Neal is originally from Rossville, Indiana, where he grew up an athlete. “Sports totally preoccupied my time” until college at Purdue, he said: “It’s a Big 10 school and I wasn’t good enough to play there!” So, he joined his brother Trent, and a few others who played in a band with him, and taught himself the kind of music he wanted to play.

One girl, one guitar. That’s how it all started when I moved from my hometown on the California coast to Seattle, Washington. I began my musical journey playing to coffee shops and the bustling streets of Pike Place Market. I then graduated to New York City, where I played more open mics until I couldn’t afford the one drink minimum. Then I took to the parks to play, gathering dollar bills for a shawarma at the corner cart. An opportunity to form a bluegrass band brought me to Colorado, where Tay Tay and I have busted out G Runs at weddings, parties, festivals and breweries for five years.
Now its time to get back down to it. I’m coming into my own and integrating my love for bluegrass, 60’s folk rock, and outlaw country to create my first solo EP, Small Town Hero. Tracking is almost done and I expect to release it into the world Summer 2018.

Erik spent his Bay Area youth trying nearly every instrument and style he came across. Piano lessons, saxophone quartets, garage bands and folk songs had all weaseled their way into his life by the time he hit high school. College in Portland, OR, where he studied music and writing, brought new musical horizons, new conspirators (including classmate Nat Keefe) and a new project, Hot Buttered Rum, which would soon take over his life.

After enough time in the non-profit and teaching worlds to know that playing music was the world’s only sensible job, Erik hit the road with HBR to change the world “one bar at a time.” The group has become a platform for all his various trades, musical and otherwise. It pushes his banjo and guitar picking and his songwriting, which he now combines with his knack for wind instruments (flute and saxophones) to give HBR its unique musical palate. Erik has appeared with songwriters Peter Rowan, Tim and Nikki Bluhm, and banjoist Bill Evans (also his teacher). When not on the road with HBR, Erik can be found playing around Colorado and touring in support of his first solo album, Give it Time, out this year on Floating Records.

An accomplished instrumentalist (mandolin, guitar, bass), vocalist and songwriter, K.C. Groves has been at the heart of many celebrated projects. As the creative center and bandleader of Uncle Earl for over a decade, K.C. helped bring old time music to a wider audience. The “g’Earls” played major festival stages in the United States and toured extensively abroad, gaining fans and musical cohorts such as Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, who produced their 2007 album Waterloo, Tennessee. In addition to Uncle Earl, K.C. has released two solo albums of original material, and was a Telluride Troubadour contest finalist and a Detroit Music Award winner. She has teamed up with countless notable musicians, including old time musician and craftsman Riley Baugus and Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman.