NYC Bluegrass & Honky Tonk Band – The West Side Cowboys
About
We’re The West Side Cowboys, a New York City based bluegrass and honky tonk band, named after the real cowboys who once rode horseback down 10th Avenue, waving red flags in front of freight trains to keep New Yorkers from getting flattened. We like to think we carry on the same spirit of those NYC cowboys: stubborn, loud, a little reckless, and always trying to keep things from going off the rails.
Our music comes straight from honky-tonk bars, dancehalls, and front porches. Equal parts Texas shuffle, Bakersfield twang, and Appalachian bluegrass. As a live country and bluegrass band in NYC, we play songs about love and loss, whiskey and heartbreak, trains and trouble, and sometimes all of the above in the same tune.
Our repertoire spans the classics of Hank Williams, Bob Wills, and George Jones alongside the bluegrass standards of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers. Whether it’s a packed dance floor, a festival stage, or a backyard gathering, The West Side Cowboys bring authentic live bluegrass and honky tonk music to audiences across New York City and the surrounding area.
Whether you’re looking for a bluegrass band in NYC, a honky tonk band for a private event, or live country music in New York City, we’ve got you covered
Upcoming Shows
Video
Bio
Zach Williams – Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
Zach Williams is a New York City based musician and multi-instrumentalist whose playing is rooted in the bluegrass and country traditions he grew up with in rural Tennessee. Starting on guitar, he later made mandolin his primary instrument while expanding into dobro, banjo, fiddle, and both acoustic and electric guitar.
His musical path has taken him across the country, from Tennessee to Montana, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Texas, and now New York City using bluegrass as a way to find and build community. Along the way, he has performed in a wide range of settings, from churches and festivals to clubs and western events, including solo acoustic performances as a cowboy reenactor.
At the core of Zach’s approach is collaboration. He works within a tight, long-standing group dynamic where listening and responsiveness are key, often arranging songs in real time and adapting quickly in live settings. Whether performing traditional material or learning on the fly, his focus is on feel, cohesion, and creating a shared musical experience between performers and audience.
Paul Lederer – Guitar
Paul Lederer is a New York City based guitarist born and raised in the city, with years of experience performing in venues across NYC with a range of bands.
A versatile player, Paul draws from rock, blues, soul, funk, country, and bluegrass. With The West Side Cowboys, he moves easily between acoustic rhythm and lead playing, the sharp Telecaster snap of ’90s country, the phaser-soaked textures of the ’70s, and the glassy clean tones of early country music.
Paul’s adaptable style and strong musical intuition allow him to respond naturally and shape the group’s sound as it unfolds.
Donovan “Dony” Bullen – Upright, Electric Bass, Vocals
Donovan Bullen studied classical theory and composition at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, followed by Jazz Studies at Humber College in Toronto. Since then, he has played and produced music across the globe, including Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and New York.
On both upright and electric bass, Donovan has performed and recorded across the musical spectrum, from Jazz to Rock, Hip-Hop to Bluegrass, and beyond, as a sideman, band leader, and producer. He currently lives in New York and is a regular in the bluegrass/country scene, as well as a variety of other musical projects.
In addition, Donovan is the in-house composer, sound designer, and audio editor for Nebula.tv, a video streaming service and production studio for online content creators. In this role, he has written and produced music for dozens of long and short form documentaries, video essays, and YouTube channels.
Tess Wei-Ping Jacobson – Fiddle, Vocals
Tess Jacobson is a violinist/violist and fiddler based in New York City. Tess studied classical performance at the Juilliard School and Princeton University, later expanding into the world of bluegrass, swing, jazz, and honky-tonk fiddle. Tess has performed across the United States and Europe in a wide range of settings, including symphony orchestras, chamber groups, and theatrical and dance productions.
In addition, Tess has recorded strings for musical projects across multiple genres including R&B, experimental, rock, and folk. Tess currently plays and sings in a variety of New York City-based ensembles, but makes her musical home with the honky tonkin' bluegrass pickers of The West Side Cowboys.