Biography
2007 Madison Area Music Awards (MAMA) Winner for "Unique Artist of the Year" and "Jazz Album of the Year"The Bob Westfall Band calls Madison, Wisconsin home.It's rare when the word acoustic conjures thoughts of music so electrifying that it pumps the jump in your feet. Then again, Bob Westfall is a rare musician and his group an impressive collective of musical might. Energetic, contagious, and flat out fun, Bob Westfall weaves a sizzling thread through multiple genres to deliver a tapestry of award-winning music that defies one description, yet, connects with everyone from the seasoned musician to the person off the street who couldn't tell 4/4 from 13/8.
Perhaps that has a something to do with the fact that Westfall and his group are made up of veteran musicians who have toured, recorded, or shared the stage with Darol Anger, Lyle Lovett, Doc Watson, Leo Kottke, U2, Asleep at The Wheel, The String Chees Incident, The Smashing Pumpkins, Carrie NewComer,Willy Porter, and John Hartford to name a few. Or, it could simply be that Bob Westfall knows how to craft one heckuva sound. The only way to know for sure is to plug into this Artist live, and hang on. Acoustic it is. Sit in your seat it is not.
Bob Westfall (guitar, mandolin, vocals, songwriting) has studied and worked with some of the top acoustic players in the country--Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, John Hartford, and Alex DeGrassi. But, while these influences are certainly evident, Westfall's songwriting and lyrics are uniquely his own. An award-winning mandolinist, Bob grew up in Texas and Minnesota, and his style incorporates the best elements of composing with a hybrid jazz/pop/worldbeat/bluegrass feel.
The husband and wife team of Mary Gaines (bass) and Chris Wagoner (violin) provide the bottom and top of the BWB sound, and have appeared in performance and on recordings with Westfall for almost twenty five years. Gaines and Wagoner have similarly diverse backgrounds--formal classical training at the Univ of WI, jazz studies with the great bassist, Richard Davis, followed by years of performing and recording with jazz, blues, rock, and folk artists and songwriters.
Tom Ellis (latin percussion kit) rounds out the groove of the BWB with his flair for latin feels, and extensive background in jazz and rock. Ellis has been a midwest touring musician for almost three decades with The Dave Kinney Group, Little Vito and the Torpedoes, and Luck of the Draw.
Together, The Bob Westfall Band creates a style of music that defies a single description yet connects with the listener on many levels. Besides the BWB's every Tuesday night (for the last 11 years) gig at the Angelic Brewing Co. in Madison(it's always Standing Room Only) the band is also a favorite for Concerts, Colleges, and Festivals.
Instrumentation
Bob Westfall: guitar, mandolin, vocals
Mary Gaines: acoustic bass, guitar, vocals
Chris Wagoner: violin, lap-steel, mandolin, vocals
Tom Ellis: hybrid percussion kit
Discography
Bob Westfall -- "The Third Coast" (1984)
Bob Westfall -- "Lover's Dance"(1994)
Bob Westfall -- "In a Heartbeat"(1998)
The Bob Westfall Quartet-- "Beautifully Mad" (2006)
Bob Westfall uses McIntyre Acoustic Instrument Pickups.
***You can now purchase our MP3 downloads at the Broadjam.com link below!!! Just enter "Bob Westfall"in the "search music" menu item.
Links
| Broadjam.com (Purchase our MP3 downloads!) |