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Rev.Bob & the Darkness boldly displays its roots-based sound through a wide range of instruments
and three or four-part harmonies. To be blunt, Rev.Bob & the Darkness floors audiences as a stiff cocktail
would, if said beverage were a dynamic mixture of bluegrass shots plus a dash of Stax R&B, shaken up with
equal parts Gospel and Blues. The result of such an adventurous recipe? Bluesy, rocking, roots music, which
tells stories of love, betrayal, murder and obsession. Through it all, Rev.Bob & the Darkness maintain their
tight instrumentation and driving harmonies.
Although it began as a side project eight years ago for Rev. Bob Matros and Dark Mark White,
Rev.Bob & the Darkness has spun into a full-time band, picking up remarkably diverse instruments and talents
along the way. The ensemble’s current lineup includes folks from all influences and backgrounds. Dark Mark
White is a pro upright bass player, with both a jazz and classical background, as well as founding member of the
original duo. Cutty Foster’s lyrical drum style provides the driving force of the band's rhythm section. His versatility
as a drummer and his vocal ability have helped root the heart of the band. Max Lewis brings to the table his
creative talent, an excellent ear, vocals, percussion and, of course, his trumpet. These three members along
with Rev. Bob, guitar player, singer, songwriter and producer, made up the core of the ensemble featured on
their first album, ENDSVILLE.
After their first release the group added instrumentation and voices that currently define the band’s
sound and direction. John Buczkowski contributes his astounding accordion skills, but has been occasionally
known to wield the button box, guitar, bass, banjo, organ and a hockey stick. Not all at the same time. Betty
Widerski is, we believe, the hardest working violinist in the East. At nearly 300 gigs a year, her experience, ear
and pure talent habitually blow the room away. Julia Hughes is the newest addition to Rev.Bob and the Darkness,
showcasing her powerful voice and jazz-heavy background. She studied jazz piano and voice in DC and
has stepped up to the front of the band as lead singer now heavily featured on the band’s upcoming album,
GALLOWS HILL.
This band is utterly flexible and happily plays both intense, forty-five minute sets alongside heavy rock
bands and three-hour marathons in more chill, lounge situations. Thus, Rev. Bob and the Darkness tailor their
sets to a variety of venues, ranging from listening rooms to rowdy pubs, coffee houses to major rock venues,
outdoor festivals to private parties – even weddings.
The band's repertoire includes over forty of their original songs, plus a dozen uniquely arranged covers.
Rev.Bob and the Darkness has a solid following in Providence, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Boston and Eastern
Massachusetts.
Rev. Bob and the Darkness' first full length album, ENDSVILLE, is on sale now, with their sophomore album
GALLOWS HILL recording this summer. All original songs are recorded independently in Rev. Bob's own
Hooker Street Studios. ENDSVILLE and other assorted merchandise can be purchased through the band's site,
www.GoSaveYourself.com |
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Name:Betty Widerski
Hometown:
DOB:
Instrument: 5 string violin
A new comer to the Rev's dark posse, Betty plays 5 string violin, bringing the ensemble back to its more string based early years while bringing a refreshing style of her own.
Besides riding out fiddling with the Rev. she also is currently fiddling with Irish Punk band The Gobshites and playing a monthly solo residency at The Abbey Lounge. Betty has performed and recorded with a wide range of pop, rock, folk, and country artists, including Paula Kelley, Ad Frank, Darkbuster, The Beau Roland Band, Grubstake, Lonesome Jukebox, Rick Berlin, Jeff Washer, Myke Weiskopf and more. She may also be found in string sections for shows at major Boston venues, adding support to community orchestras, performing with the Orange Line Trio and other chamber groups, creating & performing string quartet arrangements of Boston rock/pop musicians' songs with her group The String Sluts, and teaching classes on improvisation.
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Name:Julia Hughes
Hometown:
DOB:
Instrument: Lead Vocals
Jules, being the band's latest addition, brings new life to the band and new luck. Young, spirited, she's equally comfortable doing jazz standards, traditional bluegrass or pop. Not to mention, she bribed us with free beer during auditions. She has performed in D.C. with Brickhouse and in Boston with the ephemeral Basil Cleveland performing exorcisms and speaking in tongues.
Jules graduated from George Washinton University, where she minored in Jazz. She studied jazz piano and voice with Jim Levy and Pam Bricker.
Along with her jazz background she sites influences such as:Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, Moby, Ani Difranco, Laura Nyro, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, The Clancy Brothers, The Cranberries, Neutral Milk Hotel, Leonard Cohen, Queen, and claims to play banjo and one really rockin' cowbell.
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Name:Rev. Bob Matros
Hometown:
DOB: 1970-12-09
Instrument: guitar, mandolin, keys and vocals
Rev. Bob started the band with Dark Mark as a duo seven years ago, and have been named Rev. Bob & the Darkness ever since. The duo was originally started as an outlet for songs Bob had written that didn't quite fit the hard rock sound of his band, School of Assassins. It allowed him to write without restrictions, tapping into his roots and crossing over many styles. The Rev. was mainly a session bassplayer, who eventually embraced his talent as a writer. Using classical guitar as his main performance instrument with the ensemble, and as his main writing tool, he has continued to expand his vocabulary and openly pay tribute to his roots.
Classically trained on upright in NYC, and then playing big band jazz in Pennsylvania and punk in NJ, Bob eventually came to Boston to study theory and whore himself out as a bassplayer, rhythm guitarist, and engineer. He also plays piano, banjo, mandolin, hand percussion as well as sings.
Bob has played with bands such as: CCW, Mr.E and the Lounge Lizards, Those Unknown, The Children, School of Assassins, Little A, and a dozen others as well as done booking, promotions production and live sound for Godseye Promotions, Hooker Street Studios, small clubs from D.C. to Portland ME, and another dozen indie bands struggling to get by.
While there's been a lot of booze, women and bad choices during the decade or so previous to becoming the Rev. -Bob still enjoys the vices of beer, ice cream, and video games
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Name:Max Lewis
Hometown:
DOB:
Instrument: Horn, Percussion, and Vocals
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Name:Cutty Foster
Hometown:
DOB:
Instrument: drums, vocals
While developing their repertoire, it became obvious that the band needed a regular percussionist to really flush out the arrangements. Several brilliant players had been sitting in with the Bob and Mark but each focused on a single style and unable to commit to another full time project. After speaking to Cutty on several occasions the Rev. persuaded him to come out of retirement and recruited him with much effort. The effort paid off quickly as Cutty became an essential part of the band and the driving force of the rhythm section. His “lyrical” playing style and wide range of influences really brought everything to the next level. Only recently have we discovered that he was not only a talented drummer, but also a gifted singer.
He has performed and recorded with: Egadz, the Kieran Ridge Band, Angry Ballz, Gene Dante and The Future Starlets as well as a session player for Hooker Street Studios.
Stating his influences are too many to list, we twisted his arm and got this out of him: Stewart Copeland, Scott Rockenfield, Phil Rudd, Phil Collins, Art Blakey…
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Name:John Buczkowski
Hometown:
DOB:
Instrument: accordion
John's another recent arrival on the Rev's trail of tears. His weapon of choice with the ensemble is accordion, though he has been seen wielding on occasion: button box, guitar, bass, banjo, organ and a hockey stick.
Having been part of the Boston scene for 14 years, he's played and recorded with: Lisa Karp Band, Biscuit, Alex Maws, Los Diablos, Grubstake, Wild Cats of Kilkenny, Audrey Ryan, Kier Byrne(Three Day Threshold), and the Splendid Nobodies.
Citing as his influences: Gun Club, Nick Cave, Johnny Cash, The Cramps, Marc Ribot, Tom Waits, Nick Drake, American Music Club, Hank Williams, Pogues, Astor Piazolla, and Husker Du -its clear he fits right in.
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Name:Dark Mark White
Hometown:
DOB:
Instrument: Upright Bass, Vocals
Mark was one of the originators of Rev.Bob & the Darkness, as an acoustic duo of Rev.Bob and Dark Mark and just grew into the darkness from there. The duo had allowed Mark to play various styles and tap into his influences in a way that a rock band wouldn't allow. He has maintained the low-end, and remained the backbone of the ensemble since day one.
He has played dozens of sessions as an upright player as well as been a member of the following bands: Roadkill, Firepig, The Bentmen, the Dark Young, Twitcher, McPhateus, The Ed Barret Jazz Ensemble, The Dorian Scott Syndrome, Krank Squad, and Gene Dante and the Future Starlets.
Some influences: Frank Zappa, Charles Mingus, Junior Brown, Bob Willis and the Texas Playboys, VoiVod, Fishbone, both Cannonball and Nat Adderly, King Crimson, X, 16 Horsepower
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