The seeds of the Open Rangewere
planted more than 20 years ago when Rex Raymond, Letha
Raymond and Dan Brandon (Rex, Letha & Dan)
began blending their voices at kitchen tables, campfires,
and traditional music festivals, backed by the subtle
instrumentation provided by two acoustic guitars.
Their love of singing together
developed into an ability to unearth the unique vocal harmony
in a song in order to wring out the most gut-wrenching emotion
from its lyrics. Rex's rock-solid lead vocals and guitar
work are supported by Dan's rhythm guitar and fine tenor
vocals, along with Letha's haunting soprano. An occasional
lead vocal by Dan or Letha adds to the texture of their
musical offering. Wes Raymond (son of Rex and Letha) grew
up listening to the trio, matured into a musician in his
own right, and now brings his skillful, energetic upright
bass to the band. Fate handed down a chance encounter with
Jon Potrykus, the fit was good, and soon Jon was cranking
up the group's smooth vocal sound with his hot licks and
soulful laments on fiddle, dobro and mandolin.
From country standards, to western
murder ballads; from old-time, to bluegrass, to blues, to
folk; from the semi-popular to the truly obscure, these
rural Michigan performers work from and eclectic song list
that defies categorizing. Influenced by songwriters and
singers that range from the famous to the nearly unknown,
the group simply performs songs that move them, regardless
of the genre. Sprinkled throughout are some of Dan's original
tunes. Together they mix up a soulful musical recipe that
lifts the spirit, grabs the heart and sticks to the ribs.
The Band Members
Rex Raymond, Letha Raymond and Dan Brandon
Wes Raymond, Jon Potrykus
Discography
Our debut CD is now available through
our website, or by visiting www.efolkmusic.com
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