We are proud to present Daughters of Bluegrass, a group of exceptional female vocalists and musicians. The Daughters were formed to celebrate the female voice in bluegrass music. Their 2007 music project ‘Back to the Well’ won the IBMA ‘Recorded Event of the Year’. The visionary for the project is Lorraine Jordan, who sings, plays mandolin, and leads her own band Carolina Road. Dale Anne Bradley on guitar won the IBMA “Female Vocalist of the Year” in 2007. Julie Elkins is another top female vocalist once with New Vintage, and now playing banjo with Kane’s River. The bass player and fourth lead vocalist is Gina Britt-Tew, who folks will remember playing our 2005 festival as part of the Alecia Nugent Band. The fifth vocalist is Jeanette Williams who also leads her own band. Angela Oudean rounds off the Daughters on fiddle. She is a member of Bearfoot from Alaska. Sit back and enjoy this special presentation of lovely original and traditional bluegrass sung by the best female singers under one roof.

Take a look here to learn more about this bluegrass band.

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper is quite simply at the very top of the bluegrass world. Michael, Jesse Brock, Todd Rakestraw, John Mark Batchelor, and Marshal Wilborn won the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) ‘Instrumental Group of the Year’. Besides trading blistering instrumentals, this traditional band plays fiddle-and-banjo duets, and sings tight vocal trios and duets as good as any group in the business. Michael Cleveland is considered the premier fiddler of his generation.  At 27 year-old he has already won the IBMA ‘Fiddler of the Year” award five times, and has won the IBMA ‘Instrumental Album of the Year’ two times. In his short career he played fiddle with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, and the Dale Anne Bradley Band before forming Flamekeeper. Jesse Brock ranks with the best mandolin players in bluegrass. Guitarist and vocalist Todd Rakestraw was an original founder of Union Station. Marshall Wilborn is a great bass player, formerly with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys and the Lynn Morris Band. John Mark Batchelor, a rising banjo protégé is barely out of his teens.
Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper will be playing the Saturday evening dance, so bring your dancing shoes to the festival!

Find out more about Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper at theire website.

NewFound Road members Tim Shelton (guitar/lead vocals), Joe Booher (mandolin/vocals), Randy Barnes (bass), , and Jr. Williams (banjo/guitar/vocals) balance traditional and modern elements of bluegrass, emerging with a eclectic but wonderfully focused, stripped-down sound. Their albums have topped the bluegrass charts and garnered critical praise. Tim has one of the best voices of any genre, but the strength of the band is a trio of fine lead singers that step up to the mic. Make sure you make it to the Sunday gospel concerts – This band’s exceptional vocal talent won them the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music’s (SPGMA) “Contemporary Gospel Group of the Year’ in 2006 and 2007.

Read more about Newfound Road on their home page.

The demo CD from Cadillac Sky impressed us so much we called and booked them the same day it arrived in the mail. In 2007 they have taken the bluegrass world by storm. It is difficult to categorize this Texas band’s music because they play it all: traditional bluegrass, Americana, newgrass, celtic, and acoustic experimental. Cadillac Sky knows no musical boundaries, playing blistering instrumentals, new and inventive rhythms, and soaring harmony vocals. Bryan Simpson writes the music, plays mandolin and is lead singer. Mike Jump writes music, plays guitar and sings. Matt Menefee plays banjo, Ross Holmes in on fiddle, and Andy Moritz plays bass. Cadillac Sky was nominated for International Bluegrass Music Association ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ in 2007.

Check out their website for more information.

Outlaw Social is a five piece stringband from Victoria, British Columbia. They are all energetic, highly inventive and wonderful musicians. Their oldtyme sound is pleasantly unusual, crafted by the combination of three fine lead vocalists, traditional string band instruments and – an electric guitar. Catherine Black plays clawhammer banjo, bass & sings. Kendel Carson plays fiddle. Adam Dobres is on guitars, Pharis Patenaude sings lead and plays guitar. Oliver Swain plays standup bass, banjo, and sings high tenor. Outlaw Social won the Best Band in Victoria last year, and come on high praises from all that have heard them, including Bruce Bergman, our soundman, and Betse Elis of the Wilders. If you are listening for something a little different, don’t miss this great Canadian band.

Hungry Hill is a contemporary, acoustic bluegrass unit with a focus on original material. Based in northwestern Canada, Hungry Hill features five seasoned musicians with a desire to create a fresh sound while staying true to the roots of bluegrass and old-time music.  Hungry Hill is Jenny Lester (fiddle, guitar, vocals), Bob Hamilton (mandolin, vocals), Mark Thibeault (guitar, resophonic guitar, vocals) Ross Nickerson (banjo) and Nadine Landry (upright bass, vocals).

You can read more about Hungry Hill on their website.

And here is the great lineup of Yukon and Alaska bands that will be playing at the festival...

We started Annie Lou this band so we could explore the pensive and dark aspects of old time music. We love playing together, and share a mutual relief in singing the lonesome tales of people we might have been. Into the mix of favourite long ago songs we have blended a batch of Anne Louise's original songs, the ones that seem to have been delivered by some hillbilly on high. Annie Lou! is on a quest to mine the obscure and the everyday of oldtime music and blend it with our own interpretations. We are: Anne Louise Genest on vocals and guitar, Kim Barlow on vocals and clawhammer banjo, Keitha Clark on fiddle, and Lindy Dickson on upright bass and vocals.

Find out more about Annie Lou here.

Art Johns plays early country-campfire hillbilly songs. Yukon-born and raised, Art lives in Tagish. He has been a cowboy, an outdoorsman, and much more. Music enhanced Art’s horseback treks when roads were a rarity and continues to play an important part in his life.

As a youth, Art lived in the bush and got his first guitar. He hugged the radio, absorbing authentic
country sounds coming through the air waves from early country masters. Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, and Jimmy Rogers inspired him, and he imitated them. Hank Williams came later. Decades playing around campfires and long days working in the mountains passed before Art approached the Whitehorse Coffeehouse stage.

Art has played with many fine musicians, sharing friendships, love of music, and many adventures. He feels delighted to be back on the Kluane Bluegrass Festival main stage for the third time. Nola Lamken, from Skagway, Alaska, accompanies him on violin and viola.

Joe Loutchan’s distinctive Old Tyme sound comes from his roots in the Canadian prairies. Born in southern Manitoba, he began playing fiddle at the age of 14. Within three years Joe had a band of his own and was playing weekend dances around Winnipeg. Quickly his prowess on the fiddle was recognized, and shortly there after, he began his own radio show playing 30 minutes a week on CKSB Saint Boniface.

In the Yukon he has since become known as the “Fiddler on the Loose.” His talent has led him to play in Mexico, Texas, Seattle and Disneyland’s 25 Anniversary in California. He has been invited to play in several CBC True North Concerts, on the steps of Parliament on Canada Day, for the Governor General at Fort Selkirk and for Prime Minister Mulroney in Whitehorse.

His current band members also include: Mervin Bales on lead and rhythm guitar, Joe Allain on base guitar and Nicole Morgan on fiddle and rhythm guitar. Mervin Bales and Joe Allain are both well-established Yukon artists who share their talents with many other Yukon bands including Hank Karr. Nicole, the newest member of the group, is learning the art of old tyme fiddling from Joe.

The Bergmans - In 1978 Rob Bergman was living in the Yukon and playing in the house band at the KK tavern. When the band decided they needed a guitar player, Bruce answered the call. The rest, as they say, is Yukon musical history. Today Rob and his bass are the ones driving north to answer Bruce's call. They will join Bruce, Deb on mandolin, and fiddler Marg Tatum to whip up some Bergman style harmonies and melodies.