Stephen Kierniesky plays banjo, guitar, rhodes, percussion and sings. Jeevan Singh plays guitar, cello, percussion and sings. Bill Nichols plays cello, guitar, percussion and sings. Jake Brumback plays rhodes, piano, melodica, percussion and sings. Sometimes Andy Parker joins us on drums and percussion.
And you will hear these lovely folks on the Gatos album 'Empty Silo': Emily Katz- vocals; Morgan Hobart- violin; Caroline Buchalter-viola
GATOS is the musical realization of the collective experiences and influences that inhabit the skull of Stephen Kierniesky. You will hear melodic banjo atop the warm tones of the Fender Rhodes electric piano. There is melodica and cello. There are sweet female harmonies and tambourines and shakers. Lyrics are mostly in English, however some Spanish and a little Portuguese demonstrate the many months spent travelling throughout Latin America. You will hear lyrics about lost loves, ice storms, broken glass, lava tubes, waiting, rainy days, falling power lines, dreams, mosquito-borne illnesses, and standing in sand. "The Empty Silo" is Gatos' first album on his own House of Sound Records and will be available in August of 2008. Portland Mercury writes:
[July 31st, 2008]
One half of the instrumental banjo/cello duo Ponderosa, Stephen Kierniesky packs his bags and goes global for his new project, Gatos. Tonight Kierniesky will be toasting to the release of his debut release, The Empty Silo, as he utilizes a vast influx of influences not normally associated with his stringed companion. Pairing his intricate banjo licks alongside vocals in Spanish and Portuguese, Kierniesky stretches the limits of his indie pop tunes to ambitious levels, succeeding more often than not. This is most evident on the shuffling "Frozen," with its dusty barroom piano line and a sincere lyrical plea ("I was going to come over last night, I swear") that acts as a centerpiece to the dense instrumental display. EAC
PONDEROSA is instrumental music composed by Stephen Kierniesky and Bill Nichols. They grew up in Gettysburg, PA and have been playing music together for many years. Their banjo, cello and guitar twist and turn in odd arrangements and shifting tonalities. They hit a lot of notes. Their tunes are often short and fast, but sometimes spacious and relaxed. They like to improvise, although its hard to tell when their making shit up or playing a "real" song. Their self-titled debut album was released in June'07 and is available at their shows, which mostly consists of farmer's markets.....check out the review in Portland's premier weekly, The Willamette Week:
[July 11th, 2007]
[EXPERIMENTAL FOLK] Acoustic-core duo Ponderosa is a rare musical act spawned from the unlikely combination of banjo and cello—two things as likely to share a stage as Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump. But the chilling connection of cellist Bill Nichols and banjo player Stephen Kierniesky—who started playing music together as kids in the small town of Gettysburg, Pa.—features a lot less trash-talking. The duo's first, self-titled release under the alias Ponderosa, rather, is a graceful, mature effort covering dense ground, from traditional folk and bluegrass to the sharp and unpredictable elements of modern indie rock. And the outcome is nearly impossible to classify.
Part of this stems from the duo's atypical approach to songwriting: In the absence of a vocalist, there is more freedom to stray from a traditional verse-chorus framework. (This is not to imply jammyness; there are no strung-out pockets of instrumental masturbation to be found here.) Instead, each instrumental piece is married to the next with thoughtful transitions that—even when catching you off guard—never sound awkward, unpleasant or out of place. Opening track "Turducken," for example, takes off with a mournful, end-of-the-world tone only to break down into a hyper-twangy, happy bit that'll make you want to bury your face in the earth like a lunatic hippie. Other times, the banjo and cello press forward in near cartoon-like drama: During "Baby Sue," you're captivated by quick, chaotic banjo and dark cuts of cello one moment and pleasantly surprised by a mellow melodic breakdown the next. As a whole, the moody climaxes and pensive lows feel like a well-written story.
Likewise, album highlight "Penn's Woods," an old-timey number with a delicate banjo melody, begins sparsely and then takes off like a pack of wild horses. It's the type of foot-tapping hobo music that would make a great soundtrack to train hopping. But since people aren't as prone to adventure these days, it'll likely wind up being a favorite at some neo-folkster's vegan barbecue, where everyone looks homeless and talks about how much they'd rather be in the country. But rather than let our tight pants cut off the blood-flow to our brains, let's loosen up and take 'em off. Come on, go to a natural food store, snort a bunch of those freaky herbals, turn on Ponderosa and stay awhile.
we're playing in portland at a house show new year's eve!! twilight cafe and bar new year's day! w/ indianna hale, sleepy todd, honey.moon.tree. ,fpodbpod & the sweet sweet things!! check our myspace for show info
So you finally got an album out but I can't find a way to buy it! Don't go on hiatus yet! I feel like I've been waiting for YEARS... or maybe just one year... or so
Also, I just read that you learned to play in New Orleans! Come back because then I can hear more songs because I live there now.
I was just listening to the pensultukey take-over record and didn't get enough so I CAME HERE and listened to 'em all. I'm going in the studio today to do banjo and vocals on the HOMESPUN REMEDIES debut. you my friend are such an inspiration miu gracias,mi compadre B.
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