Inside Straight Blues Band

Biography

Inside Straight Blues Band, a popular band with Twin Cities and regional club audiences, plays blues and blues-rock in the Chicago, Texas, Memphis, Kansas City, St. Louis and New Orleans traditions. Tempered with solid jazz, funk and R&B influences, the result is a sound that is unique to Inside Straight; a sound that is truly a collection of its member's backgrounds and experiences.

The band's founder and leader, Kurt Koehler (Lead Vocals & Guitar) was born in Chicago in 1952. Kurt has been singing and playing the blues for over 35 years, from smooth uptown styles to contemporary rock-edged Texas styles to the down & dirty sounds of the Southside and Westside of Chicago. Kurt is also the owner, publisher, and editor of Twin Cities Blues News monthly which has been in publication since 1996.

Mark Zmuda has been playing the bass since the mid-1960s with a strong background in blues, funk, and the early rock & roll bands in the Twin Cities. Greg Mans on drums has a long history of work with may Twin Cities bands. "Brother" Bill Swanson on keys and vocals has over 35 years experience as a professional musician playing with bands in the Twin Cities including the Phase and the Checkers.

Inside Straight has shared stages with artists such as Jimmy Rogers, Tab Benoit, James Cotton, Long John Hunter, Big Walter Smith, Roomful of Blues, Rod Piazza, Son Seals, Delbert McClinton, John Mayall, Magic Slim, Ronnie Earl, Phillip Walker, W.C. Clark, and Rare Earth, to name but a few. Inside Straight has played stages at the Bayfront Blues Festival, Duluth , MN, the Minnesota Blues Festival, New Ulm, MN, the Chippewa Valley Blues Festival, Eau Claire, WI, Cedarfest in Minneapolis, the Ribs & Blues Fest in St. Paul, MN, and the Pine River Blues Festival, Pine River, MN.