Al and the Transamericans
| Al and the Transamericans | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Hartford, NY, United States |
| Genres | Rock, Americana, folk rock |
| Years active | 1999–2004, 2006–present |
| Labels | Fatboy Records Basemental Records |
| Associated acts |
moe. Strangefolk Okemah Gordon Stone Trio |
| Website |
http://www.alschnier.com http://www.basementalrecords.com |
| Members |
Al Schnier Vinnie Amico Erik Glocker Kirk Juhas Gordon Stone Diane Schnier |
| Past members | Jim Loughlin Ted Marotta Rolf Witt |
Al and the Transamericans is a side project band formed by guitarist Al Schnier of moe. Hailing from the Northeast, the band is best described as a roots rock, alt country, Americana group. The music is a nice blend of bluegrass, country, and rock. All of the musicians have 'day jobs' in other bands (moe., Strangefolk, Okemah, the Gordon Stone Trio). These guys all come to this simply for the love of playing a good three chord song. Their shows typically feature everything from straight up acoustic bluegrass barnburners to balls out rock.
The band was started as a side project by Schnier in January 1999. They played four shows in the Northeast with their first show being at the Pontiac Grill in Philadelphia, PA. The first incarnation of the band featured Schnier on guitar and vocals; Kirk Juhas of freebeer&chicken on keyboards, banjo, harmonica, and vocals; Jim Loughlin of Yolk on bass and vocals; Ted Marotta of Ominous Seapods on drums and vocals; and Rolf Witt of the Merry Danksters and Sonic Garden on mandolin, fiddle, and guitar.
They would not perform again until March 2000, when they played three shows in the Northeast. The lineup remained the same except Vinnie Amico of moe. replaced Marotta on drums. A few months later, in June 2000, the band played three more shows making their way across Upstate New York (Buffalo, Utica, Albany). The last show, in Albany, included a guest appearance by Marotta on drums. Their final show of 2000 was played at the first annual moe.down festival in Turin, NY. The festival is hosted by Schnier's band moe. over Labor Day weekend. Marotta once again made a guest appearance during this performance.
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