POOR MONROE
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About the Band

Formed at the start of 2021,  Poor Monroe is a New England-based bluegrass collaboration of long-time friends with nearly a century’s worth of performing experience (cumulatively speaking).  Drawing from distinct musical paths, this energetic group of seasoned players bring a unique approach to their performances, delivering unmistakably tight vocal harmonies and scorching tempos that are the benchmark of the genre.
 
Performing original and traditional material with a deep sense of honoring the legacy of bluegrass music while also forging their own unique voice, this group of fiscally-bereft individuals shows how the love of music and a good sense of humor can transcend trying times.

 Poor Monroe features John Benjamin (mandolin) of Northampton’s Parlor Room Parlor Sessions house band,  Eric Lee (guitar/fiddle) of the IBMA-nominated band Man About A Horse (and 2019 Freshgrass band contest winner), Sean Davis (guitar) of Mamma’s Marmalade, and Gareth Buckley (upright bass) formerly of Rambling Kind and fellow Parlor Sessions house band member.
Band Member Bios

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ERIC LEE  -  fiddle, guitar, vocals

Eric Lee is a Pennsylvania-born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has performed both regionally and internationally for over twenty years. His album, Heartache Town (2018), reached #26 most-played album in National Folk Radio Charts in 2019, and features the exquisite supporting talents of vocalist Tracy Grammer and five-time IBMA Mandolinist of the Year Jesse Brock. He has performed with and opened for artists including Lorrie Morgan, The Gibson Brothers, The Kennedys, and Peter Rowan. Performing as a solo artist and with a backing band, he also tours as a member of the Philladelphia-based bluegrass band, Man About A Horse and as an accompanist to songwriting legend, Eric Andersen. He has been a long-standing member of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival house band, and has performed regionally as a member of Maine-based bluegrass band The Gather Rounders, and as a former member of the Signature Sounds’ “Parlor Sessions’’ house band.

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JOHN BENJAMIN - mandolin, vocals

John Benjamin is a mandolinist hailing from the state of Colorado who now resides in southern New Hampshire.  He performed for several years as a member of the Parlor Sessions house band at the Parlor Room in Northampton, where he shared the stage with artists including Michael Daves, Laura Orshaw, and Bruce Molsky.  He was also a founding member of the John Hartford tribute project Peppermint Endurance Co.  While influenced by many styles of music, as a bluegrass musician he is especially inspired by mandolin heroes Bill Monroe, David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury and Sam Bush (among others).

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SEAN DAVIS - guitar, vocals

Sean Davis grew up listening to and appreciating the same catalogue of music his dad listened to: British Invasion, classic country, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, early jazz, and lots of bluegrass. When he finally started getting the hang of guitar around 12 years old, he was heavily into blues music for the longest time, but later began to focus on learning bluegrass and other genres.  He now draws inspiration from a variety of songs and styles, and works every chance he gets on his passion for flat-picking guitar and developing as a collaborator.  Sean has performed extensively as a member of the Pioneer Valley newgrass band Mamma's Marmalade, and additionally plays in the classic rock ensemble Tracy and the Valley Revival.

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GARETH BUCKLEY - upright bass

Gareth “Bassman” Buckley first plucked an upright in 2002. It was love at first sight: having a full-sized wooden dancing partner was a perfect match. Soon after, he founded the bluegrass trio, the Rattlesnake Gutter Boys, the first of many ensembles that he would participate in through the years. His passion for bluegrass stemmed from many long, hot summer nights picking and grinnin’ at the Grey Fox bluegrass festival. Outside of his most recent stint as house band bassist for the Parlor Room’s “Parlor Sessions” series, he’s held up the “bottom end” in other bands including: Bombo Genesis, the Royal We, the Mother Pluckers, the Groove Miners, and the Ramblin’ Kind, who were MA Pioneer Valley favorites for over 5 years. Whether at a jam, festival, or concert hall, Gareth’s bass playing will keep that train chuggin’ down the line until everyone arrives safely at the station. 


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