Tim McCanna: Vocals, Accordion, Uke - Andy Sherman: Guitar - Rob Silk: Uke - Steve Combs: Upright Bass
Influences
Squirrel Nut Zippers, Bad Livers, They Might Be Giants, Combustible Edison, Little Jack Melody, Cafe Noir, R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders
Sounds Like
Swing, bluegrass, folkabilly, country, klezmer, polka, zydeco, you name it. We sound like whatever you get when you mix ukes, guitars, accordions, harmonicas and kazoos with silly lyrics about stinky grain silos, broke-down windmills, and whatnot.
GET THE HOBO NICKELS' DEBUT CD RELEASE, COOPER COUNTY, AT CDBABY.COM!!! The Hobo Nickels play original, upbeat, folksy music that's fun for young and old. Our eclectic sound ranges from bluegrass and swing to zydeco, polka, jazz and more. Stay tuned for info about our upcoming CD, an illustrated companion book, and live shows.
In the mid-nineties, Tim played accordion and sang with the Dallas/Ft. Worth band Snap Floosie. Produced by the legendary Paul Slavens of Ten Hands fame, the group recorded their only CD, "Whoopie at the Chicken Hut" in 1995. Tim moved to New York City in 1997 to pursue musical theatre writing, and his sci-fi musical comedy, "The Cosmic Calamities of Henry Noodle" (www.henrynoodle.com) was a critically acclaimed hit at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival. Tim and his family made the jump to Denver in 2005 where he began writing a batch songs for his new band, The Hobo Nickels. Currently, Tim's song "Alone and Sad and Drunk and Poor" is becoming a sensation in Germany, played excellently by the Folkadelic Hobo Jamboree, led by Matt Sweetwood, a long-time comrade. Check 'em out in our friends list below.
Before moving to the Denver area, Rob played with the Hawaiian-enfused uke swing band, Hulabilly. Learn more about this outstanding trio by clinking their link in our friends list.
Steve brings a deep level of experience and expertise to the group, having played electric bass since the seventies, adding the upright in the mid-nineties. He has played and sat in with way too many top-notch artists to list here, so check out his site at www.stevecombs.com.
Andy might be new to the band scene, but he definitely knows his way around a six-string. Better get out the applesauce, 'cause this kid's got chops.
Okay, what's a hobo nickel? Back in the day, many hobos of the Depression Era were skilled engravers. When the buffalo—or Indian head—nickel was released into circulation in 1913, these hobos found a perfect canvass to carve new images into the coin’s soft metal, hence the name, hobo nickel. The Indian might be given a hat and mutton chops, or the buffalo could be shaped into a traveler carrying a backpack, etc. You can google around and see some fine examples of hobo nickels.
An excerpt from the D Mail newsletter: Friday night we have an awesome line-up, put together by Danielle Hastings. PolyJane plays at 5pm. We're excited to hear PolyJane judging from her myspace page. She lists her influences as Chopin, Scott Joplin, Lucille Ball, Eleanor Roosevelt, Tori Amos, Rachmaninoff, The Beatles, B.B. King, Ayn Rand, Frank Lloyd Wright. At 7pm are the Hobo Nickels. Listen to "Weaubleau Well". Wow. Instantly our favorite new band. Danielle says tons of kids were dancing to this band at the People's Fair this past weekend, so bring your kids. At 8:30 pm we have The Mile Markers. They remind us of Bela Karoli and The Reals. Also our favorite new band. Listen to "Revival" on their Myspace to get your spirit up. And "The Lowlands" will make you weep. Rounding out the night are Zeut and Nicole Torres. Zeut has a spectacular array of styles, pop to African to Reggae. Robert Eldridge loves to globe travel and has a killer ear. Nicole Torres does the jazziest, funnkiest, poetriest, music ever, totally infectious. She's a super cool dude too. But that's not all! You also get Tommy Nahulu doing live paintings which we'll sell to highest bidder for charity. We love The People's Fair. $7.
