Performing in the 2010 Green Show on Tuesday, June 29; Wednesday, September 1; and Wednesday, September 29.
A grab bag of Americana tunes, Hamfist style
Ashland-based group plays Americana/bluegrass/cowboy/folk
Website: www.hamfist.net
Seven years ago, a bunch of OSF techies (and one gal from the administrative offices) started gathering in various living rooms on Tuesday nights to play music. None of us were any good but we sure had a good time playing together and, the more we played, the better we got. The name Hamfist is derived from the adjective ham-fisted meaning heavy handed or clumsy. Over time, Tuesday night music club's revolving cast of characters resolved into the current core group of seven band members: EZ (Ezra Severin, former scenic carpenter, on guitar, ukulele, & harmonica), Cletus T. Cornhauler (James Dean, special projects engineer, on mandolin), Slim (Joe Porto, construction supervisor, on bass and guitar), The Kid (Jesse Baldwin, lighting technician, on dobro, banjo, guitar, accordion), Jonny B (Jon Bates, sound technician, on guitar), Sequoia (Kirk Pearson, former custodian, on guitar) and Stephany (Smith-Pearson, grant writer, on mandolin & accordion.) Hamfist made its public debut at the Jefferson State Pub in October 2006 and performs regularly at local venues such as Stillwater, Tease and Alex's.
Hamfist on Community: Despite its geographic distance from major population centers, the Rogue Valley is a remarkably diverse community comprised of many cultures, races, ages, gender identities and socioeconomic levels. No single performance group can "please all of the people all of the time," but Hamfist's appeal is broad. We don't play this material with a wink and a nod; we genuinely love this music and audiences pick up on that. Our take on Folsom Prison Blues draws whoops of approval from the skoal-chewing good old boys, our bluegrass version of White Wedding drives the college students nuts, and the aging hippies stood in rapt attention throughout the entire Hamfist Harvest. We have performed at street fairs, parades, bars, halls, fields, basements, and on the back of a flatbed truck. We are equally appropriate for a rodeo or a gay wedding We have played benefits for the Ashland Library, Rogue Valley Farm to School, the Daedalus Project and the Ashland Elks Club. We create opportunities for people to leave their troubles behind, have some fun, laugh, cry and dance till they drop.