The Andy Rau Band Bluegrass Band from Placentia, CA

Hello! We may be new to GigMasters but we are not new to the music business. We are veterans of many festivals, amusement parks and a wide variety of other events and are here to make your event a big success!! We perform contemporary and traditional bluegrass from Southern California. Vocals with three-part harmonies and hot pickin' on banjo, guitar and bass. (Drums may be added to the band on request) Andy Rau, the creative force behind the band, was born and raised in Southern California and has been performing professionally since 1975. He began his career as the in-house banjo player at Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in his home town of Buena Park. During that ten-year period he performed in a host of musical situations including bluegrass bands, country rock bands, and variety stage productions. Along with concert halls, fairs and music festivals, Andy and the band continued to perform at venues such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, Sea World, Paramount Studios, Disney Studios and Burbank Studios. In the mid 90's their first CD, On The Horizon was released followed through the years by Different Man, Penny Moon, Higher Ground and Simple Man. With the success of these albums the band has received airplay and reviews from around the world. They have toured the United States and Canada and received endorsements with The Deering Banjo Company, GHS Strings, Kavanjo Banjo Pickups and ProPik Finger Picks. Feature articles have appeared in magazines such as in Acoustic Musician, Frets, Bluegrass Unlimited, Bass Player and Banjo Gazette (Great Britain). The band was formed in 1986 with the intent of showcasing new and traditional material while illustrating the versatility of the 5-string banjo. The group borrows from a wide variety of musical styles which enables each song to shape its own identity without borrowing from old tried-and-true formulas. The core of the group consists of lead vocalist, banjoist, and rhythm guitarist Andy Rau, Les Johnson on harmony vocals, lead, rhythm and slide guitars and George Boravich on harmony vocals and bass. If you are looking for a mixture of Americana and Bluegrass we can combine our original folk-rock songs with our bluegrass repertoire. In this case the band is joined by Craig Bunch on drums and Chad Edwards on keyboards. From the very beginning and through its continuing evolution, the Andy Rau Band's roots in the diverse musical backdrop of Southern California have colored and characterized their unique sound and the topics of their songs. "Knowing no sideboards, they have great opportunity to explore and innovate." ---Reviewer: Joe Ross, North County News, Bluegrass Now, SPBGMA Music, Old Time Herald News "The original material is well written and presented by musicians second to none." ---Reviewer: Johnny Pierce, Bluegrass Now Magazine "If there were justice in the "folk world" this song ( "The Best I've Found" ) would be bumping the next Kenny Chesney/Jessica Simpson duet off the charts. their sound is so refreshing." ---Reviewer: Dennis Roger Reed, FolkWorks "You think that you have heard the best song, but wait until the next one..." ---Reviewer: Al Shusterman, Backroads Bluegrass KCBL, Sacramento, CA WE HAVE A MEDIUM SIZE SOUND SYSTEM TO AMPLIFY THE BAND AND FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS!