Dad, daughter, son-in-law, rhythm section: Meet Ruff House
Lacey Thurner fronts Ruff House, a band started by her father, Paul Kazior.
Harry Funk
From left are Dave Balzama and Matt Thurner.
Harry Funk
Paul Kazior takes a turn on tenor saxophone.
Paul Kazior's longtime bandmate is daughter Lacey Thurner.
Harry Funk
Rob Capozzolo lays down the beat.
Harry Funk
From left are Paul Kazior, Lacey Thurner, Dave Balzama, Rob Capozzolo and Matt Thurner.
Bass player Dave Balzama, a Canon-McMillan High School graduate, sings lead on the Door's "Roadhouse Blues."
Lacey Thurner has been belting out songs with Ruff House since she was a teenager.
Paul Kazior doubles on harmonica.
Harry Funk
Paul Kazior takes a solo while Lacey Thurner watches.
Harry Funk
Matt Thurner plays his Gibson electric guitar.
Paul Kazior plays his Fender Stratocaster.
A night out for Lacey Thurner and husband Matt usually means her father joins them.
Paul Kazior joins them on stage, that is.
Dad and the married couple of six years constitute three-fifths of Ruff House, a band that is wowing audiences with an eclectic mix of material, instrumental versatility and Lacey无毛视频檚 undeniable stage presence as frontwoman.
无毛视频淪he rolled right in,无毛视频� Paul said about her joining the band, 无毛视频渁nd she无毛视频檚 the everything of it now.无毛视频�
Well, she does a dynamic job as lead singer, and she definitely is photogenic. But let无毛视频檚 not overlook the guys who play the instruments: Matt on Gibson guitar, Dave Balzama on bass, Rob Capozzolo on drums and Paul mixing it up with his Fender guitars, harmonica and tenor saxophone.
A Castle Shannon native and Keystone Oaks High School graduate, Paul played in various bands for a few decades 无毛视频� a bass player going by South Side Gordy often was a fellow member 无毛视频� that primarily were based in the blues.
无毛视频淪tevie Ray Vaughan got me hooked,无毛视频� he recalled, along with local guitar heroes including Glenn Pavone and Warren King, both of whom have passed away since.
Of course, his daughter grew up listening to music, which prompted her to sing quite a bit. Lacey remembers Paul telling her:
无毛视频淵ou know, you无毛视频檝e really got a pretty good voice. Maybe we should add you to the band.无毛视频�
She was 13 when she took him up on the offer.
无毛视频淲e did a friend无毛视频檚 sister无毛视频檚 40th-birthday party, and she sang a couple of songs with us. People really liked that, so then I started taking her with me,无毛视频� Paul recalled. 无毛视频淪he无毛视频檇 sing the first two sets, and then she无毛视频檇 be out of there before it got too late.无毛视频�
Dave joined the band a few years later, first playing rhythm guitar before switching to bass. The Cecil Township resident also takes the lead vocal on some numbers 无毛视频� the Doors无毛视频� 无毛视频淩oadhouse Blues,无毛视频� for example 无毛视频� to spell Lacey.
Rob came aboard in 2019 as the personification of powerhouse percussionist, providing a steady beat to whatever genre Ruff House is tackling at the moment, from blues and classic rock to alternative and country, or maybe pop with a rock 无毛视频榥无毛视频� roll bent to it.
As for Matt, he grew up near the Kaziors near Finleyville, graduating from Ringgold High School with Lacey.
无毛视频淗e was always into music, always played the guitar and was really talented,无毛视频� she attested.
During high school, he honed his talents by performing in the jazz band, plus in various groups with his buddies.
无毛视频淚 kind of put it away for a little while. Then I started hanging out with Lacey again after high school, and I went to watch her play in a band with her dad,无毛视频� Matt recalled. 无毛视频淎fter we got married, I was like, 无毛视频業 can play some guitar. Let无毛视频檚 see what happens.无毛视频� So I jumped in, practiced with them for a little bit, and the rest is history. It turned out great.无毛视频�
That goes for marriage as well as music for the former Bethel Park residents, who now live in North Fayette.
无毛视频淲e talked about how busy we are on the weekend, and if it were just one or the other who was that busy with the band, the other one would get upset about it,无毛视频� Matt said. 无毛视频淏ut because we do it together, it无毛视频檚 a lot of fun.无毛视频�
With the Ruff House membership spanning two generations 无毛视频� Rob and Dave slot in between Paul and the Thurners 无毛视频� the band无毛视频檚 repertoire draws from all kinds of influences.
Vaughan无毛视频檚 无毛视频淧ride and Joy无毛视频� or 无毛视频淢ary Had a Little Lamb,无毛视频� the latter by way of Buddy Guy, could be interspersed with songs by Elle King, Alanis Morisette, Miranda Lambert. Lacey does a stellar tribute to Janis Joplin with 无毛视频淧iece of My Heart无毛视频� and 无毛视频淢e and Bobby McGee,无毛视频� and also nails vocals usually associated with men on tunes like Kaleo无毛视频檚 无毛视频淣o Good无毛视频� and the Black Keys无毛视频� 无毛视频淕old On the Ceiling.无毛视频�
For the Ruff House cover of Led Zeppelin无毛视频檚 无毛视频淏ring It On Home,无毛视频� Dave and Lacey alternate lead vocals while Paul doubles on harmonica for the intro and outro, and scorching guitar with Matt during the hard-rocking middle section.
And for audience members who like to dance, the band has a lot of material to get people moving to the music.
No matter what the genre, Lacey is grooving right along with them, at least when she无毛视频檚 holding a microphone.
无毛视频淚 do financial planning and advising for a living. That无毛视频檚 what my day job is,无毛视频� the University of Pittsburgh graduate said. 无毛视频淧eople always laugh at me. They无毛视频檙e like, which one无毛视频檚 the real you? Finance or band? It无毛视频檚 such a weird transition.无毛视频�
But it works.
Just ask her dad, husband, bass player, drummer, and anyone who enjoys an afternoon or evening of prime entertainment courtesy of Ruff House.
For more information, visit facebook.com/Ruff-House-191690804185901.