Well-Known Strangers
Racine, WI
| View Website
Well-Known Strangers have been entertaining Midwest audiences with their cello infused, alternative pop/rock, with-a-tinge-of-country, band sound. Members Joe Adamek (acoustic guitar), Betsy Ade (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Sacia Jerome (cello, background vocals), Theodore Koth (lead guitar, background vocals) Roger Gower (drums/percussion) and John Kulas (bass guitar) have been busy performing and preparing for the August 2016 launch of their new single and music video Splinter, and the September release of their debut album Aligned.
Together, the band members have an amazing mix of musical knowledge and education that provides a unique sound that is reminiscent of familiar of music from the 90s while being expressively groundbreaking and melodically rich. Individually, their political views range from ultra-liberalism to ultra-conservative and independent.
Well-Known Strangers grew out of a 15+ year friendship between Ade and Adamek. In fact, it was Ade, who in 2009, sang backup vocals on the song Storm that Adamek co-wrote for artist Mark Harrod. Then, after performing at a mutual friends wedding in May 2014, the two discussed the possibility of a music collaboration and began seeking out talent. In February 2015, Well-Known Strangers were born. Their name comes from the idea that they were all individually well-known in the local music scene when they got together, but on a personal level some of them were strangers to one another.
While Ade and Adamek do most of the songwriting, its the bands creative spark and sonic diversity that are the driving force behind their sound.
Ades rich lyrical gifts are essential and her vocal delivery is simply unmatched in contemporary pop/rock music. A proud member of the LGBTQ community, Ade is passionate about cancer research, after losing her mother to Hodgkins disease when she was just 9 years old.
Adamek plays rhythm guitar and has spent over a decade playing drums and bass guitar in several bands throughout the southeast Wisconsin area. A Gulf War veteran, Adamek fulfilled eight years of active service in the US Navy and was honorably discharged.
Jerome is classically trained with a Masters degree in Cello Performance. She plays the accordion, cello, trumpet, piano and guitar and is actively the orchestral and chamber music musician who plays with regional symphonies including Festival City, Racine, Kenosha, Oshkosh and The Wisconsin Philharmonic.
Koth, trained as a classical guitarist, with experience in orchestration and arranging, has been playing lead guitar as a session musician for local SE Wisconsin bands as well as projects on the East Coast. In addition to lead guitar, Koth is also known for playing several stringed instruments including ukulele, banjo, and mandolin.
Gower plays a wide variety of percussion, is a DW loyalist (what is that?) and has been very successful in establishing his percussive reputation with several regional projects. Through this studies he has a great knowledge of the history and composition of music.
Kulas is an all-around excellent guitarist whose diverse abilities allow him to focus his skills on bass.
WKS released their debut EP Found in October 2015 to much acclaim and followed up with the launch of their single Voices, a haunting dive into the fight against Human Trafficking.
Ade and Adamek won Songwriter of the Month by Songwriters Universe in July 2015 for their work on Aligned. Prior to that, Ade won the Wisconsin area music industrys Female Vocalist of the Year award in 2004.
Well-Known Strangers are passionate about giving back. They support cancer research, LGBTQ rights and the movement to stop human trafficking.
Well-Known Strangers music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon and heard on Pandora and Apple Music.
Band Members
Betsy Ade - Lead Vocals
Sacia Jerome - Cello, Background Vocals
Joe Adamek - Rhythm Guitar
Theodore Koth - Lead Guitar, Background Vocals
John Kulas - Bass Guitar
Roger Gower - Percussion