Born in a COVID bubble in Cambridgeport, we crawled as far as Central Square to play the outdoor patio at the Phoenix Landing in 2021, mutating into the Mass Avenaires. We play a mix of traditional and older standards – from Warren Zevon to Bob Zimmerman – plus a few originals.
Acoustic music done in a 1970s bar style.
Rob Madrick
Fiddle, mandolin & vocals
RRob fell in love with string band music in the 1970s listening to the Highwoods String Band and Country Cooking in Ithaca, New York. He can also be seen playing with the band Possum in and around Boston.
James Lang
guitar & vocals
Originally and currently with local band Possum.
Mark Wholley
giutar & vocals
Mark met Rob and Paul at an old time festival, and joined the band in 2024 after a few guest appearances. When not with the Avenaires, he plays guitar and fiddle in various local old time and cajun bands.
Paul Strother
bass
Paul started out with Oldtime stringband Chicken Chokers and played with Spider John Koerner’s Rag Tag Trio until his retirement in 2015. Currently with the Oak Springs Project.
photos by Judith Black