stevie and the bluescasters

, Tinsley Ellis

STEVIE AND THE BLUESCASTERS is a three-piece acoustic blues band from Philadelphia consisting of vocals, acoustic guitars, mandolin, National Steel and wood body Resonator, harmonica and percussion. They play unique arrangements of all kinds of blues: Old Country blues including Piedmont, Delta ,Texas, Chicago blues, some old gospel, old country, and a pinch of R&B thrown into the mix. We also include a smattering of International "Blues - Mourna (Creole Portuguese from Cape Verde) , Portuguese Fado and Ladino.

They handle many different styles with virtuosity and fluency while laying bare the emotional depths of a song. Over the course of one set the beauty and intensity of their music can elicit a range of audience reactions from “pin drop” silence to dancing and joyous shouting. THE BLUESCASTERS play venues and festivals throughout the tri-state area and New York. They have opened for or shared the stage with Ana Popovic, Shemeika Copeland, David Bromberg, Maurice John Vaughn, Slam Allen, Bernard Allison, Tab Benoit, The Nighthawks, Tinsley Ellis and many others.

After opening for Ana Popovic, she stated, “You guys are the real deal!”

The great Bluesman John Primer told us, “Y’all sound great, really!”
 

BAND MEMBERS:
 STEVIE NOLAN'S beautiful and powerful voice is earthy, sultry, and always swinging. Her stunningly clear melodies and yodels will take you to many beautiful and gritty bittersweet landscapes of the blues. She also plays rhythm guitar to round out the sound. She has played in bands throughout the years that included the late great Danny Starobin, Texas guitarist Harry Hess and other renowned Philadelphia music icons. She has opened for Willie Kent and the Gents, Maurice John Vaughn, Karen Carroll, and has shared the stage with Eddie Shaw’s Wolf Pack, Roosevelt “Bubba” Barnes, and H-Bomb Ferguson. Her personal friendships with the legendary Mississippi Fred McDowell and British blues founder Peter Green helped guide her musical development toward the blues. Stevie grew up in a music business household that included family relationships with R&B and Jazz greats including the Drifters, Billy Ward and the Dominos, Clyde McPhatter, Sarah Vaughn, Count Basie, Illinois Jacquet, among others.
 
SETH HOLZMAN (AKA "Zep Harpo" and "The Rocket") has been playing harmonica since 1965 and has performed in bands since 1972. Seth plays in various styles, including Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, Folk, Country, and Jazz.
       Seth has had the great honor of performing with Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, John Brim, Ronnie Earl, John Mooney, Louisiana Red, Roomful of Blues, Magic Slim, Big Jack Johnson, Dave "Honeyboy" Edwards, Tommy Conwell, and Studebaker John.
    Seth has shared the stage with or opened for Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Carey Bell, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Mayall, the Blasters, Little Ed & the Blues Imperials, Little Charlie & The Night Cats, Ana Popovic, David Bromberg, Shemekia Copeland, Savoy Brown, Joe Louis Walker, John Hammond, Peter Wolf, Deborah Coleman, Wayne Baker Brooks, Sandra Hall, the BelAirs, Grady Champion, the Debbie Davies Band, and Jumpin' Johnny Sansone.
    Both John Hammond and John Mayall have personally complimented Seth's harmonica playing.
 
PAUL NOLAN has been a blues musician for over thirty-five years. He knows the full range of the blues from field hollers all the way through contemporary blues style. With THE BLUESCASTERS his bottleneck awakens the old blues ghosts in his National Steel guitar, booms out solid blues grooves on the old Gibson acoustic guitar and gets the "old time" sound on the mandolin. He has taught blues styles to elementary school children and to music therapists internationally.