PETER MCLAUGHLIN, CHRIS BRASHEAR, & BRIAN DAVIES

Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin have been playing and singing together as a duet since 1992, and their performances include sibling-like harmonies, intricate arrangements, and stunning instrumental virtuosity. Though steeped in bluegrass tradition, they perform many original songs inspired by western landscapes, history and wild rivers. Tonight they will be joined by the fabulous upright bassist Brian Davies.

Chris and Peter have two duet CDs. Their first collaboration, Canyoneers, was released by Copper Creek Records in 2003. This release includes fresh, original material from both Chris and Peter, along with a traditional fiddle tune and some classic numbers from the golden years of the Delmore Brothers. Their second CD, entitled So Long Arizona, was released on Dog Boy Records in 2008 and has also been very well received.
Peter McLaughlin started playing the guitar at the age of eight and was very soon jamming at bluegrass festivals and fiddle conventions. He lived in Denmark in the early 70s, and attended a Danish high school. In 1974, Peter moved again, this time to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, where he played with Tom Rozum (mandolin, fiddle, and vocals), Roger Smith (bass and vocals), John Zarske (rhythm guitar and vocals), and Frank Dedera (banjo) in the group Flying South, an acoustic string band specializing in bluegrass and early swing era jazz. A later incarnation of Flying South included Kirby Mittelmeier (mandolin and vocals) and John Willis (bass and vocals).

In 1983, Peter moved to Tucson, where he played music with banjo player Ross Nickerson in various bands, including the 1988 Telluride Band Contest winners, The Titan Valley Warheads, who Peter still plays with on occasion.

In 1991, Peter had the opportunity to reunite with his long-time pal, Tom Rozum, and joined Laurie Lewis, touring nationally and internationally for six years as guitarist and harmony vocalist with her band.

Peter’s credits include:
• First Place in National Flatpick Guitar Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS (1988)
• Second Place in National Flatpick Guitar Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS (1986)
• First Place in Telluride Bluegrass Guitar Championship, Telluride, CO (1988, 1991)

Peter’s longtime partner, Chris Brashear, is a talented vocalist, songwriter, and a dynamic fiddler and guitarist with a penchant for writing memorable songs on subjects seldom touched on in today’s realms of songwriting. He has made multiple showcase appearances at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), first with Kentucky Rose in 1992, with Peter in Frog Mountain in 1994, and with Perfect Strangers in 2000. Chris performed for two years in Italy as violinist with the Maurizio Geri Swingtet. He has also toured for many years with Robin & Linda Williams and Jim Watson, and more recently with the Piedmont Melody Makers, which includes Alice Gerrard, Cliff Hale and Jim Watson.

His first solo recording, called Wanderlust, is a 1999 release from Copper Creek Records, and was produced by Jody Stecher. His second solo CD, Heart of the Country, produced by Jim Rooney, was released in 2013 on Dog Boy Records.

http://www.petermclaughlin.info

http://www.chrisbrashear.info

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