Sid Kingsley is a singer/songwriter/piano player based in Richmond, Virginia.
If we were seeking an heir apparent to Townes Van Zandt, Van Morrison and John Prine, Kingsley would be on the short list. Little wonder that a raging version of Prine’s “Sam Stone” and a surprisingly funky take on the timeless traditional classic “Wild Mountain Thyme” are also in his set list. - Lee Zimmerman (No Depression - Popmatter)
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Two Rock Rye began as a project in early 2015 after Matt Walters and Ben Smith were introduced at musician's weekend in Pocono mountains, Pennsylvania. Matt being from Pennsylvania and Ben calling New Zealand home, both we're surprised to find their musical influences were strangely familiar even though they grew up half a world away. It was on this sub-arctic night, standing on a frozen lake, they decided to invest their energy into starting a band. After countless practice sessions and attending local open mic nights they felt like they had something special and they wanted it to grow. And grow it did. Matt and Ben continued to regularly book as a cover act, adding to their sets the original music they had written. At a certain point it came apparent that they needed a bigger sound and in 2017 they added drummer Brian Shaw and bassist Brendan Cassidy. They began recording their debut album Saving Claire in December of 2017.