This is a place to record my progress in learning music.  I started playing in November, 2010.

The Vine Brothers
 
Criss-crossing the country for the past four years from the East Coast to the Rockies, this acoustic trio uses mandolin, guitar, upright bass, and vocal harmonies to captivate audiences with their crafty songwriting, fiery improvisation, and soulful delivery.  The band's versatility spans the range from rootsy folk to gypsy swing to bluegrass and blues, and makes them equally at home whether performing in an intimate club or on a large festival stage.
 
The Vine Brothers were awarded Americana Group of the Year in 2016 by The International Music and Entertainment Association’s 4th Annual IMEA Awards.  Their third album No Candy was nominated for Americana Album of the Year , and the song "The Well" received a nomination for Americana Song of the Year.  The song “East of Albuquerque” was chosen as a finalist in the 2016 International Songwriting Competition (ISC).
 
The band's first two albums, 2012's Low Rent and 2013’s The Devil and the Deep Black Sky received considerable airplay on over 100 stations in the US and Canada and charted in six cities. One of the songs from Low Rent, "Three Bottles," was featured on the Discovery Channel show Vegas Rat Rods.  
 
"One of the best and most innovative bluegrass-Americana bands in the U.S.  They arguably hold the mantle of Americana music."
 
-Phil Westcott, Triple Cities Carousel, Binghamton, NY
 
"Django meets Tom Waits chauffeured by a gypsy bandwagon."
 
-Torin Andersen, F5 Paper, Wichita, KS
 
"Bright and buttery... flamboyant with a touch of oak...  Kick-ass but not too tart."
 
-Bonnie Grice, WPPB 88.3 FM, Southampton, NY

More information about the ensemble can be located at www.thevinebrothers.com

Greg Bucking

-Guitarist- (Jefferson, NY)

Greg Bucking is a songwriter, guitarist, singer, and bandleader originally from Sag Harbor, NY who has spent the past two decades writing for and performing in a variety of projects and musical styles.  His current band, The Vine Brothers, has recorded three albums and spent the last four years touring across the US, receiving generous airplay on hundreds of radio stations, and charting on a handful of them.  His song “Three Bottles” was featured on the Discovery Channel show Vegas Rat Rods.  Greg also wrote and recorded three albums for the New York based Mother Freedom, one for Broken Carousel, and penned the score for the independent film My Brother Jack.

Garrett Jones

-Bassist- (Fayetteville, AR)

Through the years, bassist and Arkansas native Garrett Jones has performed for national and international touring acts including “The Official Blues Brothers Revue,” where he worked under the musical direction of Paul Shaffer, as well as Broadway touring productions of “West Side Story,” “Spam-a-Lot,” and “Wicked.”  His versatility as both an upright and electric bassist has allowed him to work with a vast array of artists including folk musicians The Vine Brothers, Joe Purdy; as well as jazz musicians including The Yaniv Taubenhouse Trio, and video game sensations “The OneUps.”  Festivals and venues that Garrett has found himself performing at have included Bikes Blues and BBQ, The Beijing Concert Hall, The 2012 Ryder Cup Gala, Wakarusa, The Walmart Shareholders Meeting, The YMSB Harvest Music Festival, and The 2005 University of Arkansas Campaign For The Twenty-First Century Concert with former president Bill Clinton in attendance. 

Joe Credit 

-Mandolin- (Deal Island, MD)

Joe Credit III is an Appalachian style mandolin player with heavy jazz, blues, and world influences. He comes from a musical family, his parents met working together in community musical theater in Grafton, MA. Joe is kind of a nomad. He has lived in many cities, studying and working with musicians all over the country. Currently Joe is the mandolin player for nationally touring and critically acclaimed trio, The Vine Brothers. He lives with his family on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

I play on a Cross mandolin. It was made by Arnold Cross in Smyrna, TN. I take lessons at Hogeye music in Evanston, IL under Rick Veras. 

I was born and raised in the small town of Morgantown, Kentucky. I never realized when I was 5 years old and standing on my great-grandma Whitaker's couch and singing for pocket change and dollar bills that it would lead me to where I am today. From singing in family homes and churches to now singing in the studio in Nashville, Tennessee, I can finally see my dreams beginning to take shape. I know that none of this would be possible without a couple very special people, first and foremost, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because with him all things are possible, second my Mom and Dad who instilled in me the things it took to make me the man I am today. I'm truly blessed to have two beautiful children, Hayden Michael and Emma Grace, along with an awesome wife Sherry, who keep my everyday life in check and who remind me of the reasons I do what I do. Last but not least I have to say that the journey I've been on thus far would not be anywhere close to where I am today without the sacrifice, love and support of my Uncle and Aunt, Barry and Kathy Whitaker.

Elisdad is following