Smokehouse
The Kick’n Up Kountry Music Festival is eager to announce yet another act for this year’s festival. SMOKEHOUSE is an all-pro variety act featuring four outstanding performers who bring a powerful vocal blend to the stage. Strong harmonies, blazing instrumentals, and a unique song selection mark SMOKEHOUSE as a top flight act that can satisfy practically any musical taste, and their down home personalities make them some of the most likeable guys in the business. SMOKEHOUSE is a true variety band with a massive song list – they can turn on a dime and deliver country, rock and roll, boogie, and swing that keeps the dance floor packed all night long. Get ready for a red hot, boogie-woogie, swinging, dancing party!
A.J. Waters hails from Missouri and began playing at the ripe old age of six, so to say he is a very seasoned player is quite an understatement. A.J. joined the service at the age of 17 and was stationed in Germany, where he continued to hone his craft until his return to Kansas City. Enjoying much success with a regional act called Trick Ryder, he got the opportunity to travel full time, opening for many national acts. Along the way A.J. met Smokehouse keyboard and saxophone player Randy Bauer, which led them to pursue the opportunity to join forces. A.J. brings an awesome vocal talent to the group, including a great country voice, as well as an unparalleled ability on guitar for the wide variety of musical taste that makes Smokehouse a band with a niche all their own.
Randy Bauer grew up in Blackduck, Minnesota, and started playing music at the age of eight. By the time he was 15 he had made it a full-fledged career. He remembers having to sit on stage during breaks because he was too young to be in the club. Out of high school he went on the road full time with several acts, including Macarthur Park, a funk band out of D.C. He also started his own two-piece band called 2′s Company, a show band that played five-piece rooms. His talent has led him to perform as a member of several national groups such as The Shirelles, The Coasters, Tommy Roe, Sha Na Na, and the Drifters just to name a few. He also has provided production and sound for many national acts, including Gary Allan, Ronnie Milsap, Merle Haggard, Staind, and many others. His abilities as a composer gave him the opportunity to score the movie Bemidji Between the Wars 1918-1941. He brings the boogie-woogie funk edge to the Smokehouse band’s wildly varied sound, allowing them to please a wide variety of musical tastes.
Andrew Thompson is a native of Greensboro, NC where he grew up in a musical family. His grandfather and mother both played piano, exposing him to all types of music, from classical to jazz to Motown. He has toured and played worldwide, including musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, performing with the orchestra and show band on several Royal Caribbean ships, and two tours performing for the troops in South Korea. Since 2008 Drew has worked closely with Swamp Dog recording artist Wilson Williams, who is a member of The Platters. He has also worked with Glen Leonard and The Temptations, Joe Billingslea’s Contours, The Supremes, Clyde McPhatter and The Legend of the Drifters, and The Marvelettes, just to name a few.
Eli has been on the music scene for the past ten years. His journey began in high school when he got an opportunity to play with the jazz band in his hometown of Belcourt, North Dakota. After high school he continued playing with local and regional bands in all kinds of venues, from North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C. Eli’s most recent project was working with world-renowned steel guitarist Buddy Huff, and he’s looking forward to laying down grooves with SMOKEHOUSE for a long time to come.
