Dakota Blonde BLONDE HEADS? Yep! That's what all the enthusiastic folks who follow Dakota Blonde across the Rocky Mountain Region call themselves! This vibrant new acoustic "trio" is made up of Mary Huckins (yes, from South Dakota) whose sweet strong vocals are the linchpin holding the group together, the smooth steady guitar playing and cool harmonies of Don Pinnella (nope, not blonde) and the charming acoustic bass work and humor of Tony Raddell. Performing originals and covers that are a unique combination of folk, bluegrass, and country with a little Celtic tinge - the trio nails their tight harmonies. They are an unusual group - they met through their careers in music therapy, working with children and adolescents who are emotionally troubled. That special capacity for empathy could explain the titanium bond the band quickly makes with their audience. All three come from musical families, and their charm stems both from the music they play and from the family feeling they bring into any concert hall or venue. Their shows are very personal! You'll walk away feeling like you've always known them. Dakota Blonde has shared the stage with Nickel Creek, John McEuen, Jimmy Ibbotson, Pete Huttlinger, Tony Furtado, Jim Horn, John Sommers, Jim Salestrom, Firefall, Mollie O'Brien and the list goes on. They also played in festivals along with folks like Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, David Crosby, Lucy Kaplansky and Greg Brown.
Mary Huckins' song "Somebody's Brother" received top honors in the 2001 Walnut Valley Festival songwriters showcase in Winfield, Kansas and her song "Dig Real Deep" recently received top honors in the Chris Austin Song Contest at MerleFest in Wilkboro, N.C. The group was again honored to make it into the final round of the Independent Record Label Awards this past year. They are certainly on their way up!
The "trio" are the mainstays of Dakota Blonde which is not so often a trio anymore. They are joined by incredible talent on the stage and in the studio on a regular basis.
There are times when you discover something so new and fresh and exciting, and that moves you so deeply that you want to share it with the world. That's Dakota Blonde.
The Luv Brothers The Luv Brothers are based at 9200 feet, in beautiful Summit County Colorado. This is what happens when a couple of metal heads from Chicago start jamming with a couple of Colorado natives. We play a ruckus style of American music for Americans! Starting out as just a fun little gig and way to get together and drink beer and play music, Bonus and Levis Luv were taking anything from Patsy Cline to Motorhead and making it their own. One night while working on some ideas for new covers. Bonus accidentally strummed the chords and mumbled through some words what would later turn out to be The Luv Brothers first song, "Tell Me Lies". At that point the boys decided to go for broke and look for other musicians/family members to spread their luv....enter Handsome Dan. " I took one look at him, and knew he was our guy" says Bonus Luv. "He was a bald headed, long bearded, hill jack lookin' monster just killing it on bass". With the foundation set in place, Bonus and Levis started spittin' out tunes like, "Walk This World" and "Crazyman". Still looking to round out their sound, Handsome Dan invited a mandolin player he knew to come up and jam with the band at a gig one night. Little did they know he would have the golden pipes and chops they were looking for to solidify the Luv Brothers sound....so enter Mr. Z Luv. So now a complete family of four, The Luv Brothers went full throttle in writing songs and playing gigs all over the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. With their raw energy, tight harmonies, and mountain sounds of bluegrass and country, has turned them into one of Summit Counties most entertaining bands. The Luv Brothers will be touring throughout the Colorado region this summer in support of their debut self titled CD.
August 19 The Luv Brothers and Dakota Blonde August 26 T-Bird & The Dreamboats September 2 Doo Wop Denny’s Rockin Oldies Show
