Old-time country, bluegrass, blues and rock blended into 'dance yer duff off' honky tonk music.

12 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Honky Tonk, COUNTRY: Old-Timey

Details:
Bozeman, Montanaâs Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof have never wondered where music might take them but rather where they could take their music. Since the band formed in early 2006, Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof has rapidly ascended the regions musical ladder. Founded on the principle that real country music should never take a back seat to over produced crossover country pop, Ten Foot Tall set out to reset the country music bar starting in Montanaâs Gallatin Valley. Over the past 2 years 10/80 has been gaining a reputation as the valleyâs best country dance band, bringing back the rich western tradition of couples dancing. In January 2007 they embarked on a recording project with friend and recording engineer Jamey Warren which resulted in their debut album, âPrincess Of Doomâ, released in January 2008. This CD is comprised of all original material that is reminiscent of oleâ Hank and George Jones but with a 10/80 twist. In an era where people place things in little categorized boxes, Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof strives to break the mold and give their audience a performance that satisfies the most critical of ears.
The 10/80 twist on old country is undoubtedly due to the varied musical backgrounds of the band members.
Raised in the north woods of Michigan, front man and doghouse bass player Kris Cloneâs earliest memories of music include bouncing down the road in a 1978 GMC pickup listening to 8 track tapes of The Beach Boys, John Denver and Conway Twitty while trying to sing the words to Hello Darlinâ. Involved in group singing throughout his childhood, he studied the trombone and piano as a youth which took him to Europe for two summers to share his love of music, specifically jazz. In 1995 Kris moved to Helena, Montana and Bozeman in 1997. In 2000 he formed an acoustic trio with Josh Heins and Sally Newsome which sparked his passion for the acoustic bass. After a short absence from Bozemanâs music scene, which included the damp and rich musical haven of Bellingham, WAâwhere he fell in love with the upright bassâand the warmth of a small community of musicians in interior Alaska, Kris returned to Bozeman. Shortly thereafter he rejoined Sally Newsome to form the acoustic band, The Norris Hot Strings, and begin his return journey toward old time country. Along the way he joined renowned singer/songwriter John Lowell and mandolin virtuoso Tom Murphy to form The John Lowell Trio. It was at this point that Kris rejoined Josh Heins and returned to his roots. Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof was formed. A prolific and talented songwriter, Krisâ originals featured in Ten Foot Tall reflect his flavor of country music where, âif it ainât about whiskey, women, prison or trains it ainât 80 proof â
Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Josh Heins started his music career playing the trombone at age 10. Drawn to the guitar driven classic rock that dominated the airwaves in his rural Minnesota home, Josh put down the trombone and started playing the guitar at age 12 on a Yamaha nylon string acoustic he borrowed from his aunt. He quickly moved on to an electric guitar and began playing along with his CD collection, learning from guitarists like Angus Young, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmi Hendrix and Kirk Hammet. Josh spent a few months in a Metallica cover band in college until moving to Bozeman in â98 where he soon met Kris Clone and Sally Newsome and formed the acoustic trio Third Wheel. When the trio disbanded, Josh would follow the strong vocals of Newsome and help form the 8-piece Rhythm and Blues powerhouse The Sol Congress. After a three year stint of R&B and funk, Josh would again join Clone, this time with thoughts of honky-tonk and country.
Originally from Alabama, Preston âProfessorâ White has been playing music as far back as he can remember. While in middle school he joined the concert band playing trumpet which he played as his main instrument until college. While in high school and college he studied music theory and applied it to playing guitar as well as piano. While playing trumpet in a funk/southern-rock band in Alabama, the band asked him if he could play piano on a few of the songs. Soon the piano became his main instrument and White played in several bands including Frieda Peoples, Hi Vibe, Blue Rue, and the Mysterious Goo before moving to Montana in 2003. He settled in Bozeman and started sitting in with many local musicians where he met Josh Heins who invited him into a new project that he and Kris Clone were working on. He is now an integral part of Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof playing piano and mandolin, and as one of the main songwriters.
As for that irresistible Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof groove... meet Aaron âRazâ Rasmussen. Aaron grew up in Bozeman playing drums from a very early age. He has been a regular on the fill in list of local drummers since age 10, where he has covered Classical, Combo Jazz, Big Band Jazz, Rock, Funk, Blues, Country and you name it. He went through the Bozeman Music Program where he played in the symphonic band and marched the snare drums for the 1999 Rose Bowl Parade. Aaronâs awards include the Louis Armstrong Award for Jazz, Honorable Mention at the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival, and The Most Outstanding Soloist at the Lionell Hampton Jazz Festival. Aaron is now enjoying digging deep into the traditional rhythms and patterns of Honky Tonk and Old Country, applying his own twist and helping to create the ânew-timeyâ and unique sound of Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof.
So why is Ten Foot Tall and 80 Proof so appealing? All four of these guys are highly inspired, youthful, life long musicians that combine their collective musical influences into a contagious love of country, jazz, classical, southern rock, blues and funk and mix it into a concoction that can only be described as âDance yer Duff Off, 80 Proof Countyâ.

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