Rhythm & Blues! Our repertoire spans from the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s and covers a wide variety of classic, original American R&B sounds.

Ron Silva was responsible for one of Southern California’s first 60s-R&B revival bands, The Crawdaddys, who were formed at the end of the 1970s. It is easy to speculate that California’s roots/retro music scenes would be VERY different if it was not for their performances and records. Nick Rossi was a founding member of Oakland’s The Loved Ones in the early-1990s, treading similar ground to The Crawdaddys, but with a slightly more Chicago blues feel. He also found some fame leading his own Hammond organ combo, The Nick Rossi Set, for nearly a decade. The members of the group have also performed with The Dansettes, The Event, The Gravedigger 5, The Kinetics, Manual Scan, and The Nashville Ramblers.

The group was originally put together in 1993 by Nick to back Ron. 4 out of the 5 members were originally from San Diego – although the group is definitely a product of the San Francisco-Bay Area. It was decided from the get-go to focus on an R&B repertoire. The group was active from 1993 through 1995 and featured 2 distinct line-ups. Ron put together a new line-up in the Summer of 2009, which soon included Nick, and the group have been gigging regularly since October of last year.

We all have spent years defining and refining our style. Most of us have been involved in some facet of the 60s/mod scene since we were in High School. Much of our current style inspiration comes from the style of musicians who first recorded and performed these songs back in the day.

The group has performed throughout Northern and Southern California. Most recently in venues as large as The House of Blues in Anaheim and as intimate as The House of Shields in San Francisco. The Purple Onion in North Beach will always have a place in our hearts, as will as The Ace Cafe on Folsom Street in San Francisco where the group cut its teeth in the 1990s.

This music is really well received by most anyone that hears it. It some times takes a little while for folks to get hooked as they try to find a point of reference – but they usually get it and get into it. The retro/roots/vintage crowd usually love it, hands down – mods, swing dancers, and rock & rollers alike.

It is common ground for all of us. Elsewhere we have played everything from jazz to pop to rock and all points in between. R&B has just always resonated with each us – and we keep coming back to it.

Nick and Ben show up late. Tom shows up even later. Jokes begin. Jokes are occasionally interrupted by music. Nick forgets how to count in songs in 6/8 time. Song tempos are taken down painfully slow. Tom wants to change endings. We forget how long it takes it run through the entire band book and run overtime.

Mexican food. Hamburgers. Movies in Technicolor. Movies in Black & White. Vintage music equipment. Classic clothing styles. Old cars. The Pacific Ocean.

The group is planning on recording this Spring. A vinyl EP of material recorded by the group was released by Get Hip records in 1994 and is still available. The only other available recording is a 1994 CD Compilation titled "Pushing The Norton" on which the group was featured alongside such acts as Big Sandy and the Dave & Deke Combo.

Extra Questions

This is all about fun – first and foremost for the audience and secondly for us musicians.

Ron Silva possesses one of the best and most truly soulful voices on the West Coast. Although not nearly as well known as he should be, he has remained something of a cult hero ever since his early days with The Crawdaddys. His backing group is full of seasoned, but energetic players who know how to play this music inside and out. You will be hard pressed to find a more authentic R&B combo on the West Coast. This is not a revival act. This is not a tribute act. This is the real deal.