About Fog Holler:
Fog Holler is a bluegrass band with an edge. What gives them that edge is a topic of hot debate. For some, it’s musicianship - these bluegrass cats shred. For others, it’s the songwriting, traditional in style but topical in substance. Sometimes, they undeniably snare people with the squad factor - folks see 4 grown adults in matching monochrome, and they get curious. The secret, according to Fog Holler, is simply that they write and play bluegrass in 2024, with similar intention but very different context from the genre’s originators. Inspired by a range of influences from The Stanley Brothers to Buck Owens to Meshuggah, Fog Holler breathes fresh life into well worn forms like the murder ballad and the power waltz. Described by two-time Grammy Award Winner Cathy Fink as “The next generation of the many shades of grass”, Fog Holler’s captivating tunes and coordinated outfits are quickly enthralling longtime bluegrass fans and newcomers alike.
Social Media: @fogholler #Fogholler
Casey James Holmberg
He/him
Banjo / Vocals
Casey was born and raised in the rolling hills of Petaluma, CA. Although a saxophonist first, Holmberg removed the mouthpiece and started pickin’ it true at the age of 18, after hearing Earl Scruggs play The Farewell Blues. Convinced the banjo was the best instrument for both Bluegrass and Bop, he began to teach himself. While pursuing a degree in Theater at UCLA, he joined the bluegrass and oldtime ensemble and met Noa, sowing the seeds for musical partnership down the road. Casey’s banjo style is distinct, blending the grit and drive of players like Ralph Stanley and Robert Earl Davis with a cool, modern virtuosity reminiscent of Bela Fleck or Noam Pikelney. Casey sees the banjo as a complete instrument, not restricted by genre or style.
Tommy Schulz
He/they
Guitar / Vocals
Tommy spent their early years in the lush mountain forests of Makiki in Honolulu, Hawaii. Constantly hearing Hawaiian slack key guitar, country, and bluegrass from his father's stereo, young Tommy decided to get an acoustic guitar and start playing folk music. Wanting to hone their performance skills, Tommy traded rainforests for deserts while they earned their BA in Theater at UCLA. Tommy draws from years of experience and study in a wide array of musical and performance styles including opera, old time, metal, folk, electronica, and film and theater scores. They work to bring elements from this diverse array of influences into their playing with Fog Holler, existing both within and beyond the bluegrass idiom.
Noa
She/they
Bass Fiddle
Bassist and composer Noa grew up in the hard, frozen tundra of Buffalo, New York. After graduating from SUNY University at Buffalo with a BA in music performance, they furthered their studies at UCLA, where they studied with Chris Hanulik and received their master’s, also in music performance. Noa had their first experiences playing folk music at UCLA, and since then has worked to mary their virtuosic, classical style of bowing with the rhythmic needs of bluegrass and old time. Noa is a self-taught composer, weaving their unconventional tuning and elastic range into a diverse array of styles, from bluegrass to bass concertos.
Lillian Sawyer
She/her
Fiddle
Lillian was born and raised on the sunny coasts of southeast Florida. Surrounded by folk music her whole life, Lillian picked up the fiddle at an early age after a particularly influential festival experience. Having received her calling, Lillian practiced hard, eventually going to Berklee School of Music in Boston. Since her time at Berklee, Lillian has toured and performed with bands such as Never Come Down, and with luminaries such as Darol Anger and Joe K. Walsh. Growing up on a diet of bluegrass, she brings hard driving fiddle breaks to Fog Holler as well as skillful and sensitive playing earned from years of exploration and practice.