"Water Tower is this wonderful band that is made up of "the lost boys"... its like a soup kitchen for those in need of belonging and family who have been through some of the experiences they have over come" -Grand Ole Country Bunker

Water Tower: A Sonic Odyssey Forged in Fire, Grass, and Grit

For over two decades, frontman Kenny Feinstein has been the relentless architect behind Water Tower, shaping the band’s evolution through sheer passion and unyielding vision. What began in 2005 as the raw, frenetic energy of The Water Tower Bucket Boys soon morphed into the roots-driven force of Water Tower String Band—but Kenny wasn’t done. In 2014, he left his Portland roots behind and descended upon Los Angeles, igniting the band’s latest and most explosive incarnation: Water Tower.

At its core, Water Tower is a triumph of unlikely alchemy—three virtuosos from wildly different worlds, colliding to create a sound that defies genre.

- Kenny Feinstein—the punk-bluegrass outlaw—wields banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and guitar like weapons, splicing Old Time grit with punk rock fury.

- Tommy Drinkard—audio engineer, rock frontman (*Tommy Drinkard and the Remedy*), and banjo prodigy—went from student to champion in a year, taking 1st place at the Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Contest before merging his reggae-rock swagger into Water Tower’s DNA.

- Jesse Blue Eads—the 23-year-old jazz phenom—was a Berklee-awarded bassist hiding a banjo-shredding secret. They found him busking on a SoCal beach, where an impromptu jam session erupted into a double-banjo hurricane, birthing the band’s signature sound in anthems like "Take Me Back."

But no sonic rebellion is complete without its rhythmic foundation. Enter:

- Taylor Estes (The Bass Lord)—A low-end warlock whose basslines don’t just hold down the groove—they command it. Whether thundering through a bluegrass burner or locking into a reggae-tinged pulse, Taylor’s playing is the hidden engine that turns chaos into cohesion.

- John Seltzer (like the water)—The band’s human metronome, a mandolin player whose precision and adaptability flow as naturally as his namesake. From breakneck bluegrass to psychedelic jam explosions, John doesn’t just keep time and play face melting solos—he owns those dimensions.

Bound by a love for bluegrass, Old Time, and jam-grass, yet electrified by their divergent influences—Tommy’s reggae-rock grooves, Jesse’s jazz-prog wizardry, Kenny’s punk-fueled trad revival, Taylor’s seismic bass sorcery, and John’s liquid-funk percussion—Water Tower is a sonic rebellion.

From "Take Me Back" to "Fivers" and "AMPM", their songs are road-worn anthems, forged in fire and baptized in sound. This isn’t just a band—it’s a movement.

The Family

Kenny Feinstein

Kenny is the founder of the band. His reimagined band vision was born in 2020 with the release of their first album, "Fly Around". Kenny loves to play fiddle and has a degree in jazz guitar.

Tommy Drinkard

Tommy plays banjo and produces music from his studio. His banjo playing got him a first place award from the 2021 Topanga banjo fiddle festival and contest, when Tommy had only been playing for six months.

Taylor Estes

The California Wiz Kid with the Golden locks of hair. His extensive musical knowledge allows for killer bass solos with the band. He is an amazing flatpicker and can sing.

Jesse Blue Eads

Twenty-three-year-old multi-instrumentalist Jesse Blue Eads has forged his own career path as an artist in the truest sense. While most widely known as east Tennessee’s up-and-coming innovator of jazz and progressive music on the five-string banjo, most of Jesse’s career was spent as a versatile and charismatic bassist and guitarist in Los Angeles before moving to Tennessee in 2021.

Jesse’s reputation for marrying complex and diverse musical ideas with a strong sense of soul, spontaneity, and intuition has led him to play multiple instruments on stage with titans such as Joe Craven (Jerry Garcia, David Grisman), Kory Caudill (Tyler Childers, Justin Moore), Chris Blue (The Voice), and bluegrass band Water Tower. He has also worked extensively as a mandolinist, vocalist, producer, and keyboardist.

Eads has been known among his peers as a passionate listener and jack of all trades with a uniquely diverse range of influences beyond his years. From the jazz, funk, R&B, and soul that characterized his Los Angeles upbringing to the bluegrass, old-time, and folk colors of his banjo career, Jesse seamlessly bridges cultural boundaries with grace.

Some of the countless acts with whom Jesse has performed or recorded include: Wyatt Ellis, Warren Wolf, Water Tower, Tim Janis, Bar Jay Bar, Tommy Drinkard & the Remedy, Chris Blue & Crockett, Ikes Creek, Max Huggins, Casey Freedom, Brad Brownfield, Kaleb Baize, Olivia Pucci, Ben Eaton, and Carson Moore.

The Sizzler

John Seltzer....he's just happy to be here. Originally from Upstate New York, John spent his early years playing in blues and rock bands while developing a deep passion for bluegrass. This diverse musical background led him to a career providing multi-instrumental support for artists across genres, eventually bringing him to Los Angeles, where he quickly became known in the folk-bluegrass scene as an inventive and energetic mandolinist.

John’s influences range from bluegrass legends Tim O’Brien and Tony Rice, to soul and R&B, to the emo and hardcore bands of the 2000s, shaping a unique sound that blends tradition with modern edge. Beyond performing, he has a strong background in event production, having co-produced hundreds of events in Upstate New York and assisting with California Bluegrass Association events. He has supported a variety of artists, including Caity Gallagher, Elliot Lurie, Hayley Orrantia, The Doohickeys, Matt Axton, Jay Maloney, and Dennis Witcher.