THE TILLERS
The Tillers - http://the-tillers.com
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The Tillers got their start in August 2007 when they started thumping around with some banjos and guitars and a big wooden bass. Their earliest gigs were for coins and burritos on the city's famous Ludlow Street in the district of Clifton. The songs they picked were mostly older than their grandparents. Some came from Woody Guthrie, some were southern blues laments, and many were anonymous relics of Appalachian woods, churches, riverboats, railroads, prairies, and coal mines.
Their look didn't fit the stereotype. They were clearly recovering punk rockers with roots in city's west side punk rock and hardcore scene. The punk influence gave their sound a distinctive bite, setting them apart from most other folk acts- a hard-driving percussive strum and stomp that brought new pulse and vinegar to some very old songs. But their musical range soon proved itself as they floated from hard-tackle thumping to tender graceful melody, all the while topped by Oberst and Geil's clear tenor harmonies.
They began picking up weekly gigs around the city's bar scene. It didn't take long before their signature treatment of classic folk songs became the preferred versions of Cincinnati locals. Their audiences swelled, growing into an assortment of grey-haired mechanics, neo-hippies, farmers, punkers, professors, and random strays all stomping, clapping, singing, and belting outbursts of "John Henry!" "Darlin' Corey!" Ever since, the band has come to each show with the same energy. They are magnetic showmen, mature musicians, and colorful storytellers.
The Tillers have since won over Cincinnati's bar and festival scene, and launching tours with tireless momentum. They were awarded CityBeat Magazine's Cincinnati Entertainment Award for best Folk and Americana act in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014. Their relentless gigging has taken them throughout the East coast, the Midwest and West, the Appalachian south and to the UK and Ireland opening for the St.Louis crooner, Pokey LaFarge. In the summer of 2009, veteran NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw featured the Tillers on a documentary about US Route 50. Brokaw showcased the group's song "There is Road (Route 50)" as a testimony to the highway's role as a connective tissue of the nation.
Musically, the band wears many hats. Their sound has proven to be an appropriate fit with a wide range of musical styles- traditional folk, bluegrass, jazz, punk rock and anything else they might run into. They have shared the stage with a broad swath of national touring acts, ranging from renowned folk legends such as Doc Watson, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Guy Clark, Country Joe McDonald, Jerry Douglas, Iris Dement, Pokey LaFarge and The Carolina Chocolate Drops to rambunctious rock daredevils like the Legendary Shack Shakers.
Always moving, the Tillers continue to enter new territory. Their musical growth can be heard through the scape of their many releases, 2008′s debut record Ludlow Street Rag, 2010′s By The Signs, 2011′s Wild Hog in the Woods, 2012′s Live from the Historic Southgate House, 2013′s Hand On The Plow and many more bootleg releases. The band's lineup has also taken new shape. In February 2010, long-time bassist Jason Soudrette fondly parted ways with the group, being replaced by Aaron Geil, brother of guitarist Sean. Recalibrating has not slowed their pace.
They continue to plot their travels around the map, electrifying new places and making new friends wherever they go. From place to place, they carry with them more instruments, new songs, and funnier stories. They are Cincinnati's traveling minstrels. Expect to hear from them soon.
The Whipstitch Sallies - http://www.thewhipstitchsallies.com
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The Whipstitch Sallies began as close friends discovering bluegrass music for the first time. Allie Burbrink (guitar, banjo) and Sam Roberts (mandolin, guitar) met while working as summer camp guitar players in 2007. They were inspired to listen to bluegrass music after running a guitar camp with bluegrass musician Lukas Simpson of Goldmine Pickers. Listening to Goldmine Pickers was new territory. Bluegrass was no longer something that their grandfathers listened to; it was alive and being played by their peers. A few years later, Allie was exploring bluegrass style with Sam joining in with her new mandolin; together they learned the old bluegrass standards.
Allie was asked in early 2010 to play for a non-profit organization that serves orphanages in India and Russia. Allie enlisted Sam and another friend, Kat Erickson (bass), to help play. They came up with the name “The Whipstitch Sallies” and played their first show.
What started as a one-time project morphed something more. Allie, Kat, and Sam got more serious about their instruments and harmonies and started developing their own unique take on the traditional sound. The Whipstitch Sallies booked more local performances and gained a following in central Indiana. In May 2011, they recorded The Whipstitch Sallies, which sold out quickly.
By June 2011 the band was attending festivals like ROMP in Kentucky, jamming with other musicians, and making new friends. At ROMP, they met Katie Burk (fiddle) at a jam circle. Katie had just moved back to Indiana from Hawaii. Katie jammed several times with them and officially became a “Sally” in January 2012.
Their sound was complete, and they were ready to take it to the next level. In 2012, they started testing the touring and festival circuit. In July 2012 they released Live at The Pixy, another fan favorite. They quickly gained an enthusiastic fan base in their hometowns of Indianapolis and Nashville, IN and played for record crowds at the Indy Folk Series and the Brown County Playhouse.
Since then, their electrifying stage presence and musical chops have led them to share the stage with several national touring artists including The Freight Hoppers, Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Shooter Jennings, Dom Flemons, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and The Tillers. Breezy Peyton (washboard, vocals) from the Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band says, “They are great pickers…. I hope to see them touring regionally/nationally more.” With their new EP, Hand ‘Em Over, they headed out for their first tour to the Appalachian south and returned the following year with their album live and home recordings.
The Whipstitch Sallies are extremely dedicated to perfecting their sound, and they thrive on exploring the creative process together and performing for enthusiastic audiences. The future is bright for these four talented young women as they continue their musical journey.