The Suffering Blues Band

Heath Mensher and Benoir honed their blues skills in a small bus kiosk on Long Island in the 9th grade. "The Suffering Blues Band" was formed in 2010 with renowned bassist Kentucky Parkis and the irrepressible Fred McCondichie on drums. Benoir holds a music degree from the University of Miami, bringing a heady jazz element into the jamming when it feels right. 
Mensher, an award-winning filmmaker and one-time MTV Staff Writer, is a current Professor of English Literature and Film with a near-bottomless pit of sorrow and pain from which to draw upon. 
The long time rapport between the two shines through as they groove through blues standards and takes chances on every solo whether it be harmonica or guitar. This is a musicians' blues band, one where a jam band lover, a rocker, a blues man, or a jazz enthusiast can take great pleasure from the mix of musical influence and original presentation as a group and as individuals. The members pride themselves on the authenticity of the blues music they create; you can hear real pain when they turn to traditional "Gutbucket Blues". As Mensher says, “You cannot fake the Blues.” Along with weekly gigs at Café Nola in Alphabet City in Manhattan, The Suffering Blues Band has performed at many Blues Festivals in the North East, including THE SOUTH ORANGE INTERNATIONAL BLUES FESTIVAL and THE BARRIER BEACH BLUES FESTIVAL in Long Beach, NY. They currently have a monthly show at Papillion 25 in South Orange, NJ. "The Suffering Blues Band sound was an audience favorite at the 2011 South Orange International Blues Festival." - Jeff Tamarkin, Jazz Times "What does the Suffering Blues Band sound like? They kinda sound like… 55 dirty angles crying into their whiskey." - Mike Griot, Founder, The South Orange International Blues Festival - Northern New Jersey Blues Alliance

NY, NY