Review Text
The Johnson Family Band is a collection of musicians from the Fargo Moorhead area that came together from a variety of musical backgrounds to celebrate a common love of folk music. We met in bars and classes we took together in college, and have spent the past year and a half playing small town bars, barn dances, parties, and festivals. The music is rooted in a traditional mountain feeling, but draws influence from jazz and rock-and-roll as well. We have had the honor of sharing the stage with such artist as the Hackensaw Boys, Charlie Parr, Trampled by Turtles, The White Iron Band, Pert' Near Sandstone, and Head For the Hills. We have been fortunate enough to play extensively in the Fargo-Moorhead area as well as South Dakota Wisconsin, and Colorado. This Summer, we had the opportunity to perform in the Mishiwaka Ampatheatre, the Aggie Theater, and the streets and bars of Telluride Colorado. We have been fortunate enough to perform at such festivals as the New Earth Festival, Log Jam, Bella Soul, Flow Jam, Soul Patch, Project Earth, and the 10,000 lakes festival. Our first studio album 'Old Ruby' was released May 21st, 2007, recorded locally at Video Arts studio. The line up consists of Tom Johnson on dobro, Eddie Velo on Banjo, Mark Reitan on mandolin, Pete Hoffman on guitar, Ross Cameron on Upright Bass, and Haley Thiel on fiddle.
