Home Cookin'

Home Cookin' offers up a tasty serving of bluegrass and traditional country music. The band blends material from a wide variety of sources to create it's own special sound. In addition to traditional sources, the group draws material from diverse genres and gives it a bluegrass twist. All the members write music and contribute original material to the band.

Based in southern New Jersey, the band performs throughout the eastern US. They have released one self titled CD and have a new project, "Walter Baker's Farm", due out in fall 2003.

	Linda Rouse Salmons As a founding member of the band she provides solid rhythm guitar and harmony and lead vocals. Linda started out in music in a very traditional way - singing and playing with her family on the back porch. Her early musical efforts were mostly gospel and traditional country tunes. Along the way she has experimented with folk and rock, coming full circle to return to her musical roots.
	Joe Merlino As the other founding member of the band, he comes from a strong musical background. Joe started out playing accordion, then moved to the guitar. After hearing Earl Scruggs, he was smitten with the banjo. He currently concentrates his efforts on the dobro. Joe has played with a number of bluegrass and country bands including a long stint in the house band at the famous Cowtown Rodeo. He likes to joke that because of that gig, he knows the first eight seconds of a thousand songs!
	Bill Salmons Bill anchors the band on upright bass and provides many of the lead vocals. His background is in traditional country music and his smooth vocals bring a country flavor to the band.
	John Apicella Imagine being a nice Italian boy growing up in New York City and you decide to take up an instrument - the banjo. Mama Mia!! Although he comes from a background far removed from the mountain traditions of bluegrass music, John has a strong love and respect for the origins of the music. His experiences with street corner harmonies work well within the bluegrass genre.