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Prairie Dawg A Unique Blend of Bluegrass, Country and Acoustic Rock |
Praising Prairie Dogs by Anthony Falbo |
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Prairie Dawg is a bluegrass band with a difference. In addition to playing bluegrass in the tradition of Flatt & Scruggs and Bill Monroe, the band gives a bluegrass twist to popular songs from other genres including some by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jimmy Buffet, the Beatles, and many others. |
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Upcoming Gigs |
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April 5, 2008 1 pm |
St John's Episcopal Church, Glen Mills, PA |
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May 3, 2008 2-5 p.m. |
The Whip Tavern, Unionville, PA |
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May 10, 2008 2-5 p.m. |
The Whip Tavern, Unionville, PA |
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May 25, 2008, 8-midnight |
Four Dogs Tavern, West Chester, PA |
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Band Biographies |
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Mark Sudimak has been singing and playing acoustic and electric guitar and harmonica for virtually all of his adult life. Living near the Delaware shore, Mark has played with a variety of bands and in a variety of genres, from bluegrass gospel to acoustic rock. These diverse experiences have contributed to his exceptional talents as a lead and (tenor) harmony singer. In his real life, Mark is a school administrator. |
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Joe Sudimak is Mark's brother, making Prairie Dawg something of a family affair. Joe has been playing electric bass for 20 years, including a long stint with brother Mark and cousins Steve and Gary in the bluegrass gospel group, Jericho Road. In addition to his instrumental skills, Joe shares some of the lead vocals and sings bass harmonies. Living in Avondale, PA, Joe is a middle school mathematic teacher by day. |
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Steve Gale has been playing the banjo for 20 years and acoustic guitar for 15.. Much of that time was spent playing with cousins Mark, Joe, and Gary in Jericho Road. He has also played with the bluegrass band, White Clay Tributary. In addition to his instrumental skills, Steve frequently sings lead and when not singing lead, he rounds out the band's sound with baritone and tenor harmonies. In real life, Steve is wood craftsman, carpenter and cabinet maker. |
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Don Schlater is our relative newcomer having been introduced to acoustic and electric guitar in 2000 and taking up the mandolin years later. But Don's musical resumé belies his experience. He has been a member of three different rock bands before his conversion to bluegrass. This was fortunate for the rest of us as Don has the perfect voice for those high tenor, bluegrass harmonies. Don resides in lower Delaware. |
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The newest member of Prairie Dawg is Sudimak cousin, Gary Ditchburn. His impressive skills on lead guitar and his tenor, bass, & baritone harmonies have added to the group's unique sound. Bluegrass is a relatively new venture for Gary who honed his skills playing in top 40, rock, and Christian blues bands. His role as a choir master and his piano skills have further contributed to his in mastery of harmony singing. |
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Ed Pollak hails from Exton, PA. Classically trained on the trumpet, he fell in love with the banjo as a teenager, playing banjo and bass in a band with his twin brother. In the throes of an unusually benign midlife crisis, Ed decided to take up the fiddle in the mid 1980s and it has become his primary instrument ever since. He has played in several bluegrass and country bands over the years. most notably with the Mill Creek Boys, and is a regular at numerous jam sessions throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. Ed is a professor of psychology at West Chester University where he teaches biological psychology and animal behavior. |
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For booking information contact Steve Gale spgale@yahoo.com (610)304-4452
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Bluegrass Links |
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