Big Slyde w/ Sven Curth Opening

Add a heaping cup of John Doan’s new-grass and jam-grass inspired banjo, dobro, and dojo to Mikey Portal’s Latin-influenced roots-rock guitar grooves, mix in a quarter cup of Christina Grant's funky cello, frosten with the sweet rhythmic bouzouki and smokey vocals of Hannah Doan, and you have a delicious Big Slyde treat for the ears. Call it funk-grass, acoustic groove, old-time-new-grass, or just plain delicious -- it is a treat so tasty that Big Slyde has built a solid fan base that regularly packs the house at a wide variety of venues.

The Adirondack Mountains of New York are the home of an eclectic musical environment filled with plenty of originality and songwriting talents. It is here that Big Slyde has developed it’s own musical voice. All the members of the band bring differing backgrounds and interests together in a way that feels genuine, never forced. Always searching for new sounds, inspiration and grooves is what drives the members, and their diverse styles can be heard in the songs and arrangements.

At the forefront of Big Slyde are the voices of Hannah and John Doan. A father and daughter that sing with a natural beauty and a knack for singing harmonies like only family can. Hannah grew up surrounded by her father’s music. When friends such as Leftover Salmon would take a rest from the road in the Doan home, young Hannah would soak up the jams like a sponge. These experiences have left her with an uncanny sense of timing and an ability to improvise that is rare in one so young. John brings more than 30 years of acoustic artistry to the group. Whether he’s playing banjo, dobro, or dojo his virtuosity rings through the strings and his experience lends a maturity to the group’s songwriting. John’s songs have been recorded and performed by a number of bands, including Larry Keel, Magraw Gap, and Stained Grass Window. Mikey Portal grew up with the traditional music of Portugal as an audio backdrop. When he picked up a guitar at the age of 10 he knew there would be no turning back. He spent hours of his youth alone in his room mastering the styles of geniuses such as Jimmy Page and Hendrix, and loved playing along with everyone from Bob Marley to Sonic Youth, Iron Maiden to Bela Fleck, Grateful Dead to Carlos Paredes, and The Allman Brothers to The Beastie Boys. Mikey blends these diverse influences seemingly effortlessly into his startlingly intricate solos. He brings a fusion of hip-shaking, melodic, roots rock with a touch of Old World soul to the Big Slyde sound. Christina started playing cello as a favor to a friend in grade school who was awarded a bonus for every body she could recruit to the under-funded string program. Influenced and inspired by Ben Sollee and Rushad Eggleston, she holds down the low end of Big Slyde’s acoustic grooves.