FOGHORN STRINGBAND
Foghorn Stringband is an old-time string band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are considered one of the finest old-time string bands on the West Coast. They are noted for "intense dedication to the sources" of the old time tradition. Their music is billed as "a blend of high-spirited Appalachian dance music tying in sounds of traditional mountain fiddle tunes." Their interpretation of old time is played with the energy and edginess of punk rock,while at the same time showing a tremendous degree of technical finesse. They are also known for their singing. All members of the band sing, and there are many different combinations of harmony singing.
The group has performed at festivals all over the world, including at the Shetland Folk Festival in Shetland, UK,the Orkney Folk Festival in Orkney, UK, and in Ireland, Denmark, Finland and Malaysia. U.S. appearances include the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, the Alaska Folk Festival, and the Sacajawea Bluegrass Festival.
Members of the group also perform[when?] as the Foghorn Duo (mandolin and fiddle) and the Foghorn Trio (mandolin, fiddle, and Nadine Landry on guitar). Foghorn Stringband also performs[when?] with Dirk Powell as the Dirk Powell Band.[citation needed]
The founding members of the band met at The National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest in Weiser, Idaho in 2000. The band was originally named Foghorn Leghorn and the lineup consisted of Stephen "Sammy" Lind on fiddle and vocals, P. T. Grover, Jr., on banjo, Caleb Klauder on mandolin and vocals, and Brian Bagdonas on bass.[citation needed] rhythm guitarist and singer Kevin Sandri joined later, replacing the original part time fifth member of the group, guitarist Jesse Withers. This lineup was in place from 2001 to approximately 2008, and is featured on albums: Rattlesnake Tidal Wave (2002), Reap What You Sow, Weiser Sunrise, and Boombox Square Dance. In 2008 - 2009 Lind and Klauder toured as a duo and released the album Lonesome Song under the name Foghorn Duo. The lineup changed back to a full string band during from 2009 - 2011, with Patrick Lind on rhythm guitar and vocals, Peter Leone on banjo and vocals, and Nadine Landry on bass and vocals. While the full string band recorded during this era there are no released albums. At times, Lind, Klauder, and Landry toured together as a trio and released the album Sud de la Louisiane under the name Foghorn Trio in 2011.In the winter of 2011 Reeb Willms joined the band on vocals and guitar. The current lineup of the band from 2011 to present is Stephen "Sammy" Lind on fiddle, banjo, and vocals, Caleb Klauder on mandolin, fiddle, and vocals, Nadine Landry on bass and vocals, and Reeb Willms on rhythm guitar and vocals. There are three recordings from this current iteration: Outshine the Sun (2012), Devil in the Seat (2015), and Rock Island Grange (2018). The band continues to tour and record regularly.
Discography
In September 2002, the group changed its name to Foghorn Stringband and recorded an album Rattlesnake Tidal Wave, which they self-released on their own Foghorn Music label in November 2002. Another self-released album, Reap What You Sow, came out in August 2004. Like many other modern string bands, Foghorn moved to a major label,[15] releasing its third album, Weiser Sunrise, on pop label Nettwerk America in August 2005. Boombox Squaredance is a collection of outtakes from the Reap What You Sow sessions released in spring 2007.[citation needed] Lonesome Song by the Foghorn Duo was released in 2008. Sud de la Louisiane by the Foghorn Trio was released in October 2011.[citation needed] Outshine The Sun was released by The Foghorn Stringband in September 2012 and Devil in the Seat was released January 2015.[citation needed] Rock Island Grange was released in 2018.
Solo work
Caleb Klauder also performs country music with his Caleb Klauder Country Band, and has released three albums: Dangerous Mes and Poisonous Yous (2007) Western Country (2010)[citation needed], and Innocent Roadwas released in 2016 and features Reeb Willms on guitar and vocals. Klauder is also a member of Jesse Lége, Joel Savoy & The Cajun Country Revival.[16][citation needed] Nadine Landry and Stephen "Sammy" Lind tour occasionally as a duo, and released an album under their names called Grandad's Favorite. Lind also released two educational old time fiddle DVDs. Reeb Willms and Caleb Klauder also tour occasionally as a duo and have released an album called Oh Do You Rememember in 2012.
The Band
“Face it people – there’s Foghorn…and then there’s everybody else.” -Stuart Mason – The Fiddlefreak.
The Foghorn Stringband is the present day gold standard for real-deal hard-hitting genuine old-time American string band music, with eight albums, thousands of shows, over 15 years of touring under their belts, and an entirely new generation of roots musicians following their lead. American roots music is a diverse and never-ending well of inspiration, and Foghorn Stringband continually and obsessively draws from old-time, bluegrass, classic country, and Cajun music traditions in an ongoing quest to present a broad span of American historical music with an unparalleled youthful energy, joy, and virtuosity. The Foghorn Stringband is comprised four master performers and historians: –Caleb Klauder (vocals, mandolin, fiddle) – From Orcas Island, Washington –Reeb Willms (vocals, guitar) – From rural Farmer, Washington –Nadine Landry (vocals, upright bass) – From the Gaspé Coast, Eastern Quebec –Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind (vocals, fiddle, banjo) – From Minneapolis, Minnesota Each member of Foghorn Stringband exemplifies the best of the roots music traditions from their respective native cultures. Caleb Klauder’s wistful, keening vocals and rapid-fire mandolin picking are as influenced by Southern roots music as much as they are by his upbringing in the sea islands of coastal Washington State. Reeb Willms hails from the wind swept Eastern farmlands of Washington. Her musical family and rural upbringing are are on display with every note she sings and every heart she breaks. Nadine Landry’s roots lie in the rural backroads of Acadian Québec, and her high lonesome vocals have delighted audiences the world over. Her earth-shaking bass playing is the rumbling backbone of the Foghorn sound. Minnesotan Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind, simply put, is the old-time fiddler of his generation whose tone and voice are as old as the same hills that gave birth to this music. Together, these four have forged a sound like no other.
In performance, Foghorn Stringband gather around one microphone, balancing their music on the fly, and playing with an intense, fiery abandon. To the band, this music is as relevant today as it was at it’s birth a century ago. They see themselves not only as cultural revivalists, but also as historians and fans of this music. Their performances and recordings are a joyful celebration of music from a bygone era that still holds the power to delight audiences worldwide. The band’s repertoire has expanded greatly in the past 15 years. They are as comfortable playing music at a neighborhood square dance as they are stirring a festival audience to a frenzy. Old time dance tunes rub shoulders with Cajun waltzes, vintage honky tonk country, and classic bluegrass….and it’s all rendered into a cohesive whole. Foghorn Stringband can often be found after a performance in a local pub or club continuing to play with equal energy and joy late into the night. They’re obsessed, and that obsession rings true with every note they play and every song they sing. You’ll see. There’s Foghorn…and there’s everybody else.
“Many are called, but few are chosen. On their new recording Devil in the Seat, Foghorn Stringband proves once again that they are still the Chosen Ones when it comes to down-home, footstomping, ass-kickin’ old time music.” — Stuart Mason, FiddleFreak
All they have to do is play, and the power surges straight through your own chest. They let their own musicality and the tunes speak for themselves. —Old Time Herald
There’s an honesty to this music….It’s pure and simple, ingredients that often go missing in this day and age. It just makes you want to get up and dance. —The Old Time Herald
If the band has one goal, it’s to get gritty, but in Foghorn’s case, “gritty” does not mean rough or scratchy or untogether. It means with a huge wave of old-time noise bearing down. —Old Time Herald
Foghorn Stringband makes the music their own with instrumental virtuosity and intense dedication to the sources. Old Time Herald
Portland’s Foghorn String Band stands at the top of today’s vibrant old-time music revival and a fine example of what an unending revival it is. Each album finds them deeper into the tradition, more familiar with the rich resources of roots music, and more focused, but still propelled by that undercurrent of punk energy. —Art Menius, WMMT
