Ken is a multi-instrumentalists well versed in traditional folk and blues. Ken plays the harmonica, guitar, mandolin, penny whistle, washboard, assorted percussion instruments and clarinet. Ken has shared the stage with James Cotton, Johnny Winter, Chris Smither, John Hammond, Jonathan Edwards, Allison Krauss and many others. Ken currently plays with many excellent musicians from the metropolitan area including the American Primitive String Band, Rocket and the Launchers, the Red River Ramblers, in addition to playing with Bruce. What makes Ken truly outstanding as a harmonica player is his ability to perform solo harmonica pieces from the 1920’s and 1930’s. His genius is re-creating the master pieces of a bygone era such as Jaybird Coleman, Noah Lewis, Deford Bailey, and Sonny Terry. Not content to simply imitate, he is an outstanding songwriter in his own right.

From September 1996 to June 2001, he held the Traditional Piano Night slot at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans, which was once occupied by Professor Longhair and James Booker. Joe followed that strong tradition with his debut solo release Just the Piano...Just the Blues (1998) and the follow-up CD, New Orleans Piano Rolls (2003). Joe has been a headline performer at WWOZ's Piano Night during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival every year since 1997. As of Labor Day 2001, Joe and the Traditional Piano Night moved to Le Bon Temps Roule in New Orleans. In November 2003, Joe made his European debut as a solo piano performer playing a 5 night club tour in Germany.

At age 6, her parents loaded up their '63 Volvo & drove to LA, where Jessie did most of her growing up, in Echo Park, forming local garage bands until they moved back to NY at age 15. A few short years later, Haynes founded & became lead guitarist & primary songwriter for the all-female rock band, "Sweet Little Sister." While promoting their release on CMI Records, the band opened for acts such as Johnny Winter, Leslie West & Mountain, Baby Animals, Randy Jackson of Zebra, Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister, The Barefoot Servants & more, as well as contributing to countless benefits & festivals all over Long Island, Manhattan, upstate New York, New Jersey & Connecticut. Haynes also formed a 4 piece acoustic, all female band to work on Long Island called Loona while SLS was popular, managing booking & promotion for both groups.

During this time, Haynes was hired to perform on rhythm guitar & backing vocals for "Blackmore's Night," legendary Ritchie Blackmore's latest project with Candice Night. During her 3 years as a member of Blackmore's Night, the band promoted the first CD, "Shadow of the Moon," touring overseas, shooting videos & preparing for the next release, "Under a Violet Moon." Also during this time, Haynes completed her first solo release, Produced by Bill Sperl, entitled, "Sticky Silver Spoon."

Haynes made numerous live appearances on radio & TV with both Blackmore's Night & Sweet Little Sister and has done vocal & musical session work for such artists as Zacherly, Taylor Barton & GE Smith and her songs have been featured on such American favorites as "Friends," "Access Hollywood," "America's Most Wanted," & on "Nickelodeon," as well as around the world. She was invited to spend a summer managing the musical production of young new acts for Famous Artists Management in Manhattan in 2000. Haynes is an active part of her local music scene as well, hosting Musicians Showcases, frequenting jam nights & performing.

Fall of 2005 has brought the release of a live album entitled, "Jessie Haynes & Cowgirl Ecstasy, Live at the Limelight." The band is calling this collection "Our Own Bootleg," because it was recorded live at the first annual Ritchie Blackmore Convention in Crewe, England in October 2004 and has short excerpts in between songs. Also available digitally & in hard copy is "Jessie Haynes & Cowgirl Ecstasy, Limited Compilation," which was released in October 2004 at the Convention.

Also to Jessie's credit is a 10-song collection, recorded in collaboration with writer, producer, musician & engineer, Stephen Palmer. “Radio Wav’s” was created as a response to the many inquiries made by artists in need of material. While Haynes & Palmer each have had experience touring & in the studio with other projects, together they've created a fresh sound that allows them to explore their creative influences without losing their pop sensibility. Radio Wav's includes tracks in the Pop, Rock, Dance, Ballad & Soundtrack genres. With this compilation complete, the duo went on to record "Radio Wav's Volume 2" and Haynes made guest appearances on Palmer's self released master mind, "The Alliance."

2007 brought life to Jessie's own self recorded & released creation, "The Secret Life of Cinderella." This 14 track collection is an eclectic balancing act, mixing acoustic folk, tasty electric guitar work with lyrical Neopagan undertones. She has showcased her music at New York City’s Pagan Pride Day, as well as The Patchogue Theatre, The Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, and created a new ‘Night of Musical Magickal Mischief” called Open Path Gathering, which combines open mike, featured performers & Neo-Pagan holiday celebrations.

2008 brought a new release by Richard Gilks, The American Heritage, (KPM) which Jessie made a guest background vocal appearances on, and is available for television & movie use through KPM. 2009 brings the release of a new CD, "Escaping Boundaries," by Jim Fargiano & Jessie Haynes. The new CD has a collection of instrumental music and guided meditations which Fargiano & Haynes collaborated on. Jessie is back in the studio, recording her next album, "Vampire Kiss" due to be released early 2010. She is currently performing with Trina Michne on guitar, Phil Bland on bass & Alex Sarkis on drums at venues on Eastern Long Island, and has been hosting a monthly night of music at the Historic Vail-Leavitt Music Hall called Original Voices at the Vail in Riverhead where she manages and books as well as performs.

The group's leader, Bob Barta, has a well-established reputation as a banjoist and vocalist in traditional jazz circles, specializing in novelty and rare tunes of early jazz. Over the years, Bob has played at diverse venues including the 21 Club, the Gold Dust Saloon, and on the Delta Queen riverboat. Other notable performances included the Today Show, National Public Radio, and two performances at Carnegie Hall. In recent years, he has been featured jazz and banjo festivals across Canada and the US.

Besides leading his own Sunnyland Jazz Band, Bob has performed with the Howard Hovey Trio, the New York Banjo Ensemble, the Isotope Stompers, and the Paramount Jazz Band of Boston. Using a variety of styles and instrumentations, his CD In One Era And Out The Other features Bob on banjo, tenor guitar, and vocals playing re-discovered classic songs from the tunesmiths of Tin Pan Alley. He was a featured guest on a 2008 CD by the Loose Marbles of New Orleans.

In his other life, Mr. Barta is Assistant Professor of Business and Information Systems at Suffolk County Community College. He is also president of a non-profit historic theater, the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, in downtown Riverhead as well as co-director since 2006 of the Annual Riverhead Blues Festival.

John Klumpp’s trumpet style has been called “exuberant”, “exciting”, and “naturally swinging” by his fellow jazz musicians across Long Island. Since his introduction to Dixieland-style music with Bob Barta in 1987 and as leader of his own Starry Night Stompers, John has played throughout the tri-state area for numerous country clubs, business associations, and private affairs. He also performs regularly with Big Band East (as trumpeter and vocalist) and the Old Bethpage Village Restoration Band, including an appearance in the movie “Kate & Leopold”.

Despite the vast financial riches available in the field of jazz music today, John maintains his position as Assistant Curator of the Botanical/Biological Science unit at SUNY – Stony Brook.

Jeff Furman is known as one of the finest all-around tubaists in the tri-state area, providing support for many of the area's best classical and jazz groups. In addition to his work with the Sunnyland Jazz Band, Jeff plays with a diverse range of other professional concert ensembles including the Long Island Brass Guild, the Banjo Rascals, and the American Concert Band.

Additionally, he works as a freelance computer consultant and is married to the noted concert trombonist and performance artist Julie Josephson.

In middle School and Jr. High, he sang with the school Chorus. As a teen the desire to play guitar was strong . He had to wait till he got a job, to buy his first guitar. Months later his mom seeing the desire and commitment bought him an electric guitar. A year and a half later he was playing in night clubs with some of Long Islands top Party bands. Music being music he even played for local churches. His Father would get angry because the churches didn’t pay him cause being Muslim, he wasn’t, baptized. He played on any way because of his love of music and his friends.

Many of his neighbors were Hispanic, and he spent many a beautiful afternoon jamming with them in their yards. As time moved on various experiences collected, his friends told him they had seen him on TV when Eye Witness News 7 in New York featured a group he worked with, called “Premonition” in a story about a con man who ripped them off, they filmed the group and

set us up with a recording session with Don Kirschner at his Associated studios in Manhattan. As things didn’t pan with that group he found him self working with a hand full of rock bands (more guitar oriented).

By his late twenties he laid his guitar down and started a family. Ten years later he started back at it. Soon he ran into his old friend from Premonition, and got back in. In conjunction with a team he started producing all kinds of entertainment events. Their rhythm section backed up all kinds of artist doing several styles of music from classic oldies Club music, Caribbean music, and more. This work led to more such as being stage manager for Protocol when they opened up for Will Downing at the Paramount theatre .

Also meeting and working with Soul 4 Real as their musical director on their tour of London, Amsterdam, Bulawayo and Harare in Zimbabwe. He also doubled as Road manager for their back up band, Blusyde. He had the honor of playing on Soul 4 Real’s album “Heat” were he actually plays on more tracks than are credited to him. But once You hear the sound of his guitar You will know it on the rest of the tracks. This is when the opportunity to work in the award winning “Perfect Pair Studios” came, were the halls are adorned with gold and platinum plaques and Grammies from artist like Lauren Hill, Biggie Smalls and many more.

He also worked with the Blackwood Band and James Brown Impersonator “Black Velvet” when they opened for “Blue Magic" at the Brownsville Recreation center.

He has since been working with various local groups, a journey thru his web site will show where and when. His love for Radio and community activism comes to fruition in his work at WBAI 99.5 FM in NY and streaming at WBAI .org were he Co Hosts The show “In The Moment” Friday mornings 3:30am-6am were You can hear an eclectic mix of music and talk. www.ahmadalimusic.com

Dan Welsch, of Lonesome Dan & the Curmudgeons, was born in New York City in 1956. Number five in what would eventually become a family of six children he grew up in the suburbs north of the city, Westchester County. Playing guitar and writing songs did not start in earnest for him until the age of 21 when he left New York to live in the Rocky Mountain foothills near Colorado Springs.

Dan played guitar in a series of rock, country rock, and country bands throughout the front range area. After 6 years of the high altitude he moved back to the east coast. Settling on the south shore of Long Island he worked, started a family, and continued to pursue his passion for writing and playing music in what little free time was left over at the end of the day. He played in a couple of cover bands and attended various jam sessions around Suffolk County.

In 2005 he built Suffolk Recording Studios, a full service professional facility that provides the Long Island music community with high quality but affordable recording. In between the regular clientele, Dan was able to, one by one, record some of the songs he wrote over the past several years. At the beginning of the recording process, Dan did not have a band together. Fortunately the local area was flush with talented musicians who were more than willing to assist in the recording. Outstanding parts were contributed by Allen Cuffey, Mark Lane, Larry Goldfarb, Billy Carpino, Mike Straus, Ryan Welsch (his youngest son), and others.

The finished product, eleven songs, was released at the end of January 2008 as "Lonesome Dan & The Curmudgeons." It's been said that the music fits loosely into the Americana category as well as the Blues/Rock vein. The overall theme is that this is music for Baby Boomers who have survived the middle class meat grinder with their sense of humor intact.

Since the end of the recording process, the band, now a permanent five members, has been rehearsing its live show. The line up consists of:

Josette Davids: Vocals
Mark Lane: Lead Guitar, slide guitar
Larry Goldfarb: Bass, guitar, harmonica
Daniel Mosko: Drums
Ryan Welsch: Keyboards, bass, second lead guitar.
Dan Welsch: Rhythm Guitar

Lonesome Dan and The Curmudgeons are currently playing shows all around the NYC Metro area and a second CD of new material is being recorded at Suffolk Recording Studios.