SPARETIME BLUEGRASS BAND

SPARETIME BLUEGRASS BAND
February 11, 6:00 PM
Ages: 21+

$5 or 3 cans food

The name is indicative of both the state of bluegrass music and the fact that everyone has an actual job. Years ago the Country Gazette released an album titled "Don't give Up Your Day Job". SpareTime, no fools, took the advice to heart and dedicated themselves to having Bluegrass fun in their "Spare Time."

The band is thoroughly grounded in "traditional" bluegrass and performs numbers from the first generation bluegrass artist. SpareTime also dips into numbers by Robbie Fulks, the Rolling Stones, Buck Owens, and Warren Zevon. In short the mix is eclectic, but rooted in a bluegrass instrumentation and sensibility.

Given that the bluegrass world is a small, cohesive mix of professional and semi-professional bands, the SpareTime Bluegrass Band has appeared on bills with Del McCoury, James King, Special Consensus, Tangled Roots and The Middle Spunk Creek Boys. Of course SpareTime has played its share of weddings, bars, church bazaars, water parks, and birthday parties. Once they even backed up a musical saw. In the words of the Grateful Dead, "What a long strange trip it's been." The band is:

Bob Batyko, is on lead guitar and vocals. An original member of the group, Bob is the cornerstone of the band's sound and handles much of the emcee chores.

Jim Robarts is on banjo. A veteran of the Madison bluegrass scene since 1976 he has played with Liberty Prairie and the Bluegrass Orphans.

Dale Ward brings a hard driving mandolin to the band as well as high lonesome vocals. After years of forays into country and rock, he's embraced bluegrass

Lorie Docken rounds out the group on bass. The St. Olaf's grad and Minnesota native plays an upright bass. She won't sing.

The SpareTime bluegrass band is a group which delves into various musical genres, including bluegrass, folk, country, and rock-all with a bluegrass sensibility and instrumentation. The four musicians (on mandolin, guitar, bass, and banjo) are winners of the 2007 Madison Area Music Award (MAMA) for the best country/bluegrass album and 2008 MAMA winners for country/bluegrass artists of the year.

$5 or 3 cans food