East of Monroe

East of Monroe is an Americana/bluegrass group based in Virginia and Maryland. Their music is mostly original tunes along with tasteful covers of diverse songs. The band members all have different influences and backgrounds and that accounts for the many different styles of music the group plays. It all comes together in a unique, entertaining way- and with their latest release, By the River's Edge, they are well on their way to becoming a force on the acoustic scene.

East of Monroe's music features the award-winning songwriting of Gary Alan Ferguson, Jackie Frost, and Emily Timberlake. By the River's Edge includes ten of their original songs alongside two covers. It features guest performances by Dave Giegerich on dobro, vocals by Emily Timberlake, and Richard Ward on banjo and vocals. The cuts range from Americana to bluegrass to swing and everything in between.

The group began in 2010 and included Richard Ward, Jackie Frost, Gary Alan Ferguson, Emily Timberlake, Dave Giegerich, and Billy Budd. At first the group just recorded and rehearsed because of an illness of Giegerich's; sadly, Dave passed away suddenly, shortly before East of Monroe was to begin playing gigs. Later, Emily married and moved to the West Coast. After working on becoming a quartet for a while, the band met Lisa Kay Howard and Wally Hughes at a Christmas party, and they joined the group soon after. When Richard left to devote more time to his family and business, Terry Wittenberg stepped in and took over on banjo.

East of Monroe has performed at several prominent venues including the Graves Mountain Bluegrass Festival, the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, the Loudon County Bluegrass Festival, Mr B's Bluegrass Festival, the Berryville Bluegrass Series, the American Roots Music Summer Concert Series at the Frontier Culture Museum, The Kenmore Inn, The Metropolitan Club in DC, Ashland Coffee and Tea, Frying Pan Park, the Fairfax County Summer Concert Series, and Gypsy Sally's.