BIG BANG STRING THING It’s rare when the word acoustic conjures thoughts of music that can electrify the jump in your feet. Then again, BBST is a rare group, and an impressive collective of musical might. Energetic, contagious, and flat out fun, BBST weaves a sizzling thread through multiple genres to deliver a tapestry of award-winning original music that defies one description,yet, connects with everyone. Perhaps that has a something to do with the fact that BBST is made up of veteran musicians who have toured, recorded, or shared the stage with Leo Kottke, The String Cheese Incident, Lyle Lovett, The Smashing Pumpkins, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, John Hartford, U2, Asleep at the Wheel, Garbage, Willy Porter, Riders in the Sky, The Radiators, David Grisman, Alex DeGrassi, Doc Watson, Carrie Newcomer, and Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band to name a few. Or, it could simply be that Big Bang String Thing knows how to craft a great sound.

THE BAND:

Bob Westfall (mandolin, guitar, vocals, songwriting) has studied and worked with some of the top acoustic players in the country -Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, John Hartford, and Alex DeGrassi. But, while these influences are certainly evident, Westfall’s songwriting are uniquely his own. An award-winning mandolinist, Bob grew up in Texas and Minnesota, and his style incorporates the best elements of storytelling with a hybrid jazz/pop/worldbeat/bluegrass feel.

The husband and wife team ofMary Gaines(bass) and Chris Wagoner (violin) provide the bottom and top of the BBST sound, and have appeared in performance and on recordings with Westfall for over fifteen years. Gaines and Wagoner have similarly diverse backgrounds — formal classical training at the Univ. of WI, jazz studies with the great bassist, Richard Davis, followed by years of performing and recording with jazz, blues, rock, and folk artists and songwriters.

Micah Olsan (guitar) has been an active performer in the Midwest music scenes for the last five years. His diverse songwriting mixes elements of folky acoustic fingerstyle, funk, rock, and world music into a distinct sound that will leave your head bobbing and your toes tapping. His guitar work was recognized in the 2010 Shepherd Express reader poll when he was awarded runner up for best guitarist. He has been playing with BBST for the last 5 years.