The Varnish Cooks are musicians who pursue the old-time stringband tradition with intensity and emotional clarity. Based in Rochester, New York, they perform old-time songs according to the impetuous and poetic spirit of American music. (More on the philosophy of the Varnish Cooks.)
Ben got hooked on the banjo even though his friends warned him not to try it. They say guitar was the gateway instrument. He's from Connecticut, where most banjo players are dead. Ben's bookshelf is stocked with great works of literature that he never finished and sketchbooks scrawled with postmodern rumors and religious slang.
Greg still isn't totally sure who he made a deal with to be able to play the mandolin, but he gets visitation rights to his soul on the weekends. He grew up in Rochester and can't wait to be driven out of town by an angry mob on charges of heresy. He enjoys old fences and secret passageways.
Ryan has been hearing a low pounding in the distance since he nearly reached total enlightenment staring deeply into the eyes of a Northern Spotted Owl. Convinced that God is a bassist (or at least a trombone player), Ryan's pilgrimage for musical wisdom has lead to many adventures around his native Western New York. His love of bird watching and good beer landed him in a mellow ditch with raucous old-time music.
Greg began writing songs as a way to bring origami animals to life. When the animals formed their own silent old-time band, he saw clearly how his music returned to where it came from. You can find his animals, in subtly shaded hues and old wooded cracks, all over his native Rochester and America.
More information about booking the Vanish Cooks is also available at our Sonic Bids Electronic Press Kit.
