Foghorn Stringband

The sound of the Portland, Oregon´s Foghorn Stringband could have come barreling through the grille-cloth of those big console radios in the living rooms of the 1950´s, when the traditional sounds of rural America were still on the minds of young musicians transferring the old-time music to a distinctively modern age.

Their tight intstrumental work and line-up - fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar - is reminiscent of early bluegrass, but their powerful approach is whole-heartedly old-time, centered largely by the fiddle. Devoted to the interpretation and performance of American stringband music, their style encompasses early country music, the fiddle repertoire of the Southern Appalachians and the Midwest, and the stringband sounds of the Piedmont region.

They are highly regarded by traditional music lovers, and frequently perform with Dirk Powell, one of the country´s most renowned musicians of the genre, as the Dirk Powell Band.

While they are committed to playing authentic old-time music, the members of Foghorn Stringband are not strict recreationists in costume; yet neither are they experimentalists of the digital age. Whether it´s on stage in a rock venue, a bluegrass festival, or at a dance in the Grange Hall, they further this great tradition through a profound belief that old-time music, played in a traditional way, is still relevant and very much alive in the 21st century.

Initially gaining a reputation in the Pacific Northwest in the role of a square dance band, they have thrilled dancers and concert audiences at festivals throughout the world. This foundation in providing music for square dances - where the insistent sound of the dancers´ shoes slapping the hardwood floor provides a beat of it´s own - still permeates all of Foghorn´s music, as evidenced by the people dancing in the aisles during the band´s performances.

No matter what the venue, this is what old time music is all about.