Nick Gonzales and Mark Stojanovich met in the late 90's and began what would later become rhubarb. In December of 1999, after a year of gigs in there hometown of Buffalo Ny, rhubarb played there first out of town gig. It was no other than the legendary club CBG'S in NYC.
Since then the band has had several tours of the North East, Colorado & points in between. Along with the release of 3 albums, the trio has had stints w/ horns, keyboards, dj's, percussion, Emmcee's & vocalists.

From 2001 to 2006 the band organized & produced there own 3 day Music fest. & camp out, The Rhubarb Family Picnic. The annual event offered two nights of rhubarb & 20 bands from the US & Canada. 

Rhubarb's sets at the picnic, included a different theme each year. One year, a 30 min "Matador opera" based on a long time rhubarb song "The Matador". Keeping the opera theme, the following year the band performed, "A Rocky Opera". Based on the touching love story of "Rocky".

Aspiring to make there shows more of an event, rhubarb also throws a annual halloween show "The Bazoinker Ball" now in its 7th year. The newest event rhubarb is involved with, "The Reeperbahn" in its second year is a outdoor day event in Buffalo's Elmwood Village w/ a red light theme, celebrates, loose life music, sausage, and beer!

Rhubarb is also proud to be a part of Music is Art.

Music is Art is based on the basic belief that everyone should have the opportunity to find their musical voice. MiA is dedicated to connecting music and the community to ensure all types of music are recognized as an important part of our culture. 

Pairing the creation of live music with the creation of live art, the Music is Art Live at the Center series features the best local artists and musicians in a live concert setting at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts.
Live at the Center is a Telly award winning live event, TV and radio show born of collaboration between MiA and the UBCFA. 
UB students produce the event and its television and radio programs, mentored by UB and MiA. 

The shows air on Think Bright public television and 107.7 The Lake radio. 

Review, The Electric Co Utica NY

Rhubarb is Buffalo's funky, jazzy rock-jam quartet who's pleased crowds at the Electric Company more than 5 times in the past two years, quickly becoming counted-on staples of the EC's musical line-up. Each time different yet always party hungry, Rhubarb had a great opportunity to prove their wide musical diversity and they did... infinitely. This night, the creative combination reached it's pinnacle... as this night, two styles of two seemingly polarized influences of music were forever fused into some of the most incredible organic, funk infused lyrical and musical combinations one could have imagined or better yet, observed. The blending of styles, interests and cultures was evident in the crowd as well as in the music. And both the music and diverse crowd were focused on the music, unity and fun to be had on this cold night. Fans of all backgrounds made their way to the dance floor to pump fists, bob-heads or all-out freak-out to the music. As well as to check out the added bonus of a refreshingly youthful Utica College girls ice hockey team make the stage their own dance floor. The music was wild. Imagine the live hip-hop musical skills and lyrical cadence of The Roots, with the funky and sometimes fast paced bass-synthesized segues reminiscent of Sound Tribe Sector 9, and each with pounds of thick, lardy, lyrical freestyle and musical improvisational skills! Heavy! NOSTA and Rhubarb are the jam/hip-hop equivalent of the apple fritter desert pizza: tentative to give it a try, but one bite seals the deal. A teasing sound check of a very quiet, droning drum & bass-driven intro featuring a lyrical intro by King Staf Kinetic who's calm, deliberate delivery stared-down the crowd with a creshendoing intensity and volume reminiscent of Talib Kweli. Local saxophone legend Sal Alberico joined the bass, guitar, drums and keyboards of Rhubarb as the last element of an increasingly jazz-leaning night turned into a sonic canvas equivalent completely worthy of comparison to another gem found in Utica: Jackson Pollock's 'Number 2' These guys are the real deal and should seriously look to partnering again in the near future, as they have something very special to share. We thank them for sharing it to us on Saturday. ~Bubba

Following the life-affirming Patti Smith and Ralph Nader concert and rally at Canisius College, I stopped by Broadway Joe's to catch Rhubarb, the four-piece improvisational funk-jazz outfit whose Monday evening residency at Frizzy's on Allen Street is becoming the stuff of legend.

I'm glad I did. The last time I'd seen the band, it was performing inside the Atomic on Chippewa Street. That club is gone, but Rhubarb has developed into an absolutely world-class free-form ensemble whose sound suggests what you might get if you tossed Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" into a blender with Primus' "Sailing the Seas of Cheese."

Taut, edgy and often transcendent, the Rhubarb boys played a host of original tunes that provided plenty of opportunity for some dynamite interplay between guitarist Mark Stojanovich and keyboardist Mike Wagner, the band's newest member, who I had last seen manning the Fender Rhodes as part of a Bobby Previte-led ensemble. The rhythm section laid down a feast of funk grooves that veered from slippery ostinatos into far-reaching "outside" jams, the sort that make one wonder how the band found "one" again.

This was a real treat, an exciting evening of unique groove-based improvisational music.

The Buffalo News - Rhubarb pie By Jeff Miers

The band has been around since 1999. I had been playing music with our bass player, Nick, for a few years in what would later become Rhubarb. When I think of the start of the band, I think of when we went on our first road trip -- to CBGB in New York City in December 1999.

"Let Me Tell You Somethin' " is your first studio album. How has the process of putting it together affected the band?

Let me tell you somethin' about making the new album. Recording the music was the only part that wentsmoothly. We had mastering problems, we changed manufactures, and financially it almost killed us. I can't wait till the next one.

How would you describe your music?

It's hard for me to describe our music. We play jazz, but were not a jazz band. We play funk, but were not funk band. Someone called our music hip-hop-infused jazz. Someone called our keyboard player raw '80s. So take it as you will.

This is the fourth year of the Rhubarb Family Picnic in Ellicottville. Tell us how it got started and what it's all about.

The picnic started out as a crazy idea that has consumed six months of my life for each of the past four years. A friend of mine said Rhubarb Family Picnic as a joke, and the idea just stuck. I mentioned the idea to another friend, and he said, "I got the perfect place." So I got the land and I know tons of bands. I brought in some port-a-potties, built a stage, and said let's do it. Since Day One the idea of the picnic has been all about the music. We try to remove ourselves from the festival scene. You're not going to see rows and rows of vendors, high-priced tickets and extra charges for everything.

Where do you play most of your shows? Are you a touring band?

We play a lot of shows in any of the glorious cities along the New York State Thruway like Utica, Syracuse, Rochester. Some of the best places to play are the small college towns in the middle of nowhere. We have spread some Rhubarb as far as Utah, Colorado, St. Louis, Florida and many points in between. A big tour is in the works to support the new album, which will take us into next year.

Where would you like to see the band in a few years?

In a few years I would like to see the band doing what we are doing now, only on a larger scale. But I really see us in a box of emotion singing songs that will change the world.

What do your mothers think of the band?

I would like all the readers to know all of our moms are real nice and we all enjoy a nice sandwich from time to time.

 

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