Roosevelt Dime Plays The Stomping Ground!

December 02, 2016 8:00PM - 1:00AM at The Stomping Ground

With a name appropriated from a coin minted in 1946, it comes as no surprise that historical reference points underscore the music of the East Coast based quartet Roosevelt Dime. This engaging brotherhood of musicians traces the rich tributaries of Americana – Blues, Bluegrass, and New Orleans juke joint Rhythm & Blues, enduring genres newly electrified with a modern charge.

The hard-touring band gathers no moss. Featuring Eben Pariser on electric guitar, harmonica and lead vocals; Andrew Green on five string banjo and backup vocals; Tony Montalbano on drums and backup vocals, and upright bassist Craig Akin, Roosevelt Dime travels from New York City’s Union Square to the California coast. Whether heading north to Canada or south to Virginia, at festivals, listening rooms, clubs, whiskey bars or church basements an embracing sense of community and sterling musical interplay engages, connects and entertains audiences across a broad spectrum of ages and demographics.

Roosevelt Dime co-founders Andrew Green and Eben Pariser met at Oberlin College in Ohio where they balanced academics at one of the country’s finest musical conservatories with playing in folk and blues bands. Relocating to Brooklyn, New York and adding Tony Montalbano and later Craig Akin to the mix, the band followed a time-honored tradition of busking in the streets, parks, and subways. As all walks of life assembled to watch, listen and contribute, the musicians honed in their lively mix of jug band irreverence and Dixieland exuberance for a fast-paced audience of transient New Yorkers seeking to share a moment of positivity and spontaneity.

The sound of the street translated to the studio. Roosevelt Dime’s 2009 debut Crooked Roots was followed by Steamboat Soul, revealing the band’s evolution from a pedal steel-influenced sound to a lively horn intensive aggregation. With Full Head of Steam peaking near the top of the National Folk Charts in 2014, the band created “a full charged lesson on how to unearth some vital roots,” as lauded by The Bluegrass Situation. Press outlets including Relix Magazine, CMT Edge, Performer Magazine and the Alternate Root Magazine have also added to the prominent press kudos.

Now preparing for their 2016 release Red Shoes, the band distills a vital essence of lively camaraderie onto a rich collection of new tracks that they describe as “…a further reflection on our diverse American heritage through critical optimism that honors our very real struggles and the joy necessary to overcome.” They note their ongoing legacy as “music with a strong cultural component to it. It is like going deep into a river. You contribute to a transcendent history of art that inspires and moves people.”

“You don’t make roots music to get rich,” the band observes. Maybe not: But with a growing audience of advocates, a rich collection of self-penned songs and an authentic embrace of connection and kinship, the joyous music of Roosevelt Dime shines as increasingly valuable currency.

ROOSEVELT DIME IS:
Eben Pariser: electric guitar, harmonica, lead vox
Andrew Green: five string banjo, backup vox
Tony Montalbano: drums, backup vox
Craig Akin: upright bass

ROOSEVELT DIME HAS FEATURED:
Seth Paris: reeds
Bruce Harris: trumpet
Sam Hoyt: trumpet
Hardin Butcher: trumpet
Jon Light: pedal steel guitar

praise for roosevelt dime

“A quick glance across the audience revealed a sudden onset of steadily tapping shoes. Pariser is the ultimate front man – a sharp dresser (white shoes!) who reminded us of Jim Morrison.”
Ann Latner - Port Washington Patch (Jan 2016)

“Roosevelt Dime offers fresh take on American roots. Evocative in some intangible way of The Band or even the Grateful Dead, Roosevelt Dime nonetheless has its own unique sound: fresh, positive and prone to induce toe-tapping.”
Kate Goldsmith - Northern Dutchess News (Jan 2016)

“The sound is a throwback to a bygone era — a celebration of acoustic Americana, folk, rock, and rhythm and blues.”
Gary Stoller - No Depression (Jan 2016)

“Roosevelt Dime Comes Home”
Brian Slattery - New Haven Independent (Nov 2015)

“Roosevelt Dime brings a rich tapestry of musical goodness, rooted in the traditional, propelled by the power of New Orleans.”
Stephen Ide - The Patriot Ledger (Nov 2015)

“They may be based in New York's hipster mecca, but the band's sound channels the soul of New Orleans and the bluegrass of the Appalachians.”
Sarah Murphy - Exclaim.ca (May 2015)

“foot-stomping, high-octane Americana, honky tonk, rock-and-rollin’ brew.”
Mary Alice Blackwell - The Daily Progress (Jan 2015)

“The perfect mix of talent and showmanship to make the audience feel they're witnessing something special,...one of those gems that sound better even live than they do on record. ”
Poppy Galloway - Feast of Music (July 2014)

“Sizzling... Their live shows are kinetic and energetic. ”
Michael Witthaus - Hippo Press (Apr 10, 2014)

“Bucket loads of spirit, musicianship and fun.”
Strictly Roots Top 5 At 5 (Mar 10, 2014)

“Warmth and heart”
Lucky Clarke - The Kennebec Journal (Feb 27, 2014)

“A fully charged lesson on how to unearth some vital roots”
Lee Zimmerman - The Bluegrass Situation (Feb 24, 2014)

“Terrific”
Benjamin Ricci - Performer Magazine (Feb 10, 2014)

“Banjo notes play tag with assured guitar chords and an orchestra’s worth of horns and wood winds rattling and rolling over a percussive onslaught that make The Muppets’ Animal’s drumming sound like he is playing with one hand.”
Danny - The Alternate Root (Feb 8, 2014)

“Unmistakably cool”
Craig Shelburne - CMT Edge (Jan 13, 2014)

“Infectious... this a band that hooks you”
Jack Goodstein - Blogcritics.org (Jan 8, 2014)

“One of the first breakthrough independent albums of 2014”
J. Pasinski - Record Journal (Jan 5, 2014)

“You’d think all of this knee-slapping banjo jazz, rip-snorting jug music and grease-popping soul would be emanating from somewhere in the kudzu-covered reaches of the Deep South — not Brooklyn.”
Nick DeRiso - Something Else (Jan 1, 2014)

“Deeply steeped in the folk tradition, these guys ROCK! They also swing like banshees and know how to thump up a jugband-driven, dripping-with-soul storm.”
Mark Zaretsky - New Haven Register (Dec 5, 2013)

“A perpetual crowd-pleaser, Roosevelt Dime often has commuters soulfully stomping their feet in the subway and passersby lindy-hopping in the park.”
Tze Chun - The New York Times (June 7, 2010)

“Brooklyn band Roosevelt Dime feels ripped from some earlier era with a sound that’s part rollicking blues, part Dixieland. Their songs are catchy toe-tappers, real feel good stuff. A splendid time is guaranteed”
Michael Tearson - Sing Out! Magazine (Spring 2011 v.54 #2)

“You can tell that these guys have a ton of fun playing together; they're a completely professional band, but you can still see the kids in them playing Nirvana and working hard to make it.”
Caitlin Gould - Cosmic Vibes Live (May 11th, 2013 at 5:59 AM)

“Once they got the sound they wanted, they created a new genre: Steamboat Soul. It’s reminicent of Dr. Dog or Delta Spirit, but also harkens back to acts including Dr. John and Jelly Roll.”
Danielle Furfaro - The Brooklyn Paper (Vol. 36 No. 4, January 2013)

“It’s authentic, frivol, party and relaxing at the same time. It’s rooted in tradition without being old fashioned, this is modern acoustic American roots music at its best”
Folkworld (Issue #43, Nov 2010)

“Roosevelt Dime have all the ingredients to shake up any party.”
Maverick Magazine (December 2010 issue) (5 star review)

“Roosevelt Dime is so good at working old styles into theirs, those influences are plain hard to separate...I would have a cup of coffee with any lady who gets what these guys do. There is something about this music which attracts the best people.”
Frank Gutch Jr. - Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange (October 14, 2010)

“Pensive banjo and tender trumpet stroll alongside warm gospel harmonies.”
Elmore Magazine (March/April 2011, Issue #43)

“There’s a kind of relaxed charm to the music Roosevelt Dime makes. It’s steeped in the music of pre-war America, from New Orleans, Chicago and St. Louis. But it’s also a totally 21st century blend of genres — the kind of no-holds-barred cross-pollination of genres that is accessible to all kinds of people.”
Emily Burnham - Bangor Daily News (October 7, 2010)

“With the welcome inclusion of horns, slide guitar, rich harmonies and an ear for a classic Band-alike groove and melody throughout this debut (Crooked Roots), Roosevelt Dime sound like they're from somewhere far more open, lush, green and mountainous than downtown Brooklyn.”
Ian Fildes - Americana UK (April 25, 2009)

“The songs are supremely bluesy and countryish, with sweet lyrics and harmonic arrangements keeping things pleasant and engaging throughout. An absolute treat.”
Joe Wawrzyniak - Jersey Beat (October 2010)

“If you've seen the talent that lines New York subways from The Bronx to Staten Island, then be prepared, because you aint seen nothing like this Brooklyn act.”
Tim David Harvey - AMP's & 808's (January 2011)

“The songs feature bouncy rhythms, banjo, and horns...and plenty of great singalong vocals. Nothing but upbeat feelgood tracks here.”
LMNOP - babysue (October 2010)

“This is music that alternates between being smooth as premier bourbon and abrasive as blacktop chippings. You have the mood - they have music to match.”
Tim Carroll - FolkWords (Sept. 21, 2010)

“Steamboat Soul meanders along the Mississippi taking in all the music from the riverboats, the basement jazz bars, the bourbon-soaked street corners of the French Quarter, ... and all this from a band who turned Radiohead's 'High and Dry' into a late night Honky Tonk smooch classic on their debut album.”
Allan Wilkinson - Northern Sky (Sept. 18, 2010)

“The band’s non traditional lineup — consisting of banjo, electric or washtub bass, percussion, trumpet/cornet and woodwinds — gives them a pretty unique and engrossing sound.”
madmackerel - The Mad Mackerel (Sept. 18, 2010)

“The sparkling, strong and solid group interplay of New York-based Roosevelt Dime’s Steamboat Soul is again proof that great music is alive and immortal.”
Johan Schoenmakers (translated by Willem Fadrhonc) - altcountryforum.nl (Aug. 28, 2010)

“Steamboat Soul is a great body of work. And it's hard to classify because it's soulful, it's funky, it's New Orleans jazz, it's vaudevillian, it's humorous and it's deep all at the same time.”
Chris Darling - Us Folk, WMPG radio in Portland, ME (July 30, 2010)

“The sheer muscle of the band's sound won't leave you looking for cracks. It puts your inner critic to sleep, allowing you to just enjoy the music.”
Matthew Parrish - Williamsport Sun-Gazette (May 13, 2010)

“There is something of a slightly less confessional Avett Brothers sound buried in there somewhere, but there's also a lot more diversity, from the funky acoustic beat and fuzzed, old-timey vocals of web-only track NuNu (Sweet Love) to the jazzpop rhythms of Rants & Raves to the electrictrified banjo jam of Good Man Do.”
Boyhowdy - Cover Lay Down (April 3, 2009)

“When originally formed in 2006, the trio decided to take a chance on making rock inspired banjo music. Green admits it was an odd setup at first, but once they started creating music and playing shows, their sound quickly began to take shape.”
Nicholas Briano - The Wave (March 23, 2009)
past venues and festivals
Gilmour Street Music Hall

  View Event Website