The Members
Over the years, almost 40 people have been involved in the making of Robot Holiday. Below is the “Hall of Fame” of people who have made big contributtions to our records or performed at our live show.
Dee Adams
Buffalo, NY singer songwriter Dee Adams writes and sings punchy, poetic, acoustic guitar driven songs drenched in hooks and harmonies. Reviews have coined Dee’s style as “earthy”, “sweet to spunky”, and have said that she has “lyrics that speak to the heart and mind”. With elements of blues, rock, and folk, Dee’s voice is the centerpiece of her lyrically and melodically lilting songs, which range in subject matter from birds, to guns, to countless themes of human nature and social maladies. In addition to being a regularly working performing songwriter,...
Phil Banaszak
Philip Banaszak, a 2005 inductee of the North American Fiddler’s Hall of Fame, a former New York State Fiddling Champion, and a three-time Erie County Fiddle Champ, has been performing and teaching in the Western New York area for over 20 years. Mr. Banaszak and his wife, Gretchen, currently make up the City Fiddle Band, mixing Bluegrass, Celtic and original music. He is a charter member of the Canal Street String Band which formed in the summer of 2010, blending fiddle tunes, sea shanties, western swing (just to name...
Cathy Carfagna
Buffalo, NY native Cathy Carfagna covers a lot of ground. Perhaps best known as a keyboardist and vocalist for the Outlyers and the Vores —and former member of the Jazzabels — Cathy has released a solo CD : “Turn Your Face to the Sun.” Featuring joyous harmonies and well-crafted arrangements, “Turn Your Face to the Sun” is firmly grounded in American roots music and 60s pop sensibilities. The release includes 11 self-penned compositions, along with covers of songs by Bob Kozak (the Jumpers) and Buck Quigley (the Steam Donkeys)....
Nikki Carrol
Nikki Carroll is a writer and musician born and raised in Buffalo, NY. She was introduced to American roots music when she began harmonizing and playing guitar with fellow Shady Grove musicians Lisa Forrest, Sally Fehskens, and Doug Lambert. Currently dividing her time between Buffalo and Pittsburgh, Nikki is an M.F.A student in nonfiction writing as well as an instructor in composition and creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh, where she received the Edwin O. Ochester Graduate Poetry Award (2011) and the Graduate Nonfiction Award (2012) She is still...
Rob Falgiano
Buffalo, NY artist Rob Falgiano embraces eclectic musical influences and enjoys breaking musical eggs for the thrill of discovery. His new CD “All Star Heart” is an interesting smash-up including: layered electro-pop beats; rhythmic acoustic guitars; ambient blips and bleeps; thumping bass guitar and kick drums; Latin-influenced grooves; and real live strings. Rob has deep respect for classic pop songwriting and feels there are no real barriers between genres. You’ll find catchy, uplifting melodies back to back with expressions of desolation. Whatever works and is...
Sally Fehskens
Sally Fehskens values the capacity of music to transmit timeless stories and to provide windows to the human experience. When she was fifteen years old, her older brother taught her to harmonize and play guitar. Growing up, she played with her family in the “Black Kettle Band,” singing traditional songs and hymns. This led her to be part of the Buffalo-based band, Shady Grove, in 2009. She currently is a solo artist, focusing on songwriting and enjoying unstructured fellowship through music. She has performed at the Elmwood Festival of...
Lisa Forrest
An award winning poet and two-time Pushcart prize nominee, Lisa Forrest has been involved in Hughes’s annual Robot Holiday project since 2010, where she has penned songs with fellow songwriters Jim Whitford (Uncle Cisco’s Nudie Pen, Old Joy), Doug Lambert (Crazy Hearts, Perfect Snow Song), David Mussen (Winter Moon), and Jonathan Hughes (Robot Love). Forrest’s songs are also featured in Robt Holiday’s War of 1812 project, where she collaborates with Jim Whitford (Snake Hill), and Doug Lambert (Sobbing Sophie). Forrest currently resides in Clinton, N.Y. where she serves as...
Seamus Gallivan
In addition to freelancing for The Buffalo News, Seamus is a Buffalo repat who founded The Good Neighborhood in 2010 after moving back to The City of Good Neighbors for good. The Good Hood is online with a daily dose of the greater good, and on the town with a cause for every event — such as Robot Holiday Live! and its support of the Food Bank of WNY! For more information, visit. For more information,...
Jonathan Hughes
Jonathan Hughes is a bass player, electronic musician, and graphic designer from Buffalo, NY. In addition to playing bass with many Western New York musicians, he has released numerous CDs of original electronic music, scored two documentaries, and wrote the original Music for “August Evening,” an independent film that won top awards at the 2007 LA Film Festival and Independent Spirit Awards. He also heads up the yearly Robot Holiday project. For more information,...
Hussalonia
Nominated for nothing and regular recipient of money-saving Valpak coupons, Hussalonia is a pop music cult in Buffalo, NY. The Hussalonia Internet Concourse, conveniently located on the Internet, offers digits upon digits of free digital downloads, which makes sense since recorded music has no value. The Hussalonia founder, who is owned and operated by Nefarico™ (makers of quality soap products), aspires to one day be inducted into a Wikipedia page, preferably posthumously. Visit www.hussalonia.com for more or less...
Guillermo Izquierdo
When not being the “ultimate dad” and designing websites, Guillermo loves playing music and considers himself blessed to be able to play with so many talented musicians, such as the Robot Holiday crew. His “main project” is The Corrections, with whom he sings lead and plays acoustic guitar and mandolin. The pop band was the winner of “Best New Original Band” at the 2005 Buffalo Music Awards. Their album “Let’s Not Call It Love” was produced by Dan McLoughlin at The Vault Recording Studio in Hoboken, NJ. The Corrections have...
Joelle Labert
Joelle Labert is a vocalist in Buffalo, New York. She currently plays in a twang-rock/Americana band called Flatbed. Bob Silvestri of Best of WNY has described her as “one of Western New York’s most versatile and beautiful voices.” With influences that range from Patty Griffin to Los Lobos, Joelle has one of the most unique voices you will hear. Joelle released a solo CD in 2010, entitled Dancing Virginia — a collection of Americana songs with flavors of bluegrass, country, and pop. The CD includes contributions by 21 Buffalo...
Doug Lambert
Doug Lambert has been playing music in Buffalo since 1994 across several genres. Most notably, he has appeared with Vox Humana, The Ifs, The Voice of Cheez, The 12/8 Path Band, and the WBNY Rebellious Jukebox. He played and arranged vocal parts for Best-of-Buffalo nominated Shady Grove and in 2010 joined Lisa Forrest to form the indie folk duo Honey Girl & the Horseshoe Falls. He participates in two annual music projects which perform for charity, including the Tom Waits Tribute Show “Beautiful Maladies”, benefitting the SPCA, and Robot Holiday,...
Rob Lynch
An award winning teacher, Rob has taught both Fine Art and Music at Niagara Falls High School, Buffalo Arts Studio, The Albright Knox Art Gallery, Artpark, The Burchfield Penney Art Center, Alder Creek Music, Lewiston Porter High School, and various Buffalo Public Schools as a teaching artist with the Arts In Education Institute of WNY. His combined years of teaching nearly equal his years on the planet. Always looking to wear more hats, Rob has worked as a contributing reviewer for the Buffalo News and a hat model for...
Alex Lynne
Alex Lynne is an award-winning singer/songwriter who, with Jonathan Hughes, co-founded what was to become Robot Holiday. In 2003, Lynne, Hughes, and David Mussen recorded “Ghosts of Dust and Tar” with Opaline, to critical acclaim. Over the past two decades, she has received top honors as a vocalist and songwriter, with recognition from Artvoice, Buffalo Spree, WBNY, and Nightlife’s Buffalo Music Awards. Alex currently performs with Michael Oliver and the Sacred Band, alongside fellow robots Jim Whitford and Rob Lynch. Alex sometimes tunes her guitar before putting it back...
Katy Miner
Vocalist and songwriter, Katy Miner, has had the privilege of working with several recording professionals in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Buffalo, including GRAMMY multi-nominee, James Gardiner (Touch-Tone Productions and Pajama Recording Studios), GRAMMY winner, Kevin Irving (Kirv Entertainment), Zakiya Hooker, daughter of the legendary John Lee Hooker, and Buffalo’s Rob Falgiano. Residing now in Buffalo, Katy has been featured in several Buffalo theater productions and with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. She currently works as a background and session vocalist and occasionally sings with...
David Mussen
David Mussen is a songwriter and musician in Buffalo, New York. He has been a proud member of the Robot Holiday Collective since...
Naryan Padmanabha
Born into a family with roots extending from India to Ireland, Naryan’s interests in music started at the early age of 8. He started playing Western instruments like drum set and guitar. On these instruments, Naryan created music ranging from punk rock to folk and many places in between. During his teen years, Naryan began exploring his roots by traveling to India and soon learned the styles of Classical Indian music. Through his travels, he learned to borrow concepts and styles from many world traditions. His main instruments are...
Joe Rozler
Joe Rozler is a singer/instrumentalist in Buffalo, NY who is unaccustomed to referring to himself in the third person. Grew up listening to The Beatles and Stockhausen. Went to music school. Performed with many ensembles and artists; some famous, some not-so-famous, and a couple fictitious. Written/arranged/recorded a couple truckloads of music for hire: advertising jingles, industrial videos, music for video games, and a couple soap opera themes. Will most likely keep doing the...
Dave Ruch
Dave Ruch is a full-time musician/performer/music researcher/teaching artist who sings and plays mandolin, guitar, banjo, octave mandolin, bones, spoons, jaw harp, hambone and probably some other things too. For more information,...
Elizabeth Switzer
Elizabeth Switzer is a hybrid media artist, designer, writer and independent curator who currently resides in Buffalo, NY. She is the former Director of the Rochester Contemporary Art Center and now works as a faculty member in the Department of Fine Art at Villa Maria College and is the Studio Art Galleries and College Art Collection Director at Canisius College. Her interest in art began in childhood, growing up in a working class family in the rural town of Sodus, NY. She received her Master’s of Fine Art from...
