July 9, 2014 at 2:47 p.m.
Rhinelander grad making a name for himself in world of bluegrass music
Rhinelander grad making a name for himself in world of bluegrass music
By Kayla Thomason-
Foltz, a 2000 graduate of RHS, and his band beat out nine other bands to take the title.
"They have bands from all over the nation that compete," said Foltz's mother Peggy Kasson. "It's real hard to even get into the competition. To even get into the top 10 and to compete and then to win, it [opens doors],"
Trout Steak Revival was "over the moon" after the victory, Foltz said. This is a big step forward in their musical journey.
"We won some cash, but the biggest prize is that Trout Steak Revival will play a one-hour set on the main stage of Telluride Bluegrass Festival next summer," Foltz said. "We write our own music and played those songs for the preliminary and final rounds of the band contest which made the win even more amazing."
The bands were required to play a slow vocal song, a fast vocal song, and an instrumental.
They were judged on a number of criteria including material selection (taste, difficulty, authenticity and originality) which accounted for 30 percent of their score. Instrumental performance, the ability of the soloists and overall instrumental blend, accounted for another 30 percent. Vocal performance, both lead and harmony, also accounted for 30 percent. The final 10 percent was based on stage presence.
"For our set on the main stage for the finals, we played all original material, which we were really proud of," Foltz said.
He wrote the instrumental song, which he said has a Celtic feel to it. He felt that their final song had a nice harmony with four voices.
"In addition to years of rehearsing as a group, we all work very hard at being proficient on our individual instruments, at singing and harmonies," he said. "A large part of performing is having the confidence to play under pressure. Building that confidence requires a lot of hard work, practice, and trial and error."
Past winners of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival include the Dixie Chicks.
Last year Trout Steak Revival won an Emmy award for providing background music for a public television show in Colorado.
"The TV show won an Emmy award for short episodes and Trout Steak Revival does the music so they got an Emmy award also," Kasson said.
This winter they opened for actor-musician Steve Martin when he played in Colorado.
"Steve Martin is also a musician, he has his own bluegrass band called the Steep Canyon Rangers and Trout Steak Revival opened for Steve Martin's band in February in Bolder, Colo," Kasson said.
Trout Steak Revival is planning a nationwide tour in 2015, after they launch their second album.
The group is based in Denver. Foltz plays the mandolin, guitar, writes some of the songs and sings.
He wrote the song "The Blackjack Supper Club" which was about his mother's business in Antigo.
Other members of the band include a fiddle player, banjo, guitar, mandolin and stand up bass players.
While the members of Trout Steak Revival now make their home in the Rockies, the band itself has Midwest origins. Foltz met one of the members while studying at the University of Minnesota. That member helped bring two other musicians into the fold. The last member joined up when the group moved to Colorado.
Foltz said they came up with the band name while backpacking in Eagle County, Colo. They fished but weren't having any luck.
"Out of sheer frustration we began yelling 'bring me a trout steak," Foltz said. "It was a real bonding experience for us. We walked out of the mountains and decided to form an official band, and the weekend's silliness served as a band name."
They have been together for five years.
People can listen to Trout Steak Revival on iTunes, Spotify and Facebook.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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