The Bardo Brothers
Bowregard Bardo
click for details. Doktor Billy Bardo
click for details. Barking Blue Bardo
click for details. B. Maxwell Bardo
click for details. Battling Babraham Bardo
click for details. Ali Benoit ibn Bardo
click for details. Thunder Bolt Bardo
click for details. Jim Barleycorn Bardo
Click for details.

The Bardo Brothers at Cerridwen's Coffeehouse, Silver Spring, Maryland, January 13, 2001.
Photo by Marie Lutins, aka Brigid Bardo.

Navigate the picture for info on band members, or go to the full list.

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Welcome to our little corner of the web. Read below for more info on the band or follow the links for music, photos and more!

Bardo micro-FAQ

Where are the Bardo Brothers based?
Mostly in the Binghamton, NY area, with some members in other parts of New York State and beyond.

How would one book the Bardo Brothers? Why?
The first part is relatively easy. Just send an email to info@bardobrothers.com, and we'll take it from there. The second part depends on what you're looking for! We specialize in danceable instrumentals featuring guitar, cello, mandolin, bouzouki, saaz, clarinet, flute, and a variety of percussion, as well as original, traditional, and contemporary songs that move the mind and spirit along with the feet.

Looking for something more traditional? The Bardicci Consort offers music from Medieval and Renaissance Europe, the Middle East, and the folk and Celtic traditions for feasts and gatherings of all types. Contact us at info@bardobrothers.com .

Music is the muse that brings these rogues together, an ensemble of Bodhrans, Dumbecks, Bouzoukis, Banjos, Lutes, Flutes, and an assortment of misbegotten orchestral relics. Their music is best described as medievally-inspired and decidedly strange. "Eloquently rowdy vocals..." declared one critic.

...a collective of Misfit Minstrels and Barroom Bards whose sounds range from Folk to Funk, Jam to Jazz, Renaissance to Rock, and Troubador to Tribal. (In case you haven't guessed, they are also fond of alliteration.)

"I only crave meat when they're around!" -- a vegetarian fan

Bardo Background

What is a Bardo?

In the Tibetan Book of the Dead "Bardo" refers to a state or place where the soul goes in between incarnations; a place to rest and review lessons learned in different lives.

Heavy Metalsmiths

Deep in the mists of time, in the latter decades of the 20th century C.E., two jewelers, Bill Thorpe and David Reyen, joined forces and needed a name for their business. En route to the New York Renaissance Festival , they frequently passed by the Bardo Motor Inn in Fishkill, NY and the Bardo Brothers Magical Metalsmiths were born. As it turns out, these Magical Metalsmiths were also Mad Minstrels, with an ear for traditional tunes and supernatural songs, and the chutzpah to play them for anyone who would listen.

Bardic Bardo Brothers

Over the years a loose-knit confederation of mutant musicians associated with the name "Bardo Brothers" coalesced into something resembling a band. Through a combination of attitude, hospitality, and maybe a little talent, the Bardos caught the attention of various virtuoso musicians, radio producers, and festival coordinators. As the Bardo myth grew, so did their confidence that people might actually sit in an audience and listen, or better yet get up and dance to their collective musings.

Major Bardo Performances

Presenting The Bardo Brothers:

Doktor Billy Bardo (Billy Joe Thorpe)
Dr. Billy Bardo is a master metalsmith, channeler of arcane weirdness, artist, musician, preacher, husband, and father. He is also an accomplished bullshit artist and has been endorsed by countless questionable authorities. The title of "Doktor" refers to Billy's practice of quack dentistry and his vast command of mystic trivia.

Barking Blue Bardo (Steve Strauss)
Barking Blue is the musical genius of the group and will be the first one to tell you so. He is actually a real musician, with real CD's and European tours and is still concerned that his record company could drop him if they discover that he had anything to do with these under-rates.

Bhakti Bardo (Bill Clune)
Brahmananda Bhakti Bardo has been the backbeat of the Bardo sound. "Bangin' on a doumbek with a grin from ear to ear," B-man is also a master metalsmith with a penchant for overindulging in technology. Perhaps you've met him at an airport in the past or read his runaway best-seller, Still Here Now with Genessee Jesse. He is happily married to a Greek goddess.

Barleycorn Bardo (Jim Brewster)
Jim Barleycorn, aka the Banjo Pimp, is widely respected as a fine musician and exquisite brewer of some renown. beer. Jim Barleycorn collects pagan bands like some people collect stamps. He is also the webmaster of BardoBrothers.com, so you can blame him for this here mess.

Bowregard Bardo (Diana McFadden)
Bowregard Bardo is the resident authority on bows, whether you're talking 'cellos, longbows, or five-string solid-body electric crossbows. She is actually a very fine musician who was lured into the Bardos by the promise of good, dark ale.

B. Maxwell Bardo (Terry Kestel)
Another recent addition to the core line-up, B Maxwell has gone from the Shaman's beat to the indecipherable edge of polyrhythmic madness, that is when we can pry him out from behind the soundboard, where the numerous knobs and buttons offer endless fascination. He is without a doubt the smoothest of the Bardo Brothers.

Ali Benoit ibn Bardo (allen lutins)
Benoit rounds out the Bardo sound with melodious touches that penetrate deeply into your psyche and stay with you all day. Musician, composer, ethnomusicologist, and one of the technophiles in the band, Benoit also has his own web site.

Bolt Bardo (Thunder Jamieson)
Like a herd of buffalo thundering across the plain, Bolt Bardo demands your attention and gets your feet moving! Whether it's a voodoo trance, a techno rave, or the Bardo rhythm posse, you'll find him there hard at work!

Battling Babraham Bardo (Abraham Street)
Lending his able hands to the Bardo rhythm section, Babraham brings taste and finesse as well as fire to the mix. When he's not drumming or sacrificing himself in pitched battle, Babraham is a fine artist, tattoo specialist, and metalsmith.

Bearfooted Bob Bardo (Mike Scriven)
The newest member and leader of the Bardo Brothers, Bearfooted Bob steps in with both feet to lend his songwriting, vocal, and instrumental talents to the Bardo effort.

Backup Bardos and Bardos-between-the-lines include: Babycatcher, Backstage, Barbie, Bard Olvardil, Baron Braun, Baroque, Basco, Beau-jangles, Bedlam, Being, Belated, Belle, Benefactor, Rev. Black, Bliss, Blossom, Uncle Bondo, Bonnie Blue, Mz. Bonz, Brigid, Bombshell, Buck, Bushless, Curly Larry Moe, Dan-Dan, Faux, Sr. Jewels, and Blind Bubonic Bardo.

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