Robin first started playing guitar when she was 9. Her first REAL performance was at the age of 12 in Galveston, Tx, n front of an audience of 3,000! Pretty scary for a little kid. After high school she played rhythm guitar and sang with Texas 3 & 1.
After moving to Austin she sang briefly with the Sweet Adelines. She also plays piano and is learning to play the banjo. Robin put her Bluegrass band - Bluegrass Plus - on hold to be involved in an exciting project with her cohorts in their band called Hand Me Down.
Her musical influences range from Liona Boyd to Mother Maybelle Carter. Add in some Hip Hop and Old School Rap and that is Robin in a nutshell.
Whether it was learning to play the piano or flute or following his favorite band around the world, Francis Mougne knew at an early age that music was in his soul. While teaching at a music store in Houston, Francis picked up his first banjo. After moving to San Francisco in 1996, Francis emerged as a dedicated and skilled banjoist, specializing in bluegrass and early American music. The City by the Bay was good to Francis’ music career and his soul, as he was soon appearing on the same bill as some of his heroes, such as Hot Rize, Hazel Dickens, Emmylou Harris and others. Since then on various occasions he has been asked to perform with the legendary Peter Rowan, former Bluegrass Boy and musician/songwriter extraordinaire.
Now back home in Texas he is working things up with a few new projects. Bands include The Barrels and Hand Me Down.
Lisa grew up spending weekends travelling to fairs and festivals all over the state with her Dad, a well-known Texas caricature artist. As a kid, she was exposed to every kind of music Texas had to offer while she was running around craft booths and carnivals. So, old time and bluegrass music became part of the musical fabric that made up her life, though it wasn't until recently that she began exploring it as a personal musical expression. She's played the fiddle most of her life, but singing is a new joyful exploration for her.
Eric Vormelker, bass/vocals
Eric grew up overseas listening to his Dad's old Flatt & Scruggs LP's and is constantly amazed at the songs he finds himself recognizing from his distant past. He's a proud porch-pickin' bassist and has played in numerous bands of all kinds in Austin for way longer than he'd choose to share.
Influences
The Carter Family, Hazel Dickens, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, John Prine, Toni Price, Iris Dement, Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez, and a lot of the other folks we have as MySpace friends
Sounds Like
Old and new, fun, whompin' & wailin' songs and traditional instrumentals
Hand Me Down is a fun and funky cross-sampling of various acoustic traditional and folk genres including Bluegrass, Gospel, Old-Time Appalachian, and folky/singer-songwriter styles with some great harmonies and some smokin' instrumentals.
Hand Me Down is the merging of 4 very talented musicians.
While attending Bluegrass jams around Austin, Robin met Francis at a jam in Circle C Ranch and then met Lisa and Eric at a jam in Central Austin. Francis was so full of energy and love of music he literally glowed! Robin knew that he was definitely someone special and she had to introduce him to Lisa and Eric.
The first time the 4 of them got together it was a truly amazing experience. One of those defining moments not often forgotten.
thanks for adding me as a friend. seems like all you folks from Austin got a secret the rest of us don't know. wonderful sounds and songs you got here.
Sinner! Repent!
The McMercy Family will be saving souls at Ruta Maya this evening. It’s a real big show for us, so we’d appreciate your support. We’ll be opening up one great night of music with Shotgun Party and Dirtfoot (Shreveport, LA). Starts at 10pm
Thanx for the add. Your music rocks. I'm learning bluegrass from some really great people, the Heart to Heart Bluegrass Band, who asked me to join them. I'll send you a band friend request when they get they get a music myspace.
hello there! in case you guys haven't seen the flyers up at flip's... my friend Kristen's band is putting on a "Wild West Medicine Show" at the Scoot Inn on Sept. 8th! They have a "Johnny Cash and June Carter contest" going on. People who want to take part dress the part and play 1 song! I am doing a song. Thought you guys might be interested in doing it for fun!
I won't be able to stay after work tomorrow, but maybe we can do something like that in the future! I'd love to do that. I've been working on Wildwood Flower and Foggy Mountaintop as of late.
Hello Guys and thank you for the friend request. I'm very busy with May graduation, then in the studio for much of the summer working on my debut Cd. Will be teaming up with Spence Hayden for Fall tour. Wish me luck! Nashville soon!~Regards, Lindsey Earl