Meet the Band

Jim Amsden
Growing up on a farm in Maine, Jim played tuba in school bands, giving him a lifelong love for the bass. After building an amp from surplus military vacuum tubes, he needed something to play through it, so he got himself an electric guitar. By 16 he was rocking & rolling local clubs … even his own high school prom. One band led to another and another through Jim’s college years and young adulthood, until the time pressures of job and family took him out of music for awhile.

Once in North Carolina, Jim started listening to the new acoustic music floating around, bands like Nickel Creek and Strength in Numbers. A cancer diagnosis in 2005 inspired him to start learning mandolin ... what better way to spend his recovery time? A multi-instrumentalist, Jim collects instruments and associated recording gear. And he's learning fiddle.

Richard Bowdon
Listening to WABC in the late 60s, Richard soaked up all the cross-currents of that golden age of popular music. After rock went soft and dreaded disco ascended, he moved to Texas and took to less-trodden musical paths: western swing, country rock, bluegrass, and singer-songwriters – especially from the active 1980's Texas songwriting scene (Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, etc.). Before long he was writing songs too, inspired by his annual trek to the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. By 1985 he placed into the finals of their famous New Folk songwriting contest. 

During 20 years in West Texas, Richard played almost always as a solo act. After moving to the Triangle he decided  playing in a band is more fun! His jobs in No Worries include vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, and of course, songwriting.

Ken Faircloth
The only native Carolinian in the group, Ken hails from Wake Forest. The Beatles first inspired him to get a guitar and a Mel Bay book of chords. By college he was playing along with the hard stuff: Robin Trower, Jimi Hendrix. Then to his surprise, in the 80s Ken started to notice music coming out of Nashville from people like Ricky Skaggs, leading him upstream to acoustic roots music from Tony Rice and Doc Watson. Ken put away the electric, bought a Martin, and started learning licks from Doc instead of Jimi.

Ken has frequented all the local jams in recent years, and also leant his fluid fingers to several local bands. In his “spare time” he messes around with a 5-string banjo. He joined No Worries as lead guitarist in 2009.

Mike Copeland

Mike was born and raised in New York City, listening to WABC top 40 until the Beatles broke up. He discovered the world of Rock & Roll as a teenager and couldn't get enough live music. He always loved, and loves, watching the band and how they perform, especially acoustic music.  Some favorites were The Grateful Dead, Hot Tuna, The Band and The Allman Brothers to name just a few.

Although he had an acoustic guitar first, he's been playing bass since he was 16.  After 12 years in the Navy operating nuclear reactors aboard submarines, he got out in 1995, moved to NC, and picked the bass back up. He found some like minded folk and played in the Allkind band in the Mebane area for a few years.

Put Them All Together and Stir
… you get a blended musical smoothie. Richard and Ken and Mike love the Beatles. Ken and Jim love Hendrix and Clapton. Richard and Jim love Tim O’Brien and CSNY. Truth is, you hear all of those influences and more in No Worries: four decades of making music times four guys. What are the common threads? Respect for each song and each genre on its own terms, the emotions that it communicates. High standards of professionalism, while keeping it fun. No Worries!