Dry Branch Fire Squad,
Festival Hosts

In thirty-plus years of music making, Rounder recording artists Dry Branch Fire Squad have become an institution in American acoustic music. Inspired by a fierce and uncompromising loyalty to the most traditional aspects of bluegrass, old time and southern gospel music, Dry Branch Fire Squad is fueled by the musical vision and cultural commentary of Ron Thomason. Unlike most bluegrass groups, Dry Branch Fire Squad sells neither itself, its members, nor even particular bluegrass songs. What it markets are the emotions that stimulated the creation of bluegrass and mountain music as well as a taste of the culture in which this music evolved.

A native of southwest Virginia, Thomason founded the Dry Branch Fire Squad in 1976. To date, the band has recorded over twenty-one projects and performed at the most prestigious acoustic music venues and festivals in North America. Most bluegrass observers agree that Dry Branch's current line-up is one of its strongest ever: in addition to Ron Thomason on mandolin, guitar and lead vocals, other group members are Brian Aldridge on guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals, Danny Russell on acoustic bass and harmony vocals and Tom Boyd on banjo and harmony vocals.

This year, Dry Branch Fire Squad will once again tour from coast to coast, appearing at some of the most prestigious music events in North America and the group will also host the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, the largest bluegrass festival in the Northeast, as well as the High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival.

Dry Branch Fire Squad website

Dry Branch Fire Squad record for Rounder Records

Sons and Brothers,

Festival Hosts

The Sons and Brothers Band continues to captivate audiences around the country with their fusion of bluegrass, gospel, and western music inspired by the band’s founding father Frank Wolking, who lost his courageous battle with cancer in fall 2008. Sons and Brothers has been described as one of Colorado’s most exciting acoustic bands, bringing a unique combination of energy, instrumental prowess and tight powerful family harmony to the bluegrass genre. Rooted solidly in the Mountain West, the band describes its brand of music as “Westgrass,” songs with western and Gospel themes, built around the bluegrass lead instruments of mandolin, fiddle, dobro and banjo. The band is composed of brothers and sons Mike (dobro, banjo and lead guitar), Aaron (lead vocals and bass) and Joe (mandolin and fiddle), with uncle Fred Wolking (guitar and vocals), fiddle wizard Johnny Neill, with Ryan Finney on percussion. The Sons and Brothers’ sound is fresh, exciting and vibrant. A typical performance will feature a dynamic contrast of songs and sounds ranging from stirring ballads and powerful gospel numbers to fire breathing instrumentals to poignant stories of family life to classic waltzes and tales of broken hearts. Between the songs Sons and Brothers develops a powerful connection with audiences by sharing the good natured relationship that exists within the family and by presenting the songs with insightful introductions interspersed with doses of Aaron’s irrepressible sense of humor. The Sons and Brothers band won the 2004 National Bluegrass Playoffs in Victorville, California and gave a bang-up performance at the prestigious Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco in 2008.

Sons and Brothers' latest CD is Standing on a Rock and is available at the band's website below.

Sons and Brothers website

Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press

As one half of the legendary Osborne Brothers, Bobby Osborne has had a profound and widely felt impact on bluegrass as a vocalist, mandolin master, and bandleader for over five decades. His is truly one of the great, most distinctive voices in the history of the music. With the Rocky Top X-Press’ first release in 2006, Try A Little Kindness, Bobby marked an important new step in his already remarkable journey. Boasting some of his most powerful, assured singing in decades, along with a selection of songs ranging from bluegrass standards to contemporary compositions cleverly reinvented as bluegrass, his work with The Rocky Top X-Press found Osborne continuing to push himself and make music that is both classic and distinctly modern.

The soaring quality of Bobby Osborne’s voice, along with the innumerable innovations the Osborne Brothers have been responsible for over their career, make them one of the most imitated and influential acts in the history of bluegrass. They pioneered the “high-lead” vocal arrangement, which placed the melody in the highest voice and the tenor and baritone parts below it (as opposed to the tenor on top and the baritone below). The Osborne Brothers were the first bluegrass band to perform on a college campus (1960), and the first to play a concert at the White House (1973). By incorporating electric instruments, drums, and an expanded repertoire, the Osborne Brothers kept bluegrass on the air and in the charts throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, even winning the Country Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year award in 1971. They were welcomed in as members of the Grand Ole Opry in 1964. Their hits include “Once More,” “Ruby,” and the immensely popular “Rocky Top.” In 1994, they were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Hall of Honor.

The long-standing partnership between Bobby and his brother Sonny wound down in 2004, when rotator cuff surgery forced Sonny to stop playing the banjo. Sonny’s retirement was a bittersweet moment in their longstanding partnership, but it allowed Bobby to embark on his solo career. Bobby saw it as a golden opportunity, though one accompanied by a great deal of responsibility.  High Mountain Hay Fever is extremely proud to welcome Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press for their second Westcliffe appearance; the group left the audienceshappy and dazzled when they last appeared in 2007.

The band:
Bobby Osborne, mandolin and lead vocals
Mike Toppins, banjo
Bobby Osborne, Jr., bass
Joe Miller, guitar
David Crow, fiddle

<Biography content courtesy Rounder Records>

Bobby Osborne website

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands

Laurie Lewis has become a quiet legend during her 30-year career which includes a Grammy and twice being named Female Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association). This sweet-singing California fiddler and songwriter is something very special. "Judging by the respect she has among fans and peers in the industry," said IBMA executive director Dan Hays, "Laurie is one of the pre-eminent bluegrass and Americana artists of our time. She spreads her talent over several genres - bluegrass, folk, country - and with the recognition she has within all those fields, it is clear that she is one of the top five female artists of the last thirty years. And she continues to make great music."

Lewis's stage shows are renowned for their musical virtuosity and front-porch friendliness that invite audiences into her music. As with everything she plays, the point is sharing, not strutting. Along with Lewis, the Right Hands include Tom Rozum, whose versatility and diverse musical influences come to the fore every night on stage with the band. He plays primarily mandolin with the band, but is also an accomplished fiddle, mandola, and guitar player. He is a fine lead vocalist and the ideal harmony partner for Laurie. Todd Phillips has been appearing regularly as a bass player with Laurie since the summer of 1996. Craig Smith’s banjo playing displays impeccable taste, timing and tone that have made him a much-sought-after studio player. Scott Huffman, a consummate musician on both guitar and banjo, is North Carolina's best-kept musical secret.

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands last appeared at High Mountain Hay Fever. We are extremely excited to have them back!

Laurie Lewis website

John Reischman and The Jaybirds

After years of European and North American tours, five critically acclaimed albums, two Juno nominations and two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations, the buzz around John Reischman and The Jaybirds continues to grow. Like the mandolinist at its helm, the group fashions a stylish, elegant take on bluegrass that is at once innovative and unadorned, sophisticated and stripped-down, happily old-fashioned, yet unselfconsciously new. To see their live show is to believe it. A genial blend of story-telling and side-show humor provides the backdrop to their performance of original songs, instrumentals, and newly arranged traditional material.

Hailing from the variegated ranks of the contemporary West Coast acoustic music scene, each of these 'birds has certainly earned his wings: the list of projects they have contributed to over the years is nothing less than a short list of acoustic power houses. Together, their seamless ensemble work makes for one of the freshest, most tasteful band-sounds on the folk and bluegrass circuit today.

Featuring nine new songs and tunes from all five founding band members, Stellar Jays is the latest in a series of CDs to win rave reviews for a trademark, old-time-infused bluegrass sound that respects tradition while advancing the music. The nomination of Stellar Jays for two 2007 Canadian Folk Music Awards follows praise such as this from Nashville Public Radio: “A masterpiece — a fascinating and fresh-sounding collection of tunes that incorporate the best elements of bluegrass and old-time into a killer new sound.”

The band features John on mandolin, Jim Nunally on guitar, Trisha Gagnon on bass, Nick Hornbuckle on banjo, and Greg Spatz on fiddle.

John Reischman and the Jaybirds website

The Darren Beachley Band

Darren Beachley’s voice may be one of the most recognized in acoustic/bluegrass/roots music today. He’s been touring and playing professionally for over 30 years. His emotive vocals are only surpassed by the passion that he sings each line with in a voice that truly comes straight from his heart. His musical journey started as a mere child at the foot of many of Washington DC’s greats. Darren watched and took mental notes and asked questions of his heroes. By age 11 Darren was performing with his father in the Washington DC area’s club scene and learning quickly about being a professional. Learning all the rights and wrongs.

His first fulltime musical break came when the legendary Bill Harrell asked Darren to become a member of his band The Virginians as the dobro player. Bill was quoted as to say, “I need a Dobro player, And Darren is the best”. The next step in Darren’s musical life would take him many places in many different musical styles of acoustic music. “I always tried to take something with me from each musical situation that I worked in”. A 4-year stint as the lead singer and guitar player with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver would prove to put the polish to Darren as a singer, entertainer and human being. In 2009 Darren branched out on his own forming Darren Beachley & Legends of the Potomac with former Seldom Scene members Mike Auldridge and Tom Gray. The band's first release “Take Off” proved to be highly successful. Becoming number 1 on the Roots Music charts and number 11 on The Billboard charts. Darren served as producer and made many of the song choices for that project.

His lists of accomplishments are many including 5 IBMA awards 11 Washington Area Music Award nominations and 2 Dove nominations. As Darren approaches the next part of his musical journey with The Darren Beachley Band, it promises to include all of the music he loves. Roots, Bluegrass, Americana, Gospel and Old Time Country. Stripped down to just his voice, a guitar and his choice of acoustic accompaniment it promises to make this the most soulful, meaningful music that Darren has ever done. As Darren says “Doing the music like this gives me a vehicle to do so many things that I have always wanted to do.” “Music has to breath and have room to settle, In most rigid bluegrass settings it can’t, this gives me that chance to step out and do some things I have always wanted to do as an artist, I am very excited about the next chapter of my career".
<More details about the band to come.>

The Spinney Brothers

Nova Scotia has a long bluegrass tradition of playing and enjoying bluegrass music that
started early in the 1950’s when the Kentville radio station popularized the “hillbilly music”
of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. And due to devotion to the genre by the likes of the Spinney
Brothers, bluegrass music still flourishes today in the Annapolis Valley.

Thanks to the groups like the Spinney’s, the saying “country rocks but bluegrass rules”
applies to the rural musical scene. This was acknowledged publicly some four years ago when
MLA Brooke Taylor petitioned the government to salute the music that “has grown in leaps
and bounds in popularity across both Nova Scotia and Canada over the past 25 to 30 years.”
Taylor said the province has the oldest bluegrass festival in Canada, singling out the Spinney
Brothers as a major contributor to the music’s popularity.

The Spinney Brothers have earned this recognition by their devotion to bluegrass. In
bluegrass circles, they’re hailed for what critics call duet singing and instrumental playing “as
tight as you’ll find in bluegrass today.”

The current band of Allan Spinney on guitar, Rick Spinney on banjo, joined by Gary
Dalrymple on mandolin and fiddle and Terry Mumford on stand-up bass, form the string
instrument combination that has been the classic bluegrass format since the sound first
crystallized some 60 years ago. The string band format was created and popularized of course by Bill Monroe, the man credited with creating the bluegrass sound.

The Spinney Brothers band has remained true to the roots of bluegrass in all its album
releases, including the latest which features original pieces by Valley songwriters Wava Jordan
and Ryan Roberts. The new CD also offers gospel songs in bluegrass style and plenty of the
energetic, hard-driving string music that is the core of bluegrass.

“We want our recordings to represent traditional bluegrass music in a true and honest way,”
the Spinney Brothers note on the jacket of their new release. Give a listen and you’ll find
that’s exactly what they’ve accomplished.

The Spinney Brothers website

Heidi Clare and AtaGallop

Heidi Clare is widely acknowledged as the best old-time fiddler currently performing.  Her style and the material that she chooses to perform keeps alive the hundreds-years-old traditions established by immigrant fiddlers (mostly European) who came to America starting in the Seventeenth Century and established the fiddle as a major American instrument for folk dancing, Appalachian ballads and hoedowns, and bluegrass breakdowns.  She does all of those, and applies the muscle to her performances that has been indicative of the hard working pioneer farmers and stock men and women who carried the traditional sounds of the instrument into modern times. She not only plays the music that drove the raucous dances of those pioneers, but she dances the steps as well.  She has performed all over the U.S. with her own band as well as with the Reeltime Travelers, which also recorded on the sound track of the movie, Cold Mountain.  Unlike many of the other “folk-type” fiddlers that play traditionally-oriented fiddle tunes, Heidi Clare is formally trained and holds a Master’s Degree in music.  She is presently the Artist-In-Residence at the UCSF Medical School where she is conducting programs and workshops on the relationships between music and the brain.

Heidi Clare website

Travers Chandler and Avery County

Travers Chandler and Avery County stand ready to take their place among the bluegrass elite as interpreters and progenitors of all that is old school. Seeking to please both hardened traditional bluegrass fans, and to leave a footprint in the new acoustic scene, the group walks the tight rope between the two while never sacrificing the sound of their music. Theirs is a raw sound submerged in tradition. Their stage show is explosive and energetic, centered on Chandler's dynamic mandolin and masterful rapport with the audience, along with his soaring soulful vocals. Barely into his thirties, he has already been compared to the likes of Dudley Connell and Junior Sisk. He insists on hardly ever using a set list and sometimes the group is 5 songs in before the audience knows what hit them.

The band came together in 2009 with the intent of preserving the legacies of bluegrass music's lost heroes, while bringing the sounds of those heroes to new audiences. The band members have garnered much acclaim and IBMA accolades after stints with the James King Band, Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass, The Country Gentlemen, Spring Creek, Dave Evans, and numerous others. 2011 was a landmark year for the group finding them on prestigious stages all over the country while having chart success and landing on the 2nd round ballot for IBMA "Emerging Artist of The Year."

The new record, State of Depression, features more obscure, hard-core material from the likes of Charlie Moore, the Easter Brothers, Charlie Monroe, Ted Lundy and Bob Paisley as well as a pair of tunes from the deep catalogue of Vernon Oxford and Hank Williams, Jr. These pickers are proud to say that this is your grandfather's bluegrass!

The band:

Travers Chandler, mandolin and lead vocals
Jessica Smith, bass
Terry McGill, banjo
Eddie Gill, guitar
Merl Johnson, fiddle

Avery County website

The Tuttles with AJ Lee

The Tuttles with AJ Lee first met and jammed together at the 2004 California Bluegrass Association’s Father’s Day Festival. The excitement and fun of those jams sparked friendships among the young musicians, and soon parents were shuttling kids and instruments back and forth across the San Francisco Bay for “play dates” of the musical kind. Jack, his children, and AJ began performing together and in 2008 they formed The Tuttle’s with AJ Lee. They are proud to present their first collaborative CD.

Now, here’s a family that saved a bundle on music lessons! Molly, Sullivan and Michael Tuttle are taught by their father Jack, who has taught bluegrass music for the past 30 years at Gryphon Stringed Instruments, while also performing professionally. Jack, in turn, was inspired to learn bluegrass by his father, Gerald Tuttle, who formed the original Tuttle Family Band many decades ago on the family’s farm in Illinois. Molly, Sullivan and Michael grew up listening to Jack practice each night in the living room. Curious, they experimented -- strumming the various instruments their father owned and singing favorite songs. When they were ready, Jack began nightly lessons -- allowing them to try out guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle. After several years of practice they had the chops to perform in public -- and the all-new Tuttle Family Band was born.

Like the Tuttle’s, AJ’s family has been involved in music for generations. AJ grew up hearing a wide range of musical styles, from rock and jazz to country, folk, and bluegrass. Her original instrument was ukulele, but now she plays mandolin and fiddle. It is always a treat to watch people’s faces when AJ begins to sing – she surprises her audiences with a voice that’s mature beyond the owner’s years. AJ began singing at the age of two, and at four she was entertaining audiences.

-- Sully Roddy, Radio personality, KFAT/KSAN/KNEW

The Tuttles and AJ Lee website

Honey Dewdrops

The Honey Dewdrops, Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish, make their home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, Virginia. The couple has been playing music in some capacity for over fifteen years, but honed in on their natural duet abilities seven years ago when they met for the first time in college. It was their love of folk music that brought them together and has since taken them out on the road to tour fulltime as the award-winning duet they are today.

Writing and singing in the veins of folk and old country music, the Dewdrops entwine harmony singing with tight instrumentation and craft songs that are simple and fine-tuned. Theirs are new songs from the southern mountains that ring with originality.

After their appearance and first place win on a 2008 talent show broadcast of NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion”, the Dewdrops began their careers as songwriters and have since released two critically acclaimed albums, If the Sun Will Shine (2009) and These Old Roots (2010) both of which charted at the #1 and #2 positions on the Folk DJ-L (folkradio.org) Charts for 2010.

Honey Dewdrops website

Bruce Hayes and the Ragged Mountain Ramblers

Bruce Hayes plays Rhythm & “Celtgrass” music, a fusion of musical styles that combines acoustic and electric instrumentation with elements of Rock, Bluegrass, Celtic, and R&B music. Collaborating with The String Cheese Incident and Acoustic Junction, Hayes helped define the acoustic jam band sound. He continues this tradition performing original songs and arrangements on mandolin, guitar, Dobro, foot board and his latest creation, the “Stratobassto”.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, recording engineer, one man band -Bruce Hayes does it all. The forty-something entertainer has been a professional musician since high school and his experience shows. On stage Hayes' presence is electrifying. He taps his feet on an amplified floor board, slaps accents on his guitar and cheeks, wails on the harmonica and sings charismatically. His fingers dance around the strings with incredible fluidity creating rich harmonic textures and rapid-fire riffs. The music is fresh and original but steeped in tradition; borrowing from blues, bluegrass, Celtic, world beat, folk, rock and jazz.

Inspired by the Beatles and the Monkees, Hayes began studying music at age seven. His mother, a former Broadway dancer, would insist that he study piano first, but his attention was always diverted by a small Sears Silvertone guitar. He formed his first band in seventh grade and got his first paid gig as guitarist for the High school jazz ensemble when he was fifteen. In College he majored in classical guitar but after attending his first bluegrass festival he traded the classical guitar for a mandolin and began performing at ski areas.

Performing as a solo act, a sideman, or with his bands, Hayes has given over 3,000 performances in many of America’s finest music venues, and several prominent music festivals. His music has taken him across the continent a dozen times, and twice around Europe. He's jammed on stage with Joe Cocker, Arlo Guthrie, New Riders, Acoustic Syndicate, Railroad Earth, Darrell Scott, Tim O'Brien, Drew Emmitt; opened shows for David Bromberg, Jorma Kaukonen, Merle Sanders, Subdudes, Neville Bros., Dave Mathews, Sam Bush and David Lindley; and recorded in Nashville for Grammy winning producer, Jon Vezner. In 1997, Ragged Mountain Records released Hayes' second album, Lunch. A follow-up to the popular Pack of Dogs compilation CD that Hayes produced and performed on, Lunch features more of Colorado's finest musicians including Tony Furtado, members of Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Acoustic Junction, The Motet, and the Bruce Hayes Band.

Bruce Hayes website

Giddyup Kitty



Giddyup Kitty is a four-piece, high-energy, all-female bluegrass band from Longmont Colorado. The Denver Post says they are “the finest bluegrass you’ll find anywhere along the Front Range”. Quentin Young from The Longmont Times Call describes Giddyup Kitty as a “bluegrass band made up of serious pickers, accomplished harmonizers and experienced performers.” Weaving fine melodies with rich harmony, these award-winning musicians create a show that leaves an audience joyful, and asking for more. The group chose the name Giddyup Kitty because it captures the enthusiasm, excitement and energy they feel about their music. In 2009 the band placed third at the Telluride Band Competition.

Giddyup Kitty has three recorded projects. The first CD, To the Rock, was released December of 2008. A live CD was recorded at the Altona Grange for the Colorado Bluegrass Society’s Pickin’ at the Grange series in November 2009. Their latest CD, Tracks, was released December 2010.

Members of the band include Kerry Claxton on mandolin, Adrienne Yauk on guitar and Dobro, Marni Pickens on bass, and Nancy Steinberger on fiddle.

Giddyup Kitty website

The Blue Canyon Boys

<photo by Ken Wilson>

Winners of the 2008 Telluride Bluegrass festival band contest, the Blue Canyon Boys offer a unique style of Colorado Bluegrass steeped in tradition with enough excursions to keep all types of music lovers tapping their feet. This bluegrass powerhouse consists of Gary Dark on mandolin, Jason Hicks on guitar, Drew Garrett on bass, and two-time national champion Jeff Scroggins on banjo. Blending incredible brother-duet-style vocals and hard-driving instrumental proficiency, this energetic band is driving audiences to their feet and keeping them there. With four well-received recordings of originals and interpretations of traditional songs by the likes of Monroe, Stanley, and McReynolds, the Blue Canyon Boys have become one of Colorado’s most celebrated bluegrass bands. This the band's second High Mountain Hay Fever appearance; their performance in 2008 was enthusiastically received.

“The Blue Canyon Boys from Colorado were one of the festival highlights with their pitch-perfect harmonies and sweet sounding blue-grass music performed with real panache." (Maria Bakkalapulo, National Geographic - reporting on the 2011 Rainforest World Music Festival held in Sarawak-Borneo, Malaysia)

“Without a doubt, the BEST bluegrass band we've ever had. They received a standing ovation, something I have never seen before at Bluegrass on the Bay. Blue Canyon Boys are pros through and through, every single one of them is not only a monster on their individual instruments, but their voices blend almost in family harmony. I was and continue to be impressed by them and I want you to know they did a GREAT JOB for us." - Dave Wilson, Bluegrass On The Bay, Great Falls, Montana

“With their tight instrumentation and some of the very best harmony I've ever heard, the Blue Canyon Boys really know how to please their audiences. I've seen them perform several times and I've never been disappointed." - Doris Gray, President, Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Boys....

The Blue Canyon Boys website

Honey Don't

Honey Don’t is the musical union of Bill Powers and Shelley Gray, perhaps better known as one half of the Paonia, Colorado based old time-bluegrass band, Sweet Sunny South.
 
Their music is acoustic and based in the folk tradition. They draw from their bluegrass and old-time background but also inject some country, blues and a little swing. The songs are catchy and engaging, funny, sad, lonesome and uplifting.  Most of the songs are original, but select covers and traditional tunes are part of their repertoire as well.

Bill describes himself as a writer first and foremost and all the while that Bill has been writing songs for SSS and otherwise, Shelley has been right there by his side working out arrangements and adding her bass and smiling voice to the mix. Honey Don’t is the harmonious result of their long-time partnership. Bill and Shelley’s comfort on stage and with one another creates an endearing vibe that comes shining through the music. The term “laid back” has come up often in describing that sound. Many of the songs have a wonderful sweetness and dreaminess to them but some get right down and rock too so there is something for everyone’s taste.

The Honey Don't MySpace page
The Honey Don't Facebook page

Gary Bowman

Gary is a zookeeper, teacher, musician and songwriter. He resides with his family in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California. In addition to writing and arranging "Song of the Animals," Gary sings, and plays acoustic and electric guitars, 5-string banjos, mandolin, electric bass, harmonica and percussion on the project. Gary's latest CD is a collection of original songs called Song of the Dinosaurs.

Gary Bowman website for Song of the Dinosaurs

Don Belveal, Emcee

Don Belveal will return to significant emcee duty at the 2011 High Mountain Hay Fever festival. Don does his homework and knows more about some of the bands than they may know about themsleves. Allegedly, Don is a highly regarded attorney with practices in Canon City and Colorado Springs. It is rumored that he once played guitar and knows so much about the Martin company that his initials could have been C.F. He is best known amongst his friends for his fine cooking and a rapier wit that is actually worthy of the cliché and has been appreciated by those who have attended our previous festivals. And he and his wife Janine have been especially appreciated by the performers as well who are grateful for the Saturday evening BBQs that she and Don and friends have prepared for them the past several years.