Jim and Cathy have also performed together without the Outlyers.

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In the early years of the band, The Outlyers were joined on occasion by a pair of musicians whose considerable talents added immeasurably to the band's performances.

Keyboard player Cathy Carfagna eventually had enough time to make all of the rehearsals and shows, and has become a regular member of the band.

Jim Whitford, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, still plays pedal steel with the group when his schedule allows.

Cathy is well known in the Buffalo music scene as half of The Jazzabels, a popular folk-rock duo that also included songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kilissa Cissoko. The Jazzabels never settled on a single musical style, instead blending folk, rock, blues, swing, cajun, zydeco, Tex-Mex, country and anything else they felt like adding to their sound. The duo released two well-received recordings ("Cafe All Day" and "Skyway") and logged hundreds of performances ranging as far as Boston, Chicago, Texas, Florida, Mexico, and Italy. Although the Jazzabels are inactive these days, Kilissa and Cathy have been known to reunite for special occasions.

More recently Cathy has been performing with The Voice of Cheez, a Frank Zappa tribute band (which also includes Kilissa), and has been in demand as an accordion/keyboard player and background singer for various Buffalo bands' recording projects. She can be heard on recordings by Doombuggy, 53 Days, Glenn Colton, Dave Goddard, Richard Chon, The Fibs, Dry Bones, Nimrod Wildfire, The Ministers of Love, Rob Falgiano and The Contortionists, Carl Thiel, and the Vores. Keen-eyed viewers may also have seen Cathy singing backup vocals with 10,000 Maniacs during several TV appearances promoting their Love Among the Ruins album in 1997.

Jim grew up in Buffalo's southtowns, and his high school jam-bands included people like singer-songwriter Peter Case, guitarist-producer Gurf Morlix, John Sawers of the Buffalo Guitar Quartet, and Los Angeles drummer Michael Banister. Jim played rock with The Desires in the 1980s before forming The Pine Dogs with Don Vincent, Tom Fischer, Jim Celeste, and later Gretchen Schulz. The Pine Dogs recorded two albums (one produced by Morlix) with Jim's songs and guitar playing as some of the most important and distinctive elements of their success.

When The Pine Dogs folded, Jim bought himself a pedal steel guitar, learned to play it, and since then has played with The Steam Donkeys, The Outlyers, and Rex Hobart. Jim also has a fine solo album, Poison in the Well, released in 2000. Recorded in Texas with Morlix, it includes guest appearances by Buddy Miller, Ian McLagen, Linda McRae, and Donald Lindley, and collects some of Jim's finest songs and most emotional guitar and pedal steel playing.

To promote the album Jim put together the Real Beat Band (with Cathy, among others) and played regularly around Buffalo. They also formed the core band that backed Jim's buddy Gurf when he returned to Buffalo to play in 2001 and 2002.

More recently Jim has been performing with Joe Rozler and Rob Lynch (with Cathy soon to be added) in a group they call The Possums. Their shows are usually listed on this web site's news and shows page.