Bob
BOB`S past is a little sketchy but from what we understand he hails from California. He headed East by way of Colorado. After a few years in Maryland, Bob found himself in a bad situation. He had no place to live and was three days away from being in a real bad way. Things just have a funny way of happening and BOB and Ratso met and became fast friends. BOB now lives at "The RRR" [Ratso`s mountain home] and has 8,000 acres of Frederick County Watershed for a backyard, but he can usually be found sleeping on his favorite couch by the fireplace.
Gantt
By age 17 Gantt had discovered some amazing music in his backyard. Roy Buchanan, then Danny Gatton became keystones of Gantt’s musical development, enhanced by jazz, country, rock, bluegrass - you name it, he loves it!
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Gantt has played with too many bands to remember, but one notable gig was with The North Star Band, where he met Paul, Jimmy and Ratso. Paul and Jimmy were in the band, Ratso was, seemingly, always nearby! 37 years later, that friendship led to the formation of Lunch With Bob.
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Along with performing music, Gantt has been recording and producing music at his recording studio, Gizmo Recording Company since 1988, working with many successful local and national groups, including OAR (Of A Revolution), Quintango, Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet, Sharon Clark, Karen Gray, Tom Williams, Bruce Swaim, Ruthie and the Wranglers, Tony Denikos, Bill Baker, bluegrass band By & By and many more.
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As Ratso`s musical carrier continued he delved into journalism ,and started working in the newsroom at the CBS affiliate WUSA TV in Washington DC where he became an Emmy Award winning Photojournalist. His recording credits include'"Playing With Rats" Ratso And Switchblade on Sphincter Records- Martha Hull on "Ripsaw Records and Switchblade on Ostar Records -Switchblade on "Ripsaw Records"-Mark Wenner and Switchblade "Lonesome Fugitive and "Runs Good Needs Paint"- Billy Joe Shaver and Kinky Friedman "Live From Down Under" on Sphincter Records- Kinky Friedman "The Best Of The Kerrville Folk Festival Vol. Two. LUNCH WITH BOB is Ratso`s latest musical collaboration And IT ROCKS !!!
Ratso
The Lee Brothers played Newgrass and Eastern Swing and their "show" got them kicked off the stage mid-set at a Bluegrass Festival in Amelia Va. It seemed the audience was not ready for their "James Brown Medley" complete with steps and a funk beat hammered out on the back of Ratso`s guitar.
Ratso moved back to his Nations Capital and was a frequent guest star with many D.C. bands as he perfected the art of "sitting in" He then joined Tex Rubinowitz in his new band "The Bad Boys". Tex and the Bad Boys rocked but when it was no longer a good fit for Tex "The Bad Boys" evolved into "Switchblade". At the same time Ratso met Kinky Friedman and the two hit it off . What started as a show at the legendry "Cellar Door" turned into a 40 year friendship that continues today. Ratso not only toured the world with Kinky but is a re-occurring character in Kinky`s detective novels where he is known as "Washington Ratso". Ratso has performed with Kinky and Billy Joe Shaver as part of "The Two For Texas Tour." The group did a month long tour of Australia where they recorded "LIVE FROM DOWN UNDER." along with "Little Jewford and Jessie Guitar Taylor .
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JASON (JAY)
In 2005, Jason's composition "Olson Still" received an honorable mention in the Mountain Stage NewSong Festival Folk category. In 2010, he won the NewSong People's Choice Award for the Northeast Region. He also won the Gold Award (Acoustic/Folk category) and the BMI Songwriter Award in the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest. He has released several solo recordings, as well as three EPs with the band South Rail. Jason continues to write and perform original rock and roots-influenced music and plays guitar with numerous bands in the DC-area.
Paul
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After the Northstar Paul played with many different bands among those were Lips Lackawitz (Mark Hurwitz), The Whiskey River Band, The Goldust Band, Fancy Pants, The Losthighway Band, Cathy Ponton King, and many many others.
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Paul has also played with Michael Melcheone, Steuart Smith, Danny Gatton, Tom Principato, Chick Hall, Duffy Kane, Bobby Smith, Earl Ball, and so many others there are too many to mention. He's had the pleasure of sharing the stage with many of his Country favorites including George Jones, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette, Alabama, Gene Watson, Earl Scruggs.
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Paul has had the opportunity to play all kinds of music which helps to play the wide variety of music that "Lunch With Bob" plays.
Paul plays a 6 piece Yamaha Maple Custom Abolute drum set with Sabian Cymbals and an Iron Cobra pedal.
Jim
After the North Star Band, Jim played with Pete Kennedy in "Good Rockin' Tonight", The Dynettes, All Night Long, Pressure Drop, The Chasers, Cathy Ponton King, and David Massey and Jason Byrd
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Jim started playing music by learning the accordion. Once he moved to the DC area, he started playing bass in the band "Newington Station" which influences were Little Feat, Gram Parson, Eagles, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Motown, British R&R , and on and on. The band wrote and recorded many of the tunes. Jim always pushed to record.
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Jim built his own studio in VA and met Al Johnson who was looking to record a record. Jim played Al a couple of his tunes, Al invited him to come play at the Annandale Sunset Grille, which led to a new configuration of Al Johnson and the North Start Band. Jim met Paul who was the drummer and Gantt who joined and played on the NSB album "Tonight the North Start Band" Along the way, Ratso helped with sound and occasionally sat in.
Jim also worked as Engineer/Producer at Bias Studios in Springfield, VA for over 30 years recording and producing hundreds of recordings. Jim has a couple of GRAMMYS® on his shelves from some of those works. Jim now has his own studio and music/video production company, Jim Robeson Productions, LLC.
In "Lunch with Bob" Jim plays an Alembic "Europa" 5 string bass and an NS Design 5 string upright. He uses an Eden World Traveller with Agular and Eden Cabinets.