.....plays hard-driving traditional, original and unique bluegrass and acoustic music. Performing since 1992, Dyer Switch was inducted into the New York State Country Music Hall of Fame and nominated for five consecutive years as Bluegrass Band of the Year by the Northeast Country Music Association. In 1998, “Gotta Feelin’,” from the band’s third recording, “American Airwaves,” was nominated for “Song of the Year” by the Northeast CMA. Dyer Switch has received considerable air play in North America and Europe, and a song that band member JoAnn Sifo wrote was number one on the European country charts. The band has been has been featured on Northeast Public Radio, and in 1997 opened for Ralph Stanley at a concert in upstate New York.

This versatile and engaging band with dynamic stage presence has captivated audiences throughout the Northeast, Midwest and South at festivals, clubs, coffeehouses, fairs and live radio shows. The band brings together hard-driving renditions of traditional tunes from first-generation bluegrass giants like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, their own powerful originals and fresh and innovative versions of songs from other genres.

The band’s fourth recording, “Family Business,” on Independence Records, showcases the distinctive talents, vocal and instrumental versatility and unique sound of the five members – Tom Benson (mandolin, vocals, guitar), JoAnn Sifo (guitar and vocals), Bob Altschuler (banjo and Dobro), Nick Viscio (fiddle and vocals) and Randy Jennings (bass and vocals). A Bluegrass Unlimited review of “Family Business” said: “The Dyer Switch band has been playing their own brand of bluegrass music since 1992... Dyer Switch has created a masterful recording that beautifully showcases their mesmeric charm.” -Les McIntyre in Bluegrass Unlimited, March, 2006. (Read the Review)

A sampling of the many bluegrass festivals at which Dyer Switch has played includes the Central Indiana Festival at Bean Blossom, Stringbean Festival in Kentucky, Central Virginia and Eastern North Carolina Festivals, Pocono Mountain Festival in Pennsylvania, Peaceful Valley Festival in New York, Oxford Festival in Maine, Country Stage Music Park in Nova, Ohio and the Prairieland Festival in Illinois. The band has also performed at many other bluegrass festivals and venues across New England, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and the South, and been featured on many radio stations in its travels.

“. . . when they get together they make beautiful bluegrass music . . . Dyer Switch also offered some excellent originals . . . if they capture the zeal and emotion of their live show on plastic, they’ll have a guaranteed winner on their hands.” - J. Eric Smith, Metroland Newspaper, about a Dyer Switch performance at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY, prior to the release of “American Airwaves.

Dyer Switch belongs to the International Bluegrass Music Association.