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2010 Guest Dance Band for the Alaska Folk Festival
The Tallboys

Based in Seattle, Washington, The Tallboys are a four piece old time string band well-versed in traditional fiddle tunes and mountain songs. They stay honest to their traditional inspirations, yet charge up their sound with a raw edge of gritty enthusiasm conjured from their years of street performing. The Tallboys consistently deliver exciting stage performances and hard-driving dance tunes.

Talented vocalists, The Tallboys all share the singing, and their harmonies create a beautifully authentic old time sound. The instrumental line-up begins with Joe Fulton, from Iowa, who has been playing since boyhood. His impressive fiddling leads the melody. Charlie Beck, from Indiana, plays both claw-hammer and three-finger style banjo and brings over a decade of musical experience to the band. He is also a talented songwriter, creating several original compositions. Longtime musician John Hurd, from Oregon, lays down that driving bass foundation essential to The Tallboys' rhythm. Charmaine Slaven, from Montana, fills out the sound with solid rhythm guitar and is one of the finest buck dancers on the west coast. She also has the unique ability to dance and play guitar simultaneously. Together, they blend the attributes of each instrument and vocalist, creating a cohesive sound.

Performing since 2003, they have released four albums, with "Rubber Dolly" being the most recent. The Tallboys have received outstanding reviews and press from many well-respected authorities in the music industry. The band has received continuously increasing airplay nationwide, and has recently been featured on Puget Sound Public Radio KUOW 94.9FM and KBCS 91.3FM Community Radio. The Tallboys have been featured at numerous music festivals in the including the NW Folklife Festival, String Summit (winners of the 2004 band contest), Pickathon Roots Music Festival, Portland Old Time Gathering, San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival, Berkeley Old Time Convention, Bainbridge Bluegrass Festival, Fremont Solstice Fair, and many others.

A grassroots independent band, The Tallboys have strong ties to the community, and donate several annual performances for local nonprofit fund raising events. Additionally, they have been instrumental in developing Seattle's local old time music community by organizing a monthly square dance at the Tractor Tavern, a weekly old-time jam at Conor Byrne Pub, and non-profit community resource website, www.oldtimeseattle.com.