WSR consists of Victor Wainwright, Brandon Santini and Josh Roberts.  They will play at the Phelan Park Music Series, September 12, 2010.

WSR - Victor Wainwright

Born in Savannah, Georgia, Victor Wainwright is pretty much a lifetime blues and roots music fan. Music has long been an interest shared by much of his immediate and extended family, and in fact some of Wainwright’s most precious possessions include recordings made by his father and grandfather, dating back to the ‘40s and ‘50s from honky tonks and juke joints. It’s easy to hear the influence that all the family interest in roots music had on Wainwright - he seamlessly incorporates elements of rock ‘n roll, boogie woogie, soul, funk, gosel “and anything in between” into both his recordings and energetic live performances. In fact, while he did take some formal piano lessons, much of his real musical education came right from his paternal grandfather, whom he credits as having taught Wainwright how to play boogie-woogie piano.

WSR - Brandon Santini

A native of North Carolina, Brandon Santini is one of those musicians who doesn’t see many reasons why different genres of music can’t be incorporated into one another. “I’ve listened to a lot of different music all my life,” he recalls. “It’s really difficult for me to pinpoint my taste, since I’ve been exposed to so much great stuff.” If you spend a little time with him, that becomes very evident - he speaks with equal enthusiasm about artists as diverse as Levon Helm and Booker T. Of course, an awful lot changed in his life when he discovered Blues Traveler.

WSR - Josh Roberts

While Josh Roberts was born in Texas (“I might just be a Texas bluesman,” he says with an easy smile), he relocated to Memphis with his family in 2000, and Memphis is where he’s begun to build an impressive career. By coincidence, Roberts also has strong ties to the state of Florida; he has family and friends in the Sunshine State. In fact, some of his earliest and strongest encouragement to play guitar began in Florida, and even as a very young boy was already participating in blues jams sponsored by the Daytona Beach Blues Society.

You can read more about this band in this months issue of the MCBS Newsletter.

Blues Bands • Permalink •