Monroe Crossing was founded in 2000 on the heels of the demise of three of Minnesota's top acoustic music groups; The Pretty Good Bluegrass Band, Big Skyota, and The Deadly Nightshade Family Singers. They are the only full-time (look ma, no day jobs!) bluegrass band in an extended region. They are also extremely prolific having released six cds in their first five years.
As members of the northern bluegrass community, Monroe Crossing promotes bluegrass in a variety of ways. They are the hosts of both BluegrassForum.com, where we are talking about picking and The St Croix Valley Bluegrass Festival which is being held July 1st, 2006 in Hastings MN at the Carpenter Nature Center. They also run bluegrass jam camps, fostered several bands, provide opening slots for local bands and both join and promote area bluegrass clubs.
Monroe Crossing are:
Art Blackburn: Vocals, Guitar. Called "a font of creative flatpicking for decades" by Inside Bluegrass magazine, Art brings to the band 30 years of experience and a true love for the roots of Bluegrass music. As band leader of Art & Sandi's Pretty Good Band, Big Skyota, and The Pretty Good Bluegrass Band, Art brought together some of the finest musicians in the region and has entertained thousands across the Midwest. The winner of the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Associations Bluegrass Guitar Player of the Year Award in 2000, it was his creative persistence that was the genesis of Monroe Crossing. Today, Arts powerful voice, exquisite flatpicking and thoughtful writing lend a fresh originality to the tradition upon which the band is founded.
Lisa Fuglie: Vocals, Fiddle, Mandolin, Guitar. Originally from Nigeria, Lisa learned mandolin from an old Bill Monroe 78rpm record. Though that old record is long gone, its spirit of Bluegrass remains. Mix in her international background, and Lisa's performances are truly a cross-continental and cross-cultural experience!A stellar vocalist, she is also a prolific songwriter, solo performer, studio musician, and educator who has performed with such notables as The Hers, the Outskirts, and the Deadly Nightshade Family Singers. She received the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to study fiddle with Minnesota legend Bill Hinkley, and was the recipient of the 2000 Female Vocalist of the Year Award (in the Related Music category) from the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association. Lisa plays with the drive and intensity that defines Bluegrass fiddle, but listen closely and you will hear a world of experience.
Matt Thompson: Mandolin, Vocals, Fiddle, "The Voice of Monroe Crossing", Matt is the band's M.C. and handles all their interviews. After a chance encounter with a Bill Monroe record, a young Matt Thompson instantly fell in love with this incredible sound and proceeded to order Monroe record after Monroe record. Mandolin became Matt's instrument of choice, and Bluegrass a huge part of his life. Within two years his initial group, The Bluegrass Connection, won First Place at the 1982 Minnesota State Fair talent contest. Later bands included River Basin Bluegrass, Inside Track, and Big Skyota with Art Blackburn. In 1997, he co-founded True Blue and performed on Garrison Keillors "A Prairie Home Companion" and showcased at the International Bluegrass Music Association convention in Louisville, KY. A superb singer, songwriter and the bands MC, Matt also plays twin fiddle for Monroe Crossing. And he received the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association's Bluegrass Mandolin Player of the Year Award in 2000. Now that Matt has returned to his traditional roots with Monroe Crossing, you'll hear his heart and soul in every note.
Mark Anderson: Bass, Vocals. Mark came to Bluegrass after twenty years of playing bass and drums in a series of "alternative" groups. In 1995, friends suggested he get a string bass and bring his alternative zeal to the Bluegrass community. He quickly realized hed found a musical home and joined Art Blackburn in Art & Sandi's Pretty Good Band, and later, The Pretty Good Bluegrass Band. Mark was also a member of The Deadly Nightshade Family Singers. Mark is acknowledged as one of the Midwests elite Bluegrass bass players. In fact, he was nominated by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association as 2000 Bassist of the Year in both the Bluegrass and the Related Music categories! No matter the style or venue, Mark's earthy drive is unmistakably his own and is sure to set the feet tapping.
Benji Flaming From Minneapolis, the band's youngest and newest member is the returning charter member, Benji Flaming. Benji started playing banjo at age 10, having spent the previous two years composing and playing "new age"/electronic music on his family's electronic keyboard. Two years later, he released his first recording, consisting mainly of Christmas carols arranged for solo banjo. As a former member of Monroe Crossing, he engineered and played on the band's critically-acclaimed debut CD, "Across The Blue Mountains." A multi-instrumentalist, his most recent release (a collection of alternative rock songs reinterpreted as bluegrass music) finds him playing banjo, guitar, dobro, and bass, and showcases his arrangement and engineering skills. He was featured at the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual FanFest, made multiple appearances on their "Masters Workshop" stage, and in 2000, was voted "Banjo Player of the Year" by the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association. His love for the raw authenticity of bluegrass music is obvious by the drive and energy of his unique banjo stylings.
Former Members Always an important part of the Monroe Crossing sound has been a strong JD Crowe/Scruggs style banjo. Over the years, the 5 string has been provided by four different members. Benji Flaming, Graham Sones, Jeff Whitson and Jason Ericsson have each done their time with the band. Benji was with the band for "Across the Blue Mountains" as both engineer and banjo picker. Graham Sones appears "Then Sings My Soul", "the Green Mossy Ground", and "On the Road". Jeff Whitson can be heard on "Somebody Like You" and "The Happy Holidays." Jason Ericsson was with us for "Into the Fire." With Benji back in the band we've recorded "Live from Silver Dollar City" and "The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass."
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