“One of music’s great polyglots, [GRAMMY-award winner and six-time GRAMMY nominee] Peter Rowan sports a manifest of collaborators and bands, albums and influences that reads like a strange and wonderful map of Americana. Though he’s known best either as a progressive bluegrass guy or the anchor of Old and in the Way that wasn’t Garcia or Grisman, Rowan has skipped between reggae and rock, roadhouse and instrumental showmanship during the last five decades. He’s a link between Bill Monroe and The Grateful Dead, between Bob Marley and Tony Rice. But Rowan is more than a consistent footnote. As a bandleader, he remains incredibly active, a 70-year-old player prowling through his interests with the tenacity of someone who wants to cover as much ground as a lifetime will allow… He arrives with the five-piece Twang an’ Groove outfit, an electric unit whose deep backbeat allows Rowan to waltz from the honky-tonk to the dancehall in the space of several meters, belting his blues and yodeling all the way…” —Grayson Currin / Indy Week
Says Rowan,”Twang n’ Groove is where Rhythm and Blues meets Reggae at an all day Bluegrass pickin’ party”.
Band Member Bios
JAMIE OLDAKER
Jamie Oldaker represents a pillar in the drumming community. Over the past three decades he has toured and recorded with some of popular music’s greatest artists: Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, Stephen Stills, Peter Frampton, to name a few. But Jamie has worn many hats within the music industry. His vast and varied experience helps to solidify the credibility of his many roles.
Tulsa, OK, native Jamie Oldaker was born on September 5, 1951. He began playing drums at the age of nine after hearing a recording by jazz great Gene Krupa. By the time he was in high school, Oldaker was gigging regularly in the Tulsa area, and in 1971 he joined Bob Seger’s band, working with Seger through 1973. In 1974 he joined Eric Clapton’s band during the 461 Ocean Boulevard sessions and remained through 1980, with a second stint from 1983 to 1986. Oldaker has also worked with the Bellamy Brothers, Asleep at the Wheel, Peter Frampton, Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, Ace Frehley, Freddie King, the Bee Gees, and many others as both a session and touring drummer and producer.
He was a founding member of the Tractors, who hit platinum out of the gate with their self-titled debut album on Arista Records in 1994. Along the way Oldaker learned about all facets of the music business, working in artist management, music publishing, and as a producer, putting together an all-star album, Mad Dogs & Okies, centered around songs written by Oklahoma natives and featuring performances by Vince Gill, Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, J.J. Cale, Peter Frampton, Tony Joe White, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Bramlett, and others.
MIKE MORGAN
Mike Morgan bassist performed his first paid gig at Sanford University for the homecoming football party at age 15 with his band “Earth” in 1968.
Growing up in San Jose, Morgan played in a variety of local bay area bands before moving to Austin, TX in 1975. Morgan toured from 1976 -1982 as a bassist and sound engineer for acts such Jerry Jeff Walker, Rusty Weir, UFO, Taj Mahal, and Wild Cherry. For a short run in 1979 Morgan performed live and recorded with Allen Ginsburg and Peter Orlovsky. In late 1982 Morgan he build the Barn recording studio in Austin, to record his own songs. He wrote the core of musical material for his bands DMZ, Alien Project, and Juz B Cuz a band that he formed with Van Wilks, and John Logan and included in the sessions Reese Wyman and Spooner Oldham. Morgan began writing with theatrical rock legend, Arthur Brown, from the “Crazy World of Arthur Brown” after Brown had heard a CD Morgan had written and produced with his band Alien Project in 1989 titled “Welcome to Canavar” and contacted him. Songs Morgan and Brown co-wrote have may it to five CDs to date. Morgan’s band Flounders without Eyes a band that Peter Rowan performs with from time to time, is the foundation of the Jam Band scene in Austin, celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2012.
Morgan first worked with Peter Rowan at Morgan’s recording studio The Zone in Dripping Springs, TX when Peter came in to record mandolin on Ray Wylie Hubbard’s Snake Farm CD. After that they found themselves working together on several other projects leading up to the currant project Peter Rowan Twang and Groove.
As a studio bassist Morgan has performed on countless different projects with a wide variety of artist over the years. Drummer and producer Jamie Oldaker and Morgan have been working in the studio and playing live together going on a decade and make a solid rhythm section with a deep groove. Morgan’s other current project is his own band Mike Morgan and Rhythmic Statues of which members of Twang and Groove are part of.
CARTER ARRINGTON
Carter Arrington’s live performance and studio mastery has made him one of the most sought-after jam and session men in Austin, TX
A passionate guitar player since the age of twelve, Carter received one of twenty-five national scholarships for the Berklee College of Music for guitar, and was accepted into the Atlanta Institute of Music before he’d graduated high school. By 24, Carter had completed his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance at the University of Texas at Austin, with continued tour and festival performances all over the country. Carter continues to work with a variety styles and groups local and national, such as Malford Milligan, Peter Rowan, Col. Bruce Hampton, Denny Freeman, Arthur Brown, Grant Green Jr., Kirk Covington, Bavu Blakes, Progress, Mitch Watkins, Mingo Fishtrap, Mike Morgan and Rhythmic Statues, Jon Blondel, D. Madness, Brennan Temple, John Fremgan, Ron Westray, Lisa Tingle, Bob Myer, and John Mills.
He performed with openers for Smokey Robinson, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Kirk Franklin, Third World, the Headhunters and the Wailers.
DARRELL COMMANDER
D. R. Commander taught himself piano at age 7 by playing along with early 80’s country and pop songs on the radio in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas. He received classical training on the trumpet in junior high and high school and played 3 seasons with the University of Houston Jazz Ensemble before hanging up the trumpet to pursue the keyboard full time. Commander moved to Austin in 2000, joining Harmony Theory a Jazz Jam Band. He has performed and recorded with country bands, jazz fusion bands, soul bands, jam bands, and when he puts piano in bluegrass it fits as well as banjo or a fiddle.
He was invited to join Flounders without Eyes in 2010.
Commander’s approach to the keyboard is most heavily influenced by the likes of Billy Payne, Bruce Hornsby, Bob Mayo, Lyle Mays, and Ray Manzarek.
JEFF HOGAN
Jeff Hogan, acoustic percussionist, this Texas native is a master of drums and percussion with a history of exotic sounds and effects. He lived for years in Jamaica and worked with many of reggae’s greatest artists including members of The Wailers and Peter Tosh’s band. For over fifteen years he has performed with bluegrass great, Peter Rowan, and has appeared before audiences of thousands at music festivals around the country. Jeff has also performed with Jimmy Carl Black (Mothers of Invention), Shake Russell, Kimmie Rhodes and many others. His latest CD, Udu Swamp, with Slim Bawb is on the charts and has found popularity in Japan. Jeff brings the heartbeat of the soul to this very talented group.
