Plywood Cowboy plays Best Video Performance Space on Wednesday, Jan. 11. The music starts at 8 PM and the cover is $5.
Formed in 2015 in the Connecticut River Valley, Plywood Cowboy is poised to rewrite the American Songbook. “With great harmonies, clever songs & tasty guitar pickin’, Plywood Cowboy is one of the best new bands on the Americana scene,” says Chris Bergson, NY Blues Hall of Fame Inductee. Bottle fed on roots music, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter Steve Dedman and his band strike deep at the soul of American music with songs about hound dogs, heart strings, and the vice of the bottle.
Plywood Cowboy’s 2016 debut EP, Channel 33, was produced by Grammy-nominated artist, Ira Sakolsky. In Ira’s own words, the album delivers, “a musically compelling balance between smart, feelingful lyric and dynamically tasty sound.” The first single off the album, “Heartbreak Ready to Fall,” tells the story of an open mic romance, with a penetrating chorus line and driving Telecaster riff by guitarist Austin Gray. The album features Shane Tanner’s warm Fender bass lines, Ed Iarusso’s masterful pedal steel, and Emily Marcello’s powerful violin. Adding Jason Apostoleris’ exacting drum work to the band lineup, Plywood Cowboy’s music sits comfortably on the ears of its listeners.
The band has appeared numerous times on iCRV Radio and has been a featured band on WESU 88.1FM “Voice of the City.” They’ve also found the spotlight on a variety of stages — Connecticut venues including Infinity Hall and The Kate; destination venues from Monadnock Pumpkin Festival (NH) to Puckett’s (TN); and a festival lineup including Middletown Music Festival, Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival, and ICRaVE Music Fest.
Cowboys of the airwaves, no one in the band owns any cows. Not as of yet, at least. Steve learned to play guitar from his father, David, and family friend John Hanus, who would pick guitars and sing their favorite country songs over their CB radios, and take the time on Sundays to teach Steve how to pick in country-western style. From Kris Kristofferson to Lefty Frizzell, John and David taught a young Steve true American music. Few knew John by his real name, but many knew him by his CB handle, “Plywood Cowboy,” a reference to his day job hauling lumber around the northeast. Though both CB’ers have left the airwaves, it is through the band’s music that their influences will forever be heard.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
• Friday, Jan. 6. ACOUSTIC FOLK BLUES & MORE: VANGE DURST
• Saturday, Jan. 7. MUSIC OF “THE SIMPSONS”: DR. CATERWAUL’S CADRE OF CLAIRVOYANT CLAPTRAPS with SPECIAL GUESTS
• Sunday, Jan. 8. GUITARTOWNCT MONTHLY FREE AFTERNOON BLUEGRASS JAM
• Wednesday, Jan. 11. AMERICANA: PLYWOOD COWBOY
• Thursday, Jan. 12. FILM SCREENING: “LANDLORD” (WEB SERIES); INDIE ROCK: SPECTRAL FANGS
• Friday, Jan. 13. BLUEGRASS: FIVE IN THE CHAMBER
• Wednesday, Jan. 18. POSTMODERN JAZZ STANDARDS: MÉLANGE À TROIS
• Thursday, Jan. 19. GOTH/SHOEGAZE: TELEGRAM SCAM, AARON SNOW
• Friday, Jan. 20. BLUEGRASS: THE PAGE TURNERS (A GUITARTOWNCT PRODUCTION)
• Thursday, Jan. 26. BRAZILIAN MUSIC: THE BOSSA NOVA PROJECT
• Friday, Jan. 27. ROOTS ROCK: BRONSON ROCK
• Saturday, Jan. 28. FILM SCREENING FOR KIDS: “MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO” (Sponsored by Pediatrics Plus of North Haven)
• Monday, Jan. 30. FILM SCREENING: SEAN KERNAN’S “CROW STORIES”
• Wednesday, Feb. 1. JAZZ: JEFF FULLER & TONY LOMBARDOZZI
• Friday, Feb. 3. SINGER-SONGWRITER: THE ANNE MARIE MENTA BAND
• Thursday, Feb. 9. INDIE ROCK: JELLYSHIRTS
• Friday, Feb. 10. ROCK: HAPPY ENDING, MERCY CHOIR (solo)
• Thursday, Feb. 16. ALT-COUNTRY/ROCK: NO LINE NORTH
• Friday, Feb. 17. SINGER-SONGWRITER: ALEX BLAIR
• Thursday, Feb. 23. BRAZILIAN MUSIC: SAMBELEZA
• Friday, Feb. 24. INDIE POP: THE SHELLYE VALAUSKAS EXPERIENCE
• Saturday, Feb. 25. MUSIC: “SHALL WE TALK ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT?”
• Thursday, Mar. 16. SINGER-SONGWRITER: SETH ADAM, KATHY MUIR
• Friday, Mar. 24. SOLO GUITAR: GLENN ROTH; SINGER-SONGWRITER: BELLE OF THE FALL