Tom Benson and The Dyer Switch Band Tom Benson and The Dyer Switch Band are versatile, have dynamic stage presence and play harddriving traditional and original bluegrass and acoustic music. Tom Benson and The Dyer Switch Band have: appeared at many popular bluegrass festivals such as Central Indiana Festival in Bean Blossom, Indiana; String Bean Memorial Festival in Kentucky; Tri-State Bluegrass Festival in Kendallville, Indiana; and Central Virginia Family Festival in Amelia, Virginia. performed at many renowned coffeehouses, such as Caffe Lena in New York and the Sounding Board in Massachusetts. shared the bill with bluegrass icons, including Dr. Ralph Stanley and Larry Stephenson. "Family Business" and prior Dyer Switch recordings continue to receive airplay in North America and Europe. Tom Benson...two-time inductee in the New York State Country Music Hall of Fame, songwriter, livewire performer. JoAnn Sifo..."coal dust gritty alto", co-writer of Silver and Gold, number one hit on the country charts in Europe. Bob Altschuler...instructor at Banjo Camp North, writer for Mel Bay's on-line Banjo Sessions and Angie's Banjo Silver Strings, featured in book Banjo Camp! along with banjo legends Pete Seeger, Tony Trischka, Alan Munde and Bill Keith. Randy Jennings...rich acoustic bass lines provide the solid foundation of the Dyer Switch sound, "much more than your average bluegrass bass player." Dr. Dave Ray...fearless fiddler playing all violin styles for over 50 years on five continents, and brings jazzy swing styling to the group's repertoire. "The Dyer Switch Band has been playing their own brand of bluegrass music since 1992...Dyer Switch has created a masterful recording that beautifully showcases their mesmeric charm."--les MyItyre in a Bluegrass Unlimited review of "Family Business."
Joann Sifo Joann currently lives in Montreal and in the northeast. Seeing a Bill Monroe performance got her hooked on playing bluegrass, and now her rhythm guitar style pushes the band's beat into overdrive. JoAnn's fine compositions include a song that reached number one on the European music charts several years ago. Her versatile vocals deliver gritty Jimmie Rogers's tunes, sweet ballads and distinctive tenor and high baritone harmonies. JoAnn's singing has been described as "a coal dust gritty alto" and a "dusky drawl." Tom Benson Tom hails from Schenectady in upstate NY and plays hard-driving, rhythmic mandolin and guitar. Inducted into the NY State Country Music Hall of Fame twice, first with the Lee Moore Band and then with Dyer Switch, Tom is a prolific songwriter, compelling vocalist and versatile instrumentalist. Audiences always enjoy his humorous stories and energetic stage presence. The latest Dyer Switch CD, "Family Business," is named for one of Tom's classic style bluegrass originals. Randy Jennings Randy lives in Schenectady in upstate NY, and his rich acoustic bass lines provide the solid foundation of the Dyer Switch sound. Randy grew up with music- his mother taught guitar and sang in barbershop groups, and his grandmother was a concert violinist and church organist. Thirty years of playing bass have led Randy through a rich variety of styles, including bluegrass, classical, jazz, blues, Dixieland, rock and roll and folk. Drawing from many styles, Randy has been called "much more than your average bluegrass bass player," playing traditional bluegrass and beyond. Dave Ray Dave has been a violin player since age 7, and has worked his way through classical, folk, bluegrass, jazz and klezmer styles over the past half century. He was a founding member of "Doc Scanlon's Rhythm Boys" in the late '70's in Albany, and over the years has played with many capital district musicians, who later became famous and successful despite that association. He likes to play doctor in his spare time. His current instrument is a 150 year old Schweitzer violin which he inherited from his father. Bob Altschuler When Bob saw the Dillards perform as the Darling family on the early Andy Griffith television shows, he was immediately drawn to the music and saw the banjo as a magical instrument. Once he started to play 40 years ago, there was no turning back, and over the years he developed a distinctive style, merging traditional bluegrass banjo with blues, swing and jazz. Bob has played in various bands, taught banjo for many years, published a lot of instructional material and performed on radio and television commercials.
Tom Benson and The Dyer Switch Band Bluegrass Pick It Up! Bluegrass Pick It Up! This contract is for the services of Tom Benson and The Dyer Switch Band, made, 20 between the undersigned Purchaser and Tom Benson and The Dyer Switch Band. Name of event Address of event Name of contact person ( please print) Dates of Engagement Performance fee and terms Scheduled Performance Time(s) Is a sound system provided by promoter? Is a sound check required? Time Is a stage plot required? Sent to whom? If Dyer Switch is providing the sound, will there be other performers using the system? use fee Will any member of Dyer Switch be emceeing any part of the show while not performing? Time(s) Fee for services Will the promoter promote the event via radio or publications? Please specify: If no, please provide DS with information of all local newspapers, community announcements bulletins, and local radio stations. Please include contact names, addresses and phone numbers. Is an 8 x 10 glossy required of the band? Sent to: Will the promoter send event flyers to Dyer Switch? Additional terms or comments: Directions to the event: Purchaser Band Representative Address Address City, State City, State Phone no. Phone no. Email address Email address Please sign and return one copy and keep the other for your files
Tom Benson and The Dyer Switch Band APPEARING AT FOR MORE INFORMATION
Listen to a Short Demo http://www.dyerswitch.com/demo_sound.html