GROANBOX BOYS
The Groanbox Boys are the American, London-based duo, Cory Seznec and Michael
Ward-Bergeman. The two play their own original brand of foot-stompin’, sweat-drippin’-from-the-ceiling old time American blues, folk,
rags, and minstrel songs on accordion, acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, harmonica and odd pieces
of percussion. Cory plays .ngerstyle guitar rooted in ragtime, and also .at-picks to evoke a more ‘country’ or ‘Old Time’ sound. On banjo,
Cory plays ‘clawhammer’ and ‘three-.nger’ styles, traditionally played by groups of various
colors and creeds in the Appalachian mountains. Michael plays the accordion using a variety
of techniques and also plays barrelhouse, Harlem stride, and classic blues piano just like the greats.
At the core of the ‘Groanbox ethos’ is a desire to play stylistically like musicians of the early twentieth
century, but also do precisely what they did: play folk music their own way, putting their hearts and souls
into it and all their idiosyncrasies as well! One has only to look at their unconventional blend of instruments,
including the gourd banjo and the self-made “freedom boot”, to grasp their uniqueness.
The Groanbox Boys are avid collectors and listeners of folk music from around the world, including old
American prewar recordings. Upon discovering the latter, Seznec and Ward-Bergeman began to understand
what the United States was all about: the mélange, however unsavory, however tenuous, however
violent, of men and women from all over the world living together - whether they had chosen to or not -
all seeking happiness in whatever form they could .nd. It was real, honest, and powerful.
Of particular resonance to them is the fact this music had no strict stylistic, cultural, or technical conventions.
Blues and rags were played by white hillbillies and songsters in western Kentucky and blacks in the
south played rollicking country ballads and cowboy songs. Various cultural groups converged in minstrel
shows, carnivals, and house parties. Time signatures were toyed with, .ngering styles were .ddled with.
Yet despite its diversity, a tradition was emerging – a deeply American folk song tradition long in place, now
boosted by the recording age, thanks to the tireless e.orts of folk archivists and ethnomusicologists like
John and Alan Lomax. Dynamic, rich, and diverse, it re.ected all the particularities in the American consciousness.
The Groanbox Boys hope to play this music to as many audiences as possible, particularly to
people who would not necessarily be aware of this American art form. In doing so, they hope to touch
people with the songs they sing, demonstrate that this music is still very much alive, and provide them
with an image of the United States seldom portrayed in the media.
The Groanbox Boys have performed extensively in the United Kingdom, in venues ranging from the National
Theatre, the Spitz, Brook’s Blues Bar, and the Troubadour, to hospitals, pubs, weddings, to a
monthly residency in the new 60s style co.eehouse in Camden called Green Note. Having released an
album entitled Smokestack Trilogy they recorded in a 1930s concert hall at Hare.eld Hospital in the countryside
outside London, the boys are now eager to bring their act ‘back home’, and perform in diverse venues
throughout the States.
As a quality Australian luthier in Perth, Western Australia Andrew Ellis of Ellis Guitars
blends traditional old-fashioned handcraft with the latest technology to produce sweet sounding
custom hand made guitars. Steel string dreadnought, 000, jumbo, OM, small jumbo, L1, Jumbo,
Weissenborn, Left Hand Guitars and Lap Steel models, wood body and metal body resonators
and custom wood and timber stomp boxes are all hand crafted and handmade. A combination of
international solid timbers renowned for acoustic and sound-producing qualities, temperature
and humidity controlled environments, attention to colour matching and design, and patient
awareness of the delicate processes of manufacture including wood tuning, thicknesses, bracing
and finishing techniques guarantee beauty and quality.
