Performer / Band Name |
Back Forty,
the
Charlie
Edsall: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Norris Schultz: Double Bass, Vocals
Ron Warren: Mandolin, Vocals
Joseph Martini: Banjo
Vicki Hass : Fiddle
Rick Sparks:
Acoustic Guitar, Vocals |
Original / Cover Material |
Cover Songs |
Musical Influences |
Tony Rice, Flat and Scruggs to John
Hartford |
History of Performer / Band |
Homebrewed from the Eagle Valley, this purebred
bluegrass group blends a fusion of traditional and old
timey styles to be enjoyed by all!
The Back Forty Band began in 1992 as a simple jam group
that soon found themselves playing for various local
and out of town events. Their vocals with that high
lonesome sound and instrumental harmonies brings a crowd
pleasing response. Vicki Hass on fiddle, Joseph Martini
on his 5-string banjo and Norris Schultz on bass are
from Carson City, Nevada and Charlie Edsall on guitar
and Ron Warren on mandolin are from Sparks, Nevada.
Vicki Hass, born and raised in Nevada plays a fiddle
that will get your toes a tappin’. She began playing
fiddle after being influenced by the Slide Mountain
Boys, a local bluegrass band, and Byron Berline in the
early ‘80s. After joining the Northern Nevada
Bluegrass Association, she found the tunes were endless
and wanted to play them all! She is an original member
of the Back Forty. Vicki has served as the president
of the Northern Nevada Bluegrass Association,
Joseph Martini also born and raised in Nevada, pickup
up his banjo while going to college in Colorado in 1996;
his banjo was a Christmas gift that year and his fingers
have been glued to it ever since. He was influenced
by Pete Wernick of Hot Rize and Earl Scruggs with their
traditional styles. His fine tuned picking has added
a dimension of enthusiasm which rounds out the band’s
sound.
Norris Schultz became interested in bluegrass music
in 1981 when his wife, Katie bought him a banjo and
he started taking lessons. He became a member of the
Northern Nevada Bluegrass Association at the time and
enjoyed bluegrass music as a beginning student. Prior
to this, Norris was involved in various singing groups.
In the late summer of 1992 he became interested in the
bass, and began playing with the Back Forty. He not
only holds the group together with his solid bass beat,
but also adds to the vocals with his tenor harmonies
and lead.
Charlie Edsall was born and raised near Fort Wayne,
Indiana. He started seriously playing bluegrass in 1974
on the campus of Lake Superior State. He began playing
guitar at the young age of nine and has received high
praises for his solid rhythm playing and tasteful flatpicking.
His past band credits include High Strung, Buzzards
Roost, the Slide Mountain Boys and Feather River. Charlie
is also the guitarist for the very popular national
bluegrass band, Ron Spears and Within Tradition. He
brings a solid musical base to the Back Forty with his
fine lead and harmony vocals and world class guitar
pickin’. He's a member of the CBA and is vice
president of the Northern Nevada Bluegrass Association
Ron Warren, born in Helena, Montana is multi-talented.
He plays guitar, mandolin, dobro, domra, balaliaka,
and chrango. His guitar career started at the age of
nine years playing for 4H barn dances and square dances.
During his teen years he diversed to rock where he performed
as a pickup sideman guitarist with the American Federation
of Musicians local 642, backing up such notables as
Chuck Berry, Charlie Pride and Red Sovine. His next
journey led him to the Balaliaka Orchestra where he
played the domra. He has currently returned to his roots
and is playing mandolin with the Back Forty, where he
executes some fine picking exquisite breaks; he also
brings strong vocal harmonies to the band.
|
Albums / Where Available |
The Hope Valley Sessions, 2003 (Coming Soon!) |