Guests of Studio 89 tonight at Northern Kentucky University should be prepared to get “Hustled”. Buffalo Wabs and The Price Hill Hustle are performing and they never fail to put on the best show in town.
Buffalo Wabs (aka Matt Wabnitz) spearheads this group, playing guitar and taking most of the vocal duties. Casey Campbell, Ian Mathieu, and Scott Risner comprise The Price Hill Hustle side of the equation. The group is deeply rooted in the tradition of Old Time pioneers; however, the energy they bring to a live performance could burn down the rowdiest honky-tonk in town.
Ian Mathieu sat down to discuss getting “Hustled”, being supported by WNKU and an upcoming concert to return some love back to WNKU.
What can one expect to witness at the Studio 89 show tonight?s
Well, first of all, the space is absolutely amazing. It's a state of the art studio with great sound. We know we have at least a few friends heading to the performance. I think with a live studio audience, the show will have more of a "live show" feel. We've done radio performances before; however, it was just us in a room by ourselves. We definitely feed off the crowd, so it should be a nice, high energy performance.
What does WNKU mean to Buffalo Wabs and The Price Hill Hustle?
WNKU has done so much for us as a band. Not only by playing our music, but also being such strong supporters of local and regional artists that we love. The staff and volunteers at WNKU have all become good friends of ours and are wonderful folks. While it's true that there has been a big resurgence with folk and Americana music among the masses, WNKU has been championing that type of music for as long as I can remember. We love finding out about new bands from listening to WNKU, and hearing songs by artists that we may have never heard otherwise. When you're a fan or supporter of WNKU, it almost feels like you're in your own club, like you know something that not everyone else knows. When you see a stranger at a concert with a WNKU t-shirt, more times than not, that may strike up a conversation, or at least a friendly nod. It's a beautiful thing.
How did Buffalo Wabs and The Price Hill Hustle come to be?
Ha. That's a great question. Well, Casey & Wabs had known each other before I came into the mix. We all hung out up at The Crow's Nest in Price Hill at open mic night and other shows around town. Back around 2012, we had tossed around the idea of starting a band, but purely just for fun. Nothing much ever really came of it. Back in 2013, our good buddy Chicago Farmer was playing a show at The Crow's Nest and he asked Buffalo Wabs (aka Matt Wabnitz) to open for him. Wabs agreed and put together the first incarnation of The Price Hill Hustle, which included Casey Campbell on drums. I was in another band at the time and was blown away every time I saw those guys play. They didn't have a bass player at the time, and I remember saying to myself, "I'm joinin' that band." We were all friends, so that was an easy transition. The original mandolin/banjo player had an opportunity to go on the road with his other group, so Scott Risner seemed like a perfect fit. Scott & Casey had played in another band together, so everything just began falling into place. We've been fortunate enough to have the support of the local community and have had a wonderful run so far.
What is next for Buffalo Wabs and The Price Hill Hustle?
Well, I have to say that the word "Hustle" has taken on a whole new meaning than originally intended. We've been playing as much as we can, both locally and on the road. After our Studio 89 performance, we have a couple days off, then we're heading to Louisville, Bloomington & Terre Haute, Indiana.
We'll be playing with The Almighty Get Down on New Year's Eve at the 20th Century Theatre in Oakley, we'll be doing The Red Barn Radio show in Lexington, a few 3 to 4 day tours to West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois and a whole lot more. We're also incredibly honored to be part of The Duck Creek Log Jam again this year in Hocking Hills, Ohio. We're booking a lot of festivals for 2015 and will be Hustling our way all over the region.
The show we're looking forward to the most though, has to be "Show Your Love: A benefit for WNKU" presented by The Good People Festival. It's going to be 30 bands over 2 days at The Southgate House Revival on February 20th & 21st. Amazing acts like Col. Bruce Hampton, Will Kimbrough, The Tillers, The Cliftones, 500 Miles to Memphis, The Newbees, New Country Rehab, and a whole lot more. Folks can always check www.pricehillhustle.com for more information and stay up to date with where we'll be. Also, if everything goes according to plan, we have a new CD slated to be released in late March.
