modern hicks: a biography

modern hicks
Modern Hicks is a contemporary bluegrass band composed of five veterans of the Sonoma County music scene. Using traditional blugrass instrumentation, the band draws on a variety of blugrass, country, rock, jazz, folk and pop sources for its musicas inspiration. From Bill Monroe to Irving Berlin, from The Beatles to Hank Williams, the band creates a unique and fresh sound; The Modern Hicks sound. GINA BLABER Gina sings both lead and harmony parts for the band. She moved to Sonoma County from her native New England where she was a founding memeber of Libana, a woman's chorus, singing music from eastern Europe. Among the musical influences she readily acknowledges are jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln and the soulful duet work of country artists The Louvin Brothers. Gina is on the "Connections" CD produced to benefit KRCB-fm.	KEVIN RUSSELL Kevin, a Seattle native, is a founding member of the band. He plays guitar, mandolin and 5-string banjo. He also sings lead and harmony. Before he became a born again musician, he played rather loud rock and roll for a number of years with local band Serious Fun and was guest guitarist with the legendary but now, thankfully, forgotten Stupid White People. He is also a songwriter and featured musician and vocalist on the 1996 KRCB benefit CD "Connections." LAYNE BOWEN Layne, also a founding member of the band, plays ,mandolin and guitar. Since coming west from Olpe, Kansas, he has performed with many popular bluegrass and country-rock bands in Sonoma County. His many credits include: The Bluegrass Irregulars, Wildflower and the legendary High Forehead Boys. In addition to his stellar instrumental contributions to the band and in between feeding the five thousand with a couple of baguettes and a tin of tuna, Layne is an accomplished songwriter and sings both lead and harmony parts. Layne is also featured on the "Connections" CD.	TOM SOURS Tom plays bass and adds vocals to the band. Origianlly from the southern Missouri Ozarks, Tom comes from the traditional side of bluegrass and counts Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs and The Seldom Scene as his primary influences. He is a veteran of several blugrass bands, most recently Dry Creek. Tom got his formal training in the crude arts, swearing like a fisherwoman, by attending the highly acclaimed bluegrass/country music program at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. CRAIG ANDERSON Craig plays dobro and 5-string banjo for the band. He is on parole from Southern California where he played with various side-walk bands such as Chubascos plus The Three Stooges Cooking School. He enjoys pushing the envelope in his job as a USPO mail sorter and also by playing the music of The Clash ans Talking Heads with the vehicle of traditional bluegrass. Most recently he played with The Clearing a group of environmental educators from Marin and Sonoma counties who performed at The Strawberry Music Festival. Click little Joe to hear a track from Modern Hicks' latest CD

modern hicks

Modern Hicks is a contemporary bluegrass band composed of five veterans of the Sonoma County music scene. Using traditional blugrass instrumentation, the band draws on a variety of blugrass, country, rock, jazz, folk and pop sources for its musicas inspiration. From Bill Monroe to Irving Berlin, from The Beatles to Hank Williams, the band creates a unique and fresh sound; The Modern Hicks sound.

GINA BLABER: Gina sings both lead and harmony parts for the band. She moved to Sonoma County from her native New England where she was a founding memeber of Libana, a woman's chorus, singing music from eastern Europe. Among the musical influences she readily acknowledges are jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln and the soulful duet work of country artists The Louvin Brothers. Gina is on the "Connections" CD produced to benefit KRCB-fm.

KEVIN RUSSELL: Kevin, a Seattle native, is a founding member of the band. He plays guitar, mandolin and 5-string banjo. He also sings lead and harmony. Before he became a born again musician, he played rather loud rock and roll for a number of years with local band Serious Fun and was guest guitarist with the legendary but now, thankfully, forgotten Stupid White People. He is also a songwriter and featured musician and vocalist on the 1996 KRCB benefit CD "Connections."
LAYNE BOWEN: Layne, also a founding member of the band, plays ,mandolin and guitar. Since coming west from Olpe, Kansas, he has performed with many popular bluegrass and country-rock bands in Sonoma County. His many credits include: The Bluegrass Irregulars, Wildflower and the legendary High Forehead Boys. In addition to his stellar instrumental contributions to the band and in between feeding the five thousand with a couple of baguettes and a tin of tuna, Layne is an accomplished songwriter and sings both lead and harmony parts. Layne is also featured on the "Connections" CD.

TOM SOURS: Tom plays bass and adds vocals to the band. Origianlly from the southern Missouri Ozarks, Tom comes from the traditional side of bluegrass and counts Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs and The Seldom Scene as his primary influences. He is a veteran of several blugrass bands, most recently Dry Creek. Tom got his formal training in the crude arts, swearing like a fisherwoman, by attending the highly acclaimed bluegrass/country music program at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas.
CRAIG ANDERSON: Craig plays dobro and 5-string banjo for the band. He is on parole from Southern California where he played with various side-walk bands such as Chubascos plus The Three Stooges Cooking School. He enjoys pushing the envelope in his job as a USPO mail sorter and also by playing the music of The Clash ans Talking Heads with the vehicle of traditional bluegrass. Most recently he played with The Clearing a group of environmental educators from Marin and Sonoma counties who performed at The Strawberry Music Festival.
Click little Joe to hear a track from Modern Hicks' latest CD