Expert Sideman Bio #2:

Brian Elsenbeck (accordion, banjo)

When I was 19, and in my early twenties, I was very inspired by the writing and life of Jack Kerouac, and the music of Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and Donovan; the raggamuffin essence of a traveler on the American roads. I made a few cross country trips, driving and hitchhiking, seeking and finding more inspiration along that vein, but the ideals that I held always seemed better served by the music and art on the matter than by the experience alone. My last two trips across the country were with my wife.

We moved to Albany two years ago, having been recruited by a friend to play in a local band. My prior band experience consisted of five practices and one show, in high school, with an alternative cover band. Initially, it was a challenge to apply my rudimentary grasp of music theory to the collection of songs and instruments I was playing, but after learning the songs, and becoming more familiar with my instruments, I was playing well enough to feel comfortable with the situation - a comfort which was augmented by the fact that my playing was seldom audible under the other instruments. 

When playing folk music, the difficulty of being heard amongst the other musicians is rarely a concern. Everyone’s contribution is equal or proportionate, certainly valued. Though, I enjoy playing folk, for the music I write on my own, I do stray from the folk tradition. Having been heavily influenced by such artists as the Eels, Beirut, Sufjan Stevens, Beck, and Broken Social Scene, I’d like to think something of their influence is present in my own work.