9th Annual
BIG HORN MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

Acoustic, Americana, Folk, Old-Timey,
Bluegrass & Traditional Music
July 12, 13, & 14, 2013
Johnson County Fairgrounds
Buffalo, Wyoming
e-mail: info@bighornmountainfestival.com
2013 Featured Musicians
 
We're excited about the fantastic 2013 lineup and our ability to continue presenting great performers at the Big Horn Mountain Festival in Buffalo. Click on a band link to the right for more information about our 2013 performers or scroll through them all!
 
Clink on the ticket to order your tickets online!
Sound Engineering by Old Blue Sound
Previous BHMF Performers


THE BYRON BERLINE BAND

Three time national fiddle champion Byron Berline and his band featuring John Hickman, Jim Fish, Richard Sharp, Greg Burgess, Steve Short, and Barry “Bones” Patton returns for their second performance at the Big Horn Mountain Festival. Berline's early career included playing fiddle with bluegrass legends Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Dillard and Clark, Country Gazette, Sundance, Berline, Crary & Hickman, and California. After moving to Los Angeles in 1969, he soon became one of the most popular fiddlers in the music business. His long list of performing and recording credits includes The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, The Band, The Byrds, Elton John, Alabama, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rod Stewart, John Denver, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Tammy Wynette, Mason Williams, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Vince Gill. He also has extensive television and movie sound track credits and has appeared in Star Trek, Blaze, Back to the Future III, Basic Instinct, and the HBO series Deadwood. Berline has recorded seven solo albums including his highly acclaimed Fiddle & A Song with guest performances from Vince Gill, Mason Williams, Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe. In 1996, the album was nominated for two Grammy awards, 'Best Album of the Year' and ' Best Song of the Year'.  In 1997, Byron founded the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival and Byron oversaw its 16th annual event in 2012. Byron is a 2012 recipient of the IBMA's prestigious "Distinguished Achievement Award".  Appearing with Byron will be Barry “Bones” Patton, a featured performer at our 2007 festival. Probably the premier bones player in the country, Barry “Bones” Patton has been a regular performer with the Byron Berline Band since 1995. He has performed with some of the best, including Bill Monroe, Buck White & the Whites, Ricky Skaggs, Albert Lee, John Hickman, Vince Gill, Hot Rize, Mason Williams, Willie Nelson, Sam Bush, and Jerry Douglas.

Learn more about The Byron Berline Band at www.thebyronberlineband.com and www.doublestop.com.

DON EDWARDS

A historian, author and musicologist, someone well-versed in cowboy lore and musical traditions, Don Edwards brings a rare complement of knowledge and love for his craft and is considered by many as the best cowboy musician of our time. He taught himself guitar starting at age ten, and chased the rodeo and worked ranches in Texas and New Mexico during his teens. Edwards began playing throughout Oklahoma and Texas, and with the inception of the Cowboy poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada achieved widespread recognition. He has now entertained throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Europe, and the Far East. Two of Don’s albums, Guitars & Saddle Songs and Songs of the Cowboy are now included in the Folklore Archives of the Library of Congress. These anthologies have been re-recorded and expanded as the 32-song double CD/cassette called Saddle Songs. This project took first place as the Best Folk / Traditional Album of the year at the annual AFIM INDIE Awards Ceremony held in May of 1998. He has twice received the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's "Wrangler Award" for Outstanding Traditional Western Music. The summer of 1997 found Don in Livingston, Montana portraying the role of "Smokey" in Robert Redford's film The Horse Whisperer, and is featured on the MCA soundtrack.

Learn more about Don Edwards at www.donedwardsmusic.com.


THE QUEBE SISTERS BAND

The Quebe Sisters are Texas' favorite Western Swing, Hot Jazz, Western, Vintage Country, Texas Fiddle Band!  They are Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe, all National Old-Time Fiddlers Contest champion title winners. After attending a fiddle contest near their hometown and falling in love with the music, they learned to play from another champion fiddler, Joey McKenzie, who now joins them onstage playing archtop guitar as well as creating the QSB’s vocal and fiddle arrangements. Some of Joey's awards include three-time World Champion Fiddler, World Series of Fiddling Champion, and five-time Texas State Guitar Champion. Gavin Kelso joins them on upright bass. Formed in 2000, the QSB perform a refreshing blend of western swing, hot jazz and swing standards, western, vintage country, and traditional Texas style fiddle tunes, with intricate triple fiddles and three-part harmony vocals. Among their many accolades they have been awarded the Crescendo Award by the Western Music Association and have won the Western Swing Album of the Year from the Academy of Western Artists. Performance highlights include appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, the Kennedy Center, NYC's Lincoln Center, the Ryman Auditorium, the Marty Stuart Show, the Eddie Stubbs' Show on WSM, The Birchmere, the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree (as host band), the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the National Folk Festival. QSB has appeared in concert with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Riders in the Sky, and Marty Stuart. The Quebe Sisters Band is touring behind their latest album, Timeless, recorded at the historic Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, TN.

Learn more about The Quebe Sisters Band at www.quebesistersband.com or see and hear them on their YouTube channel.



HOUSTON JONES

Out of the San Francisco Bay Area, Houston Jones is a high-octane Americana quintet. Formed in 2001, the band performs a strong original repertoire that ranges from bluegrass and folk to blues and gospel. Glenn Houston was the original guitarist and founding member of The Waybacks and plays lead acoustic and lead electric guitar for the band. In 2009 he was voted best guitarist by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. Travis Jones presents the distinctive lead vocals for the band and plays rhythm guitar. Henry Salvia will be on keyboard and accordion. Chris Kee, also of Waybacks fame, is a classically trained cellist who has performed and recorded with Peter Rowan and Norah Jones and will be on standup bass and acoustic guitar. Peter Tucker, a Bay Area session performer and former Wayback will handle drums and percussion. With their latest release in 2011 of "Queen of Yesterday" the band has released six albums.

Learn more about Houston Jones at www.houstonjones.com.


THE HONEY DEWDROPS

Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish make their home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, West Virginia. The roots duet combine a blend of new Americana and traditional folk music and create inspired songs that are rooted in the experience and lives of people. Their sound is transcendent; they write all their own songs and yet no one could ever peg them as just another singer-songwriter couple, not when they’ve embedded a sparse Appalachian clarity on every track that is accessible to listeners everywhere. The songs they write shine with energy and emotion through intimate performances with a handful of acoustic instruments and tightly layered harmonies. On stage, the Honey Dewdrops focus on dynamically blending the sounds of instruments and voices by singing and playing into a single microphone. There is a high lonesome quality to the way their voices blend that is familiar, yet the mixture is unique. Their music covers the ground between hand crafted folk songs, Appalachian fiddle tunes, and a cappella spirituals. In their own way, the duo fills the stage with sound and feeling that lingers long after the show is over. Laura and Kagey were winners of the 2008 Prairie Home Companion Talent contest and were finalists in the 2009 Mountain Stage NewSong contest. Their album These Old Roots was the No. 1 album at Folk Radio in October and November, 2010 and their album Silver Lining was No. 1 on the Folk-DJ charts in June, 2012.

Learn more about The Honey Dewdrops at www.thehoneydewdrops.com.



FINNDERS & YOUNGBERG

Colorado’s Finnders & Youngberg proudly swim in the deep currents of American music - classic bluegrass, tried-and-true honky tonk, country swing and skillfully spun folk tales. While their sound evokes timelessness, it is a decidedly contemporary, well-traveled 21st century sensibility that informs their songwriting. Musicians with a palpable sense of place, the members of Finnders & Youngberg have all laid strong foundations as veterans of the vibrant Colorado Front Range acoustic music scene. Two-time MerleFest songwriting competition winner in both the gospel and bluegrass categories, Iowa native Mike Finders possesses an arresting and emotive stage presence. The principal songwriter and guitarist for Finnders & Youngberg, his finely-honed storytelling forms the bulk of the band’s cannon. Erin Youngberg provides a muscley bass and beautiful, world-wise vocals, while her husband Aaron Youngberg plays a mean banjo and seductive pedal steel. Both were founding members of the Hit & Run Bluegrass Band, which won the RockyGrass band competition in 2002 and Telluride in 2003. Aaron  is proud owner and chief engineer at Swingfingers Recording Studio in Fort Collins. Erin has distinguished her career performing and recording with Uncle Earl. The group is rounded out by Rich Zimmerman on mandolin and Ryan Drickey on fiddle. Zimmerman was a founder of the innovative acoustic Boulder band Slipstream.  While Ryan is the regular fiddler, he's being called out to Europe for a tour this summer and Alex Johnstone (formerly of Spring Creek and BHMF performer) will stand in for Ryan at this year's festival. The group showcased at Folk Alliance International 2010, and last fall they were one of 13 acts chosen as official showcasing artists at the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Finnders & Youngberg will also be the host band for the BHMF Bluegrass Camp for Kids leading into the festival starting Wednesday, July 11.

Learn more about Finnders & Youngberg at www.finndersandyoungberg.com.

Sponsored by the JOHNSON COUNTY ARTS & HUMANITIES COUNCIL



MELODY WALKER & JACOB GROOPMAN

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, respectively, singer-songwriter Melody Walker and picker extraordinaire Jacob Groopman have fused their influences into a style they like to call “Americali.” They define it as Americana with a California twist, but of course, it’s much more. Drawing from genres including bluegrass, rock, jazz, classical, Afrobeat, samba and Balkan folk, yet staying close to their American folk roots, the duo create literate music that honors tradition, yet sounds completely of the moment. On Walker’s debut album, GOLD RUSH GODDESS, the couple wrap their voices in tight harmony over intricate textures of banjo, guitar and mandolin as they sing of ancient truths and futuristic myths, conveying a stunning level of songwriting and musical versatility throughout. They are due to release a duo record produced by Laurie Lewis in the Fall of 2013 Melody and Jacob are both experienced educators having taught privately, at schools and at music camps around California and Alaska. Jacob will also serve as our manager of Bluegrass Camps for Kids at this year's festival.

Learn more about Melody and Jacob at www.melodywalkermusic.com.



JALAN CROSSLAND BAND

From Ten Sleep, Wyoming, Jalan Crossland is widely acclaimed by audiences, critics, and his musical peers as one of the country’s premier acoustic guitarists. Along with dozens of regional contest awards, his extraordinary guitar work has earned him National Fingerstyle Championship honors in 1997 and the State Championship Flatpick Title in his home state of Wyoming in 1999. He is a talented vocalist, banjo player, songwriter, and an engaging showman. Shaun Kelley plays bass and Pat Madsen will be on drums and percussion. Jalan’s 6th album, Portrait of a Fish, was just released in 2012 and Jalan was recipient of the prestigious 2012 Wyoming Governor's Arts Award. Jalan is only the second musician to receive the Governor’s Arts Award in the last decade. Governor Matt Mead presented the award which recognizes artists, arts organizations, and patrons who have displayed excellence in the arts, as well as outstanding service and dedication to the arts in Wyoming.

Learn more at www.jalancrossland.com.



TROXEL & KRIEGER

From Cody, Wyoming, Jeff Troxel is an award-winning guitarist, composer, songwriter, and teacher with over 25 years of professional experience. Jeff was selected state flat-picking champion in his native Wyoming in 2001 and in Utah in 2003. In September of 2003, Jeff won the prestigious National Flat-Pick Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas. His bluegrass-influenced Sarah in the Sunrise won an honorable mention in the John Lennon Songwriters Contest and in 2001 he was awarded a Performing Arts Fellowship for composition from the Wyoming Arts Council. In addition to performing, Troxel is on the faculty at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyoming and Rocky Mountain College in Billings Montana. He also writes columns for Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and Mel Bay’s online magazine Guitar Sessions. He has written several books for guitar, the most recent titled Flatpicking up the Neck for Mel Bay Publications. Trevor Krieger of Billings, Montana will be joining Jeff on fiddle.  Collin Ingram of Fort Collins, Colorado will be appearing on bass.

Learn more at www.jefftroxel.com; www.reverbnation.com/trevorkrieger; and www.colliningram.com.



PICK & HOLLER

Pick & Holler plays old time string band music from the hills and hollers of Appalachia and other rural regions of the United States. Buffalo Native, Ty Peterson, plays guitar and vocals, Matt Minjares plays banjo and vocals, Carolyn Camp is on fiddle and vocals, and Lindsay Case holds the upright base. This is a band that will kick up your heels so bring your dancing shoes! Returning for their second year, they'll be once again performing the Old Time Dance on Stage 2 Saturday night which was such a huge success last year. Steve Braun of Bozeman, Montana will be joining them as the caller. They'll also be doing a dance workshop on Saturday so don't be shy and join the fun! Their debut album, "Shady Tree," was just released in 2012.

Learn more at www.pickandholler.com and check them out on Facebook.



THE BITTER CREEK BAND

The Bitter Creek Band is a local favorite comprised of David Stewart and Larry Elliott. They perform weekly on Friday nights at the historic Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming showcasing traditional, country and rockabilly standards as well as their own original tunes. David Stewart is a singer/songwriter who has written songs cut by many up and coming artists, along with veterans Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, Eddy Raven, and Scott Hisey. David has performed on the Grand Ole Opry and has written about his adventures in his book, Heart and Sole, published by White-Bouke. Larry is a guitarist extraordinaire who has performed with many bands throughout his colourful career. Both can also be seen every week at the Thursday night jam held at the Occidental so if you arrive early for the festival, come on down to the Occidental Thursday night where the open jam will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Learn more about the historic Occidental Hotel and Thursday night jam sessions.
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