The Barsters

The Barsters (origin of the band name is a modification of the english law term “Barrister”) is a collaboration between some of the finest bluegrass and mountain music singers and string players in WNC: Rob Mangum (fiddle), Doug Sharkey (banjo/guitar), James Johnson (mandolin/harmonica), Parrish Ellis (guitar/banjo), and upright bassists Kevin Kehrberg and Travis Stuart (big-time props to our previous rock star bassist Ben Harvey, pictured above, now residing in Portland Maine). 

As befits a truly egalitarian and democratic collaboration, all of the members take turns selecting songs and singing lead vocals. The song repertoire is also equally curated between the members and spans a large spectrum of American stringband music including the classic bluegrass sounds of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, The Stanley Brothers, and Doc Watson; the honky-tonk songs of Hank Williams Sr., George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson; the progressive (“newgrass”) acoustic sounds of Old And In The Way, John Hartford, Norman Blake, Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, Darrell Scott & Tim O’Brien; folk rock standards by Bob Dylan, The Band, CCR, The Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers; the old-time fiddle-banjo tradition of the southern Appalachian mountains; and original songs and fiddle tunes contributed by all of the members. 

The Barsters have entertained thousands of folks at weddings, corporate parties and festivals throughout 6 years of playing in WNC. Contact me to inquire about references and availability for your event (we provide full PA sound system services).