The Skiffle Minstrels

Artist Information

Biography

The Skiffle Minstrels is a dance band that plays at festivals, weddings and parties; in honky-tonks, dance halls and clubs. The band plays Country, Western Swing & Original Tunes designed for two stepping, lindy hopping, texas waltzing & country shuffling. They have won awards in categories ranging from Best Country Band to Best Genre-Defying Act.

The band has earned festival bookings at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Great Blue Heron Music Festival (Sherman, NY), Edinboro Art and Music Festival (Edinboro, PA), The Dam Show (Austin, PA), Bayou and Boogie Festival (Rehoboth, MA), Lilac Festival (Rochester, NY), and many more. The Skiffle Minstrels love to play anywhere people are dancing--and wherever they play, people WILL be dancing!

Instrumentation

Paul Todaro - Vocals, Bass
Phil Knoerzer - Guitar, Harmonica
Maggie Zindle - Vocals, Fiddle
Gary Meixner - Lap Steel Guitar
Bill "Hutch" Hutchison - Drums

Discography

• All God's Children Gotta Dance (2011)
a Western Swing Album with 9 originals an 2 standards of the genre.

• WBFO On the Border: Wednesday Night Concerts
The nineteen-song compilation features some of the outstanding talent from Western New York—including the Skiffle Minstrels’ “All Night Diner,” recorded during a live-to-air concert in August, 2008.

• Homespun (2009)
The Skiffle Minstrels’ first CD —a collection of homespun songs, 6 original & 6 covers simply recorded without overdubs.

Original Jingle for Buffalo's own Community Beer Works (2012)

• Radio Play On:
WRUR/WXXI (Rochester, NY)
WMBR (Boston, NY)
WUOW (Oneonta, NY)
WBFO (Buffalo, NY)
KBON (Lafayette, LA)
WBNY (Buffalo, NY)
WITH (Ithaca, NY)
WVBR (Ithaca, NY)
WXRL (Buffalo, NY)
PeelStar Country Club (Netherlands)
WVBR "Bound for Glory" (Ithaca, NY)

Official Website

http://www.skiffleminstrels.com

Links

• Facebook
• Skiffle Video!
• What is Western Swing?

Audio

• All God's Children Gotta Dance
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• Hillbilly Rockabilly Honky-Tonk
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• Goin' Home
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• (All I Can Do Is) Wonder Why
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Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Dance Hall is Their Domain [+ Show ]
  

  “The Skiffle Minstrels play classic songs of classic songwriters, country blues, swing and honky-ton...“The Skiffle Minstrels play classic songs of classic songwriters, country blues, swing and honky-tonk, and originals which merit being played in the same sets as Hank Williams. It’s listening music, it’s dancing music played with energy and joy. I’ve also had the privilege of hosting them live on my radio show twice. They are great in the small radio studio, but the dance hall is their domain.”

• Skiffle Minstrels pour hear and soul into music [+ Show ]
  

  Skiffle Minstrels pour heart, soul into music The distance from Buffalo to Nashville is roughly 6...Skiffle Minstrels pour heart, soul into music
  
  The distance from Buffalo to Nashville is roughly 630 miles. Musically, however, a million miles lies between what the Skiffle Minstrels play and what passes for country music today.
  
  "We're interested in making people dance. So it's really a swing band. That's what it's turned into," Todaro says. "We're really focused on the dancing. We're trying to create that at the event rather than play a 'concert' type of thing. What we really like to do is play for four hours nonstop and get people dancing."
  
  The Skiffle Minstrels perform half originals and half covers of artists such as Texas swing king Bob Wills, country icon Hank Williams, Hank Snow and more.
  
  Peppy originals like the twangy "All Night Diner" and the swingin' "No Destination" pay tribute to the masters.
  
  "When we write, we model it after Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Hank Thompson -- all the Hanks," Todaro says.
  
  Thing is, the Skiffle Minstrels infuse this old-time music with so much exuberance and heart their joy radiates from the stage.
  

• Gig History [+ Show ]
  

  Gig History The Skiffle Minstrels is based in Buffalo, NY. Since 2003 they have been playing locall...Gig History
  The Skiffle Minstrels is based in Buffalo, NY. Since 2003 they have been playing locally and traveling the North East. Here is a partial list of where the band has been.
  Buffalo, NY:
  Bidwell Park Concert Series, Elmwood Ave Festival of the Arts (headliners for 3 years), Party for the Parks, Party on the Portico, WBFO on the Border (Live Radio) Sportsmen’s Tavern, Nietzsche’s, Allen Street Hardware, McGarretts, Mohawk Place, Central Park Grill, Tudor Lounge, Merge, Coco, Niagara University, Taste of Buffalo, Rock the Barn, Root 5, Armor Inn …
  
  Rochester, NY:
  Open Tunings with Scot Regan (live Radio), Lilac Festival, Corn Hill Festival, Abilene, Sticky Lips, Lovin Cup, Harmony House, Bop Shop (14 Fridays)
  
  Ithaca, NY:
  WVBR’s Bound for Glory (live Radio), WITH Rootabaga Boogie (live Radio), Maxie’s Supper Club, Oasis Dance Club, Lost Dog Café, Rongovian Embassy, The Pourhouse,
  
  Festivals:
  Greyfox Bluegrass (Catskills, NY), Bayou & Boogie (Rehoboth, MA), Great Blue Heron (Sherman, NY), North Fork Country Music Festival (Warsaw, NY), Riverside Music Festival (Erie, PA) The Dam Show (Austin, PA), Canandaigua Festival of the Arts (NY),
  
  Concerts:
  Wellsville Creative Arts Center (NY), Lee Whedon Memorial Library (Medina, NY), Batavia Free Concert Series (NY), Becker Farms (Gasport, NY), Boston Zydeco Dancers (MA), The Towers Concert Series (RI), Flying Bison Brewery (Buffalo, NY), Southern Tier Brewery (Jamestown, NY) Schulze Winery (Medina, NY)
  
  Casinos:
  Three years under contract with Seneca Nation and multiple appearances at Club 101 Niagara Falls and The Lounge in Salamanca
  

• These Guys are IT [+ Show ]
  

  “A couple of us went to catch a show by the Skiffle Minstrels. The plan was to see some good music a...“A couple of us went to catch a show by the Skiffle Minstrels. The plan was to see some good music and talk about planning an event. Well, nothing got planned because we could not divert our attention from the band long enough. If you are ever looking for something fun to do [. . .] these guys are it.”
  Buf falo Rising
  

• A Crowd-Pleasing Bunch
  

  “The Skiffle Minstrels are a hard-working and crowd-pleasing bunch.”

• Testimonials [+ Show ]
  

  The Skiffle Minstrels have been playing weddings and private events all over for years. Here’s some ...The Skiffle Minstrels have been playing weddings and private events all over for years. Here’s some “Happy Couple” testimonials.
  
  
  'The Skiffle Minstrels were the perfect band to play at our wedding. They were so fun and entertaining, the dance floor was full all night long. Our guests of all ages enjoyed their country, honky-tonk style. They were extremely professional to work with and even contacted our venue to set up arrival time and details, leaving one less thing for us to do. They were also very reasonably priced making it an obvious choice over the typical wedding DJ. Our friends and family still talk about how great our wedding was, always including how much they loved the music.' -Laura and Bill Holtz (Buffalo, NY)
  We have seen The Skiffle Minstrels play many times over the past few years. We picked them for our wedding because we knew that as soon as our guests heard them play, they would get up and dance. Plus, they played the most amazing, dramatic, and sensual klezmer-style hora- it was unforgettable! On top of being extremely talented musicians, the band is very professional and courteous. They played three killer sets and were very fairly priced. We just wish we had another excuse to hire them for a private show! - Anna Kaplan (Buffalo, NY)
  The Skiffles did a wonderful job for us when they played at the wedding of our daughter Jocelyn to Devin Foran in July 2010. We had an outside wedding at our farm in Medina. All of the band members were very professional and kept the dance floor hopping all night. We had dancers from 4 to 80 years old out there having a good time. The Skiffles were a key element to our having a great reception. Many people stayed to celebrate for most of the night, because things were lively all evening. Thanks to the Skiffle Minstrels for providing the spark to get things going. Jocelyn is due to have twin daughters this January, probably just a little of that old Skiffle magic carried over. - Charlene and Jeff Smith (Ledge Rock Farms Medina, NY)
  

Setlist

Hank Williams:
Your Cheating Heart
Hey Good Looking
Honky Tonk Blues
Mansion on the Hill
Move it on Over
Cold Cold Heart

Bob Wills:
San Antonio Rose
Take Me Back to Tulsa
Sugar Moon
Sugar Blues
My Window Faces the South
Miles of Texas
Blues for Dixie
I'll Keep on Loving You
It's All Your Fault
Right or Wrong
Hubbin It

Louis Jordan:
Aint Nobody Here but Us Chickens
Let the Good Times Roll
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie

Standards:
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
Besame Mucho
Sweet and Slow
Gimme Mine Right Now
Walkin After Midnight
Kentucky Waltz

Classic Country:
A Six Pack to Go
Leaving and Saying Goodbye
Curtain in the Window
Swinging Doors
Dim Lights Thick Smoke
Live Fast Love Hard
Night Train to Memphis
Smoke That Cigarette
One Piece at a Time

Basic Requirements

Calendar