Oliver Buck & The New Madrids June 4, 2008

Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Oliver Buck plays music that reflects the ups and downs of life in the heart of the great American Rust Belt. Buck's sound--a concoction of vintage-tinted Americana, blues, and Jimmie Rodgers-esque acoustic honky tonk--makes perfect sense considering that the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist literally came of age going to see blues great Robert Lockwood, Jr. at his weekly gigs in Cleveland, while also growing up on a steady diet of old-school classics. Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Skip James, Johnny Cash, The Band, Big Bill Broonzy, John Hiatt, Del McCoury, Jimmie Rodgers, The Grateful Dead--and lesser-known local bands like The Janglers--are just a handful of Buck's influences.

Buck has not set out simply to recreate old standards, however. Like contemporaries Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne, Buck manages to infuse his songwriting and arrangements with the sounds of classic American music, while still sounding like nobody but himself. His best songs, like the lost-love shuffle, "Milwaukee," and the road-weary "Troubadour Life," sound both fresh and timeless, the kind of songs that are still playing in your head days after a show; the kind you think you must have heard before, but haven't.

As a solo artist, Oliver Buck was named a finalist in the 2007 Telluride Blues Festival Acoustic Blues Competition, and he continues to play numerous solo shows every year. With his band, The New Madrids--who are bassist Adam Rich and drummer Ernie Richmann--Buck is now playing venues large and small in his home region, and across North America.

His 2007 album, Rust Belt Blues (Cuyahoga Records), earned praise from critics throughout the US and Europe. Prior to launching his solo career, Oliver Buck played guitar in the internationally-acclaimed alt-country band, Percival, whose debut, Indian Summer (Territory Records), was produced by New York producer, JP Bowersock (Ryan Adams, The Strokes). Oliver Buck & The New Madrids are currently working on a new full-band album scheduled for release in the spring of 2008.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of oliverbuck.