Member Since: 30/04/2008
Band Members: SHELBY MEANS provides the bass beat for High Altitude. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Shelby has been playing bass for eight years, but has been an award winning musician for many more years. In 1997, she won the Female vocal category at Coal County Fiddle Contest. She later went on to win the High Plains Music Contest youth vocal singing category in Douglas, Wyoming. As a high school senior, Shelby played bass in the orchestra, where she learned classical bass styles and was named Outstanding Orchestra Student of 2005. Shelby, along with her brother Jacob, won first place at the Rockygrass Band Contest in 2006. Currently, Shelby is a junior at the University of Wyoming and is pursuing a Business Administration degree with minor in music. Besides playing bluegrass, Shelby enjoys traveling, playing bass for the University of Wyoming Centennial Singers Theatre group, and cooking delicious food.
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COURTNEY HARTMAN hails from Loveland, Co and has been playing guitar for about six years. She discovered music at the age of three, when she picked up the fiddle and began to play. After becoming a master at the fiddle Courtney decided to try her hand at the mandolin. She was invited to join a mandolin orchestra and performed as the youngest member for about four years. Currently, Courtney plays guitar with four of her siblings in The Hartman’s, found online at www.hartmanfamilyband.com. She also enjoys teaching guitar and violin lessons to eighteen students. Besides music, Courtney enjoys, playing tennis, hiking, snowboarding and exploring the Rocky Mountains! It is her desire to continue pursuing a career in music and to inspire and uplift people through the music she plays.
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JACOB MEANS is the youngest member of High Altitude, but you would never know it by listening to his playing. His solid rhythm and sense of timing allows the band to play a multitude of styles, while always maintaining a connection with tradition. Also born in Lexington, Kentucky, Jacob moved to Wyoming with his family when he was a small child. He has been playing mandolin for about ten years, and draws his inspiration on the mandolin from such people as Adam Steffey, Chris Thile, Ricky Skaggs, and Mike Marshall. Jacob won first place in the mandolin competition at the High Plains Old Time and Country Music Contest in Douglas, WY in April 2006. His favorite bands include The Punch Brothers, Mountain Heart, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. Jacob will be attending the University of Wyoming this fall as a freshman majoring in Architectural Engineering, and minoring in Music Performance. When he isn't playing music, you can find him mountain biking or drawing.
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REID BUCKLEY began playing music with his family when he was four years old. He has played the fiddle for fifteen years and now also plays the mandolin and bass. Reid worked hard to master the nuances of fiddle music and his work paid off as he has won the Montana State Junior Junior Fiddle Championship two times and the Junior Championship once. Reid also took top honors in 2006 and 2007 as the Wyoming State Mandolin Champion. He is currently attending the University of Rochester in New York to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.
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STERLING MASAT was raised in northeast Texas and began playing the violin at the age of five. His two older sisters already played the fiddle so he decided to learn the banjo at age 7. Sterling played in his family's bluegrass-gospel band for 12 years, touring over 40 states in the U.S. and recording 10 projects. Along the way he picked up the guitar and fine tuned his vocal skills, singing lead and harmony along with his sisters and brother.
The Masat Family brought their music to venues such as Six Flags over
Texas, Silver Dollar City, Fort Leonardwood, bluegrass festivals, and
ministered at Christian family retreats and churches across the country. Sterling led worship for his church in Texas, as well as Revival services and Bible camps. Sterling was home-schooled until his senior year, which he fulfilled at a Texas Christian school in 2007. Although he grew up with bluegrass roots, Sterling has become a very diverse musician with a wide range of influences. He has a critical musical ear, and a knack for making any song his own, with tasteful riffs and solid backup. His musical experience includes teaching banjo lessons, and recording with many local artists.
Influences: Mountain Heart, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Allison Krauss and Union Station, The Bluegrass Album Band, Hot Rize...
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Record Label: Unsigned