Mountain Holler was formed when Karen, the owner of Sweet Fanny Adams' Rest. & Irish Pub in Bailey, CO called Jay & Greg to see if they could perform that same night due to a band canceling on her. Tom joined them that night and the rest is history! There was such a blend of talents, voices and spirits that the crowd that night was asking when they would be back. One customer even asked the question, "... how long have you guys been playing together?" And we answered, "about an hour"! Mike Lord joined the group on Dobro a few weeks later. The most recent addition, Emily Wilson on mandolin rounds out the group.
FOR BOOKING, CONTACT GREG BLAKE - 303.489.9083 or GREG@ELKCREEKCC.ORG
Greg Blake - guitar & vocals ...
Greg was born in southern West Virginia and, from there, acquired his love for bluegrass and mountain-flavored music. After graduating from high school, he moved to Kansas City where he attended the Kansas City College and Bible School. There he met Tracey Barlow from Tulsa, OK and married her one week after graduation. God has blessed them with 20+ years of marriage, two great kids - Trent and Alayna - and a 'scruffy' dog named Maggie.
While in Kansas City, Greg joined up with The Bluegrass Missourians. He was a member of that band for nearly 15 years, having the opportunity to open for great bluegrass acts such as Bill Monroe, The Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson and Ricky Skaggs. Greg is a Kansas State Flatpicking champion and, at one point in his career, was selected Bluegrass Guitar Performer of the Year 5 years in a row by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA). He was nominated for that honor a total of 9 times, as well as being nominated twice for Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year.
Greg and the family moved to Conifer, CO in February, 2007 taking a position as one of the pastors at Elk Creek Community Church.
Emily Wilson - mandolin ...
Emily grew up in the mountains west of Denver, Colorado. She grew up with a deep love of music, playing violin and mandolin. Emily played with the Lakewood Symphony and the Denver Mandolin Orchestra during high school. After high school Emily moved to Durango, Colorado where she attended college, taught fiddle and mandolin at Canyon Music, and played mandolin with Wild Mountain, a popular local band.
After studying biology and music for three years at Fort Lewis College in Durango Emily moved back to Conifer, Colorado to finish her music degree at Metropolitan State College of Denver and pursue the musical opportunities a larger city has to offer.
Emily’s other interests include camping, playing with her dogs and cat, and attending as many music festivals as possible on a college student’s budget.
Jay Genender - Fiddle ...
Jay Genender grew up in the front range of the Colorado hills. He found the violin at a young age and played in local school orchestras through high school. Jay turned his attention to playing guitar in his college years, but soon found his acoustic side again. Bluegrass music became a love and you’ll often find Jay in a late night Festival Jam somewhere.
Jay teaches music professionally at the Swallow Hill Music Center in Denver, Colorado as well as gives private music lessons in piano, guitar, violin and mandolin techniques from his studio.
Jay and his lovely family are blessed to live in the beautiful foothills of Colorado, where he loves making music with Mountain Holler Bluegrass.
Michael Lord - Dobro ...
Michael grew up in rural, southeast Pennsylvania about an hour southwest of Philadelphia. His father is a banjo player, so Michael spent lots of time as a child listening to Flatt & Scuggs and The Seldom Scene and enjoying dancing around the living room on Friday nights when his dad's buddies would come over to jam.
However, he wasn't bit by the pickin' bug until he was 19 when he started playing the guitar and mandolin. At 22, Michael became interested in playing the dobro, and that has become his main ax over the course of the last decade.
Having moved to CO with his wife five years ago, he has thoroughly enjoyed Colorado's eclectic music scene which has fed and expanded his own wide range of musical interests (blues, jazz, classical, rock, heavy metal, hip hop). Presently, Michael is a high school math teacher in Denver.
Tom Carr - Bass ...
Tom was Born on October 20, 1967 in Santa Barbara, CA. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Then Tom moved to Colorado in 2002 and he's been playing acoustic bass, his first stringed instrument, since 2003.
Tom married his wife Nancy on October 31, 2008, and now resides with her in the mountains. Tom spends his days working for SolSource Solar, as a photovoltaic and Solar Thermal Lead Installer and Project Manager. Before that, he was remodeling homes in the Denver and Conifer/Evergreen area.
Tom's musical interests include Bluegrass and Bob Marley. Otherwise you'll find Tom skiing the cool local scene on the slopes of Loveland, Colorado, where he can get away from the intermediate skiers and tourists in the bigger areas. Tom says, “Living and playing in the mountains is why I live here.”
