Home     The Band     Audio     Video     News     Buy CD     Gigs     Mailing List     Press      Contact      My Space      Facebook  



   Home
  The Band
  Audio
  Video
  News
  Buy CD
  Gigs
  Mailing List
  Press
  Contact
  My Space
  Facebook  


E m a i l:
info@garybackstrom.com



All content copyright © 2010




Gary Backstrom - Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocal
Dave Osoff - Piano, Organ, Synthesizer, Vocals
Brian O'Connell - Bass, Vocals
Dave Scandurra - Drums, Vocals


Gary Backstrom



"The Gary Backstrom Band started out as an idea many years ago. I had been playing with the Boston based band Jiggle the Handle, starting out as a kid in my early twenties, heavily influenced by the jam band greats, you know the ones, the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, Todd Rundgren and Santana, Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Jimmy Hendrix, Pat Metheny, Leo Kottke and John Scofield.

For ten years with Jiggle the Handle I was given great opportunities to play with such well known acts as Los Lobos, Paula Cole, Blues Traveler, Little Feat, Hot Tuna and the Allman Brothers. With Jiggle the Handle we developed a family of followers that would travel just about anywhere just to see us play and to help us succeed. It really was a whirlwind. I wrote some songs in that time that truly marked the day for me. We had successful tours and then we had tours where hotels caught fire, cars broke down, keyboard players got eaten by red ants and we were cold and we were hungry. We had gigs where thousands and thousands were there applauding, screaming, dancing so loudly the whole place shook with joy and music. And then we had gigs where we played to a handful. But we always played our hearts out.

As time went by there was another calling that I learned to pay closer attention to. Jiggle the Handle was moving on and I needed to evolve with the time. As one door closes another one opens and in my career I am blessed to have had three phenomenal men greet me at the door looking to play music with me. And play we have! I feel more on fire in my music than I ever have in my life. With this new quartet that I call The Gary Backstrom Band, a small spark has taken fire with the energy that we produce in our style, songwriting abilities and musicianship. Friends and strangers who have seen this act have commended it as the best new act in Boston, a truly "must see" performance.

The Gary Backstrom Band in a nutshell is a mixture of exceptional and unique songwriting mixed with consuming, high energy complex improvisational instrumentation. Original in origin, the GBB also has room for challenging covers and long intense improvisation."

back to top



Dave Osoff



Dave Osoff is an award winning keyboardist, songwriter and instrumental artist based in Boston, MA. A long time original member of Jiggle along with Gary Backstrom, Dave is a "musical chameleon" according to internationally distributed Keyboard Magazine, who featured him in the July, 2002 issue. Equally adept at genres as wide ranging as Rock, Funk, R&B, Boogie-Woogie, Acid Jazz, Electronica, and Jazz-Rock-Fusion, his palette of sounds, colors and grooves is equally wide ranging, incorporating acoustic and electric piano, organ and clavinet as well as an array of vintage/modern synthesizers and samples into the music.

Dave's debut instrumental album 'Mosaic', with it's innovative mix of contemporary and acid jazz, funk, rock, pop, blues and electronica was awarded '2004 Instrumental Jazz Album of the Year' as well as the track 'Never Enough' as '2004 Instrumental Jazz Song of the Year' by Just Plain Folks, a worldwide community of over 25,000 Songwriters, Recording Artists, Music Publishers, Record Labels and other members of the Music Industry.

Dave's music has also been licensed to productions by the New England Sports Network, United Airlines, The Fuel Network, several Boston area public access television stations, and dozens of websites and corporate presentations.

Dave has recently launched Groovinloops.com, providing custom music and licensing for internet, corporate and multimedia use and is also a staff composer/producer for Atlanta based BBM.net and Phoenix, AZ and Darien, CT based Jupiter Media.

Dave Osoff has also recorded and/or performed with many top regional artists, including the Vykki Vox Band, Max Creek, Jiggle, Rounder recording artist Michelle Wilson and Evil Gal, Tone-Cool artist Tony Lynn Washington, dynamic Boston/New York blues/R+B/soul artist Nicole Nelson, Boston Music award winner, The Chris Fitz Band, innovative songwriters Sam James, Pat Burtis, Jennifer Matthews and Jordan Carp, The Chickenslack Soul Revue and the live organic trance/electronica of Nikulydin.

Visit http://daveosoff.com

back to top



Brian O'Connell



Brian O'Connell was born August 15, 1974 in Buffalo, NY, second youngest of 8 kids (one girl and seven younger boys). Influenced by his musician brothers Pat and Mark as well as the musical tastes of his other brothers he took up the Bass Guitar at age 13. The movie 'Pink Floyd Live at Pompei' was the influence that led him to picking up the bass. Lessons with Buffalo bass legend Jim Wynne provided a solid foundation to pursue music with his high school band Jamasaurus Rex, which pursued an ambitious compositional style and extended jamming.

After graduating from Amherst Central High School in 93' he attended Villa Maria College and then Buffalo State College and gigged with his drummer brother Pat in the blues/rock band The Purple Connection and Ike Smith and the Flash of Purple. He also played original progressive rock with the band Earful.

In September '96 Brian moved to Boston, MA to attend Berklee College of Music and graduated in '99. It was there that Brian further honed his chops and met Max Delaney (guitar), Tom Arey (drums) and Beau Sasser (keys) with whom he would form the band Uncle Sammy. Spearheaded by the visionary management and natural promotional skills of Jeff Waful, Uncle Sammy blazed a trail of jammed out funk-rock-prog-fusion grooves that left a trail of smoke across the Northeast and East Coast from 97-03. He also played in two Uncle Sammy side projects, his own project Earthly Delights and Double Helix (formed by Uncle Sammy members Tom and Beau, which has since evolved into their killer groove-jazz outfit Akashic Record).

After Uncle Sammy disbanded in 2003 he played extensively throughout the Northeast with legendary banjo and pedal steel guitar wizard Gordon Stone. He also performs a one-man solo show that is a mesmerizing futuristic folk meltdown laced with ambient nightmares and majestic soundscapes. Brian's solo show features the 12-string Touch Guitar (www.warrguitars.com), an adaptation of the Chapman Stick, (www.stick.com), a hybrid guitar/bass that is played by tapping or hammering on the strings with the fingertips, like a piano. The solo show also features looping, samples, bass, voice and spoken word.

Aside from playing in the Gary Backstrom Band Brian also freelances in various groups and other assorted musical situations. He is also an accomplished music teacher who teaches lessons on bass, guitar and piano.

Brian is passionately engaged in anti-war and social justice activism. He is part of the Greater Boston Stop the Wars Coalition (www.stopthewars.org) and organizes politically themed musical events billed as 'Assembling Peace.

Assembling Peace I & II pictures:

Assembling Peace I

Assembling Peace II

Some of Brian's main musical influences include: Frank Zappa, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Jackson, Victor Wooten, Kai Echardt, Oregon, Trilok Gurtu, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Carlos Santana, Michael Hedges, Gentile Giant, ELP, Genesis, Yes, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Phish, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Moe, Igor Stravinsky, Kai Eckhardt, The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, Jefferson Airplane, Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Todd Rundgren, Steve Reich, Charles Mingus, J.S. Bach, Herbie Hancock, Talking Heads, Paul Simon and many more.

Aside from extensive performances with Uncle Sammy and The Gordon Stone Band; Brian O'Connell has performed and/or recorded with Addison Groove Project, The Breakfast, ulu, Mike Keneally, Peter Prince, Ujamaa, The Bomb Squad, Double Helix, Brother's Past, Rev. Tor Band, Gary Backstrom Band, Miracle Orchestra, Jimmy Ryan, Brent Sirois, The Grass Gypsys, Automatic Man, Ryan Carter, Wooden Spoon, Chris Opperman, Jordan Carp, Muriel Anderson, Ed Gehrhard, Pete Pidgeon, George Puleo, Pamela Ryder, John Trauma, Mike Barnette, Anna Freitas, Mitch Cohn, Andrew Alexander, Clemys Guttata, Caleb Bronz, Doug Perkins, Larry Mancini, Jeff Gittleman, Larry and Mike Reynolds, Peter Stoltzman, Julee Avallone and Sean Frenette; as well as members of moe., Max Creek, Soulive, The Spin Doctors, The Slip, Jiggle, The Disco Biscuits and many more.

Visit http://www.reverbnation.com/brianoconnell

back to top



Dave Scandurra



Dave Scandurra is from Cape Cod Massachusetts, but is currently living and gigging in Boston, where he is attending school at Berklee College of Music. When he is not at school, he is either gigging, practicing or doing something related to social change. He is passionate about peace, social justice and environmental justice. He offers his music as a contribution to the movement for a better planet. He is also responsible for organizing a progressive musicians collective here in Boston, which is a diverse group of musicians who use their music to help make the world a better place.

Visit http://www.myspace.com/changethroughmusic


More band bios and pics coming soon!!

back to top


Home     The Band     Listen     News     Buy CD     Gigs     Mailing List     Press     Contact