THE BANDS:
Watermelon Park Fest is pleased to announce the following artists:
The Dan Tyminski Band
Dynamic on stage, down to earth off stage, Dan Tyminski has the voice, instrumental chops, and charisma to be counted among the most recognizable and popular male vocalists on today’s bluegrass and country music scenes. Yet his demeanor – low-key and laconically sly – ensures that all the accolades are the product of his own innate gifts.
Since 1994, his ace instrumental skill (mainly on guitar, but also on mandolin) and burnished, soulful tenor singing has been a key component of Alison Krauss and Union Station, arguably the most visible and successful bluegrass band in the modern era. Prior to that, he rose to national prominence as a member of bluegrass favorite, the Lonesome River Band.
With Union Station on hiatus for most of 2008, Tyminski has formed a new incarnation of the Dan Tyminski Band, with whom he is currently recording a new album and preparing a national tour of festivals, arts centers, and listening rooms. This new edition includes longtime Union Station associate Barry Bales (bass), former Union Station and Mountain Heart member Adam Steffey (mandolin), sideman extraordinaire Ron Stewart (banjo, fiddle), and newcomer Justin Moses (fiddle, dobro).
Growing up in the unlikely bluegrass state of Vermont, Tyminski very quickly saw there was little difference between the rolling hills of New England and those of East Tennessee, as his parents raised him to a soundtrack of bluegrass and old-time country music. His family took advantage of the fertile festival scene in the northeast, and his mother was unafraid to pick up a guitar and sing a few bars from time to time. She was his first inspiration, proving that music was both within his grasp and something that could set him apart. When barely 21 years old, he was plucked from the ranks of regional bluegrass bands to join the Lonesome River Band, appearing on their 1989 release Looking for Yourself. He carried on (with one brief respite from 1992 through 1993) with 1994’s Old Country Town, during which time the Lonesome River Band emerged as one of the most influential acts in modern bluegrass – crafting a sleek sound that still had deeply-felt echoes of bluegrass’ rural roots.
Although he was briefly a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station during his break from Lonesome River Band in 1992-1993, Tyminski signed on full-time in 1994 as guitarist, lead and harmony vocalist, and occasional mandolinist. His hard-driving vocals showcase the band’s commitment to classic bluegrass, even as their sound has evolved into a richly hued hybrid that draws from a myriad of styles and sounds. When singing together, the silken voice of Krauss and more roughly-hewed quality of Tyminski’s voice make an unlikely and utterly riveting combination.
As a member of Union Station for the past thirteen years, Tyminski has participated in a string of acclaimed and commercially successful albums, including So Long So Wrong (1997), New Favorite (2001), Live (2001), and Lonely Runs Both Ways (2004). He also appears on the Krauss solo album Forget About It (1999) and on her multi-platinum 1995 compilation Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection, as well as 2007’s A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection. The band has been showered in Grammy, Country Music Association (CMA), and International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards, among others, and Tyminski has been named Male Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA three times and was recognized as 2004’s Male Vocalist of the Year by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA).
In 2000, Tyminski stepped further into the popular conscience as the singing voice of George Clooney in the Coen Brothers’ Odyssean farce O Brother, Where Art Thou? In addition to being a pivotal element in the plot of the film, his powerful rendition of the Stanley Brothers’ version of “Man of Constant Sorrow” became a surprise hit single – firing off a popular renaissance in bluegrass in the process. The song was given the CMA Single of the Year award, an IBMA award for Song of the Year (the album was also named the Album of the Year), and a Grammy award for Country Collaboration with Vocals. The album received the Grammy for Album of the Year – a rare achievement for a soundtrack project.
That year also marked the release of Tyminski’s first solo album, the confident and soul-stirring Carry Me Across the Mountain, and some of the first dates performed by the Dan Tyminski Band. He has also toured as part of Vince Gill’s band and with Jerry Douglas. He was invited by Eric Clapton to participate in Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004 and as a part of Union Station in 2007. Tyminski has been featured in Rolling Stone, Country Weekly, CNN.com, and by the Associated Press, and has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, the Grammy Awards, Good Morning America, the CMA Awards, the ACM Awards, and Sesame Street. He is also a highly regarded session musician and vocalist, having contributed to projects for Leann Rimes, Brad Paisley, Joan Osborne, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, and Alan Jackson.
Now living in the Nashville area, Tyminski is an avid golfer and has participated in a number of celebrity golf tournaments.
Larry Keel & Natural Bridge
Connecting traditional songs of yesterday with their own original and inventive sounds of today, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge create astonishingly powerful acoustic music rich in heritage, heart and hot licks! With a style that evokes both atomic rock energy and dynamic tonal purity, Keel and his ensemble are intent upon taking their instruments and their voices to their fullest potential for emotion and amazement. While paying respect to the legacy left by the forefathers of bluegrass, Keel bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary American Mountain Music. Larry Keel & Natural Bridge includes flatpicking guitar master Larry Keel (guitar, vocals), Jenny Keel (bass fiddle, vocals), Mark Schimick (mandolin, vocals), and, Jason Flournoy (banjo, vocals).
Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Larry Keel is a young veteran musician who has always been immersed in the traditional ways and etiquette of playing mountain music. Both Larry’s father and brother (themselves skilled and versatile acoustic musicians) influenced the younger Keel to thoroughly master the foundations of acoustic guitar (tune, timing, tone) before venturing into his own original territory. From a very young age, Larry made it his goal to honor and preserve the discipline of the Traditional Bluegrass music he knows and loves, while expressing his own ideas through acoustic music. Photo by Positivity Photography.
Crooked Still
Rock energy coexists with old-time mountain soul. Spooky backwoods melodies combine with hip hard-hitting beats. Raw, searing blues riffs intermingle with high heavenly vocals. Sound good? Here's the catch:
No electricity. No drums.
Meet Crooked Still, the hot young alternative bluegrass group on a mission to bend the boundaries of traditional music. The unlikely combination of banjo, cello, and double-bass drives this low lonesome band, whose captivating vocals and high-wire solos have enraptured audiences all over North America and Ireland since 2001.
Four very unique musical personalities merge to form Crooked Still. Aoife O'Donovan's refined, sultry vocals float over Rushad Eggleston's rumbling cello riffs, Dr. Gregory Liszt's futuristic four-finger banjo rolls and Corey DiMario's pulsing bass lines. The resulting acoustic fusion can warp a traditional American tune to the brink of unrecognizability without sacrificing the authenticity of the original sources. “It's almost like we're going back and making imaginary history,'' says Eggleston, whose versatile cello style has already sparked a revolution among young cellists. ``What if the 1920s Appalachian musicians could've heard the music we hear now?''
Magraw Gap
Magraw Gap is the band that started a lot of hype among young Bluegrass fanatics used to going to the wonderful Fiddlers Conventions and Bluegrass Festivals that are still such a part of the summer landscape up and down the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains down into North Carolina. When like-minded acoustic musicians Larry Keel (guitar), Will Lee (banjo), Danny Knicely (mandolin) and John Flower (upright bass) began to get together and pick regularly at such gatherings it soon became apparent that the quartet had a tight, powerful grip on virtually the entire repertoire of traditional Bluegrass material (both instrumentally and vocally) as well as a unique and adventurous approach to more improvisational, original compositions and non-traditional music. Their self-titled and self-produced project that came out in 1996 is a gem capturing the band’s best material (almost entirely original) at that time, and gives the listener a great taste of why this band won first prize honors at the 1995 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition. Photo by Lawrence Emerson from the Fauquier Citizen, August 25, 1995.
http://www.larrykeel.com/store/lkcd5.html
The Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a group of young African-American stringband musicians that have come to together to play the rich tradition of fiddle and banjo music in Carolinas’ piedmont. Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson both hail from the green hills of the North Carolina Piedmont while Dom Flemons is native to sunny Arizona.
Although we have diverse musical backgrounds, we draw our musical heritage from the foothills of the North and South Carolina. We have been under the tutelage of Joe Thompson, said to be the last black traditional string band player, of Mebane, NC and we strive to carry on the long standing traditional music of the black and white communities.
Joe’s musical heritage runs as deeply and fluidly as the many rivers and streams that traverse our landscape. We are proud to carry on the tradition of black musicians like Odell and Nate Thompson, Dink Roberts, John Snipes, Libba Cotten, Emp White, and countless others who have passed beyond memory and recognition.
http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/
The Woodshedders
The Woodshedders deliver up a unique take on the old-time hot club swing jazz style. The sounds of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, Milton Brown, The Boswell Sisters, and Freddy Taylor combine with the influence of train sounds, mountains, fried chicken, rock and roll, hobo fires, abstract impressionism, and a million other things to render a pouncing and playful, evocative original music.
Seven members include Dwayne Brooke (guitar/vocals), Fiddlin' Dave VanDeventer (fiddle), Ryan Mayo (upright bass), Stuart Orser (guitar), Jesse Schulzaberger (drums/skiffle trap), and Aimee Curl and Morgan Morrison (vocals). Photo by Tara Ward.
http://www.thewoodshedders.com
Furnace Mountain Band
Furnace Mountain consists of Dave VanDeventer on Fiddle and Vocals, Morgan Morrison on Bouzouki and Vocals, and Aimee Curl on Bass and Vocals, and includes transient members Danny Knicely on Mandolin, Zach Lester or Bodhran, and John Flower on Washtub. The band has graced stages near and far, from the Yangtzee River in China to the banks of the Shenandoah River, where they host the famous Watermelon Park Fest each year. The music of Furnace Mountain is at times lively and raucous, with spirited fiddle melodies weaving in and around the powerful rhythms of the bass and bouzouki. It is at other times poignant and poetic, with sublime vocal harmonies beautifully interpreting some of the oldest songs ever written. Furnace Mountain also performs a variety of original compositions, such as Scrampwang, Weezer's Dream, and the ever popular Spuds. Photo by Tara Ward.
http://www.furnacemountain.com
Danny Knicely presents Bluegrass & Beyond
Danny Knicely is a fourth generation Appalachian multi-instrumentalist from a Virginia family steeped in mountain music tradition. He has used his roots in old-time and bluegrass to explore many musical styles from Irish, jazz and Latin, to the various musical styles he encountered while performing and studying music in India, Nepal, Tibet, and China. He has co-conducted lectures on the similarities between Appalachian and Himalayan music at Columbia University, and The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and for Asia Network.
He has won many awards for both his mandolin and guitar expertise such as the first place in the mandolin contest of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. He has years of experience as a professional musician performing in many bands of varying musical styles. He has recorded and toured nationally and internationally with many groups including the award winning Magraw Gap, David Via and Corn Tornado, James Leva and Purgatory Mountain, and is a musical director for the Mountain Music Project and Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, featuring Mark Schatz and Eileen Carson.
Danny has also performed with Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams, Vassar Clements, Tony Rice, Mac Wisemen, Tim O’Brian, Michelle Shocked, Sam Bush, Col. Bruce Hampton, Larry Keel, Robin and Linda Williams, Daryl Anger, Jeff Coffin, and Adrian Bellew to name a few.
A few festivals where Danny has performed are Merlefest, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Rockygrass, Grey Fox, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Wheatland Music Festival (Michigan), Smile Fest, and Floyd Fest. Some venues he has played are The Smithsonian, The Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts, The Strathmore, The Prism Coffeehouse (Charlottesville, VA), The Birchmere, The House of Blues (Los Angeles, CA), The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA).
http://www.myspace.com/dannyknicely
Zan McCleod, Billy McComiski, Molly Andrews, & Jim Eagan
Zan McCleod (bouzouki, guitars, mandolin) is one of the best known guitarists and bouzouki players in the world of Irish music. Originally from North Carolina, he co-founded the Irish-American groupTouchstone in Chapel Hill with Bothy Band alumnus Triona Ni Dhomhnaill; the group recorded two memorable award-winning albums for Green Linnet Records. Zan’s solo album Highland Soul, which also features Brendan Mulvihill and Donna Long, has received great critical acclaim. While in Ireland he recorded The Ring Sessions with fiddler James Kelly, and more recently he completed work on the award-winning Lost in the Loop by Chicago-based fiddler Liz Carroll. Zan has also recorded for several film soundtracks, including Edward Burns's The Brothers McMullen, Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil, and Sam Shepard's Far North. Zan is a respected and experienced workshop leader and instructor, and has recently produced an instructional video on the Irish bouzouki for Homespun. Zan is also a producer and recording engineer in his own project studio Tonehouse. He is currently based in the Washington, DC area, from which he tours and records with Irish musicians throughout the nation and abroad.
Billy McComiskey - Simply the best Irish accordion player in America, Billy McComiskey is also one of the best in the world. ~ Steve Winick, All Music Guide
Molly Andrews is recognized as one of the finest interpreters of traditional music, as well as an outstanding vocalist in various styles, bringing a directness and intensity to everything she sings.
Her lineage trails into pre-Revolutionary southwest Virginia and the 'Lost
Province' area of Western North Carolina, hence a natural affinity with
the 'old songs'. She performs extensively on stages great and small across
the US and abroad, from venues as diverse as Oxfords' Holywell Music Room,
Europe's oldest concert hall, to CBGB's, NYC, home of underground rock.
Molly is a veteran of National Public Radio programs such as Mountain
Stage, E-Town, West Coast Weekend, and has recorded programs for the BBC,
BBC Scotland, and Radio Oslo, among others.
"Andrews is a quintessential roots vocalist. She is not in this for a star
turn; this music is her life. Her roller-coaster voice is pure down-home
country. "Miner's Prayer" left me so inadequate to express her ability
that I asked an expert in the field, "What comparable contemporary
bluegrass vocalist does her voice make you think of?" "Hers," I was told. "That's a one-of-a-kind." - John Moore, Denver Post 2005st
Jim Eagan on fiddle, in one of Baltimore's mot highly regarded celtic musicians.
The Freight Hoppers
Jim Roe of Roe Entertainment is happy to announce the addition of Rounder Recording artists, The Freight Hoppers, an old time string band, to his already exciting roster of bluegrass bands.
“There are certain string bands that everyone looks to in setting the bar high for musicianship, performance and showmanship and The Freight Hoppers deliver the goods. Their infectious high energy and bracing uncompromising sound is what I look for in a band. I know their loyal and patient fan base, including myself, is glad they’re back and we’re very excited about seeing them perform again,” says Roe.
Those “patient fans” who had the pleasure to see the fabled Freight Hoppers perform from 1992 to the band’s lay-up will certainly know what a sight and sound it is to witness the infectious groove of fiddle and banjo combination driven by David Bass and Frank Lee. These guys set a new benchmark on the circuit back in the mid 90s. When the band took a rest in 2002, when they last performed together, many wondered if that hallmark sound would be heard again.
Now, Lee and Bass are back and have brought in Thomas Bailey on guitar and vocals and Isaac Deal on upright bass and vocals. With the two original members reunited and joined by Bailey, whose undistilled powerhouse baritone vocal range enriches the sound, and Deal, whose ardent high lead and tenor voice holds the line and traverses the music’s authentic spirit, a string band has been created to rival the best that ever kicked up dust. During the 1990s, The Freight Hoppers became the most popular modern day old time music string band in the world. The Freight Hoppers recorded two critically acclaimed albums that climbed into the Top 20 of Billboard’s Americana music charts: “Where’d You Come From, Where’d You Go?” (1996) and “Waiting on the Gravy Train” (1998). They toured extensively in the U.S., Canada and Europe, appeared on Garrison Keillor's " A Prairie Home Companion,” and elevated the popularity of old time music all over the world. With performances at concerts and festivals and radio airplay, they shook up the music landscape and created a new audience of traditional music fans.
Their music turned people on and trail blazed the way for other successful string bands to follow their lead. The reshaped band will elaborate on their trademark sound by drawing upon their personal musical rapport to make a sonic hue that refracts their inspirations and love of Southern American, gospel, blues, punk and, folk music. A new album on Rounder Records is already in production and eagerly awaited.
And so a new chapter begins and The Freight Hoppers ride again...
http://www.myspace.com/thefreighthoppers
The Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion, a quartet based out of Richmond, VA, plays a mostly high-energy, joyful brand of bluegrass, with skillful picking and two and three-part harmonies.
The songwriting, handled mainly by guitarist Ryan Phillips, leans heavily toward storytelling. Bank robberies, jail time, mill fires – the themes are familiar, but the lyrics are fresh and captivating. In addition to Phillips' guitar work, fiddler/vocalist Mary Simpson is a crisp soloist and bassist David Cosper an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who grounds the band. Also Roy Myers' bluegrass/old-time hybrid-banjo playing sets the band apart from the standard Scruggs banjo band. Like a lot of bluegrass bands, The Whiskey Rebellion has one foot in the past and one foot in the present. "Something old, something new, and losing track of the difference" is written in bold print across the top of their website. "Bluegrass is definitely the foundation," said Phillips "But it's about doing as much as we can with acoustic instrumentation."
http://www.thewhiskeyrebellion.net/
The Mando Mafia
Mando Mafia have been delighting audiences with their award winning "wall-of-mandolin" sound, playing concerts, music and art festivals, dances and dance weekends, wine festivals, weddings, parties and other special events in the Mid-Atlantic states since 1989. Their recordings have been heard nationwide on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and played on radio shows all over the US and as far away as France and Australia.
Though the band's music has its roots in Appalachian Old-Time String Band traditions, it has branches just about everywhere. A typical performance might, in addition to old-time hoedown music, include calypso, reggae, rockabilly, klezmer and bluegrass, together with the occasional Finnish wedding march, Chilean sikureada, Puerto Rican or Argentine waltz, and Italian polka. As one reviewer in Bluegrass Unlimited put it: "They have no problem grabbing material from any source that suits their fancy and placing their multi-talented stamp on it." The result is a sound that is, to quote another reviewer from England's Folk Roots magazine, "danceable, foot-tappable, unignorable and irresistible."
No strangers to competing, individual band members have won instrumental contests in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina; collectively the band has won the non-traditional band competition at West Virginia's Appalachian String Band Festival three times (and also placed in the top 3 numerous times).
In the words of music promoter Fred Boyce: "With a repertoire as broad as that of the mandolin itself...the Mando Mafia stand poised to entertain, delight and instruct. They can be uproariously happy and bright at one moment, and then turn right around and deliver a somber rendering of something that sounds as though it just got off the boat from the Old Country. The Mando Mafia is definitely one group of 'dons' you should seek out at every opportunity."
The Speakeasy Boys
The Speakeasy Boys started out as a group of local musicians who simply like to get together and play music. Every Sunday, they would meet up and play bluegrass along the banks of the Potomac River near Packhorse Ford, located outside of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and at a nearby house dubbed "the Speakeasy" (hence the band's name).
After about two years, they decided to start performing in front of an audience, instead of the usual barrel fire of barbeque chicken and fish. In 2003, they moved their jam to Ed’s Taproom, a local pub in Shepherdstown, where they played every other Tuesday night for nearly a year. Nowadays, they play a wide variety of venues, including pubs, clubs, theaters, festivals, parades, local events and private parties.
The Speakeasy Boys play traditional and non-traditional acoustic, bluegrass and old-time music, in their own unique zesty river hobo jugband style. The sound is very much like what you would hear at a jam circle – bluegrass and old-time tunes played in a rustic, upbeat, jam style, where each musician has the opportunity to play a tune and there are plenty of ‘breaks’ (solos). The musicians are a blend of various styles and musicial backgrounds, so lots of different sounds and influences can be heard in their music.
The Speakeasy Boys consist of two guitars, mandolin, banjo, washtub bass, fiddle, harmonica, washboard and saw, though they frequently feature other instruments including a homemade tin-can contraption (affectionately named Jeb Junior) that is played with a pair of spoons, the nose-flute, kazu, and electric lapsteel guitar. In addition to bluegrass and old-time, they also play country, gypsy swing, blues, folk, celtic, and have even been known to play rock, reggae, and other sytles occasionally.
The Speakeasy Boys are all about having fun and wherever they go, it's a party!
http://www.speakeasyboys.com/home.htm
Gold Heart
Gold Heart, from Northern Virginia is a creative young bluegrass band that features the distinctive talents of the Gold Sisters... Pure family harmony, solid lead vocals and energetic pickin' describes just some of their musical abilities. Their unique sound is unmistakable and captivating.
http://www.goldheartbluegrass.com/
The Page County Ramblers
Gary Desper (Guitar and Vocals) started playing guitar and singing at the age of 13 as a member of the Poor Mountain Boys. He play with them until they disbanded in 1975. After that he played with Buzz Busby as a Bayou Boy. It was with Buzz that Gary played his first Bluegrass Festival in Upper Marlborro MD around 1977-78, After that he played with his Dad Bill Desper and the Desperado's until Bill took sick in 1982 and passed away in 1984. Gary didn't play again untile 1987 at a New Years eave party at the request of some friends. In 1988 Gary formed the Page County Ramblers and the rest is history.
Clifford Shifflett (Banjo and Vocals) was born in Rockingham County,Va. Resides presently in Page County Va. He started learning banjo at age 14, influenced by local musicians early also play acoustic and electric guitar and a bit of Dobro. He played with the Grass Associates and Grass Reflections in the 1970's and 80's. He also played with some variety bands [country, southern rock,etc.] throughout the late 80's and 90's while still sitting in with some bluegrassers. He got involved with the Page County Ramblers in 1996 and still here.
Donnie Lutz (Fiddle) started playing mandolin in his teenage years with his family playing dance halls in the 50s. Donnie’s dad Cirby played the fiddle Mother Katie piano and 2 brothers, Harold playing fiddle and guitar Douglas playing guitar. Cirby and Katie had been playing dances since the 30s. In the mid 50s Donnie’s parents quit play shows but the 3 brothers continued playing dances with Donnie now on the fiddle. In the late 50s Donnie started playing with other bands.
Glen S Knicely (Bass Fiddle) played Rock and Soul from 1960 to 1971. Glen is believed to have owned the first electric base in the Harrisonburg VA, area. His family started playing as a group known as The Kincely Family band playing Bluegrass from 1974 to 1978 with his mother Frances and father Orven along with Glen’s brother Don and his wife Dian and Glens wife Darlena they disbanded to raise family’s. In the early 80s and into the 90s Glen played with Dommioun Express playing Bluegrass and Old Time music.
Andy Constable (Mandolin, Guitar and Vocals) played with his family as The Constables Californa in 80s, played in Bars in Scottland, then moved to Virginia in 1985 where he played with a few contry bands. Andy joined the Page County Ramblers 2004 .
http://pagecountyramblers.com/news/index.php
The Fox Hunt
Serving up dirt-laden tales of substance abuse, lonely highways, infidelity, damnation, and redemption, Martinsburg, WV’s the Fox Hunt play a brand of music anyone can identify with. Their strong writing and instrumentation is rounded out by a raucous live performance, making them as comfortable in a rowdy punk rock bar as they would be on your back porch. Singer/songwriter John R. Miller portrays an image of triumph over adversity. His writing plays on the failures and anxieties that exist in the hearts of human beings. Themes of defeat, loss, and missed opportunity abound in the apathetic wonderland his songs create, but by championing the underdog and reminding us that we are all human, his songs allow us to go on feeling more self-worth, unified in our shortcomings. Miller's characteristic doom-and-gloom writing style is countered by the band's creative contra positive, Matt Kline. While often times bleak, Kline's characters are optimistic and hopeful, and while he deals with such universally hard-hitting topics as alcoholism and abandonment, he often does so with forgiveness and an insightful tinge of humor. This emotional roller-coaster is bridled by the driving musicianship of Matthew Metz and Ben Townsend, whose musical influences range from string band music of the early 20th century to indie, and from D.I.Y. punk to arena rock. Utilizing the mandolin, banjo, and fiddle, the two emphasize both traditional and contemporary concepts to bring the songs to life. Equipped with an interesting and eclectic sound, the Fox Hunt meld the bright harmonies and acoustic instruments characteristic of early country/folk with rough, smoky, rock and roll lyrics and arrangements.
http://www.skull-city.com/artists_FoxHunt.html
Chesham Creek
Donny Lee Nuckles, Jr.: Songwriting and music has always been a big part of my life. Stories that have been handed down from the mountains of Southwestern Virginia , to the rolling fields of Culpeper, my songs are of the past and the present. I’ve been known to be very proud of my Southern past and its future. At youth’s early dawn, I would sit upon my Grandmother Hess’ front porch as she would play her banjo( Little birdie, Cluck Old Hen etc…) Lord how it would ring throughout the mountain of Garden Creek. It was not long after my Grandmother Hess taught me this old clawhammer style banjo, that I was taught fiddle and guitar. Those days I do hold dear to my heart. I am a proud father of three beautiful children, Donny III, John Paul, Shannon, and a Grandson I call Little Phillip.
Liz Monseur: My musical background has been a slow work in progress. Music was not something I did early in life, because it was not encouraged like some other arts were in my family. Fortunately, John Denver entered the scene while I was an adolescent and I fell in love with his “folksy, country” sound. Not to mention, I just had to have “John Denver” granny glasses and western shirts. I had always had an appreciation for the mountains and for open spaces, so his music was a virtual escape from suburban reality. I quickly developed a love of banjos, fiddles and Emmylou Harris harmonies. I took up guitar, but it mostly sat for many years, until I heard Kate Wolf songs. At that point, I really wanted to play, but never thought I would sing. Hearing Nancy Griffith for the first time completely blew me away. I started trying to learn her songs, and gradually, I did. My repertoire has expanded to include country, bluegrass and folk. My first open mic (and many after that) was a knee-knocking, frightful experience. Really. A friend even told me to wear long pants so the audience could not see my knees tremble. Since that time, I have played and sung- even for money!!! With no illusions, I continue in my day job and play music with friends. I am thrilled to be part of Donny’s project, after hearing the stories of the people in these songs and knowing well his passion for southern history and heritage.
Becca Isaac: My first ensemble singing experience was at age 5, as a member of the Cherub Choir of my family’s Methodist Church in Charleston , West Virginia . We wore white angel robes with giant red ribbons at the neck. Throughout junior high and high school I sang in the school chorus and church choir, learning how to harmonize and sight sing. At home, “Stained Glass Bluegrass” was heard on the radio every Sunday morning, and record albums of folk music, gospel, rock and roll, disco, and soul were often played. From these very humble musical stirrings (including 7 years of piano lessons), I have developed a deep love and appreciation of music and musicianship. Lewis Family songs from Hallelujah Turnpike are still a favorite of my sister and mine to sing a cappella around campfires and at family gatherings. We will sing with all seriousness, and then crumple up with laughter at how much fun it is.
Gary Keel: I have known Donnie for many years as a good friend, talented musician and songwriter. Donnie has captured the respect, love of family and preservation of the southern heritage in the songs that he has written and now performing. Being born in Southwest Virginia, I grew up knowing about the greats of the area i.e. The Stanleys, Jim and Jesse, etc. My dad played guitar and banjo for many years for almost any occasion. My brother Larry, a professional performer and songwriter, travels the United States performing with his band. Raised in the Warrenton, Virginia area, I was hypnotized with all the great sounds out of WKCW Radio Station along with the legendary National Country Music contest at Lake Whippoorwill in August of every year. Also Galax to Watermelon Park, I was always music bound in someway.
Patty Embrey: I have known Donny for many years as a co-worker, talented musician, songwriter and most of all a friend. When I heard the material that he had written I was honored to be asked to be part of this project. I come from a family of musicians; enjoying many different music and festival venues. My dad and brothers played in a band together for many years with many accomplished musicians. It was always so much fun; times that I will cherish forever.
Josh Butler: I grew up trying to play rock n roll like most of my friends in high school. That changed when I met Larry Keel. He introduced me to the bluegrass pickin circles that we all love. From my first jam, I was in awe of the skill these guys had. I began playing banjo inspired by players such as Ben Eldridge from the Seldom Scene and Will Lee from Magraw Gap. Currently, I've been playing the mandolin and I'm having a blast with it. I feel really lucky to be able to learn from some of the great musicians in Virginia.
Bayou Faux Pas
Our music is a hot mix of Cajun two-steps, waltzes, and songs, with a driving beat that is great for dancing. Members include as shown: Pete Marshall , Rick Friend, Paul Rosen,
Bill Giltinan, and Judy Chaudet.
http://paulrosen.net/faux_pas/index.html
The Acoustic Burgoo
The Acoustic Burgoo was formed in January 2006, consisting of four talented young musicians from Loudoun Valley High School. Ever since they joined together, Rudy Bzdyk, Ben Walters, Erik Burnham, and Melissa Wright have taken Loudoun by storm, once even called "Loudoun's own Nickel Creek." They play a blend of modern and classic folk, blues, and bluegrass, as well as original tunes. They can be seen playing music and singing songs anywhere and everywhere, from the auditorium of their high school to the high peaks of nearby mountains. They ramble around Western Loudoun and if you look close you'll probably see them in Rudy's Volvo wagon adorned with a huge "ACOUSTIC BURGOO" sign or in Ben's blue '77 Land Cruiser lovingly nicknamed "The Burgoozer". The Burgoo is fresh, vibrant, young, energetic, and ready to rock your world.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=69339808
