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Press Release
1/4/08
Review from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner of Rural Delivery's CD "Hardly a Town at All":

Two Local Bands Show Alaskans Know Bluegrass

by David A. James

After reviewing Joe Page's CD, he writes:

      "The band Rural Delivery plays in a more conventional mode on 'Hardly a Town at All'.
      Though perhaps less polished, this quintet has the rugged authenticity that fans of traditional music crave.
      The playing is solid, the material covers lots of bases while maintaining a unified sound, and the approach is pure back porch.
      The group handily tackles standards like "Sitting on Top of the World" and "How Mountain Girls Can Love" as well as plenty of lesser-known tunes. A handful of instrumentals show just how well these folks can play. And bassist Ken Brown's original,
'Fools Rush In (Where Fools Have Been Before)' has all the elements of a great country song: a well-worn cliche turned slightly askew, an artful blend of humor and heartbreak, and hooks that stick in your brain long after the song has faded out.
      Both of these releases can stand proudly alongside anything being produced by national bluegrass acts, proving that we needn't look any further than our collective backyard for some great music."

Press Release
12/24/07
The Porch Dogs have a new member: well-known Fairbanks drummer Jim Vogt is also an excellent bass player. Jim's addition to the group allows Ken to focus on dobro and dobjo (5 string dobro), Suzanne on guitar and fiddle, and Jeff on mandolin, guitar, and harmonica. Welcome aboard, Jim!

Press Release
10/25/07

Alaska's Rural Delivery bluegrass band has just released its first CD, "Hardly a Town at All", on Tank Farm Records. The CD features 12 songs recorded in the studio, followed by 6 bonus tracks recorded live at the College Coffeehouse in Fairbanks on February 27, 2007.

Rural Delivery's tasty blend of traditional bluegrass, alt-country, and hillbilly jazz has proven to be a winning mixture for the Alaskan band, which seeks to be a bluegrass band that is not limited to a strict bluegrass repertoire.

Jeff Siniscalchi's bluesy harmonica, not a traditional bluegrass instrument, helps give Rural Delivery a distinctive sound that sets the band apart. Tye Menser's solid, Scruggs-style banjo keeps the band firmly rooted in traditional bluegrass. Suzanne Graves' plaintive harmony vocals blend well with the male members' voices. Ben Bragonier's Grisman-esque mandolin solos push the band towards the jazzier, funkier edges of bluegrass. Ken Brown's two original songs also help give the band a fresh, "haven't heard tht before" feel. All five members sing both lead and harmony, providing a lot of vocal variety.

Rural Delivery is Ben Bragonier on mandolin, Suzanne Graves on guitar, Tye Menser on banjo, Jeff Siniscalchi on harmonica and mandolin, and Ken Brown on bass and dobro. Bragonier, Graves, and Brown are all elementary teachers with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Until his recent move to Olympia, Washington, Menser was a public defender in Fairbanks. Siniscalchi keeps the new hospital on Fort Wainwright physically running.

Rural Delivery started as a duo with just Brown and Bragonier back at the end of 2004, then gradually added members and went through a few personnel changes before the current line-up featured on the CD. Over the past several years, Rural Delivery has performed at the Fairbanks Winter and Summer Folk Fests, the Anchorage Folk Festival, the Anderson Bluegrass Festival, the Hunter Creek Bluegrass Festival, and many public and private events in Fairbanks.

Recorded on a Boss 1600-CD recorder, "Hardly a Town at All" is not a perfect album, nor was it intended to be. Rather than focus on studio perfection, the band tried to capture the "live" feel and emotion that comes across when the band performs on stage. The CD takes its title from a line in one of the two original songs written by Brown that are featured on the CD. The cover photo was taken by Bragonier's wife, Carrie, and Bragonier, a talented graphic artist, designed the CD cover and booklet. Rural Delivery plans to tour the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Yukon during 2008.

Press Release
9/23/07
Mandolinist and graphics designer Ben Bragonier is going to focus on his artwork in his cabin art studio, so Ken, Suzanne, and Jeff will be performing original songs they've written (plus some favorite cover songs) as The Porch Dogs. We're going to miss you, Ben!

Press Release
9/23/07
Rural Delivery's CD Release Party at the College Coffeehouse last night was a blast. Thanks to the Kids from Room 14, No Compromise, and Solstice Complex for performing with us. Our brand new CD, "Hardly a Town at All", is available for sale at College Coffeehouse, Grassroots Guitar, and will soon be available on-line at CD Baby and iTunes.

Press Release
8/1/06
I can't believe it's August already! Where did the summer go? News: it looks like Quarter Moon will be eclipsed by the new Dave Monroe Band, following Q.M.'s last performance at the Tanana Valley State Fair Aug. 9 . . . Rural Delivery has an 18-22 song "Live at Big Daddy's BBQ" CD ready for release, if the members all agree to release it . . . Rumor has it that Solstice Complex will be recording a CD soon . . . Earl Hughes & the Alaska Opry welcomes any performers to join them on Friday & Saturday nights at Doc's Bar, 124 N. Turner St., 10 p.m.-closing . . .
Press Release
6/26/06
The Denim Blues Band got a last minute call to play at Big Daddy's BBQ last Friday and Saturday. Guest Dave Monroe sat in on acoustic lead guitar and cool vocals, and Jeff Siniscalchi never sounded better on vocals, eletric guitar, and harp. The only problem was finding a drummer to fill in for Arnie Steinke each night. Thanks to Diamond Fuller and Sam Herried for filling in at the last minute!

This week: all four current members of Rural Delivery will be at Big Daddy's BBQ on Tuesday, 6-9 p.m. It will be great to see/hear what Tye Menser learned at Banjo Camp in Tennessee!

Press Release
6/11/06
The Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest was a blast yesterday. I wish I'd had more time to hang out at Pioneer Park, but I did listen in on KUAC when I wasn't at the park.

The Denim Blues Band, featuring Jeff Siniscalchi, Arnie Steinke, yours truly, and guest artist Dave Monroe had a great time at the Boatel that evening. A young lady named Andi Hunter sang a few bluesy numbers with the band, too. She's great!

The 20th Anniversary & Reunion of the Sidekicks bluegrass band in Oregon was a blast. My very first band, Pumpkin Ridge, performed, as did another band that formed about 25 years ago: No Strings Attached. I wish I could have spent a half hour talking to each person there, renewing old friendships, but that would have taken weeks!

Press Release
5/07/06
GoodNews: I finally was able to buy a used Boss BR-1600CD digital recorder that can record 8 tracks simultaneously and a total of 16 tracks. It also has a compression feature that allows you to produce a loud, punchy CD instead of a wimpy, below-normal volume CD that many recorders produce.

More good news: the BR-1600CD digital recorder is perfect for recording a band "live" (or at least 8 channels at the same time), while other instrumental or vocal tracks can be added later and the whole thing mixed the way you want it. Cost: $35 per hour for recording at your place, or $30 per hour for recording and mixing at Ken's house. E-mail or call me if you're interested in recording your band, duo, or just yourself.

Press Release     5/1/06
The Denim Blues Band is scheduled to make its debut May 13 at the College Coffeehouse. The core trio features electric guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, bass, and drums, plus vocals. A guest musician will sit in at each gig, giving the band a different sound each time they play. Stay tuned for more Denim Blues Band news . . .

Press Release 4/10/06

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