The Help & The Hands

"Akron's Grit [...] This is one of those sounds that hasn't gone mainstream in 60-70 years. A mournful horn with wicked rhythm that creeps up your spine and soothes your weary ears. This is modern blues at it's best." - miketcool Steve and Brian met at a downtown Akron wine bar during one of Brian's "Mr. Book" solo sets. A couple of glasses of wine and a few languages later, the two began work on the rag-tag, nitty-gritty, down-and-dirty duo know simply as "The Help". Individually, Steve and Brian pursue very different musical styles, genres, and instrumentation. The beauty is allowing each difference to be complimentary. Like two side of the same coin. The combination of Balkan-Gypsy/Klezmer flavors with Blues/Folk works so well because Klezmer is the original Blues, and Balkan Gypsy style is the original Folk. America forged a musical identity for itself in past decades, and man is it fun to throw that into a stew with the older Eastern European traditions and see what it tastes like. Brian - "Mr. Book" - Guitar, Vocals St. Bennett - "The Saint" - Cornet, Accordion, Musical Saw, Vocals Music for all occasions; highly versatile with a repertoire spanning several (acoustic) Genres, and a quickly growing list of original compositions.

Akron, OH