Band Bio
The Zephyrs are gaining speed in the front
range music scene. They have become a favorite at the
Jamestown Mercantile, the Rock N' Soul cafe, and the D
Note. They've played private parties from Estes Park to
south Denver. Where ever they play, they hear the same
thing - “great set of tunes,” “you guys rock!” New friends
are made.
"Progressive, energetic
acoustic music"
Newgrass is a term that rightly
describes the Zephyrs. Banjo, guitar, mando and bass sit at
the core of the music; harmonica and rhythm instruments are
sprinkled in for spice. The tunes are pulled from an
eclectic songbook that include rock, indie, folk, country
and, of course, the roots of bluegrass. Spirited, direct,
and colorful - The Zephyrs guiding impulse is pretty
simple: tell great stories through their music and have a
good time.
The Zephyrs—John Whiteman, Steve Berry, Mike Dudley,
Bridget Steed -- are energetic performers with an
infectious spirit. They represent the fresh sound of Rocky
Mountain Newgrass.
Introducing the Zephs...
John Whiteman – John has been
picking and singing since he was a kid. While performing in
various bands and groups over the years, it took the motley
gang of the Zephyrs to bring his love for music into focus
under the band's own brand of bluegrassy-new
grassy-eclectic-traditional acoustic music. He loves
finding old tunes that can be given a little twist to
produce a new flavor and retro-ing recent songs to give
them an old timey sound. As the writer of most of the
Z’s original tunes, John’s music captures the spirit of
when people heard music on the back porch, at a barn dance
or on an old time live stage radio show. John's
favorite time each week is whooping it up at practice or
performing with his music buds, the Z's. Live music
and live emotion are really at the heart and soul of the
art, and we try to bring it to as many unsuspecting ears as
possible. John plays rhythm and lead guitar,
harmonica, a little old timey banjo and sings lead and
harmony vocals.
Bridget Steed - When Bridget moved
out to Colorado from Chicago six years ago to be near the
mountains, she had no idea that she would wind up singing
in, what started off as, a traditional bluegrass band.
Growing up with parents who kept the Beatles, Neil Young,
Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Led Zepplin, and The Who in
constant rotation on the record player, bluegrass wasn’t
exactly on Bridget’s radar. While classic rock has been
heavily influential, these days she can hardly even
remember what it was like to play music without the chuck
of a mandolin, the twang of a banjo, and the wail of a
harmonica. While the Zephyrs sound is constantly evolving
thanks to the musical influences of Gillian Welch, Crooked
Still, Old Crow Medecine Show, Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams, and
many others, the one constant is the pure joy that Bridget
gets out of making music. If moving to Colorado was the
best decision she ever made, then joining up with this
rag-tag bunch of guys was her second best decision. She has
never had so much fun, laughed as hard, or drank quite as
many Snappinis. Bridget sings lead and harmony vocals and
plays mean percussion.
"Mando" Mike Dudley – Mike began his
musical journey as a drummer. He started drumming in high
school jazz bands, moving to punk rock, to other forms of
alt. rock – generally anything loud and annoying. Over the
years, Mike has found passion and refuge in acoustic music.
Mike was inspired to learn the mandolin when he first heard
Adam Steffy’s mandolin intro to the Alison Krauss song
“Every Time You Say Goodbye” Mike was awe struck and ruined
after that! Leaving the drums behind, Mike focused solely
on acoustic guitar and mandolin, immersing himself in the
sounds of The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Gillian Welch,
Crooked Still and more recently Ryan Adams and O.C.M.S. The
years behind the drum kit has provided Mike a strong sense
of rhythm and timing which helps drive the Z’s along. The
high point of Mike’s week is the evening he gets to sing
lead, harmony and play mandolin and guitar with his pals,
The Zephyrs.
Steve Berry - Steve grew up
listening to the music of his parents - classical, jazz and
the Tijuana Brass. When he rebelled he found his
generation's music on the radio. But, some years later, a
new rebellion was on the horizon – a rebellion against the
wasteland that was (is) corporate rock. Steve's musical
interests now encompass a wide swatch of musical styles –
jazz, classical, alt rock, new orleans funk, R&B, folk,
country, French cabaret and on and on. After moving to
Colorado, Steve picked up the bass and bluegrass, new grass
and all the variations of acoustic music became his new
passion. Holding down the low end in the band with his
stand-up bass and baritone harmonies, Steve also
contributes a place to practice, sound engineering and
Snappinis.
