Joining Us from the United-States.
Beartracks began as a trio in 2004. Legendary Dobro player Junior Barber convinced his cousins, Tom and Julie Venne, to make the switch from playing traditional country music in clubs to playing bluegrass oriented material at festivals around the Northeast. The main focus of the group was the sibling vocal harmony of Tom and Julie and Junior’s unique stylist approach to playing resonator guitar.
Although not a traditionally structured bluegrass group, the trio gained acceptance and a solid fan base at festivals throughout the Eastern US and in Canada from Calgary to PEI.
When illness forced Junior to retire in June of 2013, a banjo and fiddle were added to Beartracks, giving a much more traditional sound. The band has had some changes in musicians over the years. They have found that this is fairly normal in the bluegrass world. Julie and Tom grew up playing in a family band with their dad, mom and brother, so they were used to a continuity of players. However, they have been fortunate to have some very skilled musicians work with them and have found, as Junior told them a long time ago, that as long as they (Julie and Tom) are together, the backbone of Beartracks remains the same.
Since their inception in 2004, Beartracks has recorded six albums. Their music is available on CD Baby, I-Tunes, Rhapsody and Spotify. Their repertoire includes traditional bluegrass songs, classic country with a bluegrass twist and originals.
Beartracks will be coming to PEI with their current configuration. Freeman Corey, an excellent fiddle player from Vermont, has been with them for three years. Sten Isachsen, a music professor at Schenectady Community College, New York, has been playing mandolin with the group for two years.
“We are very much looking forward to returning to PEI”, says Tom. “We have always found that the people there are very warm and outcoming”.
The Beartracks members are from Northeast USA. To find out more about the band, visit their website www.beartracksband.com