Bozeman Magazine

Sweetwater String Band is cello driven "soulgrass", founded in the Eastern Sierra of California in 2008. Beginning with a weekly gig at their local bar, the band quickly found themselves on the biggest stage in the area less than a year later at the Millpond Music Festival. "My hat goes off to Sweetwater String Band for finding a singular sound that seamlessly melds the sensibilities of traditional and progressive bluegrass (Shakedown News)." Their music often deals with serious issues such as mountaintop removal coal mining, workers rights, and finding middle ground in todays divided political arena. This seriousness is balanced by ghost stories, drinking songs, improvised jams, and tales from the long, lonesome road. No Depression describes their latest album River of Rhymes as: "a work of both intimacy and wide-scale, cinematic vistas…instantly likeable, a truly worthy listen. The songs are great, their playing immaculate, and their approach and subject matters fascinating.”Mandolinist Scott Roberts and cellist David Huebner write the material, and together with Jeff Meadway on guitar, and Patrick Ferguson on bass, work out the arrangements. They have completed two full length albums, and have a third in the works. Recent festival appearances include the Strawberry Music Festival, Huck Finn Jubilee, Kate Wolf Festival, RapidGrass, YarmonyGrass, Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, Parkfield Bluegrass, Millpond Music Festival (3rd appearance), and Lost Sierra Hoedown (2nd appearance). It's worth noting that cellist David Huebner has a deep classical music background. Starting at the age of 7, he performed around his home in Los Angeles, including at the Hollywood Bowl, and twice appearing nationally on the Disney Channel.