BAND MEMBERS INCLUDE (click name links for individual bios):

stephen kuester, guitar, vocals

travis rinehart, banjo, vocals

sweet eddie carlton, bass fiddle

joe bird, dobro

HAVE YOU SEEN JACKASS FLATS?

Starting out in 2000 as a group of like minded musicians, Jackass Flats has taken their sound from their hometown of Richmond, VA, to the nation's premier venues and festival stages. Fueld by original songwriting, award winning musicianship, and exhilarating bluegrass instrumentation, Jackass Flats epitomizes the new generation of acoustic string bands who combine creativity and tradition to produce something all together unique.

Since taking home Virginia State Champion Bluegrass Band honors in 2002, the boys have been crowd favorites on the bluegrass, americana, and world music scenes. In 2003 Jackass Flats took their local music scene by storm and were awarded Best Bluegrass/Country Band by internet magazine Richmond.com, who called the band "masters of backwoods symphonies". In 2004 the band was presented with a Virginia Music Award for The Best Americana Jamband . In the summer of 2005 alone, the band performed at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN and shared billing with groups as diverse as The Wailers, Del McCoury Band, Ani Difranco, Victor Wooten Band, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams, Sam Bush Band, Xavier Rudd, Tony Rice, Drive By Truckers, and J.D Crowe and the New South.

The typical show has Jackass Flats picking their way through original material, fresh arrangements of bluegrass standands, and non-traditional tunes from genres as varied as rock, reggae, and jazz. With the release of their second album Purgatory Mountain, the band have fulfilled one of their longtime dreams, to release an album of all original music that reflects their love of bluegrass tradition and their determination to create a sound that is all their own.

A SAMPLING OF JACKASS VENUES:
Alley Katz - Richmond, VA
Grey Eagle Tavern - Asheville, NC
Toad's Place, Richmond, VA
The 8x10, Baltimore, MD
The V Club, Huntington, WV
The Baggott Inn, New York City, NY
The Jabberwock, Elkins, WV
The Innsbrook Pavilion - Glen Allen, VA
The Blind Tiger - Greensboro, NC
The Funk Box - Baltimore, MD
Star Hill - Charlottesville, VA
The State Theatre - Falls Church, VA
Outback Lodge - Charlottesville, VA
Tierney's Tavern - Montclair, NJ
Andy's - Chestertown, MD
The Emerald Lounge - Asheville, NC
The Purple Fiddle - Thomas, WV
The Town Pump - Black Mountain, NC
Iota Club - Arlington, VA
Main St. Beer Company - Richmond, VA
The Brass Lantern - Reading, PA
The Canal Club - Richmond, VA
The Pour House Music Hall - Raleigh, NC
Cary St. Café - Richmond, VA
The Pit - Kill Devil Hills, NC
The Mellow Mushroom - Charleston, SC
Jack of the Wood - Asheville, NC
The Garage - Winston-Salem, NC
The Rodeo Bar - New York City, NY

SOME OF THE JACKASS APPEARANCES AT FESTIVALS:
Graymont Bluegrass Festival-Ashland, VA
Brew Glass IV-Terra Alta, WV
Haymaker Music Festival - Spottsylvania, VA
Jug Bay Jamfest-Lothian, MD
Amelia Bluegrass Festival-Amelia, VA
Floydfest-Floyd, VA
Buffalo Creek Music Festival-Lexington, VA
Norwich Bluegrass Festival-Norwich, NY
Chesterfield Bluegrass Festival-Chesterfield, VA
Richmond Bluegrass Festival-Glen Allen, VA
Urbana Oyster Festival - Urbana, VA
Menokin Music Festival - Tappahannock, VA
Mangohick Bluegrass Festival-Wytheville, VA
Virginia Roots Revival @ Browns Island - Richmond, VA

JACKASS FLATS HAS BEEN HONORED TO SHARE THE STAGE WITH:
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Leftover Salmon
The Sam Bush Band
Del McCoury Band
Earl Scruggs & Friends
Vassar Clements
Marty Stuart
The Whites
Southern Culture on the Skids
The Larry Keel Experience
Railroad Earth
The Hackensaw Boys
Keller Williams
Steep Canyon Rangers