Pert Near Sandstone is a new-timey stringband from Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, established in 2003. They play hard-driving acoustic music in the old-time vein, but with a fresh sense and new-time urban grit. Pert Near approaches the American stringband tradition with reverence, infusing their own ideas and character to deliver a sound and style uniquely their own. In Pert Near's songwriting there is as much depth and diversity (and often quirkiness) as their traditional material. You'll find this group gathered around a single, old-timey microphone in a choreographed dance of lyric & melody regardless of being in a rock venue or a formal theater. Their originality & energy has won them fans across generations and genres. Pert Near's rhythm get's people dancing, tight harmonies keep folks singing along, and the fiddle/mandolin melodies and hot solos tear a crowd up with energy. Having become a force in the Minnesota roots music scene, Pert Near Sandstone is streaching out along the rivers and roads of the region, picking up a following and teaming up with some great bands!
----Ryan Young: Fiddle (guitar/mandolin/harmonies)----A well accomplished and adept multi-instrumentalist, music teacher, and songwriter. Ryan's fiddle style threads archaic with experimental. He is a veteran musician, having been in every sort of band, and has shared a stage with some of the greats. "M'Pappy" Young is also Pert Near's sound and recording engineer.
----J Lenz: Acoustic Guitar/Backing Vocals----Also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist music teacher, and American Irishman. J has played more horns than most know the names of, and shared several bands with Ryan. His strong rhythm and solid backup vocals keep Pert Near grounded. "Captain" is our main tour driver and road manager.
----Kevin Kniebel: Banjo/Lead Vocals----Kevin's powerful workingman vocals, convincing songwriting, and syncopated clawhammer banjo are as gritty as the gravel road he grew up on... As band & booking manager, Kevin is the driving force of Pert Near. Without him, Pert' Near Sandstone would still be just a couple of guys on your neighbor's couch pickin' tunes and sippin' whiskey.
----Nate Sipe: Mandolin (manjo/fiddle/harmonies)----Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, folk-musicologist. Nate joined Pert Near in '04, after spending years traveling with a mandolin, often by way of the thumb or freight train. He brought the essential repertoire of song and influence that founded the group's sound and approach. "Sonnyboy" works at the prestigious Podium Music store, and is continually working to keep Pert Near sounding old-timey.
----Jeff Swanner: Upright Bass (whistling/harmonies/bowing)----Band mechanic. Jeff is the latest to join the group in '05. His dawghous was just what Pert Near needed to take their sound to the next level. His musical influences and character melded with the established group immediatly, and surpisingly well. A freelance welder by trade, and amature narcoleptic, "Swanner" provides the foundation for Pert Near's raucous renditions. |
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