The Band

Six Musicians. One Sound.

Something older than any of them, carried forward.

Blues Torch brings together three young guitarists whose playing carries a weight and specificity that belongs to no single tradition — and a backline of veterans who have spent decades keeping the foundation solid. The result is a live experience that hits harder than it should, stays longer than expected, and leaves rooms different than it found them.

The Torchbearers

Ryan Newman

guitarist

Chester, Connecticut. Sat in with John Mayall at eleven. NEMHOF Best New Artist. Ryan Newman plays with the kind of voltage that made them call him the Continental Kid — and he's just getting started.

Matt Swanton

guitarist

Shirley, Massachusetts. Guitar since age nine, IBC semi-finalist by his twenties. Matt Swanton writes every note he plays and delivers it like a sermon — blues carved in overdrive.

Brad Dubay

guitarist

With singing & guitar playing straight out of the late 60s & early 70s blues rock era, Brad revives “that” lost sound that so many have longed for, bringing it to life in its most authentic form, delivering all-original, raw energy, soulful phrasing making him truly exceptional.

The Backline

Michael Avery

drummer

Four decades behind the kit with Chuck Berry, Big Mama Thornton, Big Walter Horton, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Michael Avery keeps time the way the old ones taught him — steady, deep, and unmovable.

Paul Loranger

bassist

Pro since seventeen, touring five continents with Eric Sardinas, Candye Kane, Popa Chubby, and the Barrett Anderson Band. Paul Loranger holds down the low end on upright and electric — a pocket player who never overplays.

Max Chase

keyboardist

Berkshires-raised, Seacoast-based. Hammond B3, Rhodes, whatever the song needs. Max Chase has been a staple of the New England scene for two decades — from jam rooms to Jerry Garcia tributes to Brad Dubay's analog sessions.