photos by Greg Meadows

ABOUT THE CANAL STREET STRING BAND

With three voices, fifty-five strings, and a pair of cow bones, The Canal Street String Band puts a brand-new shine on some seriously fun old American music.

Fiddle tunes....sea shanties....cowboy songs....canal ditties....mountain music....western swing...and originals too, with banjo, fiddle, twin mandolins, string bass, dobro, guitar, octave mandolin, assorted "pocket" instruments,  and three-part harmonies.
 
“Loved the songs and the performance was outstanding!"
- WELLSVILLE CREATIVE ARTS CENTER, WELLSVILLE NY

Stellar musicianship combines with an undeniable sense of adventure and plenty of hokum to produce an irresistibly good time. The audience has fun too.
 
“Two standing ovations and encores. In one word, 'Amazing!'"
- GOLDEN LINK FOLK SOCIETY, ROCHESTER NY

Phil Banaszak plays fiddle, mandolin and guitar, and sings.  A New York State fiddle champion and member of the North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame, Phil has the lowest-pitched singing voice ever, and a world-class mustache to boot.

Dave Ruch, a full-time musician/performer/music researcher/teaching artist, sings and plays mandolin, guitar, banjo, octave mandolin, bones, spoons, jaw harp and probably some other things too. 

Jim Whitford, a Buffalo Music Hall of Famer and sideman to the stars (Peter Case, Tarbox Ramblers, Gurf Morlix, Linda McRae), rocks the string bass as well as playing dobro and guitar and singing out with all he's got.  His dogs have names like Hazel and Merle.
 
“Three of the area’s best stringed-instrument players…about as folksy fun as it gets”
- ARTVOICE, BUFFALO NY
Named to the New York State Presenters Network roster as "performing artists of the highest professional caliber," The Canal Street String Band plays theaters, colleges, music festivals, community events, folk concerts, clubs, library concert series, and more.

Instructional workshops on a variety of instruments and topics are available as an add-on to any booking.