"Heaven and the Appalachians come a little bit closer together."
--Austin Chronicle
"Top ten albums of 2003"
--Matt Winters, The Moonshine Show, 89.9 WKCR-FM, NYC
The Bluegrass bass is an oft-misunderstood craft. Deceptively simple to the casual listener, but vitally important to the 'drive' traditional bluegrass is known for. And few bassists playing today have the drive of Mark Rubin.
Now semi-retired, Rubin runs a violin shop, plays locally with ethnic dance bands and tours frequently on the international Jewish "klezmer" music scene.
Alan Munde needs no introduction to long-time Bluegrass fans. From his early creative work with Sam Bush in Poor Richard's Almanac to his traditional bluegrass apprenticeship with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys to his 21-year stint anchoring the landmark Country Gazette, Alan has blazed a trail as one of the most innovative and influential banjo players of all time.
Fiddler/composer/force of nature Erik Hokkanen has long been a local legend on the Austin music scene, known for his incendiary playing and being the "finest musician you've never heard of."
What few people know is that he cut his teeth playing bluegrass as a young man in his native Florida, placing him squarely in the tradition of the great bluegrass fiddlers of that state like Chubby Wise and Vassar Clements.
