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The original band name was “Bearfoot Bluegrass” but as the band evolved, they dropped “bluegrass” from the name. Bearfoot has adopted the Americana moniker to describe their music but haven’t left their bluegrass roots behind. “Even if it’s not a bluegrass song, it’s not too hard to see where it all came from,” Norris points out. “You can definitely tell that we play bluegrass by how we structure our phrasing, our instruments, and how our harmonies are set up.”
With ten years, major festivals, and four albums under their belt, Bearfoot has managed to make quite a name for themselves whilst growing and changing continuously as a band. With previous lead singer Odessa Jorgensen moving on to pursue her own solo indie folk music career, Bearfoot has welcomed singer/songwriter Nora Jane Struthers as their newest addition. Her recent self titled solo album sparked the interest of Bearfoot members Oudean and Norris, as well as the press. Bluegrass Unlimited says, “You’ll probably hear the name Nora Jane Struthers in conjunction with bluegrass awards for top female vocalist…and she writes with a clear-eyed traditional sensibility typically seen only in writers like Gillian Welch and Tim O’Brien, her songs sound immediately like pre-modern classics.” Oudean and Norris had recently been spending a lot of time playing music with Nora Jane in Nashville, and thought it only natural to join forces with such a good friend.
-David Mayfield, Cadillac Sky
Raves and Reviews - Bearfoot
Review: Bearfoot ~ American Story |
It all began at a music camp in Alaska years ago when the members of Bearfoot met as teenagers. Their love of music and playing together flourished and they began touring and recording. For this new album, American Story, only two of the original members remain, fiddler Angela Oudean and mandolinist Jason Norris, but the signature harmony and ensemble playing remains top notch. The newcomers are Todd Grebe on guitar, also from Alaska, and P.J. George primarily on bass but also adept on banjo, and percussion. Singer/guitarist Nora Jane Struthers now sings most of the leads and brings her songwriting skills to the band as well. Her own group, the Bootleggers, took first place at the Telluride Band Contest in 2010 and the year before that they won a band contest at The Appalachian String Band Gathering in Clifftop, West Virginia. Nora Jane's delivery is strong and pure, even gutsy if the song requires it. Highlight songs include "Tell Me A Story" which speaks to the marvelous and healthy escapism that books and short stories can bring us. In a difficult world, sings Nora Jane, we need this release. "Come Get Some Lonesome" is the song that features the gutsy delivery; Nora Jane's powerful voice is matched by the talents of guest Jeff Taylor (Elvis Costello, Ricky Skaggs) on accordion. The album offers a little tongue in cheek humor in "While You're Away," a song that describes what the housewife is up to while her man is at work. The answer might surprise you. Another message of escape is in the song "Feel Free," describing one of those special places we all have which offers retreat. Bearfoot has come full circle. The group was formed from an experience at a music camp, and now they spend a good time of their year leading workshops in schools across the lower 48 states. The workshops are usually assembly based and are very interactive. Band members continue to be impressed with how fascinated children are with Bluegrass and American Roots music. The group has presented over 60 camps for kids in addition to the in-school performances.
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| Jim Blum |
Loaded for Bear |
Such good timing on this week’s appearance by Bearfoot at Music City Roots, because I’ve been looking for a chance/excuse to post something about their superb new album American Story. This band has been through a great deal of change, but don’t let the personnel shuffling dissuade you from checking out this Alaska-born, Nashville-based progressive bluegrass/acoustic band. Things seem to have fallen together nice and clean, because American Story is one of the most refreshing, alluring projects I’ve had in my CD player this year, and there are plenty of reasons why. Let’s start with the most conspicuous of the new folk in this folky, grassy band - the willowy and lovely Nora Jane Struthers. Already cooking along as a solo artist, she released her self-titled debut disc of self-described “classic Americana” the same week her band The Bootleggers took the super-prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition. Other awards have followed, and her fusion with Bearfoot (whose original lineup won the same Telluride prize in 2001) is like some genetic experiment aimed at building the perfect young Americana band. Her voice is direct and seductive, with just a touch of a yodel-catch and a whole lot of pure American soul. Bearfoot also added a new male voice, that of Nashville-based Todd Grebe, who recently played Roots fronting his band Cold Country, which also includes Bearfoot fiddler Angela Oudean. He shows off a well-studied laid-back grace that reminds me of John Hartford on “Mr. Moonshine” from the new album. This new talent adds to a strong foundation of original members Oudean and Jason Norris, remarkable fiddler and mandolin player respectively. So while some bands spend years with the same people finding their sound, it seems Bearfoot has done it like a major league ball club – a few trades, and voila, a fully-realized vision with variety, depth and Alaska-tinged Southern roots. American Story was produced and recorded by the under-rated acoustic music master Brent Truitt, and for all the bluegrass-meets-other-stuff records that come across my radar, this one stands out in all areas that matter: songwriting, vocals, ensemble integrity and audiophile lushness. Nora Jane’s cool pipes open the CD with “Tell Me A Story” and the floaty “Feel Free.” Todd Grebe takes lead vocal on his own song, “Midnight in Montana,” a recording that sounds like the best of the Grateful Dead in bluegrass/jug band mode, with a fine jammy interplay and crackerjack bass playing by P.J. George that keeps it moving at highway speed. “Come Get Your Lonesome” is a quick-swinging high-country duet that matches Nora Jane and Angela’s voices angelically, against a pulse of Cajun accordion. And proving beyond a doubt her direct line to old-time country blues (not to mention the band’s authentic picking), Nora Jane writes and sings the amazingly catchy “Kill The Rooster” to a bright fiddle and banjo backing. Never did a beheading sound like such a hoot. I don’t mean to marginalize whatsoever the rest of our outstanding lineup this week. I mean for heaven’s sake, we’ll be visited again by Nanci Griffith, probably the most remarkable and important female songwriter out of Texas since Cindy Walker. Her current CD “The Loving Kind” is the type of socially aware and consciousness-raising album this country needs right now. Griffith is as brave and beautiful as ever. Also come out to hear Brigitte DeMeyer, a standout pure Americana songstress who always brings along a superb band. We’ll hear the triumphant voice and slick songwriting of Vance Gilbert. And I’m particularly looking forward to seeing David Wilcox, a North Carolina guy who really helped me understand what a guitar-based singer/songwriter was capable of back in the 1990s. It would be hard to top this lineup folks. |
| Craig Havighurst |
Bearfoot's American Story |
Bearfoot is a bit of “post-bluegrass” Americana blown down to the Lower 48 from Alaska and bouncing around the West for a few years, including a Telluride win ten years ago and attendant benefits since. They’re playing at Swallow Hill in Denver tonight, and supposed to hit Glenwood Springs and Beaver Creek this weekend before an appearance in Nashville next week. The Bearfoot troubadours, shoeless or bruin-less as they may be, are touring in support of their new release, Bearfoot: American Story |
| JC Shepard |
, on Compass Records. Their single “When You’re Away” is the sexiest bit of double entendre I’ve heard in a long time. It’s sort of of folky alt-country, sort of string-band music that reminds me of Hot Club of Cow Town‘s hot jazz vibe. Good stuff all around, and that’s an Americana tale to tell.Bringing Bearfoot to life |
When a band changes its lineup, sometimes its to the detriment of both fans and members alike. But in the case of Bearfoot, adding new members has revitalized the group, inspiring everyone to make music again. The new and improved Bearfoot will perform as part of Underground Sound series Sunday at the Vilar Center. |
| Rosanna Turner |
Album review: A new Bearfoot tells an old ‘American Story’ |
Bearfoot has gone through changes along the way, though the lineup on its latest release is the greatest departure from the original set. Famously forming at a music camp in Alaska, the band really came into the public consciousness just prior to the release of the band’s last album, “Doors and Windows.” Seeing them live at that time was infectious — all smiles, this seemed like a group of friends out on a lark and having a great time. I saw them at Merlefest in 2009, and during their set they said they came up with a song, literally, while driving to North Carolina from Alaska and wanted to try it out. The song was “Good in the Kitchen” and it sparkled, the band all the while looking like kids who had just discovered a new favorite toy. They seemed to be having as much fun as the audience, perhaps a bit genuinely surprised at all the attention they were getting. And they were also making fantastic music together. Their visitation to the Carter standard “Single Girl” was breathtaking, with an arrangement that allowed all of the heartbreak and regret of the song to come forward. I loved it, lots of people loved it. Odessa Jorgensen’s vocals were layered and complex; the twin fiddle work was brilliantly tight and Mike Mickelson’s guitar work inspired. But things change, and with success come other pressures. Spending so much time in a van so far from home can’t be easy, at least not all the time. And whether it was those pressures, or others, the changes to the band since the last release to this have been profound. “American Story” is the debut of the new set, and in the promo material surrounding the release, the members can’t keep from calling it the “new” Bearfoot. The only members that remain are Angela Oudean, a wonderful fiddle player and harmony vocalist, and Jason Norris on mandolin. Both great musicians in their own right, but neither has fronted the band, and arguably neither was responsible for its emotional core. That remains true in the new line up as well. That Oudean and Norris both appear in the background of the promo photos on the band website is, well, appropriate.
The one puzzler is “When You’re Away” a song about a housewife, apron and everything, waiting for her husband to come home from work, all the while washing his socks and pressing his pants. (Does anyone actually press pants these days? And who wears an apron anymore?) It comes off as an attempt to build on the success of “Good in the Kitchen,” but misses the mark. Rather than sexy, it feels like June Cleaver flirting with Ward, and therefore is an especially hard sell for a band that is so young, so free, and so, well, single. But that’s the only dud on an otherwise very solid release. Guitar player Todd Grebe takes the lead on two tracks to very good effect, including “Mr. Moonshine” a song that he penned. There’s also a lot of fun to be had here too, in songs such as “Come Get Your Lonesome,” which is brilliantly written and very funny, as well as the a-cappella “Billy.” And, at the end of the day, it’s not the Bearfoot we knew. We’ll miss Odessa Jorgensen’s stunningly layered vocals, as well as the spirit of the group she fronted. But, all things change I suppose, and “American Story” displays a good unit that in time might grow together a bit more and iron out the very few inconsistencies on this disc. There’s certainly enough here to hope that this line up sticks together at least for another release or two. |
| Glen Herbert |
Bearfoot - American Story |
Bearfoot is a band that have made their bones the old fashioned way. They have spent the past ten years touring, winning over and being feted by festivals, and working out the kinks in their band line up. The center of the band had always been centered around “Tell me a story of days gone by, I want to leave this life of mine,” Struthers sings on the opening track, “Tell Me a Story.” It sets the tone for the album, collection of sweet, pretty songs coupled with strong vocals and amazingly strong players. “Feel Free” echoes some of The Dixie Chick's early work with its mellow tempo and message of personal discovery. Like Marty McGuire before, Oudean plays her fiddle in perfect counterpoint to Struther's voice. “Midnight in Montana” finds the band simultaneously more Bluegrass and more Texas Swing. Todd Grebe takes the lead vocals on his own track, sounding not unlike a member of Asleep at the Wheel as he sings “my uncle sat me down last night and gave me some damned good advice.” “The Dust” is a Steinbeck-like ballad about unsuccessful farmers and the dust bowl that drove them apart. “When they married she was all pride, felt like a queen with him at her side, but Oklahoma took her down to size,” Struthers mourned. “Come Get Your Lonesome” is the sort of late night party song that has been missing from This has been a strong year for Bluegrass, with new releases by everyone from Allison Krauss and Jim Lauderdale to Sarah Jarosz and Sierra Hull. This is a mixed blessing for a band like Bearfoot. On the one hand, this signals a openness to bluegrass that might result in them getting some Americana and Indie airplay that might otherwise pass them by. On the other hand it creates a might big ocean in which they have to swim. New fans who might otherwise be willing to sample their music may find their dance cards already full of Bluegrass. This would be unfortunate, because Bearfoot is a remarkably talented band with their own style and sound. A fusion of Old School bluegrass and New School Nashville with a side of Western, American Story is the story of American Music, as it is now.
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| Stormy Lewis |
American Story Review |
Bearfoot members Jason Norris and Angela Oudean are well-used to the tribulations and vagrancies of the professional bluegrass world. Founders of the at-one-time Alaskan-based troupe of bluegrass youths, the pair has seen vocalists and musicians arrive and depart with recent recordings. Yet, Bearfoot's sound remains individual and identifiable, freshened by new insights and influences focused about an acoustiblue attitude that is modern and challenging. With the addition of Nora Jane Struthers, the affable quintet has produced their most fully realized release to date. With a Natalie Maines twist in her annunciation, Struthers brings Bearfoot to another level artistically, no small feat considering Odessa Jorgensen did something similar on the previous "Doors & Windows." From the opening lines of her original Tell Me A Story, Struthers reveals a sultriness that mergers beautifully with the group's artful blending of bluegrass's roots and branches. Struthers contributes much of the album's material including co-writes with Tim O'Brien (Feel Free) and Claire Lynch (Eyes Cast Down) and the ode to self-determination Kill the Rooster while taking the bulk of the lead vocal spots. Struthers and Oudean share the leads on the flirty Come Get Your Lonesome, from the pen of recent addition Todd Grebe, while everyone contributed to the writing of the lusty When You're Away. Utilizing the acoustic instrumentation frequently associated with bluegrass excepting banjo - the five-string makes only a couple appearances - Bearfoot works around the edges of the music to create an atmosphere that is charged with excitement. Rare is the album that contains no filler, but that is the case with Bearfoot's fifth album: a testament to determination and musical integrity, "American Story" is just the latest chapter to be written by one of the most interesting outfits working the bluegrass and Americana circuits.
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| Donald Teplyske |
Bearfoot and Loretta Hagen to Play at Hurdy Gurdy |
The Fair Lawn Community Center will once again be filled with the sound of folk music, singing, clapping and stomping of feet Saturday, when the Hurdy Gurdy Music Club presents bluegrass band Bearfoot and opening act Loretta Hagen, of West Milford. Bearfoot, a Nashville quintet by way of Alaska, recently added former Ridgewood resident Nora Jane Struthers to their line-up. “This is a bit if of a homecoming for me,” Struthers said in a telephone interview. “I am really looking forward to it, as is the rest of the band.” When Struthers is not performing with Bearfoot, she fronts her own band, Nora Jane Struthers and the Bootleggers. She explained that being the lead singer of an established band has a different feel than being the lead singer of a band based around her musical persona. “When I joined Bearfoot, I was able to keep the traditions of the previous singers going, while at the same time I was able to bring over some of my music,” Struthers said. She said it helps that two of Bearfoot’s founding members -- Angela Oudean and Jason Norris -- can keep the tradition going while Struthers’s Bootlegger bandmate P.J. George plays, and – new member Todd Grebe (also from Alaska) keeps the “Alaska” vibe going. “I think we are a great fit and I love the music we are playing together,” Struthers said. The band recently released a new album, "American Story," which Struthers said they would be playing tracks from on Saturday. Fans will also be able to hear Hagen, who grew up in Rutherford, but lived in Nashville with her husband for many years before moving back North six years ago. She and her husband Gary worked with Johnny Winter and the Gin Blossoms while living in Nashville and now regularly perform all over New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Much of Hagen’s recent music, as well as personal activism, has been dedicated to funding and finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, a disease that recently claimed her mother’s life. “My mother had the disease for nine years and it was difficult,” she said. “I wrote music about the experiences about what I went through and I have many people come up to me afterwards and thank me for the music because they too lost someone to Alzheimer’s.” Hagen said she hopes her music inspires others to get involved in the upcoming Alzheimer’s Walk set for Liberty State Park in Jersey City on Oct. 29. For now, though, she is focusing on her first Hurdy Gurdy Concert appearance.
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| Don E. Smith Jr. |
American Story Review |
Compass Records Group will release Bearfoot: American Story on September 27, 2011. American Story is the follow up to the bands critically acclaimed 2009 Compass Records debut album Doors and Windows, which reached #1 on Billboards Bluegrass chart. The Nashville quintet has experienced a few personnel changes since their last release. Angela Oudean (fiddle) and Jason Norris (mandolin, violin, viola) are the remaining original members and they have added Nora Jane Struthers (guitar), Todd Grebe (guitar), and PJ George (bass, banjo, drums, percussion) to round out the group. This new incarnation of Bearfoot has produced a superb mix of bluegrass, American folk, and country inspired songs that should please music fans old and new.
American Story comes out of the gate swinging for the fences with “Tell Me A Story,” the first track on the album. The song conjures up images of fairytale creatures, kings, and lost treasure and combines the images with an infectious melody that permeates your subconscious. The theme of the song is one of escaping harsh realities through storytelling and the sophisticated simplicity of both the lyrics and music highlight the pop sensibilities and melancholy of the theme. “Midnight In Montana” is a juke jumpin’ down home bluegrass song that makes listeners want to down some whisky, grab a partner, and dance the night away. “Come Get Your Lonesome” is another standout bluegrass song that blazes into existence like a runaway freight train on fire with a goodtime feeling. “Billy” is an acappella old timey call and response style song that highlights the powerful vocals and tight harmonies of Bearfoot and is eerily haunting in its simplistic perfection. The album ends as strong as it began with an up tempo bluegrass tune called “Mr. Moonshine.”
Bearfoot: American Story is a tremendous collection of songs from a supremely talented group of songwriters and musicians. The album is the perfect blend of bluegrass, pop, country, and old time American folk styles of music and is all the more impressive coming from a group that has less than one year of experience working together. Bearfoot is already on tour in support of the album and on September 20, 2011 will play “Lunchtime at the Library” in Nashville, TN. Music fans everywhere do not hesitate to purchase a copy of Bearfoot: American Story you will not be disappointed. Make sure you check out Bearfoot at http://www.bearfootband.com/ for all the information you need on their music, tour, and much more.
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| Larry Vanderpool |
American Story Album Review |
BEARFOOT, "American Story," Compass Records. 10 tracks |
| Keith Lawrence |
Bearfoot – Tuesday at IBMA |
If there is an effort by the IBMA to “expand the tent” with the inclusion of more non-traditional bands, it was fully evident in the Tuesday night showcase lineup. The festivities began with Bearfoot, a name befitting a band whose core members migrated to Nashville from Alaska. A year or so after arriving in Music City, fiddler Angela Oudean and mandolin/fiddle player Jason Norris found themselves in the midst of a band restructure. They called upon Nora Jane Struthers to assume duties as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Nora brought along P.J. George, the bassist from her former band, and the quartet added another Alaskan, Todd Grede, for lead guitar and vocal tasks. The energy filled ensemble is clearly talented, and the performance was, for the most part, professional and polished. Nora Jane showcased her songwriting skills by performing Eyes Cast Down, as tune she co-wrote with the venerable Claire Lynch. The a cappella, Billy, took the crowd in a new direction with an old, African-American Spiritual sound. Long Hard Road was a raucous number reminiscent of The Steeldrivers. The band members are undeniably talented, as they aptly demonstrated through the entire set. Their raucous performance will not do a thing, however, to quell the current controversy over the definition of “bluegrass.” In truth, I found it difficult to find the tether holding the band to its bluegrass roots. However, lead vocalist Nora Jane Struthers makes no apologies for the band’s style. She explains that members of the band cut their teeth on bluegrass, pointing out that she sang Louvin Brothers hits with her father as a child and that Todd Grede is a “huge Jimmy Martin fan.” According to Stuthers, the group’s newly-released CD features Charlie Cushman on banjo on the cut, Midnight in Montana. And, she’s quick to mention that the title of the release, American Story, accurately depicts the material as “a fusion of folk, country, Cajun, and roots music.” She also defends the band member’s right to express themselves musically without regard to genre labels. Stuthers acknowledges that the band’s style may preclude bookings at some of the more traditional venues. “But,” she points out, “other doors will open that may not be available to the more traditional bands.” Judging by the talent displayed by Bearfoot at Tuesday’s showcase, theirAmerican Story won’t be ending any time soon. |
| Cliff Abbott |
Bearfoot Releases 'American Story' on Compass Records |
American Story is an album that pays homage to old-timey string bands but not without youthful abandon and pop undertones. For fans of the Wailin' Jennys and Dixie Chicks, it is historical and autobiographical and it is profoundly fun – showcasing the new incarnation of the group with singers Nora Jane Struthers and Todd Grebe at the helm. Founding members Angela Oudean (fiddle) and Jason Norris (mandolin) added a new multi-talented rhythm player, the bassist-drummer (and sometimes banjo-picking) PJ George. It's a commonplace that crises create opportunities, but the principle was thoroughly—and successfully—tested by Alaska-by-way-of-Nashville's Bearfoot last year, when original members Angela Oudean and Jason Norris found themselves presiding over a prolonged period of shifting personnel. Yet the cliché proved true in the end when the pair recruited Todd Grebe, another Alaska-to-Nashville transplant, Nora Jane Struthers, a rising young singer/songwriter andone of her bandmates, P. J. George, to create a renewed ensemble full of energy and creativity. And now, with the release of American Story (available Sept 27), the group's latest effort for Compass Records, it's plain to see that the crisis was little more than a blessing in disguise. Following the success of Bearfoot's 2009 Compass debut, Doors And Windows, which debuted at # 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart, American Story introduces three new members, showing off both their distinctive voices and the impressive level of integration the quintet's already achieved. Lead singer, songwriter and guitar player Nora Jane Struthers is the best known of the additions, having already released one stellar album highlighting her thoughtful songwriting and cool, clear voice—and having won the tough Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition in 2010 with her Bootleggers, a group featuring the second new member of Bearfoot, bass player P. J. George. Rounding out the revamped lineup is guitarist/vocalist Todd Grebe, previously known for his work fronting the acoustic honky-tonk group Todd Grebe & Cold Country. And while the group claim that they're still settling into their new sound, one listen to American Story offers compelling evidence that they're being more modest than accurate. With veteran producer/engineer Brent Truitt at the helm, Bearfoot hits the ground running on the new project with the Struthers-penned opener, "Tell Me A Story." With its restrained prologue and keenly rhythmic body, the song dishes up a healthy serving of the band's strong points: a winningly intimate lead vocal, tight harmonies, and an arrangement that weaves together a multiplicity of musical strands, from the string band and bluegrass music that made up Bearfoot's earliest sounds to a unique take on the acoustic pop influences whirling around the group's East Nashville home. "This song, and in some ways, this album, is really about escapism," says Nora Jane. "We all have different ways of removing ourselves from reality, and I get myself lost in stories." From there, it's a swift, satisfying run through a dazzling array of sounds and stories to the easy, good-time lope of Grebe's closing "Mr. Moonshine." Along the way, there are stops for hard-core bluegrass ("Midnight in Montana" with help from guest Charlie Cushman on banjo), a sly and sultry come-on ("When You're Away," written by the entire group), the poignant and ominous portrait of a trapped woman in "Eyes Cast Down" (written by Struthers and Claire Lynch) and much more—true stories and tall tales, but always with real people and real situations at their center. "I really connect with those lyrics," Jason Norris says of "Feel Free" (written by Struthers and Tim O'Brien). "When Nora Jane first played it for us, I thought 'Wow, that could actually have been written by me,'" he adds, and in truth, the sentiment could as easily come from a listener. Adding to the project's depth, Truitt and Bearfoot haven't been afraid to explore new sonic territory, deftly blending the group's acoustic instruments with touches of percussion, electric bass, accordion, banjo and more—many of them supplied by P. J. George, who serves as the group's gifted utility man—yet always, each touch appears to underline, rather than draw attention from the songs. "I love that the entire album has a really rockin' element to it, with more energy than we've ever had before," Oudean observes—From start to finish, it's an album of distinctive music that remains deeply authentic, true to the band's rootsy origins even as it steps into more sophisticated musical territory. American Story would be a strong collection coming from a veteran artist and it's certainly true that the individual members of Bearfoot, old and new, are, while still young, genuine veterans. Yet it's all the more impressive for being the product of a group that has yet to celebrate its first anniversary as an ensemble. That makes for a great story, and for an even greater appreciation of American Story, but as the members of Bearfoot would be the first to point out, in the end the only thing that matters is the music; here it is, and it's mighty fine.
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Bearfoot in the schools |
Bearfoot has just released an online video, highlighting a recent visit the band made to both an elementary and high school in Gillette, Wyoming this past February. The group was created in Alaska some years ago as a result of just such a program. Original members Jason Norris and Angela Oudean met while teaching at a youth bluegrass camp, and the Bearfoot Bluegrass Camps for Kids has had a significant impact on the Alaskan acoustic music scene over its eleven year run. Bearfoot’s eagerness to share their passion for music has only gotten stronger following their move to Nashville, and the recent addition of a pair of certified educators to the ensemble. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Nora Jane Struthers has a degree in Secondary English Education from New York University and is a former high school English teacher, and bassist P.J. George has a degree in Music Education from Radford University. Nora Jane tells us that the Wyoming trip allowed them to interact with 674 students and 38 teachers over the course of two days, and that more of this school outreach is on the horizon. |
| John Lawless |
Shakori Hills featured artist |
The Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance will hold its annual fall festival from Thursday, October 6 to Sunday, October 9, 2011 in Silk Hope, North Carolina. The festival will feature more than 50 bands and performers on two big outdoor stages, a large Dance Tent, and an intimate Cabaret Tent. Featured acts include: Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Donna the Buffalo, Brett Dennen, Sidi Touré, The Duhks, Rosie Ledet, Nawal, Preston Frank, Emmit-Nershi Band, Eilen Jewell, Toubab Krewe, Bearfoot, The Old Ceremony, Locos Por Juana, and Hobex.
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| World Music Central |
New Video Shoot for Bearfoot |
Bearfoot spent a day last week shooting a new music video for Nora Jane Struthers’ song, Tell Me A Story, from their upcoming Compass Records album, American Story. Struthers plays guitar and sings with the band, with Angela Oudean on fiddle, Jason Norris on mandolin, Todd Grebe on guitar and P.J. George on bass, banjo and percussion. They shot in Nashville at Historic Cedarwood, an early 19th century estate listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nora Jane tells us that they all had a blast at the shoot, with three different costume themes: Southern Aristocray, Depression era, and as pictured below, assorted fantasy/fairy tale characters. The video was directed by Dycee Wildman and filmed by Craig Hill, the same crew who shot and edited Nora Jane’s Willie video, the opening track of her self-titled debut album from 2010. Here’s a look at that one… |
| John Lawless |
Bearfoot-new look and sound |
I had the good fortune to hook-up with the members of Bearfoot on Friday when they performed here in Roanoke. The band let me crash their pre-sound check dinner for an interview, and I was able to catch the first part of their show that evening. This group has come a mighty long way in the past ten years. What started as a bluegrass band among friends in Alaska has morphed into an alternative string music group based in Nashville, showcasing the original material of its members.
Fiddler Angela Oudean and mandolinist Jason Norris are the sole original members remaining from the Alaskan days, though fellow Last Frontiersman Todd Grebe also joined them when they made the move to Tennessee. It was a return of sorts for Angela, who had studied at East Tennessee State University in their bluegrass program. Bearfoot (previously Bearfoot Bluegrass) reformed after she graduated from ETSU in 2006, and she explained a bit about how an Alaskan band ended up in Music City.
“As we began to grow an audience beyond Alaska, we had members all over the country. After a few years, we realized that much of the money we earned touring was going to the airlines, and that something had to change if we wanted to do this for a living. Not all of the band was ready to uproot, but the three of us decided to make the move.”
Norris said that though there was never a plan to do so, all five current members live within a five block radius in Nashville. And it was in the neighborhood that they met and started jamming with current bassist PJ George and vocalist/guitarist Nora Jane Struthers. George is a native of our area, growing up in Salem, VA where he played with the Harwell Grice Band, and obtained a music education degree from Radford University. Struthers made her way to Nashville from her home in New Jersey, primarily to facilitate touring in support of her self-titled 2010 CD.
Now the five of them are Bearfoot, and have started the early planning stages for their second album on Compass Records. A debut single is expected this Spring, with a full release in November.
Their sound is heavily influenced by bluegrass, but without a banjo, it has a slightly different flavor. You also hear a strong old-time vibe, most prominently in Oudean’s fiddling. But their primary appeal is in the songwriting, and the variety that comes from having five strong vocalists in the group. Struthers has added a number of her original songs to the band’s show, as has Grebe from his recent CD, Until Tomorrow.
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| John Lawless, The Bluegrass Blog |
Planting bluegrass seeds |
The bluegrass group Bearfoot was serving up something special to Lakeview Elementary fifth- and sixth-graders before lunch Wednesday: a nice helping of breakneck bluegrass standards, originals and even a side of music education. |
| Michael DiBiasio, Gilette News Record |
Bearfoot brings Alaskan Blue-grass to Young Auditorium |
Looking for a musical experience that will change your world? At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Bearfoot, an acoustic band rooted in traditional American music, will perform at the Young Auditorium. Bearfoot is a modern-day string band often described as folk, bluegrass or Americana. It features two fiddles, a mandolin, guitar, upright bass and strong vocal harmonies.
Just two years after forming, the band earned the Telluride Bluegrass Band Champions award, which is one of the most prestigious awards for folk and bluegrass music. Previous award winners include Nickel Creek and the Dixie Chicks.
After meeting as counselors at a bluegrass camp for kids, the original members of Bearfoot formed the band 11 years ago. Two current members from the original band, Angela Oudean and Jason Norris, are joined by newer members Nora Jean Struthers, PJ George and Todd Grebe.
Oudean, who plays the fiddle and sings, said she thinks there are many things besides the band’s unique genre that make Bearfoot different from other musical groups.
“We play a lot of our own music, so you get to hear original songs you won’t hear anywhere else,” Oudean said. “We also have two girls and three guys, so we’re not a typical set with a female singer backed up by an all-guy band. We do a lot of fast instrumental improvisation and play off each other, so there’s always a wide range of cool stuff going on.”
Bearfoot has been touring for the last three years, and over that time, band members have come to recognize some of the challenges and rewards of performing for a live audience.
“My favorite thing about performing live is interacting with the audience,” Oudean said. “They’re as entertaining to us as we hope we are to them. If you get a good audience, it feels like you’re just hanging out with a bunch of really good friends.”
However, according to Oudean, live audiences can also cause big challenges.
“It is much harder to connect with [the audience],” she said. “It’s the most fun to play in a small setting where you’re right next to the people you’re playing for.”
Bearfoot has released four full-length albums and is in the process of recording music for a fifth. While most bands go through a lengthy songwriting process, that isn’t always the case with Bearfoot.
“My favorite song to perform right now is probably one that we wrote in our van on tour a few weeks ago,” Oudean said. “It was cool because we wrote it together while we were between locations, and we recorded it about a week ago. We’ll be playing it on our next tour.”
Overall, Bearfoot only wants one thing: for their audiences to have a good time.
“I hope people leave our shows having heard a song they can relate to,” Oudean said. “I always hope they had a good time."
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| Royal Purple News |
Top concerts of 2010 |
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| Jim Vorel |
Singer picks up Bearfoot beat |
Cavernous Wendy Williamson Auditorium filled to capacity on Friday night for a band that originally formed in Alaska and has since made a name in the wider musical world. The handful of youngsters who came together at music camp and formed Bearfoot Bluegrass in 1999 won the national Telluride Band Competition in Colorado in 2001. This year, with their fourth album, they reached No. 1 on Billboard Magazine's Bluegrass charts.
Now known simply as Bearfoot, the band has played innumerable times in Anchorage. But this show was different. For one thing, it marked the only time this year the band will play here, part of a home-state tour that winds up in Fairbanks today. They'll have a break until January, when they start a series of concerts that will take them from Missoula, Mont., to Glasgow, Scotland. Success is taking them, inevitably, away from Alaska.
It was their first show here since the new CD "Doors and Windows" became a hit. It was also our first look at the band's new lead singer. Odessa Jorgensen, from California, has replaced original member Annalisa Tornfelt from Anchorage. Tornfelt remains a presence, with two of her songs included on "Doors and Windows"; Jorgensen gets credit on four of the 11 cuts.
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| Mike Dunham |
Bearfoot: Doors and Windows ALBUM REVIEW |
Bearfoot has shed their previous Bluegrass surname as well as a bit of their old bluegrass attitude in their newest album, "Doors and Windows," released in April. Nonetheless, the group has upgraded from their bluegrass calling card with a very pleasing blending of styles. The album features 11 tracks of the "country" genre, according to iTunes. No matter what your definition of country, I'd say it's bad news to label Bearfoot as simply that. Read more. |
| Libby Sterling |
Live From Folk Alley Focus on Bearfoot |
Bluegrass and Alaska do not, at first glance, seem to be two things that would come together in the same sentence. But Bearfoot is doing its best to change that perception. The young quintet is building a reputation for quality, high-energy bluegrass, despite its Anchorage address. The core of the group - Kate Hamre, Mike Mickelson, Jason Norris and Angela Oudean - met at summer bluegrass camp and has recently been joined by Californian Odessa Jorgensen, late of the Biscuit Burners, on vocals and fiddle. Bearfoot has already been recognized with a big prize from Telluride and its latest CD, "Doors and Windows," is poised to win them even more fans. Hear live audio
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| Craig Adams |
Alaskan newgrass: Bearfoot album review |
www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/thevolume/2009/04/web-exclusive-bearfoot-album-review/ |
| Gwen Orel |
Valley Advocate Album Review-Doors and Windows |
Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, young bluegrass combo Bearfoot has just delivered its fourth album. Vintage Martin guitars, fiddles, bass, mandolin and minimal percussion fill out their rootsy yet decidedly modern sound. Smoothvoiced lead vocalist/fiddler Odessa Jorgensen leads the way, but all the members contribute vocally, weaving some strong harmonies. Their drastic reworking of the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" breathes a different kind of life into the tune. Confident and inspired, the group serves up a collaborative effort that should appeal to a broad range of people who like classic bluegrass that isn't afraid to tread on pop waters. |
| Ryan Duffy |
Madisonville KY Bearfoot Review |
A nice review from a new Bearfoot fan in Madisonville, KY. I went to a concert Saturday night featuring the band Bearfoot. I'd never heard of the band or a single song of theirs before the concerts so I was a little so-so about the ticket I was holding. However, Bearfoot turned out to be a really nice surprise.... (more) |
| The Mystical Jett |
PopMatters |
Mixing original tunes with traditional songs and innovative arrangements, Alaska's Bearfoot is bringing a fabulously fresh voice, or voices, to Bluegrass and Appalacian folk on their new effort Follow Me..... (more) |
| Christel Loar |
Foot Forward Anchorage Daily News |
In the past eighteen months Bearfoot has opened for Lyle Lovett and performed at the Kennedy Center... (more) |
| Sarah Henning |
Bluegrass Unlimited - "Follow Me" Review |
Alaska wasn't even a state when bluegrass was born, yet sixty years later and 3,000 miles from Kentucky, the music continues to blossom. Anchorage's Bearfoot is part of the ever-growing arena of youth-driven contemporary bluegrass. It bounces, it swings, it dives head-first into minor keys and unexpected (but totally workable) phrasings. In other words, it's very cool. |
| Bluegrass Unlimited |
“Great fiddling, snappy mandolin and guitar picking, all with a youthful sound. Led by some truly great singing...this Alaska-based quintet manages to sound both fresh and polished.“ |
| Country Music Today |
“Old time, roots, Americana, folk, bluegrass – whatever...it’s just plain old pleasure.” |
| The Boston Globe |
"It bounces, it swings, it dives head-first into minor keys and unexpected (but totally workable) phrasings. In other words, it's very cool." |
| Bluegrass Unlimited |
Date |
Venue |
Location |
| 02/07/2012 | Hill Country BBQ Market D.C. | Washington, DC |
| 02/08/2012 | Poplar Knight Spot | Aberdeen, NC |
| 02/10/2012 | Mockingbird's Roots Music Hall | Staunton, VA |
| 02/11/2012 | Mack and Mack Design Studio | Greensboro, NC |
| 02/12/2012 | The Evening Muse | Charlotte, NC |
| 03/23/2012 | RiceGrass | Fischer, TX |
| 03/24/2012 | RiceGrass | Fischer, TX |
| 03/29/2012 | Blue Loon | Fairbanks, AK |
| 03/31/2012 | University of Alaska at Anchorage | Anchorage, AK |
| 04/01/2012 | Sheldon Community Arts Hanger | Talkeetna, AK |
| 04/04/2012 | Juneau Arts and Culture Center | Juneau, AK |
| 04/05/2012 | Harrigan Centennial Hall | Sitka, AK |
| 04/07/2012 | Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR |
| 06/08/2012 | Pagosa Folk n Bluegrass Festival | Pagosa Springs, CO |
| 06/14/2012 | Rio Grande Botanic Garden | Albuquerque, NM |
| 06/28/2012 | McMillan Memorial Library | Wisconsin Rapids, WI |
| 06/30/2012 | River of Music Party-ROMP | Owensboro, KY |
| 07/19/2012 | Concert Happenings in Ridgefield's Parks (CHIRP) | Ridgefield, CT |
| 07/20/2012 - 07/21/2012 | Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival | Oak Hill, NY |
| 09/14/2012 - 09/15/2012 | Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion | Bristol, VA |
| 03/14/2013 | Kenan Auditorium | Wilmington, NC |
| 03/15/2013 | The Old Theater | Oriental, NC |
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