THE PORKROLL PROJECT

 

The Porkroll Project, from the greater Philadelphia, PA area is hard rocking 5 piece blues band who play a high energy blend of fresh covers and originals. The music is blues, but it's done up Porkroll style. Little bit of grease, good dose of funk, whole lotta drive and grind. Throw that together with some dangerous lead guitar and harmonica, powerful organ, and rippin' piano, and you have a recipe for a night where anything can happen!

Porkroll Project

The band has a collective experience that runs deep and wide, having played together in various other projects for over ten years. They are well seasoned veterans of events such as the Philadelphia Jam on the River, the Annual Chameleon Club Blues Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Riverfront Blues Festival, the Billtown Blues Festival, the Paoli Blues Festival and the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN.

So if you and your crew are craving some hard rocking, foot stomping, hip shaking, earthquaking entertainment, give an ear to a heaping helping of The Porkroll Project. It's the right thing to do, and a tasty way to do it. It's Porkalicious!!

The Band

Neil "Porkroll" Taylor Guitars, Vocals

Paul Matecki Piano, Guitar, Vocals

Ed Young Bass

Andy Haley Drums

Buddy Cleveland Harmonica, Vocals

 

 

 

Read all about the band members of the Porkroll Project below. Also, check out the photos and background of the many Porkroll alumni and friends who play with the band from time to time. Click here to go to our Alumni page.

Porkroll

Neil "Porkroll" Taylor

Porkroll comes from a long line of watermen and pirates. He has two basic loves -- playing guitar and cooking. His BBQ is well known throughout the Delaware Valley, as is his tasty blues playing. His musical influences range far and wide, but credits Buddy Guy and Luther Allison as his most recent inspirations. Previously, he co-founded the well-known MudBoy blues band which played around the Southeast Pennsylvania for nearly a decade. For a time, he also performed with Melissa Martin and the Mighty Rhythm Kings. He also brings his tasty guitar to the Union Street Blues and Legendary Sinners bands.

Paul

Paul Matecki

Paul has been playing piano since he was able to reach the keys of the Lester piano in the family living room. Self taught on guitar, he sang lead with quite a few rock bands over the last 20 years. He's always loved early rock 'n roll and blues records. Favorite players include Johnnie Johnson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Scotty Moore, Carl Perkins, Otis Rush, The Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and many, many others.

He attended West Chester University as a music major, where he earned a degree in piano performance. In addition to The Porkroll Project, he has played or is playing with: The Overheads, Bender, Gracie, and Melissa Martin & The Mighty Rhythm Kings.

Ed

Ed Young

Ed grew up in appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio. He moved around a lot when he was a kid, and continued to move to bigger and bigger cities, further and further east, going to college at Penn State and finally landing in Philly--where he teaches philosophy during the day and plays his guitar and bass at night. Besides playing bass in the Porkroll Project, he does solo work on the guitar. Always busy, Ed is also the bass player for the rock band Dirty Love.

Andy Haley

Andy Haley

At the age of 12 when the Beatles came on Ed Sullivan, he decided he had to get a drum set and join a band. He initially took lessons from the drummer of the San Francisco Symphony. Andy moved to the Germantown area of Philadelphia, as a teenager, and has been playing professionally since the age of 16. Andy has paid his dues playing up and down the east coast through the 70’s and 80's with various original and commercial bands.

The 80’s saw Andy playing not only with The Rhythm Masters (out of Washington D.C.) and Blue Eyes featuring Bobby Lenti (out of Philadelphia), he also played all around the Philly area in clubs and large venue gigs. The 90’s saw Andy playing with The Cathy King Band, The Daryl Davis Band and with Jacques Johnson and Friends in the Washington D.C. Area. He now brings his amazing timing and musicality to the Porkroll Project.

Buddy

Buddy Cleveland

Harp player and vocalist Buddy Cleveland grew up in Rockville, MD.  He got serious about the harp when he got to know the outstanding DC area blues guitarist Mike "Junior" Tash of the Bad Influence Band. Mike gave him lots of encouragement and even invited Buddy sit in with his band on occasion. In 1999, after moving to the Philadelphia area, Buddy joined some guys he worked with and this group ultimately became the Voodoo DeVille band. Buddy formed the Union Street Blues band in 2007 along with Porkroll and then joined the Porkroll Project in 2008. He still performs regularly with Voodoo DeVille Band.