EverGreen Grass Band
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EverGreen Grass Band

Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States | SELF

Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States | SELF
Band Country Bluegrass

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"In Regard to EGB's 1st show at Cranky Pats - Neenah, WI 3/2010"

"The Evergreen Bluegrass band on Saturday night was top three in bluegrass bands that have played there. They had great harmony songs like Trampled and great foot-stomping rockers like .357 and Hackensaw Boys. They need to get back there right away." - Mike McMillan - Cranky Pats Staff


"In regard to debut album"

"I have anticipated a cd from Evergreen Grass Band for quite sometime and it was worth the wait! EGB's live sets are so dynamic I knew I couldn't miss the cd release night. I purchased TWO copies of "For Sheriff" and after the first listen I knew I had struck gold! I would have paid double the asking price!" - Gary Schmaltz - WHYS Radio Eau Claire, WI


"EverGreen Grass Band Returns To Popcorn Tavern"

"Come down to the Popcorn Tavern Saturday night and see the best band Eau Claire has produced since Bon Iver. We've never met that guy before, but we bet the Evergreen Grass Band are a lot more fun to party with. The self-proclaimed "not quite a bluegrass band" brings a full show with five string players and a harmonica ace, and their harmonies are so infectious it's hard not to get done. But the EGB isn't all moonshine and knee-slapping (not that there's anything wrong with that), the group has a smart rock & roll sensibility, and they recently performed a full set of Smashing Pumpkins songs. Who knows what they'll bring for their long-awaited return to the Popcorn. We just know we'll be there. - Second Supper - La Crosse


"Bluegrass Takes Over Chippewa Valley"

Toes usually begin to tap at around ten o’clock most Friday nights at The Mousetrap. One particular Friday, feet start to stomp as Eau Claire’s Evergreen Grass Band rolls through a typically fiery set at the Barstow Street tavern. The twang of the banjo and whine of the fiddle are balanced by the rumble of the crowd, pounding their boots against floorboards in 4/4 time. As the night wears on and more drinks are had, the thunder below the stage almost drowns out the instruments above. Such is a common scene anytime a bluegrass band stops by for a show at “The Trap.”
Bluegrass is a variety of American roots music that has become a popular genre in the Eau Claire area in the last few years. According to “Bluegrass Breakdown: the making of the old southern sound,” by Robert Cantwell, bands usually consist of a small ensemble of stringed instruments, such as a banjo, acoustic guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and upright bass, but there many variations on the basic components.

According to Cantwell, because of the heavy influence from Irish immigrant folk songs and traditional country music from the American Appalachian region, songs routinely feature little or no percussion, and the patrons themselves are the ones left to provide the beat.

But Josh Prock is used to all the clatter. The Eau Claire native and owner of The Mousetrap is pretty close with the headliners, and is also just a fan of the bluegrass tunes they play.

“For the most part I just like that type of music,” Prock said. “It fits the style of the place.”

Prock has owned The Mousetrap for five years, he said, and had managed it for several years before that. During that time, he has befriended many of the acts he’s booked.

One group Prock became close with was the local Evergreen Grass Band. Prock put them in charge of The Trap’s open-mic night, he said, until they began regularly touring and opening up for Minnesota bluegrass bands, such as Trampled By Turtles and Pert Near Sandstone.

According to the band’s website, they have only been playing together since 2008, so their rise to prominence in the Northwoods has been just as rapid as the notes they pluck.

The Mousetrap is one of a handful of venues that showcases bluegrass groups in the Chippewa Valley, undoubtedly contributing to the style’s rise in popularity. But Prock said that it’s just good luck that his bar was well-suited to accommodating the genre.

“We’re kind of a small place,” he said, “so we couldn’t really do metal or rock ‘n’ roll or anything like that. [Bluegrass is] just kind of what we ended up going with. It just kind of happened.”

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire graduate, Matt Honer, routinely shows up at The Trap for music on weekends and said he’s impressed by the technical skill bluegrass takes.

“I like coming here when there’s a band,” Honer said. “It’s usually a bluegrass/jam type of band and I dig that sort of stuff. I can’t play a note, and I just love watching how good these guys are and how precise they can play. It’s incredible.”

Prock has seen bluegrass take over the jam-band demographic that used to pack The Mousetrap a few years ago, he said.

In contrast to jam, which is more influenced by jazz and can feature long sets of improvisation by musicians, traditional bluegrass is based around the tightly-wound synchronization of every note.

“I think bluegrass is now the new jam,” Prock said. “It has kind of taken over for jam music, and you just see it now more than you see jam. Times change.”

As long as hundreds of feet continue to trudge through the snow to stomp at The Mousetrap on Friday nights, Prock will continue to line up acts to punish his old, wooden floors. - Inside Eau Claire


"In Response to EverGreen's Performance at 'Grass On the Chippewa'"

“An excellent choice for the first year of our festival. They have a large, enthusiastic fan base that really drew a crowd. Our best bet for success is to be sure we book them next year” - Dan Callan, Organizer, 'Grass On the Chippewa Bluegrass Festival"


"A Description of the Band"

“ Armed with lightning fast, laser accurate bluegrass instruments, the EverGreen Grass Band takes stage loaded for bear and delivers a show that takes no prisoners. Their expert chops, homespun original tunes and sparkling vocal harmonies conquer the summits of musical elevations that many bands attempt, yet so few achieve. Do not miss this show” - Martha Galep, Minnesota Bluegrass & Old Time Music Association Harvest Jam Director


"EverGreen Grass Band Defies Labels"

Evergreen Grass Band is (kind of) a bluegrass band. The band, which will play at Popcorn Tavern on Friday, Oct. 15, is comprised of six laid-back guys playing guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and harmonica, though a washboard and other assorted percussion may make an appearance. Although the EGG has roots deeply set in bluegrass and folk, it is difficult to put the group into a specific genre; even the members themselves have trouble with it.

“We play kind of a bluegrass/rock hybrid I guess would be one way to describe it,” said guitarist and lead singer Tim Litscher. “Maybe traditional Americana with a hint of bluegrass. ... We’re just six guys having a good time.”

This inability to fit into a preconceived niche has even played into the band’s name. “It’s just kind of a joke because there’s evergreen everything,” Litscher said, “[and] we’re not really a bluegrass band so we took the blue off the grass.”

When asked for a more specific description of their sound, banjoist and singer Matt Jagow thought for a few moments before happily stating, “[take] rock and roll and punk rock and folk and weld it all together with bluegrass instruments and there ya go.”

The Eau Claire band recently released its debut album, For Sheriff, which sounds like a mix of indie folk artists Fleet Foxes and The Soggy Bottom Boys from O’ Brother Where Art Thou?

Although typical bluegrass music doesn’t rely too heavily on lyrical intricacy, the lyrics on For Sheriff are, to put it simply, compelling.

“Some of our songs are just joke, bar songs; they might be a little bit vulgar or offensive ... but we usually only play those at late night parties and stuff,” said Litscher, “[but] the main body of my work is kind of peachy, feel-good type of stuff. ... Just talking about being good to each other and living life to its fullest you know?”

The band promised mostly originals for the show Friday, but they also promised a handful of classic rock covers from groups such as Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and Nine Inch Nails. “Something people will kind of get a kick out of,” Litscher said. - Second Supper


"Volume One 2010 Readers Poll - Voted best bluegrass band in the Chippewa Valley"

"On the heels of the release of their first CD, the EverGreen Grass Band takes first choice for Best Bluegrass Band. This comes as no surprise to their fans who always appear at their shows in great numbers and are seen singing along to the original tunes that the band has made their trademark." - Martha Galep - Volume One


"EverGreen Grass Band at the James Sheeley House 4/1/10"

"The musicians were primarily face down, intent on their instruments. The music, I would best describe by the word, careening. Hurdling down this path on the edge of control... ...I have no idea how to express just how fast these musicians hands are moving when they are playing. Their hands are flying. The beat of the music is incredibly fast. ...That was fun!" - Chippewa Falls Freaks and Geeks


"Review of debut album "For Sheriff""

It is always reason to celebrate when a favorite band releases their first CD. Bluegrass and string band fans in the Valley will find much to enjoy on the new CD from EverGreen Grass Band.

Based in Eau Claire, this six-member group shuns the traditional bluegrass approach and jumps out with pleasant surprises – no stock banjo solos and no standard vocals; each tune stands on its own as a fun diversion from the time-worn groove of predictability. The die hard veterans of traditional bluegrass will raise an eyebrow here and there, but my money says they will enjoy this collection as proof that bluegrass offers something for everyone.

Recently I headed to the Homegrown Kickoff Bluegrass Festival.

When the traffic broke and open highway beckoned, out came the CD. Now, if you’re like me, a true test of a good recording is “will it play to the highway?”

This disc met the challenge; three tunes in and my travel buddies and I were toe tapping andsinging along as though we’d been fans for decades. The hook for us, as my husband put it, was the fact that we had never heard any of these tunes before – every track is an original EverGreen composition and the band’s style is as refreshing as these young fellers attitudes: have a lot to say, play it fast (but not hard!), and dump the weary arrangements for some jambusting, kick ass takes on the traditional sound.

The first track, Rusty Nail, evokes the challenges and ironies of modern life, yet convincesthe listener that all is well in the reassuring tag on the chorus: “Sometimes I’m barely even scraping by … I will get by.” The arrangement includes a few tricks that really work – a little timing jump, the harmonica demanding equal time, and great vocals that soothe without placating. Written by guitarist Tim Litscher, this first track really sets the tone for the whole disc; energy, musicianship, and a “we’re all in this together “ attitude grounds the band’s sound into a solid offering. If this tune doesn’t get you moving, you are dead.
On a recording of all originals, one expects to find some gems and For Sheriff (the CD’s title) does not disappoint. While the fresh vocal phrasing stands solid against a more traditional chord arrangement on Confess I’m a Mess, the youthful optimism in Tim’s lyrics, “All we need is all around us” evokes the reassuring equivalent of a musical mother’s embrace. Great stuff.

My favorite track is Backroad Stretches, from the pen of mandolinist Caleb Horne, who gets to host this party with expert chops. This tune offers the best vocal arrangements on the recording and shows off the the band’s ability to draw on a tradition of sweet, powerful songwriting.

As with any band bustin’ out a new recording, EverGreen plays tongue-in-cheek tribute to pushing the boundaries of the genre with the playful Six Reasons I’m Single. This is a pure, old fashioned, jug band ragtime stomp through cheekiness and defiance; think great Uncle Leon’s barbershop quartet on steroids. There is no moss on these boys.

In all, the band succeeds and satisfies the need for non-traditional bluegrass defined on their own terms. The musicians, Tim Litscher (guitar), Caleb Horne (mandolin), Matt Jagow (banjo), Dan Turner (bass), Steve Bateman (harmonica), and Mike Turner (fiddle) have agreed that no one will dominate the arrangements, and instrumental solos compliment the songwriting rather than upstaging it. Just what one wants to hear on an original offering. - Volume One


Discography

"For Sheriff" (2010)

Photos

Bio

Deep in the Northwoods of Wisconsin a group of pissed off bluegrass pickers decided they wanted to change bluegrass for all mankind. They failed to do so. Now, they just continue their barnstorm of the Mid-West in hopes of one day to play a song so fast, that it actually disrupts the space-time-continuum.
The EverGreen Grass Band was formed in 2008 over the course of many beer & whiskey fueled nights hosting the open mic at the Mousetrap Tavern in Eau Claire, WI. The 4-piece, including guitar, bass, banjo and mandolin have been playing their distinctive and aggressive blend of bluegrass, punk, rock n’ roll, jam & country with various members consistently around the Midwest for 3 years.
The band recently finished their 3rd tour out west and have their eyes set on expanding to the west coast and as well as further into the east. Their first album “For Sheriff” was released in June of 2010 to rave reviews. The band is currently putting finishing touches on their second full-length, original album.
Bringing an energetic and original act to any place they play, the EverGreen Grass Band has been winning ears and hearts alike with their straight-forward, face-melting ungrass songs, toe-tappin country tunes and original grass arrangements of covers in any genre. Always creating a good-time, drink 'em down atmosphere, the EverGreen Grass Band bring with them a genre-defying sound, a dedication to their live shows and an earnest understanding of what entertainment really is.