 |
Bandleader,
front man and mandolinist Pete Siegfried has been singing and
playing bluegrass since he fell in love with the music growing
up in rural Pennsylvania. A resident of Grass Valley, Pete does
most of the lead singing in MOUNTAIN LAUREL. His clear, sweet
tenor voice is the centerpiece of the band's rich vocal sound.
Pete is an accomplished songwriter; MOUNTAIN LAUREL performs
several of his songs on the band's two CDs, It's About Time
and Trouble At The Mine.
|
 |
Acoustic
bass player Doug Bianchi, a resident of Nevada City, anchors
the band with his driving and tasteful bass work. In addition
to bluegrass, Doug's bass playing shows some western swing
influences, a musical side he explores more fully with his
other band, the Stardust Cowboys. Before joining MOUNTAIN
LAUREL, Doug played with the Pointless Sisters, a retro-country
band with a great name.
|
 |
BGuitar
player Ken Nilsson, who also makes his home in Grass Valley,
is a creative guitarist who provides solid rhythm playing as
well as sparkling, exciting solos that never fail to win applause.
Another talented songwriter--he contributed two new instrumentals
to Trouble At The Mine--Ken shares the lead vocals with Pete
and adds tenor and baritone harmonies. Besides his work with
MOUNTAIN LAUREL, Ken has performed at the prestigious Healdsburg
Guitar Show, demonstrating the guitars of luthier Randy Allen.
|
 |
The newest
member of MOUNTAIN LAUREL is Sacramento native Kathy Barwick,
who plays resonator guitar and sings tenor harmonies on the
trios. Kathy has toured and recorded with a number of bluegrass
artists over the past twenty years, including the Bluegrass
Philharmonic, Bill Grant & Delia Bell, the All Girl Boys and
the Avocado Brothers. Kathy's playing is prominently featured
on the second CD, Trouble At The Mine.
|
 |
Banjo
player Paul Siese has more than twenty years of experience
performing and recording with such California bluegrass bands
as A Touch of Grass and Past Due and Playable. Paul contributes
baritone harmonies and his rich bass singing adds great texture
and fullness to the band's quartet vocals on gospel numbers.
He also sings lead on his original songs "Narrow Gauge" and
"Long Gone." Paul's droll comments and laconic stage presence
are the perfect complement to his explosive and exciting banjo
picking.
|
|