Bearfoot (American band)

Bearfoot is a post-bluegrass band that was formed in Alaska in 1999 as Bearfoot Bluegrass. The original all-Alaskan band competed in and won the 26th annual Telluride Bluegrass band contest in 2001, and returned the following year to perform in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. They later changed their name to Bearfoot as their music evolved to include americana, post-bluegrass, and string instrument based pop.

Bearfoot
OriginCordova, Alaska, United States
GenresBluegrass, folk,[1] Americana
Years active1999–2013
LabelsBearfoot Bluegrass, Glacier, Compass
Associated actsBlack Prairie
The Everybodyfields
Nickel Creek
The Biscuit Burners
Hit and Run
Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line[2]
Websitebearfootband.com
MembersAngela Oudean
Jason Norris
Todd Grebe
Megan McCormick[3]
Past membersOdessa Jorgensen
Nora Jane Struthers
PJ George
Annalisa Tornfelt
Kate Hamre [4]
Sam Grisman [5]
Mike Mickelson
Malani O'Toole
Drew Lawhorn[6]

They have generated an impressive array of songs and genres, including (also, the writing of) the Alaskan epic Fishtrap Joe, based on one of the historical struggles in Alaska (between locals and Seattle fish empires over fish traps)[7] and the finding of an old skeleton near Cordova by two boys, one of which (Mike Mickelson) later became a founding Bearfoot Bluegrass band member.

History

Bearfoot Bluegrass

Before there was Bearfoot Bluegrass, most of the starting line-up met at the Alaska Folk Arts Camp in Anchorage, Alaska. Angela Oudean (vocals, fiddle), Jason Norris (vocals, mandolin), Kate Hamre (acoustic bass), and Annalisa Woodlee (vocals, fiddle) were from Anchorage, and Mike Mickleson (rhythm and lead guitar) was from Cordova, Alaska.[8] Mike's mother, Belle Mickelson, decided to start a music camp in Cordova to encourage her son to practice and play. The others joined Mike there, and when Belle decided to create a camp band, the 4H Fiddle and Dance Camp,[8] also known as the Bluegrass and Old-Time Music and Dance Camp,[9] these five players plus Malani O'Toole (vocals, fiddle, guitar) came together as Bearfoot Bluegrass in 1999. The band started traveling around the state teaching and encouraging music in small rural communities.[8] In February 2001 they recorded their first album Only Time Knows, and then made history in June by becoming the first Alaskan band to win the Telluride Bluegrass band contest,[10][11] joining the ranks of such reputable artists as Nickel Creek and The Dixie Chicks.

For their second album, Back Home, they approached Todd Phillips in 2003 and asked him to produce it. Todd helped teach the band more advanced techniques, timing, rhythm, and he worked on the singing and phrasing, concentrating on details. He helped turn the band from talented beginners into skilled musicians.[8]

Bearfoot

As the music of the band evolved to include music beyond bluegrass, they changed their name from "Bearfoot Bluegrass" to simply "Bearfoot", intending to reflect the americana approach of their music, and their becoming post-bluegrass. Under this heading, they released the album Follow Me in 2006.[12] The Alaskans were joined by Californian Odessa Jorgensen (fiddle, vocals) at the end of 2008, after Annalisa Tornfelt[13] left the band to spend more time with her family. The band continued to be widely beloved for its three strong female vocalists. In 2009, Bearfoot signed with Compass Records,[14] and produced the highly acclaimed album Doors and Windows. Bearfoot, staying true to its roots, in 2009 toured Alaska twice with impressive turn-out—in June[15] and again in November. The second time through, to the delight of many, they toured in break-up boots in classic Alaskan style, all except for Jorgensen, who at their performance in Talkeetna voiced her disappointment at not having been informed of this unorthodox dress code. In general, Bearfoot has enjoyed a devoted following among Alaskans who view them as "small town heroes".[16]

Resignations and Departure

In 2010 Kate Hamre left the band, with fellow band member Mike Mickelson saying that she felt that "ten years was enough".[5] She was replaced by Sam Grisman, the son of 1960's icon David Grisman. In early 2011, Mike Mickelson, the only member of the band still living in Alaska, departed to go back to "fishing... in Cordova". Grisman and Odessa Jorgensen also departed at approximately the same time.

A very much reconstructed band then moved base to Nashville, Tennessee, and with new members Nora Jane Struthers, P. J. George, and Todd Grebe, produced the album American Story in 2011.[12]

Nora Jane Struthers quit in 2012 and the band called it quits with a final show in Bozeman, MT, in February 2013.

Discography

Albums

Music videos
Year Title Director
2011 "Tell Me a Story"[17] Dycee Wildman
gollark: "It WoRkS oN mY mAcHiNe"
gollark: I didn't edit that bit.
gollark: The one you broke, yes.
gollark: Heresy.
gollark: No, it's the AutoBotRobot command prefix.

References
  1. Allmusic - Bearfoot - Doors & Windows review
  2. Bonfiglio, Jeremey D. (2 May 2013). "Finding her voice". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  3. Bearfoot - About Us
  4. "Steamboat Today - Telluride crown puts Bearfoot Bluegrass on map". Archived from the original on 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
  5. Berkshire Fine Arts - Bearfoot Wows Eagle Hill Audience
  6. Lawless, John (12 September 2012). "Big changes in Bearfoot". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  7. Allen, Robert Sharon Our Fair City, Ayer Publishing, 1974, p. 341. Google Books - Our Fair City
  8. McGee, David (August–September 2008). "A Song Of the Younger World, A Song of the Pack - Bearfoot Storms Out Of the Wild". The Bluegrass Special. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  9. Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2002 Program Guide
  10. Holland, Jon (13 September 2001). "Bearfoot Bluegrass finds success in and out of Alaska". Peninsula Clarion. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  11. Telluride Bluegrass - Music Contests
  12. AllMusic - Bearfoot
  13. Reading Eagle - Bluegrass band Bearfoot makes tracks to RACC
  14. Compass Records - Bearfoot
  15. "Juneau Empire - Bearfoot to perform Friday at Centennial". Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
  16. Sydney Morning Herald - Jewel, 0304
  17. "CMT : Videos : Bearfoot : Tell Me a Story". Country Music Television. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
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