Pictured above:  The Wild Coyotes

On May 5, 2017 Red Desert Ramblers and The Wild Coyotes close out the IAMA Local Concert series, and what a great season it has been! Strong, appreciative crowds at nearly every event have inspired our performers to play their very best and the pre-concert workshops have brought newer musicians a plethora of tips and new skills to work into their own playing. Join us for the show at South Valley Unitarian on 6876 So, Highland Drive. Festivities begin at 7:30. Admission is 7.00 for members and $12 for non-members.

The Red Desert Ramblers are some of Utah’s most accomplished bluegrass musicians with multiple awards, numerous high profile national gigs and even movie soundtrack credit!   They play bluegrass, classic country and swing music blending harmonies with smoking instrumental breaks.

Sharon Mitchell is the  band Leader/Manager and has played hammered dulcimer since 1989. Sharon ran the  Intermountain Acoustic Music Association (IAMA) Local Concert Series for 16 years.(THANKS, SHARON,  FOR ALL THAT HARD WORK!) She is the “roots and branches” of the band adding both an old time flavor, and a unique progressive twist.

Steve Hewson does lead vocals, and plays guitar and mandolin. Best known as the host of the Rockport Dam Jam, and former manager of Rockport State Park, he hails from Huntington Beach CA proving that country twang can come from the land of sand and surf. He also teaches  guitar, uke, and mandolin at Riffs Music in Park City.

Rick Martinez is a 5-string banjo monster. Rick’s style is 30 years steeped in traditional and progressive bluegrass music. His diverse influences range from Earl Scruggs to Tony Trishka. . His clean, precise and dynamic playing reinforces the authentic sound of the band.

Dave Bates holds the bottom end on upright bass. Dave has been a mainstay in the SLC/Summit county communities for many years. He has been a pilot and a bus driver. When he is not flying he is a farmer in Wanship. His attention is also focused on mentoring teenagers and youth so they become proficient musicians

Richard Schmeling adds solid mandolin chops, harmonies and lightening quick, clean breaks to the band. He’s also an accomplished guitar and piano player. His ballads are amazing, and no one can belt out traditional heart wrenching songs like him. He was raised in the West, and it shows.

Southeast Idaho is sparse, high desert country west of the rocky mountains of the great divide where coyotes roam.  It is a place where musicians of any particular idiom are few and far between.  Traditional bluegrass, old-time, cowboy, and western swing music can be found, but there is no dominant indigenous musical tradition.  The environment fosters an open, diverse community of musicians playing traditional music.  Music festivals here often include all of these styles mixed and mingled.  The Wild Coyotes bring this variety together to make The Coyote sound – stringband music old and new.

The Wild Coyotes are four good friends living in southeast Idaho that come together to play music, melding their diverse musical backgrounds and interests.  The Coyotes create tight harmonies and driving instrumentals as they play old-time fiddle and banjo tunes and songs from old and new sources.  The Coyotes will bring you a program spanning a wide variety of traditional American-roots styles.  Old time, classic and contemporary folk, and cowboy genres are set to classic old-time string band instrumentation with exciting vocal harmonies.

The Wild Coyotes were finalists in the Traditional Band Contest at the 2013 Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Cliff Top, West Virginia.  The Wild Coyotes have recorded three CDs: Across the Great Divide, Tunehead’s Fancy, and thier latest Coyote Tracks.  Joe Dobbs, host of the West Virginia Public Radio Show “Music from the Mountains,” has featured Across the Great Divide on his program.  Joe says, “I really like this CD.  We’ve got a lot of response for it.  People told me they think it’s the best old-time CD they’ve heard.”

The Wild Coyotes began in 2002, when fiddler/mandolinist/singer Vince Crofts decided it was time to start playing with nearby friends singer/guitarist Sallie Sublette and banjoist Rick McCracken.  The Wild Coyotes are Vince Crofts (fiddle, mandolin, and vocals), Rick McCracken (fretless and fretted banjo, vocals), Sallie Sublette (guitar, vocals) and Carrie Bean (bass, vocals).

Pictured below:  The Red Desert Ramblers