Eddie Owen Presents: Ferdinand the Bull (opening: Kurt Lee Wheeler)
Advanced tickets: $20 ($25 day of show)
OPENER: KURT LEE WHEELER
“This young group of talented Pittsburgh musicians has been playing together and touring the country for three years now as folk band Ferdinand the Bull… full of themes about nature and love. Pulsating under Snyder’s vocals is a great backtrack of kick drum and guitar strums that make you want to get up and dance along.”
– The Wild Honeypie
Formed by Pennsylvania-based frontman Nick Snyder, Ferdinand the Bull is an indie-folk collective rooted in big hooks, carefully crafted songwriting, and a dynamic stage show.
Raised an hour from Philadelphia in Kutztown, Snyder later moved to Pittsburgh, where he launched Ferdinand the Bull in 2013 – a high-energy folk band for big stages and bigger crowds, Ferdinand the Bull hit the road, playing everywhere from Seattle to Los Angeles. They also rose toward the top of the midwest’s folk circuit, opening an amphitheater show for Josh Ritter one minute and playing alongside Rusted Root the next. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reviewed one of the band’s performances in Oregon, noting that the music “inspired non-stop dancing,” while Noisetrade gushed, “They craft some pretty musical magic.” Meanwhile, networks like the Discovery Network and PBS featured the band’s music, broadcasting Ferdinand the Bull’s music to a national audience.
After returning from their Official Showcase at South by Southwest, Ferdinand the Bull continues to evolve its high-spirited sound with their new EP. Recorded by the bandmates themselves and mixed by the Grammy-winning engineer Craig Alvin (Brittany Howard, Kacey Musgraves), the record showcases the sturdy songwriting that’s always served as the group’s foundation, as well as the adventurous arrangements that have transformed the group from a one-man band into something much bigger.
KURT LEE WHEELER
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Kurt Lee Wheeler melds rock and roll, alt-country, Americana and folk into something vibrant and captivating. The lyrics draw a picture of precarious life on the edge through no one’s fault. In the best tradition of storytellers who do not shy away from raw, challenging life experience, Wheeler explores what it means to lose no matter how hard you try. Wheeler comes from Cherokee County, Georgia. The son of a cattleman and homemaker, he is a self-taught guitar player who began experimenting with sound at an early age. Between his chores tending to cattle, playing sports and his school work, Wheeler recorded songs on any tape he could find whether it was reel to reel, cassette or 8-tracks.