Burlap To Cashmere

Burlap To Cashmere is an alternative group that draws heavily on folk and world music influences, especially flamenco-style guitar work. Cousins Steven Delopoulos and John Philippidis were performing in a New Jersey coffeehouse when they were "discovered" by manager Jamison Ernest. The Brooklyn based cousins then assembled a larger band under the name "Burlap to Cashmere", recruiting guitarist Mike Ernest, bassist Roby Guarnera, keyboardist Josh Zandman, drummer Theodore Pagano and percussionist Scott Barksdale (John Degrazio eventually joined the band on bass when Guarnera left). The group drew on a wide range of musical styles and influences, but their signature sound was rooted in lightning-fast acoustic guitar rhythms. The band began performing in local New York-area venues, and quickly developed a cult following. In 1997, they independently released their first EP under the label Squint, Live at the Bitter End. In 1998 Burlap to Cashmere signed with A&M Records and released the full-length recording Anybody Out There?, followed by an A&M re-release of Live at the Bitter End.