Bryan Harrison: vocals, guitar

Jim McLaren: vocals, guitar, harmonica

Elisa M. Welch: vocals, keyboards, penny whistle

Dave Coan: percussion

The Buds Following the successes of their 2010-'11 "Organic Tunes" Tour, The Buds are in fine form kicking off their schedule of 2012 shows.

A product of the local San Francisco Bay Area music scene, The Buds evolved initially from relationships built at late-night jam sessions and San Francisco open mics. Longtime compatriots Bryan Harrison and Jim McLaren have gone through various shifts in sound and style with the band Bryan founded several years ago. From acoustic rock, to a full-on electric rock band, and back to a more organic flavor that percussionist Dave Coan dubbed "Garden Rock", The Buds - now complete with the effervecent presence of Elisa M. Welch - have grown tight in sound and rich in style.

Capturing the magic - that creative spark and driving force that defines a successful band, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - is what The Buds strive for and attain. Building from their own developed talents as songwriters, musicians, and vocalists, the evolution of the band has shifted from the a very rock-driven focus more toward the CSNY end of the spectrum.

Bryan first met Jim and Dave playing open mics in San Francisco, initially at the Hotel Utah and Lost & Found Saloon, then Nickie's and The Canvas. As an emerging songwriter, Bryan's goal was to get out there and play, and air out new material. Meeting like-minded musicians and playing together was serendipity at its finest. From coffee houses to nightclubs, various formations of a band came and went. The first of many farmers market gigs showed up in December, 2004, with several friends joining Bryan to make up a band. Ultimately, the band became so much more than Bryan's music alone, so BHB (Bryan Harrison Band) morphed into The Buds in June 2009

Jim, who has extensive experience performing on the streets of the North Beach district in San Francisco - brought his own style and strong cover song experience to the fore. With his acoustic guitar, Dylan-esque harmonica, and warm vocals, he provides a great deal of heart to the music of The Buds. In addition to his many cover songs, Jim also writes, and has several original songs as part of The Buds' regular repretoire.

Elisa M. Welch, a multi-talented musician and vocalist in her own right, fell into this band through weekly jams at Blondie's in San Francisco in 2007. In addition to her fine vocals, keyboards and pennywhistle, she also brings a finely trained musical ear to the group. Her songwriting talent has found its way into the mix, as well. Together, the three part harmonies Ebud, Bbud & Jbud put together have become a signature part of The Buds' sound.

Dave Coan rounds out the group's sound with his percussive talents, most notably on his West African djembe drum. Bryan and Dave first started playing coffee house gigs together at the early turn of the century, and have gone through many changes together, as described above. A cornerstone of the sound, the music's always better when Dave's there.

The Buds have evolved into a multi-layered cohesion of musicians who manage to create that musical magic together. Or as the band likes to call it, "mewzik!"

Instrumentation
Bryan Harrison - vocals, guitar
Jim McLaren - vocals, guitar, and harmonica
Elisa M. Welch - vocals, keyboards, and pennywhistle
Dave Coan: djembe percussion

Discography
The Buds released the band's first full-length studio CD, "Organic Tuneage", in late Summer 2009. The record, a product of two-plus years of the band playing together, has been well-received.

Previously, Bryan released a solo record, long in the works - "thru the open gate" in early 2008. With tracks produced by Todd Nichols, of Toad the Wet Sprocket fame, as well as others produced by Bryan himself, "thru the open gate" invites fans into the heart of the songwriter, while providing a nicely flowing blend of his musical styles.

Bryan's previously solo CD: "Raw Tracks" has a few remaining copies still available at: CDbaby.com/bryanh

Elisa also has her own fully studio produced CD, featuring many of her own songs along with some fine traditional Irish songs. "The Wheel" is available on iTunes.

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