Kripplekrunk

Kripplekrunk started when multi-intrumentalist Rex McGee convinced friends from his annual trips to the Galax Old Fiddler's Convention to do a jam session styled studio recording featuring original instrumentals. Some of those tunes go back to the 1980's when mandolin player Danny Knicely and guitarist John Garris pitched camp near Rex and produced a magnetic draw for the more adventurous players visiting this festival. Galax had a tradition as a nuclear core of Appalachian string band music, but a dedicated group of fans sprung up who were always ready to see what holy cow would get tipped over next. Sometimes perfectly good old-time and bluegrass tunes were transformed, other times popular music of the day was given bluegrass styled treatments. As the years passed a young Nate Leath got a driver's license and fiddled his way through middle and high school and finally Berklee School of Music. Dennis Lee had been developing his craft and proved to be one of very few acoustic bass players capable of stepping outside easily labeled musical worlds. Bobby Martin sat down with the group in 2011 and brushed rhythm, tone and summoned pure energy from a cajón, a six sided, box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru. After the 2012 meeting at Galax the encouragement from fans spurred Rex to set up the recording session. The project would be a veritable sampler of stylistic sampler echoing bluegrass, old-time, new acoustic, celtic, cajon, R&B, southern rock, swing, jazz, and world music . . . sometimes all in one tune. Though the CD could have been the end of the story, a chorus of fans wanted more. Though each of the individuals have other musical collaborations, they decided a few shows on the road as Kripplekrunk each year might be fun and stood a chance of finding a larger audience than expected for their genre blending, spontaneous displays of individual and group virtuosity. Extreme Acoustic String Band Instrumentals - Galax Style