moosejaw

THE TALLBOYS
Based in Seattle, Washington, The Tallboys are a four-piece old-time string band, well versed in traditional fiddle tunes and mountain songs. They stay honest to their traditional inspirations, yet charge up their sound with a raw edge of gritty enthusiasm conjured from their years of street performing. The Tallboys consistently deliver exciting stage performances and hard-driving dance tunes.

Talented vocalists, The Tallboys all share the singing, and their harmonies create a beautifully authentic old-time sound. The instrumental lineup begins with Joe Fulton, from Iowa, who has been playing since boyhood. His impressive fiddling leads the melody. Charlie Beck, from Indiana, plays both clawhammer and three-finger-style banjo and brings over a decade of musical experience to the band. He is also a talented songwriter, creating several original compositions. Longtime musician John Hurd, from Oregon, lays down that driving bass foundation essential to The Tallboys’ rhythm. Charmaine Slaven, from Montana, fills out the sound with solid rhythm guitar and is one of the finest buckdancers on the west coast. She also has the unique ability to dance and play guitar simultaneously. Together, they blend the attributes of each instrument and vocalist, creating a cohesive sound.

BEVERLY SMITH
One of the most respected guitar players in old-time music today, Beverly Smith is also in demand as a singer, fiddler, and dance caller. She has made numerous recordings, backing up fiddlers Bruce Molsky, Rafe Stefanini, Tara Nevins and Brad Leftwich, vocalizing with Irish musicians Mick Moloney and John Doyle, and also singing with bluegrass great Laurie Lewis. She has taught and played at many camps and folk festivals and, in addition to her collaboration with Carl Jones, also plays with the old-time band The Rockinghams.

THE UKRAINIAN VILLAGE BAND
The Ukrainian Village Band is a group of performers that has come together to play Ukrainian music on acoustic instruments in (what one might call) a mixed village-authentic and Cafe Europa style. Two are Ukrainian-Americans from the Minneapolis-St Paul area; one is Ukrainian from Bila Tserkva (central Ukraine, near to Kyiv); and the rest are Americans of various backgrounds and training who've been smitten by Ukrainian music . . . and pyvo (beer), salo (smoked/salted pork fat), and horilka (vodka, slivovitsa, or palinka).

They've been given the nickname Seljuky, which translated literally means the Villagers, but which in modern Ukrainian has connotations of the Country Bumpkins or even the Hicks or Rednecks. The Seljuky currently are Colleen Bertsch on Kontra (three-stringed viola used as a rhythm instrument); Stefan Iwaskewycz on Bubon (tambourine), Baraban (drum) and Vocals; Oleksiy Khrystych on Bajan and Vocals; Sydney Lefevre, Melissa Mathews and Kim Salisbury on Violin; Natalie Nowytski on stand-up Bass and Vocals; and Jenny Schultz on Tsymbaly (hammer dulcimer).

THE WILD GOOSE CHASE CLOGGERS
We got our start in 1979 and perform traditional Appalachian clogging to the foot-tapping sounds of live old-time music. We’ve performed and taught throughout the Midwest and abroad on tours to Latvia, Sweden, Poland, Canada, Ukraine, France, Belgium and England. We’re a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and MooseJaw is part of our educational mission.