Harder than folk, weirder than rock and gooder than good, The Do-Gooders are a Hard-Acoustic/Gothic Americana trio made up of Hamilton Cellist Geoff Ball, and Burlington guitarists Stu Gritter and Dan Murray. Possessing a penchant for storytelling, they tend to snag bits and pieces from different genres in order to find what best suits their whimsically grim (Grimsical?) tales. As a result, they are a seismograph of energy, darting from highs to lows and back again between songs.
The Do-Gooders blend a number of genres into their unique sound, with each member bringing something unusual to the table, all with the intention of telling stories - and not happy ones.
Lead Singer/Songwriter and Rhythm Guitarist Dan Murray, winner of the 2015 Burlington's Best award for Arts Person of the Year, is a powerhouse vocalist with a soulful baritone that can turn into an out-of-control gravel truck at a moment's notice. His strength lies in his ability to compose these macabre tales of the weird and wonderful, as well as to convey them with an enormous stage presence.
Lead Guitarist and Singer Stu Gritter behaves as the counterbalance...with a soft, nearly angelic tenor voice, he creates a powerful dynamic alongside Dan's howling volume. Not only that, Stu is adept at finding a high place to perch on his guitar, and giving each song an eerie beauty. He is also fairly accomplished as a percussive fingerstyle guitarist, which can be a very effective way to make up for the band's lack of a drummer.
Cellist Geoff Ball provides an unsettling backbone for the band, both as an outstanding composer and through his instrument, which lends a thunderous, hauntingly sad, and at times, almost frightening element to the band's already intimidating sound and subject matter. The range and beauty of Geoff's Cello work is what grants these songs a sense of polish, and brings them to life, be they heartbroken cautionary tales, or sharp-toothed horror anthems.
Together, these three create a sound and presence so much larger than one would expect to see from a small group of acoustic musicians. Their shows are engaging, exciting, and playful, in a gallows humor kind of way. They strive constantly to improve upon their writing; never satisfied with simple, and always looking to reach the next level of musicianship. In short; they do music gooder.
