Borderland All-Stars
An extremely versatile combo, the Borderland All-Stars offer original music in a wide range of styles. Their newest recorded offering, Milk Money, combines countrified funk and vibratory soul in an interesting rock & roll gumbo. Their previous release, One Spore for the Road, draws from rock, soul, world, latin and other influences. Their live performances primarily feature vocalist/guitar-player/songwriter David Spagone, tenor sax and flutes by Jason Buhl, and a rythym section comprised of bass guitar juggernaut Chris Houston and legendary percussonist Jefferson Woods. Additional All-Stars are sometimes employed, but these front-line core members remain from the group's inauspicious beginnings around the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (details and personnel info from the early days remains murky). Milk Money, the 12-original-song collection released in late 2009, features "the Unofficial Fifth All-Star"; blues afficionado and soul guitarist extraordinaire, Jay Aptt. Former frontman of North Shore jam-band Tonekat, Aptt is the first ever "hired-gun All-Star" to infuse his own tasteful songwriting into their enormous pool of original tunes. If cover music is desired, their vast repertoire of crowd-pleasers and vintage classics never fails to incite dance-floor bedlam. Sonically adjustable to any size of venue, they've played in theaters, pool halls, college festivals, luxury hotel lounges, beer blasts, weddings, corporate functions, long-dysfunctional family reunions, holiday parties, bondage clubs, and even at a castle in upstate New York. The All-Stars are extremely proud of their performance legacy as "purveyors of party music", and will continue to accept the challenge of providing pure live jams in an increasingly digital, synthesized, and DJ-dominated musical landscape. Hooray for everything!