Uncle Charlie & the Meatballs

                                                                                                        (The Story…)

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Uncle Charlie & the Meatballs is an energetic blues-based rock/jam band from central NY. UCMB (for short) has played on almost every stage, and in the corner of almost every bar, restaurant and brewery in the greater Utica area. The roots of the band go back over 20 years to the beginning of the Mohawk Valley Blues Society monthly open jams. That’s where Adam Bishton (Harmonica/Vocals), met cousins Frank Grimaldi (Bass) and Tony Adamo (Drums/Vocals) through a mutual friend, Larry Giglio (guitar/vocals). The 4-some started playing together circa 2002 with a band they named “Sour Mash”. After the lead singer/guitarist of Sour Mash (Larry Giglio) moved away, the band faded out.

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Although SOUR MASH was no more, no one really ever stopped playing music in the local scene. Adam continued playing with Terry Johnson (Swamp Drivers), George Deveny (Blueprints) and others. Tony played with Spencer Morgan (Last Left), the late, great Al Nathan (Bluestreak), John Hutson and others. Frank started a new project with some guys he met at work, specifically a guitarist named Collen Roller (Work Related).

When Larry would come home for a visit around the holidays, Adam, Tony and Frank would get together almost annually and put on a pop-up show at whatever venue would have them. This eventually turned into a tradition of sorts that the band and other live music enthusiasts started looking forward to every year. It turned into annual jam sessions with many other players from the local music scene. Although the band line-ups, the band names, and the song selections would change, the core of four players stayed the same. Adam on harmonica, Tony on drums and Frank would move to guitar to make room for another staple of the annual jams, our close friend, Sean Gaffney (Crazy Fools) on bass. The name “Uncle Charlie & the Meatballs” was thought up by Sean Gaffney and one of the many names the band would cycle through for the annual jams. For whatever reason, the name just seemed to stick. (History within the history… “Uncle Charlie” was a code during the prohibition era for the band’s favorite local beer, “Utica Club”)

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After about 6-7 years of these annual jams, it was time to take things a bit more seriously. That is when Steve Schoen (Guitar/Vocals) and his wife Kelsey (Vocals) joined in. Steve, Larry and Tony were friends from way back in high school, playing and coaching lacrosse together. In addition, Steve was a regular at the Sour Mash and Crazy Fools Shows and therefore a natural fit. The band “Uncle Charlie & The Meatballs” started to get busier and busier booking shows on a regular basis throughout Central NY since 2018.

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Over the next few years, “life” would happen and the band line-up would go through several changes. Collen Roller would come in on guitar, then Jake Lozo on guitar. Frank would step away from the bass but would continue to have an important role as the band’s “Sound Tech” and producer. Frank’s younger brother, Matt Grimaldi, would occasionally perform as a solo artist during the band’s set breaks. After Frank stepped away from the bass, Matt then became the band’s new bassist. One night right before a scheduled gig, the band found themselves in need of an emergency guitarist, luckily Frank and Matt had a childhood friend named Mike Barr that could fill in for the night… Mike has been the band’s lead guitarist ever since.

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This hard-working band’s current line-up consists of a mechanic, a teacher, a tailor and a painter. Adam Bishton (harmonica/vocals), Tony Adamo (drums/vocals), Matt Grimaldi (bass/vocals) and Mike Barr (guitar/vocals) travel all over New York playing about 80 shows a year on average and still looking to add to the calendar. UCMB plays a wide variety of blues from legends, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Paul Butterfield and many others. The band will also mix it up with other surprise covers of songs by Sublime, The Grateful Dead, Chris Stapleton, and Tom Petty, just to name a few. New/original music is constantly being worked on, in the hopes of soon releasing their first studio album.

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Upcoming events, videos, pictures and other information can be found on the band’s Website and social accounts:

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www.unclecharlieandthemeatballs.com

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facebook.com/UncleCharlieandtheMeatballs

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Instagram.com/unclecharlieandthemeatballs

 

For Booking Info:         ucmb.band@gmail.com

(315)404-1958