Big Slyde

Bio:

Add a heaping cup of John Doan’s new-grass and jam-grass backgrounds to Mikey Portal’s Latin-influenced roots-rock guitar grooves, mix in a quarter cup of Christina Grant's funky cello, frosten with sweet rhythmic bouzouki and smoky vocals of Hannah Doan, and you have a delicious Big Slyde treat for the ears. Call it funk-grass, acoustic groove, or just delicious -- it is a treat so tasty that Big Slyde has built a solid fan base that regularly packs the house at venues across the North Country. The Adirondack Mountains of New York’s North Country are the home of an interesting, eclectic musical environment filled with plenty of originality and songwriting talents. It is here that Big Slyde has developed it’s own musical voice. All the members of the band bring differing backgrounds and interests together in a way that feels genuine, never forced. Always searching for new sounds, inspiration and grooves is what drives the members, and their diverse styles can be heard in the songs and arrangements. They play mostly original music, with a sprinkling of choice covers. At the forefront of Big Slyde are the voices of Hannah and John Doan. A father and daughter that sing with a natural beauty and a knack for singing harmonies like only family can. Hannah grew up surrounded by her father’s music. Her vocal talents blossomed organically during a school musical directed by John, and have been growing wild ever since. When friends such as Leftover Salmon would take a rest from the road in the Doan home, young Hannah would soak up the jams like a sponge. These experiences have left her with an uncanny sense of timing and an ability to improvise that is rare in one so young. John brings more than 30 years of acoustic artistry to the group. Whether he’s playing banjo, dobro, or dojo his virtuosity rings through the strings and his experience lends a maturity to the group’s songwriting. John’s songs have been recorded and performed by a number of bands, including Larry Keel, Magraw Gap, and Stained Grass Window. Mikey Portal grew up with the traditional music of Portugal as an audio backdrop. When he picked up a guitar at the age of 10 he knew there would be no turning back. He spent hours of his youth alone in his room mastering the styles of geniuses such as Jimmy Page and Hendrix, and loved playing along with everyone from Bob Marley to Sonic Youth, Iron Maiden to Bela Fleck, Grateful Dead to Carlos Paredes, and The Allman Brothers to The Beastie Boys. Mikey blends these diverse influences seemingly effortlessly into his startlingly intricate solos. He brings a fusion of hip-shaking, melodic, roots rock with a touch of Old World soul to the Big Slyde sound. Christina started playing cello as a favor to a friend in grade school who was awarded a bonus for every body she could recruit to the under-funded string program. Her public school classical training soon bored her and she gravitated toward contemporary arrangements and avante-guard techniques, improvising with local bands whenever she could. Whether playing the traditional acoustic cello, or the 5-string electric, she holds down the low end of Big Slyde’s acoustic grooves. A highlight for Big Slyde was opening up for the inspirational Tony Trischka, a pioneer of bluegrass and the banjo. It was an honor for Big Slyde to open for such a pleasant and genuine icon of the acoustic music world. Tony Trischka stated that: “ Big Slyde has a fresh, good natured approach to acoustic music. Their textures are delicious and their compositions are inviting. Speaking of which, I invite you to check them out.”

Member Since:

July 31, 2009

Members:

Hannah Doan - bouzouki, lead vocals, percussion, rhythm guitar John Doan - dobro, banjo, dojo, vocals Mikey Portal - lead guitar Christina Grant - cello

Sounds Like:

acoustic-groove, funk-grass