Recording a live studio version of Rivals with the Bobby Thompson Band at the Hangar Studio in Columbia, MD. Chris Brown on bass and Andy Hamburger on drums.

Photo by Mike Landsman

Mike Landsman Photoworks

This was taken at Jammin Java at Bobby Thompson’s album release party in May of 2025. I pulled double duty that evening and played with Burt the Dirt too. This photo was taken while I was singing my old tune Mississippi Moonlight.

📸 Jim Williams

Don’t look too closely at this image. You might get spooked.

This is part of the album cover for “Shine” by Bobby Thompson. Clockwise from upper left: Andy Hamburger, drums; Chris Brown, bass; Bobby Thompson, all the stuff; Ben Tufts, percussion and vocals; Bronson Hoover, keys.

With Scott Tournet, Ricky Wise, and Jeff Reed.

On my first long run with these fun lunatics Pat O’Shea and I became slightly obsessed with Doritos Scoops. So upon our return I made this little image to commemorate the journey and the snacks. Left to right: Chuck Cotton, moi, Chris O’Leary, Shiela Klinefelter, Pat O’Shea.

www.burtthedirt.com

Nothing like a good lighting director on a show. This is a shot of Bronson taking a solo at the Brooklyn Bowl in NYC in September 2024. Silly fun!

Our first mini-tour included a stop in Burlington, VT at the legendary Higher Ground.
Photo: Ross Mickel @ Bootleggers Beware Photography

This was an amazing run that included some historic clubs. The Bitter End is dripping with history. The piano has vibe for days.

The photographer for the Grateful Web has a great eye! This is a fun shot. Photo: @livemusicbykillahwave

This is a shot from the first time I was thrown in the deep end of the pool with the legendary Chuck Cotton on drums, and my buddy the great Pete Kanaras on bass. What a ride!

Our friend Billy Price joined us onstage for a few tunes at Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton, Florida. Great night!

Photo by Mike Landsman

Mike Landsman Photoworks

Playing with my brothers in Burt the Dirt. Photo by the amazing Mike Landsman.

Bronson playing with the Gabe Stillman Band at Hank Dietle’s Tavern in Maryland. Thanks to Alan Kresse for the pic!

Newmyer Flyer’s annual The Last Waltz show at the Hamilton in Washington DC.
Photo: Brooke Lowe

Here’s the band photo of Better Days with the photo bomb addition of the wonderfully bearded Ricky Wise.

Attempting to channel the great Dr. John with “Such a Night” at the Hamilton Live in Washington DC with Burt the Dirt. Photo courtesy Todd Lapham.

In August 2019 I had the great fortune to play with Buddy Guy in his club in Chicago with the Jose Ramirez band. He sang for over ten minutes with us. Apparently he liked us. It was a blast and a serious honor.

We had a fabulous sold-out show at the Birchmere over Thanksgiving weekend in 2019. This was an amazing band, and it was a thrill to play with such talent.

Photo courtesy the great Dave Cooper.

I was fortunate to spend the day in the studio with Shun McGhee’s band Black History. Tracking that day included some killer players like Eric Perez on percussion, Todd Gholar on bass, Aaron Fisher on drums and Reginald Cyntje on trombone. We did the session at Inner Ear Studios in Virginia.

Bil and I had a blast joining the amazing Deanna Bogart for a little roadhouse Boogie Woogie.

This is a house concert for the group Better Days. Jason Butcher is the songwriter for this project, and his songs are gorgeous. This band is filled with the serious talents of Bryan Ewald, Jeff Reed, and Aiden Ewald.

We had the honor of playing the final Bay Blues Festival with Colin Beatty and Ray Hangen.

Playing on Buddy Guy’s stage was total joy.

Photo credit: Alan Kresse at Hank Dietle's Tavern

What a powerhouse performer. Don’t ever sleep on a chance to see Kat Riggins in action.

In the 90s I played with a great reggae group called Orange Whip. We had a blast and played all over the east coast constantly. Our manager also happened to manage the great Ron Holloway at the time, so Ron would join us whenever he wanted a gig. We were happy to have him. He’s an icon on the horn, but his stories after the gig were legendary. Photo: Eric Mindte

A little facial hair experimentation.

Playing with John Previti was on my bucket list. Playing with John AND Nick at the same time is amazing. Playing with them regularly has become heaven.

I’ve been blessed to get to know a few of my favorite artists in the world. Here I’m with the coolest cat you’ll ever meet: Andy Milne. Every time I see him he makes me feel like we’re long lost friends. His playing is inspirational and it’s really been an honor getting to know him over the years. In this shot are a few other piano luminaries: Allyn Johnson, Burnett Thompson, Frederico Pena. Also in the room that night was the omnipresent Rusty Hassan.

Had a blast playing in Chicago at one of the top blues clubs in the world!

Am I blue? Not really.
Photo by Dave Cooper.

OK - so you can’t see me in this photo. But that’s OK, because I really love this image. I’ve been playing with these talented artists for a few years now, and every show is a blast.

So I get a random call from my buddy Harris Amster: “hey man, we’re playing a gig at Gypsy Sally’s and we need a sub drummer. You interested?” Ah, yea. I love checking off the boxes.

Playing the bass in a classic rock and soul band is just good for your soul. Onstage here is Pete Looney, Dave Sames, and Richard Bishop. The following year the band added Chris Reiher on trombone and guitar.

Look at the joy on Mary’s face as we listen back to our previous take. Recording on her 2019 full band album was a great honor. There’s no one like Mary Prankster. Photo by Wenona Daniel.

When Groove Collective was hotter than molten lava in the mid-90s, I hosted the band at my home while they were touring the area. I’ve kept in touch with Jonathan ever since. He’s my hero on the bass. Not a note out of place when he’s on the gig. He’s funky as hell, and a total sweetheart. This photo was taken during a fire alarm at his gig with Donny McCaslin. The keyboard player on that gig was into crazy sounds, so when the fire alarm sounded, we thought it was part of the show!

This was one of my first serious groups. Buck Brown is a tremendous guitar player, keyboard player, and songwriter. After the Atomic Bros. run ended, he moved to Nashville and began touring as a duo with Nils Lofgren. Yea, he’s that good. It was an honor to play with these heavy hitters.

I was playing a solo piano gig down the road from a Jon Cleary show. Needless to say, the second my final set was finished, I raced to catch some of the master. I walked in as he was taking a final bow, but lucky me: he did two encore numbers. He’s a sweetheart of a human being, and one of the greatest piano players I’ve ever had the opportunity to see.

There’s nothing better than jamming on a small, private island in Jamaica with Canadian blues legend Terry Gillespie.

While backstage at a Steely Dan show, I was able to have a wonderful conversation with one of the greatest guitarists alive today: Jon Herrington. Jon is a chameleon, and a super cool cat.

What can I say about this lady? She’s inspired so many musicians over the years. She was my high school band director and my first mentor. The list of her former students is a who’s who of jazz heavies.

Getting to know Andy Milne over the years has many perks. But the greatest perk of all has to be that moment he introduced me to his wife LaTanya Hall. Like Andy, she’s warm, kind, and makes you feel like you’ve been friends since childhood. She’s also an amazing vocalist as a soloist, and as a backup singer for Steely Dan. Here LaTanya introduced me to my all-time favorite drummer: Keith Carlock. I was floating for days. Thanks Andy and LaTanya for being so generous!

I produced a jazz piano series for a few years, and one of my favorite shows was when Mark Meadows came with Rochelle Rice and blew our socks off. This photo is after his performance at Signature Theatre. It was his first acting gig, and he nailed that too. Mark is ridiculously talented, and if you haven’t heard of him yet, I promise you will.

Photo courtesy the great Dave Cooper.

Podcast interview with Mary for the Baltimore Underground Radio Podcast.

Thirty-three friends shared their talents at the 1938 Historic Olney Theatre in tribute to our pal Pete Looney who we lost to cancer at the end of 2022.

The Jose Ramirez Band came is second place at the IBC in a field of 230 amazing bands from around the world.