El Caminos
El Caminos
Ithaca, NY
Country / Alt.Country / Americana
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El Caminos / Alt Country from Ithaca, NY
Beginning with two guys in a basement, The El Caminos have since been playing out around the Ithaca area for over a year. Originally comprised of Armin Heurich (electric guitar and vocals) and Chuck Donovan (acoustic guitar/electric 12-string guitar and vocals), the duo was given an “Honorable Mention” by Jim Catalano of The Ithaca Journal for their debut cd, “Business In The Front, Party In The Back.”
Since then, the band has grown, adding bassist John Saylor (also of “The Purple Valley”), Emelie Peine on drums (also of “The MacGillicuddies” and “Wayward Girls”), and multi-instrumentalist George Kobas (“A Fine Kettle of Fish” and “Blue Skies”), who plays mandolin, electric guitar, and guitar-synthesizer. The addition of these fine musicians has added depth as well as breadth to the band's sound, while at the same time retaining the raw, live feel.
While the members of the band would be hard-pressed to describe their sound, the band definitely has its roots firmly planted in the Alt Country-Rock / Americana realm. Added to this are elements from string bands, rock and roll, and even punk music. The band clearly has fun while playing, and their songs indicate a kind of snarkiness that about which one reviewer says “you can sense a chuckle behind the singing.”
Live performances have the band playing a mixture of original songs (mostly about their own lives as parents, students, teachers, and, yes, librarians) and obscure or under-appreciated cover songs. Their performances are upbeat, lively, and always a lot of fun.
Individual Bios
John Saylor is a guitar player wannabe who joyfully plays bass with his friends in The El Caminos. Masquerading during the day as a librarian (like his colleague AH) he satisfies his addiction to playing music in several other Ithaca area bands including The Purple Valley and the Zydeco Trail Riders. When he grows up he wants to be a jazz musician.
Emelie Peine began playing the drums when a friend of hers moved to Brazil and left his kit in her care. The El Caminos mark her first foray deep into the rhythm section, but she's been contributing to the drive of zydeco and electric old-time band The MacGillicuddies for six years on the rubboard, a band in which she also plays the trombone and sings lead and backup vocals. She began her musical career playing trombone in the East Tennessee high school marching band that also launched the likes of Dolly Parton, and continued playing the trombone on the west coast in Olympia ska band Engine 54 before moving to Ithaca in 1999. Emelie also currently plays guitar with the acoustic group The Wayward Girls also featuring Amy Guptill on banjo.
Armin Heurich has been a shameless music proselytizer since his early teens, and music is his biggest passion. After getting caught up in the punk and post-punk music scene in the early ‘80s, he began exploring country music in the mid-'80s on a dare. Video art and independent documentary was his bread and butter, but after transitioning to a career as a school librarian, music took on an even bigger role, from singing and guitar picking to radio hosting and home recording. Armin has been regularly hosting The Salt Creek Show on WVBR-FM in Ithaca since 2003, a country specialty show emphasizing alt-country, early blues, gospel, honky tonk, bluegrass, old time, and other sub-genres outside the country mainstream. The El Caminos is his first band experience, and coincided with the arrival of his first electric guitar.
George Kobas began his diverse musical career playing in rock and rhythm & blues bands in Western New York during his college days. He later honed his skills on slide guitar and mandolin with stints in various country-rock groups. He was introduced to string band and traditional jazz stylings while with The Amazing Doctor Zarcon's Breathing Machine. Next, George was involved in a musical collaboration with his longtime friend, songwriter John C. Merino. They performed at various coffeehouses, concerts and festivals in New York and Connecticut, including Folk City and the Speakeasy Folk Cooperative Coffeehouse in Manhattan. During that time, he would occasionally sit-in with the venerable string band, Martin, Bogan and Armstrong. Following Carl Martin's death, George had the honor of playing mandolin with the remaining members whenever they toured the Western New York area. Before migrating to Ithaca in the mid 1990s, he performed with the traditional Celtic group Castlegate that released two recordings and performed throughout Western New York and Ontario, Canada including the Mariposa Folk Festival. George performs on mandolin, guitar synthesizer and electric & slide guitar on his well-worn and beloved Fender Stratocaster. He also performs acoustically with the old-time jazz/standards duo Blue Skies.
Chuck Donovan arrived at the alt-country scene from an unlikely place - New Jersey. A teacher of Middle School English and a father of two active boys, Chuck makes his home in Ithaca, along with his wife, Cris. Chuck plays acoustic rhythm guitar as well as Rickenbacker electric 12-string; he also shares most of the singing duties with Armin. Chuck's previous musical history is chock full of fun-loving garage bands including The Sentimental Fools and Phony Bohemians. Chuck is a prolific song writer, and favors snarky, irreverant lyrics with catchy tunes, like his idols, Jonathan Richman, Fred Eaglesmith, and Arlo Guthrie. He is a little embarrassed to have his little bio directly beneath George's immense history.
Beginning with two guys in a basement, The El Caminos have since been playing out around the Ithaca area for over a year. Originally comprised of Armin Heurich (electric guitar and vocals) and Chuck Donovan (acoustic guitar/electric 12-string guitar and vocals), the duo was given an “Honorable Mention” by Jim Catalano of The Ithaca Journal for their debut cd, “Business In The Front, Party In The Back.”
Since then, the band has grown, adding bassist John Saylor (also of “The Purple Valley”), Emelie Peine on drums (also of “The MacGillicuddies” and “Wayward Girls”), and multi-instrumentalist George Kobas (“A Fine Kettle of Fish” and “Blue Skies”), who plays mandolin, electric guitar, and guitar-synthesizer. The addition of these fine musicians has added depth as well as breadth to the band's sound, while at the same time retaining the raw, live feel.
While the members of the band would be hard-pressed to describe their sound, the band definitely has its roots firmly planted in the Alt Country-Rock / Americana realm. Added to this are elements from string bands, rock and roll, and even punk music. The band clearly has fun while playing, and their songs indicate a kind of snarkiness that about which one reviewer says “you can sense a chuckle behind the singing.”
Live performances have the band playing a mixture of original songs (mostly about their own lives as parents, students, teachers, and, yes, librarians) and obscure or under-appreciated cover songs. Their performances are upbeat, lively, and always a lot of fun.
Individual Bios
John Saylor is a guitar player wannabe who joyfully plays bass with his friends in The El Caminos. Masquerading during the day as a librarian (like his colleague AH) he satisfies his addiction to playing music in several other Ithaca area bands including The Purple Valley and the Zydeco Trail Riders. When he grows up he wants to be a jazz musician.
Emelie Peine began playing the drums when a friend of hers moved to Brazil and left his kit in her care. The El Caminos mark her first foray deep into the rhythm section, but she's been contributing to the drive of zydeco and electric old-time band The MacGillicuddies for six years on the rubboard, a band in which she also plays the trombone and sings lead and backup vocals. She began her musical career playing trombone in the East Tennessee high school marching band that also launched the likes of Dolly Parton, and continued playing the trombone on the west coast in Olympia ska band Engine 54 before moving to Ithaca in 1999. Emelie also currently plays guitar with the acoustic group The Wayward Girls also featuring Amy Guptill on banjo.
Armin Heurich has been a shameless music proselytizer since his early teens, and music is his biggest passion. After getting caught up in the punk and post-punk music scene in the early ‘80s, he began exploring country music in the mid-'80s on a dare. Video art and independent documentary was his bread and butter, but after transitioning to a career as a school librarian, music took on an even bigger role, from singing and guitar picking to radio hosting and home recording. Armin has been regularly hosting The Salt Creek Show on WVBR-FM in Ithaca since 2003, a country specialty show emphasizing alt-country, early blues, gospel, honky tonk, bluegrass, old time, and other sub-genres outside the country mainstream. The El Caminos is his first band experience, and coincided with the arrival of his first electric guitar.
George Kobas began his diverse musical career playing in rock and rhythm & blues bands in Western New York during his college days. He later honed his skills on slide guitar and mandolin with stints in various country-rock groups. He was introduced to string band and traditional jazz stylings while with The Amazing Doctor Zarcon's Breathing Machine. Next, George was involved in a musical collaboration with his longtime friend, songwriter John C. Merino. They performed at various coffeehouses, concerts and festivals in New York and Connecticut, including Folk City and the Speakeasy Folk Cooperative Coffeehouse in Manhattan. During that time, he would occasionally sit-in with the venerable string band, Martin, Bogan and Armstrong. Following Carl Martin's death, George had the honor of playing mandolin with the remaining members whenever they toured the Western New York area. Before migrating to Ithaca in the mid 1990s, he performed with the traditional Celtic group Castlegate that released two recordings and performed throughout Western New York and Ontario, Canada including the Mariposa Folk Festival. George performs on mandolin, guitar synthesizer and electric & slide guitar on his well-worn and beloved Fender Stratocaster. He also performs acoustically with the old-time jazz/standards duo Blue Skies.
Chuck Donovan arrived at the alt-country scene from an unlikely place - New Jersey. A teacher of Middle School English and a father of two active boys, Chuck makes his home in Ithaca, along with his wife, Cris. Chuck plays acoustic rhythm guitar as well as Rickenbacker electric 12-string; he also shares most of the singing duties with Armin. Chuck's previous musical history is chock full of fun-loving garage bands including The Sentimental Fools and Phony Bohemians. Chuck is a prolific song writer, and favors snarky, irreverant lyrics with catchy tunes, like his idols, Jonathan Richman, Fred Eaglesmith, and Arlo Guthrie. He is a little embarrassed to have his little bio directly beneath George's immense history.
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