Honey Grass on Facebook.
That is the motto of one of the hottest new acts to come out of Ontario in recent years. HoneyGrass at once have a respect for tradition and a willingness to explore new areas of contemporary bluegrass. Their highly energetic and entertaining shows strike a balance between originals, traditional and contemporary bluegrass, and “Honeygrassified” old country, rock, and bluesy numbers. They resist being pegged into any specific area of the genre, preferring to forge their own identity.
HoneyGrass originated in the summer of 2005 when two of the founding members met at the River Valley Bluegrass Festival in beautiful Northern Ontario. They have since forged their musical identity in an ever expanding circle of concerts, events, and festivals. They showcased at the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association’s “World of Bluegrass” conference in Nashville, and won the "Most Promising Band" award at the 2007 Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards (CCBA). They have received a total of eight CCBA nominations in the past three years. Their debut CD "She's Running Wild" was released in June 2008 and received a very favourable review in the December 2008 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited. HoneyGrass has also contributed original work to the award winning "North to Ontario" compilation CDs in each of the past three years, which receive extensive international airplay. They have been playing at major festivals in Ontario and are currently booking for 2012.
HoneyGrass is:
Karen May – upright bass, lead and harmony vocals, basslady1@hotmail.com
Marie
Gustafson – mandolin, lead and harmony vocals, Marie.Gustafson@nbrhc.on.ca
Bill Stewart
– guitar, lead and harmony vocals
With the addition of “sidemen” Graham Stone on
banjo and Marion Linton on fiddle, they can offer a trio, a four piece, or a full
five piece sound.
Here’s what others have to say about HoneyGrass:
“The harmony in
this band is truly wonderful.
They have drive as well as “sparkle”, giving their music a bonafide bluegrass feel.
They are one of the finest sounding bands in Ontario.” Steve Pritchard, CKLN 88.1
FM, Toronto
“HoneyGrass has good harmony, excellent stage presence, and is very entertaining.”
Peter deVeau, Tottenham Bluegrass Festival
“HoneyGrass has the sweet flavour of tight
harmonies mixed with solid instrumental and rhythm work. They will hold their own
with the best of them on the bluegrass circuit.”
Dr. Mike Tirella, promoter and lead
singer/guitar Cabin Fever Band, Upstate New York
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