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Front Country at The Stone Church with Jefferson Hamer

An acoustic band born in the land of tech innovation, Front Country was never going to be accepted as an authentic American roots band out of the gate. Cutting their teeth in progressive bluegrass jams in San Franciscos Mission District and rehearsing in the East Bay, they learned to play roots music their own way, with the tools they had on hand. A mandolinist with a degree in composition and classical guitar. A guitarist trained in rock and world music. A bassist equally versed in jazz and bluegrass. A violinist with technique that could seamlessly hop between honky tonk and electropop. A female lead singer with grit and soul that was also a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. In a wood-paneled country dive bar in the shadow of the San Francisco skyline, Front Country forged a sound hell bent on merging the musical past with the future.
This West Coast outfit was a loose collection of musical misfits until 2012 and 2013 when Front Country gathered around a single microphone at the RockyGrass and Telluride festivals, and won first prize in those prestigious band contests that once launched the careers of the Dixie Chicks, Greensky Bluegrass and the Steep Canyon Rangers. The contest wins bolstered their confidence in their unique mix of original songwriting, vocal harmonies and instrumental virtuosity, steeling their resolve to take a leap of faith and become a full time touring band.

Jefferson Hamer is a songwriter, guitarist, and interpreter of traditional music. Murphy Beds, his acoustic duo with Eamon OLeary, features harmony vocals backed by intricate guitar and bouzouki accompaniment. The Huffington Post said it succinctly: The [Murphy Beds] album bears repeated listening from start to finish, with ten beautiful, crystalline songs. In 2016 he recorded and co-produced the Session Americana album Great Shakes and traveled extensively in the US and Europe as the bands electric guitarist. His 2013 Child Ballads album with Anais Mitchell earned a BBC2 Folk Award and was named one of NPRs top-ten Folk releases of the year.