2022 Lineup
Hailing from the river town of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Horseshoes & HandGrenades plays something like progressive high-energy Old-Time folk music. With strong roots in old-time and bluegrass, the band has formed its own unique style born from the diverse musical backgrounds and interests of the five friends who make up the band. All born and raised in the great state of Wisconsin, HHG began playing music and their earliest shows in the spring of 2009. Being mostly inspired by rivers, valleys, good friends, and good drink, this five piece is as sturdy as any Midwest riverbed and will make your toes tap from sundown to sunrise
It is well known that roots music is passed down from generation to generation. From grandparents to parents and from parents to their children. The inevitable collision between the traditional past and the enormous catalogue of modern music, both spiritual and psychedelic, is the fertile plain that sprouted the roots of The Grass Is Dead. Initially formed as an acoustic offshoot of one of the country’s most beloved GD tribute bands, Crazy Fingers, The Grass Is Dead has evolved over the past ten years into a juggernaut of sound and a festival favorite up and down the east coast, to Colorado and back. Their live performances bring into view a traditional sensibility of bluegrass, swing, and folk music launched directly onto a psychedelic paintbrush of modern influences, most importantly, the music of the Grateful Dead.
Vibrations, constellations, and communication from love nation station~Ralph Roddenbery is a charismatic singer/songwriter based out of the Atlanta Georgia area, who reaches all kinds of people through his music and with his self-effacing humor. Whether you first discover Ralph at a music festival, bar, music venue, or even surrounded by children in an elementary school, you will come away with the same impression. He is a born comedian, storyteller, and performer. With his talent of improv and his ability to transfer his emotions into the songs themselves, he is able to take the performance to the highest level.
Ralph honed his songwriting & performance skills under the tutelage of Bill Berry (R.E.M), John Keane, Randall Bramblett, Davis Causey and Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) while he was living in Athens. We couldn't be more excited to welcome him back to the 2022 Jackpine Jamboree!
Tani Diakite and The Afrofunkstars are an ever-evolving project featuring a diverse array of traditional instruments and rhythms from West Africa—specifically Wasulu, a region on the border of Mali and Guinea. Tani Diakite has captured the spirit of Wasulu music in its most colorful arrays, layering blends of funky percussion with soulful vocals and bright, native stringed instruments.
Tani himself plays the Kamale n’goni, a West African ancestor to the banjo. Wasulu music is known to charm the spirits of the animals that Malian hunters sought. With a musical ancestry that helped pave the way for new genres, Wasulu music not only establishes the roots of blues and world music, but also hints at its emerging relatives such as bluegrass and folk. Their sound is an uplifting and almost spiritual force, empowering both listeners and the musicians that Tani inspires to collaborate with.
Your host band, Sloppy Joe has been playing their own style of bluegrass inspired neo old-time music, lovingly penned as Slopgrass, since 1998. A talented and musically diverse group of individuals, the band swaps instruments right and left throughout their high energy performances, keeping the audience dancing and on their toes. Celebrating their 20th year together, the band continues their mission to preserve Slopgrass music for generations to come, and welcomes you to join the Jackpine Family on Labor day Weekend!
Singer/Songwriter/Multi-Instrumentalist Joseph Huber was a founding member of the .357 String Band--a group that, despite its abrupt break-up, still continues to gain popularity and is known as one of the most influential groups in the recent insurgent underground country and bluegrass movement. Having moved from .357, Huber has honed his songwriting abilities immensely and now continues moving onward and upward captivating folks with his sincere and well-crafted songs under his own name and with his backing band. Whether it's irresistible, fiddle-driven, dancing tunes or honest, heart-wrenching "songwriter" songs, Huber spans the spectrum of 'Roots' music while preferring not to stay within the boundaries of any strict genre classification.
"Adam Greuel is a special person. The conditions that existed in the universe to create him I'll never understand, as much as I'd love to regularly recreate them. He seems to have these 3 characteristics in abundance: courage, generosity, and curiosity. To be a successful musician these are the 3 things you need to have. Adam has the courage to step on stage and lay it on the line. No holding back. And any musician will tell you that generosity is a thing that feels like encouragement to whoever you might be sharing the stage with."
*Chris Castino
The Yankee Coalition
The Jackpine is your only chance to see the boys from The Yankee Coalition play as they once did back in the days of The Great Northern Bluegrass Festival (Mole Lake, WI). Tuck Pence is a well renowned musician in his own right, but when backed by Danny Lincoln -banjo wizard and pedal steel extraordinaire, Joe Cronick -alias "mandolin man", the uncle of Bluegrass- G.T. "Doghouse" Hauser, and Donny Lincoln, it is a show not to be missed!
Wisconsin’s hardest working musician, Singer-songwriter, Tuck Pence has been in the music business for over 30 years, and has performed every Jackpine to date. With a repertoire of over 2,000 songs, 4 albums, and years of being on the road under his belt, Tuck is truly an American Relic. An astounding performer, and true friend, he is the finest example we know of what great musicianship really means.
Formed in 2015 in the dead center of the thriving Midwest roots music scene in Stevens Point, WI, the four members of Dig Deep drew inspiration from their shared appreciation for traditional bluegrass and country music, their love of rock and roll, and their combined decades of hard gigging in the punk/metal scenes, local bars and roadhouses, and regional festivals. Three releases and 600+ shows later, they have firmly established themselves as an utterly unique and powerful force in the roots world.
With a body of work that showcases their vision, craft, heart, and clout as songwriters and instrumentalists, Dig Deep has earned a reputation for their well-honed and hard-edged sound that goes far beyond bluegrass, as well as their blistering and boisterous live performances that give audiences much more than a string band show.
Insomniac Gypsy is an original, bluegrass-infused, high-energy string band, infusing bluegrass with jazz, funk, and rock to come up with a completely different sound all their own. Denny Vanesky’s song writing takes center stage as he conjures up songs about his colorful life and the people and experiences he has met with along the way. His raspy and intense vocals are that of a backwoods storyteller, and his playing-with-fire, hot picking guitar style is as flavorful as a Kentucky barbecue. Rounding out the band are the multi-talented Gypsies, whose playing is always a blend of technical basting and improvised seasoning. Good tasting, dance-around-the-fire nourishment!
Billy Bronsted and the Loot are a five-piece Cosmic Country/Rock band from central Wisconsin. Billy and his percussionist John Kneipp were both born and raised in Tomahawk, WI, where their love for music was definitely thought of as “unique.” Growing up in Tomahawk instilled strong values of hard work and the importance of family, grounding them and shaping the way they walk through their lives. Their sound reflects this peaceful upbringing; there is a characteristic storytelling and writing style that is second nature to them. Their music evokes the milieu of the backwoods, where campfire strumming sets the tone for well-crafted narratives. In recent years, John and Billy have been hard at work creating their next evolution as performing artists, Billy Bronsted & the Loot. The full 5-piece outfit started creating together in the summer of 2020, adding Harold Melo, Jordan Miles, and Darian Woller.
Art Stevenson has foraged up a few familiar faces to join him at this year's Jamboree.
Art IS Bluegrass in Wisconsin, and has been performing for over four decades in the midwest and beyond. Joining him and "keeping the drive alive on the old five" is banjo extraordinaire Dale Reichert. The combination of Art's truly lonesome vocals, fire breathing harmonica, and Dale's driving banjo, along with The Foragers is sure to be a set to remember!
"Gutter-grass," "too yelly," "ya'll ever hear of The Devil Makes Three?" These are all ways people have described Hemlock Chaser. Formed on the eve of 2022, Hemlock Chaser is a 4 piece Wisconsin-raised band, drunk on the rich traditions of bluegrass, folk, and punk music with a seasoning of swing, jazz, and occasionally some classical experience peppered on top. Always ready to get down with some high-energy jamming or just play around a fire, Hemlock Chaser is an act that you won't soon forget
Kevin John Troestler is a blues/country artist raised in Sauk City, WI. Bluegrass, Country, and Blues. He is currently living in Appleton, WI performing all over solo acoustic to a full band. His debut E.P. “Devil’s Grip” is OUT NOW
We are a group of people that gather together in an array of numbers these days. A Key Three will get you a Tuesday. A Core Four is that and more. A Five Alive and you might find Wednesday. It is a pleasure to gather and a grace to play. Walking down an old familiar path or discovering a new one, it is the music, it is the muse, it is such good stuff for the soul. And then there's the times we come to your town and do it with you - talk about all that and more! Dewgrass keeps keeping on and we wouldn't have it any other way
Ryan Thompson & Townline is a 4 piece string band that centers in traditional to progressive fast-paced bluegrass, with a touch of alt-country jam band flow blended in to add to the excitement and fun. Amongst the myriad of high energy covers, which showcase the extreme talent and abilities of this group of hot pickers, they feature several well crafted original songs penned by Ryan in their shows. The band has been performing throughout the Midwest for well over 10 years with plans to release an album soon.
The Hand-Picked Bluegrass Band is a high energy acoustic band playing everything from the traditional “high lonesome sound” of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys to the exciting sound of today’s progressive bluegrass groups – as well as their own original music. Featuring a high caliber lineup, fronted by the husband and wife team of Joe and Sue Cronick, they deliver a show of stellar picking and powerful vocal arrangements. You can be sure that each and every performance will be a special one!
The trio of songwriters, known as Ukelyptus, fuse sweet vocal harmonies with the sounds of the baritone ukulele, mandolin, and bass fiddle to create a truly captivating and original sound. Playing together since 2014, Ukelyptus released their first album "Open A Doorway" in August of 2015....Imagine mermaids...
Laura & Red is a collaboration between Wisconsin songwriters, Laura Bomber and "Red" Ben Lila. Red Ben has been the front man for several bands throughout his career in music, most notably, "Red Ben & The Missing Miles". His songwriting and guitar playing draws strongly from bluegrass and folk music and carries elements of ragtime, blues and rock. Laura Bomber's songwriting and piano playing stems from indie, folk and pop music. Though newer to the scene, her vision and style is strongly defined, yet raw and intriguing. Together they deliver a powerhouse of vocal harmonies, skillful musicianship, and provocative lyricism in a performance that draws you in and makes you hair stand on end.
The Great Northwoods is home to Phyl Wickham, who's down-home attitude and humble talent as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrument musician will make you feel like you’re in the company of a friend. As a seasoned vocalist and guitar player, his music reflects everything from his punk-rock influences in his younger days to his more recent love of the bluegrass era.
Featuring the songwriting of Jimers Soukup and Jeff Sachs, The Free Radicalz incorporate the voice of change and the timeless theme of freedom into their original compositions. Attempting to change the world, one song at a time, the band is fired up and ready to go!
The New Hope Hay Balers
Toe tappin gospel tunes sure to kick off Sunday morning with some spirit!
***Lineup subject to change***