History


BOLT UPRIGHT is a versatile, fun-loving trio that plays an entertaining variety of blues, rockin' blues, rock 'n' roll, r&b, and funk. Ashbolt Stewart, the ringleader on drums and lead vocals, started the band in 2001 with wife (then girlfriend and brand-new bass player) Sus McDonald on bass and vocals, along with guitar wizard Adam Zwig and multitalented bluesman Guttman Phillips on guitar, harmonica and vocals. At first the band was called "ASAP" for one initial each, but when Phillips left for a long trip to Spain, the band's name changed to BOLT UPRIGHT. When Adam went to work a month later on his own project, B-UP featured young Chad Rupp on delta-style guitar, vocals and harmonica. Chad moved on about the end of the first year of the band, and for its second through sixth years, Lynn Axtell lent his smokin' guitar, harmonica and vocals to the mix.

For most of those years the multi-talented Ken Brewer was filling in on guitar and vocals when Lynn couldn't make a gig. When Lynn had to leave B-UP, Ken was able to step in full-time. It's been great so far. In 2007, the band appeared for the first time at the Waterfront Blues Festival with Bay area guitar slinger Kenny Blue Ray.
More recently Sus has begun writing and singing songs, and the band's first all-original record, a twelve-song CD called "Up For Grabs", is a collection of originals written by all three members.