A Family Musical Tradition
Generations of music. One family. The sound of Vermont Rock.
For Dylan and Brandon Olson, making music together is more than a partnership: it is part of a family tradition shaped by decades of performances, shared stages, and songs passed between generations. From the Long Island club circuit to Bennington, Vermont, the story of The Olson Brothers Band begins long before the band's own recordings.
Nino Nanni — The Keyboard Jester
On the Nanni side of the family, pianist, vocalist, and nightclub entertainer Nino Nanni performed during the golden age of American variety entertainment. He was listed as the “Keyboard Jester” among the scheduled guests for the May 6, 1956 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show. His 1958 album Chic to Chic! was reviewed in Billboard.
Through their paternal grandmother Lorraine Nanni, daughter of Romolo Nanni, Dylan and Brandon trace their family connection to Nino. In the family’s account, Nino is their great-great-granduncle.
Television, records, and the nightclub circuit
Nino combined piano playing, singing, and comedy in an act built for the nightclub stage. The May 6, 1956 episode listings for The Ed Sullivan Show name him as a scheduled guest alongside Nat King Cole, Tony Martin, Edie Adams, and other entertainers, billing him as a “keyboard jester.” Those listings document the scheduled appearance; the performance footage has not yet been located by the family.
A contemporary report in Billboard dated February 6, 1961 places Nino and Aretha Franklin on the same bill in The Library at Chicago’s Playboy Club, alongside Will Holt and Dolly Jonah. The report describes Nino’s blend of musical range and humor, and mentions a Stereoddities album recorded before a live audience in New York. This establishes a shared engagement, without establishing a duet or personal collaboration.
The 1961 Down Beat yearbook includes an advertisement for Nino Nanni in a Party Mood, presenting his mix of comic songs, stories, and musical performances. Together with Chic to Chic!, the record preserves another side of the entertainer behind the family story.
By January 1964, advertisements for the Kenilworth in Bal Harbour, Miami Beach, promoted Nino in its Emerald Room Cocktail Lounge. A January 31 advertisement called him the “Electrifying Jester of the Keyboard,” carrying that distinctive stage identity into another chapter of his career.
Other archival leads recovered during the family’s research include a 1963 Virginian booking in Cleveland and a 1961 Radisson Hotel Flame Room listing in Minneapolis. The exact source details for these leads are still being checked.
Explore the archives: Billboard, February 6, 1961 · Down Beat yearbook, 1961 · Kenilworth advertisement, January 31, 1964 · Ed Sullivan episode listing
Ron and Lenny Olson — Two Minute Warning
On Long Island, Ron Olson played guitar and sang alongside his brother Lenny Olson, a drummer and vocalist, in the rock band Two Minute Warning. A period newspaper review by Roy Abrams documented a five-member lineup with Ron and Lenny, lead singer Jeff Regan, bassist George Robedee, and harmonica player Kevin Platt.
The article described regular Monday performances at Hammerhedz and praised the band's blues, rock, and R&B influences. It particularly singled out Ron's blues guitar playing and his musical exchanges with the band's bassist.
Ron and Julie Olson — The Bennington Years
Ron later continued performing in the Bennington, Vermont area with his sister, vocalist Julie Olson, carrying forward Two Minute Warning and the family tradition of siblings sharing a stage. During the 1990s, Ron also played in projects including The Saloonatics and Mad Hatter.
Growing Up on Stage with Dad
For Dylan and Brandon, the family tradition was not simply a story they heard: they lived it. Growing up, they performed alongside their father Ron at bars, private parties, weddings, festivals, and other events. Those years gave the brothers firsthand experience playing music together and connecting with audiences.
Before there was The Olson Brothers Band, there were two brothers making music with their dad.
Dylan and Brandon — The Next Chapter
Today, Dylan Olson on piano and lead vocals and Brandon Olson on drums carry the sibling tradition forward through The Olson Brothers Band. Together with Jimmy Evans on lead guitar and vocals, George “Capn Kurf” Kurtz on saxophone, and Frank Barnes on bass and vocals, they create original Vermont Rock shaped by years of shared musical experience.
George’s connection to the family began on Long Island, where he met Ron Olson. George later made his own move to Bennington in the early 2000s. His place in The Olson Brothers Band brings that longstanding connection into the next generation, linking Ron’s Long Island years with the music Dylan and Brandon make today.
Jimmy brings his expressive guitar playing and vocal work to the band’s sound, drawing on his time with Painted Tears in Las Vegas and his own The MaxXander Project. Frank, whose musical background includes acclaimed rock group 8084, anchors the rhythm section alongside Brandon. Each member adds his own history and personality to the group, helping turn a family tradition into the full-band sound of Vermont Rock.
For Dylan, Brandon, Jimmy, George, and Frank, the connection goes beyond the music: they are all family. The bonds built through friendship, shared stages, and a love of playing together are part of what makes The Olson Brothers Band who they are. That sense of family carries into every rehearsal, recording, and live performance.
Their eight-song album Onset is another chapter in that story: new music rooted in a long family history of playing together.
One Family, Many Stages
Nino Nanni's piano and showmanship. Ron and Lenny's Long Island rock performances. Ron and Julie's music in Bennington. Ron playing alongside his sons. And now Dylan and Brandon creating their own original sound.
Different generations. Different stages. The same love of music.