Pineross is the creation of Kevin Larkin, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast Michigan. Kevin began playing flatpick style guitar when he moved to Boulder, CO in 2000. Soon after discovering a local Irish session on Sunday nights, he bought a mandolin and started learning a stockpile of fiddle tunes, mastering the mandoli
n in the following years at the pub. After playing in the acoustic trio Stuck in the Mud (cello, guitar, mandolin) from 2001 to 2004, his vision and songwriting was becoming focused on a concept album about the West. Being a huge fan of Sergio Leone westerns, epic novels and an avid fan of rock and roll, bluegrass, hip-hop, Irish fiddle music, and old country, Pineross was created as an outlet to fuse these influences into an original songwriting style. Armed with an old beat-up laptop computer, two mics and plenty of whiskey, the songs were recorded in different mountain cabins throughout the year of 2005 with the help of local music aces. The album reflects the delusion that results from modern, synthetic ways of life clashing with much simpler times... A latter-day Don Quixote battling a cactus mistaken for bandits and thieves. The album was mixed at Moja Magic studios in Boulder, CO and had a limited release in January of 2006.
n in the following years at the pub. After playing in the acoustic trio Stuck in the Mud (cello, guitar, mandolin) from 2001 to 2004, his vision and songwriting was becoming focused on a concept album about the West. Being a huge fan of Sergio Leone westerns, epic novels and an avid fan of rock and roll, bluegrass, hip-hop, Irish fiddle music, and old country, Pineross was created as an outlet to fuse these influences into an original songwriting style. Armed with an old beat-up laptop computer, two mics and plenty of whiskey, the songs were recorded in different mountain cabins throughout the year of 2005 with the help of local music aces. The album reflects the delusion that results from modern, synthetic ways of life clashing with much simpler times... A latter-day Don Quixote battling a cactus mistaken for bandits and thieves. The album was mixed at Moja Magic studios in Boulder, CO and had a limited release in January of 2006. Always restless and in need of seeing his native United States, Kevin moved to Oxford, Mississippi in February of 2006 and joined the outlaw bluegrass Mayhem String Band who continue to tour in the Southeast. In July, Kevin made a pilgrimage to his homestate of Michigan for the official Pineross CD release. He was joined by Blake Probst on the upright bass and was featured at the Meadowbrook Music Festival. Kevin continues to live in Mississippi, writing more Pineross material and is currently on tour with the Mayhem String Band.
Current Lineup -
Justin Showah: bass, kazoo, vocals
Jamison Hollister: fiddle, mandolin
Musicians in Pineross -
Eric Drobny: Upright bass player and resident of Evergreen, CO, Eric lays down the grooves that make the feet move. Check out his bluegrass band 40 Gallon Still based out of the Front Range of Colorado.
Geoff “El Casador” Steiner: Classically trained, bluegrass raised cellist Geoff Steiner has travelled the world playing music, hunted sheep in the far reaches of Alaska, worked in the oil fields of the Utah desert, and was a founding member of the trio Stuck in the Mud. He now lives in Oklahoma where he trains hound dogs and hustles suckers at the pool table.
Fransisco Marquez: Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland Fransico is a professional ninja on the guitar, bass, cavaquinho, harmonica, vocals, and latin percussion. He has attended the University of Colorado and Colby College to study the guitar and now lives in Boulder. A veteran of many styles of music, his main focus now is Brazilian jazz and choro music.
Ellora Weston: Raised in the mountain country of Northern California, Ellora has studied classical violin and is a master of traditional Irish fiddling. She played in the Boulder based Irish band Bodha and now studies physical therapy in California.
Joel Shimmin: Joel is a songwriter, guitar and bouzouki player who now resides in Portland, OR or wherever the hell else he wants to. He played with Ellora in the Colorado based Irish band Bodha and played as duo with multi-instrumentalist David Rynhart in Portland. Joel has also worked with Irish tenor banjo player Seamus Egan.
Blake Probst: Veteran punk and classical bassist Blake Probst grew up in the lower peninsula of Michigan where the Grand River meets the Cedar River. He is founding member of The Tease, a punk/gypsy/acoustic/country duo who are based out of Syracuse, NY. He likes to spray paint the walls inside his house with up to 4 different colours.
Charlie Rose: Give this man anything with strings and he will play it and play it very well. His whereabouts are unknown, but you’ll be sure to hear him comin’.
Jon “Switchblade” Sousa: After running from the law in his native New Jersey, Jon woke up one day and discovered that he had mastered heavy metal guitar, Irish tenor banjo, electronic beat programming, sabar drumming, and fingerstyle guitar. He has toured in Ireland, France and the United States, founded the band Down With Naked and will play your birthday party if you wish. He lives in Boulder, CO.
Davis Vardaman: Denver based guitar and mandolin player who plays in the bluegrass group 40 Gallon Still, Davis has an extensive knowledge of American roots music and has won the Haggis Cup.
Jessie Burns: A huge part of the Colorado Irish scene Jessie plays the fiddle, runs a music studio, teaches and bides her time between Boulder, CO and England where she was born. Recently, she has recently toured with Gaelic Strom, the Wayfareres, and Gregory Isakov.
