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"...One of the lonesomest, hard-drivingest traditional bluegrass bands alive...High Country manages to be fresh and exciting without even the merest nod to modern music." -BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED
Over the last thirty-odd years, High Country has earned its place as the West Coast's premier traditional bluegrass band. Strongly influenced by the classic styles of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers, the band's blend of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and bass delivers the upbeat excitement of true bluegrass music. High Country's show offers a vital mix of powerful originals and standards, from blues to breakdowns to gospels sung in close harmony. Even the songs and tunes written by band members themselves remain true to the genre, with careful attention paid to the nuances of the bluegrass style. With driving rhythm, skillful picking and soulful singing, High Country brings the energy and experience of six seasoned professionals to this spirited American art form. After three decades of performing, the band remains fresh and exciting, and brings their love of bluegrass to an ever-widening audience.
Butch Waller is High Country's leader and emcee. Butch was one of the first to play professional bluegrass in Northern California and formed the band in 1968. His distinct mandolin playing, firmly grounded in the Monroe style, shines through strong bluesy downstrokes and vibrant tremolos. Butch sings lead and baritone and also contributes many of the band's original songs and mandolin instrumentals.
Bob Waller, rock solid guitarist and Butch's younger brother, is a veteran bluegrasser and bandleader in his own right, having cut his teeth with a number of groups both in the Bay Area and in Seattle. Bob and Butch zero in on the close harmony sound that is the gift of siblings, and is reminiscent of the brother duets of bluegrass and country music past and present.
Larry Cohea, originally from Springfield, Tennessee, has been with the group from nearly the beginning. His genuine enthusiasm for music and life pervades his energetic banjo work, which spurs the band's hard-driving sound. Well versed in the music of Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers, Larry brings a good deal of their material to High Country's repertoire. He is also featured on lead and tenor vocals.
Jim Mintun is a welcome addition wherever bluegrass players convene as he brings with him a vast repertoire of songs, along with a soaring bluegrass voice of the high lonesome variety, singing either the lead or tenor part with equal vigor. Jim's gritty, zestful approach to the dobro never ceases to delight audiences, and his song writing is a key ingredient in the band's personalized stamp on the genre.
Tom Bekeny, High Countryıs fiddle player, is well known to many bluegrass enthusiasts for his mandolin work with a number of California bands. As a fiddler, Tom's powerful bowing and inspired interpretations of traditional fiddle solos explode with bluegrass sentiment. Occasionally Tom will line up with Butch for some dazzling mandolin duets that leave the stage smoking. Tom is also a talented and heartfelt singer in his own right, singing every part at one time or another including bass on the gospel quartets.
Glenn Dauphin anchors the band with his solid, dynamic bass playing and inspired singing. Glenn is possessed of a clear, soulful bluegrass voice and is at home singing lead, tenor or baritone. He is also a songwriter of high regard and his finely crafted compositions are a lively addition to High Country's repertoire.
High Country has toured extensively in the United States, and has played many of the major bluegrass festivals, including Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, at which they were the first West Coast band ever to be invited to perform. European audiences have been particularly appreciative of the band during tours, which have included performances in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and Finland.
High Country has seven albums to their credit including their latest, "The Earthquake" on Strictly Country Records and leader/mandolinist, Butch Waller has a recent solo release, "Golden Gate Promenade" on the Rebel label. Billboard Magazine had this to say about the bandsıs efforts, "This band has the kind of bright, warm, Flatt and Scruggs sound that dominated bluegrass in the 60s...a welcome switch from technical flash to back porch virtuosity." Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine reviewed one of the band's recordings along similar lines: "They not only have captured the essential spirit of bluegrass, they have succeeded in doing it without being copyists or imitators....Butch Waller and his companions have scored a bulls eye."