Todd Parks: Bass

www.myspace.com/mtparksmusic


Todd Parks is a Nashville, TN based acoustic and electric bassist. Parks earned his undergraduate & Masters degrees in String Performance and Jazz Studies from University of Tennessee/Knoxville. He studied with bassist Rusty Holloway, pianist Donald Brown and drummer Keith Brown. While living in Knoxville, Parks performed with bands Gran Torino, Robinella and the CC Stringband, JT and Saltines and the Superfly Soundtrip. He also taught as an adjunct professor at UT/Knoxville and Lee University in Cleveland, TN.

In 2003 Todd Parks moved to Nashville and quickly established himself as an in demand sideman for such diverse artists as Jack Pearson, The Nashville Jazz Orchestra, Justin Thompson, Daybreak, Bee Gee Adair, Jody Nardone, Steve Kovalcheck and Shane Roberts. Spring of 2006 Parks became a member of The Jerry Douglas Band. He toured and recorded extensively with Douglas for the next four years and served as assistant musical director to Jerry Douglas for the BBC/RTE Television series TRANSATLANTIC SESSIONS, series 3 & 4. Look for the upcoming American broadcast of TRANSATLANTIC SESSIONS 4 in summer of 2010 on PBS affiliates.

Spring of 2010, Jerry Douglas opened the door for Todd Parks to audition for the recently named Father Of Newgrass (by the Kentucky legislature), Sam Bush. The audition went well! Sam welcomes Todd into his band as they head out on a whole new set of musical journeys. And the adventure continues........

Chris Brown: drums

www.drumtracksonline.com

Chris Brown and his drums of reknown!

Stephen Mougin: Guitar

www.stephenmougin.com


Stephen has been playing music since the age of 6 when his father showed him three chords on an old Madera guitar. He moved on to Mandolin two years later and began his long voyage to Nashville. After earning his bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Stephen became the Choral Director at the Mahar Regional School in nearby Orange. Teaching Chorus, Theory, General Music, and Producing/Directing the Musicals, Stephen learned the value of being a well rounded musician. In June of 2002, he moved to music city to join the Valerie Smith band and has since played with Jim Lauderdale, Melonie Cannon, Randy Kohrs, and Audie Blaylock to name a few, and has played stages around the world including the Grand Old Opry. Stephen is currently guitarist/vocalist in the Sam Bush band and hopes to remain there for quite some time!! For more information please visit: www.stephenmougin.com

Scott Vestal: Banjo

www.ScottVestal.com


Scott Vestal was born May 8, 1962 in Duncan, OK. The older of two children, music was a constant from Scott's early age. His Grandfather, Famon Self, an old time country fiddler with lots of patience, showed Scott his first chords on the guitar. Scott and his brother, Curtis, would play and sing with their Grandfather at various events ranging from parades to nursing homes to bluegrass festivals. At age 13 Scott got his first 5-string banjo and began learning from the records his Father had around the house, ranging from Flatt and Scruggs to New Grass Revival. After a few years, and many hours of practice, he was playing in contests and touring with local bands across the U.S.


His professional career began at the age of 18 when he moved from Texas to the East Coast to work with Larry Sparks. After performing and recording with Larry for a year, Scott struck out on his own and helped form Southern Connection, which toured the Midwest and East Coast for 3 years.


In 1985, Scott joined Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver performing in the U.S., Canada, and Europe as a member of the critically acclaimed quartet. Four years and five award winning albums later, he once again struck out to broaden his musical knowledge with his own group, Livewire, spent six months touring Japan with an acoustic jazz ensemble, and had a starring role in Phyllis McBride's critically acclaimed original musical production, Cowboy Cafe.


Upon returning home from Japan, Scott got a call from singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Harley Allen to move to Nashville and form a band with him and David Parmley. After a while Harley found that his writing schedule would not allow him to be on the road, thus the beginning of David Parmley, Scott Vestal, and Continental Divide, who went on to record three award winning projects and tour the US and Canada over the next 5 years. During this time Scott was awarded Banjo Player of the Year in 1996 by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and 1998 Banjo Player of the Year by the Bluegrass Now Magazine Fan's Choice Awards.


While working on the Johnny Staats project Scott had a chance to visit with John Cowan and decided they should hook up and play some music together. This situation gave Scott a chance to really stretch out and broaden his musical horizons not just playing banjo but incorporating his solid body electric midi banjo into the show and onto the two CD's they recorded together as the John Cowan Band.


Scott does a lot of session work around Nashville,TN, these days and has his own recording studio where he engineers and produces various projects including an award winning series of instrumental recordings for Pinecastle Records, and has worked with the likes of Bill Monroe, Sam Bush, David Lee Roth, John Jorgenson, Tim O'Brien, Jim Lauderdale, Rick Moranis, Shawn Camp, Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Ronnie Bowman, Pat Flynn, Jerry Douglas, John Cowan, Tony Rice, Vassar Clements, Tony Williamson, and many others.
In addition to being an outstanding musician, Scott is also a composer, writing nine of the thirteen compositions on his first solo project, "In Pursuit Of Happiness", and nine out of twelve on his latest release, "Millennia".


Along with his busy recording schedule Scott will be touring with the Sam Bush Band starting in early 2005. Be sure to check out the new CD by The Sam Bush Band "Laps In Seven" on Sugar Hill Records due to be released June 13, 2006.


In addition to that, Scott and his wife Alice Newman Vestal are about to release their first CD together "Goin' To The Dance" for Bless Your Heart Music LLC. The release date is set for June 27, 2006. It is a collection of mostly originals by Alice and Scott along with some of their favorite song writers. The project features Byron House, Chris Brown, Randy Kohrs, Steve Thomas, Jeff Autry, Casey Driessen, and Bobby Newman. You can check out a couple of tunes at the ASV site.