Scott Howard – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, drums Born just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Scott seems like an unlikely fit for 3 Dollar Suit. The alternative folk played by the group is a far cry from the ‘hair metal’ he surrounded himself with during his formative years. As an adolescent, and even as an adult, Scott drifted between drums and guitars – “wherever I could find a gig,” he often recalls. Ironically, the influence of drummers like Neil Peart of Rush and the guitar workings of Joe Satriani, yielded a style of playing which is both rhythmic and melodic. |  |
 | John K. Smith – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, ukulele Although raised in suburbia, John Smith's musical influences were not born from this setting.
With parents who both listened to and played bluegrass, country and folk music, he grew up knowing the likes of Hank Williams, The Blue Sky Boys, and The Country Gentlemen more intimately than the music of the day. Though not shying away from the rock & pop he was introduced to as a teen, those acoustic roots remained and grew ever stronger as he began playing music early on with longtime friend (and accomplished indie folk-rocker) Josh Joplin. That influence led him searching for more folk & roots music and ultimately to co-founding with Cari Norris the Richmond, Indiana based traditional folk group Hurricane Sadee. Though short-lived, that experience proved pivotal in shaping John’s musical upbringing. John is thrilled to be able to bring his folk background to 3 Dollar Suit. The experience has allowed him to introduce the music to a new audience while the fresh influences from his band-mates have offered the chance to rediscover this music. |
Bill Kalina – bass, vocals The youngest child of six Bill grew-up listening to the variety of his teenaged sibling's music. Beginning with a coffee-can drum kit at nine ("I even painted it") he graduated to the real thing, playing high school dances, weddings and parties with his bands. Bill made the switch to bass during his college years and never looked back.
Bill was bassman for the Harrisburg-based club bands Encino Rain, Cutting Funks and Jake's Kitchen for over ten years. But the chance to create compelling bass lines for 3 Dollar Suit was hard to resist. "After years of playing cover tunes, it is refreshing to compose bass for our music without a script." Bill delights in the melding of traditional folk with modern songwriting. The influences of progressive rock and jazz fusion are indicative of Bill's style and add a distinct dialect to the folk language of 3DS. Bill plays five-string, fretless, and a vintage hollowbody electric... and he's resisted the urge to paint any of them! Bill works as a photojournalist out of York, PA, and sails on the Susquehanna River at Long Level. |  |
 | Bill Lanphier – djembe, percussion The newest member to 3 Dollar Suit is "Bongo" Bill Lanphier.
Born & raised just outside of Chicago, Bill took up drums at age 15 & never looked back. Those early days found him honing his chops in garage bands playing & listening to the likes of Pink Floyd, CSN & Fleetwood Mac. After college, he jumped into music full time as drummer & founding member of the band FORTUNE who toured extensively throughout the Midwest & beyond. He left the Rock-N-Roll lifestyle behind as he & his young family moved East to settle in the York area, but the music remained. After a year with the country outfit Last Train Running, Bill set aside the sticks and took up the djembe. It did not take long for him to make a name for himself on this new instrument. Bill is well known & respected in the York music scene and has shared the stage with many bands in the area. Bongo Bill comes to 3DS after two years with good friends & fellow folksters Indian Summer Jars. |
To say the Seven Valleys/Glen Rock corridor is void of history would be an injustice – an outright lie. The old Pennsylvania Railroad’s line which travels through the two bedroom communities is a vital link to not only the past, but also to the charm which binds that part of York County, PA. From Lincoln’s stop at Hanover Junction en route to deliver the Gettysburg Address, to the same president’s slow ride home a year and a half later, or the Good Friday train wreck in 1920, the region’s stories are without bounds, and it’s these stories, as well as those from across the country which the alternative-folk trio 3 Dollar Suit brings to life.
The band – featuring John K. Smith (vocals, guitars, ukulele, harmonica), Bill Kalina (vocals, electric bass), Scott Howard (vocals, guitars) and Bill Lanphier (djembe, percussion) - represents a varied musical background – bluegrass and folk, to rock and blues. That background comes through loud & clear through every verse and bridge in their repertoire.
When they first met to play some tunes, forming a band was not on the docket. But by the end of that first "jam session" there were harmonies, there were arrangements, and there were plenty of ideas for more songs, new & old. That session turned into a weekly get together, which led to an open mic performance, which (moments later) netted a gig. Before they knew it, they were a band.
Nearly half the group’s tunes are original compositions telling stories of people & places and strewn with irony & humor, love, lust and thoughts of what could’ve been. The same themes from which 3DS pull their assortment of cover songs, most of which the band describes as “obscure.” These range from old folk songs to more traditional covers that will be familiar to some, but not all. With their tonal variations and unique arrangements, they’re known to keep the audience guessing, but also wanting more.
