Biography
Goldmine Pickers have been brewing a fresh blend of acoustic music for audiences in the U.S. and Europe since 2003. Reviewers and concert-goers alike have reached for culinary terms to describe the music of the Midwest four-piece, including, "fresh", "tasty", "choice ingredients", "savory", and "a pleasing, hearty stew." Described as having a "timeless approach yet a style that is uniquely their own," the band effortlessly serves up a rich, fun blend of bluegrass, folk, and Irish music--with dashes of country, jazz and jam for good measure.
Nat Keefe of Hot Buttered Rum said, "From the first notes I heard, I was impressed with Goldmine Pickers. Solid vocals, good picking, tasty repertoire ... it all mixes to be a pleasing, hearty stew. In the shows we did with them, I witnessed them take a room of people who had never seen them and turn them into fans."
Goldmine Pickers has focused on crafting a unique sound that nods to Americana genres while crossing traditional borders to create a fresh new sound - one that draws audiences together. The band's set a Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago (June 2008) featured all original music. Lead vocals are shared smoothly by Jay Lapp (mandolin, guitar) and Lukas Simpson (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica), with Sean Hoffman (fiddle) and Brian Cook (bass) leaning in with additional layers of harmony. The Pickers "capture the audience" with "really nice, tight three-part harmonies,"described a reviewer at acousticguitar.com, who also wrote, "I was virtually stunned at the quality of play at the concert. [And] chemistry and stage presence weighed nearly as much as musicianship in reasons for enjoying the concert."
The band has been noted for an ability to shift from high-energy barn-burners with remarkably tight musicianship into skillfully rendered and laid-back ballads. "With a "penchant for hooks, melodies and dynamic soloing, "the band also shines on its slower numbers highlighting emotional songwriting skills well beyond that of your average barnstormers," said Seven Days of Burlington Vermont.
In 2006, a Goldmine Pickers original song titled "Conversation's Free," written by Lukas Simpson and included on the band's 2004 self-titled album, was heard by television and radio audiences in 40 countries around the world as the soundtrack for a Nissan_SHIFT commercial to advertise the Note. (Video at www.myspace.com/goldminepickers)
In addition to performing in diverse settings from the U.S. Midwest to Ireland, the versatility of the band has delivered them to stages alongside artists such as Del McCoury Band, Hot Buttered Rum, The Waybacks, Old Crow Medicine Show, Pierce Pettis, Cornfed Girls, Greensky Bluegrass, Emory Lester Set, Wayne Hancock and many more.
Instrumentation
Jay Lapp.................mandolin, guitar, vocals
Lukas Simpson.......guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica, vocals
Sean Hoffman.........fiddle, vocals
Brian Cook..............bass, vocals
Discography
"Lonesome Gone" (Self-released, 2007)
"Goldmine Pickers" (Self-released, 2004)
Radio airplay on 30 Americana stations around the country:
--"Barroom Waltz"
--"Mud" (G. Clark)
--"After Yeats"
--"Hoad's Tornado"
--"Loneliness & Desperation"
--"Too Many Things"
--"Greed"
--"Cold Coffee, Sour Oats"
--"Riding on a Load of Hay/Riding on a Load of Hay"
Links
| http://www.goldminepickers.com |
| Goldmine Pickers Myspace Page |
| Jay Lapp's Website |
| Trent Wagler |