Meet The New Band

Owning hot & Old

I've been recording with Leon consistently over the past decade or so and we started doing some shows together in 2025. As we were playing cafes and bookstores, a full kit was not really an option and 

Leon recommended Shawn Banks as a percussionist, having worked with him both in Genes & Machines and Burnt Sugar Arkestra. Things really started cooking when Leon casually brought out the clarinet and then I thought about Forró and how the Zabumba drum could give me the boom bap I needed, particularly when playing bass. 

So we stumbled upon this very unique sound, with Leon probably in need of a holster to whip that licorice stick out when not banging on the keys. I just love the fact that we're now sorta portable and can all play standing up. 

We've got an insane amount of tunes to learn (two guitar sets and two bass sets) and I hope you'll be hearing from us soon in the NYC area and elsewhere. You can hear what we sound like on this site's player or on BandCamp or SoundCloud, "RobBankswithLeon". Bob 022026

The new band, "RobBanksw/Leon"  Robert Gaulke- Vocals, Guitar, Bass Shawn Banks- Drums & Percussion Leon Gruenbaum- Clarinet, Keyboards, Vocals

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