Jon King Band and Alligator Wine @ The Press Room

Description

Jon King has quickly become a recognizable name here in the North East. His band has played shows in and around the New England area for almost a decade and has built a substantial following. King’s music is a blend of blues and rock, with emphasis on guitar.

“I grew up with really good music echoing through the walls of my house. Old blues guys like Howlin Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson every Sunday night on college radio, and they stuck in my head. It was a positive experience being turned on to the old and the retro before listening to new music.”

Jon King was born and raised in York, Maine, a small coastal town located in the southern most portion of the state. He has performed since the age of 14 and won best vocals in the Maine State Rock Off in 2006 at the age of 18. He hasn’t looked back since.


Alligator Wine is made up of an all-star cast of characters from Lowell, MA. The intention of this outfit is to re-interpret the music of the Grateful Dead and apply our own signature to the music that has so inspired us all over the years. Each member of the project has been an active member of the Lowell music scene for many, many moons. First up is Lowell's best kept secret, Matt Siopes, who rocks the rhythm guitar and will take most of the lead vocal responsibilities. Matt is a local open-mic legend and it's high time he takes his immense vocal prowess outside the confines of this humble blue-collar town. Gil Feeney will fill the enormous shoes of lead guitar duties. Another unsung hero from the bowels the Mill City, Gil's ever-original approach to lead playing is sure not to disappoint even the most devout of Jerry-purists. Next up is Lee Sullivan on the keyboards. He comes to Alligator Wine via the wildly eclectic Lowell band Electric Donkey. If you've been fortunate enough to catch the Donk play live you know that innovation and originality are never not hard to come by. A beautifully moody player of the instrument, Lee will lull you to sleep one minute and kick your arse the next. On the bass guitar is Mr. Sparky Warsnip from the band Kweejeebo. This highly progressive, instrumental jazz fusion band rocked the Lowell music scene steady for nearly 10 years and they still get together a few times a year per demand of their legions of loyal fans. Look for Sparky to droppin' all kinds of bombs-on-yo-moms when this crew hits the road. Also, borrowed from the band Kweejeebo is John Normandin on the drums. Whether ripping on jazz fusion, holding it down with the blues, or wailing out in a twisted jam, John's sharp technical playing has never ceased to amaze audiences over the years. Finally, hailing from Lowell's own 4-piece progressive string band Hot Day at the Zoo, Mike Dion will be taking a step back from the front-man spotlight (comfortably) into the shadows and will be taking on the duties of the 2nd drummer. What the hell is he doing playing drums in a Dead cover band, you ask? Just living the dream is all! Keep any eye out for Alligator Wine to be hittin' the local music scene in the coming months. It's gonna be...... something else!