The Bands
We've got a fabulous lineup for our 3rd Annual Pickin' in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival, featuring some of the best traditional and contemporary bands anywhere! You'll hear tried and true favorites, as well as new up-and-coming bands.
The Del McCoury Band
Nashville Bluegrass Band
Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike with Becky Buller
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Steve Smith and Hard Road
Burnett Family Bluegrass
Spring Creek Bluegrass
The Billy Pilgrims
Sawmill Road
Sandia Hots
Muskellunge Bluegrass
Knockabouts
Springfed Band
The Del McCoury Band
"McCoury is a national treasure." WASHINGTON POST
"Del McCoury. The High Lonesome Master. Period." NEW YORK NEWSDAY
The band's leader/patriarch/namesake is one Delano Floyd "Del" McCoury, a nimble, inventive guitarist and a master of the "high lonesome" vocal style that is the foundation of the bluegrass sound. The band's top-drawer instrumental and vocal firepower combined with deep-rooted dedication to hallowed bluegrass heritage have kept them at the top of their field in the hearts of traditionalists, while their consummate showmanship, high spirits and willingness to incorporate eclectic material have continued to spread the boundaries of their influence.
McCoury — along with his band — has won more International Bluegrass Music Association awards than any other artist in the genre's history with a total of nearly 40 individual and group citations from the IBMA, including a whopping nine "Entertainer Of The Year" honors. Original members are Ronnie McCoury playing mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo and Jason Carter on the fiddle. All of them are recognized as being among the best pickers in the business and each of them has numerous awards acknowledging their extraordinary talent. The new kid on the block is Alan Bartram on bass.
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Nashville Bluegrass Band
The members of Nashville Bluegrass Band (NBB) came together from all points on the compass: Mike Compton (mandolin) is from Mississippi, Pat Enright (guitar) from Indiana, Alan O'Bryant (banjo) hails from North Carolina, Stuart Duncan (fiddle) was born in California, and Andy Todd (upright bass) is a Tennesse native.
In 2002, Pat Enright became one of the voices of the Soggy Bottom Boys, the fictional old-time singing trio led onscreen by George Clooney in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? Alan O'Bryant, Mike Compton and Stuart Duncan also appeared on the film's soundtrack. In 2003, Stuart Duncan's fiddling was featured throughout the soundtrack of Cold Mountain. NBB has been awarded two Grammys, two Entertainer Of The Year honors from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), and four wins as IBMA's Vocal Group of the Year. NBB celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2004, with the release of their Grammy-nominated album Twenty Year Blues. These gifted musicians have joined to create an unmatched all-American sound. Nashville Bluegrass Band's talents have been celebrated, literally, around the world, but the band's appeal is as basic as a small-town general store.
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Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, with Becky Buller
Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike with Becky Buller have become ambassadors of bluegrass music from coast to coast and around the world, having entertained music lovers in New York, London, Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and hundreds of other venues throughout the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. In addition to Valerie, you'll hear Becky Buller (vocals, fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, songwriter), Bobby Davis (bass) and Chad Graves (resophonic guitar, vocals).
Valerie has been the recipient of International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards and has been nominated for a Grammy Award as part of the Ralph Stanley "Clinch Mountain Sweethearts" project, and she has appeared on the famous Grand Ol' Opry as a guest of hall-of-famer, Charlie Louvin. Becky was awarded first place in the bluegrass division of the 2001 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, N.C. Her songs have been recorded by Rhonda Vincent, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band, and, most recently IIIrd Time Out.
Dave Higgs of NPR-Bluegrass Breakdown writes, "(Valerie's) effervescence, energy and sense of showmanship make her not only one of the finest singers in Bluegrass-dom, but one of the genre's most interesting stylists as well. Becky Buller...(gives) the group a special groove and an added layer of excellence."
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Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a group of young African-American stringband musicians who have come together to play the rich tradition of fiddle and banjo music of the Carolinas' Piedmont region. Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson both hail from the green hills of the North Carolina Piedmont while Dom Flemons is native of sunny Arizona. (Dom was also a Flagstaffian for a few years!)
Although the Carolina Chocolate Drops have diverse musical backgrounds, they draw their musical heritage from the foothills of North and South Carolina. They have been under the tutelage of Joe Thompson, of Mebane, NC — said to be the last black traditional string band player — and strive to carry on the long-standing traditional music of the black and white communities.
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Steve Smith and Hard Road
Steve Smith and Hard Road is a tight ensemble led by one of the outstanding mandolinists of our generation. This band brings together virtuoso playing from veterans and newcomers alike coupled with compelling original tunes. Everyone in the group shares a diverse musical background including classical, jazz and world music as well as a deep respect for traditional and folk music. A high level of musicianship feeds an infectious groove, and strong individual vocals blend as if these singers were family. This group is generous with each other and generous with their audiences, sharing award-winning original music that presents a personal take on a universal experience. The band features Steve Smith (mandolin, mandola, guitar, vocals), Nate Lee (fiddle, mandolin, banjo, vocals), Chris Sanders (vocals, guitar), Aaron McCloskey (guitar, vocals) and Ashleigh Caudill (bass, vocals).
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Burnett Family Bluegrass
From the mountains of Northern Arizona comes the sound of Burnett Family Bluegrass. This is family music at its best with
hard-driving instrumentals and fine-tuned harmonies. The intricate breaks show a deep understanding
of intimate musical detail that skyrocketed them from good to outstanding in
the field of Bluegrass. Brian on guitar and
mandolin; Connie on stand-up bass; Rachel on fiddle, mandolin; Jessie on mandolin,
fiddle, guitar, banjo; and Ryan on banjo,
fiddle, guitar, and mandolin.
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Spring Creek Bluegrass
Spring Creek Bluegrass is quickly gaining a reputation as the hottest young band in the Rocky Mountains. The quartet plays a mix of bluegrass standards and compelling originals. All four musicians are accomplished vocalists. Spring Creek is built on the fundamentals of bluegrass, yet they create their own classic contemporary style. The young band, whose members met in music school in Texas, have studied and performed together for several years, creating a tight, polished sound. Spring Creek features Jessica Smith (bass, vocals), Alex Johnstone (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Chris Elliott (banjo, vocals), and Taylor Sims (guitar, vocals).
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The Billy Pilgrims
Influenced by Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Ray Price, and Lefty Frizzell, The Billy Pilgrims feature country music from the 1950s, as well as vintage bluegrass influenced by the Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Vern Williams, and Flatt & Scruggs. A typical Billy Pilgrims show includes an acoustic, bluegrass set and an electric, classic country set. Named after a Kurt Vonnegut character from the Slaughterhouse Five who can't help but travel from the present to the past and back again, these four Northern Colorado musicians feel the same way about their musical influences.
The Billy Pilgrims band features Lyons, Colo., residents Caleb Roberts (mandolin, electric guitar) and David Richey (vocals, acoustic guitar) , and Fort Collins, Colo., couple Aaron (banjo, pedal steel) and Erin Youngberg (vocals, upright bass).
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Sawmill Road
"Original. Dynamic. Creative. Diverse. Captivating." These are the things you hear when audiences, critics and other musicians describe the band. Sawmill Road is an amazing collection of seasoned players who perform at a level that always brings a powerful mixture of bluegrass styles to any stage. Sawmill Road features Bruce Johnson on fiddle, Steve Spurgin on bass, Charlie Edsall on guitar, Dick Brown on banjo and Mark Miracle on mandolin.
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Sandia Hots
The seeds of the band were first planted in 1998 in the Rio Grande Valley with the crimson peaks of the Sandia Mountains in the backdrop. Named for a local variety of chile plant, the Sandia Hots ripened into a well-known and respected musical force in Albuquerque and Santa Fe music and dance communities. Transplanted to Colorado during the year 2000, the band developed and grew in the music and dance scene on the Front Range. Returning to our New Mexico roots in 2005, the band continues to evolve, soaking in the area's rich music traditions.
Musical repertoire consists of lively Southern Appalachian dance tunes and songs, cowboy and early 20th century swing numbers, songs and dance tunes from New Mexico, Mexico and Southern Arizona.
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Muskellunge Bluegrass
Prior to moving to Flagstaff in 1998, Nolan McKelvey (guitar) performed at the Newport Folk Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and other festivals across the United States. Nolan has been referred to as "one of the best songwriters of the Southwest." Aaron Tyler (mandolin) has played in and around Arizona for over twenty years and was the state champion mandolinist at the Wickenberg Bluegrass Festival in 1998. His playing has been referred to as "adrenolin" for his unmatched speed and dexterity. Bass player Tim Hogan has traveled the country with several nationally-known acts, including Acoustic Semi, and the In-Betweens. Frank Dedera (banjo) has performed at festivals throughout the Southwest and Four Corners region.
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Knockabouts
Once upon a time in the little hamlet of Flagstaff, Arizona, John McGregor bought a bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey and dove in head first. Ordinarily, this would be just another Tuesday afternoon. However, from this bottle of Bushmills, great inspiration was born. Thus began the journey of the Knockabouts, Arizona's favorite Celtic Pub Band. Just like our founding beverage, the Knockabouts are the perfect blend of time-honored tradition, bawdy good taste, rowdy energy, and smooth
harmonies. The Knockabouts' music brings the best of authentic traditional pub tunes, and blends them with a unique sound that can only come from a band that appreciates a good whiskey the way the Knockabouts do.
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Presented by Flagstaff Friends of Traditional Music. Contact us at (928)525-1695 or PIPinfo@pickininthepines.org