Klamath Falls, Ore. – A bluegrass band hosted workshops at local schools today, through an outreach program offered by the Ross Ragland Theater.
The music room at Eagle Ridge High School served as a stage today for ‘Mile Twelve’.
“We’re 5 years old.” Explains mandolin player David Benedict. “We’ve been touring around the country, and around the world for the past 4 or 5 years now, so it’s been amazing.”
The band has roots in Boston.
Much of their focus is on traditional bluegrass music.
“But a lot of it’s original music.” Adds guitar player and vocalist Evan Murphy. “And it’s original music written and arranged on bluegrass instruments, so it still has the texture and the sound of bluegrass.”
“There’s jamgrass, there’s more chambergrass, that involves classical music, and jazz music as well, so a lot of mixing and matching.” Benedict notes of the crossover element. “It’s pretty exciting.”
The music students were excited, too.
Murphy says Mile Twelve also hopes to inspire the students. “If you want to do this full time, you can – don’t let anyone laugh at you if you say you want to do music as a job, you can do it.”
One band member referred to bluegrass as ‘the heavy metal of acoustic music’.
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