Takeharu Kunimoto

Takeharu Kunimoto, a Japanese bluegrass virtuoso, brings his multicultural flair to Song of the Mountains. Inspired as a boy by a Bill Monroe concert in Tokyo, Kunimoto first took up the mandolin and later adapted bluegrass to a traditional Japanese banjo-like instrument called the shamisen. Takeharu has played at major bluegrass venues in Japan, Europe and the United States. His other diverse performing credits include being cast in the Japanese adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures produced at Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center, narration and shamisen in the Academy Award-nominated animation short film called Mt.Head, and recurring roles in Japanese television shows. Described as a “musician storyteller,” he is in the U.S. on a one-year grant from the Japanese government to study bluegrass music and storytelling at ETSU, and to serve as a Japanese cultural ambassador.
www1.accsnet.ne.jp/~ball/kt/

The Last Frontier

The Last Frontier - Aaron Jackson, JP Mathes, Dan Boner & Ken Thomas

Appearing with Takeharu Kunimoto is The Last Frontier, most of whose members are current or past performers in the ETSU Bluegrass Band. You may recognize Aaron Jackson (mandolin), J.P. Mathes (banjo), Dan Boner (guitar) and Ken Thomas (bass) from their prior appearance on Song of the Mountains. This musical alliance began in 2003 when Takeharu spent a year with ETSU’s Bluegrass and Country Music Program through a cultural exchange program. Since then, he and The Last Frontier have toured Japan in sold-out concerts, and performed at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s convention in Nashville as well as the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX. Takeharu Kunimoto and The Last Frontier have recorded two CDs, Sushi and Gravy (Shammi Records, Japan) and Appalachian Shamisen (Now & Then Records). www.etsu.edu/cass/bluegrass/

Ron Greene

Ron Greene, a popular acoustic guitarist and dobro player on the indie/folk circuit,was one of the founders of the legendary Troublesome Hollow new grass band. He later performed as part of Morris, Jackson, Jackson & Greene, a group renowned for its eclectic and far-ranging repertory. After taking five years off from performing, Ron continued to write and started work on an album, All Fools Will, whose release launched his solo career. Greene lives near Damascus, VA.

Heather Berry

Heather Berry, from Sherando, VA, began singing in front of a crowd at her grandfather's church in Waynesboro when she was five years old. By age 12, having listened to Carter Family records and learned to accompany herself on the guitar and autoharp, she was being asked to grace the stage with such notable artists as The Lewis Family and Charlie Waller & the Country Gentlemen. Despite her youth, she has won numerous awards for her accomplished singing and instrumental mastery. Heather also has seven CDs to her credit, including To A Dove, released in April 2006 on Dixie and Tom T. Hall’s Blue Circle Records. www.heatherberry.com

Greg Cornett

Greg Cornett is a fourth-generation musician hailing from northeast Tennessee. His great-grandparents played fiddle and banjo in nearby southwest Virginia, and he grew into the music hearing his father and grandfather play the songs of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. Greg has taken these influences and woven them into the guitar, mandolin, banjo, and a distinctive vocal style. But that’s not all: Greg is a first-rate whistler. In fact, Wayne Henderson proclaimed him "Tennessee Hot Lips" when he heard Greg's trademark version of "Sweet Georgia Brown." Greg has performed throughout the United States including the Kent State Folk Festival and the National Folk Festivals in Lowell, MA and Johnstown, PA; he has also appeared at the Vancouver Folk Festival in Canada. www.gregcornett.com

The High Windy Band

The High Windy Band from Asheville, NC is a high-energy bluegrass group with excellent vocals and instrumentals. Named for a sweeping ridgeline that runs near Black Mountain, NC, the High Windy Band is one of the region’s fastest rising groups, drawing from a combination of contemporary and traditional bluegrass styles while adding old-time themes and an original approach. Band members are Ty Gilpin (mandolin, songwriter), Tim Gardner (fiddle), Mark Davis (bass, lead vocals), Joel Emory (banjo), Shane Lail (guitar). High Windy has shared the stage with nationally-recognized acts such as Mountain Heart, the Lonesome River Band, and Special Consensus. Their debut CD is entitled Waiting All This Time. www.highwindyband.com