Upcoming bluegrass
artist
Olivia
Smiley has already obtained the titles of
Kentucky & Ohio State Fiddle Champion & Governor's
Cup Winner twice each. In addition, she was
also the Indiana State Champion & Governor's Cup
winner, three-time winner of the Indiana State Fair,
and was runner-up at the prestigious Walnut Valley
Festival in
Winfield,
Kansas, two times. Most
recently,
Olivia was a top-ten finalist
in the Grand Masters Fiddle Championship held in
conjunction with IBMA's World of Bluegrass for the
second consecutive year. A classically trained
musician,
Olivia fell in love with
bluegrass music at the age of 14, and released her
first solo album in 2005. Playing music has
allowed
Olivia the opportunity to play
many wonderful venues. She has graced Grand
Old Opry stage with Pam Tillis and just
completed the 2009 tour with Larry Sparks.
Olivia Smiley & Main Street have appeared at the
Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival at Bean
Blossom, the Miami University Artist Series,
Indianapolis State Fair, Corydon's "Bluegrass on
the Square" and the WHAS TV "Crusade for Children"
telecast.
Olivia Smiley has
gathered together great musicians from all around
Indiana to perform as a new up-and-coming bluegrass
group on the just released the CD Bright Lights
and Avenues. On this CD is Jeff Guernsey,
at home on any instrument but adds his impeccable
guitar playing and vocals to this mix. After
competing and winning his way through fiddle
championships throughout the
United States,
he went on the road playing fiddle for Steve Wariner
and Vince Gill for many years. Jeff is
on Vince Gill's album High Lonesome Sound,
Michael Cleveland's award-winning Let 'er Go
Boys! and Sawing on the C String among
many others.
Olivia's greatest musical
influence and the producer of her 2005 CD, Jeff is
well-respected among all
musicians. Multi-instumentalists Klint Brown and
Kolin Brown have been playing bluegrass music for
most of their young lives, and it shows.
Having played with many bluegrass bands in and
around
Indiana, including Troubled
Waters, they are well-respected musicians.
Klint’s tasteful fills and driving rolls on the
banjo, and Kolin’s great rhythm on the bass are on
this CD. Their versatility make them a great
addition to any band. Special guest, Michael
Cleveland, is a six-time winner of the International
Bluegrass Music Association’s Fiddle Player of the
Year award. Mike has also won Instrumental Album of
the Year awards and Instrumental Band of the Year
awards. On this recording, Mike lends his
mandolin talents, which are not in short supply.