Biography
Celebrating their 7th year together in September of 2009, The Yard Dogs are one of Florida's hottest bands, performing uplifting and entertaining music which blends Zydeco, blues, blue grass, Cajun, country, folk and rock which they call "Florida Swamp Music". The Yard Dogs unique sound is due to the mixture of three eclectic musical instruments and musicians.
Charlie Kuchler on accordion and keyboards is a lifelong musician and has performed with C.J. Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco and Jimmy Buffett. He has performed at such venues as the House of Blues, Milwaukee's Summerfest and Ohio's famous Put-In-Bay. He has shared the stage with U-2, Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon and others. Along with being an accomplished musician Charlie has also been a booking agent, national talent buyer and promoter.
Kip Lawrence performs on a guit-jo which is 6 string banjo with incredible percussive qualities. In 1999 he recorded a solo CD "Alone With A Song" and toured the East coast after receiving radio air play.
It's hard to believe a graduate from West Point would end up playing a bass instrument called a Rhumba Box, harmonica and a scrub board for a living, but that's just what Brian Travis did. Brian has developed as a musician by accompanying fellow performers on stage at gigs and open jams. He also learned to use 3 chords to write numerous entertaining and poignant songs. He was soon in a duo that played weekly at the musical Mecca known as Bert's Bar in Matlacha, Florida. That's where he met Charlie and Kip at an open stage jam session. As the 3 played together they developed a huge following and are drawing large crowds at many SW Florida venues.
The Yard Dogs live show is upbeat, entertaining and fun. Charlie and Kip dance through the crowd, via wireless microphones, exhorting the audience to a frenzy while Brian holds down the bass and occasionally steps out front with his blues harp and scrub board. You never have a dull show with the Yard Dogs. Just ask one of their many fans.
The Yard Dogs have played many of the top venues in Florida including Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa and The Green Parrot and Schooner's Wharf in Key West. In since August of 2005, they have performed for the entire run of the Wisconsin State Fair. The Yard Dogs recently toured the Mid-west with stops in Milwaukee, Indiana, Madison, The Wisconsin Dells, Lake Of The Ozarks and Dubuque, Iowa. They are enjoyed by thousands at many festivals like The Cajun/Zydeco Festval in Deerfield Beach, The Watertown Riverfest in Watertown, Wisconsin, The SW Florida Music Festival, Punta Gorda Block party, and The Gumbo Fest in North Fort Myers, to name a few. They also have sold 1000's of copies of their CD's. Their 1st CD "Live at Bert's Bar, gives a great representation on early Yard Dogs. Their second CD "Welcome to Paradise", was released in November 2004. They're 3rd CD "Matlacha Reeboks" truly shows their musicianship and writing abilities. Their 4th cd was released in November of 2007 and was recorded live at the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. Entitled "Are We In Canada Yet?" it's the closest thing yet to a live Yard Dog show. Their 5th recording "Living In Matlacha was recorded at Sonic Sound Studio in Cape Coral. "Matlacha Moon" is their 6th CD which has a more melodic approach and their 7th CD, "Christmas With The Yard Dogs" were recorded by Charlie and Kip in Charlies home studio Back Yard Studios.
So, in a little over 7 years The Yard Dogs have produced 7 CD's full of original tunes that have captivated audiences all over the world.
THE YARD DOGS HAVE PERFORMED AT THE FOLLOWING FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS:
FLORIDA-CAJUN ZYDECO FESTIVAL—DEERFIELD BEACH, FL
GUMBO FEST—FORT MYERS, FL.
WISCONSIN STATE FAIR--WEST ALLIS, WI
COCONUT FEST--CAPE CORAL, FL
LEHIGH SPRING FEST—LEHIGH ACRES, FL
PUNTA GORDA BLOCK PARTY—PUNTA GORDA, FL
OKTOBERFEST SUNCOAST—SARASOTA, FL
WATERTOWN RIVERFEST—WATERTOWN, WI
CAPTIVA YACHT CLUB—CAPTIVA, FL
THE SANCTUARY GOLF AND TENNIS CLUB—SANIBEL, FL
RHYTHM AND BLUES FESTIVAL—FT. MYERS, FL
BASTILLE DAYS---MILWAUKEE, WI
BONITA SPRINGS BLUES FESTIVAL---BONITA SPRINGS, FL
Instrumentation
Charlie Kuchler: Accordion, Keys and Vocals
Kip Lawrence: Guit-jo(6 string banjo) and Vocals
Brian Travis: Jamaican Rhumba Box, Harmonica and Vocals
Discography
Live at Bert's bar
Welcome to Paradise
Matlacha Reeboks
Are We In Canada Yet?
Living in Matlacha
Matlacha Moon
Christmas With The Yard Dogs
Links
| http://WWW.THEYARDDOGS.COM |