Junior League Band

Junior League Band, a new group out of Washington, D.C. came together by a chance meeting from the DC party scene. Lissy Rosemont, (the band's leader and cofounder) was known about town as the banjo playing girl in the Rosemont Family Reunion and the Delta Blues Project she played alongside her father titled, “Hal Beaver and Blackgrass”. When Lissy met Devin McGaughey (Junior League’s first drummer) and Dale Manning (Fiddle) everything just felt right and came together. Rosemont hails as a direct descendant to fiddle history, being the great grandchild to the Van Hoy brothers’ creators of the momentous “Fiddlers Grove.” (An event she participated in since childhood)The family influence of Rosemont does not end there, her brother who goes under the alias “RedTag”, has given the band a few songs which were used on their first release in 2007; titled, “Oh Dear.” Lissy Rosemont and Devin McGaughey produced this first record with audio engineers Rob Byers and Johnny Vince Evans (of All Songs Considered 9:30 Club Broadcasts) at NPR’s Studio 4A under an extramural clause, the studio manager’s allotted for a non-broadcast related recording. The name, “Oh Dear” came about when “Red tag” came down to the studio to guest vocal on the song “Same As You,” and at the end of the track you can hear him anxiously, exhaustedly say “Oh Dear.” This collection of music was warmly received, as well as their follow-up EP, "The Potomac 2-step". With their second full-length scheduled for fall, the group is anxious for its release. This yet to be titled album promises to feature more male harmonies, a little more slide blues guitar and slide on the banjo as well keeping the familiar flow that makes Junior League so unique.Junior League Band has seen different incarnations of members, but the current lineup is as follows: Eli Cohn- guitar and backup vocals-grew up on Doc Watson and works part-time with a group called Housing Counseling Service where he helps poor folks out of predatory lending practices and criminal landlords. Will Waikart- drums/ percussion- Today he is currently an audio engineer in DC and also gives drum lessons. Lissy Rosemont has remained a solid fixture in the band with her banjo, harmonica and lead vocal style. Special guests that appear on the band’s recordings as well as performances include: Kailin Young on fiddle (of Carnegie Hall, Boulder Acoustic Society), Martin Thomas on harmonica, as well as Nate Leath (of the Old School Freight Train) on fiddle, Sam Wiesenberg on Lap Steel (Brooklyn musician),Alex Platt plays upright bass/electric bass, backup vocals and Rurik Newnan (or Vortex Park) on fiddle and more.Junior League Band’s music is as familiar as it is fresh. Combining the old-time/bluegrass tradition with an indie-pop sensibility, the group crafts songs that are in the words of D.C.'s leading music/'scene' blog "Brightest Young Things", "A walk in the Appalachian Mountains crossed with a breeze in the middle of the sweltering city heat." Just over a year old, Junior League Band has already brought capacity crowds to hear their "delightfully breezy" (as the Washington Post puts it) brand of Americana at many of D.C.'s top venues. They've also shared the stage with the likes of Carrie Rodriguez, Blueground Undergrass, Jason Isbell, Bishop Allen, Drew Emmitt, Hoots and Hellmouth and many others on their extensive tours up and down the East Coast (from Boston to Atlanta), in the Midwest (from Cleveland to Madison) and the West Coast (from LA to Seattle). This summer, Junior League Band's high-energy performances will be featured on the emerging artist stage at Virginia's Floydfest, and will also be featured at the largest music festival in the country--Milwaukee’s Summerfest... "
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