The Quitters Trio with special guest Joe Craven

The Quitters trio consists of a right-side up finger picker (Stevie Coyle), an upside down flat picker (Glenn “Houston” Pomianek), and an upright bassist (Chris Kee). They were three original members of The Waybacks quintet, and Chris Kee and Glenn Houston were the long-time bassist and lead guitarist for Houston Jones. Now they play together, on their own, hence the name, “The Quitters”. They deliver a memorable performance spiced with humor and serendipity. https://www.quittersduo.com

Glenn Houston’s guitarist influences range from Michael Bloomfield to Doc Watson, as shows in his mastery of both the acoustic and electric guitar. Glenn has been voted Best Guitarist by the Northern California Bluegrass Society and has shared billing with Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Earl Scruggs, Doc and Merle Watson, Willie Nelson and countless other famous artists. He co-founded the Waybacks in 1999 with Stevie Coyle and Chojo Jacques, and was co-founder of the powerhouse Americana band, Houston Jones.

Stevie Coyle was inspired to take up finger-picking guitar by the first Hot Tuna album. After degrees in Theatre and Theology he hit the road with The Royal Lichtenstein Circus, doing comedy, magic, wire-walking, sword-swallowing, and juggling. He collaborated with Roy Zimmerman for 25 years, including the folk tribute / parody band, The Foremen, and comedy duo, The Reagan Bros. In 1999 he co-founded The Waybacks and toured with them through 2007. Since then he has released a solo CD and opened his own high-end acoustic guitar shop, Mighty Fine Guitars, in Lafayette, CA. In addition to his stellar musical career, Stevie also claims fame as an actor and comedian, including appearances on Cheers and The Comedy Store.

Chris Kee is a classically trained cellist who studied ethnomusicology at Yale, Chris was the original bass player with the Waybacks, and bassist and principal songwriter for Houston Jones. Much in demand as a hired gun, he has performed with Buddy Miller (including appearances with Buddy, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and Shawn Colvin), Jim Lauderdale, Norah Jones, Jim Campilongo, the late lamented Ralph Carney, and crypto- Klezmer sorceress Michelle Alany, among many others.

Special guest, Joe  Craven

Joe Craven is an American freestyle folk, world and roots music multi-instrumentalist, singer and educator. He is the Director of RiverTunes Music Camp and a Co-Director of the Wintergrass Youth Academy. He plays a wide variety of string instruments, including fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, tres, cavaquinho, balalaika, as well as percussion, including a pickling jar, a credit card, or a jawbone. Craven is a well known sight at acoustic music festivals and, for many years, was violinist and percussionist for the David Grisman Quintet.^[1] Craven lists some of his influences being Jimi Hendrix, dumpster diving, Hermeto Pascoal, thrift stores, Frank Zappa, educator and aesthetician John Dewey, beachcombing, Carl Stalling, Eddie Palmieri, field recordings, Tiny Moore, Los Pleneros De Viente Uno, Darol Anger and The Horseflies.

Craven has played with many notable musicians including Jerry Garcia, Stephane Grappelli, Alison Brown, Rob Ickes and David Lindley. He performs solo and in different sizes and versions of his own projects, most notably The Joe Craven Trio.