HogMaw

HogMaw, jamming out some Bluegrass

by JONATHAN HUNT on Apr.22, 2010, under Daily Fix

To try to explain HogMaw’s sound with a single word is an impossible task. Sure they have a traditional Bluegrass swagger, but bluegrass just isn’t big enough to contain their sound. Add the title jam band, call them progressive, and you’re a bit closer, and be aware that they rock the f**k out.

HogMaw is …

Matt Baldwin – Guitar, Lead vocals

Garry Slick – Bass

Ryann Lynch – Violin, Vocals

Colin Reeves – Mandolin, Banjo, Vocals

The bluegrass element of the band comes of course from the type of instruments they play, but is rooted in Matt’s traditional bluegrass vocals, and fast and precise guitar work. During my Interview with Matt, I asked him to explain their sound. His reply, “It’s definitely rooted in bluegrass, but over time has formed into more of a jam band”, he explained… “Our live performances are never the same, with something special thrown into each one”. A major part of the jam band feel is the flowing rhythm and funk that melodically wonders from Garry Slicks bass, and as he and Matt hold down the fort, Ryann and Colin, go off, weaving their array of melodically distributed violin, and intricately played mandolin that although has a bluegrass feel, one can certainly at times find a progressive edge.

I inquired how the band met, and Matt recalled a jam session at a camp fire at Camp Jam in the Pines, Monroeville New Jersey 2008. “We (Matt, Garry, Colin, who were members of traditional, Lost Generation Bluegrass Band) went to a camp fire jam, and had an amazing session with violinist Ryann Lynch, the jam went into the next day and we’ve been playing ever since”. In a short time HogMaw was playing shows which Matt described as being “thrown in the fire,” and growing with each show they played.

HogMaw hasn’t slowed down, playing a assortment of shows and festivals, including winning the 2009 York Revolution Battle of the Bands, and being a featured band on WXPN’s Folk show with Gene Shay, which Matt described as “an amazing experience, everyone there is so great, Gene Shay is an great guy”. You can catch videos of both those performances on their MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/hogmawband

HogMaw will be performing a full summer of shows and festivals including headlining the Bucks County Bluegrass Festival, Sept 11, and Meeting of the Minds 3, Sept 12.

The band will also have a Summer Sampler album available, “It’s a free CD project, you can get our album at are shows… people are encouraged to copy and pass it along, and those people do the same… the album is a blend of radio performances, and songs from shows… people started bringing recording equipment to shows and making boot legs, it’s pretty wild to go online and see your songs posted next to dead songs”. The album will also be available by request by email at hogmawband@gmail.com Check it out!

HogMaw will be returning to the Lizard Lounge this Saturday with Cabinet @ 8PM this will be an amazing night of Prog-Jamgrass! Be there! Or check them out at Appalachian Brewing Co. Sat, May 1, 12PM.

Listen: http://www.myspace.com/hogmawband

Look: hogmawband@gmail.com

Contact: hogmawband@gmail.com
- Tristate indie

HogMaw, jamming out some Bluegrass

by JONATHAN HUNT on Apr.22, 2010, under Daily Fix

To try to explain HogMaw’s sound with a single word is an impossible task. Sure they have a traditional Bluegrass swagger, but bluegrass just isn’t big enough to contain their sound. Add the title jam band, call them progressive, and you’re a bit closer, and be aware that they rock the f**k out.

HogMaw is …

Matt Baldwin – Guitar, Lead vocals

Garry Slick – Bass

Ryann Lynch – Violin, Vocals

Colin Reeves – Mandolin, Banjo, Vocals

The bluegrass element of the band comes of course from the type of instruments they play, but is rooted in Matt’s traditional bluegrass vocals, and fast and precise guitar work. During my Interview with Matt, I asked him to explain their sound. His reply, “It’s definitely rooted in bluegrass, but over time has formed into more of a jam band”, he explained… “Our live performances are never the same, with something special thrown into each one”. A major part of the jam band feel is the flowing rhythm and funk that melodically wonders from Garry Slicks bass, and as he and Matt hold down the fort, Ryann and Colin, go off, weaving their array of melodically distributed violin, and intricately played mandolin that although has a bluegrass feel, one can certainly at times find a progressive edge.

I inquired how the band met, and Matt recalled a jam session at a camp fire at Camp Jam in the Pines, Monroeville New Jersey 2008. “We (Matt, Garry, Colin, who were members of traditional, Lost Generation Bluegrass Band) went to a camp fire jam, and had an amazing session with violinist Ryann Lynch, the jam went into the next day and we’ve been playing ever since”. In a short time HogMaw was playing shows which Matt described as being “thrown in the fire,” and growing with each show they played.

HogMaw hasn’t slowed down, playing a assortment of shows and festivals, including winning the 2009 York Revolution Battle of the Bands, and being a featured band on WXPN’s Folk show with Gene Shay, which Matt described as “an amazing experience, everyone there is so great, Gene Shay is an great guy”. You can catch videos of both those performances on their MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/hogmawband

HogMaw will be performing a full summer of shows and festivals including headlining the Bucks County Bluegrass Festival, Sept 11, and Meeting of the Minds 3, Sept 12.

The band will also have a Summer Sampler album available, “It’s a free CD project, you can get our album at are shows… people are encouraged to copy and pass it along, and those people do the same… the album is a blend of radio performances, and songs from shows… people started bringing recording equipment to shows and making boot legs, it’s pretty wild to go online and see your songs posted next to dead songs”. The album will also be available by request by email at hogmawband@gmail.com Check it out!

HogMaw will be returning to the Lizard Lounge this Saturday with Cabinet @ 8PM this will be an amazing night of Prog-Jamgrass! Be there! Or check them out at Appalachian Brewing Co. Sat, May 1, 12PM.

Listen: http://www.myspace.com/hogmawband

Look: hogmawband@gmail.com

Contact: hogmawband@gmail.com
- Tristate indie

HogMaw
Published: February 2010
Story: Jeff Royer


Rarely does a band named after something so disgusting end up yielding music as tasty as HogMaw’s.

Landing somewhere between Moldy Peaches and Black Mayonnaise on the list of Bands Named After Food You Don’t Want to Eat, HogMaw (that’s fancy talk for “pig stomach”) offers a decidedly palatable blend of back-porch country music that is helping to usher decades-old Appalachian sounds into the 2010s.

Obvious touchstones are artists like Sam Bush, Del McCoury, Old Crow Medicine Show – folks who revere the values of their bluegrass forefathers (technical skill, songwriting chops), but who aren’t afraid to apply them in new, adventurous ways.

“I often describe us as progressive bluegrass,” says singer and guitarist Matt Baldwin, whose raspy voice, while neither particularly high nor especially lonesome, echoes that of his predecessors in its earnest ache. “We do traditional songs, but our own original music does tend to push things outside of what you would call ‘bluegrass.’”

Prior to forming HogMaw, Baldwin, mandolin and banjo player Colin Reeves and bassist Garry Slick (whom astute local music fans will recognize from Dr. Slothclaw) played together in Lost Generation Bluegrass Band, a much more traditional, straight-laced acoustic outfit. That endeavor ended abruptly one night at the Camp Jam in the Pines music festival in New Jersey, when the boys were up playing in a late-night campfire jam.

“Up the road walked Ryann Lynch with her fiddle,” Baldwin recalls. “The jam was really good and I think someone listening blurted out, ‘You guys should pay her to play with you!’ We had been looking for a fiddler and wanted to take our music in a less traditional direction, so shortly after the festival, we asked Ryann to form a new band with us.”

That was 2008; in the ensuing months, the York- and Philadelphia-based quartet earned a quick reputation for its rollicking, raw live show. In addition to performing at Del McCoury’s annual DelFest in Maryland and on XPN’s The Folk Show with Gene Shay, HogMaw took home first prize at the 2009 York Revolution Battle of the Bands. The band also released its debut album in May 2009, a self-titled record that accidentally turned into a limited- edition run.

“The studio was robbed shortly after we recorded,” Baldwin says. “They made off with the studio computer which contained all of our masters, so once this batch of CDs are gone, then that’s it for this album.”
Fans who aren’t able to snag a copy have reason for hope – HogMaw is working on a second album for a possible summer release.

- Fly Magazine

HogMaw
Posted: 03/04/2009 10:33:15 AM EST


Members of the Lost Generation Bluegrass Band met Ryann Lynch (far left) at New Jersey s Camp Jam in the Pines. They formed the quartet HogMaw on the spot. (Submitted)Band: HogMaw
Members: Matt Baldwin, guitar and vocals; Ryann Lynch, fiddle; Colin Reeves, mandolin and banjo; Garry Slick, bass

Who we talked to: Baldwin, 30

How did you guys meet? Three of us - Colin Reeves, Garry Slick and myself - were members of a group called Lost Generation Bluegrass (Band). We were performing at (Camp Jam in the Pines last year). After the festival, we like to kind of cut loose a little bit, stay up pretty late and get a little rowdy. Around 3 (a.m.), Ryann Lynch, our current fiddler, was walking up the road and just joined in the impromptu jam session. Within minutes of getting together, we decided we wanted to add her to the group. We formed HogMaw pretty much on the spot. It was just one of those rare things when the planets align.

Does that happen a lot at Camp Jam? Nobody sleeps. (Laughs) It's one of those places where you sit around a camp fire and just kind of cut loose.

Camp Jam takes place in Medford Lakes, N.J.. Is Lynch local? Actually, she's from New Jersey. She lives in the Philadelphia area. She actually works at (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) as a music therapist.

Does the distance make it tough to schedule practices? It does make practices a little more difficult, but we're making it work. We do a kind of every-other-week thing where . . . we'll either go out there or she'll come out here. Our mandolin player actually also moved to Philadelphia a couple months ago. They carpool together and save on gas costs.

How did you decide on the name HogMaw? We actually went around and around for months and months. Hog maw was one of those things that just . . . sounded like we're from York.

Have you ever eaten hog maw before? I personally have not eaten hog maw. I know that Garry's family has a tradition of having hog maw on New Year's Day. So, at least somebody in our band has eaten hog maw. Apparently, it's pretty good. It's just roast sausage and potatoes and all sorts of goodies, and they just use the pig's stomach. Maybe we'll have a hog maw and HogMaw show someday.

How are things different from Lost Generation Bluegrass Band? Actually, I think we're a completely different band. (With Lost Generation) we had really focused strongly on being very traditional. There (are) good things and bad things about that. One of the things that we really wanted to do was not necessarily limit ourselves from one particular genre. All of us come from a very wide background of musical influences . . . from heavy metal to jazz to . . . Frank Zappa. We kind of put all these things together along with our bluegrass roots. We really didn't want to tick off anybody that was a bluegrass purist or anything. We have tremendous respect for bluegrass music in this area. We really wanted to . . . take that idea of bluegrass and put our own spin on it . . . definitely leaning much more toward . . . the jam band sound.

Does the violin add a different element? That just changed our whole setup. Colin and Ryann are able to play off one another so well. It's almost like they're having a musical conversation with each other. They can just trade licks back and forth . . . really effortlessly. (Lynch) is every bit as good as anyone else in the band.

Is it fiddle or violin? Well, it's the same thing. More than anything, it's how it's played. You wouldn't sit down at the York Symphony Orchestra and say I'm first fiddler. (Laughs)

Are you looking to go regional now that two of your members are in Philly? When we first started, we were playing around York pretty much exclusively. We had a regular gig at The Glad Crab in Dallastown. Then, we have this show (at Philadelphia's North Star Bar), which is really big deal for us. It's a major club in Philly. Fall Out Boy played there in November. It's just an honor to be a part of that, and the fact that it's St. Patrick's Day (helps).We have been booked at a couple music festivals this summer, including the Camp Jam in the Pines again. I don't think York is necessarily separate from the greater Central Pennsylvania/Philadelphia music scene.

Do you know any of the other bands on the lineup? We're familiar with the band Butterjive. They're out of Allentown. We're kind of fans of theirs. The other two, we're not so familiar with, but it should be an interesting evening.


I'm guessing you're going to play some traditional Irish tunes? I think maybe one or two. It's not a tremendously long set. We're definitely going to play some of our best material . . . and mostly original music.


- ERIN McCRACKEN, FLIPSIDE STAFF




- York Daily Record

HogMaw
Posted: 03/04/2009 10:33:15 AM EST


Members of the Lost Generation Bluegrass Band met Ryann Lynch (far left) at New Jersey s Camp Jam in the Pines. They formed the quartet HogMaw on the spot. (Submitted)Band: HogMaw
Members: Matt Baldwin, guitar and vocals; Ryann Lynch, fiddle; Colin Reeves, mandolin and banjo; Garry Slick, bass

Who we talked to: Baldwin, 30

How did you guys meet? Three of us - Colin Reeves, Garry Slick and myself - were members of a group called Lost Generation Bluegrass (Band). We were performing at (Camp Jam in the Pines last year). After the festival, we like to kind of cut loose a little bit, stay up pretty late and get a little rowdy. Around 3 (a.m.), Ryann Lynch, our current fiddler, was walking up the road and just joined in the impromptu jam session. Within minutes of getting together, we decided we wanted to add her to the group. We formed HogMaw pretty much on the spot. It was just one of those rare things when the planets align.

Does that happen a lot at Camp Jam? Nobody sleeps. (Laughs) It's one of those places where you sit around a camp fire and just kind of cut loose.

Camp Jam takes place in Medford Lakes, N.J.. Is Lynch local? Actually, she's from New Jersey. She lives in the Philadelphia area. She actually works at (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) as a music therapist.

Does the distance make it tough to schedule practices? It does make practices a little more difficult, but we're making it work. We do a kind of every-other-week thing where . . . we'll either go out there or she'll come out here. Our mandolin player actually also moved to Philadelphia a couple months ago. They carpool together and save on gas costs.

How did you decide on the name HogMaw? We actually went around and around for months and months. Hog maw was one of those things that just . . . sounded like we're from York.

Have you ever eaten hog maw before? I personally have not eaten hog maw. I know that Garry's family has a tradition of having hog maw on New Year's Day. So, at least somebody in our band has eaten hog maw. Apparently, it's pretty good. It's just roast sausage and potatoes and all sorts of goodies, and they just use the pig's stomach. Maybe we'll have a hog maw and HogMaw show someday.

How are things different from Lost Generation Bluegrass Band? Actually, I think we're a completely different band. (With Lost Generation) we had really focused strongly on being very traditional. There (are) good things and bad things about that. One of the things that we really wanted to do was not necessarily limit ourselves from one particular genre. All of us come from a very wide background of musical influences . . . from heavy metal to jazz to . . . Frank Zappa. We kind of put all these things together along with our bluegrass roots. We really didn't want to tick off anybody that was a bluegrass purist or anything. We have tremendous respect for bluegrass music in this area. We really wanted to . . . take that idea of bluegrass and put our own spin on it . . . definitely leaning much more toward . . . the jam band sound.

Does the violin add a different element? That just changed our whole setup. Colin and Ryann are able to play off one another so well. It's almost like they're having a musical conversation with each other. They can just trade licks back and forth . . . really effortlessly. (Lynch) is every bit as good as anyone else in the band.

Is it fiddle or violin? Well, it's the same thing. More than anything, it's how it's played. You wouldn't sit down at the York Symphony Orchestra and say I'm first fiddler. (Laughs)

Are you looking to go regional now that two of your members are in Philly? When we first started, we were playing around York pretty much exclusively. We had a regular gig at The Glad Crab in Dallastown. Then, we have this show (at Philadelphia's North Star Bar), which is really big deal for us. It's a major club in Philly. Fall Out Boy played there in November. It's just an honor to be a part of that, and the fact that it's St. Patrick's Day (helps).We have been booked at a couple music festivals this summer, including the Camp Jam in the Pines again. I don't think York is necessarily separate from the greater Central Pennsylvania/Philadelphia music scene.

Do you know any of the other bands on the lineup? We're familiar with the band Butterjive. They're out of Allentown. We're kind of fans of theirs. The other two, we're not so familiar with, but it should be an interesting evening.


I'm guessing you're going to play some traditional Irish tunes? I think maybe one or two. It's not a tremendously long set. We're definitely going to play some of our best material . . . and mostly original music.


- ERIN McCRACKEN, FLIPSIDE STAFF




- York Daily Record

HogMaw chews up the competition at stadium battle
BROCK PARKER, The York Dispatch
Posted on Monday, June 29 @ 06:42:39 CDT
Topic: York Area


Ninety seconds might not be the ideal set for a bluegrass jam band, but HogMaw made it work Friday at the York Revolution's Battle of the Bands.




The York/Philadelphia-based band took center stage at the competition Friday in the middle of the third inning and had a minute-and-a-half to knock it out of the park with their sound.


They did, topping second-place finishing band Soveren and third-place band Kingsfoil. The winners were determined by fan voting.


"It was great, pretty surreal," said Matt Baldwin, lead singer and guitar player for HogMaw.


HogMaw, which also consists of bass player Garry Slick, fiddler Ryann Lynch and mandolin/banjo player Colin Reeves, won $2,500 for its first-place finish. The band also won a right to perform during the Rev, White and Blues game Monday, July 6, and after the game during the fireworks show.


Baldwin said Hogmaw has been together for a little less than a year.

Watch all of the bands' performances at www.videoyork.com.

- BROCK PARKER, The York Dispatch

HogMaw chews up the competition at stadium battle
BROCK PARKER, The York Dispatch
Posted on Monday, June 29 @ 06:42:39 CDT
Topic: York Area


Ninety seconds might not be the ideal set for a bluegrass jam band, but HogMaw made it work Friday at the York Revolution's Battle of the Bands.




The York/Philadelphia-based band took center stage at the competition Friday in the middle of the third inning and had a minute-and-a-half to knock it out of the park with their sound.


They did, topping second-place finishing band Soveren and third-place band Kingsfoil. The winners were determined by fan voting.


"It was great, pretty surreal," said Matt Baldwin, lead singer and guitar player for HogMaw.


HogMaw, which also consists of bass player Garry Slick, fiddler Ryann Lynch and mandolin/banjo player Colin Reeves, won $2,500 for its first-place finish. The band also won a right to perform during the Rev, White and Blues game Monday, July 6, and after the game during the fireworks show.


Baldwin said Hogmaw has been together for a little less than a year.

Watch all of the bands' performances at www.videoyork.com.

- BROCK PARKER, The York Dispatch