Corn Desert Ramblers
The Corn Desert Ramblers are an acoustic band out of Champaign-Urbana. They played their first show with their current lineup booked as the Flat Land String Band at the Iron Post in November, 2006. The original group featured Dave Soucek, Lee Roberts, Dustin Norder and their first guitar player Ken. Ken left the band, and was soon replaced by Sam Payne in January '06. Rounding out the band, and solidifying the current lineup, Dan Andree was added after he met Dustin and Sam playing on the quad in Sep. '06--The rest is history. They officially debuted as the Corn Desert Ramblers on January 18th, 2007 opening for Reverend Payton's Big Dam Band at the Canopy Club. In May of '07, CDR started playing a weekly gig at the Rose Bowl Tavern in downtown Urbana with Russel Clark on Bass and Bob Watson on Dobro. This configuration flirted with the name Bug Tussle, but as Lee joined the jam and Bob played more shows with the group, it melded into one happy family. To top off the first year, the Ramblers played the Strip Mines Music Festival at The Caves in Murphysboro, IL on Labor Day. In the sprit of bluegrass they continue to play monthly shows were they started, at the Iron Post, with great friends and family. The Corn Desert Ramblers are an exciting "Traditional Newgrass" band pickin' and grinnin' the only way they know how--Chambana style.
www.myspace.com/corndesert
