into the realm of acoustic, roots oriented music though they are still keeping with our tradition of releasing uncompromising driving music-- lively, and unfettered by commercial or marketplace restraints. Their unique blend of old-time bluegrass harmony and rock'n'roll energy results in a powerful and original sound that is like no other. With their energetic live shows throughout the Mid-Atlantic and their unusual finely crafted tunes, the band has been winning over audiences of all types. Using the basic instrumentation of guitar, mandolin and stand-up bass, they harken back to the traditional country sound of bands like the Louvin Brothers and the Blue Sky Boys, though their sometimes unrelenting tempos and high spirited performances unmistakably have the spunk of the best rock and roll as well!
Formed in the summer of 2004 by Tony Staub (mandolin) and Paul Wykowski (guitar) as a duo determined to shake up the stale contemporary bluegrass scene, they started covering the Stanley Brothers and Bill Monroe, using the hard driving mandolin style of Monroe as a blueprint for their own musical excursions. Soon they added 19 yr old Adam Sullivan on bass, and his tireless energy and incredible talent cemented the band's reputation in the Central PA music scene as they began drawing raves everywhere from fiddler's conventions to rock and roll clubs. With Adam in tow, Waitin On A Train became a steamrollin powerhouse of a band and quickly began to gig more and work on their own totally original tunes. Soon the band honed their sound into a spirited attack combining all their disparate influences into a sound that retained the high lonesome sound of traditonal country but merged it with massive gobs of punk energy and feverish instrumental workouts. In the Path of Pain is the culmination of those efforts and the 9 originals plus a cover of Canned Heat's "Time Was" truly lay claim to the band staking out their own territory in what some would call Americana, but at Bona Fide we just call it good music!
Though we are honored at Bona Fide to release this incredible CD, we do it with a heavy heart. In November, shortly after recording this CD, Adam Sullivan fell to his death from a scenic overlook along the Susquehanna River. Adam was a truly unique character and a great human being, and he is loved and greatly missed by all who knew him. We will never forget Adam and his endless zest for life and we are truly blessed to be able to present his last recording to the world. It's a fitting epitaph to an all too short life. You can read more about Adam's life and his influence on others in this post from the Bona Fide blog. The band decided to continue and Adam's friend Bert Streavig aka Johnny Hank has taken his place and the band has now resumed gigging. In the Path of Pain remains as both a testament to a great talent silenced way too early as well as a statement from a band who like the other Bona Fide artists, blazes its own brilliant path. Rough edges intact, Waitin On A Train pays tribute to past traditions not quite forgotten while creating a fresh new sound all their own.
Preview their CD with the great cut Boot Hill Bootleggers! For more info and photos, check out the Waitin On A Train site!
From the DC Onion:
It'd be dangerously deceptive to call Pennsylvania trio Waitin OnA
Train bluegrass-unless people could mosh to bluegrass. The group's
instrumentation (mandolin, bass, drums) is certainly in line with
Appalachian front-porch music, but the wild energy is, at its tamest,
rock, and, at its most aggressive, punk. (The group's debut album
last year was titled In The Path Of Pain.) While it may be a bit
premature to put Waitin On A Train at the forefront of a new wave of
bluegrass-punk, it cant be denied that the band's sound is more
geared towards pumped up youngsters than geezers in rocking chairs.
Rockin at Smalls on March 1st!
Waitin On A Train goes electric at Smalls!
All Music Guide 4 Star Review by Richie Unterberger:
Although this mandolin-guitar-bass trio play acoustic music with strong roots in Appalachian folk and bluegrass, it's certainly not traditional in nature. That's not just because all of the songs are written by the band. It's also because they're played with a rhythmic drive that's at least as much rock, or at times even a little punk, than most of even the most frenetic folk or bluegrass. Too, the vocals have a sarcasm-tinged snarl that places this a considerable distance from the more humble and reverent tones of early-to-mid-century Appalachian folk and bluegrass artists (and more contemporary revivalists of the form). While there's a bit of deadpan ironic anguish to their singing and songwriting, however, make no mistake: these fellows can play with infectious grit, and know the source material to which they're giving a slight twist. The vocal harmonies (between mandolinist Tony Staub and guitarist Paul Wykowski) might not have the high lonesome purity of the bluegrass virtuosos, but they their rough-hewn blend is appropriate, and bassist Adam Sullivan adds deft jazzy runs as effective punctuation. While Waitin On a Train isn't the first to attempt this cowpunkish strain, they do it well, giving a contemporary spin on old-time music without succumbing to novelty humor--Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide.
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OUR Fest |
Sherman, New York |
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OUR Fest |
Sherman, New York |
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Smalls |
york, Pennsylvania |
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Appalachian Brewing Company |
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
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Harrisburg Brewers Fest |
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
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Granfalloons Tavern |
York, Pennsylvania |
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Dogfish Head Brewery |
Rehoboth, Delaware |
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First Capital |
york, Pennsylvania |
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York County Fiddlers Festival |
Felton, Pennsylvania |
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Ontario Barn Festival |
Rochester, New York |
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Unique Bar |
Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania |
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Moondancer Vineyard |
Wrightsville |
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First Capital |
York |
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First Capital |
York, Pennsylvania | |
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Out
Now!
Track listing
1. In the Path of Pain
2. Country Side of the
City
3. Driftin Down
4. Just You
5. Canaan Road
6. John Garrett's Barn
7. Clinch Mountain
Breakdown
8. Boot Hill Bootleggers
9. Please Tell Me
10. Time Was
Tröegs Brewing Company is teaming up with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Central Pennsylvania to put on the fourth annual outdoor beer and music festival in downtown Harrisburg.
- 2 sessions to reduce crowding
- A large festival site that includes Locust Street and Third Street!
- Food vendors selling a wide variety of food!
- Additional brewers with enough beer to serve the entire event!
- A special VIP tasting event in between the beer festival sessions!
The double session event is scheduled to run from 12:00 to 3:30pm and 5:00 to 8:30pm on Locust and Third Streets with the main entrance at the corner of Second and Locust Streets in downtown Harrisburg. There will be samples from up to 35 breweries and up to 2,600 beer lovers from across the Mid-Atlantic region will attend this event. The ticket price covers unlimited beer samples from participating breweries, a collector’s sampling mug, and entertainment from several bands.
Waitin On A Train with Del McCoury at the recent Dewey Renfro benefit. Old and new York County roots!
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