Bill Welch, from Rochester, NY, is an original songwriter- a gifted musician with a soulful voice and an enormous heart. Categorizing the group is challenging, but common threads in Bill’s lyrics are emphases on humility, compassion, and gratitude for the people in our lives. Bill feels that the opportunity to compose and sing these songs is a gift from God. The Bill Welch Band has been fortunate enough to be called upon to open concerts for Edwin McCain, Dave Koz, Patty Larkin, and the Subdudes. A recent highlight for the band involved a 1999 collaboration with Lou Gramm of Foreigner, in which thousands of dollars was raised for Dimitri House, a Rochester homeless shelter and food supplier for the poor. Charity performances are central to the band’s mission. All six band members are sincerely committed to outreach, particularly in the inner city, and one of the goals of the group is share the music with everyone with a message of inclusion.

The Bill Welch Band has somewhat of a “two-pronged” mission. They’ve played in Rochester-area clubs and outdoor music festivals as well as in church-sponsored events, many of these performances as benefits for the poor. Some of the tunes are wrapped around spiritual themes and would be considered Contemporary Christian; others are heartfelt expressions of friendship, hope, love, and everyday living. Radio airplay is forthcoming on both contemporary jazz and pop stations and christian stations. (WJZR, 105.9, a jazz and blues station in Rochester, NY is currently rotating a track.)

Find out more about Bill Welch and the band at http://www.billwelchband.com.