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Pinegrass

Missoula based bluegrass band, catch them
most Tuesday nights at the TopHat on Front Street. Pictured left to right, John
Joyner on fiddle, Chad Fadely on mandolin, Ted
Lowe, guitar and vocals, Rick Ryan, bass and
vocals, Jack Mauer on banjo and dobro.
"Pinegrass" (scientific
name: Calamagrostis Rubescens) has been playing weekly since 1988. The exact
date of birth is a matter of debate, but suffice it to say, they've been
playing together a pretty long time. Pinegrass has always been a democratic
enterprise; each individual having the privilege and responsibility to take
their turn choosing the songs and tunes that are presented at each outing.
The over-all sound of the band is a result of the individual influences and
passions of each player. The common denominator for all Pinegrass members is
to play each number with feeling - they strive to play good tunes, the way
they're "supposed" to be played. You will hear traditional Bluegrass played "true" to the original
(mostly), and a bit of Swing, Dylan and whatever else strikes the fancy of
the band-mates at the moment.
The individual members:
John Joyner has
been active in Montana's
music scene for over twenty-five years. John's fiddling influences range from
Kenny Baker and Tommy Jarrell to Stephane Grappelli and Aly Bain. Equally at
home in the traditions of Bluegrass, Old
Time Appalachian and Irish music, John brings an informed sensibility to any
music he plays. John is equally in demand as an excellent repair-man for any Bluegrass instruments and he is as comfortable
setting-up a brand new Roy Noble or Martin guitar as doing a "miracle
reconstruction" of a beat-to-hell, trashed-beyond-belief 1955 Martin
D-28. Some of John's biggest fans include proud owners of his carefully made
mandolins. John shares his time between "Pinegrass" and the popular
Irish band "Dublin Gulch".
Jack Mauer traded
in piano for banjo and dobro in the early 1970's. A UofM graduate, Jack
headed north to Canada
for graduate studies in biology and serious diversions in banjo and dobro.
After completing his Master's degree, Jack returned to Western Montana and
appeared with a variety of groups - including "Banjo Jack and
Kathy", "Tin Cup" and as a side-man in any number of acoustic
bands appearing in Western Montana over the
past thirty years. Jack's influences range from Earl Scruggs and Alan Shelton
to Bela Fleck, Alan Munde, Mike Auldridge and Jerry Douglas. Jack loves to
"mix it up" stylistically with Bluegrass,
Swing, Country, Folk and even an occasional Classical piece. When not playing
music, Jack can be found guiding serious fly-fishermen down Montana's
best rivers, skiing down a good slope or stalking the elusive "Big
Bull" near his home in the Bitterroot
Valley.
Rick Ryan began
listening to Bluegrass/Old-Time/Irish music in the late 60's. During his
college years in the 70's, Rick began playing guitar in several local bands
including: "The Great Northern Bluegrass Band", "The
Hand-picked String Band" and "Fairweather". A regular player
at local square-dances in the 70's and 80's, Rick picked-up banjo and fiddle
for a while. With the abundance of great flat-pickers in the area, Rick
started playing upright bass in the early 80's. Rick's early influences
include Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe, The Strange Creek Singers, Gid
Tanner, Charlie Poole and Uncle Dave Macon and Dobro Dick. Rick sings both
lead and harmony vocals.
Chad Fadely joined
Pinegrass in 2004. It was an easy transition since Chad had played many times in the
group sitting-in and as a substitute. Chad was a founding member of
Long Overdue and also plays in Leftover Biscuits. Chad has written some good tunes
that can be found on his two recordings; Mandolin Escapes (2005) and The
Backroom (2007). When not actually playing a Bluegrass instrument, Chad can be found selling them at Greg Boyd's
House of Fine Instruments, or traveling the highways hauling Greg's entire
house of instruments to the many festivals around the western United States.
Need a "reasonably priced" Lloyd Loar F-5? Give Chad a call!
Ted Lowe grew up
in Missoula immersed in the sounds of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs,
Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Ed McCurdy. Being the only family member born north
of the Mason/Dixon line, Ted decided the only way to try to claim his share
of the proud family heritage is to pick and sing like...Jimmy Martin! He's
been hard at it ever since, appearing in a number of local bands, most
recently joining "Pinegrass" in 2006. Ted has been known to sing
the heck out of some Bob Dylan and Norman Blake songs as well as the standard
Bluegrass repertoire.
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