biography
One of the Washington area's top retro bands, The Backroads Band’s original material brings a new sound to honk tonk country music. Playing classic country music like it was played back then, they'll have you out on the dance floor doing a boot scootin' two step or snuggling up close for a buckle polishing slow tune.
The band features Karen Collins (vocals, fiddle, and rhythm guitar), Ira Gitlin (lead guitar and vocals), Geff King (bass and vocals) and Rob Howe (drums). All four of the Backroads members have been performing musicians for many years and bring a wide array of diverse musical experiences to the group. The band’s repetoire includes original songs and tunes from Karen, Geff & Ira plus cover songs that range from 50’s rock and roll (Everly Brothers and Chuck Berry) to classic country (Patsy Cline and Hank Williams) with a dash of Bob Wills thrown in.
“Tail Light Blues”, the band’s debut recording was released in April 2007 on Azalea City Recordings.
Karen Collins - Karen is a coal miner's daughter from southwest Virginia. She grew up listening to country music, and the influence of Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, and other country greats is evident in the early country sound of her original songs. When not fronting the Backroads Band, Karen plays fiddle and sings with Squeeze Bayou, an award-winning Cajun band, and with the Blue Moon Cowgirls, an acoustic country quartet.
Ira Gitlin Ira's resumé reads like a Who’s Who of Washington’s bluegrass, folk, and roots-music scenes. His instrumental work has won him a shelf full of Washington Area Music Awards (“Wammies”) and a National Bluegrass Banjo Championship. Not bad for a kid from New York City.…
Geff King Geff grew up in Baltimore and started playing guitar at age 16. In 1976 he took up bluegrass bass as a protest against disco and bought a Fender bass soon afterward. As bassist and vocalist with Honky Tonk Confidential, Geff contributed original songs to three CDs, including one named Album of the Year by the Washington Area Music Association.
Rob Howe Jazz, blues and country flow in and out of each other, and Rob's enlarged heart is engorged with that interplay in this band. Rob performs, teaches, and writes about drums and drumming. He also loves recording and sound engineering.