The Bruce Marshall Group live show treats their fans to a soaring ride
as they rip through a catalogue of original material that truly sets
this band apart. They love to mix it up, whether its pulling off
exciting jams that build with dynamics and layering, or playing the
concise arrangements of their songs with discipline and restraint. The
sound defies categorization, slipping seamlessly around touches of R
& B, Rock, Country Blues and Southern Boogie. The songs are mostly
upbeat, but even those dealing with love lost and missed opportunities,
carry an underlying sense of hope and optimism. The newest 5 pc. lineup
has taken the sound and musical direction to new heights and must be
experienced live to be fully appreciated.
Lead Vocalist/Guitarist and chief songwriter Bruce Marshall has a keen
eye for the human experience and an uncanny knack for creating songs
you find yourself humming the next day. A powerful and expressive
vocalist who can deliver the grit and conviction in the rock numbers
and is also able to convey emotion and sensitivity needed to put across
a ballad. Favors a melodic style of lead guitar rarely heard today and
is very adept at intricate rhythm and lead passages while singing lead.
Also featured on slide with his trademark steel body Dobro throughout
the set, which has become a crowd favorite. Influences include Duane
and Greg Allman, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye.
Guitarist/ Vocalist Dave Cournoyer has earned a reputation for “coaxing
seemingly impossible sounds from his instrument”, and has mastered the
art of re-inventing himself every night, almost never playing the same
lick twice. Totally at ease with over the top solos or sweet subtle
lines, he possesses a soaring vibrato and builds his solos from a
whisper to a scream. With a myriad of sounds at his disposal, David has
a gift for creating just the right parts for the original material. He
never fails to mesmerize the crowd and truly is the group’s “secret
weapon”. He’s taken his slide work to another level. Sings lead and
backup vocals, joined the group in 1995. Formerly with The S~~ttons,
The Vex, and The Rubies. Influences include Hendrix, Beck, and Clapton.
Multi-talented John Donahoe adds color and texture to the group on
Tenor Sax, Fiddle, and Mandolin. John’s support lines and blistering
solos are a major part of the excitement of the live show and helps
define the group’s unique sound. His sax work really sells the blues/R
& B material and the fiddle is great in the country blues numbers.
It’s fun to watch crowd reaction as he lays down one of his smokin’ sax
solos and then picks up the fiddle and proceeds to blow the roof off
the joint! The mandolin is a nice touch and meshes beautifully with
guitar and dobro. John also supplies back up vocals.
Joined the group in 1999, formerly with the Boogaloo Swamis. Influences
include John Luc- Ponty, Sting, Santana.
Jeff Majeau anchors the group on bass and has the rare ability to play
with restraint and understatement while driving the band to a fever
pitch. A consummate professional, he creates the perfect bass lines for
the original songs, totally at ease with swing, shuffles and straight
ahead rock and always plays with the utmost sense of taste and dynamics
consistently night after night. Jeff has developed a unique “stand up”
sound (due in part to the fretless Rick Turner bass) that works so well
with the rest of the uncoventional lineup. Just when you thought you
heard him do it all, he cuts loose during a solo feature and takes you
to the next level. Truly enjoys playing music and conveys that on
stage, joined the group in 1999, formerly
with The Cliph Band.
Pete Premo is the most recent addition to the band. He’s been playing
drums for over 30years. He began studying the rudiments and reading at
the age of 10 and then began formal classical percussion training at
15. At age 19 he attended Berklee College of Music where he majored in
Percussion and Audio Recording. He later continued his education
elsewhere and got a Bachelors degree in Electronic Engineering which
eventually led to his becoming an Acoustics Engineer at the Bose
Corporation. Pete has had vast experience playing in a variety of
musical genres from jazz, to classical, to blues and rock. Some of his
prior gigs were with Tornado Alley, The Blind Tiger Swing Posse, The
Cliph Band, Affirmation, Blues Food, Chet Williamson, and Big Town
Blues. He has also shared the stage with Luther "Guitar" Johnson, The
Fools, and James Montgomery. The group can also be heard in an acoustic
format called “Treated and Released”, and features many different songs
and varied arrangements of the electric numbers. Drummer and
Percussionist for “Treated and Released”, Buddy MacLellan played with
Bruce in their first professional band “Whitecap”, and have come full
circle once Buddy came aboard in ’97. Buddy has developed a “niche” on
percussion with his expertise on the “hybrid” drum kit – congas, hand
cymbals, kick drum, chimes, and hi hat, all played with monster
technique, using his bare hands!! The result is a latin influenced
sound with a warm, woody tone and is offset by his trademark rim shots
and “pops” to drive the group. Plays many different styles with
conviction and is very conscious of dynamics, which contributes to the
excitement of the band. Watch for them at coffeehouses, festivals and
national openers. Work on the new Treated CD is about half complete at
this writing. Bruce Marshall also performs with James Montgomery in the
duo “Montgomery and Marshall”, which has been ongoing for 11 years and
the duo has opened for BB King twice, including a show celebrating the
BB's 70th birthday at the Capitol Center in Concord, NH., and most
recently at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. Bruce also does
extensive solo work when the group isn’t working, and you’ll find him
at clubs and concerts throughout the NE region.
Bruce Marshall was a member of The Toy Caldwell Band in ’89 and ’90.
Toy was the founder, writer and lead guitar player of the Marshall
Tucker Band. TCB toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rick Danko, Charlie
Daniels, and The Outlaws, among others. Bruce sang lead vocals, played
guitar and keyboards, and the group recorded his own "Welcome to the
Human Race" with famed platinum producer Paul Hornsby (Charlie Daniels,
Marshall Tucker). Bruce also worked on the band’s major label CD.
Bruce’s original "If Dreams Were Money", won the ASCAP Songwriters
Workshop. The group received an award of studio time at Syncro Sound
and a music award presented at Boston’s Wang Center. The Bruce Marshall
Group has performed with The Beach Boys five times, including a show at
Otis Air Force Base that drew over 70,000 people (one of the largest
concerts ever held on Cape Cod), and at Holman Stadium in Nashua, NH.
Bruce has performed in the duo "Montgomery & Marshall", featuring
legendary bluesman James Montgomery, for 11 years. The duo opened for
BB King on his 70th birthday, played with John Hiatt, Southside Johnny,
George Thorogood, Peter Frampton, The Band, Marshall Tucker, and
countless others. They have released 2 CD’s and still continue to play
on a regular basis at concerts, festivals, and clubs. Bruce Marshall
has jammed with: South Side Johnny, Charlie Daniels, The Outlaws, Toy
Caldwell, Extreme, Molly Hatchet, Paul Hornsby, K.D. Bell, Sweet Roy
Jones, Steven Perry, Denny Breau, Stu Kimball, Peter Hackel, Marty
Stuart, Joe Pet, Chris Hicks, Peter Bell, Sal Detroia, Hirsh Gardner,
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Johnny A. and many others.