Have a Bluegrass Christmas with The Foggy Hogtown Boys
The Foggy Hogtown Boys are bringing their special bluegrass Christmas show, called A Very Foggy Christmas, to Heartwood Hall tomorrow night, Sat., Dec. 17th, starting at 8:30. They are a Toronto based bluegrass group with a reputation for instrumental prowess and a repertoire that slides between traditional bluegrass and pre-1945 country music. They will be performing their Christmas shows at several venues, mostly in Toronto, and this Owen Sound show is sponsored by Mudtown Records.
The band recorded the first of several critically acclaimed CD’s in 2004 at the Lula Lounge in Toronto and their 2005 residency at the Dominion Tavern in Toronto established them as one of the best traditional bluegrass bands in the city.
Among many rave reviews garnered by the band is this praise from The Toronto Star: “Toronto’s luminously gifted traditional string band set a new benchmark…both a sense of fun and the kind of intellectual sharpness that befits their status as one of the hardest working bands in the North American roots music arena.”
The quintet has had a consistent lineup since the beginning with just one personnel change in 2007. All five of them take turns on lead and harmony vocals.
Andrew Collins in in demand as a sound engineer and producer and is equally at ease playing jazz or classical music on his mandolin. He has recorded the last four projects by the band, He sometimes doubles on fiddle with John Showman.
Originally classically trained, John Showman won the 2011 Fiddle Contest in Clifftop, West Virginia. That is a testament to the excellence of his playing.
Chris Coole has a handle on the rhythm guitar style that is the essential foundation of traditional bluegrass, but he also contributes claw-hammer banjo. He is also a songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by the band as well as other musicians.
Max Heineman comes from a musical family, his mother a singer on the Tommy Hunter show and his father a noted jazz musician. He plays bass in the group and is particularly noted for the emotional power of his vocals.
Chris Quinn sings bass and plays banjo and rhythm guitar, taking turns with Chris Coole according to the song. He is considered to be among the finest traditional bluegrass banjo pickers and he moves over to guitar when the other Chris in the band takes up the claw-hammer style on the banjo.
These five are bringing a special gift to the area for fans of bluegrass. The show is Sat, Dec 17 @ 8:30 pm at The Heartwood Concert Hall in Owen Sound.
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