The next generation of roots music, the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys will release a brand new EP titled By My Side on June 24th. The EP marks the first time the group has contributed vocals to their own songs.
Over the past several weeks, the band has performed at Stagecoach and at The New Orleans Jazz Festival with the The Times-Picayune proclaiming: “The players’ talents shined, commanding attention to the brothers’ actual musical skills despite the potentially overwhelming level of cuteness proffered by Jonny, a pint-sized banjo prodigy in a Kangol-style cap, and the curiosity factor of three Jersey kids playing bluegrass tunes…”
The boys also dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform the title track from their upcoming EP. You can watch a performance of “By My Side” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74baaDxJsGs
The young trio of brothers: 17 year-old Tommy Mizzone on guitar, 15 year-old Robbie Mizzone on fiddle and lead vocals, and 12 year-old Jonny Mizzone on banjo have made quite an entrance onto the music scene. Their YouTube videos have now eclipsed over 22 million views. (YouTube.com/sleepymanbanjoboys)
The band has also appeared on the stages of the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, Newport Folk Festival, and Carnegie Hall and their popularity continues to accelerate.
Based in New Jersey, a state known more for rock music than for bluegrass, the Mizzone brothers fell in love with the unique sounds of J.D. Crowe, Ralph Stanley, Tony Rice and Earl Scruggs (who they discovered on YouTube). The result is a unique blend of instrumentation and vocal harmonies that showcase their musical gifts and passion for acoustic roots music.
Sleepy Man Banjo Boys have previously released two albums, America’s Music and The Farthest Horizon independently, both of which charted on the Billboard Bluegrass Album Charts at No. 8 and No. 3, respectively. “We continue to grow as a band and are settling in to our own sound,” said Tommy. “With vocals, we want to continue to grow our fan base and attract more young people to this style of music.”
For additional details and dates please visit www.sleepymanbanjoboys.com
