About Us

The Blue State Band strives to make Americana music that is new, but not newfangled, if you know what we mean—to channel the electricity of prison-concert Cash, ’56 Elvis, Bob “Judas” Dylan, and hell, why not a dash of Leonard Cohen?

With that the veins, BSB dedicates themselves to making music that is beautiful and rocking, sincere and clever, always with a sense of humor up its sleeve.

Starting out in the dives of Brooklyn and Manhattan in 2004, they’ve made it to the promised land of clubs with stage monitors and only quarter-drunken sound men; clubs like Southpaw for the Brooklyn Country Music Festival, Galapagos, The Rockwood Music Hall, the Living Room and Crash Mansion for this summer’s Southern Rock Series. They’ve built a healthy following and have received the most important accolade in the business: meeting strangers that can sing along with the songs.

Rhythm Guitar/Vocals: Aaron Lisman
Lead Guitar: Matt Walsh
Bass: Calvin Bennett
Drums: J. Frederick

AARON LISMAN Singer and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lisman has played for several years on the roots music scenes in New York and Chicago. He's been heard at Uncommon Grounds and Lapiz Lounge in Chicago and at Freddy's Barroom and the Baggot Inn in New York, among other places.

MATT WALSH Lead guitarist Matt Walsh recently returned to NYC after a stint in Nashville, where he played guitar with artists such as Will Oldham, Miles Zuniga (from Fastball), and Carey Kotsionis (a member of Bobby Bare Jr.'s Young Criminal Starvation League). While in Nashville, Matt got his song "Just Like Jones" recorded by 70's country music star Del Reeves. Del even played the song on the Grand Ole' Opry, which is broadcast nationwide on cable network CMT.Matt lived in NYC during the late '90s, when he played with his own group Matthew Guadalupe and The Regulars. The Regulars recorded a CD in 1999 with instrumental and vocal help from local roots music legend Greg Garing as well as steel guitar and fiddle help from Larry Campbell of the Bob Dylan band. Lincoln Schleifer, bass player extraordinaire for Donald Fagan among others, produced.

J. FREDERICK Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, J. FREDERICK is an NYC-based drummer who has impressed musicians and critics alike with his highly personal approach to the drumset as a powerful yet uncommonly delicate and sensitive instrument. He has worked with a wide range of consummate musicians including Benny Golson, Frank Wess, Ernie Watts, James Spaulding, Dave Binney, Barry Harris, Eric Reed, Milt Hinton, Cleve Eaton, Rodney Whittaker, and Delfayeo Marsalis, among others. For the past five years, Frederick has been a member of the Ken Watters Group, performing modern acoustic jazz at clubs and festivals throughout the US. With this ensemble, he has recorded three critically acclaimed albums entitled Brothers II, Southern Exposure and Brothers III. All three CD's were released internationally on Summit Records and made the US mainstream jazz charts. Additionally, Frederick has performed live broadcasts on various television and radio shows including NPR's popular talk show "Whad' Ya Know" hosted by Michael Feldman.

CALVIN BENNETT Calvin hails from Kansas, where roots in bluegrass, country, and rockabilly fed a versatility in many music genres, including classical, heavy metal, jazz and swing. He has performed in many countries around the world. Calvin has collaborated extensively with Eric Mardis (banjo, Split Lip Rayfield) in the bands Satan’s Jeweled Crown, Floyd the Barber, Lou’s Revenge and Creek Bank Ghetto Boys. He has also recently toured the western United States with Ryan Johnson and Kirk Rundstrom (guitarist, Split Lip Rayfield) promoting their band and self-titled CD “Grain and Demise,” recorded and engineered by banjo god Mike West (Squirrel Records, New Orleans). Calvin and his brother Bob Cody (fiddler/pianist/vocalist/composer/songwriting maniac) are on a continual musical experiment, often with the incendiary drumming of Ryan Johnson in their experimental band, Bennett Brothers. You can catch all of these guys performing annually at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Calvin counts Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, Leonard Cohen, Pink Floyd, Michael Gira, Joni Mitchell, Cody Bennett, John Cale and Lou Reed among his major influences, and their legacies resonate throughout his music. While the bull fiddle is his main pursuit, Calvin is a passionate songwriter and has a cannon 100 songs strong. He explores lyrical prose and poetry as well. You can find his book of poems, “The Value of Black Licorice” at www.fatmember.com. Calvin’s Grain and Demise and Hellcat Trio CDs can be picked up there as well.