Barroom Philosophers

Eclectic, in philosophical terms, is defined as, “belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to any recognized school of thought, but recognized such doctrines as they wished from various schools.” The same could be said for Syracuse’s own Barroom Philosophers, who embody eclecticism in both the scholastic and the literal sense. From the reaches of Jamaican roots reggae and dub, acid-drenched psychedelia, Chess Records’ Chicago blues and Parliament-era funk, Barroom Philosophers bend genres across the spectrum to create a unique, original groove that differs every show.



Formed in 2014 as a cover band, guitarist Joshua Way, bassist/keyboardist Ty Hancock, drummer Brenden Boshart and lead vocalist Dave Koegel began playing the bar circuit in Syracuse and at Oswego State University. The group began writing and cut their first EP, Thoughts That Count, with Langston Masingale at StudioDog Pro in 2015. The three-song EP was warmly received, and was played substantially at local radio stations in Syracuse. Barroom Philosophers concluded 2015 with a nomination for the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMY’s) and continued playing live relentlessly.



As 2016 began, Barroom Philosophers had garnered a reputation for their animated, high energy shows, and the band continued to thicken its catalog of tracks. The spring saw the hiring of guitarist and vocalist Shawn Tallet, rounding out the sound as a quintet. Feeding their voracious appetite for gigging, “Barroom Philosophers,” could be found on the bill of many Upstate festivals, including MOVE Music Festival in Albany, NY and Sterling Stage Ameribeat. Their versatility can be best understood not only by their sound, but also by their resume of supporting gigs - including John Brown’s Body, Dirty Heads, The Unlikely Candidates, Badfish and the Strumbellas.



In November of 2016, Barroom Philosophers entered the studio for the production of their debut, full-length album, Barroom Philosophers. Co-produced, engineered and mixed by Andrew Greacen and mastered by Jason “Jocko” Randall (John Brown’s Body, Sophistafunk, Turkuaz) at More Sound Studio, the record features 10 tracks of genre boundary-smashing grooves and is set to be released on February 3, 2017. Upon its release, fans can expect Barroom’s standard tireless live schedule and eclectic sound to come to their town very soon.