Session Americana

Session Americana
Origin	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Genres	Americana, folk, roots music, rock, blues
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Hi-n-Dry
Associated acts	Treat Her Right, Resophonics, Morphine (band), Funky White Honkies, Face to Face (new wave band), Chauncey, Maybe Baby
Website	www.sessionamericana.com
Members
Dinty Child Jim Fitting Sean Staples Ry Cavanaugh Jon Bistline Billy Beard
Past members
Kimon Kirk

Session Americana is a Boston-based band consistently referred to in articles by variants of “a folk-rock [or roots] supergroup,” a “who’s who” or “all-star” band featuring members Sean Staples (mandolin, guitar, vocals, mandocello, fiddle), Billy Beard (drums/vocals), Jon Bistline (bass/vocals), Ry Cavanaugh (guitar, mandocello, vocals), Jim Fitting (harmonica/vocals) and Dinty Child (mandocello, fiddle, banjo, guitar, accordion, keyboards, vocals).

This six member group of experienced musicians came together in 2004, for a series of informal shows at Toad (a Pub in Cambridge) on Sunday nights. Kimon Kirk (bass, vocals) was the original bass player. Kirk moved to Los Angeles in early 2009, when he was replaced by Bistline. Session Americana had a Sunday-night residency at Toad for two years, moving to the larger Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA when their popularity outgrew Toad’s small capacity. Session Americana frequently play at other locations in the Boston/Cambridge area, including Club Passim, in addition to gigs in Vermont and New York. Their shows continue to involve the band facing each other around a table, passing instruments around as needed, harmonizing on old blues tunes, classic Americana songs, and original numbers written by the group members and their guests. A hallmark of Session Americana is their frequent collaboration on-stage with musical guests, including Rose Polenzani (with whom SA recorded “When the River Meets the Sea” in 2008), Jennifer Kimball (who is married to Cavanaugh), Dennis Brennan, and many more. The band released four albums and continued their Lizard Lounge residency until slowing down concert appearances in late 2009 following Cavanaugh and Kimball’s move to Ireland for 2009-2010. They reunited for a concert in October 2009 at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA, alongside Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz, and again for a tour in Ireland in May 2010. Since the Fall of 2010, the band has been working regularly without Sean Staples, who is suffering from a voice injury.

The band

• Sean Staples also plays with his award-winning group, The Resophonics.
• Jim Fitting was one of the founders of Fort Apache Studios. He has been a member of the bands Treat Her Right, the Sex Execs, The Coots, and has played with Morphine (band), The The and many other groups.
• Dinty Child fronts his own band, The Funky White Honkies. He has played with Chandler Travis, including opening for George Carlin, and Laurie Sargent, among many others.
• Billy Beard is the booking agent for Toad and Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a member of the 80s band Face to Face (new wave band), and has toured with Patty Griffin and Kim Richey.
• Ry Cavanaugh performs with his wife, Jennifer Kimball (formerly of The Story) in the group Maybe Baby and was a founding member of the Vinal Avenue String Band with Sean Staples.
• Jon Bistline co-founded and toured with the rock duo Chauncey until the group’s breakup in 2005. He has played with a variety of bands since.
• Kimon Kirk (original bassist) now lives in Los Angeles. He has performed with many musicians, including Aimee Mann.

Discography

• TableTop People Vol. 1. (2005) Hi-n-Dry. A family-geared album.
• TableTop People Vol. 2. (2005) Hi-N-Dry.
• The Void Trilogy. Session Americana was the studio band for French Artist, Bruno Green's Void Trilogy(2006) Hi-N-Dry.
• TableTop People Vol. 3: Beertown. (2007) Hi-N-Dry.
• When the River Meets the Sea. Rose Polenzani with Session Americana (2008), recorded in Summer 2006 at Hi-N-Dry Studio.
• Diving for Gold. (2009) produced by Paul Q. Kolderie

Awards/Nominations

• Winner "2005 Best Folk Act" - The Boston Music Awards
• Winner "Best Roots Act 2006" - Improper Bostonian "Best of Boston" Issue
• Winner "Best Album by a Local Artist" 2007 - Improper Bostonian
• Nominated "Best Roots Act" 2007 - WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll
• Nominated "Best Live Act" 2007 - The Boston Music Awards
• Nominated "Best Americana Act" 2008 - The Boston Music Awards

References

• “Rose Polenzani and Session Americana at the me&the coffeehouse” October 19, 2009 article from North Shore Art Throb (http://www.nsartthrob.com/2009/10/19/rose-polenzani-and-session-americana-at-the-methee-coffeehouse/)
• “Listen Up: Session Americana.” June 10, 2009. http://twangville.com/1321/listen-up-session-americana/
• “People say they honkie around.” December 8, 2007. http://www.boston.com/ae/events/articles/2007/12/08/people_say_they_honkie_around/
• “Local Music Scene Springs to Life.” By Jonathan Perry. May 8, 2009. *http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/05/08/local_acts_are_springing_into_action/
• “He Keeps Toad Hopping.” By Jonathan Perry. June 20, 2008.
• http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/06/20/he_keeps_toad_hopping/ (on Billy Beard)
• "Session Americana: Turning the Table on Traditional Music" by Gary Miller. State of Mind Magazine (VT) February/March 2008 (http://www.stateofmindmusic.com), p. 12-13
• http://www.rosepolenzani.com
• http://www.hindry.com
• http://www.sessionamericana.com

External links

• http://www.sessionamericana.com
• http://www.myspace.com/thefunkywhitehonkies
• http://www.myspace.com/kimonkirk
• http://www.myspace.com/rycavanaugh
• http://www.myspace.com/resophonics
• http://www.myspace.com/billybeardmusic
• http://www.windjam.com/artists/coots/index.shtml