Cranky Yankee Band -Bios

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Who We Are

Matt Smith
Lead Vocals

What can we say about this guy? He only has one of the best country voices in the area. He can belt out country rock tune like no other and sing a soulful ballad with ease. On the side, Matt has been learning harmonica, drums, guitar and keyboard. He believes he is actually a musician, trapped in a vocalist's body. Trapped is the key word here; we've heard him play. So for now its strictly the microphone for you, Matt. His influences are hunting, more hunting, fishing, hunting and on occasion a little too much Jagermeister. Thats it for now...

Nick Zannit
Lead Guitar

The man that puts the "Cranky" in Cranky Yankee! He is the crankiest yankee of them all!!! With a passion for Harley Davidsons, Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Telecasters, Nick likes the best when it comes to playing. His signature lead guitar playing and WYSIWYG persona are a driving force in the band. Nick has been a member as well as a guest performer in numerous bands over the years. He is also a guitarist for "The Businessmen", a project that is near & dear to his heart, due to their extensive charity and benefit work. Nick was heavily influenced by the Classic Rock, Southern Rock and West Coast Rock of the 1970's. Nick says that, "Today's modern country, when you get down to it, really reflects much of the rock genre that I enjoyed playing in the 70's"

Dave Brooks
Rhythm Guitar / Vocals

Being a strong rhythm player, Dave provides great depth which is the basis of the band’s melodies. He plays both the acoustic & electric guitar, and provides lead & backround vocals as well. In the early days, Dave honed his skills playing the campground circuit and on occasion, in the bar rooms in exchange for free beer and a ride home. He was a veteran of the country-rock bands "Black Cactus" and "BuckleDown" and currently plays guitar in his church's praise band. "Makes for some interesting Sunday mornings after playing all night". As a proud Yankee, Dave believes that when we play, we sell alot of beer because..."the more you drink, the better we sound!" : )

Steve Mulkerrin
Bass Guitar / Backing Vocals

A guitarist since the age of twelve, Steve, a.k.a. "Bass Monster", provides the thumping backbone of Cranky Yankee. Musical tastes spanning from classical to European metal put a unique color on his tone and style. He has been a part of many bands over the years including the country bands "Whitewater" and "Steele Ryde". The Monster's goal is to cause as much structural damage as possible whenever he plays. Steve claims that, "...the untrained ear may perceive my bold exploration of new tonalities as "wrong notes"... but as an artist, I can't allow that to trouble me."

Dan Laus
Drums / Backing Vocals

Dan started playing drums when he was 4 years old mainly because of all of the musical influences in his family. His oldest brother and uncle played trumpet, his other brother played drums, his sister played violin, piano and guitar. He says, “I was too small for the drum seat, so I used to sit on a bucket when I was learning to play.” Over the years his influences and music styles have varied from The Beatles and The Monkees, to The Osmonds (remember folks, he is a drummer, and is fascinated by shiny objects). Dan went through phases of playing jazz fusion, big band and rock/heavy metal, mimicking the likes of The Pat Metheny Group, Buddy Rich, Van Halen, Journey and Def Leppard. At the age of 14, Dan says he was visited in a dream by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eddie Van Halen; they told him that he was to build his own guitar and learn to play it. So he did. Later he realized that the dream he had was induced by some bad pizza he eaten and he went back to playing the drums. Since that time Dan has played in mostly rock bands such as Destiny, The Sponges, Alias, APB (All Points Bulletin), High Risk, and Nix. He took a break from playing through the 90's to settle down, get married and have a family. Dan got back into the music scene as the drummer for Buckle Down. Now with Cranky Yankee, Dan says, “With country being so hot these days, it's been a lot of fun to change genre and to play with such a talented group of great guys! I love to see our audience up dancing and having fun. I like how the new country of today fits my rock style of playing.”

John Mazurowski
Keyboard / Backing Vocals
“Maz” grew up in New York State. His first real break was winning the NY State Fair Band contest, playing Doobies and Allman Brothers. His influences are John McLaughlin, John Coltrane, John Mayall, John Anderson, Johnny Winter, John Jorgenson, and even John Valby. Sometimes he’ll play guitar; sometimes play keyboard, but never at the same time! Maz appreciates a well written song. When people ask him what kind if music he plays, he says “Bar Music.” It’s something that has energy, that people can dance to, and that makes people want to like each other. Another passion is arranging- “The most important part of music is its groove; it’s something that you have to work at putting together. The second thing is space; it’s never about what you play, it’s about what happens in between. Every bit as important.” In New York he played with Tales, The Daybreakers, Amarillo, Autumn Rose, Signature, and Wild Heart. His favorite places to play are in wine country in central New York. “A wine buzz is a warm thing for the advanced drinker, but a very awkward thing for a new drinker. You never know what you’re going to see….” Maz began playing on an old Kay guitar and an upright piano. One of his favorite moments was a gig with the late Toy Caldwell in the Adirondack Mountains: “I was playing an old Telecaster during that one. Toy came up to me after he gig and patted me on the head. He’s quite tall. He looked down and said “Nice bonkin.” The worst gig was a three day weekend in a hotel. “Our truck got hit by a drunk driver on the way up. And then we hit a deer on the way back.” We asked Maz what he wants to accomplish with his music. He said “I just want to make people like each other.” Right on.