Chesapeake (band)

Chesapeake
File:Chesapeake promotion.jpg
Background information
Origin	Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Genres	Folk, folk-rock, progressive bluegrass
Years active	1994–1999
Labels	Sugar Hill
Associated acts	Seldom Scene, Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Country Gentlemen
Past members
Jimmy Gaudreau Mike Auldridge T. Michael Coleman Moondi Klein

Chesapeake was an American bluegrass band formed in 1994 in Bethesda, Maryland as a direct offshot from The Seldom Scene. ^[1][2]

History

Mike Auldridge, T. Michael Coleman and Moondi Klein, who played together in Seldom Scene in the middle of 90' didn't feel satisfy with the way John Duffey led the group with only occasional playing and keeping the daily jobs. All of them wanted to play more seriously and started to play outside the Seldom Scene and when Jimmy Gaudreau, mandolinist of the Tony Rice Unit came, the Chesapeake was formed. All this happened during mid/late 1994, after release of their last album with the Seldom Scene, Like We Used to Be. They stayed together for five years and then disbanded; Mike Auldridge to pursue his own solo music, Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein continue to play together as duo.^[3]

Music style

Chesapeake music style cannot be defined clearly, since it is a blend of bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, folk, folk-rock, country, rock music and more. Folk songwriters such as Tom Paxton and Steve Gillette influenced their music as well as well as rock performers as Van Morrisson and Little Feat did. Their music was strongly led by Dobro and mandolin with Auldridge adding lap steel and pedal steel guitar to their arrangements. Later on the band started to add more percussions and drums to their music.

Members

• Moondi Klein - lead vocals, guitar
• Mike Auldridge - Dobro, lap steel, pedal steel, guitar, vocals
• Jimmy Gaudreau - mandolin, guitar, vocals
• T. Michael Coleman - bass guitar, vocals

with

• Pat McInerney - percussion, drums

Discography

During the short time, the group were together (1994–1999), they released altogether 3 studio albums.

All records released under Sugar Hill Records

• Rising Tide (1994)
• Full Sail (1996)
• Pier Pressure (1997)

References

1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p45112/biography Chesapeake bio (retrieved Feb 2010)
2. ^ http://www.mikeauldridge.com/chesa.htm#Section1 Band bio (retrieved Feb 2010)
3. ^ http://www.jimmyandmoondi.com/

External links

• Official site of Mike Auldridge
• Official site of Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein
• Official site of Jimmy Gaudreau