- Kokomo Bros
Kokomo Bros were a
progressive bluegrass band based in centralIndiana from1975 to1979 .Members
The Kokomo Bros were founded in the fall of 1975 when Tim Moody, who played
fiddle andmandolin and Dan Vanada, who playedguitar , were roommates and undergraduate students atPurdue University inWest Lafayette, Indiana . John Staley, another roommate, learned to play the bass. The trio played a couple coffeehouse venues before they met Mark Eddy, abanjo player, who rounded out the "progressive" bluegrass sound.This Kokomo Bros lineup played around West Lafayette, predominately at the Ground Round in
Lafayette, Indiana , and at clubs throughout Indiana until July 1976, when Mark Eddy left the area to pursue his Ph.D. out of state. Tom Adler, abanjo player and Ph.D. student at Indiana University then joined the Bros, having met Moody and Vanada that summer at Bean Blossom Festival. In mid 1977, John Staley left the band and was subsequently replaced by West Lafayette bass player Bob Palomo.In summer of 1979, Adler was finishing his Ph.D and was hired to teach at the
University of Kentucky inLexington, Kentucky . With Vanada becoming involved in his own software company, and Moody contemplating graduate school, the Kokomo Bros disbanded. They gave two "farewell performances" in August of 1979, first at The Ground Round inLafayette, Indiana and then at The Hopp inBloomington, Indiana .The name
Although
Kokomo, Indiana does exist, none of the band members were from it, nor did the band ever play there.In certain parts of
Indiana , piling several people into the front seat of a car and nobody in the rear seat was once referred to as "riding Kokomo style." The newly formed and nameless band rode Kokomo style to their early jobs because the back seat was filled with instruments and equipment."Kokomo Bros" (never with a period) was not short for "Kokomo Brothers." The word "bros" was pronounced brōz (rhymes with "froze").
Virtual Reunion
On
April 1 ,2005 the Kokomo Bros [http://www.kokomobros.com Virtual Reunion] was launched. The site includes photographs, memorabilia, excerpted recordings from the final concert at The Hopp, and with members spread fromArvada, Colorado toSt. Petersburg, Russia holds out the promise of a "Virtual Reunion Recording Project."External links
* [http://www.kokomobros.com Kokomo Bros Virtual Reunion]
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