Fall Jam

Europa Room Schedule

Friday

Time	Workshop/Jam
6:00pm	Welcome to GMUG Concert with THUG Ensemble
7:00pm	Harmonizing with Annie Savage (GMUG)
8:15–10:00pm	Open Mic & Jam with Dale & Brenda Moe (GMUG)

Saturday

Saturday afternoon performers all have new recordings available!

Time	Performance
11:00am	MBOTMA In Memoriam
12:00pm	Potluck String Band
1:00pm	Double Down Daredevils
2:00pm	Prairie Potluck
3:00pm	Derek Johnson & Hardgrass
4:00pm	Tony Rook Band
5:00pm	Stringbeans
6:00pm	Mark Kreitzer Band
7:30pm	Annie Savage
8:30pm-ish	Great Minnesota Ukulele Gathering Awards Announcement
Post-Awards–10:00pm	Novelty Songs Jam with Lil Rev

Performer Bios & Videos

THUG Ensemble

The Two Harbors Ukulele Group, affectionately known as T.H.U.G., was formed by Al Anderson in 2010. It has grown from five members to a performance group of sixteen and features soprano, concert, tenor, baritone and bass ukuleles, backed up by harmonica, melodica, drums and horns. The group plays a wide variety of music from 1920's classics to '60's rock and roll to country music...yes, even some Frank Zappa music. Our group has played throughout Minnesota from Lanesboro to Grand Portage and will play almost 50 performances in 2023. We also host the Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival in Two Harbors which is attended by over 300 ukulele players from over fifteen states and three provinces.

Potluck String Band

For the last 6+ years, Minneapolis based Potluck String Band has been entertaining music lovers across the greater Midwest with their unique Americana/New Grass sound. Known for having up to 10 musicians on stage at times, PSB delivers an energetic, artfully blended String Band sound in support of their powerful and tightly woven 4 Part vocal harmonies. PSB released their first album, “Americana Underground” in September 2022. 

The band organically evolved from a “Friday Potluck” open jam session they started in 2014. Over time, the group grew as friends brought new friends to join in, eventually resulting in the band officially forming in 2016. 

Since then, PSB has maintained a busy schedule playing shows in many different venues and locations for all kinds of events, celebrations, and festivals. In addition, the band has gained recognition for creating and hosting an Open Jam at their campsite during Bluegrass Festivals, where musicians of all talent levels can join in the pickin’ circle. 

The audience can feel and share in Potluck String Band’s love of playing music together for all to enjoy! 

Double Down Daredevils

The Double Down Daredevils, like many Minnesota Bluegrass bands, met at a MBOTMA festival in 2015. During late night campfire jams, Tom, Nathan and Tim formed the friendship that would later become the band. Born out of a love for traditional bluegrass, our group now includes 6 performers including Brin Petersen, Phil Nusbaum and Mary Ellen Fox. As we each brought our diverse backgrounds to the bands soundscape, the focus has expanded to a mix of traditional and progressive Bluegrass, Country and Americana

We are a band of singers. With 5 singers in the group we have an extraordinary variety of lead vocalists and combinations of harmony singers in an ever-expanding song list including many originals. The current lineup includes 4 published songwriters.    As much as we love performing, we also love developing arrangements for our songs, using dynamics to create moods and textures that bring the audience into the performance. We have as much fun in rehearsal as we do on stage, and maybe more!

Prairie Potluck

Prairie Potluck brings together decades of musical experience ranging from bluegrass, country, classical, Americana, gospel  and folk. The wide variety of musical genres was the inspiration for the name “Prairie Potluck”. Vocal harmonies  and instrument abilities are the hallmark of this “Potluck of musicians”. 

Prairie Potluck was born during the pandemic and has its roots in Gloryland Gospel Band which has been together for over twenty years. 

A Prairie Potluck performance brings out the joy of listening to story telling through their songs and warm feeling that can be felt as these musicians share their love of music from traditional bluegrass to contemporary country.

Members of Prairie Potluck include: Ruth on guitar, Mike on mandolin, Mark on banjo and guitar, Brent on bass, Michael on fiddle and dobro, Vicki on Uke.

Derek Johnson & Hardgrass

Derek has been singing, playing guitar and writing songs since his teenage years. He grew up as a ‘rocker’ but made the commitment to acoustic music at the dawn of the millennium. In 2006, Derek co-founded the bluegrass band, The High 48s. In 2011 he was asked to join Monroe Crossing. His musical travels have taken him to every corner of the contiguous United States as well as Canada, Europe and South Korea. He has even performed at Carnegie Hall. When not busy playing bluegrass with Monroe Crossing, Derek performs with an acoustic duo named Gentlemen Dreadnought. He also performs as a solo artist under his full name, Derek David Johnson. In 2021, Derek released his first solo bluegrass album, Hard Life, under the name of Derek Johnson & HardGrass. When he is not on stage or the road, Derek is busy ‘in the office’ booking music under the name of D String Productions.

Tony Rook Band

Info coming soon

Stringbeans

We are Jo Schubert (Chickpea), Roger Cuthbertson (Garbanzo) and John Wallace (Refried). We play traditional stringband music, particularly from America, but also from Canada, Scotland and Ireland. Instrumentation is usually cittern, harmonica, mandolin and fiddle, with occasional banjo and guitar. Songs include traditional standards, little known gems and original numbers.

Mark Kreitzer Band

Mark has been playing music on stage since almost before there were two Germanys! He has played in Rock, Country, Bluegrass, Folk, Traditional Jazz and Gypsy Jazz bands, as well as being involved in theatrical and classical music. An accomplished performer on more than a handful of instruments, Mark also is a prolific songwriter, recently writing for a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s Life On The Mississippi. Although he has played across the country and overseas, his favorite audience is always the one he’s playing for now! And if you’d like to learn how he does it, you can take lessons from him! Mark has been a professional educator since 1988, and currently teaches at Carleton College, as well as leads workshops at festivals and camps around the upper Midwest. He’s also currently working on a music theory book for folk and bluegrass musicians.