July 19: Bearfoot

The members of Bearfoot first met not too many years ago while working as music camp counselors in Cordova, Alaska. Soon after taking their act on the road, they stormed into the Telluride music festival in 2001 and came away as Bluegrass Band Champions, an honor previously bestowed on groups like Nickel Creek and the Dixie Chicks.

Since then the five-member acoustic ensemble-including Kate Hamre (acoustic bass), Mike Mickelson (guitar), Jason Norris (mandolin), Angela Oudean (fiddle), and Annalisa Tornfelt (fiddle)-has been touring, recording, and carving out a place in the national roots and bluegrass scene. Boasting five lead singers who are all distinctive and inventive musicians, Bearfoot's sophisticated, contemporary, and youthful sound has been described as "jazz stomp meets Appalachian breakdown, tempered with back-alley southern blues-all infused with a bluegrass passion." Their latest album, Follow Me, will be released this spring.

To learn more about Bearfoot visit www.bearfootbluegrass.com.