Cletus and the Burners

Their take on this once-sacred form of music has been called everything from “Awesome” to “Ramtankarous.” They play with a reckless abandon, ripping strings from guitars, banging on their heads against the bass, and one of them even plays a banjo! Equal parts wild improvisation, soaring vocals, and startling complex picking, Cletus and the Burners have earned themselves a reputation as one of the most exciting live bands in the Ithaca, NY area and are poised for complete world domination. These guys can write, sing, pick, dance, and even tell off-color jokes about penguins. It might not be perfect, but it sure as hell is good music. Good Music.

Band Members:
Nick Aives plays the Banjo and Sings. A long time guitarist, Nick was hoping to join the band on guitar, but a freak dishwashing accident made that all but impossible. The next obvious choice was the banjo. Although Nick is still mad at everyone in the band for making him choose such a “silly little instrument”, he has actually become quite good at the damn thing. Nick’s musical influences range from early Post-Modern Classical compositions to the Backstreet boys. A college graduate, Nick someday hopes to make his living playing that “silly little instrument.” Nick also really like Pizza.

Phil Weinrobe plays the Upright Bass and Sings. Phil was hoping to join the band on tambourine, but unfortunately for him Cletus doesn’t do Brady Bunch covers. Look for Phil sunbathing in his car singing along to old John Fogerty bootlegs. On second thought, don’t look for Phil. Rumor has it he enjoys heavily tinted sunglasses, sitting shotgun, and dreaming about flying.

Michael Penque plays the Guitar and Sings. He’s such a good guitar player that out of a band of 5 guitar players, he’s the one who gets to play on stage! When Michael’s not super-imposing diminished runs over Earl’s Breakdown, he’s practicing to become the world’s first fully enlightened bluegrass musician. We’ve told him that’s a contradiction of terms, but he simply replied “Mu”. Michael enjoys burnt toast and those awkward silences in between kisses.

Tom Eaton Plays the Mandolin and Sings. Tom plays so many instruments that sometimes he forgets which one he’s playing. This is most apparent, and embarrassing when he starts trying to blow into his mandolin on stage. If you ever come to a show and see Tom doing something like this, please look away. But, seriously, he is one of the fastest and best looking mandolin players in this band. He enjoys parting his hair in the middle and smelling freshly opened CD’s.

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