Kane's River 
* John Lowell - guitar * Julie Elkins - banjo, guitar
* David Thompson - acoustic bass * Jerry Nettuno (replaced by
Ben Winship--not shown) - mandolin * Jason Thomas - fiddle (not
shown - part-time with the band) *
Bluegrass music has reached beyond the fertile fields of tradition
such as Virginia or Kentucky to Montana's big sky country, striking
musical gold in Kane's River. The Montana based band introduces components
of their American West homeland to their self-titled debut CD with both
a carefree groove and powerful new songs. Armed with commanding lyrics,
stellar harmonies and robust instrumental drive, Kane's River is poised
to make a splash in bluegrass waters and beyond.
Founding members John Lowell and Dave Thompson formed Kane's River
in 1994. As a young singer and guitarist, Lowell was introduced by a
friend to bluegrass in the early seventies. "I was bit hard by
the bluegrass bug." He devoured the playing of flatpicking heroes
such as Clarence White and, especially, Tony Rice. As time passed and
his playing matured, Lowell came to a revelation. "I decided that
I was not going to sound like Tony Rice. I stopped listening to him
entirely so that there wouldn't be any more influence. Every time I
designed a break to a song I would say to myself, 'Does this sound like
Rice?' If it did, I would change it. I decided that it would be better
to sound like a first class me, whatever that is, than a second class
Rice." He first came to national prominence as a veteran of Montana's
Wheel Hoss and performed with Loose Ties in the nineties. Local jam
sessions soon gave birth to the beginnings of Kane's River. "When
Kane's River started, we had different personnel and leaned more toward
the traditional side of things. But right off the bat, Dave and I were
contributing our original songs and we were mixing them with the traditional
numbers. We really had no agenda on what style of music we were going
to play, we just wanted it to be the best we could do."
East coast transplant Dave Thompson first came west as a fishing guide
and settled there permanently in 1993. "I've been in music forever,
but not as a relative professional until now. I was one of those who
played in any kind of band you can think of. I started playing electric
bass when I was ten and also playing piano, clarinet, and drums. My
whole family is made up of musicians and we have family jams whenever
we can. I had never played bluegrass at all until I met John. When the
band was formed back in '94, my expectations were rather fuzzy…I
had never been in a bluegrass band before. I was looking for a new creative
outlet. The band's evolution has been more toward original music than
we probably expected, and frankly these days that's my main motivator…songwriting."
Lowell agrees with the idea that Kane's River relies on new original
material to invigorate their unique sound. "I'm very happy with
the direction the band has gone, in respect to our repertoire. Good
original songs can't be beat."
Jerry Nettuno joined Kane's River soon after moving to Montana from
his Florida home. Notes band-mate Dave Thompson, "He moved here
from Florida for the same reasons so many of us love it here…the
outdoors, the wide-open spaces, and friendly people." Jerry's solid
rhythm and innovative solos are an integral part of the group's mix,
and his southern roots give Kane's River a foothold on the traditional
bluegrass he was raised on. Dave continues, "Jerry is the only
one of us, with the exception of Jason Thomas, that actually grew up
in right in the middle of the bluegrass scene. He grew up playing bluegrass
and going to festivals all of the time, and I think that makes some
difference." Nettuno made his own mark upon bluegrass composition
with 'Three Rusty Nails,' last year's IBMA award winner for Song of
the Year, co-written with Lonesome River Band's Ronnie Bowman. "Ronnie
is one of my songwriting and vocal heroes. In 1994 while recording with
my old band Highstrung, Ronnie played me a song he had already started…which
would become 'Three Rusty Nails.' He asked for my help in finishing
it, but I give Ronnie most of the credit.
JA former member of North Carolina's New Vintage, Julie Elkins returns
to her Montana homeland in joining Kane's River, bringing her driving
banjo, captivating voice and composition skills to the mix. "I
played with New Vintage for about four years. Before that I was in Montana
playing with John Lowell in Wheel Hoss, when I was in high school. That
was the first band I ever played in. I sang a little lead with Wheel
Hoss, then I sang quite a bit of lead with New Vintage. Being around
Russell Johnson is one of the best schools you can go to." Elkin's
vocal proficiency is a highlight of Kane's River music, but her contribution
s don't stop there. She brings the entire package to the table…hard
driving banjo licks, soulful lead and harmony vocals plus her own compositions.
"It's always a challenge to not only improve singing, writing and
playing but to make yourself fit the band sound. WE have a fairly eclectic
mix of material and we're constantly raising the bar on each other to
come up with new arrangements, try new vocal harmonies, etc. It's not
enough to just be a good banjo player, writer or singer." During
her stint with New Vintage, Elkin's 'Footprints' earned her 'Songwriter
of the Year' accolades from the North Carolina Arts Association.
While completing their new project, Jerry Nettuno had picking buddy,
and fellow Floridian, Jason Thomas add his touch to the proceeding.
"I had known Jerry when he lived here in Orlando and we had played
together in the early nineties, so I jumped at the chance to play with
Kane's River. I was really drawn to the band's material. Also I felt
like we all hit it off personally. They had almost completed their first
project, just needing Dobro and fiddle to finish. After getting Rob
Ickes, Jerry asked if I would play fiddle on the album in addition to
doing more of their live shows." Thomas and members of Kane's River
were so excited by the results that it was decided Thomas should become
the full time fiddle player. "I was very happy to find out that
they all liked the way it came out. This past August, they announced
that I was officially the new fiddle player. I'm looking forward to
more appearances with the band."
Kane's River generated excitement among fans and industry professionals
with their recent showcases for the International
Bluegrass Music Association and the World of Bluegrass Fanfest.
With their dynamic charisma, great songs and the hard drive of bluegrass
propelling them along, Kane's River is ready for the journey down the
rapids.
Kane's River appears on the The
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society 2001 A Collection of Songs from 'Bands
on Call' CD courtesy of Doobie
Shea Records, Inc.
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