The Jeff and Vida Band is one of New Orleans best known acoustic roots act. Performing original material spanning from Appalachian bluegrass to alternative country. Their live performances showcase Vida’s powerful voice, Jeff’s superb picking on mandolin, guitar and banjo, Mike Kerwin’s slap-you-in-the-face bass playing and tight well arranged harmonies. With ballads that sound like they could have been written fifty years ago and raucous barnstorming numbers that keep your feet tapping their live shows are exciting and unique, full of humor, good music and unforgettable songs.
After touring nonstop for the past three years the Jeff & Vida Band have started to gain acclaim and attention on the national level. Their latest album, the award winning ‘The Simplest Plans’ (Binky Records 2002) has earned them a large fan base and a reputation for embodying the spirit of ‘Americana’ music. Now, after thousands of miles and hundreds of shows their hard traveling is finally beginning to pay off. They have recently begun to break into the major club and festival circuit both nationally and internationally and their music is being played regularly on Triple-A radio stations across the country.
Jeff Burke and Vida Wakeman began performing in the bars and clubs of New Orleans in 1998. After gaining a local following they recorded their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘One Horse Town’ (Independent /Binky 2000). With the success of the record they hit the road full time to support the release and bring their music to a wider audience. It wasn’t long before Mike Kerwin joined the band on standup bass in 2001. Their different backgrounds and shared love of American roots music helped them create a unique sound that that fuses blues, country, rock & roll and bluegrass and can only be described as Americana.
True to the American song writing tradition Jeff and Vida keep their songs simple and sincere. Their material draws from most everything except modern day hits. You can tell after hearing their songs that they probably turned the radio off a long time ago. “While Jeff & Vida extend their grizzled tales of murder (“The Law’s Best Friend”), revengeful spite (“Don’t leave the Lights On”), downtrodden luck(“Have Mercy”) and rollicking rockabilly (“Dollar Stops) to their fullest, they also shade plenty of twisty turns into the arrangements.”
-Dan Willging, Dirty Linen
