Paul Kovac’s Big ‘Grass Band
At a point in time, Bluegrass music was one band’s way (Bill Monroe & his Bluegrass Boys) of trying to make a living, and since it’s inception, nearly 70 years ago, Bluegrass has become an accepted form of uniquely American music, a style quickly identified by the sound of it’s instrumentation, singing & songwriting. It has stood the test of time, and is now considered a traditional music form.
Paul Kovac caught the Bluegrass bug while in his teens, learning to play banjo, guitar & mandolin, and quickly joined bands in an effort to ‘earn-while-you-learn’. Realizing that the older, first-generation musicians held the ‘keys to the kingdom’, he set out to see, meet and play with as many as he could. Over the years, Paul has performed with Bill Monroe, Chubby Wise, Hazel Dickens, Mac Wiseman, Vassar Clements, and countless others. These experiences have been the bedrock of his Bluegrass foundation.
-Bluegrass Unlimited
Though Paul plays and enjoys other styles of American music, including Honky-tonk, Appalachian Old-time Stringband, and Singer-songwriter music, it’s Bluegrass that tugs the hardest.
The Big ‘Grass Band is his return to Bluegrass, flanked by premier like-minded musicians, making Paul’s original songs come to life. The album, “Ohio Bluegrass: From the Appalachian Plateau”, was recorded in Akron, OH by David Mayfield, and all the musicians involved grew up within fifty miles of one another in NE Ohio.
The Big ‘Grass Band is made up of seasoned, experienced players, with decades of experience, successfully presenting Bluegrass to audiences knowledgeable about the music, and to folks hearing Bluegrass for the first time.
Paul Kovac - banjo, vocal
Ron Bonkowski - guitar, vocal
Bill Lestock - fiddle
Alex Greathouse, bass
(occasionally David Mayfield - mandolin, vocal)
“Then along comes Paul Kovac, with a new, old, traditional, big sound … a fun ride from start to finish.”
-Bluegrass Unlimited 2017