ABOUT THE BAND
Formed in Philadelphia during pandemic 2020, the Brian Shapiro Band (BSB) is a theatrical art-rock/post-punk collection of musicians featuring performance artist Brian Shapiro (vocals/guitar guitar), Ben Kutner-Duff (drums/arrangements), Ed Moman (bass), and Rory Flynn (guitar). BSB’s songs find grounding in a world going through yet another period of charged change.
Los Angeles native Brian Shapiro is a musician, performer, and educator. Shapiro’s work is about transformation and the will to create a more grounded and meaningful life. Through multiple genres, he explores the struggle to hold on to one’s convictions in the face of growing up in a world filled with smoke and no mirrors. Shapiro dismantles anger and disappointment piece by piece, rearranging it into something far more constructive.
Shapiro tackles the very human desire to transcend our beginnings and become more than what we were, as he builds new narratives designed to heal and inspire. Shapiro is one of five children from a messy family where infidelity, abuse, and divorce were regular visitors. He experienced how myth was employed to obscure truth and the confusion, loneliness, and self-doubt that generated. With a powerful, yet intimate voice, Shapiro speaks to the hyperbolic times we live in.
Shapiro’s storytelling focuses on themes of distorted thinking, the idea of what it means “to be normal,” and the question of how to accept hard truths we may not be ready to accept. Shapiro has been called a “keen observer in his songwriting capacity” with a “freewheeling creativity” that “sparkles with skewed humor.” His songs are said to be “percolating with idiosyncratic intelligence,” possessing “a tone and phrasing reminiscent of Nick Cave.” Shapiro’s singular narrative style is quirky, thought-provoking, and whimsical.
Shaped by revelatory punk influences like The Clash and The Dead Kennedys, Shapiro is drawn to the innovative and the unconventional. Performance artists like Spaulding Gray and Karen Finley, choreographers like Pina Bausch and Bill T. Jones, and countless other artists, including PJ Harvey, Ornette Coleman, and Joan Didion, have inspired his work. Shapiro counts his cousin, bassist Mark Dresser, and the bands Deerhoof and Guerilla Toss as modern-day influences.
Shapiro holds a BA and a MA in Communication Studies. He attended a doctoral program in Performance Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and teaches communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Organizational Dynamics programs. Shapiro maintains a daily tai chi, yoga, and meditation practice and is a self-care advocate. He currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife and their two sons.
Ed Moman is from Mt. Airy in Philadelphia. He started playing piano at 7. In high school, Ed also picked up the bass so he could play in a rock band. His influences lie heavily in rhythm and blues concepts, modal improvisation, and “pocket” grooves. In college he continued playing while furthering his knowledge of audio manipulation. He continues to play in various bands, work for local venues, and has even joined a few national tours.
Benjamin Kutner-Duff is a Philadelphia native and grew up attending Fringe with his theatrical family. After attending Berkeley College of Music for guitar performance, he returned home, took up drumming, and teamed up with this closest friend, Ed Moman. Ben is a fitness and movement buff and works as a personal trainer.
Inspired by sounds from all over the world, Rory Flynn has been making music since his teenage years. Following his graduation from college he has been recording and touring as the bassist for the Dirk Quinn Band, a Philly area outfit with a unique blend of rock, jazz, funk, and soul. Alongside performing, Rory teaches bass, guitar, piano, and violin to students of all ages.